Page 36 of The Great and Terrible

That…he…wow. My admiration for him spiked. He’d gone to great lengths to aid me. “Thank you,” I repeated, the words now a low rasp.

“Stop saying that. I don’t like it.” Another grumble.

Or he liked it too much? “You know, Jash, you’re actually a pretty nice guy. For a killer and all.”

He rolled his eyes, then turned on his heel and stalked off.

I trailed him as Nugget conformed his little body to my chest. “How did you find me? Was it the blood-stained path I left for you? It was the path, wasn’t it?”

“It did make finding your trail easier when the trappers took measures to hide their course,” Jasher admitted, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

So. Not a wasted effort, after all. I beamed at everything and nothing, proud of my brilliance.

Oh! Two black and white horses, each with a single horn, stood between a pair of trees, their feathery wings tucked into their sides. They watched while bathed in shadows, and my next step faltered.

They reminded me of the flying stallions depicted in my mother’s painting at Emerald City Clucks. Even more proof that she’d spent a good amount of time here. I almost couldn’t process it.

“Jasher. Hey, Jasher,” I whisper-yelled, doing my best not to frighten the creatures. Argh! They disappeared in a puff of white smoke between one blink and another.

“Yes, Moriah?” The executioner sounded resigned.

“Never mind,” I groused.

On we traveled, one hour blending into another. When my arms grew tired from Nugget’s weight, I borrowed another shirt from my guide and rigged a sling.

“We’re taking a slight detour to a nearby village to replenish our supplies,” Jasher announced. “If we stay on the move and encounter no trouble, we’ll arrive before nightfall. We’ll stay at the inn.”

Oooh. A temporary reprieve from my litany of aches and pains sounded delightful. A wonderful prize we both deserved after everything we’d survived. “I would love a bath. I reek of cannibal.”

“I know.”

Ouch. “Yes. Well. You aren’t exactly a sweet smelling rose, either.” Because he was all orchids and sandalwood!

He hiked his shoulders, not the least bit offended.

As silence stretched between us, my mind attempted to resurrect thoughts of Earl, my father and their fates, bringing a deluge of emotion I couldn’t afford to stroke. I forced myself to concentrate on my return to Ozworld, Kansas.

There really was no place like home.

CHAPTER 10

THE COWARDLY LION

Istood beside Jasher at the top of a wooded hill roughly a mile from Dead Man’s Pass, with a sleeping Nugget nestled in the T-shirt sling. The village was not what I’d expected. A cluster of cabins and shops reminded me of old Wild West towns I’d seen in movies. Set in a clearing, this one boasted a single dirt road and multiple posts for tying horses. Women dressed in plain shirts and leather pants were scattered in groups, all rushing for the same building. Excitement filled the air. There wasn’t a man in sight.

“You’re going to cause a stir,” I stated, wondering what was going on down there.

“I always do,” Jasher replied, the first words he’d spoken in forever. After telling me our destination, he’d clammed up.

As promised, we had reached our destination before dark. Just barely, but there was still enough light to read the signs staked along the road. Most said:

Others boasted:

LEONA FOR MAYOR!

Only, on every placard, someone had added the word DON’T before “Vote” and painted a strike through the name, replacing it with LIAR or CHEATER.

Other signs read:

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