Page 78 of The Great and Terrible

“Not necessarily. Just know you aren’t the first person she’d taken advantage of, later demanding they slay me. None have survived, taken out by my loyal guard, so she continues to try. If she tellsyouto strike, I hope you’ll inform me. There are ways to combat such manipulations.” As he spoke, he hooked an arm through mine and led me forward, away from Patch and Leona. The latter beseeched me with a watery gaze.

“Don’t worry about your friends, my dear.” Ian patted my hand. “I’ll see to their comfort and care.” Lifting his free arm, he snapped his fingers, spurring two guards to rush over. An escort for each woman. Neither of which was Jasher. Something I could tell only because he wasn’t wearing armor. Yet. Would I ever get to speak with him again? Did I want to?

Regret clogged my throat. Yes, I did. Ineededto speak with him. We had unfinished business to settle. He’d done his job, and now I would pay up.

I swallowed and forced myself to move on. “We’re searching for a woman named Claudia. She was sold at a governor’s auction three months ago.”

He arched a brow, so much like Jasher I floundered. “And you wish me to buy and free her?”

“Yes.”

“Then I shall.”

The simple statement threw me for another loop. How could he be this kind? This good? Hemustbe acting. But to what end?

Ian escorted me down the center of the band members and soldiers. We walked along a gold brick path, and I cut off asnort. Well, well, well. The infamous yellow brick road Dorothy traveled with her crew.

I cast a final glance the Tinman’s way. Or tried to. He’d already disappeared in the masses, one of dozens. My stomach twisted.

“How do you know who I am?” I asked the Guardian. “I only just found out.” Jasher couldn’t have told him.

“There are no secrets here. Not from me.” A four-eyed bird landed on his shoulder. It glared at me, then chirped in his ear before flying off. Ian’s smile slipped the slightest bit. “There’s been a development.”

A new realization dawned. “You commune with animals.”

“Only with the birds. If I’ve learned anything from your father, it’s to listen to what’s being whispered in the shadows, else rebels will catch me unaware and harm my people.”

So hespiedvia birds? Did Jasher communicate with the creatures, as well? He must. Too well did I recall the time he’d issued a command, and the birds had obeyed.

“You don’t resent the former king and queen?” I asked. “I’m told history doesn’t paint them in a favorable light.”

Ian waved, unconcerned. “Rumors are often exaggerations and distortions told by those attempting to paint themselves in a better light. Besides, I have a journal written by the king,” he admitted, verifying what Jasher told me. “I know how good he and his wife were. How much they loved the people. If you’d like, you can read the passages in the morning, after I’ve taken care of kingdom business.”

He seemed to entertain zero fears that I intended to seize control of his crown. However, my suspicions of his motives were far from alleviated. Appearances could be deceiving. That Ian was so accommodating, while the ring remained warm…

Yeah, best to keep my defenses raised and ready.

“That would be lovely,” I muttered. “Thank you.” I’d waited days to see the journal. I could wait one more.

Ian led me to what looked to be a sheet of glass laid upon our path. We stepped upon it, and the pane lifted off the ground. I marveled as we rose several inches above the golden bricks and swept forward magic-carpet style.

“Technologically advanced, indeed.” I glanced back to see Patch and Leona atop sheets of their own, each clinging to their guard.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Ian asked, indicating the landscape as we surged forward. “The higher up you are, the more you see.”

The splendor of our surroundings registered. Flowers of every color covered the dome’s ceiling. Buildings made of tinted stone-glass came in a multitude of shapes and sizes, some towering, some sprawling, but all glorious. People abounded, each laughing and dressed in exquisite finery—velvet, brocade and satin. Not a potato sack to be seen.

Once we passed the lively town, the flying podium picked up speed. The gold brick road ended at a great mountain topped by a breathtaking crystal palace, with a top that disappeared inside the dome’s greenery. Before I could wonder if I should risk getting trapped up there, we ascended.

I had a choice. Go up or jump. I went up. Those rainbow birds watched from the crystal perches, and yes, they still creeped me out.

Ian gave my hand another pat, his fingers lingering a little too long on the ring. “I wish to hear all about your adventures through Hakeldama. Especially your run-in with the monstra and lost a crimen. But first, you must be eager to see the male who raised you. I’m happy to say I can show you what he’s doing right this very moment.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Yes.” That. What I longed for more than anything. “Please.”

With no directing on our part, the sheet docked on a flat balcony near the top of the palace while my friends docked somewhere below.

Ian led me onto the balcony, through a set of arching double doors, and into a spacious room. The only things inside it were an elaborate throne made of crystal and a marble pool. Mist curled from the water, glittering. Even without a breeze, ripples moved over the surface. Energy charged the atmosphere, at odds with the soft, subtle scent of sweetness in the air.

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