Page 119 of Witch Queens: Tales from Oz

Indy touched his arm, and I swear to you, the giant badass gave her a look of such heat, lust, and pure idolization, that I felt I little ill myself.

What in hell was wrong with my sisters?

“Gregory is the Wizard,” Indy said calmly. And then she turned to me, “If he is the Wizard, albeit a fake one, is he still the third trustee?”

“Yes,” Scarecrow answered before I could.

We swung our gazes at him.

“How did you know?” Indy demanded.

And the tatted-up giant flushed, “I knew he was a trustee. I just couldn’t tell you, but if you guessed yourself, I don’t see it as breaking a confidence to your father.”

“You knew this whole time?” I demanded.

He turned to me with a death glare, “I don’t owe you anything, El.”

“What about me?” Indy’s voice gutted me.

“I told you that there were things that I had promised your father, things I couldn’t tell you. You said you understood.”

Indy’s brow wrinkled, “Did you know about Mombi?”

“No,” he swore, “I had no idea.”

“What now?” Steele asked. “How do you catch a villain that has disappeared into thin air?”

The question hung between us.

“Mount Munch,” Indy blurted out, “It is the highest point in Oz, right on the borders of my territory and the Deadly Desert.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Steele answered.

“That is because it is straight up and down, the cliff is too steep to climb. No one that has attempted it, has ever been heard from again.”

Scarecrow wrapped Indy in his arms for a split second I wanted Steele to do the same. But we weren’t in that kind of relationship.

Hell, we weren’t in any kind of relationship.

“How do we get to them?” Indy asked.

I smiled.

“Hell, no! No more flying monkeys!”

Indy and Scarecrow looked at Steele in astonishment.

I smothered a smile, “It is either flying monkey, or we travel to Sapphire City and steal one of the golden pears from Gregory’s garden to grow wings.”

“That would only ensure one of us could go,” Scarecrow frowned.

“You are right,” I grinned, “Flying monkeys it is!”

“Won’t we have to pass through the Unicorners?” Steele’s worried tone had my smile fading.

The Unicorners are a herd of Unicorns that live deep in the forest of Munchkin Land. They were surrounded by one hundred trees, each hollowed out to be a stall for the unicorn. They were attended by blue Dwarves who catered to their every need.

In the center of those trees was a clear pool of water and a tree with silver apples. It is said that the apples provide them with immortality.

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