Page 132 of Witch Queens: Tales from Oz

Her tear stained face peered up at me from behind her purple gloves, “Really?”

Steele cleared his throat, “She has a large contusion on the back of her skull. I am fairly confident she is suffering from a concussion as well.”

Cass paled.

“Could you heal her?” he asked patiently.

“Heal? What is Steele talking about?”

Cass flushed, “Some pixies have healing abilities. I would like to try and heal you, Your Majesty, if you would like.”

“I would like,” I would damn well love it. “But magic doesn’t work on the Winkie Land.”

Cass shook her head, “The land is loyal to whom it feels is the alpha. From the looks of things, Steele is most likely that person.”

“What do I need to do?” Steele answered sharply.

“Just grant me the rights, I will take it from there,” Cass replied.

Steele did as she asked and then Cass took off her purple gloves. Her hands were hot to the touch, and I flinched away from them. But Cass persisted, and Steele held me in a vice-like grip. I felt something different and foreign enter my body.

My first impulse was to pull away, but I couldn’t do anything as it wrapped and coiled around my body.

The ache in my head started to dissipate. It was then that I stopped fighting. Anything would be better than what I had been suffering. As her magic wove into the very fabric of my soul, I felt her connecting on a fundamental level.

I knew her thoughts and dreams, her childhood, her beliefs.

She pulled her hands away, and I immediately felt the loss, but as I took an assessment of my body, I realized that I had never felt better.

Cass looked pale and tired.

“Are you alright?” I wrapped an arm around her as Steele picked up her gloves.

She smiled wanly, “I will be in a minute or two. Losing so much lifeforce is difficult. They hurt you much worse than you could imagine. Your brain had started to bleed, Your Majesty, you were hours away from a stroke.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I wrapped her in my arms, “Thank you, Cass, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I owe you my life!”

Cass shook her head, “Your father gave me the responsibility to watch over you, and I failed him.”

“My father?”

“I can’t say any more, Your Majesty. Only that I will not fail you again.”

“Please,” I turned to face her, “Call me El, we should not stand on formality any longer.”

A bit of color returned to her face, “Yes, Your Majesty, I mean, yes, El.”

“I feel different somehow,” I moved my arms and legs tentatively.

“Some of my magic mixed with yours,” Cass explained. “You may have different powers than you did before, some things might be enhanced, and others could be lost. It was a risk that I had to take.”

I nodded as I took her now gloved hand, “Thank you, Cass.”

We loaded up one of the mining carts with gold and gems. Once it was full, Steele pulled it along the tunnels and corridors as we made our way slowly up out of Winkie Hell.

Once we hit fresh air, I let out a sigh I hadn’t known I had been holding. We did it, we actually got the treasure and we are still alive.

Indy and Scarecrow met us at the base of the tree where this had all started. With them they had several Munchkins and a few Pixies. After debriefing them of our adventure, we slip on backpacks, each filled with treasures.

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