Page 88 of Dark OZ

“Why exactly do you think that I should do any of this?”

“Because we have Eastin’s emerald. It will grant you access to her entire kingdom of sin,” Danny answered smoothly.

The modulated voice of the Wizard spoke over the end of Danny’s counter. “This emerald is one of a pair. Without its twin, it is useless.”

My heart cracked. Useless hope, leaking out of it.

“Yes, this emerald would gain me access to her buildings, but the network is dual encoded. You should have learned by now that the cost of happiness will always be more than the price of suffering.”

“How much more?” I asked wearily. Danny’s hand on my thigh tightened in warning.

“I called you here to claim the emerald. I had planned to simply take it from you in exchange for the key. I’m sure Vincent can fill you in on its true value. But…” Panic started a slow circle in my gut. I wasn’t sure if what followed The Wizard’s dramatic pause was going to save or damn me. “Now that I know you plan to dismantle The Farm, I’m intrigued and find myself inclined to help you—”

The breath I was holding wooshed out of me.

“—in exchange for killing Westin Witcher.”

“What?” The full gravity of what he was saying settled on me like a blanket of doom. “I can’t do that.” I wasn’t an assassin. I’d killed once to save my own life, but that didn’t mean I had the capacity to do it again.

“Absolutely not. That’s suicide,” Danny snapped. “Westin will have her executed the second she steps foot in the Western Quadrant.”

“You had no problem killing Eastin Witcher,” The Wizard intoned.

“It’s not like Iplannedon killing her!”

“But you killed her all the same.” The floating head tilted with impatience.

I shook my head in angry disbelief. “Yeah, I only had to be sold and abused before I was given an opportunity to bash her face in.” The lacerations along my back flamed with awareness.

“There were two Witchers ruling half of Oz. With Eastin gone, there is a vacuum forming in the political system. Pieces are already in motion to set up a new chain of command. I don’t intend to allow another tyrant to take her place. I intend to turn over the entire house of cards, and to do that, I need Westin gone, and I need the complete keys to their empire.”

“But..” I grasped at straws, trying to figure out a way around this. “She’ll see us coming.”

“Probably.”

“We’ll never—”

“Bring me the emerald, Dorothea. I’ll give you everything you need to dismantle The Farm. You’ll be given full access to their files, including those concerning Dandelion’s sisters. All of Emily Rosen’s assets will be transferred to you, and damning evidence for her trafficking crimes will be provided to every media outlet in and outside of Ozmandria, ensuring Ms. Rosen’s incarceration. With both Emily Rosen and Westin Witcher gone from the playing board, there should be no reason for you to assume a new identity.”

“How many people have tried to take out Westin Witcher?” I said in a hush to Danny.

“Fucking, hundreds.” Danny tapped his finger against the table. “Pretty much everyone in Oz has wanted her dead at one point, present company included.”

Everything I’ve ever wantedandDanny’s sisters. All it required was killing one, impossible to get to woman. “If by some miracle we manage to kill her, why should I believe that you’ll hold up your end of the bargain. You’re a head on a screen. How do I even know that you’re actually The Wizard and this isn’t some elaborate scheme?”

“She has a point,” Danny agreed. I made a mental note that at least once, this infuriating man said I was right. “If we’re going to do this for you, then the final exchange needs to be in person. I want to watch you transfer those files, and funds.”

The head froze. For a second, I thought that maybe we’d pushed him too far and this was the end of everything. Nobody sees the Wizard. We’d leave this bank and spend the rest of our days looking over our shoulders for a bullet that would eventually find its mark.

“That can be arranged. In a show of good faith, I will leave you with this information.” There was a ding announcing the arrival of a file. “The moment Westin’s head rolls, you’ll have your meeting.”

The screen went dark, flashing to life once more on a standard desktop wallpaper of the bank’s logo and a single folder. I stared down at the emerald still sitting on the drive. It glimmered back at me, powered by its own brilliant light.

“How’d he get this box and my family’s key?”

“The Wizard can get anything.”

“Except the death of a couple of Witchers, apparently. That he needs a meek little girl to do it for him.”

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