Steam Power

It doesn’t take long for me to return to my new home. Glinda will get the Purple Palace as a third home. She’s taking charge of caring for the palace. We’ve decided we simply will all rule the North like we do the Emerald City. When I return the castle is just as gloomy as I left it. Theo’s father comes out to greet us. He does a small bow for me.

“I’ve set up the patrol routes as you asked of me your highness.”

“Thank you. I’m Theo’s fiancé now. Eve’s my lady-in-waiting. I’d like you to be my one of my personal guards. A captain.”

“Yes your Grace.”

“I’d like you, and your most trusted guards to meet me in the council room.”

“We had some trouble while you were gone your Grace.”

“Oz?” Thunder crackles overhead.

“Some hunters. I don’t know if they worked for Oz. We and the guards from the East drove them off.”

“Good.” I say. “Very good.” No to plan to take out Oz. I enter my castle. There is clear architectural similarities. It’s certainly gothic. Dark, with high ceilings. Lots of shades of black. I walk to my throne room. Hoping the wide open space will help me think. Eve and Theo stay outside to talk with their father. I sit in my throne. The back of it flows into spikes. It’s surprisingly not too uncomfortable. The room has a cold stone floor, and a black crystal chandelier hangs on the ceiling. It’s mostly empty besides a few guards stationed, and the occasional familiar bustle of servants. I sit thinking. He won’t go after Glinda. It’s me, and Nessarose he wants to take out. He knows she’s on our side now though. I’ll have to take the fight to him. But how to have the upper hand? Then a wicked idea occurs to me. I can’t help, but laugh at the simple ingenius of it. A wicked plan, and villainess cackle. A few guards stare, but say nothing. I quickly move to my bedroom finding ink, and quill. I’ll need both my sisters for the plan to work. Nessarose to try force, and Glinda if it doesn’t. He’ll listen to her. My magic makes the quill fly over parchment. I roll it up into a scroll, and seal it with the Thropp family crest, and with a yellow ribbon. I send it to them in a puff of green smoke. Then I get to work. I won’t be the Queen when I see Oz, I’ll be the Wicked Witch of the West. I change my crown for a large brimmed black hat. I wear a layered, patchwork skirt and leather bodice, and black, and white striped tights. Tall black boots. I call my broom to my hand. I leave alone at dawn. Sitting side saddle on my broomstick. When I make it out of the forests there’s a few thin grey, clouds in the light blue sky. The land below is shades of yellow, and cast in an amber glow. Pretty, and haunting alike. The weather is warm, but the strong, unrelenting wind brings a cold chill to the air. When I make it to Emerald City the weather is warm, and sunny. The sun is almost too bright now. The sky too blue. Even the way the city itself reflects the sun it’s too much. It stings my eyes, and I almost wish I hadn’t been so stubborn as to not being a pair of spectacles to shield them. The West is a place cast in tall shadows. From the apple trees to the Dark Forest. I miss it already. With the castle having been built I finally feel I have a home there. With the crown I feel I have a place. With this plan will come my purpose. I’ll out-do the con-man. I remember something he had showed me once. One of his machines from Kansas. Something that could make moving pictures. Not with magic, he said. But I bet I could do better. A projector he called it. Well I could project too. There was nothing he could do that I couldn’t accomplish with magic. I look at the crystal around my neck. I just hope this works. I fly down behind a theater. Nessarose appears next to me. Having probably seen me from the hotel window across the road.

“Is Glinda here?” She nods. “She’ll wait to see how things go, but she doesn’t like it.” The right decision would probably be plan B.

But we were wicked, and this was my plan. So we’d simply try to kill him first. It wasn’t like we could publicly execute him, or jail him. Oz himself broke no laws that I know of. We’d risk some of our people asking us to resign. Though with how well loved we are in our respective Kingdoms, and with Glinda on our side we might have been able to get away with it. I won’t put that to risk though. Still we have us, and any future wicked witches to think about. So I won’t stop until he’s no longer a threat to us. Once we chop off the head of the snake. I’ll simply smoke out any of his followers, or people with the same mentality. This task has to be done. I keep reminding myself. And I will get it done. Nessarose clicks her heels three times, and the two of us fly after her. We sneak into the palace from an entrance only the royal Thropp family knows about. I hop off my broom. Glinda’s bubble pops.

“Where did say you were meeting with him?”

“I told him we can make peace in the throne room. For the record I hate lying.” She says.

“Let us take it from here.” I say. Although I’m sure she’s worried it will turn into a fight, she’s as confidant looking as ever. Spine straight, head held high. Like always. Her foot steps are sure, but slow keeping an eye out. Oddly soft for heels. “Hide.” I whisper. My sister can fight, and fight well with her magic, but she lacks any ruthlessness. She makes herself invisible. Something that for us takes great focus. Then I look from behind the entry way. I see Oz pacing. A moving target. I survey the room. Like the others its walls, ceiling, and floor is made of solid emerald. They is a table, and chairs in the corner. Paintings hung on the walls. An intricately painted vase with flowers inside. A red rug under the table, and green curtains. He paces in the empty center. A moving target is not ideal, but there is nothing to block my shot. I light a fire in my hand. He turns at the sight of sudden change of lighting, and it’s Nessarose who strikes first. A dagger flys though the air grazing his shoulder baldy. We both step into the room to corner him. He takes a machines out of his satchel bag. He turns a switch.

“What is it?!” Nessarose asks. In the next minute the room is filled with thick steam. While I was able to move the fog in the forest I was too surprised to move it now. In to much pain to focus. I scream. Nessarose who was close to the accursed machine falls in the ground.

“It’s a fog machine.” Oz says. I hear the clinking of gears, and whimpering of my sister. Then there is a bright splash of moving color. A swarm of butterfly’s descend. It blocks Ozma view.

“Enough!” Glinda says in a strong, and commanding voice. In a bubble she floats in the doorway. In such a position that the steam barley touched her high heeled feet. I see burns starting to form. As it melts her skin wear it touches her. The burns we have will most likely heel, but the pain makes it too much to focus to cast a spell. I feel my face turn green like my sister’s. My heart fills with hate. Such trouble for the simple goal of living. He too my surprise turns off the steam machine. Now that I have a good look at it’s golden brass. With knobs, and dials. A little compass, or clock looking thing. It’s about the size of a small cat. With a spout of sorts the fog comes out of. Pointing upward like a chimney.

“This isn’t like you Glinda.” Oz says when the butterfly’s dissipate. “Turning a possibility of a peaceful agreement into an assassination attempt. It’s not right. It’s not good. It’s unbecoming for a ruler such as yourself to stoop so low. Certainly it’s their doing. Their corruption. Certainly you know they will cause harm. I do not blame them for it Glinda, but is killing them not kinder than to have them go poof after rotting in some cell in agony? I’m not trying to be evil Glinda, and I don’t think you are ether.” There’s something else in his voice when he address her. Something that was never there when he spoke to me. Not caring and certainly not love, but something gentle. I see pain flash in Gilnda’s face for a moment. Still she stands tall on the floor before him. Her eye twitches from nerves. She takes a breath before speaking.

“They’re my sisters. My family. The only family I have left. My three sisters are the only family I ever really had at all. One was taken from me. They will not. And this family taught me something. Would you like to know what it is?” Oz says nothing. Seemingly transfixed to the floor. Glinda has never acted like this. Like me he seems contented to wait, and see what she says next. Nessarose struggles to stand. Helping me up. She glares, eyes blazing. When Oz doesn’t answer Glinda says anyway,

“Blackmail.” One word. One word that makes me grin. One word that proves that my plan very much still worked. “You’re a con-man Oz. A lair. The right thing to do would to be to let my people know the sort of man they put on that pedestal. Perhaps we can’t take your life. But we can certainly ruin it. Or rather you can. They’ll lose all faith in you, and any enemy’s to the Queens of West, and East will be tracked down. You’ll be ruined.” Oz blinks taking this in. “Of course I can’t through you in jail, and I have no way to send you back we’re you came from, but I can banish you from the Emerald City. Feels fitting. And of course you are banished from East, and West.” Me and Nessarose grin looking at each other. “I think I’ll keep you in the North, and South. Were I can keep an eye on you.” I put a hand over my crystal. I too will keep an eye on him. Between the two of us he should pose no threat. Then me and Nessarose, and the guards will simply smoke out the others. Oz was the only real threat. Now he’s been immobilized.

“But if you ever hurt my kin, me, or mine again…” Nessarose says. I trow a fire ball. He quickly takes off his long grey coat, tossing it to the floor, and stomping out the flames. It’s cindering. He leaves. With out any theatrics. The coat and the steam machine the only thing left from him. I wrap my arms around Glinda. Nessarose joins in. I laugh with relief. I look into the crystal.

“We’ll?” Glinda says.

“Are we going to be ok?” Nessarose asks.

“Yeah I think we’re going to be good.”