Page 20 of Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound #3)

I could sense the tension in my companions…their readiness to fight and to protect me at all costs, even now. But the question hung in the air, waiting for me to answer.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I stepped forward.

“You allowed us in to see you for a reason. Because our destinies are intertwined somehow and?—”

The flames near the floorboards crackled even higher, the heat blasting my face. "YOU SPEAK OF DESTINY BUT DESTINY IS NOT YOURS TO COMMAND!"

That voice...there was something about it that tugged at my memory.

If I had even a hint of my power, I could sense his magic, gauge what we were up against, and maybe even figure out where I had heard that voice before.

Instead, I was left fumbling in the dark across from a man who was supposed to help us and seemed to hate me already.

"And besides," he continued, less shouty now, "What could you possibly have to offer me, The Great and Powerful Oz?"

Time to lay it all out there and hope it was enough.

"Gayelette sent me to retrieve the prophecy my mother left for me. I hope to use it to free Oz from control of The Wicked Witch of the West. Surely, that would be a help to you and your people."

For a heartbeat, silence settled over the room again.

"You," he finally replied through mocking laughter, "and these three misfits want to take on The Wicked Witch? With what army? If four people alone could march into her territory and kill her, don't you think it would’ve been done by now?"

He was making a whole lot of sense. In fact, I'd thought the very same thing just yesterday. I opened my mouth to respond, but Duncan beat me to it.

“Maybe. But you’ve never known four people like us.”

“Like you ?” Oz replied, oozing contempt. "Step forward, Duncan Westerly, Final Prince of Alabaster."

That caught my attention, because he knew Duncan's full, given name and at least a little bit about Alabaster's recent coup.

Duncan's jaw tightened as he stepped into a harsh spotlight as the projection grew.

"You spent most of your life like a child hiding from monsters, covering your eyes to avoid seeing the ugliness all around you.

Only you weren't a child, and haven't been for a very long time, have you? You stood in Relyk’s shadow, watching in silence as he destroyed countless lives.

Were you too stupid to see the suffering around you, or are you just too weak to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves? Which is it, Your Highness?"

Duncan's shoulders quaked, and for a second, I thought he might charge straight at the projection. Then, he let out a growl and spun to punch the nearest wall. “I can’t defend it.”

"I'm sure the poor souls you 'saved' from The Hollow wouldn't have much to say in your defense either if they realized how long you watched them suffer from your castle window before acting."

My heart ached at Duncan’s bowed head and the shame pouring off him.

"Maybe he could've acted sooner, but he's here now, ready to risk everything to defeat Almira. We all are," I said.

Oz tossed his head back and laughed, which made my vision go a hazy red. I knew I should shut my mouth, but I couldn't.

“You don’t even know him! He's brave, loyal, and he’d do anything for the people he cares about. You hide behind fire and illusions, but?—”

“Harmony.” Duncan’s tone was gentle but firm, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“Stop. He’s not wrong. When I started to see it, I ran.

I spent most of my teen years travelling and sparring…

doing anything I could to stay busy enough so that I didn’t have to face the truth of what was happening in Alabaster.

It’s something that haunts me, but that doesn’t make it less true.

” He stepped back next to Billy, staring hard at the floor.

I wanted to rush to his side, to remind him of all the good he'd done, but The Wizard was just getting started.

“And you, Billy O’Donnelly,” the voice thundered again, the flames roaring higher. “Step forward.”

Her teeth were clenched so tight she could’ve cracked rocks. She didn’t step forward, but she didn’t turn away, either.

“Fearless hunter, infamous thief. On the outside, you are tough as nails. Shooting monkeys from the sky, camouflaged in the trees. Perhaps that looks like courage to those who don’t know better.

But in the moment that mattered most, your courage failed you, didn’t it?

Tell me, do you have nightmares of their screams? ”

She lunged at the projection, yanking a hidden dagger from her vest and flinging it straight at the center of his forehead. It passed through the hologram, bouncing off the wall before clattering to the floor.

“You dare raise a weapon against The Great and Powerful Oz?” His voice was deadly quiet, at odds with the bellows he’d started with.

But through the noise, a faint rustling snagged my attention. I squinted, searching the shadows at the edge of the room until I spotted a sliver of light near the floor.

Was there something else back there?

I tapped Duncan’s arm. When he glanced my way, I held a finger to my lips, jerking my chin toward what I'd seen. He nodded and stepped forward so I could slip behind him.

The wizard was already at it again, directing his fury toward Hook this time.

“Captain James Tyler Hook!”

Hook stepped forward, a dark smile tugging at his firm mouth. “I’d tread carefully if I were you, Wizard. I’m not keen on your diplomatic relations tactics to this point, and I come armed with more than knives and fists.”

"Of course you do! In fact, your name is synonymous with suffering, feared by friend and foe alike. Letter of blood, harbinger of pain, all in the name of vengeance for loved ones long dead. You’ve offered your sword, your hand, even your life, to settle the scores of the past. But what about your heart, pirate?

Has your thirst for revenge stolen the very humanity you once fought to defend?

Ask yourself this; Are you really any better than those you despise? ”

I slowed to a stop, my mission stalled as the question hit me like a sucker punch.

Hook’s voice was a lethal whisper. “Are you asking me if I'm better than a fairy who murdered countless children? Better than a man who kidnapped them to feed her dark, demonic needs? I'd say I am, sir. Infinitely. But you’ve spent a lot of time asking questions about us. Who are you, really?”

Hook lifted his hand, and I watched in terror as he conjured a vicious gust of wind that blasted toward the hologram. For a second, the emerald flames flickered and twisted, and a low muffled sound came from just a few feet from where I was standing.

Adrenaline shot through me as I caught sight of a velvet curtain.

“I AM THE ALL POWERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, AND YOU WILL BE BOW BEFORE ME OR THE WICKED WITCH WILL BE THE LEAST OF YOUR CONCERNS!”

Holy shit.

He was behind the curtain. The voice...the real voice, was coming from behind the curtain!

Blood rushed in my ears as I reached for the fabric and yanked it aside, exposing a tiny room filled with levers, copper tubing, and pulleys. In the center stood a man working the controls, his back going rigid as he realized he’d been discovered.

“Guards!” Two voices rang out at once; the wizard’s booming one, and the frantic shout of the man behind the curtain.

Duncan was at my side an instant later, pushing past me to get to The Wizard. He dragged him back, as the man twisted and fought to escape. I moved aside to let them pass and then froze when our eyes collided.

Eyes I hadn’t seen in years, and thought I’d never see again.

My voice cracked and I managed to croak the word...

“Pawpaw?”