Page 21 of Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound #3)

T he man now sagging in Duncan’s grasp was Willy Fallowell…

My dead father. But not him, surely not him but a doppelganger. Like Cissy had been. Like Billy was. Right?

He was older, his salt and pepper hair had gone almost completely white, and his face was lined with exhaustion, but there was no mistaking him.

I staggered backward as Duncan gripped him by the collar.

“The Great Wizard of Oz, I presume?” Duncan snarled.

I tapped Duncan on his bunched shoulder. “Be gentle.”

He shot me an incredulous look, but loosened his hold. “He’s a phony. And he shouldn’t talk to people that way. Did you see Billy’s face?”

But I barely heard him as I stared at Willy Fallowell. “Do you know me? Do you know who I am?”

He searched my face but there was zero recognition there. Just a mix of fear and blooming panic.

“Yes. N-no. I mean, I know you from the posters and such…"

“Someone’s coming,” Hook said as he and Billy stepped up, lip curling in disgust.

Duncan pinned the man in place as the heavy footsteps of guards rang from the hallway.

“Keep your mouth shut, old man, or I’ll give you something to holler about.”

"Let go of me," The Wizard hissed, squirming to free himself from Duncan's iron grip. "You have no idea of the trouble you'll cause! You don’t understand what’s at stake."

The sound of pounding rang through the room followed by a low voice calling through the doors. “Sir? Are you alright?"

Duncan gave him a warning glare and The Wizard cleared his throat. "I'm fine," he said, in a failed attempt to match the booming voice of the hologram. "Return to your posts!"

There was a tense pause as the guards on the other side murmured to one another, clearly unconvinced.

"Sir," another guard tried. "Your voice sounds…odd. Has an old woman taken you captive or something? Should we fetch the battering ram?”

"I'm telling you I'm fine,” The Wizard replied, straining to drop his voice another octave. “There's nothing to see here. I-I command you to leave me be, this instant or there will be hell to pay!”

“Yes, sir.”

Footsteps faded into the distance. They would be back, but I’d damned well have some answers before then.

Before I could start asking questions, though, Billy closed in, blue eyes glittering like chips of ice.

"How do you know all about us? You dug into my past like it was your damned bedtime reading. Explain yourself, you charlatan."

The Great and Powerful Oz shrank right before my eyes.

“Please.” His eyes darted between us like he wasn’t sure which one of us was liable to strike first. “Just don’t hurt me.”

It was tough, but I didn’t try to reassure him. He had said some pretty awful things and, this world’s version of my adopted father or not, he had to answer for them. Because so far, he wasn’t giving me a whole lot of confidence in his ability to help us.

Billy must’ve been thinking the same thing, because she leaned in to poke him hard in the forehead, sending his head snapping back.

"Fuck this guy if he doesn’t want to talk. He's a snake-oil salesman who’s been conning innocent folks long enough. Let’s just kill him and save ourselves some trouble. I don’t see how we could possibly need him."

“Happy to help.” Hook stepped up, hand raised. Darkness rippled as the shadows around us pooled toward his fingers. He manipulated them into inky ropes, wrapping them around his quarry until they had him in a tight hold from waist to throat.

"What is this?” The Wizard gasped, eyes bulging as he clawed at his neck.

“Talk or forever hold your piece.” Hook’s tone was flat, as if it didn’t matter one way or another which he chose.

"James, please.” I tugged on his arm. “That's enough. I know he’s awful, but my mother wouldn’t have sent me here if we didn’t need him. There has to be more to him than we’re seeing."

He held tight at first, then flicked his wrist, and the shadows dissolved into harmless wisps.

The Wizard slumped forward, hand to his throat as he fell into a coughing fit that had his whole body spasming.

“Your guards will be back soon, I’m sure, so there’s no time to waste.” My voice wasn’t shaking, even though my hands were. It took all my willpower not to bend over him and pat his back while I murmured words of comfort.

Not your father. Just a stranger with his face.

"You owe us an explanation. How do you know so much about us?"

“Alright, alright,” he began in a hoarse whisper.

“Decades ago, a little more than two now, your mother Marin came to Oz. She brought with her a prophecy, one that could save Emerald City from a coming threat, and possibly even all of Oz,” he continued, eyes locked on mine.

“She spoke of an evil witch who would bring misery upon the land. It would be hellish, but there was a hope on the horizon. Her own daughter, Harmony, would come when she was ready and able. A good witch bearing magic beyond comprehension, destined to defeat The Wicked Witch of the West and return the land to peace again.”

“Okay…and I’m here.” I threw my hands up in disgust. “That’s what I’ve come to try to do. So why are you treating us like the enemy?”

“That wasn’t all, child!” His voice cracked as he pressed on.

“She was terrified you would make it this far, but still not be strong enough to defeat the witch. Rather than have me give you the prophecy and send you off to a certain death, she made me promise, with a vow as binding as any magic, that I would only reveal it to you if I was absolutely certain you were ready and able to fulfill it. Worst case, she put some protective spells on The Emerald City and hoped that if you weren’t able to grow into your power, you could live out your days here.

Best case, you would save us and then return to your homeland. ”

I swallowed hard, pulse hammering in my throat as The Wizard’s gaze shifted between us.

“Few believe in the old stories anymore, sure that Marin had been wrong, or even a false prophet, but some of us kept faith. When the wanted posters bearing your face began to appear, whispers spread. Believers, those who still remembered, began to hope again, praying that you were real.” He ran a hand through thinning hair.

“I’m sorry about what I said to each of you earlier, truly.

Marin gave me enough tidbits of information to ask the questions, but everything I said is all that I know.

She said Harmony would need to come to me with a trio of allies who would lay their lives down to protect her.

She made it very clear that she would need every single one of you if there’s any chance of succeeding.

I had to make sure you were all committed. ”

Billy shifted from foot to foot. “Why the cruelty? You could’ve explained yourself instead of twisting the knife, digging at old wounds.”

The Wizard shook his head. “If mere words were enough to break you…if you turned away at the first harsh truth, you wouldn’t stand a chance against Almira.” His lips lifted into a shaky smile. “Look on the bright side, though. You’ve already passed your first test!”

“Okay, then!” I stepped between them rather than waiting for Billy to punch him in the face.

“You felt like that was the best way to test us to see if we were ready. I don’t love the choice, but I guess it makes sense.

The thing I’m still stuck on, though. You said, ‘first test.’ That implies that there’s more to come. ”

Tell me I’m wrong. Please tell me I’m wrong…

He lowered his gaze and took a subtle step backward, maybe to get out of Billy’s strike zone?

“You’re not going to want to hear this, but in order for me to give you the full prophecy and the item Marin left behind for you, you must prove yourselves worthy through a series of trials.

” He held up both hands as Billy closed the gap between them with a grumble.

“It’s not my doing! It was Marin, I literally have no choice in the matter. ”

“What trials?” I demanded.

"Three challenges await you. Marin was adamant about keeping them secret, even from me. All I know is that they’re meant to test the qualities she believed essential for defeating Almira."

"Sounds suspiciously vague to me, old man."

The Wizard sighed and raked a hand over his wrinkled face. "And still, it’s the truth."

"So what now?" Duncan’s voice was wary, but much more composed than before.

That was good. We needed level heads right now.

"I need two days to prepare, then you will complete the trials at midnight," The Wizard explained.

"They’re sealed by a powerful spell Marin put in place.

Unlocking them is a task in and of itself, but I'll make sure you're well cared for here in the palace in the meantime. You’re free to explore The Emerald City as well, of course. "

Hook's expression darkened, the suspicion plain on his face. "And how exactly are you going to explain us wandering through your city after that display earlier? Half your people think we're heroes, the other half that we're villains. And they're all watching."

"Which is where The Great and Powerful Oz comes in handy. I’ll tell them to leave you be and they’ll listen."

"And what's stopping us from revealing exactly what you are instead?" Billy asked, eyes narrowed.

He shook his head. "Nothing. But understand this; without me, Harmony will never receive the prophecy, or the magical item Marin entrusted to me.

Without them, you will fail. You might not trust me, but I'm all that stands between this city and chaos.

They haven't had a king or queen in a century.

Without The Great and Powerful Oz, they have no one to protect them from The Wicked Witch. "

"So we're supposed to play along and hope for the best?"

The Wizard offered me a tired smile. "If you choose to expose me, I won't stop you. To be honest, it might even be a relief. I'm tired of hiding. But understand the consequences of your actions. This city needs a figurehead. Someone to handle diplomacy and hold Almira at bay. Because we give her enough of what she wants, she respects the current boundaries we’ve set. Once she learns you’re here, even with Marin’s protections in place, it would only be a matter of time before she battered through them to get to you.

I can keep you safe…for a time. But you must trust me. ”

Trust.

That was the word of the day, wasn’t it? And after us all getting fucked over six ways to Sunday, it was currently in very short supply.

The heavy, uncomfortable silence was broken by footsteps tapping on stone in the distance.

“May I?" He gestured toward the hidden room we'd dragged him from earlier. “I can call them in and have them bring you to your quarters if I can do the voice…”

Hook stepped aside with a warning frown. "Careful, Wizard. No more tricks."

Willy Fallowell’s doppelganger slipped back behind the curtain with the rest of us close on his heels. A moment later, his voice boomed once more.

"Guards, to me!"

The doors burst open a few seconds later, armored soldiers pouring into the chamber, weapons ready.

"Bring our visitors to Fenwick. They are under my protection. Let all of Emerald City know, if they cause them any trouble, they will face my wrath!”

Hook rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"Of course, sir," one of the guards said with a nod.

The Wizard's voice thundered once more. "Good. Now get them out of my sight!"

Without another word, the soldiers lead us through the doors and out into the hallway. My thoughts were still racing as we marched through the palace.

The Wizard of Oz was not only a fraud, but he was also some version of my father. But even that paled in comparison to all the revelations about my mother. She’d come here to pave the way for me. She believed in me.

And then, there were the trials …

Two days.

I had two days to find my magic again and get strong enough to beat Almira. If I failed, I’d lose the prophecy my mother left for me and any chance to know her and connect with her in some way along with it.

“Oy.” Billy must've noticed my expression, because she reached for my shoulder. "We'll figure it out. At least we’re in, right?”

I nodded, but dread was already seeping through the numbness. Without magic, these trials could mean death. To me. To Billy and Duncan.

To Hook.

While he had a death wish, and the others were more than ready to roll the dice, the thought of losing any of them made me ill, and the thought of failing the mission my mother had entrusted to me was no better.

The solution was clear.

Failing was not an option.