Page 47 of Ozma

“Don’t touch the barrier,” Ozma warned him. “It might alert him to our presence.”

“Hadn’t planned on it, Blossom.” With his luck, it would melt his hand off or send his entire body into shock. That would’ve created quite the scene but done little else. They needed to get inside somehow—break the barrier or figure out how to get through it unnoticed. Or perhaps it would be easiest to lure the Wizard out… But this was Ozma’s plot, so he would let her decide. “What now?”

Ozma chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s getting late. Let’s make camp and try to think of something helpful.”

Jack felt a pang of regret at burning all of the witch’s books, despite how dark their magic was. He knew they couldn’t cart them all across the Land of Oz, but he justknewthe answer to this problem would’ve been in one. There wasn’t enough luck in the world for the barrier spell to be on one of the few papers Ozma had saved.

Resigned, Jack nodded. They hadn’t heard any feral addicts in a while now, and maybe a bit of sleep would restore some of his power. The magic in his veins still felt weak and what was left ached in the same way his back hurt after a day of pulling weeds. “Let’s just be sure to keep an eye out for—”

Cold iron pressed against Jack’s neck. It bit into his skin and a line of warm blood trailed down toward his collarbone. Ozma froze where she stood a few steps ahead of him. Her eyes were wide and wild, her jaw hanging open with a mixture of shock and fear that echoed Jack’s feelings.

“Hello, little stowaways,” a deep voice purred in Jack’s ear. The same voice from the ship. The elf with red eyes, jet black hair, and a cruel smirk—Tik-Tok. “I must say, I’m impressed.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Ozma

Ozma’s heart was stuck in her throat as Tik-Tok held his blade to Jack’s neck. She’d seen Jack in predicaments with Mombi, but never as bad as this. But he had magic now. And she desperately wished she did too. She pleaded with wide eyes for Jack to use it, to take a vine and rip Tik-Tok’s head clean off. But then she focused on the blade cutting into Jack’s flesh, drawing a thin line of crimson.Iron.

Jack’s hands flexed at his sides, seeming to try and draw magic, but failing.

“So, your magic is with nature? You reek of it.” Tik-Tok only smirked. “Useful. But not right now.”

While on the ship, Ozma had gone over the spells in her head, memorizing the words. There was one she could possibly use here, but only if his eyes focused on hers. It would be like holding his true name, ready for her to command him. Mombi had used it on her before but it only lasted moments, so the witch had found it worthless. It could buy them time here, though. Tik-Tok’s burning red irises finally met hers, and she whispered the spell, urging him to obey her.

“Look at you.” Tik-Tok smiled vengefully, exposing his back teeth. “Your pathetic spells aren’t going to work on me. I’m protected.So,what are you going to do, darling?”

“He’s not going to do it,” Jack ground out. “If he were going to slit my throat, he would’ve done it already.”

Ozma’s eyes bulged, silently telling Jack to shut up. Even with Mombi, he’d never held his tongue, and that only made things worse.

“He’s right, but my patience has its limits.” Tik-Tok’s red gaze bored into Ozma and he licked his lower lip. “I want to know why you’re here first. Then, if I like what I hear, I may offer you a trade.”

Tik-Tok didn’t seem like one to be trusted, but with a blade at Jack’s throat and a protection spell, what choice did she have? “Aren’t you on the Wizard’s side?”

“I’m on my own side. And, right now, it doesn’t appear advantageous to help you.” He cocked his head, his dark, sleek hair shifting forward. “Here’s your chance to change my mind.”

Ozma tilted her head right back at him, even though fear still pulsed through her veins for Jack. “One of my friends has taken back the South and the West in the Land of Oz, while another is in the process of redeeming the North and the East.”

“How sweet,” Tik-Tok purred. “But why would I give a fuck when I spend a majority of my time on the water, owned by no one.” His blade dug into Jack harder, making her lover wince.

“Even if you kill us, our friends will come to end the Wizard, and I don’t think you’ll want to be on their bad side—which is exactly what will happen if you harm me.” Ozma caught a glint of something gold at his wrist, where his gloved hand gripped the knife, beneath the fading sun. “We’re here to reclaim Oz and stop the Wizard’s darkness from spreading.”

“I’m not sure his darknesscanbe stopped. Why fight a battle you can’t win? It’s much easier to join the winning side.”

Ozma wondered what had made him decide to be a part of this. The money? Was he more than a pirate? A mercenary?

“She’s the rightful queen of all of Oz,” Jack interrupted, and Ozma glared at him. “You should be bowing down to her.”

“Is she now?” Tik-Tok’s gaze flicked up and down her body, as though starved for something—power.

“I am.” Ozma lifted her chin, though she was frustrated with Jack for revealing her true identity to an enemy. But perhaps it was better this way, possibly an advantage. “The Wizard is only human, so even if we weren’t to kill him, he’d eventually die of old age anyway.”

“Is that what you think, darling?” Tik-Tok chuckled deeply, beautifully, viciously. “Not with the slippers. He’s immortal now.”

Ozma took a deep swallow, because she’d known he wanted to live forever. She’d known Mombi had been making him darker spells. That day he’d shown up at the witch’s hut, he’d been wearing the slippers, but she hadn’t known they’d been a part of the spell to make him immortal. “Mombi’s dead. We killed her, and we’ll do the same to him.”

“Good. I never liked the bitch.” He shrugged. “It’s not as though the Wizard needs her now anyway.”

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