Page 61 of Ozma

Slowly, she retreated back to the ground, her silver slippers crunching the leaves. She stumbled forward and Jack caught her around the waist.

“Or maybe you do, just a bit.” He smiled the brightest of smiles. “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been beautiful, but you’ve never been more radiant than you are now.”

She pressed her lips to his, tasting the fruit he’d eaten earlier. “Tonight, pick your pleasure, and I’ll do what you ask.”

His pupils dilated. “Yes, my queen.”

Ozma chuckled and tugged him forward so they could head into the Emerald City. The journey through the East had been quiet during the nights, not a single sound from the cursed pixies. Reva must have defeated Locasta—she could feel it all the way down to her bones.

Beneath their feet, the yellowed bricks became a sparkly shade of green as they entered the Emerald City. She watched Jack peer around at the crumbled buildings with wide eyes. Her heart accelerated, not at the destruction, but because there were fae outside repairing the broken architecture. Hammering, sawing, painting. The Emerald City beat like a heart inside her veins with each step, drawing her closer and closer to its center.

Ozma looked at the different shops—broken windows being replaced at a bakery, a new door being put in at a flower shop, and fabrics being carried from wagons into a building. Each street they walked was bustling with renewed life.

Eventually, they rounded a corner and Ozma held back a gasp. There it stood—the palace. Even from a distance, she knew it wasn’t in perfect condition. There were holes in the green walls and blackened areas that would need to be mended. Even though it was in need of repair, it had the potential to be glorious.

“Sure you don’t want to turn around?” Jack teased.

“We’re used to a little hard work.” Ozma rolled her eyes.

The palace door swung open and two guards walked out from the building: one male fae with long silver locks cascading down his back and the other with feathers intertwined in his obsidian hair. No, not guards—sherecognizedthem.

Tin and Crow.

The silver-haired fae focused first on Jack and lifted his axe, his face like stone. Jack was already raising his hand in defense, then Tin’s gaze shifted to Ozma. His expression didn’t soften, but he gave a brief nod as he lowered his axe a fraction.

“Quit being an ass,” Crow grunted to Tin. He sauntered toward Ozma. “You made it just in time. We were going to leave in a couple days to search for you. There were guards under oath to the Wizard, stuck here by that bond, but then a few days ago they were able to go home.”

“Where’s Reva?” Ozma rushed out the words, moving toward the palace.

“She’s not in there.” Crow tilted his head in the direction behind her. “But she’s coming this way.”

Ozma whirled around, spotting three fae in the distance. Thelia, who wore a lavender dress and her brown hair pulled into a single braid, with a young faun beside her. On her other side was Reva, dressed in her usual black, her long sleek hair falling to her waist.

“Did it work out for you two?” Ozma whispered to Crow.

“The entire palace can hear them fucking almost every night, so I’d say so,” Tin grunted.

“Fuck off.” Crow fought a smile.

“Ozma?” Reva shouted. Her friend took off at a sprint, leaving Thelia and the faun behind. Once she was close enough, Reva threw her arms around Ozma, squeezing her so hard she could barely breathe.

With a smile, Ozma returned the hug.

Reva froze when she pulled back, a horrified expression crossing her face. “Why are you wearing an eye patch?”

“One of us was bound to lose an eye.” Ozma tried to make her voice sound light, but rushed to change the subject. “I heard the good news about you and Crow, and I suppose you have me to thank for him catching up to you.”

“I should have known he had some help.” Reva’s gaze slid to Crow, a smirk forming on her lips.

“It isn’t as though I wouldn’t have found you anyway,” Crow said with a wink.

“We had a little help from the Gnome King.” Reva fished something out of her pocket and tossed it in the air. “We killed that bastard, too.”

Ozma could only focus on the shiny red stone shaped like a heart. Her lips parted, and she snatched the stone before Reva could catch it.

“Where did you get this?” she asked, her voice shaky. The last time she’d seen it was when she’d given it to Tik-Tok.

“From the Gnome King’s chest.” Reva shrugged. “Whatever spell turned the Gnome King to stone apparently also gave him a heart that prevents curses.”

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