Chapter Nine

The group of misfits stood before the giant green gates, staring in awe.

"Well...here we are." Dorian said in anticipation. A brief silence passed before Scarecrow asked

"Should we...knock?" Beka reached out a hand and rapped on the gate. A small slot near the top of the gate opened, and a pair of angry eyes looked out at them.

"Who goes there?" a shrill female voice answered.

"Um, hi!" Scarecrow said, waving. "We're here to speak to Ozia!" She then looked back at the others. "That is why we're here, right?" Dorian and the Lioness nodded, while Beka just looked off to the side with an annoyed look on her face.

I really wish that she would stop playing dumb...

"Get lost!" the woman barked. "No one sees the Witch!"

"But we've come all this way!" the Lioness said sadly.

"Not my problem!" The woman said.

Suddenly, Dorian got an idea.

"Hey, don't tell me you haven't heard of me." He grinned. The gatekeeper raised an eyebrow.

"And who the Sam Hill are you supposed to be?" she demanded.

"Oh, no one." Dorian smirked. "Just the guy who killed Nestor."

"Yeah right." The gatekeeper laughed. "Like a scrawny kid like you could've really-" Dorian raised his left foot so she could see the boot.

"Nestor's boots?!" The gatekeeper let out a sigh. "Alright, then. I believe you...for now. You may enter."

"And these girls, too." Dorian said.

"Okay, fine." The gatekeeper said. "You kids might want to stand back now, though." They obliged, and she opened the gate. The group all gaped in unison at the sights before them.

The first thing they noticed was that the city was green. Very, very green. They almost had to squint. Also, all the buildings looked to be made of glass. All the people walking around on the streets wore green, too. Some were even eating green food-green popcorn, lemonade, etc.

"Well, now I know where to go for St. Patrick's Day." Dorian quipped.

"Well, hello there!" The group turned around to see a boy about a year or two older than Dorian walking up to them, a perky smile on his face. Like the other inhabitants of the city, he wore all green clothes-green overalls over a lighter green buttoned-up shirt, green gloves, and green shoes and socks. Even his hair was green. The only things about him that weren't green were his peach-colored skin and brown eyes.

"Welcome to the Emerald City, newcomers! How may I help you?"

"Uh yeah, hi." Dorian said. "We wanted to talk to Ozia, so if you could..."

"You want an audience with the Great and Powerful Ozia?" the boy asked, and his smile faded. "But...no one ever speaks to Ozia!"

"Yeah, so we've heard." Dorian said. Beka facepalmed.

"Look, this guy killed Nestor, okay? See?" She used the handle of her ax to indicate to the wizard's boots. "Could Ozia make an exception for him?!"

"Killed Nestor?!" The boy asked. "You were the one who...well, that's..." He squeezed his chin with thought, as if debating with himself. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.

"Well, alright then. I'll talk to Ozia, see if she'll meet with you lot. But until then, you'll need a place to stay. Come with me." The gang followed the boy to a two-story building that turned out to be an inn. They got two rooms-one for Dorian and Toto, and one for the Scarecrow and Beka. The Lioness, who was used to sleeping outside, opted to sleep out back. After the boy had gotten them checked in, he left to have a word with Ozia.

While the others either sat in the lobby or stayed in their rooms, the Lioness sat outside, staring out at the strange green city. Could Ozia really make her brave, she wondered? She hadn't always been this way. She was brave once-brave enough to be the head of her hunting pack. But then one day, she woke up and found that all her courage had disappeared. To this day, she didn't know what had happened. All she knew is that that was the day she fell from grace, even afraid of a tiny mouse.

Could Elphias have been responsible for this? Her ears perked up as she heard approaching footsteps. The boy from before was coming back up the steps. He almost fell backwards as the Lioness jumped in front of him.

"Sorry." she apologized sheepishly.

"That's...alright." the boy said, still a bit rattled. He opened the door, and the Lioness bolted in before him, seeing the others in the lobby, Toto in Dorian's lap.

"Guys, he's back." The boy looked at all of them, his expression impossible to read.

"Well?" Dorian asked.

"Ozia will see you."


And that was how, later, the group found themselves walking along the great hall.

"Some words of advice before you speak to the Great Ozia." the boy said. "Get right to the point. She doesn't like it when people drag conversations on longer than necessary. Show respect when you speak to her. Be sure to bow or, in your case, curtsey." He said, with a meaningful look at the Scarecrow, the only one wearing a skirt. He then stopped right in the middle of the hall and gave them all a serious look.

"And, above all, do not question her decision. Like I said, Ozia is a powerful witch. VERY powerful. What she says goes, and it wouldn't be wise to disagree with her. The last person who did..." He let out a shudder, and Dorian suddenly wondered if this was such a good idea. But it was too late to turn back, as the boy turned to a door and said

"Well, here we are." He grabbed the knob, turned it, and the door creaked open.

"My Lady?" he asked in a slightly shaking voice. "I've-I've brought them."

"Send them in." A female voice answered. The boy opened the door a little wider so that Dorian and the girls could enter, and Dorian could've sworn he saw him mouthing 'good luck'. The door closed, and suddenly the room was black as night. The darkness was short-lived, however, as fire burst to life in front of them. The large outline of a woman stretched out in front of them.

"WHO DARES TO SEE OZIA, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL?!" A voice thundered. Dorian and the others bowed (except for Scarecrow, who curtsied).

"Um, Ozia?" Dorian questioned, before he caught himself "Great and Powerful Ozia;" He took a breath, then quickly continued. "I'm Dorian Gale, from Kansas. I kinda got blown here in a tornado, and I was hoping that you could send me back where I came." The Scarecrow then stepped forward.

"I'm a scarecrow. I want brains." If Beka had eyebrows, she would've raised them. She had to admit, she was impressed with her acting skills. She then spoke up.

"I am called Beka. I was once flesh and blood, however, after receiving a cursed ax, my body was chopped up terribly, and now I am forced to inhabit this tin one. My desire is for my body to be restored." The Lioness whimpered as she walked up.

"I...I'm a lioness." She said in a trembling voice, cursing her cowardice. "I'm n-not very b-brave you see, so I..."

"SPEAK UP!" Ozia thundered. The Lioness let out a squeak, then all said in one breath

"IwantedyoutomakemebravesothatIcanbeacceptedintomy packagain!" She forced herself to resist the urge to stoop down and cover her eyes again. Ozia was quiet for a moment, pondering the group's respective wishes.

"This is a lot you ask of me." She finally answered. "A very tall order, indeed. Were you any other group of travelers, I would've turned you down. However, my assistant tells me that the boy killed Nestor, the Wicked Wizard Of the East. And you wear his boots to prove it. Very well, then. I shall grant each of your desires. However, there is one thing I want of you four in return." The group looked at her in anticipation, their breath caught in their throats (or, rather, just in Dorian's and the Lioness').

"I want you all to seek out, and KILL Elphias, the Wicked Wizard of the West."

"Kill Elphias?!" Dorian blurted out before he could stop himself. Beka elbowed him to shut him up, but the damage had been done.

"You disagree with my verdict?!"

"Um, n-no! No, ma'am!" Dorian said nervously. "You'll grant our wishes if we kill Elphias?"

"If you manage to survive, yes." Ozia answered. "NOW GO!" The gang walked out, taking care to close the door behind them.

"So...now we've got to kill Elphias." The Scarecrow said in a quiet voice.

"Fine by me." Beka said, gripping the handle of her halberd. Suddenly, Dorian noticed something as they were walking.

"Hey wait a second, where's Lioness?"

"Back there." Beka said, pointing down the hall, where the poor Lioness was at the door, a terrified look on her face. "Looks like she's paralyzed with fear." Dorian sighed.

"I'll get her." He walked down a couple of doors, until he reached the Lioness. "Come on Lioness, wake up. We've gotta..." He stopped when he heard a voice from behind the door.

"Dorian?" The Lioness asked.

"You go with the others." Dorian said. "I'll catch up." The Lioness slinked off down the hall, and Dorian put his ear to the door, trying to hear.

"...those fools actually think I'm going to help them!" It was Ozia's voice, only normal, and not magnified. "Though the power in his brother's boots will definitely lure Elphias in. Finally I'll be able to draw that coward out of hiding, and once he is out of the way, there will be one left to oppose me!"

"V-Very good, my lady." Came a second voice, that of the boy from earlier. Dorian's eyes widened in shock.

A/N: Uh-oh, seems like Ozia isn't what she seems. Elphias finally makes his appearance in the next chapter, so keep reading!