Luke groaned as he felt a small tongue licking his face. He opened his eyes to see Trevor over him, whining something along the lines of "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay, Trevor." Luke said roughly. He sat up and put a hand to his throbbing head as he heard the wind whipping around outside. "How long was I knocked out?" he muttered.
Trevor barked, roughly translating into "Only a few minutes." Luke was about to get to his feet when the shed seemed to roughly tilt to one side, throwing him and Trevor off balance. Luke managed to keep his head from hitting anything; it was hurting enough as it was. What on earth had hit him?
Luke managed to stumble to his feet as the shed continued to tilt this way and that like it was on the ocean. Luke waved his arms around, keeping them outstretched in a desperate attempt to keep balance. He managed to get to the windowsill to keep his balance and happened to glance out the window. There was nothing out there; sand was all there was, for as far as the eye could see. He couldn't even see the Ledore manor, and he swore it was only a few yards away.
Something wasn't right. Taking a deep breath, Luke managed to lift the heavy window open. Trevor ran back as the sandy wind whipped around the inside of the shed and Luke managed to stick his head out slightly. He held tightly to the windowsill as the shed was still rocking quite mercilessly and strained his vision. He couldn't see anything! Nothing at all! He looked down and felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't see the ground. The ground wasn't even there!
He combined that with the rocking the shed was doing as it was beat around by the strong wind and quickly closed the window. He let out the breath he was holding and looked at Trevor, "We're in the air Trevor!" he cried. "The storm blew us away!" But if they were up in the air...what would happen when the storm stopped?
As if triggered by his thoughts, the sound of the wind seemed to die down and the rocking began to slow. With his heart in his mouth, Luke ran over to Trevor and picked him up just as the drop began. Luke yelled out and curled into a ball, clutching Trevor to his chest tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut as everything was thrown around and the shed plummeted to the earth below. He could almost feel himself being lifted into the air as he felt the shed pick up speed with gravity's help. Luke was thrown to the floor as the shed came to a sudden halt.
He fell on his back and rolled a bit, Trevor still protected in his arms. He opened his eyes and looked around the messy shed. He heard nothing, not even the wind. Had the sandstorm fully ended? He looked down at Trevor who seemed just as confused. "Sounds like the storm stopped." Luke said. He slowly got to his feet, still holding Trevor trying to shake the uneasy feeling the silence brought.
He walked to the door and hesitated over the doorknob, almost afraid to see the other side. He opened the door slowly, only to have his eyes widen in amazement. Outside was a beautiful little town, full of little houses, surrounded by flowers and wildlife, and a little river running through it. It was the most beautiful sight Luke had ever seen. He walked out of the shed and put Trevor down. The little dog began sniffing the new place as the two wandered the empty town.
But where were they?
Luke didn't remember seeing anything like this in Monte d'Or, or London for that matter! "I have a feeling we're not in England anymore, Trevor." Luke said a bit uneasily. He made his way near the center of the town when something caught his eye. It looked like a glowing...bubble? "What is that Trevor?" he asked.
The dog stared at the bubble and answered along the lines of, "I have no idea."
The bubble got closer, it's glowing colors becoming more radiant causing Luke and Trevor to back away. The bubble gently landed on the ground and vanished, leaving behind a beautiful woman in its place. She had long wavy ginger hair, deep brown eyes, and pale perfect skin. She wore a long white flowing robe with gold embroidered on the edges that glistened in the sun. She took Luke's breath away as she looked at him with a sweet and serene smile on her face and walked towards him.
"Now I know we're not in England anymore…" Luke said softly.
The woman approached him and looked directly at him. "And who are you, little boy?" she asked.
"Uh, I'm Luke Triton." Luke answered, tipping his cap before gesturing to the dog next to him. "And this is Trevor." Trevor gave a small bark in greeting and the woman smiled.
"Well then Luke Triton, are you a good witch or a bad witch?" she asked.
Luke frowned in confusion. A witch? But witches were just from fairy tales and scary stories. "What do you mean?" Luke asked.
The woman gestured to the crooked shed, "Well, let's just say someone who falls from the sky in something like that and kills a wicked witch isn't exactly normal."
Luke's eyes widened and quickly shook his head, "Oh no, I'm not a witch ma'am!" he said but the woman put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"Calm down Luke," she said gently. "And please, call me Claire."
Luke nodded and took a deep breath, calming himself. "Well, I was hiding in that shed from the sandstorm and ended up here by accident and-" he cut himself off as something hit him. "Miss Claire, did you say I... killed someone?" he asked slowly.
Claire smiled, "Well, the shed did more than you." she said, gesturing to the bottom of the shed. Luke followed her hand and, to his horror, spied a pair of legs peeking out from under the shed.
Luke gasped and took a step back, "Oh no...I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I swear!" he exclaimed.
But Claire shook her head, "There's no need to worry Luke; you've done a great deed." Luke was taken aback; he was being praised for killing someone? "That was Sophia, the wicked witch of the East, and for many years she ruled over the poor people of Myst." Clair explained, looking at the small town. "No one has been able to stand up to her and end her vicious rule...until now." She looked at Luke. "You were able to end the life of the wicked witch Sophia with great ease; that's why the people here want to know if you're a good witch or a bad witch."
Luke still shook his head, "It's like I said Miss Claire, I'm not a witch at all; witches are old and ugly." he said when many giggles rang throughout the air. "What was that?" Luke asked, looking around to see no one.
"The Mysteres, the people of this town." Claire answered before giving a little giggle herself. "I can understand their laughter; you see, I'm a witch myself, the good witch of the North."
Luke's eyes grew large; a good witch? Even in stories he had never heard of a good witch. "I...I didn't know a witch could be so beautiful." he said in awe.
Claire let out a soft laugh when the bushes and trees around them began to shake. "Well, it seems the Mysteres want to thank you for ridding them of the witch." Claire said. She turned and faced the town, "It's alright everyone, you can all come out."
Luke watched as multiple people emerged from hiding. However Luke could see that they weren't exactly people. All of them were slightly dirty and their clothes were slightly torn in places. But in some places, like their arms or cheeks, their skin was torn off, revealing metal endoskeletons and slowly turning gears. Claire wasn't exaggerating when she said the witch here ruled viciously.
Claire led Luke to the center of the town as the Mysteres all gazed at their proclaimed hero. Claire turned and addressed the people. "People of Myst, let the joyous news be spread; thanks to the heroics of Luke Triton, the wicked witch, at last, is dead!"
The people all broke into loud cheers, all chanting happily. "Hooray for Luke!"
"The witch is dead!"
"She's finally dead and gone!"
"We're finally free!"
Luke couldn't help but smile at the people's happiness. He was still a bit shocked at what he had done, but it made him feel a lot better knowing that these people were finally free from an evil ruler. And if the person he killed was really a wicked witch, then that made it all the better.
But all the happiness was suddenly interrupted as a loud explosion rang out. The Mysteres all screamed and ran away in terror as a cloud of black smoke appeared. Luke grabbed Trevor and stepped back as a man emerged from the smoke.
He had wavy blonde hair and wore a long black cape, a sword adorning his waist in a black scabbard. His cold pale green eyes looked around as the Mysteres ran and hid once again until his gaze fell on the shed. His eyes widened as he spotted the pair of legs underneath. "Who did this?" He hissed, turning around, his gaze now full of fury. "Who killed Sophia?!"
Luke took another step back as the man's gaze locked on him and Trevor. He felt Claire behind him as she placed her hands on his shoulders, making him feel a little safer. "So it was you." The man said dangerously. "You killed my wife!"
Luke tried to keep from trembling, "I-It was an accident sir!" he protested. "I didn't mean to kill her!"
"Accident, eh?" the man said, towering over the small boy. "I can cause accidents too you know."
"Now, that's enough Anton." Claire said firmly, pulling Luke towards her. "We both know you're only here for one thing only, and it's not this boy."
The man, Anton, gave a sinister smile. "You know me too well Claire."
He turned away to Luke's relief and started back towards the shed. "Miss Claire, who is that?" Luke asked quietly.
"That is Anton, the wicked witch of the West." Claire answered. "Be warned, for he is much more powerful and wicked than his wife." This man was a witch too? Luke wasn't expecting a man to be called a witch.
Anton suddenly let out a yell of rage, "Where are they?!" he thundered. He turned around and stalked back towards Luke and Claire. "What have you done with the slippers?" he demanded.
"They're right where they belong." Claire answered and pointed towards the ground. Luke looked at his feet and gasped. His normal brown shoes had been replaced with new ones. They were a pair of bright ruby red loafers that sparkled in the light. When had they gotten on his feet? He looked at Claire for an answer but got none. He looked back at Anton who was practically fuming in rage, causing him to hold Trevor tighter.
"You give back those slippers this instant!" he demanded. "I'm the only one who knows how to use their power; you have no right to take them!" He reached for Luke, but Claire held her hand in front of him.
"Not another step, Anton." she said firmly. "You have no power here; now get out of here before someone drops a shed on you."
Anton growled and stepped back. "This isn't over Claire." he vowed pointing at her. "Those shoes will be mine." He looked back at Luke. "And as for you," he said. "Mark my words, that I will get you, and your little dog too!" He took a few steps back and with a swish of his cape, another explosion of smoke filled the air. By the time it dissipated, he was gone.
Luke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and noticed Trevor squirming and whining in his grip. He made out the words "Too tight...Luke...crushing me…"
"Oh, sorry Trevor!" Luke said, putting Trevor back on the ground where the dog promptly shook his fur, relieved of being freed from Luke's tight and scared grip.
"It's alright everyone!" Claire called. "Anton is gone, you're safe now!" The Mysteres all reemerged from hiding and Claire turned to Luke. "I'm afraid you've made a very dangerous enemy Luke." she said somberly. "At this point I'm afraid that getting you out of Oz is the best way to keep you safe."
Luke nodded in agreement. He needed to get back to Monte d'Or before the Professor and the others started to worry about him. "But...how can I get back?" Luke asked. It wasn't like he could just go back in the shed and wait for another sandstorm to whip up.
"Well, I can't get you back, but there's someone who can." Claire said. "If there's anyone in Oz who could get you back to where you came from, it's the Wizard of Oz." The Mysteres all muttered excitedly amongst themselves.
"The Wizard of Oz?" Luke asked. "Who's that?"
"The very powerful but very mysterious ruler of Oz." Claire answered. "He lives in the Emerald City; he'll most certainly be able to help you."
"But where can I find him?" Luke asked. "Where's the Emerald City?"
"It's quite a long way from here," Claire answered. "And I'm afraid you'll have to walk there, but all you have to do to find it, is to follow the yellow brick road." She took a few steps before facing him again, "And remember Luke, never give up those shoes, or you will be completely at Anton's mercy." The Mysteres around them parted to make a path for Luke. Claire motioned for him to go and Luke and Trevor made their way to the town's center.
Luke turned back towards Claire, his head still swimming with questions. "But...but what if I-"
Claire held up her hand, stopping his sentence, "Just be brave, be cautious, and follow the yellow brick road." she said. "Good luck, Luke." And with those words, she was enveloped by a bubble and floated away as gracefully as she came.
Luke watched her go, a bit sad that she couldn't be with him for the journey. He felt so safe when she was around, and now it was just going to be him and Trevor, all alone in the land of Oz. Luke looked down at his feet where he saw the beginnings of a yellow path. "So...follow the yellow brick road?" he asked.
"Follow the yellow brick road." One of the Mysteres confirmed.
"Follow the yellow brick road!" Another chimed. Luke nodded and began to follow the yellow path, the Mysteres following close behind him. Once they reached the edge of the town, Luke could see the yellow brick road for miles in the distance. It was a straight shot with no branching paths. Luke couldn't help but smile; this was going to be easy! He picked up the pace, eager to begin his journey while Mysteres bade him farewell, singing and cheering.
"Goodbye Luke!"
"Be safe out there!"
"Go and find the Wizard!"
"Thank you again for everything!"
"Remember; follow the yellow brick road!"
Luke turned around as he walked and waved back. "Goodbye!" he called. Trevor barked a farewell and the two went on their way. They were off to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Claire is always the saint, no matter what universe you put her in X3
I deemed Anton as the only one fabulously evil enough to be the Witch of the West (Don Paolo came pretty close, but I needed someone with class). And keep in mind that this is BEFORE Diabolical Box and Curious Village so Luke may be seeing a few familiar faces with him and the Mystere's when he goes to those locations...
Next we shall meet the Scarecrow, and I have a feeling you're going to get a kick out of it X3