Legacy 208: Ways to Be Wicked

Part 8

Xxx

As the tornado of green smoke swirled around them, Laura held onto Noah as best as she could. However, the violent winds were just too strong and they were pulled apart. Falling through the green smoke, Laura landed in a bale of hay as the tornado raged on. After catching her breath, she sat up and realized that her outfit changed. She was now wearing a white top and a gingham blue dress, while her hair was parted in two side ponytails. Looking around, she found herself on the side of a road made entirely of yellow bricks.

"Guess we're not in Kansas anymore." Laura noted.

Laura crawled out of the bale and wiped the remaining hay off her dress. She hoped that Noah had landed somewhere close, so she called out his name. When there was no response, she wondered if the tornado had taken him further. It seemed to be heading to the emerald city in the distance. Since the Wizard of Oz was one of her favorite movies, she knew she would find a way home there. At least that was how the original story ended. There was no way of knowing how much the wicked witch had changed.

As she walked down the yellow brick road to find Noah, her thoughts lingered to the moment when he had caught her at the tower. The way that he had looked in her eyes made her feel warm inside. She could have sworn he felt the same, but that was impossible. He was still mourning the love of his life, her own cousin. There was no way anything could happen, as it would be disrespectful to Prue's memory. She just needed to put the very idea out of her mind.

"Noah!" Laura called out again. "Noah, are you here somewhere?"

"Laura!" His voice sounded in the distance. "Over here, I'm stuck."

Laura followed the sound of his voice and arrived at a small munchkin village. The houses were tiny and colorful, but there wasn't anyone there. In the middle of the square stood a metal statue, which suddenly moved as she got near. Laura yelped, but quickly saw the statue had a familiar face. It was Noah, though his entire body had been transformed into metal. Laura quickly realized that while she had taken the place of Dorothy, Noah had been turned into the tinman.

"Noah, are you okay?" Laura asked.

"I've been better." Noah replied. "When the tornado dropped me, I fell in a pond of water. I got out, but it appears that I've started to rust. I can barely move."

"You know where we are, right?" Laura asked.

"Of course." Noah replied. "The wizard of Oz, it's one my favorite movies."

"Wait, really?" Laura asked surprised. "It's one of my favorites too."

"Well, how could you not love it?" Noah replied with a smile. "You should look for some oil."

"Of course." Laura said.

Laura started searching the village for an oil can and eventually found one in a tiny woodshop. She managed to crawl through the small door and reach the can, which she quickly brought back to Noah. She used the oil to grease his limbs, allowing him to regain his movement.

"That feels better, thank you." Noah said. "I'm still a little stiff, but I guess that's only natural when you're made of tin."

"It must feel very strange." Laura noted.

"Actually, I don't really feel much of anything." Noah replied as he knocked on his chest, which produced a hollow sound. "Ah, I think I don't have a heart anymore."

"What?" Laura asked. "Is that even possible?"

"We're in a fairy tale land." Noah said. "I think anything is possible."

"But why did you become the tinman of all people?" Laura asked. "You have a very big heart. You've been there for my family despite everything."

"I don't know." Noah admitted. "Perhaps it's the witch's doing."

"We should go to the Emerald City and find out." Laura replied. "I'm sure the witch is up to something. She took us here for a reason."

At that moment, a feral roar sounded through the village. Laura froze when she realized that sounded like a lion. However, she was pretty sure that this one wouldn't be that cowardly. The witch had likely manipulated the story to make it feral and sent it after them. She looked and Noah and he obviously realized the same thing, so they both started running.

Xxx

Wyatt was flying over the desert on the magic carpet toward the city in the distance. The witch had taken Reed back to the palace. She wanted the genie bottle, as it was probably the thing capable of stopping her. By finding the bottle, Wyatt had been granted three wishes, though he had already been forced to use one to escape the cave. With two wishes left, he needed to be smart about how he used them. He had no idea what kind of magic the witch could use, so he needed to be prepared for anything. He rubbed the bottle and the keeper appeared next to him in a puff of blue smoke.

"You have decided on your next wish?" The keeper asked.

"I think so, I need to at my best." Wyatt replied. "So for that reason, my second wish is regain my own powers."

"Your wish is my command." The keeper said.

The keeper snapped his fingers and Wyatt felt a rush of magic course through his body. He held out his hand called forth Excalibur, which appeared in a swirl of orbs.

"That's more like it." Wyatt noted with a smile.

"The witch knows you're coming." The keeper said. "She is becoming desperate, so she'll throw anything she can at you."

"She's desperate, huh?" Wyatt remarked. "So my family is fighting back and beating her."

"Some of them are." The keeper noted. "However, some will need your help. You must defeat the witch and leave this story before she succeeds elsewhere."

"What does that mean?" Wyatt asked. "If she wins in one story, she'll win everywhere?"

"Not entirely, but every victory will make her stronger." The keeper said. "Even worse, if one of your family members is killed in their story, anyone trapped in the same story will be trapped there forever."

"So we can't afford to lose anywhere." Wyatt concluded.

"Exactly." The keeper said. "Once the witch is defeated, I can use your final wish to send you to another story."

"I'll try to save it." Wyatt replied. "We're getting close to the palace, you should get back."

The keeper nodded and dissolved into smoke, retreating into the genie bottle. Wyatt flew over the city walls and saw the palace. He circled the dome-shaped towers and spotted the throne room. The witch was sitting on the throne, impatiently playing with the golden cobra staff in her hands. In the middle of the room stood a giant hourglass with Reed trapped inside. Sand was slowly filling the glass and had already reached his chest. Knowing the witch was expecting him, Wyatt decided to go for the direct approach and landed in the middle of the room.

"Finally." The witch remarked as she got up. "We were getting so bored watching time pass. Isn't that right, little prince?"

"The worst part was putting up with you." Reed remarked.

"How rude." The witch replied, snapping her fingers to make the sand pour down faster. "His time is running out, so give me the bottle."

"I don't think so." Wyatt said. "This story is about to end the right way."

"Do you really think you can beat me?" The witch asked with a smirk. "I have all the magic here."

"Yeah, about that." Wyatt replied as he revealed Excalibur. "I used a wish to change the rules."

Wyatt turned around and threw Excalibur at the hourglass, piercing the glass and causing the entire thing to shatter. Reed fell to his knees and coughed up some sand, but was otherwise unharmed. Wyatt recalled his sword and turned back to the witch. She hissed and pushed her staff forward, sending Wyatt flying back. The witch then telekinetically flung an ornate spear from the wall at Reed, though Wyatt blocked it with a force field.

"Enough of this." The witch said.

The witch aimed her staff at two large cobra statues and transformed them into living snakes. Reed picked up the spear and joined Wyatt, standing back-to-back as the snakes hissed and circled them. One of the snakes charged at them, though Reed managed to block its fangs with the spear.

"Impressive." Wyatt remarked.

"Not the first time I used a spear." Reed said. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Sounds good." Wyatt replied.

Wyatt summoned a force field in front of him as the second snake lunged at him. He then telekinetically orbed another statue to crush the snake, after which he used Excalibur to cut off its head. The moment the snake died, it transformed back into stone. Meanwhile, Reed was skillfully fending off the first snake with his spear, though it eventually managed to wrap its tail around his legs to trip him. As the snake attempted to bite him, Wyatt flung a piece of stone at it as a distraction, allowing Reed to grab the spear and pierce it through the head. It turned back to stone and crumbled apart.

"No!" the witch called out. "This can't be happening. I'm supposed to be in charge of this story."

The witch waved her staff, but Wyatt used a force field to block her attack as they moved closer to her, eventually driving her back to the throne.

"This isn't over." The witch said. "Let's see you fight your prince."

The witch raised her staff in an attempt to hypnotize Reed again, though he saw it coming and managed to cover his eyes in time. Wyatt then swung Excalibur and cut her staff in half, leaving her powerless. Seeing a chance to strike, Reed leaped forward and stabbed the witch with his spear. She stumbled back and fell onto the throne. Despite her initial shock at being stabbed, she quickly regain her smug demeanor.

"Do you really think you've won?" The witch smirked. "This is only one story. I'll win in another."

The witch dissolved into green smoke and faded away into nothing. A moment later, blue smoke appeared from the genie bottle and formed into the keeper.

"You did it." The keeper said. "You defeated the witch."

"It was teamwork." Wyatt noted as he looked at Reed. "I guess we make a good team after all."

"I guess we do." Reed replied with a smile.

"As promised, I can now use your final wish to send you to another story." The keeper said.

"We can't waste any more time." Wyatt replied. "My final wish is that you send us to the person in my family who needs our help the most."

"Very well, there is one person I wasn't able to reach within her story." The keeper said. "She's in terrible danger. Take care."

The keeper snapped his finger to grant the final wish, opened a portal of blue energy that appeared to lead to a dark forest. Wyatt turned to Reed and nodded, after which they both leaped through as the portal closed behind them.

Xxx

Inside the small cottage in the forest, Melinda had started a small fire in the fireplace. Ryan was lying on the floor in front of it, having passed out from his blood loss. The wolf had severely hurt his arm and while she had done her best to bandage it, things weren't looking good. The wolf hadn't returned yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time. She also knew that waiting around to be rescued wasn't the solution. She needed to step up and protect her husband and unborn baby. Despite her reluctance to be a witch, she was still a strong and independent woman. The fact that she was pregnant didn't make her any less. Her mom was still kicking demonic ass while she was pregnant, so she could do the same.

"Don't worry." Melinda whispered to Ryan. "I'm getting us out of here."

With a forced sense of confidence, Melinda grabbed her bow and arrows and opened the cottage door. The wolf was lurking close, she could practically feel it staring at her.

"Come on and face me!" Melinda called out.

There was a rumbling in the bushes, followed by a terrifying howl. The giant wolf leaped out from the bushes and landed in the clearing. Despite her fear, she readied her bow and took aim. The wolf charged toward her, so Melinda released her arrow and struck it in the leg. It growled in pain, but quickly pulled out the arrow and resumed charging.

Melinda readied a second arrow and fired, though the wolf managed to avoid it. Melinda stumbled back and fell down as the wolf towered above her. She reached for another arrow, but it fell in the grass. The wolf howled and lashed out. Melinda screamed and covered her face, but somehow nothing happened. As she looked up, she saw the wolf was moving in slow-motion. She looked at her hands and wondered if her powers had somehow returned in a weaker form.

"No, wait." Melinda whispered.

Melinda put her hand on her stomach as she realized the truth. The baby had used its magic to protect her, as it was apparently not affected by the story. They shared the same power, though it was not as strong as hers yet.

"You protected me and your daddy." Melinda whispered. "Thank you."

Melinda got to her feet and grabbed her bow. The wolf was still moving in slow-motion, but would soon unfreeze. She was about to ready her arrow when a portal of swirling blue energy opened. Wyatt and the mysterious agent appeared through it. When her brother saw the wolf, he quickly threw Excalibur and impaled it. The wolf unfroze and whimpered before dissolving into green smoke.

"Mel, are you okay?" Wyatt asked.

"I'm fine, but Ryan isn't." Melinda said. "Quick, he's inside and needs healing."

Wyatt nodded and ran into the cottage, where he started healing Ryan with a golden glow. Melinda felt a wave of relief, knowing that he would be fine, and wiped away a tear.

"You're pretty brave, facing a wolf like that on your own." The agent said. "We haven't officially met, by the way, I'm Lincoln Reed."

"Thank you." Melinda replied as she shook his hand. "I'm Melinda, so you're the mystery man my brother really likes."

"The feeling is mutual." Reed noted with a smile. "Today definitely made me realize that."

"I guess our stories are meant to show us what we truly feel." Melinda reasoned. "It made me realize I'm stronger than I thought. I can protect my family."

Wyatt finished healing and the golden glow disappeared. Ryan sat up and looked and Melinda, instantly getting on his feet to hug her tightly.

"We're okay." Melinda said. "We both are."

"I should have been able to protect you." Ryan admitted.

"No, we supposed to be team, remember?" Melinda replied. "You got us to the cottage in the first place. Besides, both your wife and baby are powerful witches. We can also protect you."

Ryan seemed a bit confused about her comment about the baby, but Melinda decided that she would fill him in later. At that moment, the fire in the fireplace suddenly turned blue in color and increased in size. The flames danced in a circle and formed a fiery portal.

"What is happening?" Melinda asked.

"Blue is usually a good sign." Wyatt noted. "Looks like the keeper is still helping us. We can use this to leave this story."

Melinda had no idea who this keeper was, but she was ready to leave this place. She took Ryan's hand and walked through the flames, hoping it would teleport them back to the real world.

Xxx

Henry ran through the halls of the castle while trying to avoid the soldiers as best as he could. He was holding the golden goose tightly, though it was struggling and honking loudly. Why did he ever think kidnapping a living bird was a smart idea? He needed a place to hide and think. He ran through a door and realized he was in a kitchen. He quickly dropped the goose and barricaded the door by sliding a cabinet in front of it. Meanwhile, the goose flew on top of a table and began eating the fruit and vegetable there.

"Really, now is the time to eat?" Henry remarked. "Come on, I need a way out of here. Don't you have some other magic?"

The goose ignored him and continued eating while the soldiers began breaking through the door. Henry ran to the window and looked outside, though he was almost struck by an arrow the moment he did. He ducked against the wall and saw soldiers on the castle wall. He quickly fired some arrows and managed to take them out. However, he did realize he was trapped. At that moment, a small mirror on the wall began trembling and fell to the floor. A blue portal opened, through which Chris and Julian appeared.

"Well, aren't you an odd pairing." Henry remarked.

"Don't mention it." Chris replied. "What story is this? Where are we?"

"Robin Hood." Henry said. "And right now, we're surrounded by soldiers trying to kill me."

"That's not surprising." Julian remarked. "What did you do?"

"I stole the golden goose." Henry replied. "But that's irrelevant, the soldiers are working for the wicked witch."

"Let's just get out here." Julian said. "I can use the pocket watch to find the others."

"No, wait." Henry said. "I need to get the goose to the people in the city. They're starving. And the eggs of the goose could change their lives."

"Henry, we're in a story." Julian replied. "It's not real."

"I don't care." Henry noted determined. "I saw how miserable those people were. I'm not just going to abandon them."

"Henry is right." Chris said. "We both left our stories without finishing them, but I think the key to beating the witch might be to end the stories the right way."

"Are you serious?" Julian replied with a frown. "Alright, fine."

Henry grabbed the goose and shoved it into Julian's hands while he readied his bow. Since he was the only one with a weapon, he would take the lead. The soldiers finally managed to break down the door, though Henry was able to knock them out by using his bow in hand-to-hand combat, much to the surprise of his older cousins.

"Well, don't just stand there." Henry noted. "Let's move."

Xxx