“Dorothy was way scarier than this,” he whispered. “You’re fine.”
“Easy for you to say,” I muttered under my breath, but I stepped forward. I was glad I’d gone with the dress after all, now that what seemed like every eye in Oz was on me. My heart was pounding so hard I almost laughed at myself. Nox was right; I’d faced down Dorothy, but couldn’t handle an appreciative audience?
Ozma beamed at me as I joined her at her side. She took my hand in one of hers, and gestured to Lulu with the other. The little monkey should have looked ridiculous in her bedazzled dress, which was over the top even for her. But instead she looked perfect. Sort of like a really dignified chandelier, but in a good way. She was weeping openly as she slowly carried the crown toward us.
When she reached us, Ozma curtsied deeply, dipping her head low enough for Lulu to set the crown on her dark hair. Everyone around us breathed out a sigh of combined relief and awe.
“At last, our queen is returned to us,” Lulu proclaimed, holding Ozma’s hand aloft as they turned to face the crowd. There was a brief second of complete stillness, and then the pavilion erupted. Everyone was hugging and shrieking and clapping and cheering. Munchkins jumped up and down, waving their arms. Winkies high-fived each other. Even Gert and Mombi were hugging and dancing around like little kids. Nox ran up to me, picked me up off my feet, and twirled me around while I giggled with delight. Lulu had her arms wrapped around Ozma’s midsection and was sobbing noisily. Only Ozma remained calm and collected, smiling down at Lulu and at all the other citizens of Oz who tried to touch her dress or embrace her.
Finally, the mayhem died down enough for Ozma to call out, “And now we feast!” Another enormous cheer erupted from the crowd, and everyone surged toward the banquet.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Nox and I were swept up in the tide of people and carried along with them to where long tables had been set up. Sunfruit hung in the air, casting a warm, gentle light over the piles and piles of food.
Nobody had to be told twice to eat, including me. Ozma had decided on an informal party, given the circumstances—no servants, no seats, just banquet tables piled high with food and heaps of cushions and bright woven carpets scattered around the floors of the tent city. Most people elected to take their food outside, finding spots in the grass or under the trees. But I noticed as I filled my plate that people were getting out of my way, or even bowing to me. It was a strange feeling, one I didn’t really like. I tried to make myself as unobtrusive as possible as I carried my plate outside and found a place far from the crowd.
That was when Nox found me. At last, we’d gotten away from the rest of the Quadrant. For how long, I didn’t know.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said in a low voice. “I know. There’s something wrong, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
I set my plate in the grass, my appetite gone. “I have to find a way to get back to Kansas,” I said. “If the Nome King has my mom . . .”
“The Quadrant will try and stop you. And I don’t know if I can stop them.”
“Because you’re bound to them?”
He nodded. “I can try to undo the spell that binds us together, but I might not be strong enough to do it on my own.”
“I can help.”
“Even with the shoes, Gert and Mombi are more powerful than you are. I don’t know.” He shook his head, his expression bleak. “I want to help you, but I don’t know how to get away from them.”
“Come with me,” I said impulsively. “If we find a way back. Just come with me. We’ll defeat the Nome King somehow. We’ll prevent him from coming back to Oz. We can stay there together and forget about all this war.”
“Come with you to the Other Place?” he asked, startled. “For good?”
I realized what I’d asked of him as soon as the words were out of my mouth. “You’re right,” I said. “I’m sorry. That’s totally unfair. I can’t ask that of you, any more than I can stay here.”
“I didn’t say no, Amy.” His dark eyes searched mine. “What’s left for me here?”
“Uh, everything? Your entire life?”
He shrugged. “My family is dead. My home is gone. But I can’t leave Oz until I know it’s truly safe. In a perfect world—”
“We don’t live in a perfect world,” I finished. If I left Oz now, Nox wasn’t coming with me. And I wasn’t sure, deep down, if that was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
He looked at me and I knew he saw everything I was feeling in my eyes. Without speaking he leaned in and kissed me. He slid his hands down the side of my waist as I ran my fingers through his thick, soft hair. I knew I’d be smelling sandalwood in my dreams for the rest of my life. Nox fumbled with the buttons on my dress, sliding it down one shoulder and kissing the curve of my neck. A shudder ran through me—like magic, but something completely new. I felt the lean, rippling muscles of his back through the soft fabric of his jacket.
“Nox,” I whispered.
“Shhhh,” he said, kissing the words away. “We’ve earned this. Just this once, forget—” Footsteps crunched across the gravel and we both sat bolt upright. I could hear the murmur of familiar voices. Nox grabbed my hand and tugged me upward—into the air. We floated into the branches of a gnarled old tree and hovered there, hidden by the foliage.
“. . . think you’re worrying too much,” Mombi was saying. “Ozma defeated the Nome King once. She’s strong enough to keep us safe now.”
“In the past she might have been,” Glamora argued. Her voice had a strange, harsh echo to it. “But the Nome King is stronger now than he’s ever been. If he finds a way to control Amy, we’re all in danger. He could easily turn her against us. And Glinda will have made Ozma more cautious. United, we’re as powerful as she is. She won’t trust us. The Quadrant is in danger.”
“Amy’s in love with the boy,” Mombi said dismissively. “And the shoes protect her. Nox is tied to the Quadrant. He’ll keep Amy under control.” Despite the situation, I blushed furiously. Was it really that obvious?
“And you saw what happened when we tried to control him,” Glamora snapped. Nox and I exchanged glances. What was she talking about?
“What exactly are you suggesting, Glamora?” Mombi’s voice was cool and distant. “Treason?”
“Of course not,” Glamora said. “Nothing done for the good of Oz is treason.”
“The good of Oz, of course, being dependent on our control of it,” Mombi said drily.
“Whatever you think of Ozma, we have to gain control of Amy,” Glamora stated. “She’s a danger to all of us.”
“She won’t use magic again,” Mombi said.
“Can you guarantee that?” Glamora asked.
“I’d bet my life on it,” Mombi said. For the briefest second, her eyes flicked upward. She knows we’re here, I thought. So why wasn’t she revealing us?
Glamora looked as though she was about to object, but she bit down on the words and smiled, yielding unexpectedly. “Very well, dear sister. I’m sure you know what’s best. Shall we return to the celebration?”
“You go ahead,” Mombi said. “I’m going to enjoy the peace and quiet a little longer.” Glamora gave Mombi a searching look, but she nodded and turned back toward the clamor of Ozma’s celebration.
Mombi waited until I could barely make out Glamora’s slender figure. “All right,” she said, looking up at us. “You can come down now.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
Warily, Nox and I eyed Mombi. Whose side was she on? What about what we’d just overheard?
“You’re going to tell me you think Glamora is Glinda,” she said gruffly. My jaw dropped, but Nox nodded. Mombi sighed. “It’s more complicated than that. She’s still Glamora, but Glinda’s a part of her now. I think they’re still battling it out in there. Glamora is keeping Glinda in check for now, but who knows how long that will last.”