“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.”
“When did you guess?”
“Right after the battle. Gert should have known, too, but Glamora is using Gert’s ability to read minds to cloud her thinking. The connection runs both ways if you’re powerful enough. It wasn’t safe to move openly against her. But now, with all this talk of controlling Amy . . .” Mombi shook her head. “She’s going to do something soon and we have to be ready to stop her. Glamora might still triumph but Glinda is incredibly powerful. And if she wins, she can use the Quadrant magic that binds us together to control us.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nox asked.
Mombi shot him a sympathetic look. “Sorry, sonny, but it wasn’t safe. And no offense, but Gert and I are stronger than you, Quadrant or no Quadrant.” Mombi sighed. “The Nome King in the Other Place, Dorothy who knows where, Glinda trying to defeat Glamora and take control of the Quadrant . . . Not good, not good at all. And if the barriers between Oz and Ev are as malleable as the barriers between Oz and the Other Place, we’re in trouble. The Nome King has a whole host of nasty creatures at his disposal.” She shook her head. “Never a dull moment in Oz,” she said.
“I have to go back to Kansas,” I said urgently. “I have to help my mom against the Nome King.”
“Not a chance,” Mombi said dismissively. “Even if we knew how to send you back—which we don’t—you wouldn’t last for a second against the Nome King without magic. He’s already shown that his power isn’t limited in the Other Place. He’ll crush you like a bug.”
“But the shoes—”
“No buts. First things first: it’s time we figure out how to stop Glinda and get Glamora back.”
“Well, well,” said a voice from the darkness. “We certainly do learn a lot when we eavesdrop, don’t we?”
Glamora stepped out of the shadows. “It’s not very nice of you to run around behind my back, dear sister,” she said. I recognized Glinda’s menacing, sickly sweet syrupiness in her voice. Mombi met her gaze steadily. She didn’t look too surprised that Glamora had been spying on us.
“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to try anything before now, but apparently I was wrong,” Mombi said. “You know that even as strong as you are you can’t defeat the rest of the Quadrant and Amy combined.”
“Oh, I don’t need to be,” Glamora said with a smile. “I have help.” The air beside her began to glow with an all-too-familiar silver light. A twisted metal wand appeared in Glamora’s hand and she held it aloft. More silver light ran down its length like mercury, dripping to the ground and spreading outward into a flat pool of molten metal.
“Get back,” Mombi said urgently. She didn’t have to tell me twice. The pool’s surface shimmered and grew transparent. I could see through it as if it were a window to another world—and it was. Below us was the main hallway of Dwight D. Eisenhower Senior High. I recognized the worn tiles and watery fluorescent lights immediately. A perfect square of less-faded linoleum marked where the diorama had once stood. The windows were boarded up where the Nome King’s storm had broken the glass but the rubble had been cleared away. The hall was empty, but daylight filtered in through the few unbroken windows. Class must be in session. Nox grabbed my arm as if to restrain me and I realized I was leaning toward the pool as though I wanted to jump through it to the other side. “You can’t, Amy,” he said urgently. “It’s not a portal.”
“Not for you it isn’t,” Glamora said. “But for some of us it works quite nicely.” She smiled and waved her wand. “It’s time,” she said. At first, I had no idea who she was talking to. And then Assistant Principal Strachan strode into view in the deserted hallway. And he wasn’t alone. He had Madison by the shoulders. Dustin Jr. was held tightly in her arms. Dustin Sr. ran behind them. His mouth was open as if he was shouting something but I couldn’t hear him.
“Get out of there!” I yelled, but it was obvious he couldn’t hear me either. Whatever window Glinda had created, it only let us see into Kansas.
“Oh, it’s no use,” Glamora said. “They can’t hear you. But he can. And if I were you, I wouldn’t upset him. Just because he thinks he can put you to good use doesn’t mean he won’t punish you if you provoke his temper. Our friend is very old—and don’t tell him I said so, but sometimes he’s awfully grumpy.”
Assistant Principal Strachan looked up, his eyes meeting mine through Glamora’s window. And then he smiled. Silver smoke billowed up from his feet. His body began to ripple and his skin peeled away in long strips that dissolved into silvery ooze. Madison’s mouth opened in a silent scream of terror as Assistant Principal Strachan dissolved, revealing the Nome King.
“Now it’s time to finish the work the Wizard started,” Glamora said. Her tone was almost cheerful but her eyes sparkled with an insane light. I wondered if the struggle between Glinda and Glamora had resulted in something that was a combination of the two. Something more than a little crazy.
“I thought the Wizard wanted to rule Oz,” I said.
“Oh, his vision was limited, make no mistake,” Glamora said. “But he had the right idea. After all, two worlds are better than one. In exchange for unlimited access to Oz’s power, my new friend has offered to help me rule this world—and yours.”
“You can’t do that,” Mombi growled. She was edging almost imperceptibly toward Glamora as if being closer to the deranged witch would somehow make it easier to stop her. At my side, Nox was tense, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two.
“I can do whatever I want, you old bat,” Glamora snapped in a little girl’s petulant tone. “I can smash Oz into smithereens if I feel like it. But for now, I’m just going to throw a little welcome party. I hate to overshadow Ozma’s big day, but this can’t wait.” She dodged away from Mombi and pointed her wand at the silver pool. The Nome King reached upward, still keeping his grip on Madison. His body began to stretch and lengthen as he rose to meet Glamora’s outstretched arm. It was like watching sand move through an hourglass in reverse. Madison’s face was filled with absolute terror as the Nome King pulled her toward Glamora’s window. I watched in horror as the baby slipped from her arms. Nox gasped and Mombi jerked forward as if she could somehow catch him. But we were too late. The baby tumbled toward the ground.
And then, incredibly, Dustin dove for the b
aby. In that second I understood exactly what it was that had made him Dwight D. Eisenhower Senior High’s biggest football star. He moved with almost superhuman speed, reaching for Dustin Jr. as if he was going for the biggest touchdown of his life. He caught the baby seconds before he hit the ground. At the exact same moment, the Nome King burst out of Glamora’s window, sending drops of molten silver flying. I screamed in pain as the hot liquid burned through my dress and seared my arms and legs. Next to me, Nox slapped at his smoking clothes. Glamora giggled in triumph. And Madison Pendleton, still in the Nome King’s bony clutches, was screaming bloody murder.
“That’s quite enough,” the Nome King said curtly, letting go of her long enough to slap her. Madison shut up immediately. Her eyes were huge, darting around the clearing, and she gasped in shock when she saw me. She was shaking so hard I thought she would fall over.
“Now then,” the Nome King said. “Miss Gumm, I believe you have something that belongs to me. I’d like it back.”
THIRTY-NINE
I glanced involuntarily down at my boots. I knew exactly what he wanted and I had no intention of giving them to him.
“The shoes don’t belong to you,” Mombi snapped. “They belong to Oz.”
“Oz will shortly belong to me, you impertinent old fool,” he said. He flicked his fingers at her and a ball of black smoke sent her flying across the clearing. She hit a tree with a thump and crashed to the ground.
“You can’t take them from me,” I said with more confidence than I felt. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mombi stir. At least the old witch was still alive.
“I do realize that,” the Nome King said. “Which is why I’ll take you and the shoes. I could use magic to control you, of course, but you’re much more powerful if you’re using the shoes of your own free will.”
“I won’t help you,” I said.
“I thought you’d say that. Which is why I brought along a guarantee of your cooperation.” His grip tightened on Madison’s arm and she screamed in pain. I heard bones cracking as the Nome King stared at me.
“Stop it!” I cried, unable to bear the sound. “Leave her alone! Fine, I’ll do what you want!”
“Amy!” Nox hissed next to me. “You can’t!” But too many people had already gotten hurt because of me. The Nome King had pulled her out of Kansas because of me. For all I knew, she was stuck in Oz now for the rest of her life, away from her baby and her family and everything she knew. I wasn’t going to watch the Nome King torture her on top of it all. There had to be another way to stop him.
“I’m so glad you’ve decided to cooperate,” the Nome King said in a pleasant tone. “And now, you’ll just—”
That was when Mombi hit him. Not with magic. With a branch. The old witch had crept up behind him and swung with all her might. He roared in outrage, loosening his grip on Madison’s arm for the barest instant. Glamora launched herself at Mombi, magic sparking from her fingertips. And I dove for Madison, knocking her out of the Nome King’s arms.
“Run!” Mombi screamed. “Amy, run!” She raised her branch to hit the Nome King a second time but he threw a sticky net of molten silver at her that tangled in her arms and legs. Mombi stumbled as the net tightened its grip around her. Glamora pointed the wand at her and the Nome King raised his hands. They were going to kill her. I knew it. I had to stop them. Mombi looked directly at me. Her face was suffused with an eerie calm. As if she was finally at peace. “Go, Amy,” she said. And then Glamora was on her.
“No!” I yelled, but Nox grabbed my arm. The Nome King was already turning toward us. My boots came to life, blazing with white light, and he threw up one hand to shield his eyes. I didn’t waste a second. I grabbed Madison’s hand, pulling her after me, and ran. “Take my other hand!” I screamed, reaching for Nox. The Nome King was right behind us. I could feel his magic moving toward us like a silver wave. But the shoes carried me faster and faster, and Madison and Nox with me. Madison was sobbing in fear. “Trust me!” I yelled to her. “I’ll keep you safe!” I had no idea if I could keep that promise but I knew I would do my best.
And then I tripped over something glinting in the grass and fell, sprawling, onto the Road of Yellow Brick. Nox tumbled next to me. Madison crashed into me from behind. The road heaved and buckled under us, tearing away from the grass with a huge ripping sound just as the Nome King reached its edge, but he was too late. The road lifted us up into the air and he dwindled to a tiny speck below us.
We were flying toward the stars. I ducked as they came rushing toward us, but just before we ran into them the road stopped and hung, hovering, in the sky. I could have sworn it wiggled a little, like an impatient puppy.
“It’s helping us,” Nox said in disbelief. He climbed slowly, painfully, to his feet, and then helped me and Madison up, too.
“Amy?” Madison whispered. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and her voice was shaking. “What—what is this? What’s going on? Who was—what was Assistant Principal Strachan? Where’s Dustin?”
“It’s kind of a long story,” I said. She still looked terrified but determination was creeping into her expression, too. Madison was tough as nails. She’d do just fine in Oz.
“Why would the road help us?” I asked Nox.
“I don’t know.” Nox reached up and flicked the nearest star, sending it spinning. Its light refracted around us like sunlight through a prism. My boots sparkled as if in answer. “I don’t know where it’s taking us either.”
The road was pulsing with a strange, golden energy, stretching ahead of us until it dwindled to a point on the horizon. I took a deep breath and grabbed Nox’s hand.
“Well,” I said. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
Together, we took the first step.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANIELLE PAIGE is a graduate of Columbia University and the author of the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series. Before turning to young adult literature, she worked in the television industry, where she received a Writers Guild of America Award and was nominated for several Daytime Emmys. She currently lives in New York City.
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BOOKS BY DANIELLE PAIGE
Novels
Dorothy Must Die
The Wicked Will Rise
Yellow Brick War
Digital Novellas
No Place Like Oz
The Witch Must Burn
The Wizard Returns
Heart of Tin
The Straw King
Ruler of Beasts
Novella Collections
Dorothy Must Die Stories
Dorothy Must Die Stories Volume 2
CREDITS
COVER ART AND DESIGN © 2016 BY RAY SHAPPELL
HAND LETTERING BY ERIN FITZSIMMONS
COPYRIGHT
YELLOW BRICK WAR. Copyright © 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. www.epicreads.com
* * *
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015959756
ISBN 978-0-06-228073-2 (trade bdg.)
ISBN 978-0-06-2
45860-5 (special edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-245930-5 (special edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-245842-1 (int. ed.)
EPub Edition © February 2016 ISBN 9780062280756
* * *
Hand lettering by Erin Fitzsimmons
16 17 18 19 20 PC/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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Danielle Paige, Yellow Brick War
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