Oz: The Great and Powerful Junior Novel Disney Book Group (11 page)

C
HAPTER
F
OURTEEN

SHORT WHILE LATER,
the wagon pulling the projection machine, which had since been covered by a tarp, pulled up to the Emerald City’s back gate. The Gate-Keeper stepped in their path, blocking them. “Halt!” he yelled out and the wagon stopped.

Knuck sat in the driver’s seat. Next to him was what appeared to be a Winkie. The man was tall, like a Winkie. And he had a typical Winkie hat and coat on. But he looked, well, lumpy. Which wasn’t surprising. The Winkie was actually Oz in disguise. He was riding on a Munchkin’s shoulders as part of his disguise. He held his breath as they came to a stop. He hoped that the Gate-Keeper had poor vision.

“Good day there, fellow Winkie Guardsman,” Oz said in his deepest Winkie voice.

“What is your business here?” the Gate-Keeper inquired.

“We bring supplies for the battle,” Oz said.

“I was told of no such delivery,” the Gate-Keeper said, eyeing Oz suspiciously. That was one strange-looking Winkie. “Where are your papers of transit?”

Knuck didn’t like where this was going. If the Gate-Keeper kept asking questions, or worse, asked them to get down, Oz’s cover would be blown. It was time to move on, so Knuck used his walking stick to knock the Gate-Keeper in the head. “Why this delay?” he said, his voice angry. “Do you not recognize me? I am Knuck! The City Herald!”

“Sir, I’m just trying to do my—” the Gate-Keeper said before he was clunked in the head a second time with Knuck’s walking stick. That was all it took. The Gate-Keeper began to scramble around, frantically trying to open the gates. “What I meant was, let them pass!” he said apologetically.

A moment later, the gate opened and Knuck waved the carts on. As they entered, Knuck couldn’t resist clunking the Gate-Keeper one more time…so he did. Soon, all of them were inside the city as the gate closed behind them. Oz let out a sigh of relief. Part one was complete.

Inside the palace walls, the next phase of the plan was about to begin.

The Projection Wagon was wheeled into a back alley of the Emerald City, where it encountered a group of Munchkins. Oz thought they had been discovered until Knuck informed him that these men were the Emerald City Underground, and that they were on their side. “Everything is ready,” Knuck told Oz as he leaped out of the wagon. “All we need now is you.”

Shrugging out of his disguise, Oz nodded. “All right, I just have to do one thing first.”

“There’s no time,” Knuck said. And that’s when it hit him. That’s when he knew.

Knuck glared at Oz as his expression changed and disappointment washed over his face. “I told Glinda you’d do this,” he said. “She said I was wrong about you. Guess I wasn’t.”

“What are you talking about?” Oz asked.

“I’m talking about that thing the Tinker built. The balloon,” Knuck replied.

“What balloon?” asked Finley, who had been riding in the back of the wagon.

Oz couldn’t bring himself to answer Finley, or look
either Finley or Knuck in the eye. Instead, he turned and
looked toward the Room of Resplendence and saw the
hot-air balloon moored to the bridge that led to the room.
This was his chance, he thought. It was now or never.

“That’s my cue,” Oz said as he began to walk toward the balloon. Then he turned and looked back toward Finley and Knuck. “All right, you guys, just remember, stick to the plan.”

“Stick to the plan!” Finley said, growing more and more agitated. “The plan was
you
! We’re supposed to stick to
you
!”

“You guys will do great,” Oz said. “So long.” And with that, Oz ran off toward the hot-air balloon, ready to escape the land of Oz once and for all.

On the edge of the forest that bordered the poppy fields stood Glinda the Good. She looked out beyond the expansive poppy fields to the shining Emerald City. Then, raising her wand, Glinda formed a thick, low-hanging fog around her. With another wave, the fog grew, and slowly rolled downhill, covering the entire poppy field.

On their perch, the Wicked Witches watched as a low, thick fog began to spread across the poppy fields. The fog troubled Theodora, but Evanora was not worried. A fog of that size required substantial effort from a witch. Even a witch as powerful as Glinda, who was most certainly behind it, could not keep it up forever. And the longer it lasted, the weaker Glinda would become.

The sisters continued to watch. At first, all they could see was the fog, but then, slowly, they heard the sounds of an approaching army. “They dare march upon us!” Evanora yelled.

Soon, they began to see the faint outline of figures making their way over the hill. Row upon row of soldiers marched in formation, heading toward the Emerald City.

Theodora raised her arms and the skies turned black as hundreds of flying baboons swooped overhead. They were headed directly for the battlefield below.

Watching her army attack, Theodora smiled. “Tear them apart!” Theodora yelled. She let out a terrifying cackle that gave Evanora the chills. Something was definitely wrong, the older sister thought. Then she turned her attention back to the battle.

Evanora looked concerned. She watched as the baboons descended into the poppy fields and began ripping the army to pieces, tearing anything they could get their hands on. It was a massacre…

Except, there was no blood.

Horror washed over the sisters’ faces as they realized the truth. “It’s a trick!” Evanora shouted. “Retreat! Retreat!”

Her army didn’t listen. The baboons continued their attack. But as the fog began to clear, the baboons looked down and realized they weren’t attacking Munchkins or Quadlings…they were attacking scarecrows! Rows and rows of scarecrows were propped up on rolling racks, the hay inside them now spilling out. Turning, the sisters’ army began to flee.

But it was too late.…

Glinda’s plan had worked—while the winged baboons were tearing up the scarecrows, the Good Witch’s fog had raised the poppy dust all around them. The baboons breathed it in, and soon fell over into a deep, deep sleep.

Glinda, China Girl, and the Quadlings cheered. It was now time to put the next part of their plan into action.

C
HAPTER
F
IFTEEN

S THE LAST OF THE FOG
was cleared from the poppy fields, the Wicked Witches spotted Glinda and the others at the forest’s edge.

“Curse you!” yelled Theodora. But Evanora knew that the battle was far from over. She turned and saw Oz’s balloon floating down to the Room of Resplendence. The magician was escaping, but he was going to get some gold first. Evanora’s fingers crackled with electricity. The Witch wasn’t about to let him steal her gold. As she reared back, ready to fire a blast of energy from her fingertips, Theodora steadied her hand.

“No, sister. The Wizard is mine,” she said. “You take care of Glinda.”

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Enchanted Forest, unaware of Oz’s betrayal or that they had been discovered by the witches, Glinda was rallying the army and readying supplies. “Quadlings, fall back!” she instructed. “The fog is lifting. Into the woods!”

Suddenly and without warning, two huge winged silverback baboons swept down and lifted Glinda off her feet.

Before anyone could react, they had carried Glinda
high into the air. She raised her wand to defend herself,
but then Evanora appeared. Glinda didn’t have a chance. The Wicked Witch zapped her with a bolt of electricity and as everyone watched in horror, Glinda lost her grip
on the wand and it dropped toward the ground below. Powerless and defeated, Glinda was carried away.…

Evanora searched the grass for the missing wand, but it was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, Evanora rejoined the baboons as they returned to the Emerald City.

Meanwhile, hiding behind a tree was China Girl. She clutched Glinda’s wand to her chest. She was scared, but she knew she had to act. Summoning all her courage, she took off through the tall grass toward the Emerald City. She had to get to the palace…fast.

Oz, meanwhile, was only concerned with his future. He dashed across the bridge leading to the Room of Resplendence, past the repaired hot-air balloon waiting for him, and into the room filled with treasure. Opening the doors, he began snagging anything he could find. He saw bags of coins and grabbed those, throwing a few extra gems and pieces of jewelry inside. He wanted to get as much treasure as his little balloon could hold. Dragging it all out back outside, he heaved it over the side into the basket. Oz was ready to go, escape out of the Land of Oz, fly back home with more riches than he had ever imagined. But as he looked over the bridge to the crowd below, he felt a pang of remorse. These people had trusted him to help them. Their fate was in his hands. It was time for a new plan.

Night had fallen on the Emerald City, causing the green of the buildings to take on a darker appearance. From the city’s main square the citizens watched as the two flying silverback baboons dropped Glinda the Good onto the dais. Immediately, two Winkie Guards grabbed her and chained her up for all to see.

Evanora slowly floated down in front of her, making sure everyone knew who was really in charge. “Citizens of Emerald City,” she began. “Witness what happens when you defy me.” She landed on the dais and looked out at the frightened masses. “Glinda did very well for herself today, I’ll admit—but that’s all over now.” Then she turned to look directly at Glinda. “So, what’s next, do you think?”

“Get your sister and fly out of here,” Glinda said defiantly. “While you still can.”

This infuriated Evanora. “I think I’m going to do something quite different, and I’m going to do it very slowly because…I just can’t stand that pretty, pretty face,” the Wicked Witch said. “I’m going to wipe out your light until all that’s left is my darkness. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

Evanora raised her hands and bolts of electricity shot out from her fingertips at Glinda. The Good Witch screamed out in pain as the electricity coursed over her body. The Wicked Witch merely smiled. Then she fired again. “Seems as though your Wizard has vanished,” she said with glee. “So much for your king and his worthless prophecy.”

Oz’s balloon was once again moored to the bridge next to the Room of Resplendence—only now, the balloon’s basket was filled with gold. Oz hurried out of the room with even more gold in his hands, unaware that he was being watched from above by Theodora. “How predictable,” the Witch said with an evil smile.

Meanwhile, China Girl had finally made it into the palace. Sneaking from one alley to another, she had just made her way past a group of Winkie Guards when she heard a terrible cackle from above.

Knuck and Finley heard the same cackle and also looked to the sky. It was the Wicked Witch of the West. She flew over the crowds on her broomstick and landed on the dais next to Evanora. “Give up, Glinda,” she said. “Why do you continue to resist?”

“Because I believe in the Wizard,” Glinda answered weakly.

“So did I once,” Theodora said. “Behold!” the Wicked Witch said as she gestured upward, where Oz’s balloon was rising into the distant sky.

All hope drained from Glinda’s face as she saw Oz’s balloon floating away from the Emerald City. Her greatest fears had come true. Oz really wasn’t the good man she thought he was.

Glinda’s disappointment spread through the crowd: Finley, Knuck, the Master Tinker, and the rest of the Quadlings and Munchkins could not believe their eyes as Oz’s balloon drifted farther and farther away from the Emerald City. “Where’s he going?” someone cried out. “He’s abandoning us!” another person shouted.

Theodora smiled mysteriously. Then, raising her hand, she formed a huge fireball above her open palm. Then, with all her strength, she hurled it into the sky—and directly at the balloon.

From her spot on the platform, Glinda screamed as the fireball slammed into its mark. A moment later there was a loud BOOOOOM and the balloon exploded in a blinding blaze of light.

“Not so great and powerful after all,” Theodora said with an evil gleam in her eye.