Yellow Brick War
Page 69

Inside, a long table was laid with more kinds of food than I’d ever seen in one place in my life—even at one of Dorothy’s banquets. An entire roast pig with an apple in its mouth. Platters of fruits, most of which I didn’t recognize, and some of which were talking to each other. Baskets of steaming rolls. Tureens of soup, under which tiny fires burned, stoked by tiny figures who carried tiny logs. An enormous platter of desserts: rainbow-frosted cupcakes dusted with glitter that made me think sadly of Polychrome. A miniature Emerald City, rendered in chocolate, studded with emeralds made out of sugar. A cake in the shape of a dragon that breathed fire. Ozma’s post-maybe-defeating-Dorothy banquet was enough food to feed an army.
Which turned out to be a good thing, since Lulu put two fingers between her lips and emitted a piercing whistle. Monkeys bounded up out of nowhere. Lulu had brought her army—or at least, all its surviving members. Ozma giggled as the monkeys flung themselves at the amazing spread with glee. Even Nox and Mombi were laughing.
“Oh dear,” she said, waving her hand, and bunches of bananas popped up at one end of the table. “You’d better eat something fast. They’re not going to leave leftovers.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. Nox and I waded in among the gleeful monkeys, who were devouring the feast like an army of locusts. I found a plate and began to fill it. I didn’t even look to see what I was grabbing. At that point, I would have eaten pretty much anything.
Nox and I took our plates to one corner of the pavilion, where a little table and two comfy chairs appeared with a pop just as we were looking for somewhere to sit.
“Ozma’s hospitality sure beats Dorothy’s,” I said, sinking gratefully into one of the chairs. A napkin materialized out of thin air and tucked itself discreetly into my collar.
“She doesn’t think much of your table manners, apparently,” Nox said with a smirk. I was too tired to do anything about it.
“I don’t blame her,” I said. “The way I feel right now, I’ll be lucky if I can get half this stuff into my mouth.”
Nox had already dug in, and I followed suit. Everything was delicious. Some things tasted how they looked, and others changed into something else in my mouth. The flavors were all different, but subtly harmonized. It was like eating a symphony.
Ozma hadn’t touched the food, and I wondered if fairies had some weird eating disorder or if they just didn’t need to eat. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever had a meal with her when she was the spaced-out version of herself. After the feast, Ozma snapped her fingers. Table and dishes vanished, and the pavilion began to reconfigure itself into a long hall with dozens of silk-walled rooms flanking it.
“And now, my dear soldiers, it’s time to rest,” she said gently. “Tomorrow we work, but tonight we sleep.”
When Ozma had walked away, I leaned in closer to Nox. “We have to figure out a way for me to get back to Kansas and stop the Nome King,” I said in a low voice. He shook his head at me.
“Not here,” he whispered. “It’s not safe to talk anywhere near them.” I nodded to show I understood. “Anyway, you need rest,” he said in a normal tone of voice. “We all do.” He took my hand and I rested my forehead on his shoulder. From across the tent, Mombi cleared her throat, and I jerked backward. Nox dropped my hand like it was a hot coal.
“They’re watching us,” he said so quietly I almost missed it. I sighed. Nothing was ever simple in Oz.
“Good night,” I said loudly as I stood up and walked away from him. More than anything, I wanted him to be able to follow me. To let my guard down, just for a night. To fall asleep in someone’s arms. But I pushed those thoughts out of my head. I couldn’t let the witches suspect that I was going to try to get back to Kansas on my own—or that Nox and I had feelings for each other that went directly against the Quadrant’s demands. I was pretty sure Gert couldn’t read my thoughts unless I was next to her, but there was no sense in trumpeting my feelings. And Nox was right. More than anything else right now, I needed to sleep.
Pushing aside the curtains and entering one of the little rooms, I saw that it contained a soft, thick mattress piled with pillows and blankets. The magic boots glittered on my feet, but I didn’t have any choice but to sleep in them. Besides, I was so tired it didn’t matter. I didn’t lie down so much as face-plant directly onto the bed. And I’m pretty sure I was fast asleep before my cheek even hit the pillow. Thankfully, I didn’t dream.
THIRTY-SIX<