Other than that one attempt at normalcy, her mother was a nomad, far happier traveling and finding herself than taking care of her daughter. Glin had blamed herself for spoiling her sister. It wasn’t a mistake she repeated with Dorothy. She was strict and obsessive about her studies, of both the ordinary and magical variety. But despite the rules and lectures, Dorothy always knew she was loved.
How could she reconcile those memories with this reality? That her great aunt was Glinda, there really was an Oz and that Dorothy was in love with a wizard.
In love?
Desperately, and scared to death that love may not be returned, despite what he’d said to the king. More than that, she was afraid that it was, but that she might lose it before it had a chance to grow. Especially if she wasn’t up for the challenge.
The king had told her everything. How he’d ordered a retreat after the initial resistance, not as much out of concern for his warriors as out of respect for the GW.
He’d also told her of the spell of unmaking and what his people had been before Aunt Glin had started the era of Transformation. The truth had blown her away. This was nothing like the story she’d read when she was younger. Though looking back, her aunt had been adamant about her not getting her hands on that book. She’d had to hide it at school just to get the chance to read it.
Glinda had created all of this. She’d known her aunt was powerful, but she’d had no idea that anything like this was even possible outside of fairytales.
“Miss Dorothy!” Braxim called out to her, looking frazzled. “Miss Dorothy, I need you to come with me immediately. It’s Emily.”
She ran beside him toward his family’s tents, seeing her sister right away. She was huddled beneath a large blanket, looking pale as a ghost and staring blankly at the fire.
“Em? Honey, are you okay? What happened?”
When Emily didn’t even acknowledge her presence, Dorothy glared at Braxim, her hands sparking with ire. “What did you do to her?”
He folded his large body beneath him, earnestly leaning forward. “Nothing! I swear I did nothing to harm her. We came back to the tents and…well, she wanted to…”
His face crumbled, looking absolutely miserable. “I thought she liked it.”
“Oh Goddess give me strength.” Dorothy took Emily’s face between her hands, forcing her to make eye contact. “Emily, damn you, talk to me. Did he hurt you?”
“Dorothy? What are you doing here?”
She looked so exhausted, so fragile, that Dorothy stood and slid her arms around her waist, determined to see if they had a doctor somewhere in the camp to check for internal damage. She could only imagine what a centaur could do—
Emily ripped herself violently away. “No!”
Dorothy frowned. “We need to get you out of here, Em. Let me help you.”
Emily turned to Braxim, her cheeks flushing. “Can you leave us alone for a few minutes?”
He stood immediately, expression besotted and concerned. “Anything for you, Miss Emily.”
After he left, Dorothy dropped back down on the ground beside her, utterly confused. “What’s going on?”
Emily blushed, clutching blanket more tightly before she spoke. “I’m not sure how to explain it. All I’m certain of is that this is definitely not a dream. And if it isn’t, then I…I…”
“You what? It’s okay, Emily. This has been a huge culture shock for you. It’s okay to freak out a little.”
Rubbing her nose with a corner of the blanket, Emily’s expression turned incredulous. “A huge shock for me but not for you? Why aren’t you freaking out? And what exactly did you do to those bird guys? Braxim said you had the same powers as the wizard. The wizard. I think he meant your neighbor, the hot horndog. I was thinking of inviting him to dinner, you know. Before all this happened.” She shook her head, laughing a bit maniacally. “But you’re really a witch and he’s a wizard. We actually traveled in a storm and I really had a night of crazy—”
Dorothy could see where this was going. “You slept with Braxim, didn’t you? Is that why you’re freaking out? Did he hurt you?” She lowered her voice. “Did he forc
e you?”
“God no.” Emily’s blush deepened until her face was scarlet. “He didn’t have to force me, and I couldn’t stop having orgasms long enough to ask.”
“Emily!” Dorothy bit her cheek to keep from laughing.
She shook her head, thoroughly dazed. “It’s true. And when his two brothers wanted to join us and they were all touching me it sounded like every dirty fantasy I’d ever had. Only it was better, Dee. And when they brought out their special saddle… Oh my God.” She dropped her head into her hands, sniffling again.
Dorothy patted her sister awkwardly. A special saddle, huh? She’d wondered about the mechanics of that. Now she’d never be able to get it out of her head.