The Hidden History of Oz: An Introduction to Oz Before Dorothy by Tarl Telford

Author:Tarl Telford [Telford, Tarl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Reference, Fiction
Publisher: Emerald Engine Studios
Published: 2017-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

HH3: Chapter 29. Light to See

The sky above Emerald City darkened as the eclipse began. Perilous Eddy shielded his eyes as he looked up to the stormy sky. He climbed a stone staircase to get a clearer view of the sky. This was more than angry clouds--the sunlight behind the clouds was darkening in the wake of the eclipse. He climbed higher and looked beyond the walls of the city. The prairie was burning. And then from beyond the smoke, flowing from the South came a hungry dark cloud that ripped and clawed at the earth. This darkness was coming to Emerald City to feast in the shadow of the moon.

Eddy looked down to the streets far below. People went about their business as usual. The upheavals were part and parcel for daily life in the Emerald City. Living with a Wizard at their center had made the people accustomed to changes. A sickly, darkish feeling grew within Eddy. It started at the base of his skull and crept dreadfully downward along his spine, settling just below his stomach. This was a different change than he had felt before. This was everything, not just the buildings in the Emerald City. Everything changed here and now. If tomorrow even came at all--which fact he questioned in this moment--nothing would ever be the same.

* * * * *

Within her chest, Wickrie-Kells' heart pounded angrily. Her throat burned from the smoke and flame all around her. The Emerald City rose brilliant and sparkling on the hill against the darkness of the sky, but all she could see were shadows. Even with the clouds, the light faded. The whispers sang of the sun dying and the moon's shadow holding sway over Oz. The gates were opening and old magic was flooding Oz with the clustered wind.

The Emerald Spectacles prevented her from wiping behind the lenses. Her eyes stung from all of the accumulated grime, soot, and ash. Not even tears and perspiration could wash it away. She pushed forward, hurling fire out of her way, wrestling with the flames like a sheet in the wind.

The blisters on her arms ached, and the magic lines hissed where they twisted into the frost-burned flesh. Then the magic within screamed to be unleashed, but the only enemy she had was the ordinary fire twisting all around her. The Crown Sarcophagus cast a sphere of cold all around. She felt lightning strike close by and smelled the ozone as it filled the air. Then the gates of Emerald City were in front of her.

She pounded and pounded, and the gates opened just enough. Wickrie-Kells slipped through into the clean green marble and stone coolness of Emerald City.

* * * * *

In the deeper dreamlands, Oscar found himself walking through an emerald-green meadow. The ground shuddered beneath his feet. Sand pushed up from beneath the grass, piling on itself like an anthill. The sand poured out of the top and flowed down the sides of the hill, flooding the meadow.

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