Very Bad Wizards: A Reverse Harem Fairy-tale Retelling (The Wicked Wizards of Oz Book 1) by C.M. Stunich

Author:C.M. Stunich [Stunich, C.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarian Royal
Published: 2020-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

The woods seem to go on forever. As beautiful as the trees and the multi-colored ferns are, there’s always this sense that something is watching us. My skin prickles with unease, and I can’t stop checking over my shoulder.

Taavi isn’t much of a talker, but at least Stryker’s here to help pass the time. As strange as he is, he’s a fount of information.

“The Ruby Trials have been ongoing for over a hundred years now,” he says, more than happy to fill the stilted, creepy silence of the dark forest. It may as well be night in here; the sun very rarely manages to find a spot in the trees to peek through at us. “Dorothy, the Small and Meek, began them shortly after she arrived in Oz. She’s like you, you know, not of this country. I hear she was raw in her magic when she arrived in Emerald City, looking for a way home.”

“So why didn’t she leave then?” I ask, my hands in the pockets of the dress, the mark on my forehead burning. I’d all but forgotten about it until Stryker brought it up. A witch’s mark. It grants me protection, so both he and Taavi have said, but I have yet to see what it can really do.

“A question I ask myself every day,” Stryker says, pausing as a family of tiny fae creatures crosses the road in front of us, the smallest of them about the size of an acorn and tucked in her father’s arm. They have no wings, but their hair is made up of long, gossamer-like headdresses.

As soon as they spot us, they let out a call of alarm, and tiny bubbles appear, encasing each of them in their own, save the acorn-sized baby. She rides away on the wind with her blue-skinned father.

Equal parts fascinating and weird.

“Alven,” Taavi says, pointing at the bubbles as they flitter away into the trees. “One of the few relatively harmless faerie folk. The creek must swing a bit closer to the road here.” He peers into the trees, clearly just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Taavi expects trouble.

If it’s anything like the scarecrows or the kelpie, then I really should embrace my training with Stryker with gusto.

“Hopefully not too close,” Stryker adds, snatching an overripe piece of fruit from a nearby tree. Taavi grimaces as the wizard bites into it, but unless there’s slow-acting poison in there, it doesn’t seem to affect him in any negative sort of way. Maybe because, unlike me, he isn’t half-human? “Water might not be my weakness, but I’m not a big fan of kelpies either.”

“What a coincidence,” I quip, giving Taavi a look. “Neither is he.” I nod my chin in the dog’s direction, and he gives me a low growl in response. “Hey. Is it normal for your guardian to hit on you after they’ve shifted into a giant faerie dog?”

“Oz.” Just that one word, sharp and commanding from Taavi. He acts a bit less like a proper toto and more like a general in command of his forces.

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