Ruler of Beasts (2 page)

“Oh no, not at all!” exclaimed the Lion hastily, sitting up straight and gesturing furiously to Cornelius, who leapt forward to pick bits of the tournament losers out of the Lion's mane. “If only I'd known you were coming, I would have . . .” The Lion waved a paw at his filthy, matted fur.

He did not want to seem ungrateful. She had helped him, Scare, Tin, and Dorothy get everything their hearts desired. But just like Scare said once in one of his overly long letters, she hadn't exactly given them any instruction on how to use their new gifts.

“Don't trouble yourself, dear Lion,” Glinda said in her honeyed voice, although Cornelius was almost certain he saw a flicker of distaste in her eyes. “When I go to visit the Kingdom of the Beasts, I expect beasts!” She giggled, and the Lion relaxed.

“Cornelius, make our guest comfortable,” he ordered. How exactly Cornelius was supposed to do this was unclear. He
quickly dusted fur and the bones of an animal carcass—the Lion's breakfast—away from an area of the Lion's platform and indicated that Glinda should sit before scampering off to find something for the witch to eat. Glinda looked down at the rough platform and actually frowned. The Lion was too busy cleaning his paws to notice. “Sit, sit!” he exclaimed through a mouthful of fur.

“Travel is so, er, cramping,” Glinda replied. “I'm much more comfortable standing, dear Lion, and anyway I won't be here long. I have a message of the utmost importance for you—and a mission, if you're up for it.”

“A mission?” The Lion left off his grooming to look up at Glinda quizzically. “What kind of mission?”

“I've just come from the Emerald City, where I've been visiting with the queen,” Glinda explained.

“How is she?”

Glinda blinked, and for the barest second the Lion thought he saw a scowl flash across her face. “She's very well, of course,” Glinda said, a little coolly. “She's really settled into ruling like a duck to water. Just born to run things.”

“She is part of the royal line,” the Lion pointed out.

“And she lets you know it!” Glinda giggled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. “I thought I'd have so much to teach her, but really she just runs circles around the Scarecrow and me!”

“But the Scarecrow's in the countryside,” the Lion said. At first, the Scarecrow had sent him letters via Pixie Express, but the Lion didn't always finish them. They were pages and
pages long filled with what he was learning. Things that were well beyond the Lion's brain. The Lion couldn't help but think that Scare was trying to read his way back to the throne. “Yes, of course, you know that he felt he had to go when he realized Ozma didn't have any use for him. And in fact, I'm on my way back to my summer palace myself. Ozma certainly doesn't need
me.
” This time, there was no mistaking the irritation in her voice. The Lion wondered what had happened back at the palace to set Glinda and Ozma at odds, but he knew better than to ask. Glinda might look kind, but she was powerful—and he'd seen her cruel side. He'd think twice before pushing her. Glinda quickly got her expression under control and her voice returned to its habitual sweetness. “But I didn't come here to talk about boring old politics,” she cooed. “I came here because I need you, dear Lion, and only you, to help me with a most important project!”

The Lion sat up straight again. “Me?”

“That's exactly right. In fact, there's no one else in Oz who can possibly help me with what I need done. Can I rely on you, dear Lion? On your courage—and your utmost secrecy?”

“Of course you can rely on my courage!” the Lion retorted indignantly, wondering if she was trying to suggest the Wizard's gift was insufficient. He hadn't lost the initial battle against Jinjur's soldiers because he wasn't brave enough, but because he was outnumbered. Surely she remembered that. Glinda laid a soft, perfectly manicured hand on his paw.

“Oh dear, now I've offended you. I didn't mean to imply you
aren't the bravest lion in Oz, but what I'm asking of you will require more than just brawn. I need you to keep your mission a secret, and to conduct it with stealth.” Glinda lowered her voice and gazed deeply into the Lion's eyes. “Can you do that for me? Is it too much to ask?”

The Lion drew himself up to his full height, returning her look. “I am at your service, lady Glinda, noblest witch in Oz,” he said huskily, though he hardly knew what he was doing. He didn't even know what his assignment was to be, or who would look after the Kingdom of the Beasts while he was away. But Glinda was so persuasive and so compelling. Not to mention so beautiful. Her blue eyes glittered and she squeezed his paw tightly, covering his forehead with kisses. “I knew I could rely on you, my brave, wonderful Lion!” she exclaimed. Raptly closing his eyes in pleasure, the Lion couldn't see that Glinda was holding her nose as she kissed him.

“Then it's settled!” Glinda said happily. “You can prepare to leave in the morning. I'm sure you'll have to make arrangements for the kingdom while you're away. I can't imagine your mission will take
too
long, but you never know.”

The Lion nodded, looking up at Glinda in adoration. “My mission,” he agreed, and then he frowned slightly. “What is my mission, exactly?”

Glinda giggled. “Oh, right! It's very simple, really. I want you to protect Ozma. As you know, her army is gone. . . .”

The Royal Army had been a single man. And Jinjur had taken him out in a heartbeat right in front of him and Scare.

“But she has you,” the Lion said, puzzled. Glinda was powerful. And she had an army of her own.

Glinda frowned the tiniest of frowns before her forehead smoothed out again and she beamed at the Lion. “I'm—well, I have things to do elsewhere,” she said vaguely. “Very important things. And Ozma can be a little difficult. I think it's best we spend some time apart. And to be honest, there is another reason. Ozma is so bored in the palace—as bored as you are! I thought you might do us all a favor and keep her company for a while. She's in desperate need of cheering up. I know she'd love to see you, and you'll make her a perfect companion!”

The Lion felt his heart lift, perhaps this was what he and his courage were looking for. A mission. A purpose. Perhaps a fight didn't mean anything unless it had one.

“I will bring the beasts. I will train them up into a proper army,” he announced.

Glinda's perfect eyebrows raised and she shook her head.

“Perhaps, in time. But you need to have Ozma get used to you. Trust you before bring in an army.”

“But how can I keep her safe? You saw how the last Royal Army of One ended up.”

“I will know if there is trouble, don't you fret, Lion.”

The Lion nodded, swallowing her logic. But it left an aftertaste. Something not quite right. He suddenly remembered the other part of what Glinda was asking.

“Which part am I supposed to keep secret?” the Lion asked, his confusion growing.

“Oh, that! I'm planning a most wonderful gift for Ozma, and I thought you could do me a
tiny
favor while you're staying in the palace. She can't know, or it would spoil the surprise. The Wizard left a ruby necklace behind when he departed Oz, and I need it to finish Ozma's gift.”

The Lion was getting more confused with every word out of Glinda's mouth. Maybe he should have asked for brains instead of courage, too. Why couldn't Glinda look for the Wizard's necklace herself? Why was she leaving Ozma alone in the palace, if Ozma was bored and lonely? But it didn't really matter in the end. Glinda knew what she was doing, and she'd chosen him to help her. He wasn't stupid, but intrigue and palace politics weren't his style. He was happy to assist the kind, beautiful witch with whatever she wanted, even if her request didn't totally make sense.

“But how will you get the necklace?” he asked.

Glinda stared at him, her smile faltering. “I'm asking
you
to get it, Lion,” she said, her voice strained.

“Me?” he asked, astonished. “But I don't know where it is!”

“No one knows where it is,” Glinda snapped, and this time her exasperation was clear. “That's why I'm
asking you to find it
.”

The Lion nodded eagerly, anxious to please her. “Of course! Find ruby necklace,” he repeated obediently. “Keep Ozma company. That's all you need from me?”

Glinda's irritation vanished and she clapped in delight. “You're just as clever as dear Scare, no matter what people say!” she said merrily.

“What people say?” the Lion asked, but Glinda didn't seem to hear.

“But just to be absolutely sure you know what I'm asking of you, I'll show you the necklace. And perhaps I'll do a little spell, just to make sure you don't have any problems keeping your promise.”

“Of course I won't have a problem,” the Lion replied, slightly offended. But Glinda ignored him, closing her eyes and drawing a circular shape in the air with one finger. As she sketched, a translucent image of an elaborate ruby necklace materialized in the air. It was so elaborate that it was really more of a breastplate. A heavily worked gold setting housed dozens of rubies, ranging from the size of the Lion's claw to the size of his entire paw. The dazzling red stones pulsed with a hypnotic red light of their own. The Lion leaned forward. He could almost see an image reflected in each of the glowing red stones. Whirling clouds forming a dense gray funnel over a broad, empty prairie with a single clapboard farmhouse sitting all by itself in the middle of nowhere. A girl was standing in the doorway; she was too tiny for the Lion to make out her features, but something about her was incredibly familiar . . .

“Where is that? Is that . . .” the Lion asked. Glinda clapped her hands and the image of the necklace vanished with a pop.

“Never you mind about that,” she singsonged. “What matters is that you recognize the necklace if you see it again. Will you?”

“Of course,” the Lion said, irritated. He realized suddenly
that maybe Glinda wanted him to see it. Glinda wanted him to know that Dorothy was the gift she was planning for Ozma. And Lion would do just about anything to bring Dorothy back to Oz.

“I'm sorry, dear Lion,” she said. “I don't mean to imply you're not perfectly capable of the task. It's just so important to me to make Ozma happy that I get stressed about the details.”

Something in her voice didn't entirely ring true, but the Lion let it go. Before he knew it, both of Glinda's hands were resting on his head, bathing him in a throbbing pink light. “And now I bind you to your promise,” the witch murmured.
“Nexus necto offendix leo.”
The Lion felt a creeping sensation, as if hundreds of tiny fleas were crawling through his fur. He tried to twist his head to nip at them, but he was frozen in place by Glinda's spell. The bugs were burrowing
under
his skin. He could feel them like tiny sparks burning through his coat. He roared in pain and surprise but no sound came out of his open mouth.

“All done!” Glinda exclaimed, passing one hand over his head. He blinked. He was sitting on top of his platform in the Forest of the Beasts, a familiar woman standing in front of him with a blinding smile affixed to her face. He knew her. He was supposed to be doing something. His skin burned briefly, and it all became clear. A vision of a ruby necklace hung glittering in the air before him, its powerful pull on him drawing him closer and closer. But as he reached out a paw to touch it, the image burst in a shower of red sparks. He
had
to find the necklace. He simply had to. It was a compulsion.

Glinda, watching him, smiled and nodded. “Very good.
Don't forget your quest.” And then it all came flooding back. He was going to the Emerald City on an important errand for Glinda the Good Witch. He'd help her find a magical necklace so that she could present it to Ozma, the Queen of Oz. He'd been specially chosen for the critical task. His chest puffed outward with pride. It wasn't just anyone who Glinda handpicked for her special missions.

At that very moment, Cornelius returned to the clearing, bearing a tray piled high with fruit. The tray looked as though it had been hastily woven together from leaves and branches—which it had, since the Lion's subjects had very little use for dishes. Glinda delicately selected a few fresh dazzleberries, which exploded into bursts of tiny edible jewels in her hand. The Lion, still full from his tournament, waved the tray away.

“I'm going to leave the forest for a few—for a while, Cornelius,” he said importantly. “I trust you will be able to look over things while I'm gone?”

The rabbit's ears twitched in surprise, but he only said, “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Then it's settled.” The Lion turned to Glinda. “How will I contact you when I've found the—” Glinda shot a warning look at Cornelius. “Cornelius is my most trusted adviser,” the Lion said.

“If
anyone
knows, it's not a secret,” Glinda said, and there was no mistaking the coldness in her voice this time. “Don't worry, Lion. I'll know when you find it. And I'll know if you tell anyone other than me.” Cornelius busied himself cleaning
his whiskers, pretending not to listen.

“Yes, Glinda,” the Lion said, trying not to show that she had rattled him. But surely keeping the bored young queen company and finding a necklace couldn't be anything too dangerous. Glinda would never do anything that wasn't in the best interests of Oz, or of Ozma herself. After all, Glinda was the one who had made Ozma the new queen. And more than that—more than everything—Glinda might be bringing his friend home. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, and his thinking, wishful or otherwise, had never been as smart as the Scarecrow's. But how much better Oz would be with Dorothy in it again.