"Somewhere Not Over the Rainbow" - Part 13/17
Parts 1-12 can be found at the Story Index. Thanks to erinm_4600 for her amazing beta skills.
The morning had passed quietly; Lorain had made breakfast while Ralf and the children had done the morning chores. After the meal Ralf had gone off the check the trap lines while Lorain had set the children down for some schooling. Wills was memorizing spelling words with his frog and she was helping Ella work out some math problems when the alert bell went off.
Looks like them Longcoats down on the crack decided to pay us a visit after all, Lorain thought.
The children quickly hid in the spot under the stairs while Lorain grabbed her gun and slipped out the back door. As she moved around the house, she heard a rifle cock and her husband call out in a steady voice, “State your business.”
“We mean you no harm. We are travelers of the realms,” came the reply
Lorain stepped around the corner and took in the group. Longcoats they were not. Four of them looked mostly harmless, but her life in the Resistance had taught her that looks almost always were deceiving. Besides, the fifth member of the group, the one doing all the talking, wore a gun and looked far from harmless.
“May your hearth be warm,” he said.
“And your smoke be blue,” Ralf replied.
Well, that was it then. Ralf would never send away a fellow Vink, no matter if they didn't wear the kilt or what kind of an odd group they had in tow. She would just have to be the watchful one.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The time to leave had come. It was full dark and there would be an hour before the first moon started its rise.
Wyatt glanced around the cabin; everyone was ready to move except DG. She stood off by herself, just staring in to nothing.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked her softly.
“It's a lot to take in,” DG answered, her voice not more then a whisper. Wyatt noticed a tear rolling down her cheek, so he reached out and pulled her close to him.
“I'm confused and scared and disappointed in myself,” DG said.
“Hey, you have got nothing to be disappointed in.” Wyatt pressed a kiss to her head. “You're handling the OZ much better then I first handled Kansas.”
“But my mother used her power to bring me back to life and that's how the Sorceress was able to take over,” DG said with a sniff.
“There are things in life we just can't control.” Wyatt thought for a second, “Even with all her power, the Queen still may have been beaten.” Wyatt pushed DG's chin up so he could see her face, “And I have to admit, I'm awfully glad you are alive.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The southern forest always gave Zek the creeps. Between the Realm of the Unwanted, the caves of the Ancients and the stories of the ghosts of long-dead rulers, the trees that threw fruit at them were the easiest thing to handle. But, all in all, he would rather be facing down a unit of Longcoats then riding the southern trail.
A shrill, high cry pierced the air and Zek's horse - and Zek - jumped slightly.
“Are you all right there, Zek?” his captain asked.
Before he could shrug off the question, another cry screamed out.
“I'm fine, Cap. But ,was that...” Zek watched as the Captain took off for the edge of the woods.
When Zek caught up with him, the Captain had his field glasses out and was scanning the sky.
“Mobats,” he said. “I've counted six, and they seem madder then I've ever seen 'em.”
A feeling of dread washed over Zek. “What do we do?” he asked.
“Four of them are circling over the great meadow.” The captain lowered his glasses, “I think it's time for us to head underground.”
The morning had passed quietly; Lorain had made breakfast while Ralf and the children had done the morning chores. After the meal Ralf had gone off the check the trap lines while Lorain had set the children down for some schooling. Wills was memorizing spelling words with his frog and she was helping Ella work out some math problems when the alert bell went off.
Looks like them Longcoats down on the crack decided to pay us a visit after all, Lorain thought.
The children quickly hid in the spot under the stairs while Lorain grabbed her gun and slipped out the back door. As she moved around the house, she heard a rifle cock and her husband call out in a steady voice, “State your business.”
“We mean you no harm. We are travelers of the realms,” came the reply
Lorain stepped around the corner and took in the group. Longcoats they were not. Four of them looked mostly harmless, but her life in the Resistance had taught her that looks almost always were deceiving. Besides, the fifth member of the group, the one doing all the talking, wore a gun and looked far from harmless.
“May your hearth be warm,” he said.
“And your smoke be blue,” Ralf replied.
Well, that was it then. Ralf would never send away a fellow Vink, no matter if they didn't wear the kilt or what kind of an odd group they had in tow. She would just have to be the watchful one.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The time to leave had come. It was full dark and there would be an hour before the first moon started its rise.
Wyatt glanced around the cabin; everyone was ready to move except DG. She stood off by herself, just staring in to nothing.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked her softly.
“It's a lot to take in,” DG answered, her voice not more then a whisper. Wyatt noticed a tear rolling down her cheek, so he reached out and pulled her close to him.
“I'm confused and scared and disappointed in myself,” DG said.
“Hey, you have got nothing to be disappointed in.” Wyatt pressed a kiss to her head. “You're handling the OZ much better then I first handled Kansas.”
“But my mother used her power to bring me back to life and that's how the Sorceress was able to take over,” DG said with a sniff.
“There are things in life we just can't control.” Wyatt thought for a second, “Even with all her power, the Queen still may have been beaten.” Wyatt pushed DG's chin up so he could see her face, “And I have to admit, I'm awfully glad you are alive.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The southern forest always gave Zek the creeps. Between the Realm of the Unwanted, the caves of the Ancients and the stories of the ghosts of long-dead rulers, the trees that threw fruit at them were the easiest thing to handle. But, all in all, he would rather be facing down a unit of Longcoats then riding the southern trail.
A shrill, high cry pierced the air and Zek's horse - and Zek - jumped slightly.
“Are you all right there, Zek?” his captain asked.
Before he could shrug off the question, another cry screamed out.
“I'm fine, Cap. But ,was that...” Zek watched as the Captain took off for the edge of the woods.
When Zek caught up with him, the Captain had his field glasses out and was scanning the sky.
“Mobats,” he said. “I've counted six, and they seem madder then I've ever seen 'em.”
A feeling of dread washed over Zek. “What do we do?” he asked.
“Four of them are circling over the great meadow.” The captain lowered his glasses, “I think it's time for us to head underground.”