L. Frank Baum - Oz 37 Read online

  Quickly Queen Ra uttered a command, at which a number of the Mimic Oz people leaped forward and proceeded to bind the non-human Ozites with strong ropes, which the magic of Queen Ra placed in their hands. To his amazement, the Scarecrow found himself being made captive by Cap’n Bill and Ojo the Lucky. The straw man was wise enough to know that these twin likenesses were not really his old friends Cap’n Bill and Ojo, so he resisted with all his might. But the poor Scarecrow’s body was so light that the Mimics had

  no difficulty in fastening the ropes about him and pinning his arms to his sides.

  Scraps was more of a problem. It required the combined efforts of the Mimic Jellia Jamb, Aunt Em, Betsy Bobbin and Button Bright to bind her. But even with these odds none of the Mimics escaped without scratches on his face from Scraps’ gold-plated fingernails. Tik-Tok, the Woozy, the Glass Cat and the rest were all securely bound in a few more seconds.

  While our friends were being made prisoners, King Umb and Queen Ra hastened away to the Throne Room of the Royal Palace. There the prisoners of the Mimics were carried into the presence of the Mimic King and queen. The Scarecrow and the others were shocked and outraged at the spectacle of the harsh-looking woman brazenly occupying Ozma’s throne, while at her side stood the fierce-visaged man.

  The Mimic Ojo and Button Bright lined up the captives before the throne, while Queen Ra regarded them scornfully. “A pair of stuffed dummies, an animated washing machine, and a menagerie,” she commented derisively.

  “I demand,” shouted the Scarecrow boldly, “that you release us immediately!”

  “Ah! The famous Scarecrow of Oz!” gloatingly exclaimed Queen Ra. “And as brave as ever! I believe I will have your body destroyed by fire, first removing your head so that you will be able to entertain me with your thoughts. It would be a shame,” she added with sarcasm, “if such great brains were lost to the world.” Now the one thing in the world the Scarecrow feared was a lighted match, so it is no wonder that, brave as he was, he shrank before so terrible a fate as that proposed by the wicked Queen.

  “And you are Tik-Tok the Machine Man,” said Queen Ra. “As useless a pile of rubbish as was ever assembled. I shall have you carefully taken apart, piece by piece, and amuse myself in my spare time by trying to put you back together again like a jigsaw puzzle.”

  “My ma-chin-er-y does not per-mit me to fear,” replied Tik-Tok calmly, “e-ven when I am thor-ough-ly wound up, so you are wasting your threats on me.”

  The evil Queen went down the line of captives, plotting terrible fates for each of them. Billina, she predicted, would soon be roasted for dinner. The Patchwork Girl would become a combination pincushion and personal slave. The Glass Cat would be melted down into marbles. Finally she came to the last of the prisoners C4 the square-shaped Woozy C4 whom Ra promised to have chopped into cubes for building blocks. It was at this moment that the Scarecrow became aware that with the exception of Hank the Mule and the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, who lay sleeping in the courtyard, all the animals of the Royal Stable were present save the Sawhorse, who was at that moment swiftly bearing Uncle Henry back to the Emerald City from Glinda’s Castle in the Quadling Country C4 and one other. That other was C4 Toto!

  CHAPTER 18

  THE RETURN OF OZMA AND GLINDA

  After his first sense of joy at finding that Toto had somehow escaped

  capture, the Scarecrow reflected more soberly that even though the little

  dog was free, there was nothing he could do to rescue his friends from

  their desperate plight.

  But the Scarecrow had been in dangerous situations before, so he did not give up hope, by any means. While Queen Ra was gloating over her prisoners, the Scarecrow’s famous brains were hard at work. Suddenly, it occurred to the straw man that Ozma and Glinda were to return to the Emerald City at ten o’clock this morning. It was almost that time now. If only he could engage the wicked Queen in conversation until Ozma and Glinda appeared, then the Royal Ruler and the Good Sorceress might take their enemies by surprise. The Scarecrow was confident that Ozma would be able to deal with these usurpers to her throne.

  With this plan in mind, the Scarecrow cried out in a bold voice, “I demand to know what you have done with Dorothy and the Wizard!” When he had witnessed the peculiar manner in which the gaudily plumed birds had assumed the shapes of his human friends in the garden, the Scarecrow had first suspected that these creatures were responsible for the disappearance of Dorothy and the Wizard. Then the sight of Dorothy’s Magic Belt about the waist of the big woman had convinced him of the truth of his suspicions. Queen Ra answered the Scarecrow with a scornful laugh. “You are quite brave, my blustering, straw-stuffed dummy, but your braveness will do you no good. As for your Princess Dorothy and the man who calls himself a wizard, you will never see them again. Furthermore,” the Queen went on, “as soon as I have suitable disposed of you and the rest of these animated creatures and beasts, I will use the Magic Belt to transport the helpless bodies of all the Oz people in the Emerald City to Mount Illuso, where they will share the same fate as your Dorothy and her wizard friend.”

  In spite of the assurance with which she spoke, the evil Queen was uneasy when she recalled the disappearance of Dorothy and the Wizard from the Cave of the Doomed. Had she underestimated the Wizard’s powers of magic? Queen Ra shrugged this thought from her mind. What had she to fear from two mere mortals? What had she to fear from anyone now? The Emerald City was hers, and Oz was as good as conquered!

  “Do not heed the threats of this wicked woman!” the Scarecrow called to his captive companions. “She is boasting too soon!”

  At these words Queen Ra turned angrily upon the Scarecrow. “Enough of your insolence, miserable wretch!” she cried. “I will show you who is boasting. Since you dare challenge me, I will destroy you immediately!” Her eyes flashing with rage, Queen Ra leaped from the throne and moved toward the Scarecrow. When she was about six feet from him, Ra paused and muttered an incantation. Instantly dancing flames of fire leaped from the marble floor of the throne room, making a circle around the Scarecrow. With a smile of satisfaction, Queen Ra resumed her place on Ozma’s throne to enjoy the spectacle in comfort.

  The dancing circle of fire moved swiftly inward. As the blazing circle grew smaller in circumference, the flames leaped ever higher and closer to the helpless Scarecrow, who stood in the circle’s exact center. The leaping fire had moved so close to the Scarecrow that it almost scorched his stuffed clothing. The friends of the Scarecrow watched in horror. Prisoners themselves, there was nothing they could do to save their old comrade from this terrible fate.

  Whish! There was a sudden rush of air, and in the center of the throne room stood Princess Ozma and Glinda the Good on the exact spot from which they

  had vanished three days before. Ozma swept the throne room with a glance that instantly comprehended the Scarecrow’s great danger. In another moment her old friend would be reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes. Quick as a flash, the little Princess pointed her fairy wand at the flames that were licking the straw man’s boots. While the onlookers blinked, the flames vanished. A long sigh of relief went up from the Scarecrow’s friends. Queen Ra was glaring with terrible rage at the Royal Ozma, who advanced calmly toward the wicked Queen with an expression of stern dignity on her girlish features. “Who are you, and what are you doing on my throne?” Ozma asked.

  “$$Your&& throne no longer!” replied Ra harshly. “For you are no longer ruler of the Land of Oz. Instead you are my prisoner, and soon I will make it impossible for you to interfere with my plans as you have just done.” The stately Glinda spoke now, her voice grave and thoughtful. “I believe I know who you are,” she said. “You must be the Queen of the evil Mimics. I have read about you in my Great Book of Records.” “If this is true,” said Ozma sorrowfully, “then your Mimic hordes are these creatures who so closely resemble my own beloved subjects, while the true Oz people are robbed of the power of motion by
your evil spell.” “Good!” sneered Ra. “I am glad you understand everything so well. You have not a friend in the Emerald City to aid you. Every one of your subjects in the city is a victim of the Mimic magic. Soon this will be true of all the Land of Oz. I am sure you will agree with me,” Queen Ra went on mockingly, “that it is only fair and just that you should share your subjects’ fate. Indeed, I know you are so foolishly loyal that you would not escape and

  leave your people to suffer, even if you could. So King Umb and I, ourselves, will oblige you by making it possible for you to join your beloved subjects. Owing to your high rank as the two most powerful persons in the Land of Oz, we will do you the honor of taking your shapes.” Concluding this triumphant speech, Queen Ra grinned with malicious satisfaction and said gloatingly, “At last the Royal Ozma and the Great Glinda bow to a power greater than their own! Come,” she called to King Umb, “you take the form of Glinda, I will take that of Ozma.” With this, the Mimic Monarchs advanced on Ozma and Glinda. The little Ruler and Glinda the Good were silent. Both realized that Queen Ra had spoken the truth when she had declared their powers to be useless against the Mimics. Therefore the girl Ruler and the Sorceress made no effort to combat their enemies, but stood bravely and proudly awaiting their fate.

  At that very moment when King Umb and Queen Ra were about to seize the shadows of Ozma and Glinda, a small, black form streaked with the speed of light from underneath Ozma’s throne straight to the menacing figures of the Mimic King and Queen. It was Toto! With fierce growls and barks, he began worrying and snapping at the ankles of the Mimic Monarchs. The sudden attack of the little dog and his desperate attack took Ra and Umb completely by surprise. For a moment they entirely forgot Ozma and Glinda and devoted all their efforts to freeing themselves from the snapping jaws of the furiously snarling little dog.

  This respite which Toto had so bravely won saved Ozma and Glinda from sharing the fate of their subjects. A few seconds after Toto’s attack, there suddenly appeared in the entrance of the throne room three figures, two of whom the Scarecrow joyfully recognized as Dorothy and the Little

  Wizard. They were accompanied by a maiden who was unknown to the Scarecrow, but whose beauty was quite evident. For an instant the trio stood in the doorway surveying the strange scene that met their eyes in Ozma’s Royal Throne Room.

  CHAPTER 19 OZANA’S FAIRY ARTS

  Swiftly Princess Ozana C4 for the maiden was she C4 advanced to the center of the throne room. She was followed closely by the Wizard and Dorothy, who bore in her arms the sleeping form of a tiny white kitten. At the appearance of Dorothy, Toto stopped worrying the ankles of King Umb and Queen Ra and ran to meet the little girl. So happy was the excited little dog to see his beloved mistress that he even ignored the presence of the sleeping kitten. Dorothy knelt and caressed him.

  Meanwhile, Queen Ra, recognizing Ozana, paled and gasped, “The Guardian of

  Oz!”

  “Yes,” admitted Ozana calmly, “it is I, Princess Ozana.”

  King Umb was so terrified at the appearance of the little maiden that the

  big fellow’s knees knocked together, and his face turned a sickly, green

  hue. But it cannot be said that Queen Ra lacked courage. After the first

  shock of Ozana’s appearance, the Queen summoned her spirits and faced the

  fairy maid defiantly. Ra had determined not to give up her triumph without

  a struggle. Clasping her palms to Dorothy’s Magic Belt, the Mimic Queen

  whispered a command to it. But nothing happened. Ozana divined what the

  Queen was about, but she only smiled. In a rage, Queen Ra tore the useless

  belt from her waist and flung it to the throne room floor. “You should know better,” Ozana gently chided the infuriated Queen, “than to attempt to work such simple magic on me. Even if you had succeeded in transforming me into a wooden doll, I would still have retained my fairy powers and been able to defeat you.”

  Fright and realization that she was defeated mingled in Queen Ra’s eyes as she stared at Ozana. The unhappy Queen said not a word. She sat spellbound, gazing with fearful fascination at the serene features of her girlish opponent.

  Ozana was speaking with an air of calm justice. “Because I appeared absorbed in my own occupations,” she addressed Queen Ra, “you counted me harmless. You believed I would be unaware of your evil-doing. You thought you could attack Oz without my knowing it. But you were wrong. And now the time has come for me to fulfill the trust placed in me by Queen Lurline when she made me Guardian of Oz. At that time she imparted to me the same powers over the race of Mimics that only she, of all fairies, possesses. I shall use those powers as Queen Lurline would wish me to. I shall place her enchantment once more on the Mimics so that they will be powerless to steal the shapes of all who dwell in the Land of Oz. At the same time, the re-weaving of this fairy enchantment will release all those Oz people whose shapes are now held by the Mimics.”

  As Ozana completed this speech, she described a large circle in the air before her with her fairy wand. Immediately that space was filled with a silvery, cloud-like radiance that glowed and shimmered. Then, while Ozma and the rest watched, a scene appeared in the cloud of silver mist. Dorothy and the Wizard recognized it as the interior of the Mimic cavern inside

  hollow Mount Illuso. Far in the top of the cavern they saw a scarlet spiderweb, in the center of which squatted a huge crimson spider. While those in the throne room watched with fascinated interest, the spider, seeming to sense that it was being observed, scuttled with a sudden, crablike motion to the outer edge of the web. There it squatted, its eyes glowing like dull red coals.

  With the tip of her wand, Ozana touched the head of the image of the spider. Instantly the creature leaped into the air and trembled convulsively as though it had received an electric shock. Then it began slowly to dissolve before their eyes. First its legs wilted, grew shapeless and melted away. Next, its body collapsed inwardly, like an over-ripe melon, finally shriveling and disappearing altogether.

  Now the spellbound spectators in the throne room saw a spot of silver light appear on the outermost strand of the crimson web. The light raced over every coil of the immense web, progressing swiftly to the web’s center. As fast as the silver light flashed along the scarlet coils, they vanished. In a few seconds more not a trace remained of the vast web or its loathsome occupant. The point of cleansing silver light winked out; the image of the Mimic cavern faded; and the silver mist vanished from the throne room.

  At this same instant, shouts of joy and exchanges of affectionate greetings rang through the Royal Palace and were echoed throughout the Emerald City. The sound of these happy voices told Princess Ozma that her beloved subjects were no longer under the spell of the Mimics. In the throne room itself, the Mimic Oz people who had bound the Scarecrow and his companions and brought them before King Umb and Queen Ra vanished. In their places

  stood Mimics in their variety of repulsive animal and bird shapes. While the startled Oz people watched, the Mimics flitted and shifted about the Royal Throne Room, changing their forms in the manner peculiar to these creatures.

  But for the moment the Mimics were forgotten as all eyes were fastened with admiration and gratitude on Princess Ozana. Ozana smiled happily. “Queen Ra,” she said, “you are now quite powerless to harm the people of Oz.” Queen Ra, who had watched Ozana’s fairy magic with fascinated interest, knew she was utterly defeated. All her old arrogance and overbearing manner vanished. With bowed head she refrained from meeting the eyes of Ozana or those of any of her former victims.

  CHAPTER 20

  IN THE MIRRORED BALLROOM

  Now Ozma stepped forward. With happy tears of gratitude sparkling in her eyes, she grasped the hands of Princess Ozana. “How can I ever thank you for what you have done?”

  Ozana seemed embarrassed. “The truth is,” she admitted, “had I done my duty

  as Queen Lurline instructed and watched the Mimic
s more closely, the

  creatures would never have dared to invade Oz. I owe all of you my humblest

  apology for this neglect of duty. The least I could do,” she added soberly,

  “was to right the wrongs already committed.” “Well,” said Dorothy happily, “all’s well that ends well, an’ we think

  you’re fine, Ozana.”

  “Thank you, my dear,” smiled Ozana, affectionately stroking the little girl’s hair.

  “I think we owe Toto a great debt of gratitude,” observed the wise Glinda. “Had it not been for the little dog’s bravery, you and I, Ozma, would have undergone the unpleasant experience of becoming Mimic victims.” “You are right,” agreed Ozma, turning to the dog. “I had not forgotten your brave action, Toto. Nothing Glinda and I can say or do will properly reward you. Nevertheless, I shall have made for you a handsome new collar studded with emeralds and bearing your name in gold letters as a slight token of our gratitude.”

  “Thank you, your Highness,” said Toto shyly. “It was nothing, really. When I saw the big birds stealing the shapes of Trot and Betsy and Button Bright and all the others out in the garden, I was frightened, so I ran and hid under your throne. I could peep out and see everything that was going on, and when the Mimic King and Queen threatened you and Glinda I became so angry that I just forgot about everything else.”