At last, the Nome King held up a hand and the music screeched to a halt. The musicians were panting, wild-eyed and shaky from exertion. One of them had collapsed during it all, and his companions were deliberately avoiding looking at the place where he’d stood only moments earlier.

The guests stopped dancing immediately. Once more, silence fell upon the room. From outside, one more tormented scream pierced the quiet and then, abruptly, was cut off.

No one said a word. The Nome King got to his feet.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today,” he began again. Again, he giggled at a joke that only he could really understand. As he droned on about how much Oz owed Ev, and about how he and Dorothy were going to change everything, I could almost feel his voice slithering through my body like a bug that had crawled in through my ear and was now trying to eat my body from the inside out.

I wanted to retch, but I kept my eyes on the ground, terrified that he would somehow see me and recognize me. Dorothy hovered behind his throne, still smiling vacantly.

All I had to do was stay out of sight. Lang would wait until the actual ceremony to give the signal, I knew. I just had to endure this charade until then.

At last, the Nome King fell silent. He held out his hand to Dorothy, and she stepped forward. “My fellow citizens of Ev,” the Nome King intoned, “I give you your future queen, the Witchslayer, the rightful ruler of Oz.”

Dorothy pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin with pride as she addressed her not-so-adoring audience. Never once had she failed to rise to an occasion. You had to hand it to her—the girl loved attention.

“Greetings, my dear subjects,” she purred. “I’m so excited to meet you all. But first, I have a very important announcement.” She raised her mask. “I want you to know we have one more incredibly special guest with us here today,” she said.

Her already huge smile widened even further than I thought was possible as she continued. “I have to say, I normally loathe party crashers, but I’m just tickled that someone as special as this would show up for little old me. With or without an invitation.”

Dorothy looked down at the crowd.

My pulse quickened. She was looking right at me.

“Hi, Amy,” she said. Her grotesque grin had suddenly transformed into a joyful snarl. “Are you going to kill me now?”

NINETEEN

DOROTHY

Just before the festivities were about to begin, I looked in the mirror in my chambers and smoothed my hair out. I looked perfect, if I do so say myself. And I still couldn’t help checking myself one last time, feeling a little tickle in my stomach as I did it: butterflies.

I know I exude a certain confidence, but I have a little secret: parties always make me just a little bit nervous! The anticipation. What dress I would wear. Who I would dance with. Would anyone die.

By now, you should know that I always have a plan—and my wedding surely wasn’t going to be an exception to that. It was my special day, after all, and there was no way I’d let a few silly little assassination plots ruin it.

I was smart enough to have realized that despite all that I’d done, the Nome King was going to try to kill me.

I almost had to admire his nerve.

And even if he wasn’t going to go quite that far, I was beyond certain that he wasn’t going to let me get my way. The second most important thing you should know about me is that I always get my way. In the end, at least.

No matter what he was up to, I was two steps ahead of him. If there was one thing my beloved fiancé wasn’t counting on, it was Amy Gumm and her little boy toy.

I have to admit, it was almost exciting! No matter what happened, this was going to be the party of the year.

Bupu entered and brought the last piece of my costume—a real-life snake that wound itself around me.

I looked at the Munchkin. “You are a good friend, Bupu.” While I dressed, I told her about my friends, about Scare and Tin and the Lion, and the things that they had wanted when I first met them, and how I had helped them.

“I am not like them,” she said. “I am not smart or courageous or full of heart.”

“Bupu, you helped me when you didn’t have to—that was heart. You helped me when you knew you could have been skinned alive. That’s courage. And you were clever enough to find out that information I needed. If that isn’t brains then I don’t know what is.”

Bupu smiled at me.

Friendship doesn’t have to be selfless—but it works best when your interests line up. Bupu and I had an understanding now. And it was going to save us both.

I twirled around for Bupu to compliment me.

Everything was ready. My costume was ready, my hair was ready, and my will to live was at an all-time, through-the-roof high.

So it was perfect timing when the knock came at my door and the Nome King stepped inside the room.

“Are you ready, my darling?” he asked. I have to say that he looked less than appropriately smitten. His gaze flicked to Bupu, who was perched at my side, looking serious, and nervous.

He gave a scowl. “What is she doing here?” he asked.

“She’s my bridesmaid, beloved. It’s traditional.”

He let it go with a shrug. “As you wish,” he said. He knew perfectly well that Bupu was hardly a threat. She wasn’t meant to be. The real threat was on her way.

At least, I hoped she was.

I felt like a common prisoner as the Nome King escorted me to the ballroom, his guards flanking me on all sides. I ignored the indignity. After today, I’d never have to see these tiresome creatures again.

As we got closer I had to keep from beaming. Because my plan was working: Amy was out there somewhere. I could feel the power of her shoes burning in the distance, just as I could feel the power of my own coursing through my body.

That feeling only got stronger as I approached, and I knew that, wherever Amy was, she was close, and getting closer. We were both headed toward the same place.

It was almost ironic. She thought that she was going to kill me. She had no idea at all that she was playing right into my hands. Someone was going to die tonight, but it wasn’t going to be me.

I was happy to let her and the Nome King have their little murder ball. While they were busy ripping each other to shreds, I was going to apply a fresh coat of lipstick and get myself back to Oz. Maybe I could even manage to snatch my other shoes back while I was at it. What a coup that would be! It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

I wondered what Glinda’s face would look like when I saw her again. When she realized I was still alive, and that with both pairs of shoes under my control, there was nothing in the world that she could do to stop me.

I’d killed a few witches in my day. I was so looking forward to doing it again. This time, I’d really be able to enjoy it.

I had come a long way, after all. That first Wicked witch—the Wicked Witch of the East—had been an accident. I couldn’t help the fact that the tornado had dropped my house on her before I’d even officially set foot in Oz.

The second time, at least, I’d known exactly what I was doing, even if I hadn’t been quite ready to bask in the glory of it all. It was the first time I’d ever killed anyone in my life. I’d been surprised then by how easy it was.