We made our way to the edge of the flower forest, so we could get a clear view of the sky. It wasn’t a basket but more like a gondola suspended by ropes. The ropes hung from a golden bicycle contraption that, in turn, hung from a balloon. On the bicycle was a man wearing a flight helmet with goggles. His pedaling made the oars—in the place of wheels—move, directing the balloon. The pedaling was also the source of the buzzing noise.
With a soft thump, the gondola set down in the open. “If you’re coming, you’d better hurry. The witch has probably seen me by now.”
As if to confirm this, lightning split the sky, along with Griz’s scream. “What are you doing? You can’t have them, Mick. They’re mine!” Her puppies howled and flew toward us from their varied locations. They were closing in from all sides.
The wizard! We didn’t have the book open yet, but we also didn’t have another choice. Rexi and I piled into the gondola, but there was no way that Kato, who had grown even more since yesterday, would fit.
“What about our friend?” I called.
He started pedaling and hollered down. “He has wings doesn’t he? Make the beast fly!”
As the balloon rose, I called out to Kato, afraid he still couldn’t fly. His massive feathered wings stretched out. The wingspan surpassed that of the pegasi back home. He flapped his wings, and the resulting wind blew my hair in every direction. I didn’t need to worry; he had it under control.
The man yelled down to me again. “Tell the beast to follow us and stay over the water. The witch won’t cross it.”
I didn’t bother yelling back that the beast could understand him just fine. “Why can’t she cross the water?” Last time she had chased us, she’d stopped at the cliff’s edge too.
“Afraid she’ll fall in. She’s allergic to water; plus all the lightning and such would electrocute her.” He adjusted his glasses and leaned in to the handle bars. “Now hold on and make sure to duck.”
At that precise moment, a lightning bolt sailed between the ropes holding the gondola.
“I won’t miss next time,” Griz shouted. “Last chance to give them to me.”
The man spoke in a most gentlemanly voice. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m afraid I must decline.” Then he pedaled faster, and the balloon lurched.
True to his prediction, Griz pulled up short—right at the edge of the lake. The Tinman stopped as well, probably afraid he’d get rusted.
Griz threw stormballs and lightning bolts at us furiously. Kato had more maneuverability and dodged them effortlessly. It’s much harder to maneuver a flying balloon bicycle. One of the balls took out our left oar. The uneven rowing had a rolling effect, making our flight seem more like a ride on ocean waves. But soon Griz’s stormballs landed harmlessly in the water. We had gone past her throwing distance.
“Where are you taking us?” I called to our rescuer.
“To my home, the Ivory Tower over there.” He pointed to the horizon, but all I saw was more water. What I had thought was a lake was merely an inlet to a sea.
Rexi raised a hand over her brow and squinted, searching for the tower as well. “I don’t see it.”
“That’s because it’s invisible, you buffoon. What good is having a magnificent secret island tower if everyone knows where it is?”
“Ohh,” I yelled up. “The Emerald Sorceress’s main specialty was creating big barriers. So is the disappear-reappear thing your main magic as the Wizard of Oz?”
“I’m afraid you’ve got my name wrong again, darling. It’s the Wizard of Is, my dear. Not Oz.”
Pretty sure I heard Oz. But I had been coming down from pixie dust, so it’s possible I misheard.
“Oz is not a person or place,” he continued, correcting me. “It’s another name for the nonsensical and disorderly magic that disappeared from the world of story many years ago. Although, if I’m not mistaken, your wish has started the process of ozmosis.”
“Ozmosis?”
“What I call all this magic running amok. All the very reliable rules and order are becoming chaotic and unpredictable, and it’s only going to get worse.” When he paused, I could feel his disapproval even if I couldn’t see it. “Very inconvenient, if I do say so myself. And of course had you not wandered off at the ball, we would have been able to avoid the situation entirely. I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”
Well, he’d certainly reminded me of why I’d “wandered off” in the first place.
“I’ve learned quite a bit actually, including something that might be able to help. A Book of Making. But it’s sealed shut.” I poked Rexi to lift it up so the wizard could see.
The air bike wobbled as he leaned over and gasped. He quickly corrected the dip. “That,” he squeaked then started again in a normal tone. “That is most certainly a rare find. We will go to my workshop right away and see if we can’t crack the spine.”
We slowed down and Kato flew past. The wizard waved his hand in front of him, like wiping a windshield. “Abra cabis, the Ivory Tower of the Wizard of Is.”
Suddenly, the tower blinked in front of us. One minute it wasn’t there; the next minute Kato flew right into it.
Rexi winced and puckered her lips. “Oohhh, that had to hurt.”