The Inventor of Oz

4: Once In A Lullaby

The Golden Road was coincidentally the one that I landed on when I came to Oz. It was the same road, Sarah informed me, that they took to work every day in the City.

I quickly realized that the reason why most of them had goggles was for work. They worked in the factories on an assembly line mass-producing machines that the Inventors make. I couldn't label the feeling that shuddered through me. It was unjust in a way, not right.

After gathering the necessary supplies, i.e. anything Zeke could get her hands on, Ema sent us on our way. West had left shortly after the deal was struck, promising menacingly to be watching our progress. I was more than ready to be on the way, eager to get out of this place.

Zeke gave me a quick summary of how to survive the City as we walked the distance that the girls did every day before work.

"Never go anywhere alone. Men and gangs roam the streets that will do anything to get you to a place where you will never see the light of day again. Some men are dissuaded by two women, but most aren't. Better to have three or four, it's harder for a single man to take you all at once. Although, the opposite is true for men. One or two and they're left alone, larger than that and rival gangs will shoot them out of their territory. Mixed groups are always a gamble because dependent on the size of the group, the ratio of the people in it, and the area, you could be safe from single men, but at high risk for gang violence. Or vice versa.

"The areas where we're going through it would be most helpful for our two other companions to be female, but men outnumber women in the City and there aren't any Women Houses within the City itself. Women Houses are safe spaces for single women, but that's not relevant because you hopefully won't be here long enough to live in one.

"You should always carry a weapon- here have this one." She opened her bag that seemed endless and pulled out a bare blade about six inches long. It took her another minute to find the sheath for it. She unwound one of her belts from her waist as she talked, "Most men will think twice after you pull a knife on them. You usually don't even need to know how to use it." She then attached the small sheath to the belt and gestured for us to stop walking, "Just kinda point it in their direction and they should go away, if not, throw the knife in his direction and run like hell." I stopped after a moment and allowed her to buckle the belt onto my own waist, the covered knife now brushing against my left hip.

I didn't bother trying to say that my World was different, in fact, much the same after dark. The only difference was that here it was at all times.

I liked the security the knife granted, even if I didn't know how to hold it, much less wield it, I liked the feeling of having the ability to stand a chance.

"Do you know how to use one- a knife- I mean?" I asked, looking down and fiddling with my new belt.

"A little. Want me to teach you? We've still got an hour until we get to the outskirts of the City. Sun will set in two so we've got to find lodging. It'll take another day after that to get to the heart of the Emerald City. I can teach you in all the in-between times." She glanced over at me, a unique look in her eye.

"I'd love that." I smiled, pulling my new knife out of my belt carefully, "Can we start now?"

"Sure." And by the time the hour was up and we were walking into the vast Emerald City, I was able to use my six-inch knife with a confidence I didn't have before.

The Emerald City was large. Larger than any city in the real world. Great steam-powered flying machines like the one West used flew between buildings the height of skyscrapers. I asked Zeke once what would warrant a need for such space in this world that seemed to be either right in the middle of or on the brink of the Industrial Revolution. She said they were banks, owned, operated, and used by the politicians.

The politicians I learned were very similar to the politicians in the real world. Led by money and their lax moral code rather than voters. Many were direct employees of West herself.

"Keep your head down and don't look in front of you," Zeke whispered to me harshly as we turned onto a street that's street lamps were farther and farther apart.

"Why?" I whispered back.

"This is East Territory. They know that a World Walker killed her, if you stand out, they will kill you."

I kept my head down, my spine slumped and made my footsteps quieter until Zeke said we were in the clear.

Or that's what she thought.

"What might you lovely ladies be doing out at such a late hour?" A male voice asked from behind us.

His neck was as thick as his thigh, I was almost surprised they made clothing that large that came with that many buckles.

"On our way home to our father. He expects us home before eight." Zeke lied smoothly, her voice raised an octave as she turned to face the man.

"Your father? What is your father's name? I might know him."

"Father Garrow. We must be off now, good evening, sir."

"The Whore? Wait- what're your names? I simply must know."

Zeke stopped once more, turning to answer his question, "I am Ava and this is Mya. But I've told you thrice now, we must be off. Our father will punish us grievously if we're late." She tried to leave again, but his hand caught my arm.

"I want to hear you say your name. Open your mouth and speak, pretty little thing."

I looked to the ground, "I'm Mya, sir." I say in a broken English accent, mostly mumbling into the cobblestones at my feet.

"I've got you." A wicked grin appeared on his face as he yanked me away from Zeke's grip.

"Boys! I've got the killer! A wee World Walker!" He yelled as he held my hand up to the air, there were several hoots and hollers from the street as men of every size, shape, and type came out of hiding to surround us.

The man who had originally taken hold of me passed me along with the men as if I were a rag doll. I saw Zeke getting a similar treatment.

I was about to either cry out of hopelessness, rage, or frustration when a set of hands-on my shoulders stopped my forward motion. I must've knocked the wind out of his lungs, but I didn't feel that bad.

"Sorry, I'm late for the party!" He shouted from behind me, I could practically hear the grin on his face, "I was talking with West while you were playing hot potato in the street."

It got really quiet really fast.

"She's disappointed no one else heard her call. For it was an update on our Mistress' condition, she might still be amenable to telling you, because I sure won't, if you go now." He called. I was relieved he was distracting them, but at what cost?

The men scrambled back into their hidey holes in a mad dash to hear of their Mistress's condition.

The man holding me steady turned me around, his skin was as dark as Sarah's back at the Munchkin's Orphanage, made darker by coal residue and dust from God knows where. He had a large leather shoulder brace that took up half his chest and back, with a tunic similar to Zeke's and a grey overcoat. Black fingerless gloves adorned his hands, which were also covered in black grime.

"I've got your friend in a safe place, I hear you're a World Walker." He checked behind his back as if expecting someone to be there, "We've got to go before they find out it was a hoax." He pulled me along and I didn't have the energy to fight back.