The Witches in Oz (Book 2 in The Witches Series)

Chapter 1 Not In Bloomwood Anymore

All was silent, the dark sky a blur as I lied for a moment unable to move. A ringing started in my ears as my vision cleared and I understood that there was a wild wind ravaging the world around me. I sat up as my hearing returned and I immediately covered my ears as the wind and thunder roared a level louder than I had ever heard from mother nature before. I struggled to my feet, noticing that my front was drenched in blood, still wet and glistening. My hands lifted to feel my neck, my wound now a bulging scar.

I looked for Margot and Maxime, my feet carrying me toward the homestead. As I broke through field of corn, I could see the mess the previously grand building was across the fields of destroyed flowers. It was like someone had driven a huge tank though the middle of it, the mansion in two halves.

I raced across the fields, several small twisters ravaging around me as I worried about the welfare of my family. Dread pitted in my stomach as wrecked cars and uprooted trees came into my view. But it was the unmoving bodies of Rae's family that had tears welling my eyes.

"Mum!" My voice was lost to the wind as I checked the stables to see our horses were long departed. "Dad!" I cautiously treaded through the debris of my home, still unable to find an ounce of life.

"Aster!" I stood feeling so utterly helpless in the mess of our life. "Iris!" I looked up as lightning forked, travelling through the clouds. "Ren!" Three twisters merged into one mega twister, veering its way toward me. "Olive!" My voice tremored-though I could not hear it anymore.

I stood still, my feet somehow remaining on the ground as the twister reached me. Grains of dirt and strands of flowers nicked at the skin of my face and arms and tore at the fabric of my dress. My eyes were tightly squeezed shut against the power of the wind until the twister moved so I stood in the centre, in the eye of the storm.

I opened my eyes as the world stilled, a bright emerald light shining down from above. I reached out to it instinctively, fascinated by the rainbow of colours that fanned across my palm as I did so. There was a sudden sucking feeling, as if a black hole were pulling me into it and my feet gave out from under me and emerald light flashed white.

Oz

I was still very much awake as I lied gazing up at a clear blue sky, my body cushioned by soft petalled poppies.

A dark shadow blotted them out, a wet snout prodding my nose.

"I remember you." I sat up to scratch behind the ears of a dark furred wolf with black eyes. He had guided me from what I presumed was purgatory and I knew enough myths to know that such black canines could be either harbingers of death or guardians of fate. I hoped it was the latter.

The wolf opened its mouth in a happy pant, breathing the sour scent of brimstone into my face.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around at sweeping red poppy dotted hills that stretched far in every direction. It looked a lot like home.

I stood up, frowning at the tattered remains of my bridesmaids' dress, my feet already dirty and bare against the lush viridian green grass. I raked my fingers through my tattered hair, letting it all fall out down my back, finger combing it until it was in its usual blonde waves.

The wolf paced a circle around me before beginning to walk in a random direction

"You better be a good omen." I muttered before following.

The wolf maintained a steady pace, not going fast enough to lose me and not slow enough that I would run into him. The poppy fields seem to stretch forever, in their vibrancy and abundance my parents would have been in awe-for there was no one else in the country that could match our standard. I had already seen such fields before, in the visions Dorothea had presented to me.