The Oz Series
Chapter 65
Part of the Ozma of Oz: The Land of Ev and the Nome King arc.
What happens
After Billina enters the palace, Dorothy and Prince Evring wait while the Nome King smokes his long pipe contentedly. The bell above the throne, which rings whenever an enchantment is broken, begins to sound, and the King reacts with escalating fury, exclaiming 'Rocketty-ricketts!', then 'Smudge and blazes!', then screaming 'Hippikaloric!' As the bell rings repeatedly, the enraged King hops around the room like a jumping-jack. Dorothy rejoices at each peal, amazed at Billina's success in guessing correctly, and after counting past ten she realizes that not only the royal family of Ev but also Ozma and her followers are being restored, which makes her laugh at the King's antics.
The girl's laughter nearly drives the King frantic. Realizing all his enchantments are being dispelled and his victims freed, he runs to a balcony door and gives a shrill whistle summoning his warriors, who file out of the gold and silver doors, march up a winding stair into the throne room led by a stern-featured captain, and form ranks in the underground cavern. Dorothy stands to one side holding Prince Evring's hand, guarded by the great Lion crouching on one side and the enormous Tiger on the other. The King orders his captain to seize the girl, but the Lion and Tiger snarl and bare their teeth so threateningly that the warriors draw back.
The King reveals the beasts cannot leave their positions and prepares to re-enchant them so they cannot open their jaws, but as he steps from the throne the Sawhorse runs up and kicks him with both wooden hind legs, hurling him against his warriors. The King attempts to enchant the Sawhorse with a magic word, but the spell fails because the Sawhorse is made of wood, on which the King's magic belt has no power; the Sawhorse kicks him again, sending him flying onto his captain's head. The King, reminded that magic will not work on wood, limps back to his throne and lets the girl alone, confident she cannot escape. The Sawhorse takes a position beside the Hungry Tiger by Dorothy.
The palace doors open, disclosing the freed people of Ev and Oz, who pause astonished at the warriors and angry King. The King commands them to surrender as his prisoners; Billina protests his broken promise, but he clarifies he only promised safe departure from the palace, not from his dominions, and threatens to hurl them into his volcanic underground dungeons. Ozma boldly refuses to surrender and orders her army to fight to the death, but her generals plead heart disease and instead order their single private to attack. The private charges, knocking over rows of Nome warriors like toy soldiers, until the captain shatters his spear. Inspired by the private's valor, the Scarecrow draws one of Billina's eggs and hurls it, striking the King's left eye; the egg smashes and the terrified warriors flee in panic from the poisonous egg, some falling off the balcony. The Scarecrow throws the second egg against the King's right eye, blinding him entirely so he cannot flee. Billina flies to Dorothy and whispers urgently to get the Nome King's jeweled belt, which unbuckles in the back.
Who is in play
- Dorothy
- Cowardly Lion
- Ozma
- Billina
- Saw-Horse
- Scarecrow
- Billina's eggs
- Evring
- Nome King's Palace
- nome_army
- royal_family_of_ev
- jewel-studded belt
- the Nome King
- immense Tiger
- the twenty-seven soldiers
- captain of the Nomes