Francesca, The Great and Terrible: A Reverse Harem Academy Romance Read online

  Pridius shook his head. “She’s known for decades. I told her shortly after I got back home. The guilt was eating me alive. Her condition was that I stay far away from your mother when she was in the East. I wish I would have broken that promise now. I would have known about you. My wife wasn’t mad at Azami. She was mad at me. She didn’t tell me to stay away from her because she hated your mother. It took a long time for me to build trust back up with my wife. If we knew about you, my wife would have wanted to be a second mother to you.”

  There was that rage again. It wasn’t for me. It was for Saffron.

  “You would have taken me in despite who you thought my mother was, but all of you in the East has been trying to murder my cousin.”

  “We weren’t trying to murder her, dear girl. Locasta thought the safest place for her was a jail in the North. We were trying to catch her and bring her to Locasta. We thought if we scared her, she’d be more likely to surrender. Whatever you think of the Munchkins, we wouldn’t have killed a child.”

  “Todus—”

  “My son is spoiled. I actually sent him here, hoping to knock him down a peg. He’s always excelled at everything he did. School, sports, the business, he’s always mastered it. I thought magic would be the one thing he couldn’t do, and he’d come back a little humbler. I didn’t want him maimed, but now that I know it was you and what he did here, I’m glad you did.”

  “This is all so fucked up,” I said, burying my face in my hands.

  I was prepared for a showdown with Pridius and to get some digs in. I was prepared to get justice for Saffron. I was not prepared to meet my father. I didn’t even know how I felt about it. I’d stopped thinking about him ages ago and never bothered asking my mother about him. She was always a mother and father to me. Could I even think of Pridius like my father?

  “I know this is strange and new for you. I wasn’t expecting to meet my daughter here either. To show you what it means to me to finally meet you, I want to give you a show of good faith. I will bring Todus home with me so he can’t bully anyone else here. I’ll talk to the other Munchkins here if they don’t leave when he does. Todus has always been very popular, and I suspect they all came because he did. When we get home, we’ll start bridging the gap so that your cousin has a safe place to live.”

  That was what I wanted. I wanted Saffron to have a home. I wanted her back in her castle, and I wanted her out of that cave. I wanted it more than anything.

  “Can you hold off on it? We can’t let the Fisher King know we are onto all of his plans just yet. As much as I want my cousin to have a home to go back to, the safety of Oz is at stake. We can’t start talking about what Locasta and the Fisher King did to the Munchkins until we’ve eliminated the threat.”

  I'd be totally damned if Pridius’ eyes didn’t start to water up. Did he really love my mother?

  “You remind me so much of Azami. She was a special woman. If I could have been married to her and my wife, I would have, but your mother’s place was in the West, and mine was in the East. I would never have asked your mother to leave the West, and I couldn’t ask my wife to leave her family in the East. I thought it was an uncomplicated decision at the time. I went where I had children. I didn’t know about you. If I had, I would have found a way to make it work.”

  I smiled, and maybe my eyes were starting to water too. I wasn’t angry at Pridius. He did what he thought was best for the family he knew about. My mother probably didn’t tell him about me because she didn’t want to complicate his life, and she could handle me on her own. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

  “I know you would have. Keep Todus safe. Dangerous things are happening in Oz. I’ll send you a raven when it’s safe to start repairing things in the East. When I can, I’ll come to visit.”

  I was coming to like that little twinkle in my father’s eye now that I knew he wasn’t laughing at me.

  “The only reason I’m letting you go traipsing off to the North to take on Locasta and some evil wizard is because of your mother. If it were up to me, I’d kidnap you back to the East and spoil you rotten.”

  I smiled. “We’ll get there. I have to go defeat the North and a madman first.”

  Chapter 18

  Oprix

  I

  expected Frankie to come back from Daxar’s office furious with Todus’ father. If he was as awful as Todus, he probably expected some form of ass-kissing that Frankie just wasn’t capable of. The look on her face when she came back to our rooms scared me. I’d never seen it before, and I couldn’t read it. I could normally read all of her expressions. She looked confused and happy at the same time.

  I was on her in seconds. I crushed her to my chest. I was glad she seemed happy about something, no matter what it was, but it looked like something caught her off guard, and that rarely happened to Frankie. If it did, she got over it pretty quickly.

  “What happened?”

  “What’s going on, Frankie?” Saffron asked. “You have this look on your face like you don’t know if you want to laugh or scream.”

  Frankie pulled me to the sofa and snuggled into Idris and me.

  “Want to hear something totally fucked up? I just met my father. Todus is my half-brother. Pridius wants me to come to the East and meet the rest of my family when this is over. He seemed like he really loved my mother, but he was already married when they got together. He said he would have found a way to make it work if he had known about me. Now I don’t know if I’m mad at my mother or not for not telling him. I think I understand why she didn’t. She didn’t want to break up his family, and there’s that entire law where that kind of arrangement is punishable by death. I still can’t help but think it would have been nice to see them when we visited Saffron and Adora in the East. Maybe Todus wouldn’t be a total asshole if he had me around to kick his ass.”

  Idris snorted. “Okay, Daddy test of the year. Did you have to apologize to Todus, or did he make Todus apologize to you?”

  That was a really fucking good question. I was glad Frankie found her father, but what kind of man was he? Did he play favorites? Was he going to love Frankie less because he didn’t watch her grow up?

  “Pridius strikes me as a good man. He said he sent Todus here because he thought he would be miserable at magic, and it would knock his ego down a peg. Daxar told him how Todus has been acting, and I didn’t have to apologize. Pridius is yanking Todus out of school and trying to talk to him when he gets back to the East. I might not like Todus, but maybe he’s different when he’s not trying to impress his friends.”

  Saffron looked totally flabbergasted. “Pridius is your father? Do you know how powerful he is in the East? He’s practically royalty. Before the Wizard made all the governors step down, everyone wanted Pridius to take over for the current governor. He has a reputation for being just and fair, even if he was probably vocal in the Munchkins wanting to murder me.”

  “I called him out on that. Come on, Saffron. Did you think I’d let him go without making him answer me on trying to kill you? According to Pridius, the Munchkins never wanted to kill you. Locasta wanted them to capture you alive for the Fisher King probably. They thought threatening you would scare you into surrendering. It’s still bad considering what Locasta wanted with you, but Locasta lied and promised she would keep you locked up, and the East would be safe from Wicked Witches.

  I played with her long braids. “Are you going to do it? Go meet them when this is over?”

  “I’d like to. He said his wife wouldn’t treat me like an outsider since he did technically sleep with my mother behind her back. It would be nice to have siblings. Your brothers and sisters are like my adoptive family, but it would be nice to meet them and see if we share any features. I guess that answers why I’m so short.”

  “Short, but mighty,” Idris said, kissing her cheek. “I’d bet on you in a fight.”

  “How is everyone feeling after the spells? We start out on the Yellow Brick Road in the morning. Galen, do
es it tire you out to raise the dead?”

  “Only if I try to force it. If you raise the dead and they don’t want to be awake, you can force them to do your bidding, but it requires all your concentration. That’s going to be the Fisher King’s downfall. He can raise the dead, but none will want to fight for him. He’ll be distracted trying to control his army. If someone can get close, they can hurt him. They will also have to get past my mother. She will be close keeping guard.”

  “Galen, what about when we go to the North? I don’t want you to die because you’re trying to get our numbers up.”

  Galen looked crestfallen, and I knew exactly why. “I’m not my father, Frankie. I can raise them, but I plan on asking if they want to fight. If they don’t, I’ll put them back to rest. A lot of them ended up in the ground because of the Fisher King, and I think they will fight for us.”

  Frankie flew off my lap, and I don’t think Galen knew what was happening when she sat in his lap. She wrapped herself around him like a snake. Galen looked like he didn’t know if he had permission to touch her or she would murder him if he hugged her back. I think it was pretty obvious to everyone except Frankie and Galen that she was into him and wanted him to hug her back. She wouldn’t have her boobs up in his face like that if she didn’t.

  “I’m sorry, Galen. I know you aren’t like your father. I just didn’t know how we were going to handle going into the North. This could be a trap.”

  “My father thinks he’s smart. He has a bigger ego than your half-brother, Todus. He’s always underestimated me. He probably thinks I’m dead. He probably thought I couldn’t survive outside of his orbit. If he knew I was here, he would have had Locasta make a move to kill me.”

  “He’ll know if you come with us. Maybe you should stay behind until we face him. I don’t want to lose you, Galen.”

  Galen shook his head. “According to Frabess’ intel, Locasta’s army is two hundred strong, and they are all trained in potions. They are armed with weapons and magic. You can’t raise the dead without me. If everything goes as planned, you can get Glinda out without a fight, and no one ever sees them. The Fisher King won’t find out I helped you.”

  “It’s still a big fucking risk, Galen.”

  Galen just shrugged. I liked Galen. He was brave, just like Frankie was. If the Fisher King found out he was still alive, there’s no telling what he would try to do to him. Could the Fisher King kill Galen from his prison? Galen knew that answer, and he didn’t care. All he cared about was helping us and beating his father.

  I think the only thing Galen was actually afraid of was physical contact with Frankie. He still wasn’t hugging her back. If she were sitting in my lap like that, I’d be holding her even closer. Maybe Galen was getting a little bolder. He reached up and fingered one of her long purple braids.

  “It’s a bigger risk to go with so few numbers. The plan is a good one, Frankie. I’ll be hiding in the woods with my army. I only move in if I see the signal. Trust the plan, Frankie. Trust Frabess. She knows the North.”

  I did trust Frabess, and I did trust the plan. The problem was, things went ass up the last time we tried to sneak into the North. That couldn’t happen this time, right? No one was keeping secrets from us. The surprises should be minimal.

  Or, at least, that was my thought process. With Locasta and the Fisher King, anything could happen.

  Chapter 19

  Idris

  I

  t was finally time to head out to the North. We all had huge rucksacks strapped to our backs with vials of potions, ingredients to make potions, food, and weapons. As soon as we stepped out of the gates of Emerald City and onto the Yellow Brick Road, Ozma let the glamour on her hair drop, so it was pink again. Ozma was apparently a kinky little fuck because as soon as she dropped the ginger act, Dorothy, the Captains, and the Private were all falling over her. If Ozma was having the same kind of relationship the Flying Monkeys did and I did with Francesca, maybe she’d repeal that stupid law so I wouldn’t have to hide my love of my girlfriend so that I wouldn’t lose my head.

  We’d barely set out on the Yellow Brick Road when another Flying Monkey in full battle garb landed in front of us. I saw the crest on his chest. It was only ever worn by my mother’s personal bodyguards. She usually ended up taking them as mates, but I didn’t know this man. I spent most of my life in the West with Francesca, but when my mother took a new mate, I always flew home for the celebration.

  Kazax landed in front of me and growled. “Traitor!”

  The Flying Monkey held up his hands. “Please, let me explain. I’m here to fight with you.”

  “You abandoned your queen!”

  “I left with her blessing. She kept my secret because she was worried the rest of the court would hunt me down and kill me.”

  I had no idea who this monkey was or why my mother was protecting him. If he was my mother’s bodyguard, why wasn’t he now her mate or back home protecting her? I wanted to hear his story, too, because it sounded to me like he was a traitor. Guarding the Queen of the Flying Monkeys was considered one of the highest honors to my people. He had to have done something pretty shitty to be sent away. Why was my mother protecting him if he deserved to die?

  “When the spell was cast to make Oz forget the Sentinels, I was tasked with spying on Glinda in the South. Her magic is strong, and she caught me. I decided to just interrogate her and try to find out what she knew and if it was her that cast the spell. Our interrogations happened over tea and dinners because that’s just Glinda for you.

  “I fell in love with her. I showed her our secret, that we can shift into men. Glinda admitted she loved me, too, and she wanted to be my mate. I flew back home and reported what I knew. I confessed my secret. Our queen is benevolent, and she didn’t want to deny me my love. She told me to go be with Glinda, and she would keep my secret as long as Glinda kept our secret that we could shift.

  “Glinda has been taken. I was just waiting for someone to go rescue her so I would have the numbers to go fight the North. Glinda is pregnant with our third child. The babe in her belly is the next Sentinel of the South. She says she can feel it. She’s been trying to hide the pregnancy like she hid the others. She’s been petrified the Fisher King will find out she’s carrying a new generation of Sentinels and come for her. I think that’s exactly what happened. She has a midwife she trusts in the South, but she just saw the new midwife here in Emerald City right before she went missing.”

  Glinda was pregnant? And she already had children with a Flying Monkey? I needed to get him alone because I had a million questions about their children. I wanted children with Francesca, but what would they be like? Could they shift as I could? Could I bring them home to the Flying Monkey court and have them fit in because they had a monkey to call to?

  Daxar’s mouth was hanging open. “Glinda has children? I spent a lot of time at her castle after that spell, and I never saw a man around her, nor children.”

  I heard snapping as the Flying Monkey transformed into a man. He pulled a rucksack off his back and pulled a pair of trousers on.

  “No, you wouldn’t have. With the spell, we thought it was important to hide the children, and it was my queen’s wish that our secret not be revealed. Our children are five, two, and the little one on the way. Glinda said a Sentinel always knows when they are carrying the next in line. Even if she wasn’t carrying the next Sentinel, I don’t care what you think about what she’s done or how she’s reacted. We need to save her. She was doing what she needed to do to protect her children.”

  Daxar went over and shook his hand. “I thought Glinda was just reacting because she was scared, but it makes sense.”

  The rest of the Flying Monkeys were nodding. “Things have changed at the Flying Monkey court. Queen Ivia has given her son a blessing to be with the Sentinel of the West. She’s been planning the celebration for when she gets to meet her new daughter in law. You would be welcomed back to present your mate to the court, though I�
�m guessing your place is with your mate in the South. Ivia will want to meet your children too. They are a new breed of Flying Monkey. Can they shift?” Kazax asked.

  “I’d like to know that too,” I said. “But I don’t know your name. Can we get that?”

  “My name is Zusim. I don’t know your name, but I can already tell you are Ivia’s son. I’m glad you found your mate, and I know why you are asking. My children can shift and make beautiful Flying Monkeys. My daughter, even at five, has an impressive wingspan and my son at two is already so strong. Their fur has a bit of a red tint to it because of their mother’s hair. They have both Flying Monkey magic and their mother’s magic. They are special kids, and I’d die for them. So would Glinda. She may have pissed a few of you off, and you have every right to be upset, but there were babies involved.”

  Frankie walked right up to Zusim. Like me, he totally dwarfed her, but she wasn’t afraid. She took his hand and squeezed it.

  “I think I understand Glinda a little better now. I hope when this is over, I get to meet your children. Why did Glinda keep the cup if she’s mated to a Flying Monkey?”

  Zusim ran his fingers through his braids. “I asked her to. There were two reasons behind that. She might need to have someone use it to end this, and she also wanted a chance to try breaking the curse. I know all of you probably think she lied and just wanted to use the Flying Monkeys, but she’s been trying to break the curse every day.”

  It was like this entire shit storm had gotten a little bit brighter. Glinda had been on our side this entire time. She wasn’t trying to keep my people in slavery just to get what she wanted. She had been continuing Azami’s work breaking the curse. I got why she didn’t tell me about Zusim when I called her out about lying. She was trying to protect her kids.

  I also had something to look forward to. When this was over, and if we could put Oz at peace again, Francesca and I might be able to start a family. Our children would be perfect. They would be a perfect mix of her and me. They would still have their monkey, but they would have both our magic.