#dreaming

"Yeah, yeah, sure." She squints at the ball, then the witch.

"How much malice you want?"

"Snuff her, then I'll ruleall four corners of the lands of Oz as crimeboss. Bring me her wand."

"Just dead? Thought you wanted her to suffer?"

"Oh, feel free to gloat. I won't lie, you want to bite off her nose or break her leg might endear you to me. "

"Nose or leg. Got it."

"Besides, witches die fast"

"Once you kill us that is, though" A sparkle of her wand, "Don't get any ideas"

She snorts, and shows her teeth. "Too late." She turns her back, heading to the door. "See ya."

Toto is talking to Wingless , "What do you mean you're not sticking around?"//"What? I did my part. I have to find that wand remember?"

"He did his part." She plants herself before them, hooking her thumbs in her belt. "You out?" To Wingless.

"Yes I must help my people get used to being masters of their own wings, but I thank you. And..perhaps can give you some help. The other apes are already realizing they are no longer serving the same witch if any. Perhaps.. some of them could carry you a great distance to cut your next trip shorter?"

She squints suspiciously. "Why would they do that?"

"Because I will have the wand.. and because you helped free them" Wingless says 'not all peple are ingrateful"

A snort, but she nods slowly. "Yeah. I guess that would be ok."

It takes a while to find the wand, sort things out, but within an hour, the winged apes are carrying Klok, Toto, and our heroine savior kind of an anti hero? protagonist (I guess) high into the sky and southward. It's a relief really to go from the cold air to warmer climes, and they do by pass a lot of threats

Alexis is clearly out of her element, being carried, but she bears up well under it.

In the distance, she can see a crumbling emerald city, but that is not where they are stopping. The City of Oz looks, een from here, like a once great city reduced to sprawl and ruins depending on the neighborhood.

And they wisely circle about it