Bab Bab 9 · Lady Aurex

," she continued, singling out one of the young women, "take

these children to your house and care for them, giving them food and

lodging. You may allow them to wander anywhere under the Great Dome,

for they are harmless. After I have attended to the Flatheads I will

consider what next to do with these foolish girls."

She resumed her seat and the Lady Aurex bowed low and said in a humble

manner:

"I obey your Majesty's commands." Then to Ozma and Dorothy she added,

"Follow me," and turned to leave the throne room.

Dorothy looked to see what Ozma would do. To her surprise and a little

to her disappointment Ozma turned and followed Lady Aurex. So Dorothy

trailed after them, but not without giving a parting, haughty look

toward Queen Coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way and did

not see the disapproving look.

Chapter 9. Lady Aurex

Lady Aurex led Ozma and Dorothy along a street to a pretty marble house

near to one edge of the great glass dome that covered the village. She

did not speak to the girls until she had ushered them into a pleasant

room, comfortably furnished, nor did any of the solemn people they met

on the street venture to speak.

When they were seated Lady Aurex asked if they were hungry, and finding

they were summoned a maid and ordered food to be brought.

This Lady Aurex looked to be about twenty years old, although in the

Land of Oz where people have never changed in appearance since the

fairies made it a fairyland--where no one grows old or dies--it is

always difficult to say how many years anyone has lived. She had a

pleasant, attractive face, even though it was solemn and sad as the

faces of all Skeezers seemed to be, and her costume was rich and

elaborate, as became a lady in waiting upon the Queen.

Ozma had observed Lady Aurex closely and now asked her in a gentle tone:

"Do you, also, believe me to be an impostor?"

"I dare not say," replied Lady Aurex in a low tone.

"Why are you afraid to speak freely?" inquired Ozma.

"The Queen punishes us if we make remarks that she does not like."

"Are we not alone then, in this house?"

"The Queen can hear everything that is spoken on this island--even the

slightest whisper," declared Lady Aurex. "She is a wonderful witch, as

she has told you, and it is folly to criticise her or disobey her

commands."

Ozma looked into her eyes and saw that she would like to say more if

she dared. So she drew from her bosom her silver wand, and having

muttered a magic phrase in a strange tongue, she left the room and

walked slowly around the outside of the house, making a complete circle

and waving her wand in mystic curves as she walked. Lady Aurex watched

her curiously and, when Ozma had again entered the room and seated

herself, she asked:

"What have you done?"

"I've enchanted this house in such a manner that Queen Coo-ee-oh, with

all her witchcraft, cannot hear one word we speak within the magic

circle I have made," replied Ozma. "We may now speak freely and as

loudly as we wish, without fear of the Queen's anger."

Lady Aurex brightened at this.

"Can I trust you?" she asked.

"Ev'rybody trusts Ozma," exclaimed Dorothy. "She is true and honest,

and your wicked Queen will be sorry she insulted the powerful Ruler of

all the Land of Oz."

"The Queen does not know me yet," said Ozma, "but I want you to know

me, Lady Aurex, and I want you to tell me why you, and all the

Skeezers, are unhappy. Do not fear Coo-ee-oh's anger, for she cannot

hear a word we say, I assure you."

Lady Aurex was thoughtful a moment; then she said: "I shall trust you,

Princess Ozma, for I believe you are what you say you are--our supreme

Ruler. If you knew the dreadful punishments our Queen inflicts upon us,

you would not wonder we are so unhappy. The Skeezers are not bad

people; they do not care to quarrel and fight, even with their enemies

the Flatheads; but they are so cowed and fearful of Coo-ee-oh that they

obey her slightest word, rather than suffer her anger."

"Hasn't she any heart, then?" asked Dorothy.

"She never displays mercy. She loves no one but herself," asserted Lady

Aurex, but she trembled as she said it, as if afraid even yet of her

terrible Queen.

"That's pretty bad," said Dorothy, shaking her head gravely. "I see

you've a lot to do here, Ozma, in this forsaken corner of the Land of

Oz. First place, you've got to take the magic away from Queen

Coo-ee-oh, and from that awful Su-dic, too. My idea is that neither of

them is fit to rule anybody, 'cause they're cruel and hateful. So

you'll have to give the Skeezers and Flatheads new rulers and teach all

their people that they're part of the Land of Oz and must obey, above

all, the lawful Ruler, Ozma of Oz. Then, when you've done that, we can

go back home again."

Ozma smiled at her little friend's earnest counsel, but Lady Aurex said

in an anxious tone:

"I am surprised that you suggest these reforms while you are yet

prisoners on this island and in Coo-ee-oh's power. That these things

should be done, there is no doubt, but just now a dreadful war is

likely to break out, and frightful things may happen to us all. Our

Queen has such conceit that she thinks she can overcome the Su-dic and

his people, but it is said Su-dic's magic is very powerful, although

not as great as that possessed by his wife Rora, before Coo-ee-oh

transformed her into a Golden Pig."

"I don't blame her very much for doing that," remarked Dorothy, "for

the Flatheads were wicked to try to catch your beautiful fish and the

Witch Rora wanted to poison all the fishes in the lake."

"Do you know the reason?" asked the Lady Aurex.

"I don't s'pose there was any reason, 'cept just wickedness," replied

Dorothy.

"Tell us the reason," said Ozma earnestly.

"Well, your Majesty, once--a long time ago--the Flatheads and the

Skeezers were friendly. They visited our island and we visited their

mountain, and everything was pleasant between the two peoples. At that

time the Flatheads were ruled by three Adepts in Sorcery, beautiful

girls who were not Flatheads, but had wandered to the Flat Mountain and

made their home there. These three Adepts used their magic only for

good, and the mountain people gladly made them their rulers. They

taught the Flatheads how to use their canned brains and how to work

metals into clothing that would never wear out, and many other things

that added to their happiness and content.

"Coo-ee-oh was our Queen then, as now, but she knew no magic and so had

nothing to be proud of. But the three Adepts were very kind to

Coo-ee-oh. They built for us this wonderful dome of glass and our

houses of marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and many

other things. Coo-ee-oh pretended to be very grateful for these favors,

but it seems that all the time she was jealous of the three Adepts and

secretly tried to discover their arts of magic. In this she was more

clever than anyone suspected. She invited the three Adepts to a banquet

one day, and while they were feasting Coo-ee-oh stole their charms and

magical instruments and transformed them into three fishes--a gold

fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. While the poor fishes were

gasping and flopping helplessly on the floor of the banquet room one of

them said reproachfully: 'You will be punished for this, Coo-ee-oh, for

if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will become shrivelled and

helpless, and all your stolen magic will depart from you.' Frightened

by this threat, Coo-ee-oh at once caught up the three fish and ran with

them to the shore of the lake, where she cast them into the water. This

revived the three Adepts and they swam away and disappeared.

"I, myself, witnessed this shocking scene," continued Lady Aurex, "and

so did many other Skeezers. The news was carried to the Flatheads, who

then turned from friends to enemies. The Su-dic and his wife Rora were

the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three Adepts had been

lost to them, and they at once became Rulers of the Flatheads and stole

their canned brains from others to make themselves the more powerful.

Some of the Adepts' magic tools had been left on the mountain, and

these Rora seized and by the use of them she became a witch.

"The result of Coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both the Skeezers and

the Flatheads miserable instead of happy. Not only were the Su-dic and

his wife cruel to their people, but our Queen at once became proud and

arrogant and treated us very unkindly. All the Skeezers knew she had

stolen her magic powers and so she hated us and made us humble

ourselves before her and obey her slightest word. If we disobeyed, or

did not please her, or if we talked about her when we were in our own

homes she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her palace and

lashed with knotted cords. That is why we fear her so greatly."

This story filled Ozma's heart with sorrow and Dorothy's heart with

indignation.

"I now understand," said Ozma, "why the fishes in the lake have brought

about war between the Skeezers and the Flatheads."

"Yes," Lady Aurex answered, "now that you know the story it is easy to

understand. The Su-dic and his wife came to our lake hoping to catch

the silver fish, or gold fish, or bronze fish--any one of them would

do--and by destroying it deprive Coo-ee-oh of her magic. Then they

could easily conquer her. Also they had another reason for wanting to

catch the fish--they feared that in some way the three Adepts might

regain their proper forms and then they would be sure to return to the

mountain and punish Rora and the Su-dic. That was why Rora finally

tried to poison all the fishes in the lake, at the time Coo-ee-oh

transformed her into a Golden Pig. Of course this attempt to destroy

the fishes frightened the Queen, for her safety lies in keeping the

three fishes alive."

"I s'pose Coo-ee-oh will fight the Flatheads with all her might,"

observed Dorothy.

"And with all her magic," added Ozma, thoughtfully.

"I do not see how the Flatheads can get to this island to hurt us,"

said Lady Aurex.

"They have bows and arrows, and I guess they mean to shoot the arrows

at your big dome, and break all the glass in it," suggested Dorothy.

But Lady Aurex shook her head with a smile.

"They cannot do that," she replied.

"Why not?"

"I dare not tell you why, but if the Flatheads come to-morrow morning

you will yourselves see the reason."

"I do not think they will attempt to harm the island," Ozma declared.

"I believe they will first attempt to destroy the fishes, by poison or

some other means. If they succeed in that, the conquest of the island

will not be difficult."

"They have no boats," said Lady Aurex, "and Coo-ee-oh, who has long

expected this war, has been preparing for it in many astonishing ways.

I almost wish the Flatheads would conquer us, for then we would be free

from our dreadful Queen; but I do not wish to see the three transformed

fishes destroyed, for in them lies our only hope of future happiness."

"Ozma will take care of you, whatever happens," Dorothy assured her.

But the Lady Aurex, not knowing the extent of Ozma's power--which was,

in fact, not so great as Dorothy imagined--could not take much comfort

in this promise.

It was evident there would be exciting times on the morrow, if the

Flatheads really attacked the Skeezers of the Magic Isle.