A/N: I wanted to say there is a referrence to a very popular food item in this chapter. Which is my best friend's favorite item to steal from my cupboards in the morning. Here's to my beta. May she keep reading my stuff and pushing me to finish it. If it wasn't for her, some of my reviewers probably would have killed me by know. On with the fiction!

Chapter Eighteen: Dust to Dust

DG stretched her body against the blanket on the ground. She felt stiff and sore, but a satisfied kind of sore. A strong hand tightened over her waist, pulled her back to another body and reminded her just why she was so sore to begin with. She heard Cain groan behind her and felt his breath on her neck. A few moments passed and he didn’t say anything. She turned over and looked at his face so peaceful in sleep.

She grinned at the sight. No one really has the chance to see the peaceful, almost child-like side to Wyatt Cain. In a way she felt like she should be honored. This was one of those rare moments in life. He was usually up before her, the one waking her up for breakfast or to get ready to hit the road again. Now he was the one catching up on sleep and she wasn’t about to interrupt. His steel blue eyes closed tightly and the top blanket covering him from the waist down.

Her right hand grabbed the same blanket on her side and made sure that it was covering everything from her chest down while she tried not to disturb Cain’s hand still on her waist. She noticed the new tattoo on her chest and lightly outlined the top of it. It must have happened when the Ages did their thing. He grunted and frowned at the small movements from her. One of his eyes opened and stared into hers.

“You move a lot when you wake up,” he commented and yawned.

“That’s okay, so do you,” she kissed him on the nose. He brought her close to him and settled back under the blanket with her head just beneath his chin.

“How do you feel?” he asked and rubbed her back with the tips of his fingers.

“Fantastically sore,” she responded with a smile he could feel against his neck; of which her face was pushed against.

He chuckled, “I haven’t heard that one before.”

“And probably will never again,” she sighed heavily and peeked out toward the trees and the light passing through it, “How late do you think it is?”

“Barely breakfast,” he muttered and she knew he wanted to stay where they were.

“I don’t want to get up,” she whined and wrapped her arms around him.

“Neither do I,” he agreed.

“Maybe if we stay still long enough everything else will disappear,” she offered.

He moved a little beside her, “I would be all for that, but unfortunately we have to get that new treasure to work for us. We got a whole world to save.”

“In other words, we have to get back on the road.”

“You got it,” he nodded and kissed the top of her head before he reached for his pants and her pants and underwear. He gave DG her pair and got up to put on his own. She sat up and kept the blanket against her chest. She admired his backside and decided that he looked even better without the tight pants.

“Well, howdy there cowboy,” she laughed as he stumbled from her greeting. He threw a playful glare back at her which made her laugh harder. He picked up her bra and shirt and threw both items at her after he secured his pants.

“Just get dressed,” he pulled his shirt over his head and DG frowned.

‘So much for the great view,’ she thought to her herself and began to dress.

DG and Cain walked back into the clearing fully dressed and with the extra blankets in hand. DG quickly got her other items into her pack before facing her sister and her bodyguard. Glitch and Azkadellia sat on their side of the clearing around what looked like a few dozen handfuls of berries.

“There they are,” Glitch smiled up at the pair, “Good morning. You two walked off pretty early this morning. Are you two okay?”

“Great,” DG grinned, “You guys weren’t all that worried about us, I see.”

“You were with Cain,” Azkadellia waved DG’s sarcasm off with the wave of her hand and nodded to him, “Besides, I didn’t feel any fear through our connection when I checked. I knew you were in totally capable hands.”

DG laughed a little to herself and looked back at Cain, ‘You have no idea.’

Cain grabbed his holster and hat from the tree he was laying at the night before and put them on, “Did you two get anything for breakfast?”

“Berries were all we could find,” Azkadellia handed a handful to her sister.

DG nodded in thanks and began to pop them into her mouth. They reminded her of a flavor somewhere between a mix of strawberries and lemons. Cain came over and picked a few from her hand and popped them into his mouth before she could argue.

“They’re poptarts,” he nodded after the initial taste hit his tongue.

DG stared at him and then began laughing so hard she wasn’t sure if she could stay standing. She calmed a little and then looked at the berries in her hand then back to Cain, “Are you serious?”

“What’s the problem?” he asked.

“Another other side thing, Deeg?” Azkadellia asked.

“You got it,” DG put a finger on her nose, “It’s a small pastry on the other side. It’s mass produced and almost everyone knows of it. I just find it funny.”

“You find a great amount of things funny,” Cain said and reached for another berry before she dropped more.

“Either way they taste great,” DG commented and pulled her hand away from Cain’s reach before he could grab another one. He frowned and grabbed his own handful, “I think it could tide us over until dinner tonight.”

“Are you sure, Deeg?” Azkadellia asked, “You haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. And after you passed out, I thought for sure that you would need something more than a few berries.”

“I’ll be fine,” she nodded. She looked over to where the tablets and pedestal were yesterday and eyed the dust on the ground, “What happened?”

“They fell to dust after you fell from the pedestal,” Glitch explained and popped a few of the berries in his mouth, “No use for them anymore since the Ages were passed on.”

“I see,” she nodded and walked to the piles of dust. Cain followed behind her.

“Should we tell them that we saw them curled up together earlier?” Azkadellia asked with a smirk on her face. She saw the bounce to her young sister’s step when she entered the clearing.

“Nah, let them have their secrets,” Glitch smirked with her, “Besides, I can always hold it over Cain later.”

DG looked at the pile in front of her and nudged a little of it with her foot just like Glitch had done before. There were three huge piles of dust left even though there had been four tablets and a pedestal before. She squatted down and touched it a little with the tips of her fingers. A light flashed from the back of her mind and she was reminded of the three Ages still there. A few words and phrases ran through her mind and she closed her eyes to concentrate.

“DG, are you okay?” Cain stood directly behind her.

“I’m okay,” she nodded and kept her eyes tightly shut. More words and pictures appeared behind her eyelids. She kept thinking to herself, ‘Who are you? Who exactly are the Ages?’

Suddenly her eyes popped open and she looked at the dust, blowing a bit of it with a released breath, “Glinda.”

“What was that?” Cain asked surprised that she said the name out of no where. Glitch’s head popped up from his space beside Azkadellia and began to walk over.

“Glinda,” DG repeated and stood up, “That’s the name of one of the Ages.”

“The Ages are people?” Cain asked, “I thought it was a treasure.”

“People could be a treasure,” she nodded and walked to another pile of dust to touch it and feel it out. The next name was much harder to pull out but once she had a hold of it in her mind, it flew from her mouth without hesitation, “Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Issac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs.”

“What the hell is that?” Cain asked as she worked her way to another pile.

“It’s another name.”

“How many?”

“Just one, now shush. I have to concentrate,” she waved at him as Glitch took the spot next to Cain to watch the younger princess. She dug through the last pile and searched for the name of who she was sure was the younger woman with brown hair. A picture of silver slippers much like the ones she had on in her dream flew by. Then only one name, one voice repeated in her head, “Dorothy Gale.”

“You DG?” Cain asked.

“No, her ancestor,” Glitch answered for her. DG looked up at both of the men and then specifically to Glitch for some answers. He sighed and tried to explain, “You’ve named three players who had a main part in the salvation of the O.Z. Your ancestor, the first Dorothy Gale- the Grey Gale herself. If she had never come to this land, the O.Z. would be nothing but a dark dust bowl under the thumb of the most wicked witch of them all.”

DG nodded and waited for him to continue, “Glinda, the first name you mentioned, was a good sorceress in the old times. She had taken residence in Finaqua long ago during the time when Queen Ozma and eventually Queen Dorothy had ruled. She was the keeper of all events big and small of the O.Z. and is still highly respected to this day.”

“She’s still alive?” DG asked with a gasp.

“No being could live that long,” Glitch shook his head, “But she is often told in stories of the past.”

“The good witch of the south,” DG nodded remembering the stories of times passed. They were told to her and Azkadellia so many times that she could never forget them. Even with the blocking magic from her mother, “What about the other name?”

“Ah, good old Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Issac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs,” Glitch laughed a little to himself, “I was named after him. My mother absolutely adored the original wizard.”

“Original wizard?” Cain asked and saw Azkadellia join in the group.

“The very first slider, if my memory is right,” Glitch nodded, “He went back to the other side, but then came back to take permanent residence in the O.Z. He learned real magic and taught DG’s ancestor who had passed it down to her children.”

“Who was Queen Ozma?” DG asked, “I don’t remember her from my family tree.”

“She wasn’t part of your genealogy,” Glitch pointed out with the shake of his head, “She had descended from king and queens of another line. She was a great and kind ruler, but with no heirs to follow her. Your ancestor, Dorothy Gale, took the throne and ruled just as fairly.”

“Right,” DG blinked her eyes trying to digest the information, “Well, I think that answers my questions for now.”

“So what’s our next move?” Glitch asked and clapped his hands together.

“We get to my parents,” DG looked at what she could see of the sky through the trees, “I’ve been wondering about them ever since we heard about the attack on Finaqua.”

“Then we should be heading East,” Cain nodded, “If they headed toward Central City, then they should have made it way before now. We have to play catch up.”

“Then we go after the witch,” DG said in a low voice. She was tired of playing this game. She wanted it to end. With the Ages now in her possession she could finally bring the witch’s reign and future reigns to an end.

Jeb Cain walked through the streets of Central City with Kelly by his side. With her red hair, not one of Zero’s men had reported that the princesses had made it to Central City. The queen and king-consort had been smuggled in under sheets and other textiles while Jeb, Kelly and Elizabeth walked in clothed like commoners. They didn’t even recognize Jeb who had his head covered most of the time with a green knit cap and a heavy, hooded robe. Elizabeth, Azkadellia’s double, had stayed behind with half a dozen royal guards to guard the queen and king-consort while Jeb and Kelly went on recon. Jeb needed to get a better lay of the city and figure out who could be following them.

“Have you seen anything out of the ordinary yet?” Kelly asked. She linked her arm through his and leaned on his shoulder as if she was whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

“Nothing much,” he leaned back with a smile, “There are a few men that are following groups with the royals description, but no one seems to have caught on to us.”

“So Zero still has men here in Central City.”

“Unfortunately, but with as many guards stationed here, we should be okay unless the witch decides to overrun the place.”

“Well, I’ll hope she doesn’t,” she leaned away and looked at some of the interesting lights and signs of the street, “I never came to Central City before the resistance or the Eclipse.”

“Really? I thought that you had traveled here before,” he thought back to past conversations with her, “Where were you?”

“Where you found me,” she smiled, “I was raised in the woods with my father. Taught me how to hunt, fish and trail other people as well as animals. It was a great time and a great life. That was until the Longcoats came. Then it all fell apart. But I guess that is just the way everyone’s life was back then pain, misery and trying to fit all the pieces back together.”

Jeb nodded in agreement. As she began to walk further from him, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She gasped a bit in surprise but laughed it off.

“Calm down, Kelly,” he laughed as if he was teasing her, “I got you.”

“Right…” she said in a whisper.

“Where do you think you’re going anyway?”

“Just giving you some breathing room was all,” she tried to concentrate on other things around them but found that she could only focus on the hand of her captain now on her hip, “You’re a very good actor. You know that?”

“Who says I’m acting?” he said seriously and looked down at the red head at his side. His fingers lightly tapped on her side as he kept her close.

“Now you’re just being cruel,” she frowned and decided to watch the crowd. He sighed and looked up at the dark sky as if it would give him an answer totally unaware that is what his father does when he was stuck for an answer.

“I am being nothing of the sort,” he shook his head to clear his thoughts, “I like to talk with you. I liked talking to you when we were in camp too. The most interesting person I knew in that little hole. I loved our talks and looked forward to briefings at night with you.”

“That cannot be the absolute truth. There were much more interesting people in that camp.”

“Ah, so I see,” he watched as another man followed another group of people to see if they were part of the royal court, “You’re saying that you thought that I was the boring one.”

“Don’t you dare turn this conversation around on me,” she warned and frowned at him, “I always thought you were the best of us all. You went through so much and still you found the heart to lead all of us.”

“Everyone had lost something because of the witch,” he whispered and looked at her, “You lost your father. And your sisters.”

Kelly looked distracted, “I’m surprised you remember that.”

“You shouldn’t be,” he shook his head, “I told you I looked forward to it.”

She couldn’t hide the blush, “I’m sorry.”

“About?”

“Never mind, let’s just get this recon over with,” she looked over her shoulder and saw the same woman for the fifth time, “Someone is very interested in us.”

“Why wouldn’t they be?” he tugged at her again and she giggled, playing the part of the young girl walking with her beau.

The woman came closer and closer to them as they turned down allies and streets trying to find a way to shake her. She stayed with them far enough away that she couldn’t be identified.

“We can’t go back to the safe house with someone on our tail,” Jeb said in a low voice. He led Kelly to a wall and leaned against her so she was the only one who could hear him, “We need to split up. If she follows you meet me back at the start point alpha and we’ll try something different. If she follows me go back to the safe house and make sure that the royals are okay.”

“What about you?” Kelly asked and hugged him around the neck unsure whether it was acting or not.

“I can take care of myself,” he nodded and hugged her back, “I take after my dad well enough to keep out of trouble.”

“We should never be out here by ourselves,” she reminded him, “We are to recon in pairs.”

“But this isn’t a recon anymore thanks to that tail,” he leaned his forehead against hers, “Protect them.”

“You better get back to the safe house soon,” she warned him.

“Or what? You’ll put me in shackles?” he joked with her, “Don’t forget who the captain is here.”

“Be careful,” she whispered and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking briskly down the street and past the woman that was following them. Kelly was hoping that the woman would follow her so she wouldn’t have to worry about Jeb. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. As she looked back she saw the woman go into the alley where Jeb still was.

“He said to protect the royals,” she reminded herself and pushed her legs to go back to the safe house, “Go protect the royals.”

Jeb looked at his hands and then took out his father’s wedding ring to look at it while he waited for the woman to approach. He had seen her shadow as she entered the alleyway. He sighed when she stopped and put the band back in his breast pocket before looking up at her.

His throat choked up and he barely found words.

“You couldn’t…”

“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt for long.”