Seeing that the passengers were all aboard, Ozana signaled the swans, and with mighty strokes of their great wings the birds soared into the air. Dorothy looked behind her and saw Ozana's cottage growing smaller as the birds climbed higher and higher into the heavens. In a short time, they had left Mount Illuso so far in the distance that it was no longer visible.
The soft feathers of the bird that carried her, and the gentle motion with which it sped through the air made Dorothy think of riding through the sky on a downy feather bed.
"Isn't it grand, Wizard!" Dorothy called.
"It certainly beats any traveling I ever did," admitted the Wizard. "It's even better than my balloon back in Omaha."
Ozana's bird flew in advance, with the swans bearing Dorothy and the Wizard slightly to her rear on either side of her.
They crossed the border of the Land of the Phanfasms and soared high over the Deadly Desert. The swans flew even higher over the desert than had the Mimic birds. For this reason none of the travelers suffered from the poisonous fumes that rose from the shifting sands of the desert.
As they approached the yellow Land of the Winkies, Dorothy noticed that Ozana cast several anxious glances at the sun which was rising higher and higher in the heavens. It seemed to the little girl that the Fairy Princess was disturbed and anxious.
"Is anything wrong, Ozana?" called Dorothy.