"A girl!" decided Chalk with another gulp of relief. "Maybe we are not so badly off, after all!" And lifting his head, in spite of Skamperoo's great weight, he spoke proudly and confidently, "Whoever you are, we welcome you to Oz, and if you can explain this unearthly and unexpected darkness we will gladly follow you and do as you say."
"Good!" chuckled Bitty Bit, tugging manfully at his bridle, "this way, please." There was still so much screaming and confusion in the Throne Room no one had overheard the conversation between the newcomers and the Emperor's horse, and, guided by the invisible hand, Chalk crossed the room without bumping into anything or anybody. A moment later they were in the dark, quiet laboratory that had once belonged to the Wizard of Oz.
[CHAPTER 18]
The Emperor's Horse Makes a Bargain
Bitty Bit's shooting tower had made a record trip to the Emerald City, and guided by the little Seer of Some Summit, had come to a deft and dexterous stop right outside the windows of the great Throne Room. After a short, anxious look inside, and before anyone was aware of their arrival, Dorothy removed the lid from the box of the powder of darkness and threw a generous pinch into the air, plunging the Emerald City into an instant and thunderous dark. Under cover of this magic darkness, Dorothy, Pigasus, and Bitty Bit boldly entered the palace and singled out the white horse and his terrified Master. They had fully expected some resistance—Dorothy had brought a long piece of rope and Pigasus carried a stout club under his wing—but they were delighted to find the Emperor too frightened and his white horse too clever to resist an invisible foe. Being able to see in the dark themselves, they had Chalk and Skamperoo at a decided advantage. Dorothy's plans, now that they had actually returned to the Emerald City, were rather vague, but Bitty Bit knew just what he hoped and intended to do. His seerish powers had enabled him to discover that all the changes in Oz had been brought about by the magic emeralds which in some way had fallen into Skamperoo's hands, and these emeralds Bitty Bit meant to have at the earliest possible moment.
So first, he ordered all the windows and doors in the laboratory closed, then, annoyed by the screams and crashes still issuing from every room in the castle, he advised Dorothy to put the lid back on the powder of darkness.
"But supposing someone disturbs us before we finish," objected Pigasus, looking doubtfully at the tremendous war horse, who stood with feet braced and ears back ready to listen or defy them. Somehow Chalk had managed to toss Skamperoo back into the saddle and with both hands fixed grimly in the horse's mane, the Emperor was blinking his eyes in a vain attempt to see them or catch a glimpse of Matiah, for he was convinced that the merchant was at the bottom of the whole procedure.
"If we agree to lift this pall of darkness, will you agree to grant us an uninterrupted hour of your time?" asked Bitty Bit, turning toward the Emperor, but really addressing the horse, whom he considered the better man of the two.
"I think we can, without undue danger, promise that," answered Chalk guardedly, while Skamperoo hemmed and hawed with indecision. "Of course, you must promise to use no more magic against us."