(AN: Hello again! Here we are with, believe it or not, a sequel to A Stumble in the Dark. [with a title also taken from the Heaven and Hell song "Bible Black", the basis of the last story]. For those of you who may be new to this story, you might want to go back and read A Stumble in the Dark. This is somewhat AU, so things won't be the same, technically.)

(Hope you enjoy it)

The Aftermath

Trism bon Cavalish was on the march with Captain Cherrystone's unit back to the Emerald City. Whatever had happened to the guards was anyone's guess.

But their journey to Center Munch had not been without fruit. They had found another body, another victim for Madam Morrible's propaganda machine. Soon nobody would believe the green freak was anything but the Wicked Witch of the West. Now they had the body to prove it. And the former Captain of the Gale Force, a prince of the Winkies no less! Surely his death would upset the West and rout the Witch out of whatever hole wherein she had been hiding.

Mockbeggar Hall was pretty much the last stop for those on the Yellow Brick Road until they reached the Emerald City, if they were to be benighted ere they reached the Capital. This was the case with the company. Although they were technically in Munchkinland, this was so close to the Emerald City that many travelers (and Gale Force soldiers) would spend the night there just the same.

But for a certain member of Captain Cherrystone's unit, he would find more than he bargained for in these halls.

Or, perhaps, he had brought with him more than he bargained for?

That night all the soldiers were asleep. Being in his late teens meant that Trism was a squire, a page to the Captain. He ran the errands, cleaned their boots, and sometimes carried a musket, since he was in training. But the others never really saw him as a soldier yet. To them, he was too young.

The Captain told him to wait a few years, give it time, but Trism didn't want to wait. He wanted their respect now, dammit!

These thoughts buzzed through his head like Quadling marsh-flies as he, the last one up, was trying at last to fall asleep, his work done.

All of a sudden, there came a noise upon the wind. Like the sound of a breath whispered so faintly that only complete, utter silence and a clear mind could have caught its noise. Being the only one awake, Trism heard what the voice muttered, even if only half-heard.

Open me

He looked around, but saw nobody around. Thinking it was just his imagination, he closed his eyes and drifted back into sleep.

Open me

The voice was only half-a-whisper louder, now he could hear it even if he told himself that it didn't really exist. There was no denying that someone, or something was speaking to him. It was so loud, now, that he could perceive where it was coming from.

Carefully, he reached into his sack, just beneath where he sat, and pulled out the book he had recovered from Center Munch. Once more the violet light flooded his face as he opened the book and began turning through the pages...

(AN: It's a good way to start, I guess)

(Any questions? We'll be getting back to our two main characters shortly. And yes, this is musical-verse, though no longer song-verse [unless I can come up with something amazing for Elphaba/Glinda to sing].)