So Anthony, Ben Argy and Natalee decided to take a night's rest at lake Chorge. We figured it was the halfway point roughly, and thought that camping next to a lake, even though this one was not freshwater, would be safe and resourceful. They all took turns bathing in the lake, getting rid of the blood, dirt and sweat that had accumulated thus far, and afterwards, Natalee had an idea for lunch. There was a chicken pen not too far from the lake's end where they were, and she left to go hunting.
"I'll be back in a little while, you guys stay here and I'll be fine. Just don't go anywhere until I come back!" Natalee shouted across the lake, flying this time, flapping her large feathery dark wings hovering as she waited for their response.
"We'll be right here waiting for you. Don't go into any dark trails, and don't go to Kellswater! That water is not drinkable!" Anthony shouted back. He knew that she knew not to drink form Kellswater, it's name kinda giving it away almost sounding like kills water…But he still cared enough to remind her.
"Ok, see ya later," Natalee flapped and soared higher into the night sky, and turned hard left, towards Gillikin, but not intending to actually change states. Anthony sat back down near the fire, and showed Ben and Argy some fun tricks to kill time waiting for dinner.
"See magic can be entertaining too, not just defensive. Watch this," Anthony grabbed his staff and aimed the sapphire at the fire. The fire then began burning different colors, red, blue, gree, yellow, purple, etc. The light was brighter than the natural light from the fire, and lit up our campsite.
Then, my pocket began buzzing. I couldn't tell what the hell it was then I remembered, my visionary, Ozma must be calling. I threw the visionary into the fire, and sure enough Ozma's head appeared in the flames.
"Oh Ben it's good to see you again, and Argy, I see someone has turned you back to normal how do you feel?" Ozma asked. Argy looked at both of us and then back at Ozma.
"I like it!" He replied.
"Good, now I do have urgent news to tell you, but listen closely because I can't stay here for long, and I don't want her to get to you before Glinda does," the connection began breaking up. The tension in the air tightened, and hairs on necks began rising. Argy and ben were both worried. Not just about the warning Ozma was giving, but about why Natalee hadn't returned yet. The fire blazed and reminded all of them of fighting Mombi. Anthony tried getting the information out of Ozma who was being cryptic only because her time with us in the visionary was limited.
"Ozma! Who's coming here before Glinda? And why won't Glinda take her bubble?" I asked, beginning to panic, something serious was happening.
"Please you must do as I say, take cover and do not move from your spot until Lady Glinda has come to you, you are all in terrible danger," The volume of the visionary was loosing power and beginning to fade now.
"Ozma, stay with me now, what is following us?" I asked, Ben and Argy stood up and walked over to me to see for themselves. All I could make out of the remaining few seconds were two words.
"Witch-….death…" The three of us now scared of what on Oz was going on, all thought the same thing.
"We need to get Natalee back, whatever it is following us, we can't let it harm Natalee, she's one of us!" I broke the silence. We all ran around the camp site quickly doing things. I ran over to put my robe back on, and gave Argy my sword. Ben ran over to get his mace, and his own robe as well. Then, Argy put the fire out and then we debated.
"Not only that but we can't let Mombi hold natalee hostage, she'll find out her power and bring back all the other Witches! Or at the very least, hold her as ransom to get me in a sort of trade off," Ben was scared now. Talking about it outloud lead to a conclusion he hadn't thought of before.
"Ben, I'll be honest, it is you who must take down Mombi in the end I feel. How we can do that I don't know yet, and I say we because you will always have friends on your side. Right Argy?" Anthony looked to Argy for his two cents.
"Forever and ever. But back to Natalee missing, Ozma told us to stay here, but I'm thinking a hunt for her is much more affective. If glinda can't come by bubble then that means we have time," Argy explained.
"Whaterver we do we gotta do it fast, I feel like we may already be too late," Ben replied.
"Argy is right. We saw which way she started going. If we follow her path we could at least find a clue about what happened. Are you with me?" Anthony questioned. When Argy and Ben both bowed their heads, I pounded my staff lighting the sapphire the same blue as always. Argy and Ben humbly smiled and we all ran out ahead together side by side, weapons ready, searching for Natalee. We covered quite good distance. My robe flew behind me in the brisk pace, and I swung my staff in my arm, helping my stride. Ben shouldered his mace and tried very well to keep up with me and Argy. Argy had the sword out and ready, and had a look on his face of absolute determination to not just find Natalee, but to slaughter whatever it was looking for her. On we ran, passing the lake and now we turned hard left mid sprint, just as Natalee flew I remembered. It had been a while now though, where on Oz could she be?
Meanwhile, Lady Glinda had mounted her fairest, and most noble and reliable stead after recieving new orders from Ozma to go and aid Anthony and his friends. The Horse was unique, thoroughbred, and blessed by the Arch Bishop and High Priestess from the Mauntery of the Good (re-built Cloister of St. Glinda), and was from a noble family of Horses. It should be remembered by now that there are three different types of animal in Oz. An Animal is one that has the gift of Lurline to walk, think, talk, act like a human. An animal, is like a dog, or a pet, or any other animal that cannot act as human. Lastly and most importantly, an Animal is one that has been blessed by Lurline the Unseen God, and therefore protected by Her, and also cared for by Queen Ozma in her Palace. Lady Glinda the Gracious was given this particular Horse as a gift for her continuing love and protection of not just the Queen, but of every living Good soul in Oz. The Horse's name was Adonaie (pronounced A-doh-nigh). The Horse was female, and was the lightest shade of pink imaginable. She had light brown hair on her neck, and in the tail. A fine blessed Horse she had served Ozma for many years, and knew them both like the bottom of her own hoof.
"Fly Adonaie, redefine the word swift," Lady Glinda spoke to Adonaie as the Horse was named. Sheneighed loudly, and then leapt out of the stable in a blur. She dashed from the stables behind the palace, to the Enchanted Garden where the Fountain remained, and flew past the Pine Barrens where Natalee was discovered a few weeks prior. Glinda couldn't stop thinking of the risks of her late arrival to the scene. She was the only one besides Ozma, who knew of Mombi's transformation. We thought the Ruby Slippers made the Wicked Witch powerful? Hmm, funny.
On Glinda rode, trying to hold back tears of worry for her children of the other world. A few more hours of riding, and Adonaie needed to rest. She could still gallop, but no longer sprint, she was mortal too and needed air, water, and food just as people do. They climbed the Madelines, and continued north east along the road following the scent of the troops. Alittle ways further they went when finally down below and ahead, Glinda on her left could see the sparkling Lake Chorge. Thinking correctly that they would have stopped there for a rest, she trotted down the slopes of the Mountains again finding the extinguished fire, and the empty tent. Never stopping even here, she continued; going through the abandoned campsite slowly to look for details. Trotting along the coast of the Lake, they followed where Glinda's instinct told. Suddenly, Adonaie stopped cold.
"There lays an evil in this area, an evil I have not seen for an age. Arduenna, we must leave at once," Adonaie warned. She always addressed Glinda by her middle name, she still doesn't know why.
"No Adonaie, we must press on. My friends are in here and I must protect them from the new Witch," Glinda ordered. Adonaie protested but obeyed. Slowly, they moved forwards. To make the scene worse, Glinda just remembered this was the exact location where the Wicked Witch of the West was first killed by Natalee…
It was all too familiar for Glinda, the time of day, the weather all were exactly as it was that fateful night. Adonaie could sense that, and panicked, but tried desperatley to control her self. Glinda in her mind kept re-assuring herself that it would be impossible to find Elphaba Thropp again. She was indeed killed finally, the last time Anthony and Julia were here.
They kept moving forwards, until it was too much for Adonaie to handle, and Adonaie freaked out like no other. There on the ground, blocking their way was the same black, pointed, wide brimmed hat of the Wicked Witch of the West. Birds in nearby Trees flew out of them all at once and went the opposite direction Glinda was trying to get to.
"Adonaie! Easy girl, calm down! What is the matter? Settle down lady!" Glinda tried loudly to ease the Horse but it was no use. Adonaie continued to screamed and violently shook about, trying to find the fastest route out. Scared, she stood back on her hind legs, dropping Glinda on her back. When her front two legs touched the ground again, she ran. Glinda was left alone in the dark of the meadows and the lake.
"Adonaie, halt in the name of goodness halt!" Glinda tried to order, but Adonaie had left earshot range, and looked to be heading back to the Castle of the Emerald City. Glinda picked up her staff which had rolled out of her hand when she fell, and went the rest of the way by foot. When she reached the hat, she got goose bumps. The weird thing was, when the Witch finally died for good, she had fallen off the roof of the Emerald Palace, nowhere near Lake Chorge. What was it doing here? Glinda picked it up, and looked closely at it.
Back at the opposite end of the lake with Anthony, Argy, and Ben, they stopped for a moment, catching their breath. Then in the distance, they saw a light pink blur charging in their direction with no intention of stopping. Anthony stood right in its way and waved his arms, hoping and thinking it was a horse.
"What is that?" ASked Argy swuinting at it.
"It's moving fast, coming towards us, get out of its way!" Ben yelled. He ran across the path and shoved Argy down with him out of the way. Anthony remained in the middle though.
"Anthony! Get back here!" Argy told me. It didn't look like the thing was planning to stop.
"STOP! SLOW DOWN PLEASE!" I tried talking to it. To our surprise, the horse did slow, and then stop at our spot. The light pink Horse looked closely at us,and first was panting, still scared from what ran her away from Glinda. Then she remembered, and smiled.
"You are Ben, Anthony, and Argy, are you not?" The Horse asked. We said yes, and then Ben said what they were thinking.
"How did you know my name?"
"I am Lady Glinda the Good's companion, but I left her at the other end of the lake, afraid of the evil in this Lake, you all are fools, do you not know who is here waiting to strike you?"
"What is going on? We are trying to find Natalee who Ozma said is in danger of something!" Anthony exclaimed.
The Horse introduced herself with her name and then explained what Mombi had done to herself accidentally. We all were appalled and now horrified. Natalee still had yet to be found, and the night was still young. We asked Adonaie to take us to Glinda and finally we achieved our rendezvous.
"Oh thank Lurline, you're all still alive, I was worried sick, Mombi has transformed herself into a Witch Anthony, she's not just a sorceress anymore!" Glinda was stressing, and very relieved to see us all in the flesh. We all had a group hug and Adonaie smiled, but it didn't last long, and the moment returned to being scary.
"Where is Natalee? Anthony what happened to her?" Glinda asked terrified to not see her here.
"I don't know, we just were running out to go and look for her but it's been a long time now, I haven't heard a peep from her,"Argy answered. Glinda was still holding the black pointed hat, and everyone stopped talking. Anthony's heart stopped it felt like.
"Glinda, where on earth did you find that?" I knew exactly whose it was.
"It was on the road infront of me before Adonaie ran away and found you three," Glinda answered. Then the hat dropped. Slowly it looked like it was melting as the Witch herself did, but then turned into a thousand black bats, and with a high pitched screeching noise, flew in a circle pattern in the middle of us, and faster and faster they flew around. Glinda knew what was happening, and brought Argy and Ben to stand behind her, and put Anthony in front, with the arm holding her staff, half way hugging me, facing the swirling bats. The Evil Witch of Death Mombi appeared with the pointed black pearled crown, black diamond scattered gown and thick dark black bat-fur cape with the high collar.
"Good evening Glinda, and Ben! What an unexpected delight, I see you have another friend now, how charming. And the old idiot who now calls himself Wizard I see," Mombi hissed.
"Spare us your words of venom Mombi, what have you done with Natalee?" Glinda sternly asked.
"Oh I've done nothing, in fact, you could say she flew straight into my hands," Mombi grinned gripping the silver trident tighter and flexing its outboard bone made prongs. Argy and Ben were fixed on this, any sudden movements and all of them would burst into a fight. Anthony watched her intently. Her dark fur cloak looked like she could be hiding something else in there just seeing its size alone.
"ANSWER THE QUESTION, WHERE IS NATALEE?" I let go of Glinda's hand and shoved my own staff at her neck. Glinda shouted at me to not do that, remembering that Mombi could still take my soul, or kidnap me. Mombi looked down at me being taller, and moved closer, causing one would think, more pain to herself.
"You foolish, naïve, little child. DO you really think that toy is going to harm me?" Mombi unblinkingly looked right into my eyes. I pretended to release my staff's hold on her, and turned around acting like I was giving up and walked slowly back to Glinda. I raised my eyebrows quickly, and Glinda saw, and acknowledged, nodding her head.
In a split second I yelled, and slammed my staff on the ground, exploding the top of my staff in the largest stream of fire and burning oil I had ever created, all encircling Mombi. The raging fire made us all sweat instantly in its terrible heat. The Witch matched my skill and raised me one. She covered herself in the bat fur cape and turned into bats again. When she had turned back to normal form, the fire and oil I fired at her hit empty space, Ben looked like he was debating wether or not to fight her.
"Come here Ben, Mother understands. Don't listen to Anthony or Glinda, they're not like you. No. You are special, capable of anything if you just listen to me, " Mombi slithered her words out like a snake showing its tounge to its dinner.
"Ben! Don't listen to that garbage! Remember Glinda and Ozma! And your home on Earth where you belong! Goinf with Mombi will end all of that for you forever!"I shouted at Ben who was entranced by Mombi then snapped out of it. Argy threw me my sword and he ran behind a tree to wait for another weapon. I ran up to Mombi and ensued a propper duel with her, fighting with brute force and cling clanging the blade of my sword against her silver trident. Ben foght her as well and Mombi moved her triddent in a way that successfully attacked us both at the same time. Glinda shot bursts of lightning and fire out at Mombi as well, defending unarmed Argy and trying to help us.
"Perhaps an old friend can lend a hand!" Mombi yelled. Then while fighting me still, she summoned Ozmists of Elphaba's flying monkeys and vultures, and they attacked us like beasts feeding on their prey. Despite their being ghosts, they had weight, and bit my arm and scratched my back tearing my robe and skin. One of the flying monkeys bit Ben's leg, the same one that the Angel of Death once tried to sever from the rest of his body. Argy was pounced upon by three Monkeys and a Vulture picked him up flew high above the trees, and then dropped him, breaking his legs.
"You all are fools you don't even know where Natalee is yet and here you are wasting precious time fighting me!" Mombi laughed.
"When do you ever shut the hell up? You want my soul? TRY AND TAKE IT!" Ben challenged. Mombi smiled and fought him one on one.
"Ben NO!" I shouted. I threw Argy my sword again and formed a shield around ben just in time, as Mombi had opened her mouth trying to suck the life out of him. Instead, my blue shining shield turned black and shattered. Ben was doing well, he was constantly no t hitting the ground, but hitting Mombi.
"You are not my mother, and you are not going to harm my friends!"
"You're right I won't harm them, I'LL KILL THEM AND MUTTILATE YOU!" Mombi continued cursing. Now she targeted Ben again, and shot him with poison, going into the pores of his skin, and tried to get to his soul but the potion Glinda had given us was working. Glinda closed her eyes and told us all to lay on the ground. Not wasting time questioning we all played dead as an enormous wall of water formed in the Lake, and like a furious Tsunami, rolled over the fields and slammed into Mombi, knocking down trees and washing away the abandoned farms nearby. When the water cleared, and we all recovered, Mombi stood in the same spot. Glinda kept firing white lightning at Mombi, which was working. The constant shock of electricity was hurting her and she couldn't curse for the moment.
Now it was our turn to fight. Ben slammed the ground with his huge mace and two trees caught fire and fell down in front of Mombi. The fire from them was ineffective against this Witch. Their branches and other debris from them crashing down cut her face and sent her down on her back, but she wasn't as wounded as we were. Glinda stood up tired of all this, and held her staff out with one hand as her eyes lit pink. She formed icicles above Mombi's body and added a stick of dynamite inside them. When her eyes turned normal, the icicles fell down on Mombi stabbing her repeatedly, and then they exploded, sending us a few feet back on our butts. To our overwhelming sight, Mombi stood up, weakened in the slightest.I was beginning to notice everyone was having an affect on Mombi except for me. Ben specifically was causing the most damage...
She took this time to dismiss the Ozmists, and in a hissing black smoke they vanished. Then she swished her black cape out in front of her and created a barrier from her and the crippled Argy beside Glinda, who was casting multiple spells at once, trying to heal Argy, and attack Mombi with exploding fireballs simultaneously.
The sight was epic. On one side was the tremendously dark, bat-like, Witch Mombi. Her wing and fur cape did not flow at all being too heavy with the slight breeze. The Kumbric Witch fought against the beautiful and heavenly Glinda the Good. The only light was from the cast spells of the Witch and from Glinda's sparkling white engulfed Anthony in a blanket of fire and electric shock. He was fading in and out of consciousness; he had lost a lot of blood and now was covered in black char. Ben took notice and ran over infront of me, and swung his mace at Mombi's direction, shooting her with a dozen boulders. Mombi screamed in pain as her bones in her arm and leg shattered, but quickly stood up again healing herself with her new powers. The Witch used her Trident and walked taking large steps over to Anthony and cast a strange spell. She zapped me with the trident, and I became tied up with wrope that was on fire, and made of thorns from a rose. I screamed in pain rolling on the ground trying toput out the fire, but that only dug the thorns deeper into Ben and Glinda came to my aid, but there was nothing they could do, the fire was a spell cast by Mombi, and wouldn't extinguish until she left. Glinda and Argy couldn't do anything, but watch as their friend lost blood, and even skin in some parts. Mombi smiled and then turned her head to Ben.
"Who's next? Ben Noskilwin! I believe you still owe me something of yours, something, I am craving, and, NEED RIGHT NOW! "Mombi was completely derranged, and craving his soul as if it were actually food.
"I OWE YOU NOTHING! AND HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY FRIENDS YOU BITCH! YOU WANT MY SOUL? THEN FIGHT ME!"Ben had had enough. Glinda gave Argy a glowing emerald, and then went back into the fight with Ben, helping him subtly.
Mombi ran over to Ben with her arms out infront, and dropped her jaw, trying to start sucking his soul. Ben panicked, but was also ready, and was prepared to hit Mombi square in the face with his mace when she approached him. Glinda could not let Mombi win, and, and shot more lightning and fire throwing Mombi back against a tree and blacked out for a moment. Ben continued fighting, and slammed his mace on the ground telling the gems to fly out and pull the tree down ontop of her. With a deep maoning groan, the Quoxwood tree cracked and slammed down on her. After the thud, and the dust cleared, Mombi's bloody hand pulled her self up from underneath the tree. Glinda looked back at Anthony and Argy to check if there was any progress, but sadly and scarily, no there wasn't. Although he wasn't screaming anymore, which worried her more.
Argy looked at Anthony with dry eyes, he was in too much denial to cry. Could that actually be Anthony on fire and tied up with thorns? No it can't be, he can't be hurt this held his hand in his own, to keep track of Anthony's pulse, the least he could do for a brother.
Mombi mean while had continued fighting Ben one on one, and ben was bleeding too. His arm was deeply gashed, his back looked like ther were bullet holes, and his face was charred from the fire. Mombi was bruised and her cloak was torn in places, but she was not bleeding, scars replaced the open wounds.
"My dear Ben, look what you've done to poor old mummy," Mombi hissed. She was tempting Ben to feel as though he did something wrong, and was hard to not fall for it, but he didn' now she had slithered her way out from under the tree, and used her triden to help her back up.
"Ben don't listen to her, she's lieing, remember she wants your soul to take the Crown! YOUR OWN MOTHER WANTS TO KILL YOU!" Anthony tried screaming, but the blood loss made him very weak. And he couldn't muster enough energy to say anything more. Glinda was fed up and wiped the tears away swiftly. With one hand she fired white lightning, and with her staff she spun it around, firing burning lava like a machine gun.
"You can't kill me, you will not kill Ben! And you will never, ever take the crown! You shall join Langwidere and the Nome King IN HELL, WHERE YOU BELONG!" Glinda threw off her robe exposing the blinding white light that I had only seen once... The day she returned from when we thought Elphaba killed her with the slippers. Mombi screamed in the light, and now focused her attacks solely on Glinda, who challenged her in that way on purpose, to draw the heat off of . Ben took this time to fight Mombi from the back, causing more damage, and not being attacked in return.
Ben was fighting and didn't see me or notice what Mombi was trying to do now. She had stopped fighting, and began walking towards Argy, who had his back now to the event, trying to keep track of Anthony's pulse, which now was slowing. Glinda smashed Mombi with her staff and knocked the wind out of Mombi for a moment. But when she rose again, she turned Ben to stone, freezing him in place. She didn't care about Anthony, she just wanted to harm us all, and focused on Ben mostly. Then shechanged her mind. Wounding Anthony like that caused a good distraction, Natalee was still kidnapped, so what about Argy? She smiled and raised her trident in the air. Glinda began singing to form a shield around Argy and Anthony, but it was too late, only by a mere fraction of a second but still. Mombi stabbed Argy in the back with the blade of the Trident, and laughed hystericallyas Argy gasped loudly in the sudden shock of pain, and fell ontop of Anthony. She whished her cloak around, and flew away as a herd of bats back to her castle to deal with Natalee now.
Glinda snapped her fingers and all of us were freed from Mombi's curses. She went over to each of us and healed our wounds, and cleaned up the blood. Ben was no longer stone, and his wounds had been healed by a mere touch of Glinda's hand. Then she moved to Anthony and Argy. She tried healing Anthony first. For this she needed a heavy spell. She told Ben to go looking for a weed,with a special magical root that grew in the lake, sort of lke Earth's Lilly in a pond. Ben returned with three of them and she laid them o Anthony's chest. their roots grew long and upwards, connecting them selves to Glinda's rose crown, which lit up brightly red and green on her blonde head. She continued singing and slowly Anthony was healed. The char, blood, and thorns washed away in the light, and then slower still, the missing skin layers were reborn. With a loud crack, the light dimmed, and the spell was finished. The roots shrank down and returned to their normal state. Anthony woke up coughing and now was fine. Ben was crying and ran over to him as he sat up and hugged tightly. Feeling guilty for all this needlessly, but kindly.
Then Lady Glinda in all her sparkling love knelt down at Argy's side and held his hand. She searched his neck and wrist for a pulse but couldn't find one. Glinda started crying and breathing heavily worried that it may be too late. Anthony and Ben watched Glinda heal Argy, and still crying, both sat down next to her. Argy had been an extremely helpful friend for a long time to Anthony, and it was heart breaking to see him in pain, and with out a pulse.
Lady Glinda through her reddend face and crying eyes began singing a charm to try and bring him back. The spell was desperate, but for now was their only hope. Natalee was still missing, and now we knew where she was. It meant another fight with Mombi, and it also meant another chance to kill her. For now though we had to help Argy. Mombi wouldn't kill Natalee, but she might get carried away with torture. Time was slipping away faster, but as long as we had air in our lungs, and love in our hearts, we shall get her back, and save Argy...For the Queen.
