A/N: A shout out to James Birdsong. Thanks so much for the review! :)
Chapter 13
Winter passed with relative ease which was surprising to everyone. The previous winter had been a bear and everyone assumed that this year would be just as bad. There was plenty of snow but the winds had been favorable and by early in the next year, things were just frozen not covered in six feet of snow.
The villagers had been surprised at the Great Miss Elphaba's transformation and some had voiced their concerns about her not having any magic to protect them. She had promised them that it would actually better for all those involved and as long as the village's location remained a secret then the need for her magic would not be necessary. Food and supplies were plentiful and they should be safe from the outside world.
Spring arrived practically on schedule and the process of diverting water to the village was picked up again. Crops were started and things were going fairly well until little Susie Hutch, a very adorable Rabbit, came down with a fever. The fever also came with a cough and a runny nose.
"I don't like the color of her tongue," Mrs. Dillamond pulled Elphaba aside while they visited the Rabbit family. Elphaba had been sent in to see the little girl as she could not catch whatever disease she had. She quickly made notes and then went out to speak with Mrs. Dillamond.
"I don't either. I think I know what this is and if we don't get it under control we could have a very sick village, very quickly. I hesitate to even mention the name without inciting a panic," Elphaba said.
"I was afraid you'd say that," the Goat confided.
"Unfortunately there is only one way to check for this disease and be absolutely sure that is in fact what the patient has," the female Scarecrow told her.
"What way is that? You'll have to forgive me. My training isn't up to par due to the edict set down by Morrible," the tinges of anger in her voice were unmistakable and Elphaba knew what she meant. The moment Animals weren't considered citizens; any and all schooling was stopped along with other public services. Glinda had been trying to get those rights back but it had been a long road and the village's population had grown because of it.
"The only way to test is to collect a sample of the patient's blood and do some tests. Most of the tests we can't even do because we don't have a laboratory setting to do them in but the obvious ones should be able to be performed," Elphaba said.
"That's all well and good but I don't have any reliable needles to collect a sample. Even if I did, I don't have any way to reuse them. No tests for anyone else," Mrs. Dillamond pointed out.
"You said you have a pretty handy blacksmith right?" Her friend asked.
"Yes," the Goat nodded.
"I'm assuming he made the glass for the windows as well?" Elphaba wanted to know.
"I have to admit, we stole most of that. Not a lot of sand around here and we really don't have the capabilities of heating it up," Mrs. Dillamond admitted.
"Where did you steal windows from?" The female Scarecrow asked, surprised by her answer.
"Most were from the village that is about five miles from here. Some were from Kiamo Ko as we were passing by," the Goat explained.
"You'll have to fill me in on that later. Can we get to the village? Will there be medical supplies there?" Elphaba inquired.
"There should be but I must warn you, the reason I did not bring up the village before was that the villagers are pro-Wizard. We did nightly raids to their garbage dump or even removed windows from dilapidated buildings," Mrs. Dillamond told her.
"Then it sounds like a job for Fiyero and myself," she smiled.
"And what do we do with Susie in the meantime?" Her friend wanted to know.
"Cover your mouth and nose and try to get her fever down. No one is to handle her bodily fluids or anything that has even brushed up against her. Everything in that room will have to be burned," Elphaba said.
"Find my husband and he'll tell you how to get to the village," the Goat nodded. With that, her friend took off to find both Fiyero and Doctor Dillamond.
To Be Continued…