Chapter 20
"You do know that Glinda is going to kill me right?" Elphaba asked as she sat down next to Captain Asli's infirmary bed. It had been two days since she had given the prisoners the truth serum and the Captain was finally well enough to talk.
"Because I got shot?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Partly. The other part would be the fact that you didn't even have to fight in battle which in turn means she will think that she could have been here to help even though we both know better," she chuckled.
"Point. I will probably never live it down," Asli chuckled too and then regretted it as he gasped for air.
"Still sore?" Elphaba ran her hands over the bandages and chanted a spell. She hadn't been able to help him before but now she could have since she'd been able to rest.
"Not anymore," Asli marveled.
"You'll still have a scar but it won't be nearly as big as it could have been," she smiled.
"Chicks dig scars or so I've been told," he said uncertainly and Elphaba just laughed.
"Glinda will want to make it all better, I can assure you," she said.
"So other than not writing my wife, what have I missed?" The Captain wanted to know.
"I concocted a potion and we fed it to all the prisoners. A good number of them did not want to go to war and certainly would not have done so willingly. Burcin created an army using magic with the help of those that actually wanted to go to war. We've separated the ones that were on Burcin's side from the start and the Queen is deciding their fate. The others are being jailed for a period until their families can be located and the Queen can decide what to do with them," the witch explained.
"How did the non-magical humans assist in growing the army?" Asli wanted to know.
"Mostly by kidnapping. Some were strong armed. Told that if they didn't join, they would watch their family die and then they would be killed," Elphaba shook her head.
"Boy they certainly know how to start conscription," Asli sighed.
"Yes well that meant Seraphina and her friends had to use a spell to get them to fight. They didn't know about Avantador or the Griffins but it didn't matter since the troops were enchanted anyway," she said.
"What of Seraphina?" The Captain asked.
"She remains in a comatose state after using so much energy. The longer she does the more I fear she will never come out of it," Elphaba shook her head.
"She helped kill thousands of men. I think she does not deserve your pity. She may have been kidnapped and turned into a monster but that does not excuse what she did," he reminded her.
"It just breaks my heart that I will not be able to help her. She has a gift and it could be used for good but no matter what you are right. She aided in the murder of thousands. She must pay for her crimes," she heaved a sigh.
"She cannot go free and the others not. After all, even those who had no powers are being punished in one way or another," Asli took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze before continuing,
"Where is Fiyero?"
"He's working with his mother and the leaders of the troops to find the best way to handle all of the prisoners," Elphaba said.
"And the stuff with Avantador?" He asked.
"Still worrying about that," she nodded.
"There's something else, isn't there?" Asli gave her a look. Elphaba opened her mouth and then closed it again.
"I knew it. What happened?" The Captain worried for his friend.
"I'm pregnant," she told him.
To Be Continued…