Elphaba and Peric were on the second floor when Malky arrived at the corn exchange. They sat beneath the elephant skull. Elphaba gazed quietly at the various knick knacks she had put up there: the Owl feather, her mother's bottle, the few crumbled pages that remained from Dillamond's research. Peric was beside her, scratching patterns into the dirt on the floor. A companionable quiet stretched between them.
Malky padded silently over to them. "You know, you never told me what the skull was for."
Peric shuffled his wings and looked up. "It was here when we found this place."
"Elephants have an innate magic ability," Elphaba said, glancing up at the skull. "I'm guessing a sorcerer of some sort put it up years ago. We just never took it down."
"It's odd," said Malky.
"It fits," said Peric. All three of them nodded at that. Elphaba took her eyes off the skull and turned toward Malky.
"What are we doing tonight?"
"Teamwork," he said dryly.
"We're working with other agents again?" Peric asked. "More safe houses?"
"Politicians' houses, actually."
Elphaba raised her eyes and leaned forward. Malky sat down and curled his tail around his front paws.
"There's some sort of meeting, or a courier—something that we need to intercept. I don't know all the details. It's in one of the richer neighborhoods, which means the streets are heavily guarded."
"So we're clearing the block for them," said Elphaba.
"Not quite. Someone else is doing that. Our job is to stand guard and keep them clear."
"How many people are on this?" Peric asked. Malky gave him a warning look.
"Enough. You know how this works."
Elphaba nodded. They did know. They had their part, and everyone else had theirs. They didn't need to know everyone else's missions, as long as they got theirs done.
"When?" she asked.
"That's the tricky part," said Malky. "We need to be in place by sundown."
Peric clicked his beak. "Why?"
"Because we don't know when the meeting will take place. We have to be ready."
"Are you saying there's a chance we'll be out there all night?" Peric asked. Malky just stood up and stretched.
"I suggest you get ready for a long night, Master Peric."
He wandered off, hopping down to the main floor. Peric turned to stare at Elphaba, who shrugged.
"Don't look at me, it's not my idea."
"All night? And we don't even have the fun job."
Elphaba snorted and pushed herself to her feet. Peric hopped after her.
"All night."
"You'll be fine."
"And we're leaving before dark. What if we're seen?"
"We won't be seen."
"We're not exactly inconspicuous, Fae."
"So I'll ditch the hat for the night," Elphaba said, smirking. "Come on."
As it turned out, she did ditch the hat. And the broom. Elphaba pulled her hood down low over her face, feeling strangely bare without the two.
It was necessary, she told herself as they passed a newspaper stand with her picture all over it. Without the dark to cover her, she needed to look like any other resident of the slums.
Malky walked along the rooftops, his stare blank, subtly leading the way. Peric had the hardest time out of all of them, but he managed to mostly disappear behind Elphaba's cloak whenever someone looked their way.
The sun was setting by the time they reached the upper districts. The low light got in her eyes, but she supposed that meant it would hurt everyone else's vision, too, so she didn't complain.
Malky led them to a little alleyway. The buildings on either side were tall enough that it was full of shadows, and Peric sighed in relief, hopping away from Elphaba's legs.
"What now?" she asked, leaning against one of the walls. Malky looked out into the street, maybe for some sort of signal, but Elphaba saw nothing.
"Now," he said, still looking away, "we wait."
Glinda sat stiffly in the carriage. Her legs were crossed at the ankle, her hands were folded delicately in her lap, and her back was straight. Next to her, the Wizard and Morrible were talking quietly. The Wizard was animated, though Glinda got the feeling it was more for her benefit than anything else. Morrible sounded bored, but she nodded along to whatever the Wizard was saying. Glinda paid little attention to either of them.
The house they arrived at was more of a mansion than anything. Glinda eyed the double porch on the front and the faded red window shutters. It must have been built generations ago. It would have been cute, had it not belonged to some sleazy politician.
In all honesty, she didn't know why she was there. The Wizard was meeting with this man for some sort of business, but Glinda didn't see how that involved her. Still, Morrible nudged her out of the carriage and up the porch steps.
"Your Ozness," a man said, stepping onto the porch to greet them. "It's an honor, as always."
"Hello, Frederick, it's nice to see you well," said the Wizard. "I believe you've met Madame Morrible before. And may I introduce our lovely Glinda."
The man grabbed her hand and bowed low to kiss it. "Your Goodness. It's a pleasure."
Glinda didn't like the way her leered up at her, but Morrible's hand was on her shoulder, so she tilted her chin up a little and said, as pleasantly as she could manage, "Likewise."
"Shall we?" said the Wizard, gesturing toward the door.
Frederick led them inside, where Glinda was startled to see half a dozen Gale Force officers. Most of them smiled and tipped their hats at her, and she gave them what she hoped was a convincing smile back. The Wizard and Frederick went immediately into a side room, and the soldiers followed.
Morrible squeezed Glinda's shoulder hard before letting go. "Stay out here, and behave yourself," she said as if speaking to a child. Glinda's cheeks burned, but she stayed silent as Morrible swept into the side room and shut the door behind her.
Glinda stood in the middle of the room and looked around. At least the house was pretty, but why was she here? She knew that she would never know what was happening in that meeting, so why did they need her?
She made a face, remembering Frederick's eyes grazing over her. She shook her head and walked slowly around the room. It was full of tapestries and paintings and little figurines lined up on polished shelves. They were clearly just a show of money, but they were pretty nonetheless.
She walked up to a little stone statue. It was of some saint, but she didn't know which one. Glinda reached out and traced her fingers over the cool marble.
The door opened and she snatched her hand away. Morrible appeared, walking over to a counter at the side of the room and pulling down teacups and a kettle.
"Glinda, dear," she said lightly, "Don't touch."
The door was still open, putting them within earshot, and Glinda's face burned again. She walked over to Morrible, who had filled the kettle with water and was passing her hand over the top, muttering an incantation to warm it. Morrible gestured toward the cups, and Glinda pushed them toward her.
"Why am I even here?" she asked, her voice low.
"Because we told you to be, my dear."
"Because that governor is a creep, and checking me out makes him more agreeable to whatever the Wizard wants?"
"Don't be so argumentative," Morrible said dismissively, gathering the tea and putting it on a tray. "It goes against your image, Your Goodness."
Glinda clenched her jaw. "There is no point in me being here."
"Well, we're not just going to let you just walk back." Morrible picked up the tray, but she paused before leaving. "However, if you're so bored, it's a safe neighborhood. I suppose you may wander around for a while."
Glinda glared, giving her a tiny curtsy. "How kind of you, Madame."
"Yes, yes, anything to get you out of my hair." Morrible left the room, shutting the door once more behind her.
Glinda hurried quietly out of the room before she could change her mind. She slipped through the front door and smiled at the fresh air. It was cold, but anything was better than staying in the pretentious, stuffy old house. She hopped down the steps and started down the sidewalk.
It was dark out, but this neighborhood was made entirely of politicians or officers or the like. She had thought she would run into soldiers on patrol, but the streets were empty. She didn't mind. The less attention, the better.
Still, there was something eerie about how quiet the night was. Glinda smoothed her palms across her dress. If it was truly dangerous out here, the Wizard wouldn't be here. If it was anything else, she could handle herself.
She walked on, her heels clipping softly against the street.
Elphaba's legs were getting stiff, and she stood up and paced quietly back and forth. Malky watched her, his tail flicking slightly. Peric was perched on one of the rooftops, tucked into the shadow of a small overhang. He shuffled a bit and glided down toward them.
"How long are we going to stay here?" he asked.
"As long as it takes," said Malky. Peric shuffled his wings.
"Well, there's no one out there."
Elphaba stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. She looked up, but the lights were too bright in this part of town, and they blotted out the stars.
Malky tensed, an ear tilting to the side. "Wait."
The three of them held still, and after a moment, Elphaba heard what he did. Footsteps were coming up the street, moving quietly. She inhaled sharply. Those steps, the way the shoes clipped against the ground, it was familiar…
"I thought they were supposed to clear the streets," Peric said quietly.
"It doesn't matter," said Malky. "Whoever it is, they need to be taken care of. Let's go."
He padded over to the edge of the alley, Peric following closely. A shiver went through Elphaba, and she pushed herself off the wall.
"Wait," she breathed, hurrying toward them. They paused, and she leaned past them to peer across the street. The footsteps had stopped. There was a movement in the shadows, a flash of blonde hair—
The world froze. Elphaba tensed, her eyes widening. "No…"
"Fae." Peric nudged Elphaba's thigh, hard. "Fae. She can't be here."
"He's right," said Malky. "If we don't get rid of her, one of the others will."
Elphaba's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Peric hit her with a wing.
"Go," he said. "Get her out of here. We'll cover you."
"I… She…"
He hopped up to her shoulder, his weight staggering her and snapping her out of her shock. Elphaba pushed him off, then stepped out into the street. She glanced back, but Malky and Peric had disappeared. Swallowing, she tugged her hood down low and crept forward.
Glinda had paused. She stood uncertainly on the sidewalk, looking around, seeming even smaller than usual. Elphaba hesitated a few feet away. Glinda tensed, but when she looked around again, she obviously saw nothing.
Out of the corner of her eye, Elphaba saw movement down the street. She needed to get Glinda out of here. She waited for her to turn around again, then moved forward.
She wrapped an arm around Glinda's torso, trapping her arms, and used her other hand to cover Glinda's mouth. Elphaba pulled her to the side and down an alley. Every sound they made—their feet scuffing against the ground, the rustle of their clothes, their quick, shaky breaths—echoed around them in the silence. Glinda struggled against her, taking Elphaba by surprise with her strength, but she quickly readjusted. The air around them hummed with energy, and then, just as quickly as it started, the magic vanished. Glinda stopped fighting, though she stayed tense in Elphaba's arms.
Elphaba pushed them further up the alley and shoved Glinda against a wall. She knew she was using more force than necessary. She also knew she didn't—shouldn't—care. Still, she couldn't stop the shiver that went through her as she pressed her body against Glinda's, trying to hide them as much as possible against the bricks. Glinda twisted her neck, trying to look back at her, but Elphaba grabbed the back of her head and held it in place.
"Hold still," she hissed, barely sounding like herself.
Glinda stilled, staring down at her feet. Elphaba let go of her head and covered her mouth again. After a moment or two, Glinda squirmed a little, dropping one of her shoulders to loosen her arm. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around Elphaba's forearm—the only part she could reach—and squeezed lightly. Elphaba let out a little breath, the hand on Glinda's mouth slipping.
"Elphie?"
Elphaba covered her mouth again, tightening her arm around Glinda. "Hold still." It was nothing more than a breath this time, still urgent but no longer threatening.
They stayed there for a few long minutes, until Elphaba deemed it safe enough to slip away from the block. She leaned in to whisper in Glinda's ear, and the blonde shivered before she could get a single word out.
"Why are you here?" Elphaba asked quietly. She lowered her hand from Glinda's mouth.
"I-I don't—I was just walking—"
"Shouldn't you be in the palace?" Glinda winced, but Elphaba ignored it. She tightened her grip, shaking Glinda slightly. "What are you doing here?"
"I—the Wizard—"
Elphaba pushed her a little further into the wall. "I should have known," she growled.
"Elphie—"
"Shut up," she said. "Just tell me which way you came from so I can get you out of here and never see you again."
"Elph—"
"Which way did you come from?" she demanded.
Glinda's shoulders shook and her head hung in Elphaba's hand. "East," she whispered. "I'm a couple streets east."
Elphaba pulled them away from the wall and started down the road. She clung to the shadows and kept Glinda in front of her, never giving her a chance to look back.
"Take a left," Glinda whispered once, and Elphaba tightened her grip on her, irrationally annoyed at the direction. Still, she dragged them to the left.
It didn't take long to find where Glinda had come from. An ornate carriage stood outside one of the larger houses. Elphaba glared. What was Glinda doing there? She told herself it didn't matter and pulled them to a stop at a corner of the street, ducking into the shadows.
Roughly, she pulled Glinda close and pressed her mouth to her ear again. "Get inside," she hissed. "Don't come back out, and don't you dare let the Wizard know I was here."
Glinda twisted, trying desperately to face her. "Elphaba, please, I—"
Elphaba pushed her away. Glinda stumbled forward, and by the time she regained her balance and turned around, Elphaba had vanished.
"Elphie?" she whispered, but no response came from the darkness. Shivering, Glinda wrapped her arms around herself and hurried back inside.
Glinda didn't speak to anyone for the rest of the night. When the meeting was over and everyone came back into the main room, she feigned exhaustion and did her best to put a convincing enough smile on her face through their goodbyes. Morrible gave her an odd look, brow raised and eyes dancing maliciously, but Glinda was too shaken to think too much about it.
In the carriage on the way back to the palace, the Wizard noticed her trembling and put his suit jacket around her shoulders. Glinda gave him a weak smile and tried not to throw up.
When they arrived, Glinda immediately excused herself, giving the jacket back, and raced away from the foyer. She ran into her room and barely managed to lock the door behind her before collapsing to the floor. She could still feel Elphaba's grip on her, Elphaba's body pressing into hers, Elphaba's breath at her ear. It wasn't gentle. It was harsh and bitter and violent, and Glinda deserved every bit of it.
But…there was still hope, right? If Elphaba truly hated her, she wouldn't have pulled her out of danger. Because something dangerous was happening on those streets. Glinda had known that before Elphaba had even appeared, and she had the feeling that if Elphie hadn't found her tonight, something far worse would have.
Glinda trembled violently. She longed for Elphaba's arms around her again. She didn't care if it was the angry, betrayed Elphaba; she just needed her, now more than ever. She needed the chance to turn around and see her. She needed the words to explain, to tell her that she still loved her, that she was only doing this to help her. But Elphaba hadn't given her the chance—maybe Glinda didn't deserve it.
Her sobs turned to heavy, gasping breaths, and Glinda choked, her stomach heaving. She pushed herself to her feet and rushed to the bathroom, locking that door, too.
That's how she woke up the next morning—curled tightly on the bathroom floor, the tears dry on her face, only a couple hours of sleep making her even more tired than when she had passed out the night before. Her throat felt raw and her head throbbed dully. Groaning a little, she pushed herself up far enough to turn on the water in the bath.
Glinda forced herself to wash up and get ready for the day. She had to be Glinda the Good. She had to put on a smile and do what she could to help people, even if she couldn't help Elphaba. She had to work up the energy to face Morrible—
Morrible.
She had let Glinda walk around alone last night. She wasn't stupid, and neither was the Wizard. They had to have known something was happening on those streets. And Morrible let her go anyway.
Glinda was shaking again, with anger this time, and she quickly pulled on her dress and left the room. She didn't meet anyone on the way to Morrible's chambers—or maybe they all just saw the look on her face and steered clear. Either way, in just a few moments she was banging on Morrible's door, demanding to see her.
The door opened and Morrible dragged her inside, slamming it shut again.
"You're making a scene, my dear."
Glinda ignored her infuriatingly calm voice. "You knew last night would happen. You knew you were sending me into danger."
Morrible smirked. "Danger? Last night? Why, I don't know what you're talking about."
Flames sparked to life around Glinda's fists, dancing up her forearms. She lunged forward without thinking, and for a moment Morrible was taken by surprise. She stumbled back, her eyes wide, but then she caught Glinda's wrists. The fire went out as she shoved Glinda away.
"Careful, Your Goodness. Violence doesn't agree with your image."
"I don't give a damn about image," Glinda spat. "Youtried to have me killed!"
Morrible made a disapproving sound. "Cut the dramatics, Miss Glinda. We both know the green freak would never let that happen."
Glinda froze. Her knees wobbled beneath her, and she took a few steps back to lean against the door. "You…"
"Yes, we knew she was there. Or, at least, we suspected." Morrible watched Glinda's reaction, her eyes flickering with amusement. "See, she and her friends thought they were stopping a meeting from happening last night. They didn't know that it was all a set up. The information they retrieved was false. But, that's not the important part."
Glinda didn't want to hear the important part. She shook her head, her lips parting in horror.
"Did you stop to wonder why there were soldiers in Master Frederick's house last night? They were there to ensure the Wizard's safety, of course, but there's more to it than that. Go on, Miss Glinda, take a guess. We both know you're not as simple as you make yourself out to be."
Glinda swallowed. "It was a trap," she whispered. Why else would Morrible let her wander around by herself? How could she be so stupid?
"Yes, my dear. And I really must thank you—you made wonderful bait."
"No."
"When Miss Elphaba brought you back safely to Frederick's house, we had soldiers waiting to follow her. They tailed her for the rest of the night, all the way back to her little hideout. It's only a matter of time before she'll be in our custody."
No. Magic surged through her, but she clenched her fists and held it in check. Morrible waited, but Glinda refused to give her any more satisfaction. She took a deep breath, forcing the energy back down, then turned and yanked the door open, running out of the room before Morrible could stop her.
By the time she reached her chambers, Glinda had calmed just enough to get her magic under control. She slammed the door behind her and fell into the bed, burying herself beneath the endless pillows and blankets. She pressed her face into the mattress and choked out a scream, trying to release some of the panic building in her chest. Of course the whole thing was a trap. Of course there had been soldiers posted outside. She should have known. She should have realized.
But she didn't. She had been stupid and naïve and now Elphaba was going to pay for it. Glinda cried out, her voice muffled by the mattress. She was terrified. She was furious and she was ashamed and she was so, so terrified. And she couldn't breathe.
She pushed herself up and gasped for air. When her lungs no longer ached, she clumsily rearranged the pillows and blankets so she could lie down normally. She clutched a pillow to her chest and buried her face in it, letting the tears fall silently. What was she going to do? What was she going to do?
"Your—Miss Glinda?"
Glinda jumped, sitting up and wiping her cheeks. "A-Ambree, I—" Her voice shook and she coughed a little, trying to cover a sob. "I-I—"
Ambree stepped inside, then hesitated. She bit her lip, uncertain, but then she nodded to herself and walked over to Glinda's desk. She set something down before turning and hurrying to the bed.
She knelt beside Glinda and opened her arms, pulling her in close. Glinda shuddered and clung to her. She tried to speak, but could only manage a soft cry. Ambree hushed her and stroked her hair.
"Don't worry about it, Miss Glinda," she said gently. "You don't need to give me any explanation." She shifted, easing Glinda back so she was lying down again, and pulled the covers over her. "Just take care of yourself. I'll make sure no one bothers you today. Okay?"
Glinda wanted to protest. She didn't want to be taken care of—not even by herself. But Ambree tucked her hair back and kissed her forehead, and her exhaustion came back, keeping her in place. She fought it, but her eyes were sliding shut and her hands felt heavy. She felt Ambree stand and leave.
"Thank you," she managed, mumbled and halfhearted. Then, "I don't deserve it."
When nightfall came, Glinda dragged herself out of bed and went to the window. She pushed the pane open and crawled out onto the sill, curling up so her back was to one side and her knees were hugged to her chest.
It was brighter here in the city. The street lamps and light flooding from the palace blotted out all the stars. Glinda looked up, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the moon, but there was none. She lowered her gaze again to scan the city, narrowing her eyes for a moment, as if she could actually see what she was looking for.
For one insane moment, Glinda thought about jumping down. She wasn't that high up—she could use magic to break her fall, then she could sneak away from the palace. If she could find Elphaba, convince her to listen just long enough to warn her… But it was hopeless. She would be followed by the guards, someone in the streets would recognize her, and she would never reach Elphaba anyway. They may have been in the same city, but it was a large city—far too large to find Elphaba. Especially since, when it came to Glinda, Elphie didn't want to be found.
"Oh, Elphie," Glinda breathed. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to warn her. She wanted her words to somehow stretch across the city and find Elphaba before something worse did. Glinda curled tighter and stared up at the hazy sky. How could they be so close together, yet so impossibly, painfully, far away?
Elphaba sat on the roof of the corn exchange, staring up at the sky. There was no moon tonight, and the few stars that managed to shine past the lights of the city glowed weakly.
Footsteps echoed down a nearby street. Elphaba tensed a little, but she was used to the sound by now. It was getting warmer, which meant the soldiers were becoming more active again, but they wouldn't see her up here, even if they went past the corn exchange. She curled a little tighter and looked back up at the sky.
Somehow, seeing Glinda had made her presence in the city a reality. It hurt Elphaba, even more than before. Right now, right in this moment, Glinda was in the Emerald City. She was so close.
And yet, so, so far. Glinda was in the palace. She was under Morrible's control. She worked for the Wizard. The two of them had never been further apart. Elphaba sighed heavily. She could still feel Glinda in her arms, trembling, twisting around in an attempt to see her. But even then, when they were pressed tightly against each other, they had been so far apart.
There was no more Glinda. That's what Elphaba had to keep telling herself. Glinda had betrayed her, and now she was Glinda the Good—no more than a stranger. Elphaba couldn't care about her anymore. She wouldn't.
