Chapter 37
The morning shed light on the entire situation. With the help of the medicine brought by Sergeant Zetti and his men, most of the injured were well on their way to healing. Elphaba was exhausted as she collapsed down on the floor next to Fiyero. All of his enchanted hay was there but it definitely was not enough. Her worry must have been obvious as said to her,
"What is it? I know that face."
"The transformation will be trickier than I thought," she admitted. Still not letting on about what would be trickier.
"It will have to wait anyway. At least until the village is back in order. Just stuff me with what we need and we'll move on," Fiyero smiled.
"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," she sighed. He gave her a look and knew that whatever was rolling around in her head was not good.
"Why don't you try to get some sleep and we'll worry about it later. Your skin color is a little off," the comment would have seemed normal if the person he was speaking to wasn't Elphaba. She cringed inwardly. Using her magic and having a spell cast on her at the same time drained her magic. They had come so far in hiding her original complexion, now was not the time to be found out. Carefully she curled up on the floor near Fiyero's torso and fell asleep.
"Well boys we'd better get to work hadn't we?" Zetti smirked as the ten enemy combatants had been dragged out of their beds and outside into the morning sun. Mrs. Dillamond had protested but her protests fell on deaf ears.
"Those of you who can walk will be escorted around the village to help with the cleanup. You will be given tasks to complete and you will complete them as fast as possible or face the consequences," Zetti continued. Attached to his belt was the whip from the wagon driver. It wasn't a Cat and Nine Tails but it would do in a pinch.
"Those that cannot walk will be pressed into service cooking, building, and whatever else needs to be done. King Brrr will not leave for the Emerald City until this village is in tip top shape. When he leaves, you will leave with him, if you have survived," that last remark caught their attention.
"If you did not know it already you are enemies of the state and my prisoners. You have perpetrated acts of violence against the citizens of Oz and as such you will stand before Lady Glinda in judgment of your crimes. She may seem sweet and loving on the outside but I assure you, she knows people who will make the remainder of your existence excruciating. Consider this a warm up," Zetti finished and the men were pushed and dragged to their new stations.
"How are our prisoners holding up?" Lieutenant Ronin asked.
"I talked a good talk, we'll see if any of them test me," the Sergeant smirked.
"Doctor Dillamond would like to see us. He's with the King and the Captain," Ronin told him.
"Lead the way," Zetti smiled. The two headed inside the remainder of the barracks and met up with the three who were waiting for them.
"Gentlemen, it is good to see you," Doctor Dillamond offered them chairs as they huddled around the Captain's bunk. Earlier in the morning, Zetti had given the Captain the letter from Glinda and it certainly perked him up.
"It is good to see you sir. What can we do for you?" Ronin asked.
"Well I called this meeting to discuss the rebuilding of the village. We obviously need more sturdy defenses and most of the buildings have quite a bit of damage to them. However supplies are not exactly in our favor at the moment. I realize that it is still summer but fall will be upon us shortly and we need cover from the elements," the doctor explained.
"I completely agree but you are not looking at master builders. I'm lucky if some of the men I have even know what a hammer is," Zetti admitted.
"Our first priority should be to clear the debris, and then we can get a more accurate view of what is needed," Ronin said.
"Ordinarily I would agree with you but I worry about the possibility of another attempt by our neighborhood crazies at taking the village down. They have more incentive now than they did before," Captain Khalil spoke up.
"Point," Ronin admitted.
"Some of my people are very handy with building. Why don't we fortify our defenses and get temporary shelters built before the rain comes," King Brrr suggested.
"An excellent idea your Highness. Well boys, get to work. With any luck I will be able to join you tomorrow," the Captain said and with that the meeting was adjourned.
"Let's round up everyone we have and get to it. The sooner we finish the sooner we can all relax. I know I'd want a wall around the village if I lived here permanently," Zetti said.
"I'm sure the intent was never to worry about it," the Lieutenant smirked.
"Yes well that's why we're taking care of it for them," the Sergeant winked.
To Be Continued…