Chapter 18
Just thirty minutes after Elphaba had mentioned Chistery, the Flying Monkey and his comrades filled the skies. The Princess called for Zara to join her atop the Palace wall; while Fiyero and Semir made sure that the troops were into position. No one had heard from Queen Zixi yet and that was certainly disconcerting.
"Chistery, they are not far behind you. Make sure you all get some water and then report back here," Elphaba told him.
"Right away," he nodded and quickly he and the others went to get some water. They passed King Tahir and Queen Ayla as they made their way up to where Elphaba and Zara stood.
"I can feel my heart in my throat," Zara said.
"I understand the feeling, but you must try to calm down. The dragons will smell you anxiety," her mother said, pulling her into a hug.
"I wish that Emir was here," Zara admitted.
"I know but his father needed him with his tribe. I also know that he would want to be standing by you instead," Elphaba winked before kissing her on the forehead. Her daughter half-smiled.
"So, I didn't miss the fun, did I?" Suddenly, Queen Zixi just appeared next to the royals.
"Sweet Oz! You're going to give someone a heart attack doing that," Queen Ayla said, grabbing her chest. King Tahir tried to catch his breath.
"Sorry. I got engrossed in my spell books," the leader of Ix said.
"Well we're glad you're here. Dragons are inbound any minute now, your Majesty," Altan spoke up after he managed to recover his own shock.
"Talk about timing," Zixi was surprised.
"What were you looking up in your spell books?" Zara asked.
"I was hoping to find a way to turn myself into a Dragon Lord. Once I take some of the dragons home with me, they will still only listen to you," the Queen pointed out.
"I was concerned about that, but I didn't think there was a spell to turn yourself into one," Elphaba said.
"There isn't. It would appear that your unique circumstance is the only way to do it," Zixi said. Then the horn located at the far corner of the Palace walls, closest to Gillikin, sounded.
"They've spotted them," Elphaba said.
"All right, let's do this," Zixi smiled slightly. Bonescraper took to the sky and indicated that the group was to land outside the Palace walls. He waited until they all landed before landing himself.
"Good dragons from afar! I am King Tahir of the Vinkus! We welcome you to our kingdom!" Tahir announced.
"It is an honor to be welcomed. I am Zhou and I lead what remains of our kind," the yellow dragon said, his tone not much louder than a human's voice. He had reddish brown scales mixed in with the yellow scales. Elphaba was surprised to see that he had no wings, but she knew that some dragons controlled the elements, which was how they moved about.
"We are glad that you have chosen to join us and live by the rules that we have set down. Tonight, we shall feast and, in the morning, Lady Glinda, ruler of all Oz will join us," the King explained, he'd lowered his tone, to match that of Zhou's.
"Excellent. Thank you," Zhou smiled and Elphaba got a chill up her spine. She could feel something was amiss but wasn't sure what. Bonescraper could feel her unease and gave Feilong a look. The dragon that had been friendly before now seemed quiet and reserved. Something was definitely up.
To Be Continued…
