A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer. We find out about Morrible's plans in this chapter. As for Glinda, well more on her later. ;) Glad you liked it. Thanks!
Chapter 35
The next afternoon, the Council resumed the meeting started the day before. Boq had all the translations but they really hadn't amounted to much else. It was mostly the later entries that had already been discussed, which did all the incriminating. There was one thing that they could not understand and that was the odd code word that had been hidden amongst the entries.
"So that is where we are at. Had Morrible been alive, I do believe it would have been enough to convict her," Boq explained.
"I think it can be said that we agree," Barat nodded.
"What about the Wizard? While he is in trouble for his current transgressions, was there anything else you've found?" Fekri wondered.
"Not in Morrible's book. However, Lady Glinda is reading a book she found inside the trunk containing the elixir," Elphaba spoke up.
"I bet that is something she is not relishing," Arif said.
"From what she's told me the later entries has him thinking about ways to rid himself of Morrible. I think it's quite obvious that they were not on the same page. Had he known about her true plans for me, my guess is that he would have tried to dispatch her sooner," the green woman admitted.
"Yes, once she became the most powerful witch in Oz, not much would have stood in her way," Barat frowned.
"Personally, I think that he was already afraid of her. She was busy ordering him around when he was supposed to be leading the country," Fekri shook his head.
"To not be afraid of her would have been stupid. She had no problem committing murder in the name of gaining power. If someone can do that, they will do anything to keep it," Elphaba said.
"Indeed. So Master Boq, anything else we need to know about?" Barat wondered.
"We found a strange set of code words inside Morrible's diary. It means nothing to us and to those that we've been working with," the Tin Man let them know.
"You're assuming it's a code phrase?" Pepi finally spoke up. He'd been awfully quiet this whole time.
"While the phrase is in Ozian, we're not sure what it means. When translated into Munchkin, Vinkun, Gillikinese, or Quadling it doesn't seem to gain any significance," Boq explained.
"So, it's just a phrase," Arif said.
"Yes, but everything Morrible did had a purpose. She was often three steps ahead so there had to be a reason for this phrase," Elphaba said.
"Point taken. What is it?" Barat wanted to know.
"A lion among men," Boq told them.
"That does seem like an odd phrase, but it perhaps is more apropos than we realize," Fekri said. When no one seemed to understand what he meant, he continued,
"The original phrase actually makes reference to lion and sheep. Basically, this man would appear bold and decisive among his perceived inferiors but meek and submissive among his superiors. It would seem to fit the situation that the Wizard found himself in. The people of Oz love or fear him. He seemed like he was an all-powerful but in fact he bowed to Morrible's will."
"Odd she'd code that though. We already basically knew what she thought of the Wizard," Elphaba said.
"True. Perhaps that is one mystery that will not be solved. Maybe it was something that only Morrible would know," Arif shrugged.
"That very well could be," Boq nodded. Elphaba wasn't convinced but with no evidence suggesting otherwise they were stuck.
"I think we must make our intentions known. In the morning, we should announce to everyone in Oz that Morrible is dead and that the Wizard is under arrest. After that, we'll need to figure out a way to make sure riots do not ensue. Or maybe we should do that first," Barat corrected himself.
"So that is it? Shouldn't we conference without others in the room. As of this moment, we are the leaders of Oz," Pepi asked.
"I'm not sure why we would need to conference. We have all the evidence we need to convict the Wizard and to soil Morrible's name. We might even have enough to clear Miss Elphaba's name," Fekri gave him a look. It would seem that Barat and Fekri were on the same page.
"I concur. The only decision here is to figure out how we handle any rioting," Arif spoke up. It would seem it was three against one. That's when Councilman Pepi stood up, pulling a handgun from his jacket. He aimed it right at Elphaba.
"Die bitch!" He crowed as he pulled the trigger.
To Be Continued…