Chapter 17
The next day dawned miraculously blue and clear, and everyone's spirits rose at least a little. A few strange Vinkus birds were croaking in their raspy voices, the closest they could get to actual song. Boq wondered for a moment if they might not be Birds, chased out of the city by the tiktoks. Speaking among themselves in some sort of code language. He got up and went to stand at the mouth of the cave, careful not to wake the others.
It was still early, and the morning air felt like early spring rather than late summer. The weather was invigorating, deceptive though it was, and Boq felt slightly hopeful for the first time since they had set off on their journey. Movement behind him made him jump and he turned to see Elphaba standing behind him leaning against the wall of the cave.
"Good morning," he greeted. "Feeling better?"
She nodded slowly, then regarded him with an expression he could not read.
"It stopped raining," said Boq, stating the obvious. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he suddenly felt unbearably awkward around Elphaba. He knew he no longer knew who she was.
"Yes," said Elphaba, her dark eyes boring into him. "We will have to set out again soon."
Boq sighed and forced himself to meet her eye.
"Do you really think we're doing any good out here, Elphie?" he asked cautiously, steeling himself for her response. "Couldn't we be doing more in the city? Where the prison camps are?"
"Like find your family?" Elphaba countered calmly.
"How did you know about that?" asked Boq, surprised.
Elphaba waved a hand dismissively.
"Glinda told me." She sighed. "I suppose I owe you an apology. I wasn't terribly kind the last time I saw you at your house."
Boq's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this of her. Elphaba had never been one to publicly own up to her faults. He started to reply but just then Igitur bustled out of the cave, sprinkling powdered herbs in front of him as he walked. As he passed Elphaba he paused, glared at her, and muttered something about disrespect under his breath. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Boq sighed, suddenly reminded of her daily scuffles with Avaric back in their Shiz days.
"Good morning," called Glinda, emerging from the cave and staring at Igitur who was now walking around in circles a few feet away from them chanting in a horribly flat tone. Igitur stopped, turned very slowly toward her, made a face, and then continued his ritual.
"Out of his nutshell," muttered Boq.
Glinda gave him a strange look.
"He means crazy," said Elphaba dryly without turning to look at either of them.
"Oh," said Glinda sulkily. "Well we knew that." She turned back toward the cave. "Come on, breakfast."
Boq made a face at the thought of more of the salty dried Kalidah meat.
"I think I'm going vegetarian," he muttered.
"Then you will starve," said Gerema, appearing behind Elphaba.
Boq shook his head.
"I wasn't serious."
Gerema frowned.
"You are a strange people. The Scrow do not have 'figures of speech' as you say. Either we say what we mean or we say nothing at all."
"You mean you never lie?" asked Fiyero, joining the rest of the group.
"A strange people it is that never lie," said Igitur, marching straight back through the group, still looking at the ground.
"Breakfast…" said Boq, heading back toward the cave, "lovely."
Elphaba smirked at him.
"Careful, Boq. You're starting to sound like me."
Boq clapped a hand over his mouth.
"I love Kalidah meat!" he exclaimed with too much enthusiasm.
"Is that another figure of speech?" asked Gerema.
By midmorning the Kalidah meat was devoured and most of the supplies had been packed back into the every-handy burlap sacks. The day was beginning to warm up and outside the donkeys were pawing the dirt impatiently. The only thing standing between them and leaving was Igitur, who insisted on performing some sort of fortune telling ritual which involved throwing herbs into the fire which made it spark blue and purple and give off large clouds of noxious fumes.
"What…is…that?" coughed Glinda, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Tells your future the smoke does," said Igitur, inhaling deeply and sputtering. "Into the flames you look. See your future you will."
Glinda looked at him uncertainly.
"You…want me to look?"
Igitur nodded enthusiastically.
"Look into the flames each of you will. On our way then we will be."
Glinda sighed loudly and sat down beside Igitur at the fire.
"What do I do?"
"Into the flames you look. In you breathe."
Glinda obeyed, hoping that the smoke was not as toxic as it smelled. She flinched when Igitur took her hand.
"Now what?"
"Your fortune I will tell. Riches I see. Power. In your future good things are."
Glinda pulled away and grinned, deciding she liked Igitur better than she had thought. The old hermit beckoned to Boq next, who obeyed without a word.
"Loneliness I see," said Igitur, " death."
"M-my death?" stammered Boq.
The old man shook his head.
"My family then?"
Igitur looked speculative.
"Hard to say, it is."
Boq sighed and pulled his hand back, frustrated. Fiyero went next, coughing as he got closer to the smoke. Elphaba started to intervene, but Boq stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. It was a long time before Igitur spoke.
"A…well, I see."
"A fishwell? The fishwell at Kiamo Ko?"
"No. In the city, the well is. The well I see…and…" he stopped, shaking his head. "Cloudy the image is. Go now, you must. Another's turn it is."
He beckoned to Gerema next, but she steadfastly refused, insisting that magic was not the way of her people. Igitur grumbled for several minutes about this, but then seemed to decide that the battle was not worth his while. He turned then to Elphaba, regarding her with the now-customary sour expression, as though daring her to refuse as well. To everyone's surprise, she said nothing but simply walked over and sat down beside the fire, smoothing her long black skirt restlessly. Igitur took her hand for only a second but then flinched away as if she had burned him.
"What?" asked Elphaba sharply. "What did you see?"
Igitur stared at her for a long while, his eyes wide and blank, regarding her with something akin to reverence.
"What did you see?" repeated Elphaba, more urgently.
Igitur shuddered, then cleared his throat.
"Nothing," he said unconvincingly, "nothing did I see. Black the image was."
Though the air outside was warming up for the day, it seemed suddenly that a chill had filled the cave.
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