Chapter 20
"We mean no disrespect to your spirits," said Fiyero quickly. He wrapped his arms protectively around Elphaba.
Allifur glared threateningly at them, unconvinced.
"It does not matter whether your disrespect was intentional. It has been committed nonetheless. You must pay the required debt to our gods."
"What kind of gods would require the death of innocent people who simply had the misfortune to wander into unknown territory?" asked Elphaba, her voice full of accusation.
Allifur roared something in a foreign tongue and gestured to the guards. One of them pulled a chain hanging on the wall outside the cell and the iron bars lifted with a loud clang.
Fiyero made a dive for the back wall of the cell, pulling Elphaba with him. She stood unsteadily, leaning heavily against his shoulder.
One of the guards started toward them, a chained harness in his arms, and Gerema made a futile leap forward. She grabbed the chain and managed a good blow across the guard's bare back. He roared with pain and recoiled as fresh spots of red became visible through the ravaged skin on his back. Tow more guards dashed forward immediately and seized Gerema while two others took hold of Elphaba and Fiyero. Gerema did not give up however, struggling with the guards and trying to bite their hands.
"Stop," muttered Elphaba weakly, "Stop! You're only making things worse."
Gerema sneered at her.
"So you are simply going to give up? Without so much as trying to fight?"
The guards began to move, beating the prisoners mercilessly with long sticks if they didn't move fast enough. Elphaba stumbled and nearly fell, earning her a particularly painful blow across the back of the head.
"No," she gasped, "I'd fight if I could but it will gain us nothing in this circumstance."
The guards came to a halt in front of a large wall and pushed their prisoners down onto a narrow ledge.
"Do not move," said Allifur, who had been following close behind. "Or you will be the first to die."
"As opposed to…who?" spat Gerema, but she did not move. The guards turned and left, heading back in the direction of the cells.
"They must be going to get the others," said Fiyero softly.
Elphaba nodded, cradling her head in her hands. Fiyero moved to put his arm around her but she flinched away, hissing with pain.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"It's getting worse," she moaned, "We must be right next to the fire."
Fiyero nodded, his brow wrinkled with concern.
"It would make sense. They worship the fire spirits, it would be only fitting for them to kill us by throwing us into the fires."
The guards reappeared, dragging Boq, Glinda, and Igitur with them. Igitur was muttering incantations under his breath and Glinda was in tears. Boq was looking back and forth between them as though he was unsure of which approach to take.
"Oh just do it," Elphaba whispered. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her hands, rocking back and forth.
"Elphie, hang on," Fiyero whispered.
The guards led Fiyero, Elphaba, and Gerema up a flight of stairs to the top of the wall. Below was a sea of pulsating red-orange lava.
Allifur nodded to the guard holding Gerema, and he pushed her toward the edge. At the last moment Gerema whirled, wrapping the chain around Allifur's neck. He cried out as Gerema threw herself into the fire, pulling Allifur and the guard down with her. The lava rippled for a moment, then went still. The remaining guards just stood, staring in shock.
"Run!" shouted Fiyero. He grabbed Elphaba's hand and she stumbled, nearly fell. Fiyero turned back and lifted her into his arms, then turned and dashed down the stairs. The others had managed to break away from the guards and were already running through the underground enclave.
Miraculously, they managed to make it back up through the tunnels and into bright, searing daylight. There was so much chaos below that none of the guards were even close behind them. Fiyero made it out first and paused to wait for the others, blinking quickly in the daylight and trying to reorient himself to the world above. It must be early morning, he thought, for they couldn't have been underground for more than several hours. It was blessedly cool and clear outside, though they were still in the strange-looking desert portion of the Vinkus. Elphaba lay unconscious in his arms. Fiyero swallowed hard and pushed the panic to the back of his mind. This was not the time or place.
"What are we going to do?" asked a breathless Boq as he and Glinda caught up and came to a halt beside Fiyero. Igitur was continuing to shuffle along behind them.
"Make a run for the Thousand Year Grasslands," said Fiyero after a moment of thought. "They worship the fire spirits here…if I'm remembering the legends correctly, and if they're true, they won't follow us out of their land."
"Let's hope for the best," said Glinda, and took off in the lead, holding her skirt up to her knees.
By the time they stopped on the very edge of the curtain of grass it was dusk and everyone was exhausted after their sleepless night and day of traveling. Glinda magicked a small fire on the ground and Igitur and Boq wandered off in search of water. Elphaba began to stir a little, and Fiyero tucked a blanket around her on the ground. Chistery, who had rejoined them during the afternoon, hovered over Elphaba, playing with the ends of her long hair.
"Elphie?" Fiyero whispered, brushing the back of his hand along her cheek. She shuddered a little under his touch but didn't wake up. "Elphie, please, please come back to me…" He turned away, biting his lip hard.
"Fiyero?" Glinda sat down beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"What?"
"Just…don't worry. She's stronger than that. She's been through much worse."
Fiyero nodded slowly.
"I know…it's just…it's so hard…not knowing for sure."
Review please!
