Chapter 2

Glinda could hardly sleep with all the excitement from the previous night. After more than a year, she finally felt that recovering the Grimmerie was possible again. She was glad to see the morning approach. People were already talking about the storm and the strange hues that emanated from the horizon. The theft of the Grimmerie was no secret, but Glinda didn't want any speculation that she would be leaving to investigate, and, Oz willing, retrieve the coveted book. She didn't like the course of action she'd chosen to take to deal with the tensions amongst the people, but she found that, in this instance, it was vitally necessary. Glinda had Tanon start a campaign of misinformation, Morrible style, to calm the people of Oz's Northern State and get their minds elsewhere. They wouldn't exactly lie. They would just omit a few facts and calm everyone's nerves.

Glinda was waiting inside her home when she heard a knock on the door. A messenger delivered an urgent note to her from one of Tanon's trusted men. She took the note from the messenger and hastened into her living room to read the information it contained. As she read the note, she felt her legs go weak. 'It can't be. Just can't be.' she thought to herself as she lowered herself down onto the nearest armchair. The name of the man possessing the Grimmerie was unexpected and unwelcome.

Tanon returned from 'explaining' the strange weather to the populace. He could see the distress in Glinda's face, and it worried him.

"Miss Glinda?"

Glinda looked up at Tanon. "It's Baraq. He has the Grimmerie at his castle."

Tanon didn't like this news at all. "I should go with you. You should take a few men with you."

"NO! I have to do this alone. Otherwise, he'll know I'm coming. My only chance is the element of surprise."

"Miss Glinda, after what he did to you…"

Glinda immediately held up her hand, indicating to Tanon that he wasn't to go any further on the subject.

"He has to know he's caused an uproar. He'll be expecting you." Tanon retorted.

"That's why you need to keep up this campaign of misinformation. I want him to believe that we're none the wiser. That we believe the whole affair to be an anomaly that should be ignored." Glinda replied. "I'm counting on you Tanon."

"I don't like this. I don't think it's wise." Tanon countered.

"I know. But this truly is the only way." Glinda said. Her eyes mirrored both the fear she was feeling inside and the resolve of her convictions.

Tanon relented. "Very well Miss Glinda. I'll get your carriage ready."

Tanon left reluctantly, and Glinda was left to her own thoughts. She was scared. Her past dealings with Baraq were more than unpleasant memories, and she didn't relish the idea of going up against him again. Baraq had always pined for Glinda. When she rebuffed him, he tried to force himself upon her against her will. She was saved by Chuffrey, and eventually married him out of gratitude, not love. Baraq had sworn revenge, but that was years ago, and Glinda hadn't heard from him until now. None of that mattered anymore. She needed to do this, for her Elphie.

"Elphie, I promise you. I won't let you down this time." Glinda said to herself.

She went to a locked closet just off the foyer, unlocked and opened the door, then carefully extracted her most prized possession. Elphaba's broom! Glinda had confiscated it from the Wizard before he left Oz. She'd kept it, and every once in a while, when she needed to feel close to Elphaba, she would take it out of the closet and keep it with her.

She slowly traced her hand over the broom handle, closing her eyes and remembering the day Elphaba had conjured it up. This memory produced more conflicting emotions from Glinda. Seeing what Elphaba was capable of was amazing. Absolutely amazing. However, when Elphaba had asked her to go with her, she didn't go. Another moment, another regret. Elphaba had told her that together, their powers were unlimited. Glinda agreed. If they worked in tandem, there was nothing they couldn't do. Together! If she could turn back time she would go with Elphaba willingly and eagerly. She wanted to go back then, but the Wizard had just made overtures indicating that there were so many opportunities available to her. It was everything she'd ever wanted. At least it was everything she'd ever thought she wanted. She didn't want to give any of it up, and quite frankly, she was just too scared to leave. She cursed her vanity and lack of courage now.

Glinda held the broom up to her cheek and hugged it, closing her eyes to feel Elphaba's presence once again. After a few moments of allowing herself to indulge in the feeling, she reluctantly put it back, then closed and locked the door. Glinda leaned against the closet door for a brief moment before gathering her resolve and making her way out of the house, towards her carriage. She would be at Baraq's castle by nightfall if she hurried.

Fiyero received the news he'd been waiting for and hurried back to the safe house to tell Elphaba what he'd learned. He knocked briskly on her bedroom door. "Elphaba, open up."

Elphaba rushed to open the door and let Fiyero in. She'd been eagerly awaiting news of the Grimmerie's location and possessor.

"Well, what have you found out?" She asked.

"The Grimmerie is at a castle not far from here. The owner is a man named Baraq."

"Baraq!" Elphaba tried recalling where she'd heard that name before. Suddenly, the realization dawned on her. "Oh Fiyero. Is this the same Baraq that went on that Animal mutilation spree a few years ago?"

"One in the same." Fiyero sneered. Unbelievably, the spree had made Baraq a hero amongst some small factions in Oz. Fiyero couldn't believe the intolerance and ignorance of some people.

Elphaba ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Fiyero, if he's starting to master the Grimmerie, can you imagine the damage he can do? This is going to be more difficult than I thought."

Fiyero didn't disagree.

"Where do you think he's keeping it?" She asked.

"In plain sight would be my guess."

"You mean the library?"

"Well, we don't know for sure. It's a guess, but it's a start. There are guards outside the library door. Why would you need guards outside of a library unless it contained some valuable contents?"

Elphaba nodded in agreement.

"Well take ten men with us and search the library tonight. The Animals will cause a distraction to draw out the guards. We won't have much time, but we should be able to cover a lot of ground with the extra men."

"It sounds good. When do we leave?"

"After dusk. We need to wear our hooded cloaks just to be sure no one recognizes us if we're seen."

Elphaba nodded. "I'll see you at dusk then." She hugged Fiyero briskly. In the next moment he was off to make his own preparations.

Elphaba wondered how they would be able to get the Grimmerie back to Glinda once it was recovered. If it was recovered. They would have to send Iriiq or Solis to present it to her. Either man was quite capable and trustworthy. 'That's it then.' Elphaba thought. She wanted so badly to be able to take the book to Glinda herself, but that was impossible. She would just have to settle for knowing that the Grimmerie would once again be in Glinda's hands and take solace in that fact. It was a small connection to Glinda, but a connection nonetheless. In the meantime, she would try to rest and wait for Fiyero and the dusk.

As dusk settled in, Elphaba, Fiyero, Iriiq and Solis prepared to leave for Baraq's castle. Horses were the chosen mode of transportation.

"Fiyero, the Animals are positioned at the castle and waiting for our signal" Iriiq said.

"Perfect." Fiyero replied. "Solis, are the other men ready?"

"They're waiting for us outside the village tavern" Solis responded.

"Let's go then!" Fiyero ordered.

All mounted their horses and headed towards the village tavern, and subsequently the castle.

As the group arrived at the castle, they carefully and quietly tied the horses to a grouping of trees which provided perfect cover. Elphaba had been riding with her hood secured on her head since they left the safe house. She was used to traveling this way. Her green skin made her too conspicuous to ride openly and freely. Fiyero was in much the same predicament. There weren't too many scarecrows riding on horseback these days.

The group made their way out of the woods and up an unguarded, grassy slope. They managed to make it safely to the castle wall and slowly edged their way around the perimeter. The castle had been built straddling a small creek because that position put the castle on the highest ground which Baraq had determined was vital to the castle's defenses should they ever be attacked. The creek emanated from an underground spring on the north side of the castle. It cascaded down a limestone wall before settling into its terra firma, flowing quietly through the castle. Fiyero had received information that the castle contained metal grates, allowing the creek to flow freely from one end of the castle to the other without disturbing the castle's foundation. As an added bonus, there was also a barred, metal gate leading from the interior of the creek tunnel into the castle as the creek was used as the castle's main water source.

Solis was a skilled locksmith. He'd brought all the tools he needed with him to remove the grates and unlock the gates inside the tunnel. It took him less than 15 minutes to remove the first grate which, surprisingly, was unguarded. Elphaba figured that the castle had probably employed more guards at one point, but that it hadn't been attacked in years, if ever, and security had relaxed over time. She couldn't figure out why there wouldn't be any sentries posted, especially when such a prize lay within the castle walls. That thought unsettled her although she didn't exactly know why. In another several clock ticks, Solis had unlocked the gate leading into the castle. Fiyero removed a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket. He unfolded it to reveal a crudely drawn map of the castle. Fiyero, Iriiq and Solis looked it over for a moment, trying to figure out their next move. As they did so, Elphaba kept turning her attention back to the creek tunnel entrance. She had a funny feeling inside, but it wasn't her sixth sense warning her of danger. She furrowed her brow trying to place the feeling in the pit of her stomach, eventually deciding that it was just nerves. Once Fiyero, Iriiq and Solis decided upon a path to the library, the group made their way through the open gate.

They slowly and cautiously made their way into the castle interior. Iriiq lead the way. He would scout the area, and when the coast was clear, he would motion the next man. Fiyero and Elphaba were last as they were the two most important assets to the resistance. Within moments, the group was gathered in a small, fenced courtyard across the concourse from the library door where two guards were stationed. Solis went to the edge of the castle wall and waved a white scarf in three swift motions. The Animal contingent below acknowledged the signal and began their phase of the operation.

BOOM! An explosion rocked the exterior of the castle. The two guards posted at the library door made puzzled looks towards one another. They were conflicted about leaving their post, but decided that the immediate threat was not at the library. They left in a hurry disappearing as they ran around the corner to the site of the explosion. The group could hear the commotion being raised as the Animals charged the castle. They didn't have much time. One by one, they entered the library. As each one entered, they motioned for the next after making sure the coast was clear, then closed the door behind them. The idea being that if a guard did appear, the library would appear undisturbed and the ones inside would have a chance to retreat while the one that was caught ran the guards in a different direction. The last of the men motioned for Fiyero, and then closed the library door behind him. Fiyero hurried across the concourse, looked in both directions, and then disappeared inside the library. After a brief moment, he motioned for Elphaba to follow him, and closed the door. Elphaba cautiously made her way across the concourse. She looked to her right, then her left where the guards had disappeared around the corner. She put one hand on the door handle, and pushed the door open with the other, all the while, looking in the direction the guards had fled. In a brief moment, she was inside, closing the door behind her.

Glinda knew all about Baraq's castle as he used to brag about it incessantly. She headed directly for the north face of the castle, and was surprised to find the grate had been removed. Not only had the grate been removed, but there were no sentinels to be seen. Sensing that this could be a trap, Glinda proceeded cautiously. Carefully, she made her way into the creek tunnel, and came across the open gate. Glinda was perplexed, but at the same time thankful that she didn't have to do the work herself. She wasn't sure that the tools she brought were even adequate. She placed her small package of tools out of the view of anyone who might decide to gather water from the creek. Cautiously, she made her way through the castle, on her way to the library!

The explosion she heard frightened her. She didn't know what to make of it. Did Baraq know she was here? A brief moment of hesitation gave way to her need to finish what she'd started. Glinda took a deep breath and continued heading for the library. She was just around the corner from the library, not knowing if anyone would be guarding the entry. If anyone was there she wasn't sure how she would be able to sneak around them. Slowly, with her heart pounding, she peered around the corner to get a view of the library door. What she saw took her breath away.

A hooded figure, one hand on the door knob and one pushing on the door was facing away from her. Glinda could swear the between the gloved hand and the sleeve of the cloak, she caught a glimpse of a green wrist.