A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer! Glad you liked it. Trouble indeed. ;) Thanks!

Chapter 36

Glinda was about halfway through her speech and the crowd below was listening intently. There hadn't been any interruptions yet but everyone could feel the tension in the air. Fiyero figured that if he'd been able, he could have put his sword through tension and cut it like he was cutting a good piece of steak. His eyes scanned the horizon, looking for any hint of anything that seemed out of place.

Meanwhile, Bayram, Zetti, and Dilek had troops busting into buildings, clearing them, and arresting anyone they found. They weren't close enough to see what the others were doing but each thought things were going well. Of the three however, Dilek had caught the ultimate prize, a ledger with names on it. So even if they hadn't captured everyone, they at least had a list.

As Bayram's troops were rounding the captured men into an open cart for transport, the Lieutenant noticed that the prisoners didn't seem all that worried. They were being arrested for treason and a multitude of other crimes, most of which carried heavy prison sentences and even the possibility of a death sentence. Usually that means people looking at the ground, shoulders slumped, and even some who hoped the almighty Unnamed God would help them. Instead there was a lot of defiance.

"Roth!" Bayram shouted. The young man quickly went over to his commanding officer.

"Yes, sir?" Roth asked.

"I have a bad feeling. Can you send our friend Baki ahead? They seem awfully smug for being arrested," the Lieutenant told him.

"Yes, sir. I'll make sure he's looking for trouble," Roth nodded and quickly went to grab the Falcon from Sergeant Duncan.

"Move these curs along!" Bayram ordered to the cart driver, Corporal Bock. The Corporal spurred on the horses and the troops moved through the streets heading for the entry at the Palace walls.

Baki flew ahead, using his excellent eyesight to carefully examine the path ahead. He didn't see anything at first but he soon got that feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was most certainly wrong. Then he saw something glint in the sunlight. His eyes turned their focus and he spotted something metal shining in the sun. That's when he recognized it as a barrel of a rifle.

Back at the Palace, the sound of the screech of the Falcon reached Chistery's ears. He knew that something was wrong and immediately dispatched a few of his brothers to find the source of the noise. Not long after, a gunshot rang out. Chistery screeched and all of the Flying Monkeys took to the skies.

Glinda immediately looked at Fiyero, who quickly ushered her inside as the crowd below scrambled for cover. Panic had set in as they all ran to get behind something solid that could stand up to a bullet. Elphaba immediately left Fiyero's parents' side and took to the skies on her broom. She was concerned about Chistery and the others and wasn't going to wait.

Fiyero watched her take off and was immediately concerned, mostly because he couldn't follow. Glinda didn't like it either but one of the guards interrupted their worry by announcing that the Lieutenants were back with prisoners. Fiyero quickly took off, wanting to check in with his men, and hoping they'd rounded up most of the scoundrels.

"Chistery!" Elphaba shouted for her friend as she worked her way through the crowd of Flying Monkeys that had gathered near a building, not far from the Palace walls.

"In here Mistress! We found him!" Chistery announced. She flew toward his voice finding her friend along with a few other Flying Monkeys and Baki. They were inside the top floor of a seemingly abandoned building; the window near the left corner of the building had been broken out.

"Bring him. We have a lot to discuss," Elphaba could see that the man was beaten up and bleeding; his rifle lay in multiple parts on the floor. Chistery nodded and they headed back, all of them feeling better about the situation.

To Be Continued…