A/N: Shout outs to my anonymous reviewer and James Birdsong! Glad you liked it. More on our Munchkins right now. ;)
Chapter 12
"What have you discovered? I'm guessing it's not good since you called Fiyero, Bayram, and Zetti in here," Glinda said. The group had gathered in the blonde's office a few hours later. Dinner was approaching, but Elphaba didn't want anything to leave the room or having anyone overhear them.
"The translation of the paper is as follows - 'We must determine if the green one is actually running Oz. If the blonde truly has power, then we must act in our best interests. Munchkinland must rise again. Do what your ancestors command. Failure is not an option.
" 'Collect what is required. Should your search be fruitful, leave the biscuits. The next trip will decide your fate.' Then there are symbols which we spent time trying to figure out what they meant. Honestly, I have no idea what they are," Boq explained. He was leaning against the wall as they'd run out of chairs. The Lieutenants were doing the same as Elphaba and Fiyero had taken to the chairs in front of Glinda's desk. Mopsi and Popsi were sitting on the windowsill.
"Our foremost Munchkin experts don't know?" Glinda raised an eyebrow.
"They may not be Munchkin specific," Fiyero pointed out. He took a look at the symbols and had to confess that he had no idea what they meant either.
"Perhaps Councilman Arif might?" Lieutenant Zetti wondered as he got the chance to look at them.
"Munchkinland must rise again?" Bayram gave the translating group a look.
"We couldn't figure that one out either. Munchkinland has never been a military powerhouse or even an economic one," Elphaba said.
"Also, biscuits?" Fiyero was obviously getting hungry.
"The only thing we could figure that it would be, would be a bit of a baked good just not of the buttermilk variety. Munchkins make these cornbread type biscuits. Now as most people know, cornbread doesn't last as long due to it being so moist," Mopsi explained.
"So, you think it was actually something perishable and that would spoil so it would have disappeared quickly," Glinda said.
"Yes. Though admittedly, this seems like small payment for someone who risked their lives stealing from the Doctor," Popsi pointed out.
"So, biscuits could be slang for money or some sort thing that could be expensive and easily tradeable for cash," Fiyero spoke up. Bayram had grown quiet as he and Zetti were looking at the symbols.
"So perhaps a fence needs to be spoke to. He may have received some… hot merchandise," Mopsi suggested.
"Our search through the masons has luckily narrowed our pool. We have five solid suspects. I'm having them shadowed as we speak. I'll send out troops to check the fences as soon as we get out of the meeting," the Captain told them.
"Don't wait. Go and do it. I will reach out to Councilman Arif. This is something that he cannot be kept in the dark about," Glinda spoke up.
"He needs to wait. There is something else," Elphaba said. She looked at Popsi. The Munchkin swallowed and quickly explained what he'd told the green woman earlier.
"I would have thought that after his death, Frex's arrangements died with him. I highly doubt that Nessa was busy trying to keep anything like that running," Glinda said. The truth of the matter was, as a secret deal, and as Elphaba's sister slipped into her own insanity, Nessa was not in any frame of mind to continue every single thing her father had started.
"I have doubts about that. Even if she knew, Frex would have had someone else in charge of the program, if it had actually come true. While Frex wanted Nessa to take over, I don't think he trusted her with everything," Elphaba admitted.
"Why? He purposely skipped over you to teach your sister to lead," Fiyero knew most of the story between the siblings but if his beloved didn't have to speak about her family, she wouldn't.
"There were always closed-door meetings with his second in command. I never once saw Nessa in those meetings," she explained.
"You think that he'd do that?" Boq looked at Elphaba.
"Well, he's President now so…" the green woman shrugged.
"President Jinjuria was Frex's second in command?" Glinda looked at them. They kind of buried the lead.
"And a snake in the grass if there ever was one," Elphaba frowned.
To Be Continued…
