A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer! Not exactly coordinates but more on that now. ;) Thanks so much!


Chapter 14

"Ok so these are all the maps in Morrible's office. Would there be any more anyplace else?" Mopsi asked as the group stared at the pile of maps on the desk. They'd spent the last thirty to forty minutes digging through the entire office. The fish woman had not really organized her maps so some here in filing cabinets and some were in desk drawers and the rest were on top of the furniture.

"Well maybe these will be enough. I can remember being taught to study the maps of Oz as part of officer training. Admittedly, we haven't been marching very many places so some of my skills were lost but considering the fact that Frex may have had secret dealings with the Glikkuns, a map might have been useful," Zetti explained.

"It's not a bad idea. Not too many people know their way around the Glikkus. It's not really a place you visit," Elphaba smiled. They started with a map that had the oldest date. There were no symbols that matched the ones on the note. So, they moved chronologically through the maps until they stumbled onto one that was not the most recent but would have been during the time of Frex's rule.

"Look," Zetti pointed to the symbols that had one vertical straight line and three horizontal lines spaced evenly on the vertical one.

"According to the key, that means farmland," Elphaba said. This encouraged the group and they quickly found another symbol. This one was a long horizontal line with sixteen short vertical lines.

"Ok this one says railway," Mopsi pointed out.

"All right so maybe they're a little less formal like instead of farmland, it means crops, and instead of railway, it could mean railroad?" Popsi wondered.

"There is only one railway system in all of Oz and that is the Great Gillikin Railway. Branches across the entire northern section of the Gillikin and then branches into the Glikkus so the mines are more easily accessible," Boq spoke up.

"Right, so railway may just mean railway," Zetti shrugged.

"Boys, that poses a bit of a problem. The only crops that are grown, by and large, are in Munchkinland. There is no railway or railroad in Munchkinland," Elphaba pointed out.

"Well could they be using the railway in the Glikkus instead of the usual path down the Yellow Brick Road?" The Lieutenant wondered.

"Why would you haul the harvest over the Glikkus Canals, when you could just enter the Yellow Brick Road in Center Munch?" Mopsi asked.

"You wouldn't, if you had a brain," Boq frowned. Elphaba turned her attention to the other symbols on the sheet. They didn't match anything on the key on the map.

"We're out of luck with this map," she shook her head. They quickly searched the remaining maps but that was the end of the line, at least for the ones they had in the office.

"All right. We need to go to the library and see what they have there," Elphaba said. They didn't get very far though as there was a knock on the door and Corporal Bock opened the door to reveal Fiyero.

"We have our Munchkin helper!" He announced.

"Someone slip up?" Popsi asked.

"Oh, more than slipped up. A fence came to the Palace and Sergeant Zeki questioned him. Seems someone brought in emeralds. Not entirely unusual except for one thing…" Fiyero explained.

"What? I mean quite a few people barter with them. Regrettably, they aren't uncommon in the City," Elphaba cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, but uncut ones?" Her beloved asked.

"Uncut? I thought they came cut after the Glikkuns harvested them," Boq was confused.

"Exactly so. The Glikkuns cut them into specific shapes that were requested by the Wizard. Some to add to our money, some to add to our buildings, and some for bartering as Elphaba mentioned. The only way to get uncut ones is to get them directly from the mine," Fiyero said.

"The Munchkins are working on a deal with the Glikkuns. They have to be and we might have an idea of what their next plan is," Elphaba couldn't believe it.

To Be Continued…