A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer! Glad you liked it. More news ahead! Thanks!


Chapter 19

Instead of needing to repeat themselves, a meeting was called in the new Council Chamber. While the Council wasn't there, it was the most secure room for those left behind to meet in without drawing suspicion of having multiple people pile into Glinda's office. The blonde enjoyed meetings inside the new room as her office was slowly being consumed by paperwork.

"So, what have we got?" Glinda wanted to know, once everyone had taken their seats.

"A letter from Arif and the crack library team found something too," Fiyero spoke up. He was seated next to Elphaba while Bayram sat next to Glinda on the opposite side of the table. Zetti, Mopsi, and Popsi sat on the other sides of the parties, rounding out the group.

"Well read it. We were beginning to wonder if something happened to him and Boq," Glinda said. Fiyero nodded and cleared his throat before continuing,

"Dearest sweetheart…"
"Are you sure we got the right letter?" Bayram interrupted him. Fiyero shrugged, one of his clueless looks on his face, but he continued,

"Our trip to Center Munch was a safe one. We stopped to meet with President Jinjuria who asked for a report on the condition of the Yellow Brick Road on our return through the capital. I promised to give him what he asked for and we had a rather genial conversation."

"Genial? Since when does Jinjuria ever have a genial conversation with the Councilman?" Glinda interrupted this time. Everyone in the room knew that the two had a contentious relationship. To be honest, Elphaba had been surprised that the Councilman had been able to keep his job. Still, she wondered if Jinjuria wanted someone who had Glinda's ear, and none of the men nearest to the President would have that, and he knew it.

"My family was most happy to see us and welcomed Tin Man with open arms. The two of us have been on walks and talked to those in the village. They seem concerned about the state of things. While food is not in short supply, medicine, medical items such as bandages, and even money are. The same money has been passed around so much that it is starting to fade or become illegible. The blacksmiths in town are struggling to fix horseshoes and make nails. I must do more to help my countrymen get what they need," Fiyero paused.

"It's worse than we thought," Elphaba said.

"Well in the politics of it all, Center Munch would be the last to receive supplies. They are at the end of the Yellow Brick Road and have spent many years doing more with less. Still, it surprises me that Jinjuria didn't try to hold up Arif's trip to Center Munch. He has to know that what he sees will make it back to Lady Glinda," Mopsi spoke up.

"Maybe he's hoping the distraction would keep him from investigating the possibility of the railroad being constructed," Popsi wondered. He had a point. If the townspeople can't even make nails, how would they be laying railroad track?

"The corn fields are smaller and thinner than I remember. Lake Mossmere seems low, but the locals tell me that the rain has been heavy. Still no rain so far while we have been here. I hope to send you another letter soon," Fiyero finished reading the letter.

"A bit anticlimactic huh?" Zetti piped up.

"Not entirely. A sketch from an artist was enclosed… well maybe Arif can draw," the Vinkun Prince gently unfolded the multi-folded piece of paper. It had been smaller than the letter and tucked inside it, inside the wax sealed envelope. Elphaba looked at it.

"Mopsi, Popsi, we need to see if there is any code in the message," she said.

"You think the key is starting with sweetheart?" Mopsi wondered.

"I do. Why else would he lie about his meeting with Jinjuria and start in such an odd way? Still, he wrote out conditions we assumed to be true… I think the answer is in the sketch," the green woman told them.

"The key, perhaps?" Popsi's interest was piqued.

"Could be, do you see anything familiar?" Elphaba handed the sketch down to the two and they studied it.

"He sketched the map? How'd he remember that?" Mopsi was impressed, but immediately noticed subtle differences from the map they'd been staring at for hours over the last few days.

"This has Boq all over it. He can copy with the best of them and my guess is that Arif's family would have had an old map in their library. Being people of means and power would have allowed them, what Frex referred to as "civilized treats". Boq can also encode a message, as we all know. In order to hope that the letter wasn't intercepted or read, they put the Councilman's wax stamp on it," Elphaba smirked. Boq had always been quiet about his talents, but Elphaba was the same way – they were a lot alike.

"Well, that is helpful but without decoding, what did you guys find?" Zetti asked.

"Someone went through a lot of trouble to bury the reasons why the Yellow Brick Road was rerouted and the Great Gillikin Railway was built. We had to dig around in the library to find a history book about the Ozma years," the green woman explained.

"Odd. Why hide something like that?" Glinda was confused. It had to have been a business dealing and it was a major move ahead in the technology of the day.

"Well why hasn't the train been expanded either? All of Oz should have trains," Mopsi spoke up.

"Also, a good point. The Yellow Brick Road is nice but who doesn't want to travel faster and safer?" Fiyero wondered.

"That's what we'll be digging into. I'm hoping the history book has an answer because while the Munchkins love to hold a grudge, most people alive today wouldn't have been old enough to know what was going on back before the Wizard took over control of Oz," Elphaba said.

"The Wizard is about to screw us again? One final screw you," Bayram frowned.

"Could be. We'll let you know when we have something more," the green woman promised.

To Be Continued…