Practical shoes. Why she was thinking about her choice in footwear at a time like this was beyond her, but she was. She couldn't stop marveling at how much easier it was to get around in the woods in the hiking boots her mother would insist were hideous than it would have been if she'd worn a different kind of shoe. She wasn't one to wear heels. She was short and proud of it and didn't care to try to mask it by wearing shoes that were hard to walk in and hurt her feet. But even the flats she normally preferred wouldn't have cut it out here.

A shocked, "Oh," escaped her lips as she barreled into Cade. He reached back, steadying her with one hand and indicating for her to be quiet with the other before pointing to where Gregor was talking to another man.

"Who do you think that is?"

"I'd say he's a lookout."

"A lookout?"

"Yeah. You wouldn't want just anyone stumbling across your camp would you?"

"Probably not."

Cade shot a disapproving look over his shoulder, silencing the two guards having the impromptu discussion. Not that their talking was keeping them from hearing anything. They were too far away to make out what Gregor and the man were saying. But they hadn't come this far for needless chatter to give them away.

The stranger nodded, shaking hands with Gregor before hurrying back into the woods. Gregor stared at the spot where he disappeared for a moment before continuing on his way. Cade gave him a bit of a head start before motioning for everyone to follow.

Addena mentally kicked herself as they started moving again. Had she actually been thinking about shoes? Here they were following the man who could very well lead them to the woman she loved and she was pondering footwear? What was wrong with her?

She was anxious and nervous and more than a little scared, that's what. What if this was all just a ruse? What if Eadlyn knew she was standing there and made up the whole going to camp thing to toy with her more? It made sense. He knew about the trappers and he knew how upset she was over Breena being missing. And Gregor would do anything Eadlyn asked of him.

But could Gregor act that well? He was pretty convincing as he hung back, using the commotion of the search party leaving to slip into the woods. If they hadn't been watching him like a hawk no one would have known that he went anywhere. And who would notice he was gone? The only person he every spoke to was Eadlyn.

And who was the man Gregor had just been talking to? If he wasn't a lookout like the guard suggested, what was he doing out here in the middle of nowhere? It was pretty obvious from the enthusiastic hand shake they shared that they knew each other. Unless Gregor made it a habit to shake hands with everyone he met.

"Are you doing all right?"

Cade's question pulled her from her thoughts. "What?"

He grinned. "I asked how you were holding up."

"I'm fine." She hoped her answer was more convincing than it sounded.

Cade just nodded and went back to keeping an eye on Gregor, who was a good fifty yards in front of them.

She could see why the Wizard liked him so much. He was friendly and intelligent and the other guards respected him. All very important qualities for the man who was, for all intents and purposes, the Wizard's right hand when it came to anything military. The fact that he was young and could fill the position for many years to come didn't hurt either. But what she liked best about him was his ease around Breena and Elphaba. Some of the other guards still bulked at the idea of being anywhere near them, but not Cade. He led by example when it came to treating the witches properly.

"Listen." Cade stopped, cocking his head to one side, nodding a second later when the faint sound of laughter wafted through the air. "We're close."

Addena's head spun. So there was a camp. But would Breena be there?

"Look." Another guard interrupted her thoughts as he pointed into the forest in front of them.

If they hadn't been following Gregor they probably would have passed the camp by completely. It was nestled in a small clearing surrounded by a particularly thick patch of trees, the trunks of which hid the smattering of tents and fire rings beyond them.

"Close ranks." Cade whispered as they edged their way forward.

Addena instantly started feeling claustrophobic as he and the other guards, six of them in all, formed a tight circle around her. She couldn't see a thing as they continued to walk for what seemed like an eternity. Just as she was about to curse her luck for being so short Cade came to a stop and motioned for the men to spread out again.

"There it is." He whispered to her.

She barely noticed Gregor walking into one of the tents as she drank in the sight before her. There were men everywhere. Big, burly men just like she'd imagined. And the Animals weren't in cages but they might as well have been. They were herded into the back corner of the camp with a handful of men standing guard over them. But it was what she saw in front of a tent nearby that made her gasp. Not only was Bree sitting there talking to a Lioness, but so was her mother.

"Mom?"

Cade turned to her as she uttered the word. "Your mother is in there too?"

Addena mechanically nodded. "She's the one talking to Breena."

"Milton!" Cade called for the younger man. "You know what to do."

"Yes sir!" The boy sprinted off in the direction they'd just come.

"Now what do we do?" Addena didn't take her eyes off the women.

"We wait."

"Wait?" She turned to give him a confused look.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Cade tried to reason with her. "We don't stand a chance against that many men. Especially considering they're all armed to the teeth."

"But…" Addena glanced at Breena again.

Cade furrowed his brow. "Addena, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Eadlyn, he…" She swallowed hard. "He mentioned a gauntlet."

"A gauntlet?" An older guard to her left frowned. "I haven't heard of one of those in ages."

"That's because they're barbaric." Cade gripped Addena's arm. "Are you sure that's what he said?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I know I should have told you sooner, but I got so excited at the prospect of finding Breena that I didn't really stop to think about it. Seeing them," she looked toward the camp, "made me think of it again."

"A gauntlet." The older guard said it again. "That's just insane."

"You did the right thing." Cade reassured her. "If Fiyero or Elphaba had known about this they would have insisted on coming and it would have tipped Eadlyn off. We just have to hope they don't start the gauntlet until the other troops get here to back us up."

A loud whoop went up from the camp, making them all jump. Addena's heart sank as she watched a couple of the men walking toward Breena with wolfish smiles on their faces.

Another guard shook his head. "I don't think we're going to get that lucky."

"OK Ginny, it's time for you to go?"

The older woman frowned at Breena's words. "Go?"

"Yeah." Breena rolled her eyes to indicate the two men walking toward them as she climbed to her feet. "Go."

"Oh." The older woman swallowed hard. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to leave you here."

"And I don't want you having anything to do with the gauntlet. Go." Breena took Ginny's hand, pulling her to her feet. "Please."

"But I..."

"It's time." One of the men spoke as they reached them, instantly grabbing Breena by the arm.

"Yeah." The other agreed, menacingly brandishing the club in his hand.

"Go." Breena repeated herself. "And tell Addy I love her."

Tears stung Ginny's eyes. "Tell her yourself."

"'Tell her yourself.'" The one holding Breena mimicked Ginny as he pulled the witch closer to him. "When we're done with you you're not going to be able to tell anyone anything."

"Why you..."

"Penny." Breena snapped at the Lioness, stopping her midstride. "You know what to do."

"Yeah." The club wielder gave the feline a shove toward the other Animals. "Go tell your filthy friends their time is up."

Penny clinched her jaw, wanting nothing more than to claw the man's head off. But one glance at Breena reminded her of the plan they had to stick to if any of the captives hoped to survive. So she took Ginny by the hand instead and led her toward her Animal counterparts.

"That's right, be a good little pussy cat." The club man laughed.

"Your time will come soon enough." The other one warned her before half dragging half pushing Breena toward the opposite side of the camp. "Come on." He motioned toward the guards watching the Animals. "They're not going anywhere."

"Yeah." Clubber narrowed his eyes at the Animals that dared to look at him. "They know better."

Breena risked a glance over her shoulder, glad to see the guards were following them. She tried to ignore the bruises she could already feel forming on her arm as they drew closer to the mob of obviously excited men.

"Hello bitch."

One of them stepped forward. She instantly recognized him as one of the men she'd knocked out when she first met Penny.

"I owe you."

He drew back a meaty fist and punched her in the face. The blow would have knocked her off her feet if it wasn't for the vice like grip the other man still had on her arm.

She shook her head, trying to clear away the blackness threatening to close in around her. "Is that all you've got?"

The man smiled. "I'm glad you asked." He punched her in the stomach this time. The crowd around him went wild as she doubled over in pain.

"What's going on out here?" Mason came running out of his tent, Gregor hot on his heals. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw what was happening. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The one manhandling Breena said, "Getting her ready for the gauntlet."

"And who said we were ready for the gauntlet yet?" Mason asked.

"Gregor's here." One of the men pointed out. "That means Eadlyn can't be far behind."

"Yeah." Another agreed. "We just wanted to warm her up for him."

"Well Eadlyn's not on his way." Mason contradicted them. "At least not yet. He sent Gregor to let us know he's going to be a little late." He walked over to the man holding Breena's arm, prying his hand away. "So I suggest you leave her alone until he gets here."

"But..."

"He's right." Gregor spoke up. "Eadlyn said not to let anyone touch her until he gets her. He's going to be pissed that you went against his orders."

Meaty fist swallowed hard. "But we didn't know."

Gregor scoffed. "Do you really think that will matter?"

Mason bent at the waist so he could look at Breena, who was still doubled over. "I bet you're reconsidering my offer right about now."

"Like hell I am." She spat as she finally managed to right herself again.

"Ouch." He reached out as if to touch her already bruised cheek. "He gave your shiner a shiner. I have a potion that will help with the pain."

Breena chuckled. "Like I'd ever trust anything you gave me."

"Hey!" One of the men at the back of the pack pointed toward the Animals. "They're escaping!!"

"What?!" Gregor led the men back across the camp.

"That was your plan all along wasn't it? Why you wouldn't leave with me." Mason raised his eyebrows. "I'm impressed."

"Ask me if I care." Breena slammed her fist into his face before hurrying toward the fight that had already started between the trappers and the Animals.

"No!"

Cade grabbed Addena's arm to keep her from running into the camp when Breena got hit the first time. Luckily he didn't have a chance to let go before she got punched againotherwise the doctor might have slipped by him.

"Sir, I think you should see this." One of the guards pointed toward a small group of Animals sneaking away from the camp.

"Well I'll be damned." Cade shook his head. "She's distracting them."

"What do you mean she's distracting them? She's getting the shit knocked out of her!" Addena snapped.

"No, she's giving them a chance to get away." Cade turned her so she could see what he was talking about. "The guards are too busy watching the show to know what's going on."

"She's clever." Another of the guards sounded impressed.

Addena frowned at him. "She's going to be dead if we don't help her."

"I don't think so." Cade watched as Mason and Gregor ran out to the men. "Our boy is telling them Eadlyn's not here yet. From everything you've told us he'd want to be here to see her get worked over."

"He would." Addena grudgingly agreed.

"That's it." Cade encouraged Mason as he took the man's hand off Breena's arm. "Get rid of the buffoon. Give them a little hell." He grinned at Addena. "I think she's safe for now."

"Safe?" Addena looked at him like he crazy. "You call getting beat up and being surrounded by men who want to kill her safe?"

"I just meant we've got a little more time now."

"To what? Stand around with our thumbs up our butts?"

"Addena…"

"Don't sigh at me, Cade." Addena warned him. "Not only is the woman I love over there getting pummeled by men three times her size, but so is my mother. What if it was your family? Would you be able to watch and do nothing?"

"Uh oh." The guard that first spotted the Animals in the first place pointed again. "The jig is up."

"The what is what?" Addena looked back at Breena, shocked to see the men hurrying toward the Animals. "Oh shit."

"That's putting it mildly." Cade ran his hand through his hair.

"What is she doing?" His words didn't even register with Addena as she continued to watch her love. The corner of her mouth turned up when she decked the man standing beside her. "That's my girl!" But her heart quickly fell to her toes as Breena ran toward the now fighting trappers and Animals. "No! Breena, get out of there!"

"We're not going to be able to wait for the others." Cade looked at his men. "We go in hard and fast. Take out as many of the trappers as you can and try to watch each other's backs. Jennings." He looked at the older guard. "Keep her here."

"What?!" Addena's mouth fell open. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Far from it." Cade was quick to answer.

"You can't honestly expect me to stand here and do nothing."

"That's exactly what I want you to do." He confirmed. "I'm sure we'll need your skills when the fight is over. Until then, you're staying put." He motioned to his men and started running toward the camp before she could reply.

"Cade!" Addena called after him. "Cade!!" She turned toward the guard. "Are we honestly going to listen to him?"

"An order's an order ma'am."

"I... You..." Addena growled and started toward the camp.

The guard grabbed her arm. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Damn it!" She struggled for a moment before she realized she'd lost sight of Breena. She concentrated on the mob of clashing bodies, hoping to spot her short ebony hair among the chaos.

"She's over there." The guard pointed with his free hand.

Addena didn't thank him. Instead she watched as Breena used a staff to take out two of the trappers terrorizing a Tiger before hurrying toward the group of men surrounding the Lioness and Ginny.

"Mom." Her heart broke at the prospect of watching one of them getting hurt. "Please let me go." She pleaded with the guard. "They need me."

"No, they don't." He added, "But I have a feeling they will soon enough," under his breath.

Addena's hand clinched into a fist as Breena barely stopped a swordsman from stabbing her mother in the back. The man turned on Breena but she easily sidestepped the sloppy swing he took at her, using the staff to hit him in the back as he stumbled past her. He barely had time to hit the ground before another man with a staff of his own quickly gained Breena's attention.

"Let go!" She struggled against the guard's grip, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that something awful was about to happen.

Breena and the trapper exchanged some hard blows before Breena was finally able to bring her staff up, catching him in the chin and knocking him off his feet. But she was too preoccupied to notice the swordsman had made it back to his knees and was taking another swing at her leg.

"No." She shook her head, hardly believing what she was seeing as the blade cut deep into the flesh of Breena's right thigh. "NO!!" She felt sick as blood literally spurted from the witch's wound.

Breena brought the staff around, managing to knock her attacker out before her leg gave way beneath her, spilling her to the ground.

"Breena!" Addena started forward again only to be stopped by the guard. "She's hurt!"

"I know and I'm sorry, but I can't let you go to her."

"Just you try and stop me!" Addena used her free hand to cuff him in the side of the head. It wasn't meant to hurt him, just distract him enough so she could pull free.

"Hey!" The guard tried to catch her arm again but couldn't move fast enough to keep her from sweeping his legs out from under him.

"It's amazing what you can learn in a self defense class." She looked down at him. "Now get up and come help."

With that she sprinted toward the camp, offering up a silent prayer that she would get to Breena in time to help her.