As if on cue a battalion of guards, all with the same tan, leathery complexions, crashed through the open door. Elphaba charged into the mass of armed men, hitting some with her broom and others with periodic blasts of green energy. Once in the hallway she located Selky and Glinda still sitting in the prison cell. "Come on!" the green girl called to them. "We've got to go!" Unfortunately the blonde woman was in no shape to go running off into the depths of a subterranean fortress. She hobbled along beside Selky as best she could while Elphaba picked off whatever guards they encountered. "This isn't gonna work," the green witch growled in frustration. "Here Glinda, get on my broom."
Gingerly the petite woman climbed up and curled herself around the wooden handle. The broom gently hovered, waiting for instructions. Again the party of three set off. Elphaba led the way though she wasn't exactly sure where they were going. Flying out through the hole they'd blown earlier seemed impossible with Glinda in this condition, so they had to find another opening to the surface.
"There's a staircase!" Selky exclaimed, gesturing to several old wooden steps leading upwards. Without waiting for a response she turned and jogged up the rotten expanse of ancient wood with all the faith in the world that it would hold her weight. "It's safe!" the reckless teenager called when she reached the top. "Just be careful on the fifth step." Despite the gravity of the situation Elphaba couldn't help but roll her eyes.
At the top of this staircase they found another spiraling upwards. And another. And another. How deep were they? "Whoever designed this fortress had little sympathy for wounded people," Glinda observed weakly, trying in vain to find a comfortable position on the slim wooden broom.
"We'll be out soon," Elphaba assured her, gesturing to the moonlight bathing the top steps of the final staircase.
"Thank Oz," the blonde whispered as she finally felt a cool breeze on her face. Then she opened her eyes and saw nothing but open sky. They were standing on a column of pale rock towering over the open sands of the desert. The stairs they'd been climbing led up the hollow inside of a giant stone pillar and now they were perched on the wide, flat rim. Selky peered over the edge to see large, jagged boulders and sharp, thorny brush below. Her stomach flip flopped.
Five more guards poured onto the top of the rock formation, quickly gauging the three women they faced. These men were unlike the others in that they had thick, leather armor plating their heavily muscled bodies. One took off after Selky while the others stalked towards the two witches. Refusing to be backed towards the edge of the stone column the teenager gripped her broom like a club. As her pursuer raised his curved saber she moved her wooden flying instrument to block the blow. Unfortunately the broom was no sword. It did however manage to jar the weapon from her opponent's grasp, sending it and the bristle half of the broom over the edge. Selky dived beneath the guard, swinging out her legs to trip him. He fell with a grunt and followed his saber over the side when Selky struck his back with a well aimed kick. The brutal training she endured in Sparring Club had its advantages. Selky slipped the fragment of broom handle into a loop on her belt meant to hold her sword.
Elphaba blew two of her attackers aside with a blast of bright green. As one of the two remaining men reached to draw his weapon Selky attached herself to his back with a yell. Her weight pulled him down on top of her and the two of them rolled, grappling, towards the dangerous edge. Elphaba stunned the one guard left and rushed to aid her daughter. A burst of emerald lightning struck the man pulling Selky toward the side of the stone pillar. He toppled over the deadly edge but the teenager continued skidding. She managed to grab a scrawny plant protruding from a crack in the rock and held on for dear life, her legs dangling into open space. Desperately she scrabbled at the smooth stone with her free hand, trying to get back. The fragile desert flora supporting her weight was beginning to pull free from the sparse soil it grew in.
Before the green witch could pull her daughter to safety another plea for help reached her ears. "Elphie!" Her head whipped around to see the prone Glinda with a saber poised above her neck. The stunned guard had recovered and was grasping the blonde witch by the collar of her jacket. Though Glinda was trying her hardest to escape she barley had the strength to stand. Her weak limbs flailed uselessly against the hard muscles of her pursuer.
In that split second Elphaba was caught halfway between two people she cared about; two people she would gladly die for. Unfortunately it wasn't a question of the green girl's life; she was sure to live to see the aftermath of whatever happened now. So many unsure variables came into question. Was the brutal guard planning on using Glinda to bargain for his life of slaughter her in cold blood? How much longer would the roots of Selky's plant hold on? The green girl's hand shot out to launch a ball of fire at Glinda's attacker. Next her body jerked faster than she would have thought possible to dive for Selky.
It was as if the universe were watching in slow motion as the green witch slid towards her daughter. The plant was ripping away even as Elphaba inched closer and closer. Her hands reached out and closed around a fistful of air. Selky's arms reached upwards as she fell and a scream tore from the green witch's throat. "No!" The word hung in silence as a flare of black hair disappeared into the thick expanse of rock and brush below.
***
Elphaba learned that there was something worse than being powerless to help someone you love. It was worse when you were there, when you had them within your grasp, when you had all the power needed to save them, and you failed to use it.
***
Both witches survived that night. They flew home on the broom and arrived at the palace to warm cries of joy. The happy atmosphere lasted only until Fiyero caught sight of his wife's face. "Where's Selky?" Her eyes flinched away with immeasurable pain and he knew. Everyone was devastated. Weeks passed and the aching loss didn't show any sign of dissipating. Weekends were especially horrible, expecting to hear Selky's sarcastic remarks at the dinner table and getting an earful of silence instead.
***
"Hello Curyn."
"Lady Elphaba. It's so nice to see you. Where's Selky?"
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I wanted to be the one to tell you. Selky's dead."
Silence.
"What do you mean she's dead? When…how…?"
"While searching for Glinda she fell from a high stone pillar in the desert. We didn't find a body."
"Sweet Oz. Oh Selky…"
"I'm sorry Curyn; I know that she was a good friend of yours."
***
"Elphaba why haven't you ordered an attack?" Fiyero demanded, utterly at a loss. "Nessarose has mounted a full scale invasion! The Sand People are occupying Munchkin Land for Oz's sakes. Why aren't you sending in the Ozian army?"
"There is a method to my madness I assure you," the green witch replied in the monotone she used increasingly often. "As long as I can understand my enemy I can effectively fight it. Munchkin Land was an obvious choice for my sister. Not only is it the militarily weakest of the quadrants it is also where she used to govern. I predict that she will next move her troops into the open, wet expanses of Quadling Country before tackling the more challenging Vinkus. If I were to send the Ozian Army in Munchkin Land bloody battles would occur on farmland and innocent lives would be lost. I plan on waiting for Nessarose to move her army into the south before we decimate them. There will be less civilian involvement if we fight the Sand People in an empty expanse of bog land."
"I don't think it's wise to assume that you can understand what your sister will do," Glinda pointed out. "What if she tries to attack the Gillikin first?"
"The Gillikin is heavily guarded," Elphaba insisted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have laws to revise."
"Elphie…" the blonde called after her with a sigh. Her friend was in a dark place, they all knew that, but things just weren't getting any better. It had been weeks and there wasn't even a glimmer of life in Elphaba's eyes anymore.
I know that we jerky and depressing but just stay with me…things are going to get better and the action is only beginning…Curyn, Shay and Izo will begin evolving more…let me know what you thought…