(AN: I do hope you've been paying attention. We've got a new chapter out for this story, as it's starting to come to a fitting conclusion [one that I foresaw since The Witch's Saga, and therefore has nothing to do with the fact that you've been avoiding this story].)

(Hopefully once I'm done, I will be able to work on my other stories. But for now, get ready for the big show-down)

A Sinner's Damnation

If there had been a Yellow Brick Road to follow, Elphaba and Glinda surely would have done so. As there was not, the two of them took Nessa out of the stables and set off in the direction that Elphaba knew best. Unlike coming and going by bubble, flying about on a broomstick offered much more opportunities to view the land of Oz in greater detail, and Elphaba knew her way around Munchkinland.

With Glinda holding onto Elphaba's neck for dear life, they left Colwen Grounds, riding on the north-side of the Munchkin River. Though the day was almost spent and the shadows were growing longer, Elphaba showed no sign of stopping. Glinda decided that she didn't have anywhere to complain.

I chose to come along with her, she thought. I can endure.

They ended up riding all through the night, passing through the fearful Pine Barrens as they went. Glinda was nodding onto her friend's shoulder, and missed most of the journey. Sometimes Nessa would jump over a fallen tree and Glinda would be roused from her sleep for a moment only to see the dark forest gleaming in the moonlight. It was quite eerie, for most of the moon-beams did not penetrate this deep through the canopy of the trees. Sometimes she thought she heard the rustling of tree-branches as some creature made their way through the forest. She meant to cry out, but sleep pulled her back under.

When Glinda finally did wake up again, the night was long gone and morning was around them. To her left she saw the still, clear surface of Restwater Lake, stretching on for untold miles. To her right, she saw the Madeleines in the distance, girt about the roots with the last of the Pine Barrens. Cool wind was blowing upon their faces from the north, and Elphaba's hair flew in the wind like a sea of black banners. Glinda found herself getting whipped by the magnificent yet oily locks, and so buried her face in Elphaba's shoulder.

This whole pretending to be allergic to water thing was going to be harder than they had originally thought.

They crossed the bridge that spanned the Gilikin River just east of the Shale Shallows fort. From the sounds that Glinda heard, she guessed that the fort was now aware of their presence. Daisy and Azalea back at Colwen Grounds were probably aware of their absence as well. Elphaba was most definitely aware of this fact, but she showed no sign of slowing her pace. Nessa was galloping on at top speed, the stay at Colwen Grounds seemingly to have invigorated her strength and her stamina.

The two rode past Kellswater, which was much smaller than the great Restwater Lake, and were making a straight shot directly toward the Great Kells - the mountains that separated the far Vinkus from the Gilikin River. Crossing the Vinkus River, however, would be a chore all-together. There had been a ford at Kumbrica's Pass, but that was far to the south and would add many more miles and hours to their journey.

Fortunately, there might be another way, one which Elphaba was trying to exploit. The plateau that separated the Upper Kells from the Great Kells, upon which the castle of Kiamo Ko would one day be built, was the location of of of the two springs that fed the Vinkus River. This meant that the whole pass was not obscured by the Vinkus River, and they could gain the high ground without having to ford another river.

While they were riding, just within sight of the plateau, Nessa suddenly gave a cry and rose up in the air. Glinda was the first to fall off, with Elphaba trying to hold on for her life and for that of the baby. Still lying on her back on the thin grass, Glinda watched with horror as Elphaba fought to stay atop the bucking horse.

"Elphie!" she cried out. "Jump into my arms! Please, before something bad happens!"

The green woman fell off the back of the horse, landing right onto Glinda. The little blond was too small and had not the strength to hold her, and they both fell, with Elphaba laying on top of poor Glinda.

"Are you okay?" Glinda wheezed from beneath Elphaba. Though once she had been thin and rather light-weight, the extra pounds of her carrying her child made her quite a load for poor Glinda to have suddenly thrown upon her.

"I should be asking you that question!" Elphaba said, as she pushed herself clumsily up onto her feet.

"I'm fine!" Glinda said. "What about Nessa?"

Elphaba ran over to the horse, who was writhing on the ground on her side. Elphaba knelt down by the head, attempting to calm her down.

"Nessa, what's wrong?" she asked. "Are you hurt?"

"She's not a Horse, Elphie." Glinda said, joining her friend. "I think she's just skid-dish."

"She's never been this skid-dish before! Something else is wrong!"

"I know the answer."

Both Elphaba and Glinda gasped, turning around in shock to see who had spoken. They saw a tall black figure, covered in a cloak of black swan feathers.

"You!" Elphaba spat, her eyes narrowing to venomous slits. "You've done something to Nessa!"

"And why would I harm your horse?" Koiyo queried. "Relax! I'm on your side...for now."

"My side?"

"Well, we both want to stop the Chancellor, don't we?"

"First things first," Elphaba snapped, rising to her feet. "What's wrong with Nessa?"

"It's the black crystals." Koiyo answered. "My own powers have grown steadily weaker since they started appearing."

"What's going to happen to her?"

"They're sucking the life out of all of Oz, in case you haven't noticed." Koiyo returned. "And she's going with it, just like the rest. Though why she's going so soon, I have no idea."

"Going?"

"She will die eventually, as will we all."

"Why are you telling me this?" Elphaba queried suspiciously. "I thought you said there was nothing we could do to stop the Chancellor."

"Correction, there's nothing I can do." Koiyo said. "He knows me too well, he knows the extent of my powers. He would be prepared for an assault of force from me, and would seek to break me - to force me to become his thrall."

"But?"

"But I've come up with a possible plan to stop him."

"How? You said he couldn't be stopped!"

"Use the very crystals he created to imprison him. With the crystals leeching whatever magic that they find, they will keep him from ever gaining enough power to escape."

"And how do we do that if the crystals are leeching the life out of Oz?"

"They leech life and magical energies, but they can always be broken with brute force. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly muscle-bound, so it will have to be one of you." A sledge-hammer suddenly appeared out of nowhere and fell into Glinda's hands, who stumbled a bit at holding the awkwardly heavy tool.

"Some help you are," Elphaba returned. "Just tell us what to do and send us off just like that. Well I'm sorry, but I won't be your lackey. I've found another way to kill the Chancellor."

"You mean this?" Before Elphaba could bat an eye, Koiyo had appeared uncomfortably close to her, a dagger of gold in her hands, its point just a hair's breath from Elphaba's neck.

"Like I said," she continued. "It's useless in my hands, because I'd never get close enough to use it."

"Then give it to me, and I'll do it for you."

At Elphaba's request, Koiyo released a loud, melodious yet mocking laugh.

"Like I would just hand over the most powerful weapon in all of Oz over to you at your mere request! Besides, you're hardly in any position to be giving orders." The dagger disappeared back into the folds of Koiyo's black robes.

"Which is why I need you - yes, I know, how odd it is that someone as powerful as me needs mere mortals like you, but I do. I know where he's located and I know how to kill him, all I need is someone to do the deed."

"Why can't you..."

"Has being fat with child affecting your hearing, Aelphaba?" Koiyo queried. "I've told you before: his power far outmatches my own, so to fight him face-to-face would be death for me, especially once the crystals start affecting me more than they already have. So can I count on your help?"

"Yes." Glinda said.

"Screw you!" Elphaba scoffed at Koiyo. "You're as useless as Ozma."

Just then, Elphaba found herself lifted up off the ground. A very angry Koiyo was looking at her, one black-nailed finger pointing up at her.

"With that kind of ingratitude, I might as well remove the spells I put around you and let the Chancellor find you and kill you both. Yes!" Koiyo continued, seeing their shocked expressions. "I've been keeping an eye on you two, using what magic I can to keep you out of sight from the Chancellor. Which is considerable, considering that he has the all-seeing Golden Mirror."

Koiyo waved her hand and Elphaba fell to the ground. Glinda ran to her side, keeping her from falling all the way down and on her feet.

"With the crystals rising about Oz, my powers grow weaker." Koiyo said. "But you must go now, while I can still cover your approach. Or...if you wish, I can leave you to your ingratitude and let you fend for yourselves." She smiled mockingly.

Elphaba would not apologize. This woman got under her skin as much as she got under hers as well.

"Just keep doing what you've been doing." she hissed back. Koiyo nodded, then knelt down beside Nessa, a red aura emanating from her hands and entering the horse's body.

"What are you doing to her?"

"This is an invigorating spell," Koiyo said. "It will give her the strength to continue." Once she was done, Nessa rose to her feet, ready to continue. "Follow the fire-ball, it will lead you to where you need to go."

Elphaba and Glinda got back on Nessa's back.

"Oz-speed!" the little blond said, as they took off.

Koiyo simply smiled, before throwing an emerald ball of fire across the sky. Let the little people run and do her bidding, she mused as they rode off toward the Great Kells, following the fire-ball. She had much bigger matters that required more attention than one simple traitor. For now, these could have their day, their moment of fame for defeating the power of the Chancellor.

Kumbricia would have her day.

"Over there!" Glinda shouted, pointing toward the side of one of the hills. "It explodiated over there!"

Elphaba turned Nessa toward the foot of the Great Kells, on the northern side of the plateau. There she saw the side of the mountain, a large scouring of black upon its side. Bits of green flame still rested upon where the fire-ball had struck, and in the center of the black scouring there was a great hole in the side of the mountain.

"A cave?" Glinda asked. Elphaba nodded, then dismounted off Nessa and walked toward the cave entrance.

"Elphie, wait!"

"What is it?"

"We can't go like this." Glinda said. "This hammer is too heavy for me to carry."

"Then I'll carry it."

"No, no, Elphie! Think of your baby!"

"Glinda, I'm tired of being limited by this damn pregnancy!"

"I won't let you kill your child by straining yourself!" Glinda almost shouted. "Oz knows you've been doing enough of that for the past four months!"

"Then how do we bring the hammer with us?"

"Put it on Nessa?"

"But we can't take Nessa into a cave with us!"

"We've done it before!"

Elphaba sighed, shaking her head in defeat.

"Alright, do it." Glinda heaved the hammer and placed it upon Nessa's back, then led her by means of patting her neck. For Nessa didn't often go with a saddle or reins, and obeyed such commands easily as if they were word of mouth. But, as seen here and before, it meant that being un-horsed was much easier.

As they came to the entrance of the tunnel, they saw that the entrance had been blasted open by the fire-ball. Without another word, they made their way into the darkness of the tunnel. Elphaba used a fire-spell to bring up a single ball of orange flame in her hand to light the way. But even this was not enough, for it did not cast much light and was flickering violently in her hand.

"What's wrong with the fire, Elphie?" Glinda asked fearfully.

"I-I don't know." Elphaba answered uncertainly. "I can barely feel the magic in here."

An unnatural cold, greater than the cold that was inherent to all caves, began to flow around them. The flicker of the fire-ball's light went out all together, replaced by a silvery-black glow emanating from something that was sitting just on the side of the cave-wall. Nessa was pacing uneasily and a cold sweat was coursing down their faces.

"Is that one of those crystals?" Glinda whispered fearfully.

Elphaba nodded. With trembling hands, she removed the hammer from Nessa's back. But as she was about to take it into hers, Glinda's tiny hands took hold of the handle.

"I'll do it, Elphie."

Glinda walked up, her hands feeling the walls of the cave until it landed upon something cool. Taking the hammer in both hands, she struck the cave wall, stumbling back as her hands were shaking with the tremor of her blow. She swung again, but this time she missed the wall all-together and came very close to hitting Elphaba and Nessa.

"Here," Elphaba offered. "Let me do it."

"No, Elphie! I got it!" Glinda tightened her grip on the hammer, gazing in the direction of the glowing light. Once again she swung the hammer. There was a sound of broken glass and she fell upon the dirty floor.

"Did I do it?" she asked.

Elphaba began the very awkward process of trying to bend her knees so she could reach what was upon the ground. Glinda reached over and her hand closed upon something cold and clammy. It was hard, but she felt that whatever it was that was beneath her fingers wasn't really there, or that her hands would disappear inside it if she pushed hard enough.

"Here, I have it." Glinda assured. Elphaba sighed.

They then began feeling their way along the side of the cave-wall, going deeper and deeper into the earth. Though they knew it not, the path began to steadily slope downward as far back as when they first lost sight of the light from the entrance. They were now well within the bowels of the earth, far beneath the surface and beyond light and hope. They continued onward, fearing every second that a sudden drop would end their journey before they had the chance to do good.

After almost an hour in pitch black darkness, Elphaba came to a halt.

"What is it, Elphie?" Glinda whispered. "Why are we stopping?"

"Shh!" Elphaba shushed. "Listen!"

The two remained quiet for a while. Their own breathing was very loud, reverberating off every hard surface in this large tunnel. They spoke in whispers because the sound of their own voices was too loud in this tunnel to permit shouting, but Nessa had no such restraint. Every neigh, every whinny and every snort sent them both jumping in fear at something that might be attacking them. Even the sound of her tail, swooshing idly in the still air, grated their nerves.

But there was another sound, faint and very distant. A constant noise, an eternal rush of something moving just beyond their sight.

"Is that what I think it is?" Glinda gasped.

"Yes, Glinda." Elphaba returned. "Water."

The next few steps were made almost running down the tunnel, with hands on the walls, guiding them down the path that led slowly downward. They rounded a corner and saw a red light glowing from the end of the tunnel just beyond.

"Oh, Elphie!" Glinda whined. "I'm scared!"

"Glinda, it's alright!" Elphaba turned around. "I'm here, I'm with you. You have to be brave, Glin, for both of us!" She bit her lower lip, not wanting to put her dear, silly friend through with what she knew she had to do. But there was no other way, unless Elphaba was ready to put the life of her unborn child in jeopardy; and that she would not do. Therefore, only one other option remained.

"I don't wanna be brave!" Glinda sobbed, tears streaming down her eyes. "I can't do this, Elphie! I'm too scared!"

"Listen to me!" Elphaba now held her friend's little pale face in both of her green hands. "No matter what waits for us at the end of that tunnel, you have to remember that you're Glinda Upland, the bravest woman I know and the best friend I've ever had! You've crossed mountains, gone through darkness and terror, escaped the worst that has been thrown your way, I know you can do this!"

"You do?"

"Glin, there's no one else but you. Now is your moment to shine, to leave baggage behind and do something! This is what I've always wanted to see from you, Glin: to have you succeed me as the protector of Oz. I've never been so proud of you!" She kissed Glinda on the forehead.

"Glin?" the little blond queried.

"That's your nickname!" Elphaba returned. Glinda nodded fiercely, then threw herself into Elphaba's arms.

"Well, then, Elphie, let's do this!"

"Together!"

A tiny white hand, covered in dirt and mud from the cave walls, gripped a slender green one firmly. A pair of blue eyes turned toward the violent red glow, followed by a pair of dark brown eyes turning in the same direction. A single booted foot stepped forward, followed by another from the other person. They were now walking together, toward the red light that was burning from the other end. With Nessa at their side, they felt their way down the filthy, slippery cave-walls. They disappeared into the light.

The tunnel terminated in a huge cavern with a high ceiling. At the far end of the room, a small antechamber was hidden behind a curtain of water: a rushing waterfall. It was glowing red, like a sea of rubies falling through rays of sunlight. The red light shone throughout the whole room, reflecting off every surface of rock, every spire of crystal. Black crystal stalagmites reached up to the ceiling, creating pillars of powerful energy capable of draining them all in a few moments.

Standing in the middle of this array was the spectral form of Chancellor Okli, now Lord Ikol the Destroyer. He had great iron boots upon his feet, and the Golden Wonders upon his person: the breastplate, the belt, the cloak and the helmet. No body, it appeared, there was beneath the armor, for it seemed to float as if inhabited by some invisible being. Within the dark recesses of the helmet, two red eyes glared out at the new-comers.

"It was foolish of you to come here." Ikol growled. His voice, once low and commanding, was now metallic and grating, though just as menacing. "This place will be your grave."

"Chancellor!" Elphaba called out. "Why are you doing this? You were her loyal adviser!"

"Old promises are meaningless," Ikol retorted. "There is only truth...in power."

"Power to destroy Oz?"

"To unmake all that Ozma has corrupted." Ikol said. "And to re-shape in a new image."

"With no heed to what it will cost the people of Oz?"

"A few insignificant lives?" Ikol laughed in mockery. "The giants were insignificant to Ozma, just a nuisance to be eradicated. No, Elphaba, it matters not who must die for Oz to be reborn..." The red eyes were now looking squarely at her. "Even a mother and her unborn child are expendable, if they stand in my way."

As if on instinct, Elphaba raised her hand and summoned a fire-ball. But the pathetic, coughing sparks that appeared in her hand shocked her greatly.

"Powerless, are we?" he asked, slowly walking toward her. There was suddenly a rush of gold, and before Glinda could utter a cry of alarm, Ikol stood once again in the center of the room. In one hand he held Elphaba by the throat, and in the other, he held Nessa by her large neck.

"The Mirror told me everything," Ikol said, turning to Elphaba. "I know who you are, where you are from..." The eyes then turned to the horse. "And what this means to you!"

With one hand, Ikol tossed Nessa across the cave, where she hit the wall with a sickening neigh. Elphaba shut her eyes against this horrible torture. Did not he have any pity for animals?

"I delved into the darkest depths of magic," Ikol began. "I uncovered things that many would die just watching, and what I learned was that mortals...are weak, and feeble." He looked up at her. "Oh, now what? Does the little green freak not like me hurting her poor little play-thing?"

"Nessa is not a play-thing, you bastard!"

"Isn't she?" Ikol held out a gloved hand in the direction of the horse, and it exploded in spasms of pain, flailing its legs about and neighing fiercely.

"Stop!" Elphaba cried out. "Stop it!"

"Why?" Ikol asked. "I enjoy seeing you mortals writhe in pain!"

Ikol threw Elphaba onto the stone floor, a great golden sword materializing in his hand.

"Don't think I'll be merciful to you because you're with child." Ikol roared. Elphaba was slowly pushing herself up into a leaning position, her eyes having not left Ikol's glowing orbs.

On the far end of the cathedral-sized cavern, Glinda was trying to sneak up on the gold-clad Ikol. She had to do something, had to get close enough to attempt their duty.

"There's one last secret," Ikol stated. "One..." He laughed at Elphaba. "...that even you do not know about."

"What's that?" Elphaba asked. "Why won't you just kill me now that you have the chance, huh?"

"It's easy enough to take a life," Ikol said. "It's much more...enjoyable...to break your spirit."

Ikol held out his right hand in the direction of the horse, and Nessa began neighing even more fearfully, writhing like a live fish on a frying pan. A pale-blue light was glowing around Ikol's hand, flowing toward the body of the fallen horse like a stream of water. Nessa's cries of agony became higher and higher, sounding more and more fey and fearful.

The body of the horse began twisting and contorting as the power surged from Ikol's fist. The mane was growing longer and longer, the head shrinking, the neck shortening, the body shriveling up, the coat whitening and the hooves breaking apart.

"Stop!" Elphaba screamed. "You're hurting...!"

But her eyes exploded as she looked upon the writhing figure. It was no longer a horse, for it was much smaller and looking quite deformed. Yet even so, Elphaba could make out something. The horse's huge brown eyes were gone, replaced with smaller blue orbs that were swimming with tears. The tail was gone, as were many of the significant features that would indicate this thing as even been closely related to a horse. It looked more like something else.

Almost human.

The light vanished, filling the cavern with the red glow of the water-fall. Where the horse had once been, there now huddled the small, pink form of a human with long reddish-brown hair, shivering violently.

"What did you do to Nessa?" Elphaba shouted at Ikol.

"I removed the enchantment," he returned. "Now you get to watch me torture her to death, while you are helpless to save her."

At that moment, a rock struck the side of Ikol's helmet. The red eyes turned to see the one who had done this, and noticed a tiny figure in white travel robes with messy blond hair.

"I won't let her die again!" Glinda Upland shouted, her blue eyes set against the figure.

"Pitiful." Ikol growled.

Raising his right hand, he lifted Glinda into the air with his own power. Suddenly she was being pulled through the air. Elphaba's world seemed to grind to a stand-still as she watched the left hand summon something bright and gold into its clutches.

Glinda was now hovering just before the imposing form of Ikol. The Golden Sword materialized in Ikol's left hand, the six-foot blade running straight through Glinda's stomach.

Elphaba's eyes were now spilling forth tears. Every bad thought, every worst scenario that had ever gone through her mind since the day they parted in the attic, was now come true. Her hands were shaking, even as they went up to cover her gaping mouth.

"Do you like this?" Ikol mocked. "Your stupid little friend goes first, the one you loved more."

"Leave her alone already, you son of a b*tch!" Elphaba screamed at Ikol.

"Good," his low voice purred. "I know your fracture-point. Let's see how much you can endure before your will is finally mine."

Meanwhile, Glinda was wheezing, her diaphragm punctured by the huge blade of the sword. Almost forgotten by the giant specter, whose attention had turned once again to Elphaba.

"Look at me!" she groaned.

The helmed face turned its red gaze at the victim, hanging helplessly from his sword.

Her hand, which had kept a tight grip on something this whole time, now swung forward, throwing the rather innocuous-looking shard straight through the visor of the traitorous Chancellor.

A shard of black crystal.

Ikol's form was shaking as tiny crystals began erupting from its body. Gorging themselves on such raw power, the crystals began growing again, covering his body and encasing the golden armor. The weight was too great and he fell backward, coming to a sitting position as his body was being taken over by crystals. The body was now becoming obscure, a veritable forest of crystals of many shapes, forming something that looked like a giant throne.

Suddenly, there was a dead silence throughout the cave.

(AN:/)