Before anyone else could react Elphaba had swooped out the window on her broom, already chanting spells. "You two stay here!" Caya commanded Fiyero and Glinda.
"No," the blonde squeaked indignantly. "We need to help Elphie."
"Those of us with weapons will," the Tiger assured her. "But you two are unarmed; you'd just get in the way."
"You aren't armed," Fiyero pointed out.
"Yes I am," Caya growled, unsheathing her claws as she threw open the door. An unfortunate member of the Gale Force, who had been attempting to herd a young Antelope towards some cages, was the first to meet with Elphaba's wrath. She landed before him in a flurry of jade smoke. Face to face with an infamous villain who was supposed to be dead the solider froze. A blast of magic knocked him to the ground moments later.
Jaybo struggled futilely against a burly man until Caya tackled his assailant into the dirt. "Why are you here?" she demanded, pressing her claws against the soldier's neck. "The Wizard is gone, why are you continuing his work?"
"The Wizard will only be gone when no one in Oz is loyal to him," the man spat. "Madame Morrible sent us; she said that you were harboring a fugitive. If you ask me it was just an excuse to put you fleabags in your place." His words were rewarded with a row of bloody scratches across his face.
Mar barreled through the soldiers like a big, fuzzy cannonball. He elbowed men aside and trampled them underfoot, roaring up a storm the entire time. Even quiet Brrr joined the fray; a full grown Lion was a force to be reckoned with. However despite the best efforts of every Animal in the village they were no match for the Gale Force.
Glinda and Fiyero watched helplessly from behind a woodpile as their friends were gradually overwhelmed. "We can't just sit here," the Winkie grumbled in frustration. "Don't you know any spells that might help?"
"Even Elphie's magic can't keep the entire Gale Force at bay," the blonde witch explained, gesturing to the green girl launching fireballs from atop her broom. "I'd be useless in a battle like this even if I had my wand."
"Well I'm going to join them," Fiyero decided, leaping from his hiding place. "You stay here." Glinda had no choice but to obey. The Winkie threw himself onto an unsuspecting solider and wrested the man's spear from his grip. Now armed Fiyero turned to face off against men who had formerly been under his command. Luckily the Winkie hadn't become Captain of the Guard for nothing.
An intense aching sadness leaked into Elphaba's heart as she watched the Gale Force shoving Animals roughly into cages. Even after all she and Glinda had done the soldiers were still more than happy to treat the villagers like scum. Some even set a few houses ablaze for no reason at all. It sickened Elphaba to see her home destroyed; the peace she'd enjoyed in the past few months evaporated. Following on the heels of the green girl's sadness was murderous anger. She wanted so badly to hurt the soldiers who had continually hurt her and all the Animals of Oz. A blaze of pure emerald energy rippled across the green clad men below, but still more stepped forward to attack with harsh cruelty. Mar, Caya, Brrr and Fiyero were being backed towards the forest by the oncoming Gale Force.
The witch landed between her friends and the soldiers. Livid with rage Elphaba clubbed a man over the head with the handle of her broom before knocking another aside with a seething orb of flame. For a moment the soldiers fell back, until one managed to nick the green girl's side with his spear. Elphaba stumbled backwards towards her comrades who swarmed forward to continue the attack. "Are you ok?" Fiyero demanded.
"I'm fine," the witch snapped, eyes tight with anger and pain. "Go help!"
"You two have got to take Glinda and get out of here," Mar bellowed to the couple.
"I won't leave!" Elphaba insisted. "This is all my fault; they came here because of me."
"Someone's got to fight Morrible," Caya growled to her friend, agreeing with Mar. "We'll give these scumbags a run for their money." The Tiger's eyes glittered with feral anticipation.
"You must go too," Brrr told Caya in a firm calm voice.
"What?" she gasped. "No!"
"Someone's got to show them where the bunker is," the Lion pointed out. His eyes burned into Caya's and something passed between them.
"Ok," the Tiger sighed. She grasped Elphaba's hand and led her and the Winkie towards Glinda's hiding place.
"We're escaping into the woods," Fiyero explained to the clueless blonde. They set off into the forest without another word. As the foursome crested a hill the green girl looked back to see flames devouring most of the village.
"I can't leave them," the witch whispered, desperately clinging to the inner strength she relied on.
"Yes you can," Glinda told her friend softly. "You've fought for Animals your whole life; let them fight for you this one time." Elphaba nodded sadly and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Then she gasped in agony and abruptly fell to her knees. The side of the green girl's dress was dark with blood.
***
"Where did they go?" Raeb snarled. "If you don't tell me you'll regret it."
"I don't know!" Boq insisted. "I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb with me!" Morrible's assistant shouted. "I know you helped Elphaba and Glinda escape."
"I did," the Tin Man admitted. "But I have no clue where they went after that."
"I doubt they would just leave you behind to face whatever fate we dealt you," Raeb snorted. Boq flinched because his friends had done just that. Not that he minded, Glinda was safe now and that was all that mattered. "I know they're communicating with you. Where are they?"
"I don't know," the munchkin sighed.
"Fine," Raeb snapped, wheeling the bound Tin Man around. Boq's eyes widened at the deep pool of murky water in front of him. "I hear you rust quite easily," the cruel man snickered. "If you don't tell me what you know I'll see to it that you spend the rest of your life rusted stiff."
Can you guys tell me if the original characters I've used (Caya, Mar, and Brrr) are well done and/or go with the story? I'm thinking about adding another original character but if it doesn't bode well with you readers I won't…suggestions are great!
By the way sorry for another cliffhanger…