Elphaba woke to fingers playing over her with long, soft strokes. Up her arm, down her side, across her stomach. She stretched languidly, and her leg tangled with his.
"Morning," Avaric rumbled against her throat.
She answered in a sigh. His lips joined the exploration, slow and soft and so unhurried. She turned to face him, and he chuckled. His touch lightened to less than a feather.
She rolled them so she straddled him. "Always such a hurry," he chastised, even as he met her stroke for stroke.
"You know the life we have. Better get to it while we have the chance."
He tilted his head in acknowledgement, and they fell to the cause with vigor. She bit down on his shoulder, her climax rippling through her, and he smothered a shout in her neck as he followed not too long after.
"Best way to start the day." His hands slid over her still, unceasing.
But she pulled free before they worked themselves up again. She cleaned up and dressed, all with his eyes tracing over her. "Were you planning to get out of bed?"
"Mm," he rumbled, "not if I have a say in the matter."
"You don't."
"Course not." He flopped his head back on the pillow. She laughed and tossed him the clothes from the floor.
They met Zephyr in the kitchen, though he didn't bother to look up from his breakfast. "Finally up."
She rolled her eyes. It was well before dawn.
"Packed and out in ten."
Avaric plopped into his chair. "Just once I'd like to sleep in."
She tossed him an apple. "You'll get over it." He sank his grumbles into the fruit as she warmed up oatmeal for him. He stretched, and checked their packs. Thanks to their exploits, they hadn't unpacked much anyway.
She took the last chair, rubbing a hand over her own apple.
"If you're going to lie about your relationship," Zephyr spoke calmly, his eyes still on the newspaper in front of him, "you might want to carry on more quietly next time."
She froze, the apple still in her mouth, not daring to look at Avaric.
"Misunderstanding," Avaric suggested softly. She wished he sounded more confident, but he kept his voice more level than she could've managed. "I cleaned her cut, and she checked my ribs."
"That must have been a very dirty cut."
Her face flamed.
"I made it worse. Apparently, she has a…skin condition." She swung to face him with a deadly expression. He shrugged, "Better the truth than he misunderstand."
She didn't soften.
Zephyr ignored them and turned a page. She snatched Avaric's bowl out from under him, only half-finished. "Time to go."
They loaded back into the wagon, and he wiped away the dew from her seat with an apologetic face too similar to a wounded puppy. She considered plopping in the other one out of spite, but blisters, particularly there, wouldn't be worth it.
If the silence yesterday had been uncomfortable, now it was downright oppressive.
At least the bridge came in view before the sun freed itself from the horizon. She'd much rather work than worry.
Avaric nodded behind them. "That wagon's been there a bit."
She glanced that direction and frowned. "They were there yesterday. I thought I was imagining it, but they're definitely following us."
"Since the break-in?" She spun on him. Far as their commander knew, he shouldn't know that. "Think they're after the Halosphere?"
"No matter." Zephyr's voice felt somehow distant, yet focused. "We're almost there, and then it'll be a moot point."
She watched the wagon anyway, ducking in and out of view, until they arrived at the bridge. They climbed out, and she reached for her side of the box.
Zephyr nudged her out of the way and took her side. "Use that stealth of yours to get closer. We need to know exactly where the Wizard is."
Avaric nodded toward the left. "What do you think about those struts?"
She left them to it.
A ridge peered down at the hamlet, and she climbed a tree there. The outer edge of town was quiet. She spared a moment to scan for their trailing wagon.
She didn't see it, but her intuition told her it still waited there, just out of view. If only they knew how pointless their pursuit. A few hours at most, and the Halosphere would meet it's end.
Thoughts of their weapon led her to Calypso. What was it? Another bomb? He was a Wizard, so it might be a more magical weapon.
She glanced down at the men busy below. Would their bomb cause Calypso to detonate as well? Imagine the fallout then. She hoped they had a plan to get away before the blast.
Far away.
Avaric settled the bomb by a large support strut. When it blew, the entire bridge would reverberate, and hopefully, collapse to take the Wizard and his weapon with it into chilly Lake Chorg.
The town beyond gradually showed signs of life. People left their homes, off to market or jobs. Children played in the yard, chased dogs down streets. A pair of girls skipped rope, while their brother lay in the grass, laughing at the clouds. What would happen to these people without the bridge?
At least the risk of innocent casualties was low.
Avaric returned with rope from somewhere and lashed the box in place. Once secure, he placed the fuse. She relaxed a little at its length. For once, he'd been smart.
She scanned for Zephyr and frowned. What was he doing?
He hauled a tree trunk, so heavy he let it roll part of the way. When he had several at the edge of the bridge, he sat on one and mopped his brow. Then he kicked up his heels on one parallel. Was he suicidal?
A cluster of men spilled from an assembly house on the southern edge of town. They mounted. A small carriage rambled in the back of the procession as they headed toward the bridge.
She flashed her palmed mirror once, twice.
Zephyr rolled his logs in the direction she'd flashed, funneling the company toward the support strut where the Halosphere waited. He reached in his pockets, scattering what she'd guess were nails.
An effective obstacle if he could get a horse to throw a shoe. And nearly invisible to those scanning the horizon.
"Well done," she whispered, though he couldn't hear.
The caravan neared the edge of town. Zephyr darted to the opposite shore and out of view. They'd have to make it farther to be out of range. Where was Avaric, anyway?
The smaller carriage must be the weapon, judging from the armed men beside it. But where was the Wizard? He had to be there. The last horse stepped on, and she flashed three quick lights. No visual.
"Come on," she muttered. "Show me where you are."
Would he ride with the weapon? Or adopt a disguise? Far as she was, she could see their faces. She squinted, scanning each one.
The logs guided them around to the detonation zone, and the lead horse met Zephyr's nails. It reared. Several men dismounted to clear the obstacle, muttering obscenities that didn't carry to her.
The carriage door opened, and a short man in a tweed jacket stepped out. He propped up his hat and strode forward to see the issue.
"Yes." The Wizard, even if only a handful in Oz knew it.
She'd remember that face anywhere.
Four flashes, and she slid down from her position. Before she could make it more than a few steps, she heard the explosion. They'd detonated the bomb.
Shocked, she scrambled down the ridge. She hadn't seen Avaric or Zephyr reach safety. Had they meant to ignite so early?
When she cleared the trees, the aftermath of the explosion took her by surprise. She'd expected carnage, feared they'd obliterate not just the bridge, but half the island.
The bomb had taken its toll, alright, but nothing so dramatic. The destroyed strut left a hole in the bridge as if a massive monster had taken a hungry bite. The remaining bridge swayed precariously, debris toppled on its surface with a fair share of bodies. But the bridge seemed unlikely to meet a watery death any time soon.
The others backed away, scanning the shore for the culprits. And the Wizard, unharmed, swung atop a mount. He directed the men beside the wagon, and they guided it safely through the debris.
She cursed.
All that, and for what? Now they had no bomb, and no mysterious weapon. And the Wizard wasn't even disturbed. She stalked to the wagon. Nothing. It had all been for nothing.
"We have to stop him." She heard Avaric's voice before she saw them.
Zephyr swung to him with a deadly expression despite the dirt smeared over his face. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before you detonated early."
"Me?" Avaric flung an arm out. A line of blood trickled down his collar. "Your obstacle was too far back."
"Because you set the bomb wrong!"
She held up a hand to them both. "None of this is helping us stop the Wizard."
"And what do you propose?" Zephyr spun on her. "We have no weapons, and three fighters to his full mounted force. The Halosphere was our only hope, and he blew it."
"We can't just let him get away."
"So what would you propose?"
She drew a deep breath. "We follow them. For now. Until we have a better plan."
Zephyr eyed her. "I suppose we don't have a better option."
"We do. The town. Someone has to know where they're going. And we won't be able to stop them alone anyway. We can call for help when we know more."
Zephyr tilted his head at that with narrowed eyes. "Interested in how to contact others now?"
"We can follow if you want, but I doubt we'll get much of an opening."
"We could split up," Elphaba suggested, and Avaric whirled on her with wide eyes. "I'll follow, for now. You find out what you can. I'll leave a trail, and you'll meet up when you know more."
"You want to follow them alone?"
"I've stealth, you said so yourself, not to mention natural camouflage," she appealed to Zephyr, avoiding the fierce expression on Avaric's face. "And you've been trying to split us up since you got here."
Avaric flung up an arm. "You'll get yourself killed."
She turned on him. "And you'll stop that?"
"Yes!"
"Maybe he's right. Maybe we've been working together too long."
"Yes, six whole days, how excruciating. You should definitely throw yourself headlong into danger to escape me."
She rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. Stop being dramatic. The mission changed, and we have to adapt." She glanced up at the caravan making its way in the distance. "And quickly, before the opportunity passes."
"And the people following us? When they catch up to you?"
"I'll handle it."
Zephyr stepped in. "Rho, you'll take the city. Find out what you can, and then meet us. Take the horse from the wagon to catch up. The Wizard doesn't seem concerned with speed. You should be able to rejoin us by nightfall."
"So you're going with her?"
"I'll contact the Order along the way, and should you find anything of import, I can add it in later."
That caught Elphaba's attention. He didn't want Avaric to know how to contact the others. Why?
"Go. The faster you work, the sooner you're done."
Avaric nodded, and though his hand twitched toward her, he didn't allow even a passing goodbye before he sprinted down toward the rickety bridge.
Zephyr mounted the second horse, Elphaba behind him, and they started toward the caravan. "Why didn't you want him along?"
"You doubt the validity of his plan?"
"No." They ducked a low-hanging branch. "But it makes more sense for you both to gather information than us both to trail the Wizard. Unless you're suddenly convinced I'm helpless as well."
"Perhaps you should have considered this reaction before you slept with him."
She stiffened. "If I have, what right does that give him to assume I'm helpless?"
"Males protect their bitches, Fae: animal, Animal or human. In that respect, all species seem very much the same."
She sniffed, her glare wasted on his back. "You're right. All men are idiots." He didn't respond, so she pressed back to her point. "So why didn't you want him along?"
He took a moment. "I don't trust him."
"But you trust me?"
"You didn't blow up our last hope."
She sighed. "Everyone makes mistakes, Zephyr."
"I am aware," he ground out. The horse picked up speed, and she touched a hand to his waist for balance. "I think you're making one now, by not ending this stupid infatuation with him."
"Why are you so stuck on this supposed relationship? I don't see why it matters."
"You don't?" he snarled. "Rho might be a double agent, that's conveniently fucking one of our best agents after each mission, but you don't see the potential problem."
"What?" She leaned back, stunned, and nearly lost her grip.
He sighed. "Yes, you're one-"
"You think he's a double agent?"
"I think it's a distinct possibility. He certainly seems to escape unharmed, but with valuable information each time."
"But that's just coin-"
"And," he continued over her with a voice like iron, "he somehow managed to get us to destroy the only significant threat to the Wizard in ages."
"But he helped us make the Halosphere. Oz, he helped us find the Wizard, too."
"Then why would he fail so badly? And conspicuously? I believe the town to be a trap. One that he will undoubtedly escape unharmed, but I had no wish to fall into it for him."
"But…" She grappled to argue. How could Avaric be a double agent? She'd seen him fight, even kill for the Resistance. How could Zephyr think he would side with the Wizard? "He was nearly killed just to find out about this place."
"Was he?" Zephyr's suspicion dripped from the words. "Did you actually see him in danger?"
"He had a knife to his throat."
"That didn't even leave a paper cut."
"Only because I-"
Zephyr cut her off with a snort. "You think you single-handedly fought off all those guards and saved his life? I imagine he knew you would come racing in, and they planned a believable scenario so we'd accept his information."
"But he built the Halosphere with me in the first place. Why build it if you don't want it around?"
"To steal it." Zephyr kicked the horse into a gallop, and she had no choice but to grab his waist or be flung behind. "Though I suppose you distracted him well enough between your legs until he realized the impracticality. We weren't alone in seeking the Halosphere, you know."
The thought of the couple popped in her mind. "What about the people following us? Maybe they tampered with it, when I went in to-"
"Trying to be a martyr for him now?"
She flushed. "No, but if it's my fault, I say it. I can accept the consequences of my actions."
"I hope you're right." He slowed them to a trot. "Sleeping with him is certain to have plenty."
"You're like a dog with a bone. Get off it."
"Sorry if I don't want my best agent to end up dead like his last seduction."
"Dead?"
He eyed her over his shoulder. "So you never asked him about the transfer, or he lied?"
"He…This is crazy! He's not a double agent. He's worked with me every step of the way."
"Has he? Or did you believe him to be?"
She scoffed, her mind replaying their interactions. Their first mission, where he'd mysteriously "convinced" his way in. The interrogation, though she'd never actually seen the other man after the start. But the blood was real. It seemed real at least.
Looks could be deceiving.
And even real, it didn't prove anything.
She hadn't seen him subdue the Gale Force after the train derailment, either. And he'd known about the train. He could have set up the ambush all along. Oz, she'd met him looking for the same gear that Zephyr said the Gale Force had also been after.
She shook her head.
"No, you'll see. He's not a traitor. We need to leave the first marker."
Zephyr didn't answer, but he let her carve the signal in the tree.
Avaric would follow them, and then she'd asked him about it, point blank. She'd know if he were lying. Though a tiny voice niggled at the back of her mind that Avaric had always been gifted in the art of deceit.
The caravan camped for the night in another small village. Zephyr led them around the outskirts and to a cottage with blue shutters. They dismounted, and she led the horses out of sight.
The smell of spices wafted from inside, and her stomach growled. Still, she slipped off to clean up before bed. The oil softened her skin, if not her mood. Traitor or not, she wouldn't sleep with Avaric again. Not knowing how much it had affected his judgment today.
Or was that just an act, too?
She slammed the top on the oil. No. She wasn't thinking about him.
Redressed, she slipped back toward the kitchen where Zephyr had finished dinner. She sat down with a plate, and the door swung open. Both froze.
"Great, dinner." Avaric plopped beside her, swinging his pack to his feet. "It's freezing out there now."
"What did you find out?"
He frowned at the caution in her voice. "I think I pieced together where he's going next, but no one would talk about Calypso. I guess he bought their silence."
Zephyr didn't answer, but his lifted eyebrow said enough.
Elphaba scowled. "Where is he going?"
"Kumbricia's Pass. The Vinkus has been sheltering several rogue Animal groups, and if you cut off the Vinkus, you cut off their escape."
"There are other ways through to the Vinkus."
"But none so easily travelled." It made sense, in a way. "I'm just surprised he'd travel with them, himself. You saw him?"
She nodded, despite Zephyr's wary expression.
"And the Resistance? You've contacted them for back-up?" Zephyr didn't respond, and Avaric frowned. "Look, we can't stop them by ourselves. You should contact them. See if they can meet us, or have a place we could stop him along the way."
Zephyr arched an eyebrow. "So you are commanding me now, are you?"
Avaric leaned back. "No, of course not. I was just-"
"Trying to force me to contact others. Learn where our numbers are. Where we would be likely to strike."
His forehead scrunched in confusion. "I thought we were trying to stop the Wizard."
"It is not your place to hand out missions, Rho." Zephyr pushed back from the table, and without another word, he stalked out of the room.
Avaric watched him leave, but she couldn't take her eyes off his face. The face that appeared so genuine. Could she trust it?
He turned to her. "What was that about?"
She gathered the dishes and left them in the sink. Without gloves, she couldn't clean them anyway.
"Why did you get transferred?"
He frowned. "I told you."
"Everything?"
"Why? I told you, that girl didn't mean anything. She's not like you."
She shifted back. Whatever his game was, she found herself over it. If he couldn't be honest with her, treat her with some respect, she'd find a better use for her time. He moved to kiss her, and she dodged. Not after his outburst today.
"Get some sleep."
"So I'm dismissed?"
"Yes. Little girl is done with her toy. Run along."
"Toy? Why are you acting like this?"
She spun back. "I'm not a china doll, you know, and I won't have you hiding me away to 'keep me safe.' I was plenty safe before you, and I'll be just fine after."
He looked stricken. "Elphaba, I-"
"Fae," she hissed. "Why can't you figure out, we can't keep playing this game?"
"Oh, it's a game, now?"
She crossed her arm. "Look, it was fun. But it was a mistake. The mission is first. Or else what is it for?"
"The mission." He pressed his lips in a thin line, nodding at nothing. "Right." She stalked toward her room, and she almost missed the murmur under his breath, "I knew you'd break my heart."
The manipulation stabbed at her. She tipped back her chin, eyes cold, and sent back his own words. "What's your heart to another's life?"
"Nothing," he shook his head, eyes on the table. "Apparently nothing at all."
She felt the sting of regret deep in her chest. But she couldn't trust him. It might sting, but so did cleaning a wound. She'd have to rely on time to heal the rest.