Chapter 12

Elphaba stood in disbelief. How could it be? It wasn't possible. The now unhooded man snapped his fingers and the storm that had been raging stopped just as quickly as it had started.

"Your stunned silence speaks volumes," he smirked.

"Glinda said she ran you out of Oz. Never mind the fact that you never had any powers to start with, Father," Elphaba regained her focus and scowled at the man formerly known as the Wizard of Oz.

"I was a broken man when Glinda told me the truth. I had supposedly killed my own daughter, whom I had never knew I had. But it seems the blonde is better at lying than I thought," the Wizard smirked.

"She didn't lie. I cast a spell to fake my death. I thought it better for everyone if I continued my work in secret. How did you return to Oz and how did you get such power?" Elphaba wanted the truth but wondered if she'd really get it.

"You see, I tried to flee Oz but found that it was harder than I thought. Apparently, magic brought me here and it would take magic to send me back. I hid in the forest until one day, whilst grappling with my demons, I was struck by lightning. When I came to, I found that I was no longer the shell of the man I once was and I had a new goal, retaking what was mine. I trained and tested myself until I felt that I could head back to the Emerald City and knock Glinda out of power but by then you'd made a miraculous recovery and were now playing second fiddle to the dumb blonde," he told her. Elphaba was trying to find the truth in that story as she'd never heard of anyone being stuck by lightning and surviving, never mind gaining magical powers.

"Morrible," she cursed under her breath.

"I hear the old broad ended up a steaming pile of dragon dung. A shame really. She had quite the scheming mind," the Wizard smirked.

"I killed her and I will kill you," Avantador smirked, tired of the talking and wishing he could squash the man where he stood.

"Then we should get on with it, don't you think?" The Wizard smirked and lightning crackled at his fingertips.

"Your fight is with me. Leave the good people of the Vinkus out of it," Elphaba said, hoping that they could bring their fight to the nearby fields. Her father narrowed his eyes and smirked before launching a lightning bolt straight at Elphaba. She quickly deflected it and it bounced harmlessly away. Then from a distance she heard the unmistakable voice of her now husband,

"Fire at will!" A barrage of bullets and arrows were let loose from the Palace walls. Chistery got the catapults loaded and soon they were launching at the former Wizard of Oz. Using his new found powers, the Wizard created a protective bubble around him as the boulders landed nearby, some hitting the barrier. When the boulders hit, it drove the bubble into the now mushy soil, thanks to the rain. Bullets and arrows ricocheted off of it and Chistery ordered a cease fire for the men on the walls. Boulder after boulder, the Wizard was soon surrounded and then buried.

"Did we get him?" One of the men from the wall asked once the catapults stopped.

"There is no way it was that easy," Elphaba murmured.

"I agree," Avantador said before unleashing his dragon's breath onto the pile of boulders. The heat was immense and the rocks began to change in their makeup. Anything beneath them would be burned alive. It was not what Elphaba would have wanted for the man who was her biological father but it seemed they had no choice. Of course, this was until they heard the sound of the rocks cracking.

To Be Continued…