Chapter 28
"I know you're following us. Stealth is hard to achieve when your feathered wings are so large," Elphaba turned her head away from the fire and smirked. The Griffins came out of their semi-hiding in the upper reaches of the large pine trees. There were six of them, more than when the group had confronted Burcin. The rest of the groups' eyes went wide at the sight before them. Elphaba figured since they were bedding down for the night back at the old cabin which they had faced the elder witch at, they might as well talk before heading out in the morning. They had made good headway since leaving the place where they had found the King's body however they were at least a day from clearing the forest, possibly more, since the carriage slowed them down quite a bit.
"Forgive us Princess Elphaba. We did not want to intrude but we feared for your safety. The night out here can be filled with danger," the large Griffin, who had held Glinda, spoke up.
"Kind of you considering everything that has happened," she gave him a look.
"Again we must ask for forgiveness. Burcin had us convinced that you were with the Wizard and meant us harm. You must understand. We are all that is left," he heaved a sigh.
"Just you six?" Elphaba softened.
"As far as we know. Burcin offered us sanctuary in the forest and we took it. She hid us well as the Gale Force made their efforts to eradicate us," he explained.
"Well that time is over. The Wizard is caught and I will see that both he and Burcin get what is coming to them," she promised.
"We have been promised many things and none of them have been true since the reign of the Wizard started," he pointed out.
"Well I will assure you and your brethren that you have a safe place in the Vinkus. As Queen I will see to it," Adalet spoke up, rising from her place on the forest floor. The six Griffins bowed their heads.
"Then we will do as our ancestors have and we will protect the Vinkus along with you, Prince Fiyero, and Princess Elphaba," the Griffin smiled.
"Then I must have all of your names so that we are properly introduced," the Queen smiled back.
"I am Baki; behind me to my left is my wife, Dilan, with our son, Ilhan. Next to them are Efe, his wife Feray, and their daughter, Leila," he said, making the introductions.
"It is an honor to meet you all. I must apologize for my mother," Adalet started.
"It is not your fault. We are only sorry that we did not know what had happened to the King. We would not have allowed her to harm him," Baki told her.
"For that I thank you. Please accompany us back to the Palace. I want the whole of Oz to know that you and your fellow Griffins are now under my protection and anyone who has a problem with that will deal with the whole of the Vinkus," Adalet was firm and Fiyero, whose anger seemed to have diminished slightly, stood up next to her, to show that he felt the same way.
"I am not sure what mood Lady Glinda will be in but I can assure you that I will make it known that the Emerald City stands with the Vinkus," Elphaba nodded.
"Lady Glinda will understand. While I know that she would not appreciate me speaking for her, I have a duty to the people and Animals of Oz as Captain of the Gale Force. I must extend my apologies for what the Gale Force was ordered to do. While I was not a soldier at the time, plenty of good men were forced to and I know that they are haunted by it," Asli stood and looked Baki directly in the face, to let him know that he was truly sorry.
"We appreciate it Captain," Baki gave a slight tilt of his head.
"I suggest we get some sleep. Tomorrow comes early if we intend to get to the Palace before Princess Elphaba's spell wears off," Sergeant Stewart spoke up.
"Maybe we can get everyone there faster," Baki had a look on his face.
To Be Continued…