Chapter 19
The fine print
Glinda came back into the room, giving us all time to make sense of everything that had happened. She didn't know however that on top of that, none of us had slept in weeks. As a result, she found all of us asleep in our chairs, resting our heads either on each other or the table. I felt something tap my shoulder, and then gently shake me.
"Hmm? What is it what's wrong?" I yawned. Stretching, I tried to wake up my bones without waking my friends. They deserve to sleep.
"Anthony come with me I need to tell you something else, alone." Glinda had never looked like this before. I didn't quite know what to expect.
I followed her down a hall past the room where we were sleeping, and eventually we stopped in another room. Filled with blinking crystal balls all over the room, and with a large ornate gold podium in the center, with the biggest book I've ever seen in my life on its shelf.
"Anthony, this is the Room of the Foreseen. It holds all the prophecies of Lurline, and is where I learned the one about you. And yes that book in the center is the Oziad, the ancient Constitutitorium of Oz. Anyway, I was in here while you were resting, and I came across something, I thought you should see," Glinda said. She was holding a crystal ball. It was the only one blinking red in appearance, and was clearly heavy, for Glinda placed it in my hands which sunk rapidly.
"How do I…" I began.
"Hold it like this, and then look straight at the center, just try not to blink, or scream," She said.
"Scream?!" I repeated in delirium.
Then, suddenly as I held it the right way, (in my palm with one hand) and looked right at its center, something happened. In a flash I was no longer it seemed, standing beside Glinda, it was as if I was the cameraman to a movie, and the movie was another prophecy, or so I thought.
First I saw Shell. Then I saw Elphaba, Mombi, the Wizard, Nessa (Witch of the East), Roquat (The Nome King), and Langwidere. Not they themselves, their name on a tree. Mombi and someone scratched out were linked at the top, branching down to Melena, Frex and the Wizard, branching down to Elphaba Nessa and Shell, and way down at the bottom right was Roquat and Langwidere. Then another flash.
I was in the bedroom of Ozma, except it was empty. I could hear a guy my age yelling, and saw him shrink, until he was the size of a newborn baby, and cried for his Ozma. But no one came. There was another guy with the baby, and he fell to his knees, and then to his back.
Then I heard a voice, couldn't tell if it was Glinda or my mom, it was an adult female clearly.
"Alec once the Emperor is defeated, will return to being a baby, your assumption was right. He is only your age right now because of the curse Shell cast on Ozma the day she announced her pregnancy. When he's gone, the curse will be lifted. You need to be ready for that Anthony. The other thing, is that tree with the names of all the villains on it, that's the Thropp family tree, they're all related. You and your friends it is true to say are heroes, destined to cure the land, and bring warmth back to the frigid dark Black City, but you Anthony are the only one who can destroy the Emperor. No one else can do this task, all will fail, Ozma attempted, and lost. You are the one to carry out this Emerald Deed." whoever it was, said.
There was another flash, the final and most peculiar flash. I saw only objects: A Palace, a pomegranate, an amulet, and a black bottle. Then I came back in a rush, the prophecy was finished. Light returned to normal, and I was standing next to Glinda, collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Her gown also changed colors from blue to red now I noticed as well. "How am I gonna get him alone then? The prophecy said Im the only one who can do this, why? How can I possibly survive alone?" I asked. Glinda helped me up but first knelt down with me and placed her hand on my heart. My heart rate slowed, my sweating stopped, and breathing turned to normal.
"Anthony, you are either too brave or too foolish. You will never be alone. Even if everyone here dies, we will always be with you, in a place where nothing can ever harm us, not time, and no Witch or Emperor can even understand. Your heart Anthony. So, use your friends. Spread them out, they'll be disguised too that black bottle belongs to a potion I've been working on. Get his armies busy fighting, and keep Shell oblivious to it all. If you can do that, the rest will be easy." Glinda replied. The plan was still in the works, but what we had so far was good. As Anthony went back to explain over dinner with them, all the candles put themselves out.
"Weapons ready, everyone" I whispered. Argy grabbed the enchanted blue crystal sword, Julia her pink samurai looking sword, Ben his enormous mace, and Alec lit his hands, ready to shoot fire and ice. Anthony lit his staff and it began smoking, with flames at the moment being restrained behind the confines of the green ball. Everything was dark, and Glinda was levitating slightly, closing the doors and shutters silently, but locking them and baring them. She placed a charm on us to allow us to see through the walls. These snake like dragons were slithering through the air, accompanied by running things that looked dead and yet were active somehow. Undead minions of the Emperor of Death. The Zompires and Dragons were coming.
"Zompires," Glinda said.
"Dragons," Alec snarled.
"And death," worried Julia said.
"Oh my. Keep together everyone. Whatever comes through that door, will not conquer you. Remember who you are! You are warriors for Oz! You are my friends! Tonight, we shall have revenge!" Glinda rallied us up, more than successfully.
"The revenge, is mine" Anthony grinned, toying with the cliché greeting of new strangers, the pleasure is mine, this time of course, referring to the demons approaching. The ground shook, and plant life died as they drew nearer. The only ones that didn't, were the roses on Glinda's staff and crown. Tonight, we shall have vengeance.
"And so it begins," was all Ben said.