Authors Note: Sorry about the wait. This chapter was bit of a struggle for me since I had to keep redoing it. It was trying to get away from me. Here's the latest installment. I hope you enjoy, and possibly review.
"Now come quietly witch." The man said.
Elphaba kept trying to think of a way out. Going over all the options, she realized there was only one possibility.
"We surrender." She said.
"What?" Glinda asked.
"Yes. We've got nowhere to go. Unless your bubble is bulletproof?"
"No."
"Come up here slowly! Hands up, no talking."
The pair slowly crept over to the edge of the river. As they placed their feet on the stone pavers, the same man laughed again. He watched them approach the stairs.
"A wicked witch and a traitor. I'd never thought I'd see the day when 'Glinda the Good' would stoop so low." He sneered. "You know, I have half a mind to shoot you both now. I'd probably be hailed as a hero!"
As they began walking up the stairs Elphaba opened her mouth to reply but there was a loud cracking sound. The furthest Gale Forcer disappeared. The one who had been talking spun around and they heard a ring of metal and a blast of musket fire. They lost sight of him for a moment, and then suddenly he was pitched over the edge of the embankment. He fell past them and landed in an awkward position. His groans did not sound good.
"Come on!" Elphaba yelled and tore up the stairs. As she came to the top she saw a man of average height and build holding a pistol on the last remaining Gale Forcer standing and the other groaning and holding his face on the ground. The man was dressed in black pants and tunic, but had a garish purple scarf on. He flashed them a quick smile.
"Good evening Misses Thropp. How are you?" he said cheerfully.
"Who are you?" Elphaba asked angrily.
"You know, you ask me that every time I meet you. I thought the other Misses was the forgetful one."
"Who, me?" Glinda said. "I don't know you either."
"You wound me, the both of you. Anyway, we should be leaving. The Home Guard are coming quickly." He stopped, and looked around. "Where's Master Tiggular?"
Elphaba breath hitched in her throat, but Glinda responded. "My fiancée has been gone for over five-"
"Oh, I apologize. Where's the Scarecrow?" he said, disbelief in his voice, and then gave a loud piercing whistle. Elphaba advanced on him.
"How do you know about that?"
"Ask me no questions and I'll spell you no lies." He responded, and then looked as two horses ran up. "Scarto, Argento, meet the Misses Thropp."
"You keep saying that but I thought you said you knew us. I'm Glinda. I'm no Thropp." Glinda said.
"No? Hm. Anyway, up you go." Glinda glanced at Elphaba, who nodded. She climbed on the horse. "Sorry, Miss Thropp, but you have to ride tandem. I need Scarto."
"Do you think Argento will be able to hold us?" Elphabaasked concernedly.
"I assure you, Your Goddnesses, my back is still strong enough." The Horse said, and both looked in shock.
"A Horse!" Glinda said
"Of course." Argento replied.
"Enough wasting time! Let's go!" Scarto snapped.
Just then troops began coming up the stairs.
"Too late." The man said. He smiled at the Gale Forcer he was holding a pistol on. "Sorry, old chap." And then kicked him in the chest. The man went tumbling down the stairs, tripping up the Home Guard.
"Go! Go! Go!" he yelled, and the Horses took off. He fired off his pistol, which caused the Home Guard to duck back, and then turned and ran. He jumped, vaulted off a statue and onto Scarto's back.
"How'd he do that?" Elphaba wondered.
"I always suspected he was half-Lion." Argento replied.
"Quiet. You'll need the air for running!" Scarto chastised.
"Well, that was exciting!" the man said with a grin on his face.
"Who are you?" Elphaba insisted again. The man just flashed a bigger smile.
"No time. Scarto, Argento, can you drop us off and then give a diversion?"
"Of course. They're so dumb they probably think us horses. We'll lead them on a merry chase, and then meet you back at the pasture?"
"Yep."
The Horses skidded around two corners, hugging them tight. They were moving into the industrial parts of the Emerald City, a maze of filthy factories and warehouses. The Horses rounded two more corners, then skidded to a halt.
"This is our stop." The man said and quickly dismounted. The witches followed suit. As soon as they were off, the two Horses took off at a dead run again. The man went into an alley, moved what looked to be a heavy barrel, and slipped through the hole behind it. The two witches followed him, and the barrel swung into place after them and locked with a click.
"That should do for now." The man said. "We just have to-woah!"
Elphaba grabbed him and threw him up against a wall. She had a fierce but almost panicked look in her eyes.
"Who. Are. You." She growled.
"Right now, you could call me Dayus Ecks. But remember what I said earlier; ask me no questions and I will spell you no lies." He responded calmly.
"Not good enough." She said, still forcing him against the wall.
"Fine. I'm the one going to pull your collective pretty asses out of the fire. Or do you prefer to take your chances with the Gale Force?"
"How do we know you're not working for them?"
"You mean besides where they had you dead to rights, and I saved you? That would make no sense."
"Or any of the Wizards- I mean Administration's forces?"
"One, because why would I care if they caught you instead of me?"
"Glory."
"Point. Two, because if I wanted you or the package you're carrying, I'd have it."
"Really?"
His response was to easily slip out of Elphaba's grasp and behind her. She spun only to find a dagger unsheathed.
"Really." He said, dangerous glint in his eyes. He then put it away. "You'll just have to trust that I want you both free and up to your own devices instead of in Southstairs."
"Next question: how did you know about Fiyero? Why do you keep calling us Misses Thropp, as in plural? Who do you actually work for? How do you know what I'm carrying? Why are you wearing that obnoxious scarf if you're trying to blend in?"
"Sorry, question time is over. We have to go. It won't be long before they're searching for us in here." He began to move away from them.
"Wait." Glinda's voice said softly but clearly. He stopped. "What is your name? I'm not good with them, but I would have remembered someone with such an…unusual name."
The man stood silent for a while. "Duran." He replied, and then kept walking. The two looked at each other, and followed.
He led them through a complicated series of twists and turns. The only sense of direction they had was down. After a little bit, that stopped, and they began to walk through musty old tunnels that held a small stream of water in the middle. Neither of the witches wanted to think of what it was. Elphaba and Glinda held hands as Glinda used her wand to create a small floating ball of light. It extended far enough for them to see Duran but after about five feet, it was all shadows.
"So, Duran, how exactly did you know where to be to save us?" Elphaba asked. This man made her very uneasy.
"You know, you're trying really hard to ruin this whole 'mysterious swordsman shows up and saves the day' thing." He retorted. Glinda felt a flush of heat from Elphaba's hand and knew she was about to start yelling. Glinda cut her off.
"Fine, Duran; since you won't tell us anything new, tell us what we've forgotten."
He turned around and threw a smile back at them. "I can see why you love her." He said, directing it at Elphaba. Glinda felt Elphaba tense but Duran had turned around.
"My name is Duran. I really don't have a last name. They're for people from places or with titles. My father is, or was, a caravan guardsman. He would protect those that went to other countries; mostly Fliann and Ev, but sometimes Ix and Quox. Anyway, I was made to follow in his footsteps. Following a series of fortunate events, his patron offered to sponsor me to attend Shiz. He accepted and there I went."
"So you went to Shiz? Is that where you met us?" Glinda inquired.
"Yes it is. I was a classmate of yours, believe it or not. Not very close mind you; I think we interacted a whole one time, Miss Glinda. And it was because you needed to borrow a pen. And Miss Elphaba here told me off in Doctor Dillamond's history class for suggesting war is necessary."
"I remember that now." Elphaba said.
"Yep. You weren't very happy." They could hear the smile in his voice. "Then again, you always were feisty. Even when she put you in pretty clothing."
"So you met Fiyero, Boq, and the rest?"
"Yep. Avaric, both Tenmeadows and Fiyero's manservant; Crope, Tibbett, Pfannee, Shenshen, Milla, even Nessarose."
"You met Nessa?" Elphaba began to choke up.
"Briefly, my dear, briefly. I helped clear a hallway once. Poor Boq's voice wasn't cutting it." He grew silent for a moment. "Yes, poor Boq. He's cutting it now, isn't he? And Fiyero. Nessarose. So much loss." He shook his head.
"How do you know about that?" Elphaba asked quickly, hoping to exploit a weakness.
"Well, Boq wasn't exactly quiet about it until after the incident with Dorothy. As for Fiyero, let's just say I know someone who was around for his…transformation. Strung up in a field is no way for one to die or be left." The sadness in his voice was becoming more apparent.
"So why did you keep calling us Misses Thropp?" Glinda asked.
"We're here." He said, and opened a grate. It led up some stairs, and he opened a trap door into a large building full of people. They were an assorted lot from all countries: Quadlings, Munchkins, Vinkuns, and Gillikinese, even multi-generational Emerald City citizens. They were barely noticed as Duran helped them up from the cellar and shut it behind him. Elphaba could not discern a single thing any of them had in common. They were doing all sorts of activities: reading, singing, drinking, swordplay. It was quite a lot of Elphaba and Glinda to take in.
Duran led them across the room to a long table. On the benches sat a man and a woman. Glinda recognized the woman.
"Maygon!" she said, and the woman looked up. As she saw Glinda she broke into a relieved smile.
"Thank the spirits you're safe. When we saw the Gale Force surround your villa I feared the worst."
"Well, thanks to all of you were ok." Glinda replied.
"How did you know the Gale Force was coming?" Elphaba asked.
"Those idiots take no notice of the people who live on the streets. We have a deal with them to keep us informed in return for some coin." the man said.
"I'm assuming you were her Arjiki princess?" Maygon asked.
"Yes."
"Thought so. You almost had me convinced, but I'm Arjiki myself, and know there are no unwed princesses." Maygon replied with a smile.
"I'm assuming you need to get out of the City." The man said.
"Not before you tell me who the hell you people are!" Elphaba said frustrated. "You show up out of nowhere, have information that almost no one knows, and then have some ex-classmate who apparently deems himself a swashbuckling hero from a novel lead us here."
The man looked at her quizzically. "Who?"
Elphaba turned to gesture at Duran but he was gone. She stopped. "He was just here a second ago. He walked us up."
"I only saw you two." Maygon said. Elphaba began to feel even more nervous.
"He said his name was Duran." Glinda tried helping but still received blank looks. "Average build, average height, very…average looking. All black but a purple scarf?"
"Oh." Said the man. "You mean Sir Pfenix."
"Sir Pfenix?" Elphaba said disbelievingly.
"Yes. He's a second generation Ozmanian Royal Guard. His father was part of the corps when the last Ozma disappeared, to his endless shame."
"Well that explains his skills at least. I just wonder what he was doing at Shiz." Glinda said. The man looked at Glinda, startled.
"Shiz? Surely not. Any old Royalists are black listed from Shiz. He couldn't have attended even if they had the money."
"Yet he was there. We remember him." Elphaba said.
"Strange. He is one of our more…enigmatic members." The man replied, but then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Tomorrow, we'll get you out of the City. Tonight will be too dangerous."
"Fine." Elphaba said, obviously not happy. She turned away and started scanning the room, hawk like. Finding her prey, she took off after it. Glinda went to follow but stopped when she saw the target. It was Duran, who happened to be moving something to and from a room. Glinda shook her head. In doing so, she saw Scarto and Argento enter the building, and decided to make her way over to them. For once, nobody seemed to gawk at her.