The three left the Scrow encampment in a somber mood. Elphaba was displeased with the fact Glinda had insisted on Duran traveling with them. They had fought over it after her return that night, but she had let Elphaba know in no uncertain terms he would be coming with. Elphaba had hoped after leaving for separate sleeping tents the woman would change her mind, but she had not. Even though Duran had pointed out it would be easier for them to fly to Kiamo Ko, Glinda was insistent. So, as was much of the way, Glinda got hers. She even managed to somehow procure a small cart and mule for the supplies she managed to purchase.

Duran drove the cart south. The trip would take longer but paths would be better there than towards the Kells. Yunamata and other tribes hunted closer to the Kells. Besides, they still had to go through Kumbrica's pass. The women sat in silence in the cart. Both had much to say, but neither wanted to say it. Even Duran was silent, his unflappable cheeriness having faded. The monotony was only broken by the women casting the traveling spell on the cart and mule to make the trip easier.

By the second day they had taken to walking alongside the cart as it made its way. It helped them to stretch their legs and become accustomed to the hardship of the land. Both women had quickly recovered their traveling legs, aided by recovery draughts. Duran himself led the mule some of the time, more to stretch his legs than need increase his fitness.

Trees grew from the landscape now. Passing south made their way along the Vinkus River. Staying to the east of it, they would turn west once the Disappointments came into view. By passing between the Disappointments and the Nether Hows, they hoped to keep their distance from any of the other Nations, or even from Ozians in general. The path they traveled was slightly overgrown, but worn enough for them to pass easily. As they made camp that night Glinda posed the question to Duran.

"How long until we get to the Pass?" she asked.

"Why ask him?" Elphaba snapped.

"Because I doubt you traveled the Vinkus much on foot." was the sharp reply. Elphaba huffed.

"A few days." he answered. "Once we're through, we should be relatively safe."

"How long should it take for us to get to Kiamo Ko from there?"

"A few more days; maybe a week. We are making good time." was his reply. Duran's head snapped around, searching for something. He suddenly dove to the women, pushing them behind the cart. "Get down!"

Spears whizzed past them. Duran gave a grunt of pain, followed by Elphaba. He pushed off the two women and spun, drawing the two pistols from his belt. Glinda felt the pistols discharge and her ears rang. Shaking her head, she drew her wand and looked around. There were a number of dark shapes moving towards them. Duran drew his sword with his left hand, and grabbed the spear in his torso with the right. Glinda let out a terrified squeak as he sliced the tip off and pulled the handle out. The evening light cast his blood in bright red relief.

"Take care of Elphaba." He grunted.

Glinda watched him charge out, covering ground faster than she could have ever thought possible. His flash sword flashed and several of the dark shapes fell before him. They closed on him, but his speed was impossible to match, his skill superlative. He killed them mercilessly, his strokes brutal and efficient. A group approached across the clearing towards the women, and only then did Glinda look down. She gasped.

Elphaba had taken a spear through the thigh. The woman was breathing hard, trying to control the pain, but Glinda could tell she was losing that fight. Glinda quickly cast the pain relief spell, helping her keep control. After that, she did not know what to do. Her hands hovered towards the shaft, but Elphaba swatted her hands away.

"Don't! It's close to the vein, if it didn't hit it already." she hissed.

"So what do I do?" she asked.

Elphaba looked past her. Duran had intercepted the group that was coming towards them. Glinda now saw their markings. They were not Ozian assassins; they were Vinkuns. Some had the markings of Scrow; others she did not recognize. Either way, the group of ten warriors surrounded Duran holding swords, knives, and spears. One even carried a net. Duran spat something at them in a language Glinda did not understand. Whatever it was caused them to close on him.

One again Glinda was awestruck at the monster the man was. He parried a spear, stabbed the warrior through the neck, flung the spear from his hands. It was not an idly toss; rather it pierced the stomach of the net wielder. Duran thrust, taking the next warrior before he could respond. He parried the next sword blow, rammed his sword through their stomach and turned him to block the spear thrust of another. He used the man's dead weight to drag the spear out of the way so he could kill the next. The other warriors stepped back, giving Duran space. That was the wrong thing to do as he advanced quickly, killing each as their comrades were too far to help them. Ten warriors were dead in not even twenty seconds. Duran turned to scan the clearing.

"There doesn't seem to be any more." he said, calmly dropping his sword blade down on one warrior's skull after another. Glinda winced at the sickening sound of their lives ending. After the final one was done, he asked, "How bad is she?"

"Bad." Elphaba answered through gritted teeth. Duran walked over and hissed.

"Right." he took a deep breath. "Well, how do we do this? Healing draught and pain draught?"

"Only way to." was Elphaba's answer. "Though if it's hit the vein even then I might get a half an hour with the healing draught."

"What do you mean a half an hour?" Glinda asked. "You're not saying she could die, are you?"

"That's exactly what we're saying." Elphaba answered darkly. "The healing draught will help me make more blood, but if I lose it too quickly it won't matter. As you know, there's only so much the body can produce so quickly."

"So...what do we do?" Glinda asked.

"First, get the draughts ready." Duran answered calmly. "We'll cut the ends off the spear, like mine, and push it out."

"How are you still up?" Elphaba asked.

"Not as bad as it looks." Duran answered. "Let's get this surgery going."

Glinda retrieved the pack with the potion supplies in it, and quickly went about making them. Duran took out two knives. He looked at Elphaba, who looked at Glinda.

"We ready?" he asked. Both women nodded their heads. "Okay, give Elphaba the draughts. After that, I'll get the spear out. From there you will need to clean and get the wound bound. Okay?"

Glinda looked at Elphaba, and the green woman looked back at her. Both seemed to hesitate.

"We don't have time for this." Duran snapped at them. "We need to get Elphaba up and moving in case there are more on the way."

"Drink, Elphie." Glinda said, giving her the pain draught first. "Let's get you fixed up."

Elphaba nodded, and drank deep. Glinda replaced it with the second for the healing draught. As Elphaba gave it back to her, Glinda noticed her swoon. The pain draught was already making her woozy.

"Good." Duran said, and took out his knives.

He quickly cut off the extra of the spear, leaving only the part piercing her leg. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Glinda.

"Ready? Once it is clear, clean the wound and get ready to bind it."

Glinda nodded. Duran inhaled, and yanked the piece out swiftly. Elphaba grunted even in her drugged state. Glinda quickly tapped the wound, cleaning the blood and anything else out. Duran eyed the hole before it began to fill. Taking some gauze from Glinda, he packed the wound with it and then helped her bind it. She looked at him.

"Now what?"

"Float her to the cart." he ordered firmly.

Glinda did not like the sound of his voice, but did as instructed. As she gently set Elphaba down, she glanced at the spreading red across the bandages. She was not a doctor, or knew much about the body, but that was far too much blood. Glinda's heart felt the ice cold tendrils of fear. She quickly wiped from her eyes any tears starting to form and turned to Duran. Steeling her voice she said,

"What next? It seems she is losing a lot of blood."

"It must have hit the vein in her leg." he answered as he went to his pack. He began to dig around in it. "She'd have minutes to live if not for the healing draught you gave her."

"No...you can't be saying…"

"I'm saying she's dying, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Glinda froze. Weak words escaped her,

"We can't like, stitch it together or something?"

"No." he answered, pulling out a cord from his pack. "We've neither the finesse nor equipment nor know how to do that."

"So...she'll just die? Too drugged up to know it?" Glinda's voice pitched higher. "Never saying goodbye? We'll never..never…"

"I said there's nothing you can do about it." he answered as he came closer. "However, as we previously discussed, I'm a monster made to be bound to a master whom I protect."

Glinda saw now what he held was not a cord but a tube of some sort. Each side had what looked like a needle attached.

"Because of that, my blood is made to be compatible with anyone else's." he continued.

"So you'll transfer your blood to hers? Will that keep her alive until she can make more of her own?"

"If I was a normal person, no." he replied. Glinda's head whirled. "Fortunately for Elphaba, I am not a normal person."

"The point, Durandal!" Glinda commanded. Duran smiled at her softly.

"Penchant for waxing on. As you might have noticed, Glinda, my blood does not look like your blood." He said, and drew his shirt up. That is when Glinda realized that his blood had not been bright because of the waning sun; it was just vivid red. "My blood is highly oxygenated, which allows me to be stronger and last longer than a normal human."

He stabbed one part of the tube into Elphaba's arm. Her bleary eyes looked at him and she slightly protested. He located the vein in his own arm, and pierced his own skin. The light colored tube turned red as the blood passed from Duran to Elphaba.

"It also allows me to run on less of it. However, that is not necessarily a benefit here. What is most important is the one key factor you haven't quite deduced." he smiled and tapped his own wound. Glinda saw that it had clotted and sealed. "My blood clots faster and heals better than normal human blood."

"Meaning that Elphaba's wound will heal faster and she'll live." Glinda gasped in relief. Duran nodded.

"It would take about losing half her blood for Elphaba to die. Let's say about five pints." he smiled. "Now, the healing draught probably added about a pint of blood to her. The way she was, she was probably two to three pints down. Which is why we had to hurry. My blood is effectively three times better than normal people's blood, meaning one of mine is about three of hers. So we'll have to sit here for about ten to twenty minutes to make sure she is okay."

"Oh thank Lurline!"

"Don't blaspheme." he replied. Glinda could not tell if he was serious or not. He sat next to Elphaba. "What I need you to do is unpack Elphaba's wound. Counterintuitively, we need her to bleed more so my blood reaches the wound faster."

Glinda nodded. She first cleaned the blood from the bandages, and then unbound the wound. By the time she had untied it, more blood had already spilled out. Glinda watched nervously, cleaning it away every few minutes. This action kept her from noticing the gradual change in color over the intervening time. It was only when she realized less was coming out did she look at it in contrast. It was now brighter like Duran's own blood. Glancing at Elphaba, the woman had the purple hue of her flushed skin.

"Duran, Elphaba looks flushed. Is that a bad sign? Is she running a fever?" Glinda asked quickly. He smiled at her.

"Bright red blood, Glinda." he answered calmly. "It will make her look flushed. Especially because she is taking so much of it. How does the wound look?"

Glinda tapped it. Only a trickle of blood came out now. She sighed in relief.

"Much better."

"Excellent." he said, and pulled the needle from his arm. Glinda watched as the wound clotted before her eyes. Pulling it from Elphaba, the same happened, though more slowly. "She should be fine. Now, let's pack and get going from this place."

Glinda jolted awake. Elphaba stirred next to her on the cart. Glinda had tried to make her as comfortable but the road was still bumpy. Glancing at the woman, the violet flush was still present on her cheeks. The poor thing was covered in a sheen of sweat; Glinda guessed the heat of the Vinkus plus her natural temperature made the woman extra warm. She took a cloth and wiped the sweat from her brow. Hazy chocolate eyes opened.

"Glinda…" she whispered. "I…"

"Shhh, Elphie." Glinda soothed her. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later."

"No...too much blood…not much time..."

"It's been almost a day, Elphie. You'll live." Glinda assured her.

"How?"

"Shhh….Sleep. We'll talk when you're well."

"Pain."

"Oh!" she said.

Glinda turned around but Duran had already slowed down. Glinda waited until they had stopped to start making the draught. Duran unhooked the mule and let it graze. As she made it, Glinda thought over the last day. They had left the area of the battle, but had not seen anyone following them. Duran had found a hollow tree to take shelter in, and hid the cart. The early night had seen them early to rise. A long day of bumping down the road had taken a toll, even with the frequent breaks. Now, after night had fallen, it did not seem Duran would change pace.

Glinda finished the pain relief draught and handed it to Elphaba. The woman was still too woozy to take it. Glinda gently reached behind her to help her sit up, and slowly helped her drink it. After that she gently laid her down. While the wooziness would appear quickly, the pain relief portion would take a little while to kick in.

Glinda took the time to stretch and relieve herself. Going back to the cart, she pulled out some food to munch on. A flash of light caught her eyes, and she turned. Duran had his sword out, and was moving through the motions. Where she once would have found that odd, she now knew he was refreshing himself for the coming day. Meditating in forego sleep. Glinda watched him as she munched through her food, finding beauty and brutality in the motion. He finally stopped and wiped his brow. He looked at her.

"Strange how now I know, I can see the difference in you." Glinda mused. "You look more relaxed, less ready for action."

"Perhaps it is merely your mind seeing what you wish to see?" he posited.

"No." Glinda replied after a moment. "It is small, but perceptible. Normally, you almost vibrate with barely contained energy. It is only then you seem to be mortal, like the rest of us."

"Were it true." he smiled. "But we must go. Can you cast the traveling spell on the mule again?"

"Of course." Glinda said.

Glinda walked over to where the mule was grazing, and quickly cast the spell. Duran had followed her, and led the mule back to the cart. He hitched it back up. Glinda settled back into the cart. Pulling out a bottle, she sipped slightly. It was a sleeping draught, but the amount she took would just help her sleep rather than force her to. She lay next to Elphaba and closed her eyes as rest took her.

Glinda awoke. The moon hung bright over her. She did not know what woke her. She stayed quiet, and listened carefully for something. When it reached her ears, she realized it was singing. Duran singing. She had heard him sing before, and thought he had a pleasant voice. She settled herself to listen and go back to sleep.

"Near Banbridge town, in the County Down

One morning last July

Down a bóithrín green came a sweet cailín

And she smiled as she passed me by

She looked so sweet from her two bare feet

To the sheen of her nut-brown hair

Such a coaxing elf, I'd to shake myself

To make sure I was standing there."

Glinda's brow furrowed at the words. The language and inflection was something she had never heard before. Unable to sleep due to her curiosity, she sat up.

"Oh, Glinda." Duran said. "I apologize if I woke you."

"It's a lovely song. Can't say I heard it before." she answered. She checked Elphaba, and then deftly climbed up to sit near Duran.

"It's from a country outside of Oz." he answered.

"Which one?" Glinda asked.

"It's an island." he answered.

"In the Nonesetica Ocean?" she asked. He smiled sheepishly.

"Well, no."

"Ah...from your other travels?"

"Yes."

"Will you sing it for me?"

He smiled again.

"If you wish."

"Near Banbridge Town in the County Down

One morning last July

From a bóithrín green came a sweet cailín

And she smiled as she passed me by

She looked so sweet from her two bare feet

To the sheen of her nut brown hair

Such a coaxing elf, sure I'd to shake myself

To make sure I was standing there..

From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay and

From Galway to Dublin Town

No maid I've seen like the sweet cailín

That I met in the County Down."

Glinda listened as he went on. It was a sweet love song about a man and woman. There were a lot of places and words Glinda did not understand, but the tune was easy. Unfortunately it was over quickly.

"Beautiful." she said. "Do you have anymore?"

"I take requests." he answered with a smile. She smiled back.

"Something I've not heard before. Something...not Ozian."

"Another song of lovers, perhaps? A sad, sweet one?"

"Sounds perfect."

"By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond

Where me and my true love were ever won't to gae

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond…"