As Theodora continued to search for the Wizard's location, she was becoming increasingly irritated that she was unable to find him. The Haunted Forest had its own magic, which scrambled and interfered with her crystal ball.
"Curses", the witch said as she hit the ball with her bare hand in great frustration. "Somehow that man always evades me!"
As she continued to search for him in vain, the captain briskly descended the winding staircase. As he took his final step on the staircase and started to approach the witch, he began to speak.
"Mistress, your plan, it has failed. The Kalidah's killed many of the guards and the Wizard has…"
The witch's back was turned to him as Mitchell abruptly stopped in his tracks. His hand subtly started to shake as he dropped his Halbert, which made a clanking sound when it hit the stone floor. Unlike the rest of the castle, the subterranean chamber where the crystal ball had currently been kept had no windows, and its interior was incredibly dark. In fact, the only source of light was from the crystal ball itself. Perhaps it was fitting that the ball was located here, for every time Theodora had used it to scry on someone, her mood turned sour and dark.
The captain vividly remembered how Theodora looked the night she left the Emerald City. For a brief period, she was a hideous green skinned witch who wore a black dress and a big black pointy hat. She even carried a broom, which she continued to use after she left the Emerald City even when she was her normal self. However, the witch only used it sparingly. She either used the broom symbolically when she terrorized the Winkies or when she kidnapped children and adolescents to serve her in the castle.
After that night in the Emerald City, Mitchell never saw her as a green skinned witch again. In the ensuing days when the guards arrived at the castle, the witch was still incredibly distraught and devastated over her turn in fortunes, but she appeared like her ordinary self. The captain believed that the witch must have used a potion or some other magical enchantment to cover up her appearance since she would often complain that she had been victimized by external forces that were beyond her control. She blamed Evanora for deceiving her and abandoning her in her hour of need. She blamed the Wizard for using her and the Emerald City for casting her out. What he didn't realize was that this was Theodora's innate appearance all along and not something that was the result of any magical spell or enchantment.
As the witch worked tirelessly to establish her rule and terrorize those who dared to defy her, the captain was able to persuade her to only conscript maids and servants from poor Winkie farmers who were unable to continually meet the minimum food production that the castle required. While the witch demanded that every household be subject to this rule, the captain was able to persuade her and change her mind.
For Mitchell, this was important. While Theodora was an incredibly powerful witch—perhaps arguably as strong as Glinda herself—terrorizing all segments of Winkie society would not have been a wise move. For one, the captain knew that if the witch were to maintain control, there were individual kingdoms and fiefdoms that she needed to become allies with. Even if she used every Winkie Guard available to her and the Winged Monkeys, the Kingdom of Herku was simply too powerful and would have withstood an invasion. In Mitchell's eyes, it was better to befriend them and enter an alliance with them.
Additionally, the witch also needed to be on good graces with the Winkie aristocracy and nobility. While individually they had less wealth than the witch, collectively they had a combined wealth that was equal to hers. The families had also banded together and supervised, controlled, and directed the training of new recruits into the Winkie Guards. It was really the Winkie aristocracy, and not the witch herself, who ultimately controlled the guards. As long as they weren't directly challenged, they allowed any wizard or witch to control them, as they did with Gayalette, then King Pastoria, then Evanora and now Theodora. The captain knew all of this. This is why, despite Theodora's capricious temperament, he was able to subdue her worst impulses and ultimately persuaded her to follow his recommendations.
Now, the captain feared this recurrence as he saw the same green pigmentation on her skin, and he didn't know if he would be able to temper her sudden impulses. He remembered when she was green last. Theodora had been very obstinate in her positions, no matter what Evanora would say to try and get her to change her mind.
As his words froze on his tongue, Theodora slowly turned her head around as her yellow eyes pierced his. She then quickly levitated towards him and stopped within an inch of his body.
To the captain, this time the witch appeared even uglier. Hideous warts appeared on her face and some of these warts were bleeding and even one or two were filled with puss. In this moment, the captain could not even comprehend how much pain this must have caused the witch, but he dared not speak.
"I know that already", she frustratingly spat at him. "How could he have gotten away!?"
When Mitchell hurried to the castle, the messenger filled him in on the details of what had happened earlier. He knew Theodora had locked the Wizard in her bedroom, but that the Wizard had somehow escaped.
"Was he close to anyone who would have freed him", the captain replied in a jittery voice. Even he greatly feared the witch's new appearance.
The witch raised her brow as she placed her fingers over her mouth. Could it have been Finley, Theodora contemplated to herself. No, it couldn't have been. Then who was it?
As she continued to think, she removed her hands and a malevolent smile appeared on her face. "Of course, it was. It was her!" The witch then flashed a look of anger as she clenched her teeth. "Get me that maid Bella", she angrily demanded. "And her little helpers, too!"
The captain held his hands up. "But Mistress, it is late at night…"
She interrupted him as she stomped her foot in frustration. "I don't care what time it is! Have your men bang down their doors and bring them back here! Right now!"
As he turned and walked away, Theodora continued to eye him with contempt.
"Oh, and Captain…"
He stopped walking as she continued to speak. "Don't you dare ever question one of my orders again, or maybe I will do to you what I am about to do to these girls! Now do as I say! Do you understand me!" As she started to cackle heinously at him, Mitchell reluctantly lowered his head as he climbed the stairwell once again.
Acting on Theodora's orders, several Winkie Guards dispersed into three groups and forcefully banged on the small cabin doors where Bella, Betsy and Daisy slept. Before the sleeping occupants even realized what was happening, the guards bashed in the doors and invaded the cabins. As the fathers in each of them groggily went to see what was happening, two of the guards placed their hands behind their backs while another guard would violently beat them with the butt of his halberd. As this was happening, several more guards would grab the sleeping girls and carry them out of the cabin. "No! No! What is happening", Bella flailed her arms and shrieked in confusion, while Betsy and Daisy tried to kick and punch the guards, but to no avail. As this all happened, yet another guard would use the butt of his halberd to hit the disoriented maids in the head and render them unconscious.
As the guards carried out the unconscious maids, their mother would sob while the injured father would try and console her.
The maids regained consciousness as each were being carried by the guards, but their ordeals were just starting.
The furious witch tapped her boot on the stone floor as her hands rested on her hips. She was in a separate room in another part of the castle, which had high stone walls. Unlike the rest of the castle that was incredibly charming and lavish, this room was spartan and devoid of any furnishings. The witch never did anything was this space, since she thought this area would be best for "interrogations".
As the maids were carried into this small space, Theodora's red ring glowed almost immediately. When Betsy and Daisy floated forcefully in the air, the witch then flicked her finger as she slammed them into the nearby stone wall. "Ow", the girls collectively screamed as their backs hit the hard stone wall.
"Wha…what are you doing", Bella demanded as the guards her abruptly dropped her onto the floor. "Please don't hurt them!"
"Shut up", Theodora boomed while the little girls sobbed helplessly. They were being suspended in the air by the witch and had their backs pinned against the wall by the witch's powers.
"You have been more trouble than you are worth", the witch shrieked at her. "And you have defied me for the last time! I know you helped the Wizard to escape! If you don't tell me where he is, I'll snap the necks of these girls in the blink of an eye! And don't think that I won't do it!"
Bella was terrified of the witch's appearance. She looked repulsive. But she held down her fear as best as she could. "I don't know where he went", Bella pleaded with her. "Please…"
Theodora raised her hand at the two girls as their throats began to tighten. "Bella, please help us", they begged the maid before they started to gag.
"I'm not playing around anymore", the witch spat. "The next answer out of your mouth better be where the Wizard is located! I am going to count down from 3!"
Theodora clenched her teeth as she stared ragefully at Bella. "Three…two…"
The maid's eyes began to dart frantically in every which direction as her heart was beating furiously in her chest. She remembered that the Wizard didn't take the path towards the Emerald City and instead proceeded north."
"He's heading north", Bella yelled. "Please…please release them!"
"I know that he is heading north", the witch responded caustically and with a shrill voice. "Where is he headed? One..."
"The…the….the" Bella thought of something to say, anything at all that would appease the witch. "The Gillikin Country! That must be where he is headed! Please, I don't know anything else! He didn't tell me anything else! Please…I beg of you…" The maid began to break down and started to sob.
The two girls then fell abruptly to the floor. Theodora placed her fingers on her chin as she began to mutter quietly to herself. "The Gillikin Country? Deeper into the Haunted Forest? But if he's headed to the Gillikin Country than he must be…no…no, he couldn't be…"
She then looked up and glared at Bella ragefully. "Out of my way", she barked angrily at the maid as she pushed past her and left the room. She made her way to her bedroom and entered a spacious walk-in closet that was adjacent to her washroom.
It was here where she kept the Golden Cap.
"How could I not have anticipated this sooner", Theodora declared as she ranted and raved. "He is not going to get away from me this time!"
The witch then marched out of her bedroom with the cap and walked past the glass rotunda and exited her castle. As she did so, the witch slowly removed her black hat and stared at the cap. This would be the first time that she would use it, but she knew that the Winged Monkeys would now fall under her command and would do anything that she asked of them.
Theodora placed the cap onto her head. She stood upon her left foot and slowly said "Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!" Next, she stood upon her right foot and said "hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!" Finally, she stood upon both feet and cried out in a loud voice "Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!"
Now, the charm began to work as the ground shook. The night sky began to turn even darker as a strong gust of wind blew past the witch's face. She then saw dozens of Winged Monkeys flap their wings in the distance and fly towards her. Their flapping sounds became louder as the monkeys screeched and gathered before her. One such monkey that served as the messenger landed right across from the witch and curtsied gracefully.
"You have called us, oh Great One", he said in a boisterous voice. "How may we serve you?"
"Go to the Haunted Forest and capture the Wizard! Bring him back to me", she shrieked at them. "Now go! Fly!"
"It shall be as you command!" The Winged Monkey turned around, flapped his wings, and started to fly away from the castle as the flock followed him in neat formation. As they flew away, the only monkey to remain was little Finley. He looked up at the witch with wide eyes and much uncertainty on his face. Theodora took several small steps towards him and began to kneel. "Bring me the Wizard", she said warmly to him. This was a rare occurrence, as in this current state, the witch was never known to display kindness to anyone and was only known to have a cold and cruel temperament. The monkey reluctantly and sadly nodded at her before he flapped his wings and flew away.
Right after Finley departed, a contingency of guards led by Mitchell approached her. When they did so, the witch cocked her head in their general direction.
"Alive", she glared at them. She then pointed her finger directly at the captain. "Do not fail me this time."