"Use the Grimmerie, or I'll kill your friend."
The one making the threat was the man known as the "wizard."
The one holding both her green hands up was Elphaba Thropp.
One green hand was empty, the other held the spell book known as the Grimmerie.
The "wizard," that fake, that phony, that impostor, held someone by the neck. Her name was Glinda Upland.
"Elphie," she gasped. It was the only word she got out before the phony, the fake tightened his grip.
As Elphaba thrust out a green hand, the wizard glared and nodded.
"I'll do it," he said.
The green eyes of Elphaba widened. "You wouldn't!"
As the dark eyes of the wizard narrowed, he smirked.
"Do you really want to take that chance?"
Elphaba scowled. When she became separated from Glinda, this was not exactly the reunion she had hoped for.
Though she had spent months practicing spells from the Grimmerie, and learning more about how such spells worked, that had not prevented her from being captured by the wizard's guards.
Now as she looked at Glinda in the blue ball gown of "Glinda The Good," Elphaba recalled her friend dancing and singing about being popular followed by unsuccessful attempts to conjure up a ball gown. Better times indeed.
"Do it," the wizard said. The calm voice of the wizard belied the insanity inside.
Elphaba considered the situation. She'd heard from guards who deserted the wizard's palace; they said the wizard had gone quite insane. There were reports that the old man wandered about the palace talking loudly about how he was a giant fly, how he could use a "computer" to battle "aliens," and how he wanted some "dinosaurs" to patrol Oz as spies.
Someone that unstable could certainly hurt Glinda.
"All right. Just take it easy."
As Elphaba said this in a calm steady reassuring voice, she held out an open palm.
The wizard spoke in a low sinister tone.
"Use the Grimmerie to create a dinosaur."
Elphaba made a face. "A what?"
The wizard let out an impatient sigh. "A large lizard-like creature to patrol the land." As he tightened his grip yet again, Glinda let out a small cry.
"All right! Just don't hurt her!" As Elphaba cried out in a fearful voice, Glinda squirmed.
With her large green lips, Elphaba scowled. She then threw the ancient spell book down on the floor. As she knelt before the book, she held out her hands while shooting an angry look at the wizard.
The pages of the Grimmerie turned by themselves, and as Elphaba was caught up in the golden glow that emanated from the pages, she chanted the secret ancient language.
When the golden glow was gone, Elphaba heard a quiet roar from outside the balcony.
"What have we here?" The wizard suddenly let Glinda go, and she gasped while clutching her neck. Elphaba helped her to a chair, and once she was sure she was all right, she watched the wizard.
Out on that balcony, the wizard looked up then down.
"Glory-osky!" he exclaimed. "What do you know? A dinosaur!"
There was a yelp then a loud roar.
At first, Elphaba simply made a look of disgust. Then once again, she knelt before the glowing Grimmerie and recited the ancient language. Once that glow was gone, Elphaba visibly relaxed. There was only silence out on the balcony.
The sound of clacking followed as Glinda approached, pale hand to pale neck.
"Elphie," she said hoarsely. "What happened?"
Elphaba rose, gave her a tender look, and gently touched her face.
"The spell produced something like a giant lizard. The wizard called it a 'dinosaur.'"
Glinda gasped. "Where is it now?"
"Oh, I used another spell to send it away."
Still rubbing her neck, Glinda made a face. "But Madame Morrible said a spell from the Grimmerie could never be reversed."
Folding her arms over her black garb, Elphaba spoke in a gentle voice. "This won't surprise you: she lied." She then placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "You sure you're all right?"
With a weak smile, Glinda nodded. Looking out toward the balcony, she tilted her blond head this way and that.
"Where is the wizard now?" she whispered.
Sporting a smile of great satisfaction, Elphaba leaned in as she whispered back.
"The wizard won't be a problem any more."