A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer! Glad you liked the last chapter. More on the Clock answers next chapter. ;)
Chapter 34
Elphaba landed the broom near the cave which Brrr had indicated held the Clock of the Time Dragon. Admittedly, it took them a little longer than anticipated to find it in the dark and the forest cover – the moonlight was very well doused but there was just enough to not be tripping over their own feet. Still, they had a few hours before they would need to worry about leaving. The green woman went to a stone, which had been implanted into the ground. It stood out from the others near the cave opening because it had flowers next to it. The forest floor did not have good light for flowers, so they did not come there naturally.
"No indication that Mr. Boss is down here," Fiyero said. If he'd been buried here, Ugabu did a good job to make sure the grave did not stand out amongst the forest floor debris, minus the already decaying flowers.
"Ugabu wouldn't have etched the stone. Years from now, no one will remember her or Mr. Boss. However, she couldn't take the chance that her work would not be discovered by Munchkins or someone else before then," Elphaba shook her head.
"So which boulder is the moveable one?" Fiyero wondered as they looked at the rock formations. The lack of light made it difficult to ascertain which was part of the natural formation and which one had been moved into place. Ugabu had to have gotten it from nearby but given the fact that she'd used magic to move it, there were no drag marks in the soil.
"Why do you need to know that?" A growl came from behind them and the two froze.
"We come in peace and only for one thing," Elphaba slowly turned around, electricity crackled between her fingers, ready to strike.
"They all say that," a large Northern Bear stood in front of her. His fur was a lighter brown with patches of white but his paws were the size of large dinner plates and had plenty of claws for ripping them to shreds. He could see well in the dark so he did not need a torch but she guessed that he could not see her skin color well. Still his stance softened and the green skinned woman guessed that her magic was the reason.
"I imagine they do. I am not them and neither is he, good Bear. What did Ugabu tell you?" Elphaba asked. The mention of the name to the Bear rendered no reaction.
"Do you know what happened to Mr. Boss?" Fiyero spoke up.
"Mr. Boss?" The Bear gave him a look.
"The man who was buried here. King Brrr told us he did not know what happened," Fiyero tried.
"You know the King?" The Bear demanded.
"We do. We met him long before he was King. He is the one who told us of this place," Elphaba explained.
"Then there is no need for pretense, Miss Elphaba. My name is Yona," he said.
"It is good to meet you, Yona. We are in need of assistance, if you can give it," Elphaba relaxed and gave him a smile. He walked past them and put his paw on a very large boulder.
"This is the one you seek," he said.
"Thank you," Elphaba smiled. She quickly conjured up a spell and moved the boulder as if she were moving a piece of paper. She then threw a light ball into the cave and the Clock of the Time Dragon was illuminated. There, stuck to the front of it, was a piece of paper.
"Yeah, because that doesn't seem creepy at all," Fiyero gave her a look. Carefully, they moved forward and found the paper to be a note, specifically addressed Elphaba.
"I know that you may be looking for answers. Answers that no living person can give you. We have not met yet but I suspect by the time you are reading this we will have. I am about to embark on a dangerous journey – one that will test not only my physical body but also my magical abilities. The Clock has answered my questions and it knows that Mr. Boss was murdered by Mombey. Seems she did not get answers she liked. Good luck Miss Elphaba. May your life not be one where you have to live in the dark. Too much time spent without the sun leaves you bitter and more willing to break the rules of common decency. My fate is sealed but yours is yet to be written. Ugabu," she read aloud.
"She certainly was a complicated person," Fiyero said.
"Agreed. We must ask our questions and be on our way. We are running out of moonlight," Elphaba said.
To Be Continued…