Something Bad is Happening in Oz
Byron led the girl to the library sitting room, where Hilde stood brewing a pot of tea. Behind was a fireplace where a fire burned, illuminating the room in an ambient glow. Two leather arm chairs were positioned on either side, which Glinda gracefully sat in without prompting.
Elphaba took a moment, staring at the books which lined the shelves. Hilde pushed a trolley towards the girls which held tea and assorted pastries. With a start, Elphaba realized that it has been nearly a day since she ate something. Granted, the Ozians nearly gorged her and Glinda with food upon their arrival to the Emerald City, but the rush of the escape and trying to find safe harbour made her realize that she neglected her appetite.
‘Please, help yourself.’ Hilde prompted warmly, nodding at the tray and looking back up at Elphaba. Elphaba could only nod in gratitude, tucking her head down and quickly but delicately piling the pastries onto her plate.
‘Oh, do not mind if I doodle.’ Glinda said airly, gracefully rising from the chair and plucking up a pastry. Elphaba closed her eyes at the first bite, the frosting from the pastry coating her tongue.
Their satiation was interrupted by Byron, who was grabbing several books from the shelves. He pushed his paw onto a lever, and a metal contraption wound up to the top shelf. A metal prong, matted by rubber ends, lifted three leather bound books and deposited onto a tray. Byron pushed the trolley with his nose to the center of the room and looked up at Elphaba.
‘So Hilde mentioned that she told you that we were associates with Dr. Dillamund.’ His tone was blunt, to the point.
‘Yes, if I am being honest, that is the only reason why I am here right now.’ Elphaba’s own bluntness surprised her. But she was sick of deceit and motivations hidden behind closed doors. Perhaps it would be better to be more open with her beliefs.
Byron’s face betrayed nothing, except for a small smile that made his whiskers quirk up. ‘I cannot say that I blame you for your mistrust. But I promise to the best of my ability that you are safe here.’
Her anxiety was relieved, only slightly, but it would have to be enough.
‘How did you know Dr. Dillamund?’ She braved herself to ask.
‘We went to school together, at Shiz.’ At last, Elphaba saw something warm flash across his face. ‘Much like you and Glinda, we roomed together.’
Elphaba saw Glinda’s eyes soften at the librarian.
‘Things were a lot different when we went to school. Animals roamed the halls in abundance, teachers and students alike. But things changed, so slowly that we hardly noticed. Dr. Dillamund and I, we were keeping in touch about the increasing disappearances, making sure our networks were safe when I stopped hearing from him a couple months ago. One of the teachers was sympathetic to me and informed me what happened.’
‘And now you’re…?’ Glinda asked, looking around the library curiously. Elphaba noticed her nose was turned up ever so slightly, and she shoved down a flash of an annoyance at Glinda’s snobbery.
‘Now we’re finishing the work that Dr. Dillamund started.’ Hilde answered in total sincerity, oblivious to Glinda’s jab. ‘We have to work even more in the shadows than before, it seems. But we are dedicated to ensuring that animals are not pushed out of a place where we have always belonged.’
Elphaba got a flash of nostalgia and remorse at hearing Hilde’s passion. It reminded her so much of her teacher, and his loss struck her quickly and effectively, for a tear welled in her eye. Apparently, she was not the only one who was reminded of Dr. Dillamund’s idealism.
‘At the end of the day, Dr. Dillamund was an esteemed professor at Shiz, and he believed that his position was protected. He didn’t know how bad things would get. But he believed that teaching you, the new generation, would be enough to change the tide. We now know how naive he was.’ His voice darkened, and his eyes looked stormy.
‘Byron-’
‘-And we are done having only conversations about this, Hilde. We have to do more, we need to do more.’ Byron interrupted her. His tone was not unkind, but she still looked down in admonishment.
Byron looked up at the Elphaba again. ‘You stood up to the Wizard, and it seems that you have the power to do so effectively. I know you care about protecting the animals, just as Hilde and I do. If you truly believe in helping us, then I believe that we should work together.’
‘How do we know that we can trust you?’ Glinda asked, her voice sounding almost protective.
‘My dear, you cannot afford to really trust anyone right now. And besides, my request for collaboration was only extended to Miss Elphaba.’ He said pointedly.
Elphaba saw Glinda’s jaw clench before nodding in assent and turning towards the fire.
‘Wait, no. Where I go, Glinda goes as well. I need her help in this.’ Elphaba looked at Glinda, hopeful that she would say yes. It felt like an eternity, but Glinda turned back around from the fire, and nodded at her, a small smile curving her lips upward.
Byron sighed, ‘Fine then. Well, Dr. Dillamund was right about one thing. The key of how to fix things lies in Oz’s history.’ He sat in front of the tray holding the books up, and flipped one of them open.
The pages were reminiscent of what Dr. Dillamund showed them in class; animals roaming freely and ubiquitously. Byron flipped past a page that showed the founders of Shiz University, and Elpahaba remembered the animals engraved on Shiz’s stone walls when she lost control of her magic. The truth was always there, right under her nose.
‘You should remember in class that animals used to operate in abundance in these lands. They outnumbered humans and munchkins alike, and they were leaders of industry. We permeated all classes of life, and there was nothing we stopped from pursuing or learning. Us learned few, historians, librarians and other academics, know this to be fact.’
He paused in his story-telling, and leveled a gaze at Glinda, as if gauging her reaction.
‘I remember Dr. Dillamund teaching this to us in class.’ Glinda replied simply, almost softly.
‘So what do you think happened, exactly?’ Elphaba asked, in an effort to redirect Byron’s attention away from Glinda.
‘We do not know exactly what happened, but we know things started to change when the Wizard became well, The Wizard.’ Byron replied.
‘Became The Wizard?’ Elphaba asked in confusion.
‘Well, The Wizard’s forces have done much to erase Oz’s animal history. But he does not have a long history, in fact, I remember a time before The Wizard!’
‘I agree, it’s strange,’ Hilde interjected into Byron’s tirade, noting the girls’ confusion. ‘The Wizard has honestly been quite effective in entrenching his memory in the history of Oz. I mean, he seems as necessary to the functioning of our Kingdom as the Munchkins that produce our food.’ Hilde was almost rambling herself now, passion lighting her eyes that Elphaba could not help but feel endeared toward.
‘So everything changed with him?’ Glinda asked hesitantly.
Byron sighed, ‘Yes, it was all him.’
Elphaba paused for a moment to try and take everything in. The changes she was seeing throughout all her life, but was helpless to do anything against; it was right in front of her all this time. And she ended up helping him do more harm, more hurt towards creatures that had done absolutely nothing to deserve it.
‘So why is he doing this to them?’ Elphaba asked fervently, trying to push the swell of emotion down.
‘That is one of things we are trying to figure out. Why and how, although the ‘how’ has been partially answered with your escape, Miss Elphaba.’ Hilde supplied.
‘Yes, excellent point Hilde,’ Byron mused before turning to look at Elphaba. ‘Dr. Dillamund briefly mentioned your power, and I understand that you have the Grimmorie in your possession. Would you allow us to see it?’
Elphaba shifted, feeling a little uncomfortable under Byron’s unmoving eyes, and met Glinda’s gaze. ‘Well, no one except Elphie can read it, that’s why the Wizard needed her in the first place.’ Glinda interjected, her voice sounding protective again. Elphaba’s cheeks warmed at the sound.
Byron sighed, ‘I understand Miss Glinda, but as a Librarian, it is an invaluable resource that has only been theorized amongst the academic community. Something really bad is happening in Oz, and I could learn a lot about how to stop this war, if you would let me read it.’
A war, we are fighting a war, aren’t we. Elphaba thought sadly.
With a reluctance she still had trouble naming, she handed the book over to the snow leopard, who pawed the cover open almost greedily. His eyes scanned the pages quickly, of course as Glinda said, only Elphaba had been able to make sense of the words on the page. But Elphaba herself believed in the power of collective knowledge, and the tower of academia growing the more ideas were shared and discussed. Perhaps learning more about how this book worked would be illuminating, not just for the Ozians, but for herself.
Byron’s brow was furrowed in concentration, or more probably confusion as he failed to ascertain any true meaning from the book’s scribbles.
He sighed and pushed the book back towards Elphaba, ‘I will have to consult with my colleagues about this. For now, it is probably kept safe in your hands, since you’re the only one who can make sense of this. Do be careful about what spells you choose to invoke, you don’t know what harm can be done.’
Elphaba nodded, taking the book back and tucking it in her cloak. All at once, having the book back by her side, she was hit with a wave of exhaustion, one she couldn’t stifle as a yawn escaped her lips.
Hilde looked up, concern morphing her features, ‘Oh my girls! You probably haven’t had time to sleep since leaving for the Emerald City!’
‘Oh that’s not true, I took a nap on Elphie at some point during our adventures in the city.’ She paused. ‘But you know, now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind a place to soak my feet and rest these eyes.’
Byron sighed, ‘Yes, Hilde, why don’t you take them to my quarters upstairs, I’ll go home for the evening.’ Satisfied in his farewell, he simply nodded at them, and ambled out of the study room, his tail flicking back and forth as he disappeared out the door.
Hilde paused, ‘Right, so if you will please follow me.’ She made to leave, before doubling back and quickly scooping up a macaroon in her mouth. Elphaba could hear the soft crunching of the confection as she and Glinda followed the antelope towards a set of winding stairs.
Elphaba tipped toed around the books that littered the stairs, and she couldn’t help but wonder how Hilde or Byron found anything in their collections. Portraits of other leopards were mounted along the wall that were obviously other members of Byron’s family. They were dressed in the same refinery as Byron, suits, posing with canes, lapels. For a reason she couldn’t name, she noted that Byron came from a family that could afford to take care of themselves.
They reached the top of the stairs and Hilde brought them to a room, containing a small bed and a small writing desk. It was relatively sparse, save for a small bookshelf of books. Upon closer inspection, these ones looked well worn, lines creasing the spines that indicated their frequent use.
Hilde brought some towels, and two dresses, presumably for her and Glinda to change into. Elphaba eyed them almost hungrily, feeling the dirt and grime weigh down the fabric of her clothes.
‘This is Byron’s room, so try not to make too much of a mess of things. Not that I think you girls will throw a party or anything, it’s just that he is particular about how he cares for his things.’
Elphaba raised her an eyebrow, wondering again at the books disorganized throughout the library.
As if reading her mind, Hilde replied, ‘Ah well, trying to re-shelve the books has proven to be a fruitless endeavor. I think the library has been protesting changing our current system, but you know what they say, a place for everything, and everything in its place!’ Hilde said cheerily, obvious to their confusion.
‘The Library has been protesting.. ?’ Glinda asked.
‘Ah yes, the library’s soul! Didn’t you learn about this in school?’ Hilde raised her eyebrows in horror, but her features of fraught melted into something of resignation as she turned to look at Glinda. ‘Ah well, I will have to do the job of your school and teachers another time, I am afraid that this one is about to keel over.’
Elphaba looked at Glinda, as despite asking the question, Glinda’s face drooped forward, jumping back up again as she said, ‘What sorry! Yes I, I was listening.’
Hilde chuckled, ‘Yes, a story for another time. Do not worry about it, I can share it with you over breakfast. But the shower is down the hall to the left. I hope that is suitable for soaking your feet, Miss Glinda.’ Her voice was teasing, but it didn’t sound malicious. With a smile, she felt herself warming up to Hilde already.
Elphaba heard the clip clop of the antelope’s hooves as she exited, and she sat down onto the bed with relief.
With a small smile at Elphaba, Glinda gathered the towel and dress into her arms and headed to the shower. Elphaba smiled at her retreating form, and felt a rush of gratitude towards her friend. Glinda was risking a lot by being here with her. A part of her wanted to tell her to leave again, but she didn’t know what she would do without Glinda.
Glinda would say something if she didn’t want to be here. Elphaba thought to herself. She would be surprised if Glinda actually had a filter.
I think it will be okay. It’ll have to be.