I want to share with my readers...my original novel, September Blue, is now available on Amazon and Kindle. The link is available on my profile page or by searching for "September Blue" by Cat Whitney on Amazon. :-)

I've done some editing and reworking on this one. 1/26/10

Notes: This is a sequel to Black and White, and should be read as such.
This story assumes some characters and events from Black and White. Go read that one first. Here's some cheats if you don't:

Nyalana - Winkie girl; Besnik - Dog; Sun - Quadling; Zaar - Black Cat, Malky's daughter. All are members of Elphie's 'cell' in the Resistance. Eliana - a young maunt who made a difference in Elphie's life.

Chapter 1: A Time to Mourn

The odd menagerie trekked mostly in silence, lost in their own thoughts. To passerby, they seemed the most unlikely grouping of souls. Yet with the Wizard suddenly departed, there was little reason for them to be questioned. The potential for mayhem in the Emerald City was too great for the Gale Force to be concerned with what happened somewhere along the treacherous slopes of Kumbricia's pass.

Nyalana carried Malky, as he was far too frail to make such a journey on his own paws. His twentieth birthday was near, yet he was determined to make this journey. He had staunchly protested staying behind, knowing he could not go to his grave without attempting to say goodbye to her. Besnik trotted faithfully beside Sun, as the fading light brought out the grey in the fur around his face.

Zaar led the way, having a great working knowledge of Oz from her years in the Palace. She knew the ins and outs of the political alliances between the tribes that made the Vinkus their home. She had a great command of language, and could negotiate with the fluidity of a seasoned politician. Malky was proud of her, even when she had birthed a litter of kittens, yet refused to name the father. Her job demanded secrecy, she'd argued, and the fate of Fiyero was always fresh in her mind. The Wizard's sudden departure had allowed Malky to see his three grandchildren together, in the same place, for the first time. It had made him feel warm and full, and somewhat satisfied with his difficult life.

"We should bear northeast here, up the ridge," Nyalana spoke up, recognizing the landmarks from her childhood. She surprised herself, with how much she remembered from more than fourteen years prior. Zaar fell back, letting the Winkie girl take over in the place she knew so well.

It was three more days before the gates of Kiamo Ko came into view. They stood, marveling at the sheer size and stillness of it. Nyalana approached it first, and led them around to the mammoth, heavy doors of its entrance. Sun pulled one open, and they filtered in to the dark, echoing castle one by one.

They trudged silently, weary and suddenly overcome by emotion at the task before them. In the parlor just off the kitchen sat a weather-worn old woman, babbling illogically to herself as she rocked. Nyalana tried to rouse her, tried to bring her into the present and wrestle some of the story from her, but she was too far gone. For the moment, at least, the woman could tell them nothing of Fae.

So they made their way up the winding staircases, inspecting the rooms and wondering at the odd assortment of people that must have lived in this great palace. High in a narrow tower, they found what must have been her room. It had a chaos that spoke of the strange, green woman they had known. Papers were scattered, books left open, strange scribblings were tossed around, and a glistening, glass orb was the room's centerpiece. Nyalana set Malky down, and on shaky legs he padded over to where Elphaba's cloak was slung across the bed. With great effort, he heaved himself onto it and took in the scent of her. He curled his frail body up amongst the ebony folds of it and remembered all that had been Elphie. His heart ached, and they left him there with his personal mourning and memories. The rest of them made their way up another staircase to the highest parapet.

At the door, Nyalana paused, and Sun took her hand, compassion in his eyes. Besnik nudged open the door and Zaar slipped in ahead of them. They shuffled into the small space and froze, taking in the scene.

The room held the sick smell of doused flame and burnt flesh, mixed with the coldness of mildew from the steadily leaking roof. The meager furniture had been upset, as if in a struggle. Yet there was the overwhelming absence of a body. Nyalana dared to peer into the dark corners, unsure what she hoped, or didn't hope, to find.

"She's not here," Zaar finally stated, flatly.

The others nodded quietly, perplexed, saddened, and overwhelmed in the same moment.

"It's just not possible…why would anyone have taken her?" Nyalana's voice cracked a little as she struggled to understand.

"None of us knows what would have happened to her had she been hit with that much water. We can't say what would be…left."

Nyalana turned away at Zaar's words, unable to imagine the pain her friend had endured. She crossed the room and stared out at the great mountains, undulating out from Kiamo Ko until they became the plains of the grasslands. She bit her lip, having wanted desperately to say goodbye, to find some reason or justification for what had happened. And yet it was senselessness again. Fae was gone, utterly and completely gone, her death as mysterious as her origin. She hadn't even lived to see the departure of the Wizard, for which she'd fought so hard. Disappointed and confused, they trudged silently back down the stairs, each lost in his own unsettled thoughts.

In Elphaba's room, Nyalana went to rouse Malky. They were all hungry, and she saw no reason why they couldn't stay here for the night before the long journey back. Yet Malky could not be roused. He was quite still, his glorious green eyes closed, as if in sleep, his mouth curled in a contented smile. He looked snow white against the black folds of Elphie's cape. Nyalana let her tears fall now, weeping for Fae and touched by the significance of what Malky had done. He had wanted to die here, where Elphie had gone. He had closed his eyes surrounded by everything that had been Elphaba, and had left this world amidst the wild scent of her.

Zaar knew what had happened the moment she entered the room. She was very still for some time, and then went to her father and nuzzled his face for the last time.

They buried him there in the gardens of Kiamo Ko, where the lilies grew plentifully and the grasses were as emerald as Elphie had been. Zaar held her head high and sang for him, sang so much like Fae it frightened Nyalana a little.

Caught up in the emotion of it all, Sun entwined his fingers with Nyalana's, while he lovingly stroked Besnik's fur. She smiled a little at the Quadling, grateful, and realized for the first time how much he meant to her.

They stood for a long time, staring at the soaring, shadowy stone of the castle, each trying to bid an appropriate farewell to someone who deserved so much better than what she had been given. And then they left to face their lives, uncertain as to what a future without the Wizard would hold.

Somewhere else, someplace very far, yet very near, Elphaba opened her eyes.

The clock ticked, time spun and stopped. The universe fractured slightly, and time and space reset themselves. Life is a cycle, a series of cycles. Life is circular. The end is often the beginning.

For Elphaba, the end had become a beginning.