Wicked: The Witch's Daughter #49

Instructions

Madame Morrible's POV: Several months had passed since Kendra Thropp disappeared into the Western Forest, and I was becoming increasingly impatient. Every search had ended the same way: nothing. No sight of Kendra. No trace of the broom. No sign of Elphaba's black hat. Her guards had searched towns, roads, villages, and stretches of forest, but the girl had vanished as completely as if the trees themselves had swallowed her. I stood beside a tall window overlooking the Emerald City, watching people move through the streets below. My fingers tightened around the edge of the curtain. “How difficult can one girl be to find?” I muttered. Kendra was only sixteen. She was inexperienced, newly discovering her magic, and had been forced to flee without knowing where she was going. I had expected her to be found within days. Then weeks had passed. Then months. Still nothing. “Madame Morrible?” one of the guards said from behind me. I turned sharply. “Well?” “We've searched the areas you ordered us to search.” “And?” The guard hesitated. “There is still no sign of her.” I turned back toward the window. I hated that answer. I hated it more every time she heard it. Elphaba and Fiyero were still being held, but Kendra remained free, somewhere in Oz. Worse, I had no idea what the girl was doing. She could be hiding. She could be practicing magic. She could be learning more than anyone realized. That thought bothered me more than I wanted to admit. When Kendra had first escaped, I had dismissed her abilities as something undeveloped and unpredictable. But the girl had already used magic to fight her way out of Kiamo Ko. She had taken Elphaba's broom and flown directly into the Western Forest. If she had been practicing since then, she might be far more capable now. I walked away from the window and paced across the room. “Have you questioned the villagers?” I asked. “Yes.” “Travelers?” “Yes.” “Anyone who might have seen a girl with green skin carrying a broom?” “We've questioned everyone we could find.” I stopped pacing. “Then question them again.” The guard looked uncertain. “Madame, some of them have already been questioned several times.” “Then perhaps they will remember something they forgot.” The guard bowed his head. “Yes, Madame.” He turned to leave, but I stopped him. “And the Western Forest?” “We've searched portions of it.” “Portions?” My voice sharpened. “I want the entire forest searched.” “The entire forest is enormous.” “Then you have plenty of places to look.” The guard reluctantly nodded and left. I was alone again. I stared at the map spread across my desk. The Western Forest covered far more territory than I would have liked, filled with thick trees, hidden paths, and places that were difficult to reach. Somewhere inside it, Kendra could be hiding. Somewhere, the girl was growing older, learning more about her powers, and perhaps becoming more confident. I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't allow that. Kendra was Elphaba's daughter. Whatever abilities the girl had inherited, I knew they could become a problem if they were left unchecked. And there was another possibility I found even more troubling. Kendra might eventually return for her parents. I slowly looked toward the door of the room where Elphaba and Fiyero were being held. They had refused to tell me anything useful. Elphaba had barely spoken about Kendra at all, and Fiyero had been just as uncooperative. They clearly believed their daughter was safe. I didn't know why. Perhaps they knew something I didn't. Perhaps Kendra had found somewhere to hide that even her best searches could not reach. I looked down at the map again. Months had passed, and there was still no sign of the girl. But I refused to believe Kendra had simply disappeared forever. She was out there somewhere. And eventually, I would find her. “You can't hide forever,” I whispered, staring at the forest marked on the map. Somewhere beyond the Emerald City, hidden among the trees, Kendra was still free. And for the first time, I realized that the longer she remained missing, the more dangerous the uncertainty became.