Candle is a secondary character and one of Liir’s love interests. She is a Quadling and was born in the south of Oz, but in her life at the mauntery, she is separated from her community, the maunts look at her differently because of her origins, often discounting her and doubting her. Even so, Candle is uniquely talented and plays a vital role in Liir’s recovery by watching over him closely and playing the domingon, a rare and mysterious instrument that influences Liir’s mind and body, urging him to recover. Though she rarely speaks and never disobeys, she demonstrates a strong commitment to Liir and to her duty to help him.

Although Liir’s relationship with Candle evolves over the course of the novel, Candle herself remains fairly static, staying true to her nature. When Liir recovers, she assures him that he does not owe her anything at all, but because Liir is eager to thank her for saving his life, he does not understand. In Candle’s mind, she was assigned a task that she saw through to completion. As she tells him, “You owe me nothing […] I did the job that was set me by the Superior Maunt, that’s all. Though maybe in evacuating you from that keep and bringing you here I exceeded my charge, and endangered you the further” (222). Candle’s duty is to heal Liir, and she did so out of an innate sense of responsibility, and she wants no reward. Likewise, both during her pregnancy and in the days leading up to the birth of their daughter, Candle remains independent and unburdened by any sense of commitment to Liir.

Trism bon Cavalish is a vital member of the Emperor Apostle’s military and one of Liir’s love interests. Though Trism appears briefly in Liir’s early days, he does not play an impactful role until Part 3, when Trism and Liir finally reunite in the Emerald City. At first, Trism hates Liir, blaming the protagonist’s service in the Home Guard for the crimes that Trism was ordered to commit at the direction of the Emperor Apostle. Trism refuses to take accountability for his own actions and instead directs his anger and guilt at Liir, saying, “Your cruel actions have sentenced me to a life more wretched than anything you have known […] My life is chained to the job of perfecting the killing capacity of [the dragons]” (260). Trism has no choice but to train and direct the dragons, and Liir’s actions in Quadling Country precipitated Trism’s role in unleashing their destruction upon the landscape. Trism even wants to kill Liir in retribution, but Liir convinces him that the best means of ending his own torture is to help kill the dragons instead. When he acquiesces, Trism begins a new chapter in his life.

After Liir and Trism kill the dragons and escape the Emerald City, their relationship turns romantic. After a passionate night in an inn, their connection grows stronger, and Liir feels an attraction that he never knew himself to be capable of. In this way, Trism transforms from an enemy to a lover in Liir’s life. Before they depart the mauntery to escape the Emperor Apostle’s soldiers, they share a look that proves the depth of their connection, for in that moment, “Liir looked at Trism. As much as could pass between them in a look, without words, passed: and another moment of possibility crashed and burned” (298). More than anything, Trism represents what might be. Although Liir never felt pulled in a certain direction, he finally feels a pull toward Trism, but his responsibilities to others keep him from fully committing. Trism serves as a catalyst for Liir’s own transformation, showing Liir that he can build a life and forge meaningful connections with others on his own terms.

The Superior Maunt is the leader of the House of Saint Glinda and acts as a foil to Shell, the Emperor Apostle. The Superior Maunt characterizes the divide in unionist theory in a way that pits her entire mauntery (nunnery) against the political power of the Emerald City. While Shell uses the Unnamed God to justify his attempts to subjugate the mauntery and other Ozian subjects, the Superior Maunt uses this same deity to justify the mauntery’s ongoing independence. As she declares, “I have not met the Emperor, and I will not. I should decline an invitation were one offered. The Emperor has hijacked the great force of faith and diverted it to further the prosperity and dominance of the City” (294). The Superior Maunt therefore embodies resistance against Shell and his government, and her objections clarify the novels broader examination of The Complexities of using Religion as a Political Tool. She refuses to recognize Shell’s authority and rejects his attempts to control the Emerald City and define the nature of unionism. Her reticence foreshadows the growing divide in Oz and highlights the building tension that hints at war.

Shell Thropp is the brother of both the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and the Wicked Witch of the East (Nessarose), and he plays an antagonistic role in Son of a Witch. When Liir first encounters Shell, the man is not yet the Emperor Apostle of the Emerald City. Instead, Shell is just a corrupt soldier who abuses his power and resources in order to provide female prisoners of Southstairs with drugs in exchange for sex. When Liir challenges him, Shell finds a way to justify his actions, saying “The comfort I supply is greatly appreciated. And of course they want to show their gratitude. What else does a lady in chains have to offer? She couldn’t accept charity. […] It seems a fair exchange to me” (115). Liir sees this man, who is potentially his uncle, as a corrupt and evil person, Liir refuses to take his advice or cultivate a relationship with him.

While Shell’s early actions reflect corruption on an individual level, he eventually expands his reprehensible behavior in a way that taints all of Oz. By transforming himself into the Emperor Apostle, he finds a way to give his corruption much greater scope, and his morally ambiguous rise in circumstances is reflected in Trism’s portrayal of him to Liir, for with this description, Shell takes on the guise of an entirely different person. Trism explains that Shell experienced a religious transformation and sees this supposed occurrence as justification for his rule, despite his past crimes. As Trism tells Liir, “He was humility personified, Liir […] He’s a little thicker about the waist, very quick of wit and…almost tender, I guess. His Awakening has given him a largesse and a zeal. He talked about it. Why shouldn’t he lead?” (263). Trism believes that Shell has genuinely changed, becoming a truly zealous figure, but Liir doubts it. Shell rarely appears directly in the novel and is mostly described through secondhand accounts that conflict with the political realities that Liir sees. Though Trism describes Shell as a person reborn, Liir sees his use of the dragons as a sign that the old, corrupt Shell is still very much in control.

Princess Nastoya is featured in both Wicked and Son of a Witch, and she represents the legacy of the Wizard’s oppression of Animals. As an animal that can speak (denoted by capitalizing the word “Animal), Princess Nastoya went into hiding, becoming the leader of the Scrow. She is an Elephant who uses magic to disguise herself as a human woman. She had a relationship with Elphaba in Wicked, and she now expects Liir to fill that role. As she explains to him, “I have been in hiding as a human all these long years […] Though Elephants pretend to immortality, I believe I am dying. I must not be allowed to die in this half-form. I will die as an Elephant. But I need help” (49). Her commitment to pursuing her true self acts as a lesson to Liir during his search for his own identity. Though their relationship begins with a trade—Liir’s help in exchange for information about Nor—it ends in a display of unrequited support from Liir. After discovering himself and crafting his own identity, Liir helps Princess Nastoya even though he knows that she cannot deliver any news of Nor.

Glinda is the school friend of Elphaba in Wicked, and she becomes the interim leader of Oz after the Wizard’s departure. Liir looks to her in hopes that she can act as a mother figure to him, but this relationship never solidifies. Instead, Glinda appears only in the margins of Son of a Witch, acting as a guide and savior whenever Liir needs help. She aids his descent into Southstairs and even appears when he needs help at the House of Saint Glinda. 

Although many see Glinda as a vapid widow, she proves to be very knowledgeable about the political situation in Oz. For example, when she first learns of the attack on the basilica, she declares that she “decided to change [her] schedule and come here straightaway” because she has “a commitment to this house, and [she] wanted [her] new bequest registered before there was any move toward disestablishment” (291). This politically savvy explanation reveals her detailed understanding of the power shifts in Oz. Her arrival at the mauntery provides the women with protection from the invading army and also allows for Trism’s escape. Though she cannot be a mother figure for Liir, she finds a way to help him when he needs it.

Dorothy Gale, the original protagonist created by L. Frank Baum, is a minor character in Son of a Witch. She is the one who kills the Wicked Witch of the West. Though she is reputed to be a kind and charitable person, Liir believes that her kindness is empty; he believes that she is acting and cares more about her own goal of returning home that she does about helping those around her. As the narrative states, “She hadn’t been much, that Dorothy. Priggish, in a way, proud of her wide-eyed charity. Her kindness, at first magnificent, had come to seem a bit—well, cheap […]. In light of all that, her solicitousness to Liir seemed nothing more than the Next Good Deal” (57). This darker, more cynical portrayal of Dorothy contradicts L. Frank Baum’s original characterization and challenges the portrayal in the movie starring Judy Garland. By reimagining a quintessentially “good” character as inherently self-serving, Maguire deliberately subverts the classic tale, bringing it to life with gritty realism.

Commander Cherrystone is a recurring antagonist in both Wicked and Son of a Witch. He plays a significant role in Liir’s life, for he laid siege to Kiamo Ko when Liir was a child and kidnapped Nor and the rest of Fiyero’s family. He embodies the corruption and ill-intent of the government, whether the dominant regime happens to be the Wizard’s or the Emperor Apostle’s. When Liir sees Commander Cherrystone in the Emerald City, he asks why the man kidnapped Nor and her family. Cherrystone’s reply subverts the facts, creating a false narrative that is designed to absolve him of wrong-doing: “Kidnapped? We took them into protective custody for their own good. How were they to know the depravity of the Witch they were harboring?” (102). By recharacterizing a kidnapping as “protective custody,” Commander Cherrystone provides a prime example of The Damaging Effects of Corruption, and his attempts to spin a different version of events render him an avatar of the slippery mechanics of political manipulation and propaganda.

Sister Apothecaire and Sister Doctor are two of the prominent maunts at the House of Saint Glinda. They are initially tasked with caring for the wounded Liir, though their different roles and pasts kindle conflicts as they vie with each other. They are in constant competition, and each believes that her own methods and experience are superior to those of her rival’s. Though they share a common goal of caring and healing for others, they struggle to work in tandem. Yet they put aside their differences in order to fulfill their quest to meet with Princess Nastoya, and the journey brings them closer together, allowing their petty squabbles to evaporate. They even support one another in caring for Princess Nastoya, with Sister Apothecaire taking the lead, and Sister Doctor easily acting as her assistant. Their new ability to work together and respect one another culminates when Sister Apothecaire supports Sister Doctor’s appointment to the Superior Maunt’s council without succumbing to jealousy.