Books of Magik-2

-by Lynceus

“...when the child has survived on this world for sixteen summers, the green star will fall from the heavens, heralding the beginning of the Fifth Age. Old powers will awaken, and new powers will rise to meet them. The Green will choose a new Elemental, and the King of the World will ascend to his throne.”

Chapter Two: Prophecy

I waited in the car with Johanna while Hunter went into the Wal-Mart to get me some clothes. I was still wearing the nightgown, and wrapped up in a towel. It was a grey morning outside, with dark clouds on the horizon.

“You know, we might have to get you a car seat, babe.” Johanna was behind the wheel of the Camaro, with an ever-present cigarette in her hand. I hesitate to call her a chain smoker, but she rarely seemed to not have a cigarette in hand.

“I'll kill you in your sleep if you even try it.” I tried to sound menacing, but I failed miserably. Still, to her credit, Johanna didn't laugh.

“Sorry, I'm not trying to make this harder on you. Just thinking, I'd hate to get pulled over 'cuz someone thought you were too small not to have one. Cops in this country are something else.”

“I..really wouldn't know.”

“Mm, yeah. Raised in Limbo and all that. But seriously, how are you holding up?” Johanna turned to face me. There was actual concern in her eyes, which surprised me. My previous impression of the woman had basically been 'kind of a bitch'.

“I..not so good. I'm trying to stay strong for Hunter. I can sense how she's feeling, and I'm pretty sure our link goes both ways.”

“I appreciate that. In another life, she was special to me. 'course, we didn't part on such good terms, I'm kind of surprise she hasn't tried to gut me yet.”

I smirked at that. “You still don't get it. She's not that person anymore.”

“Hm. Here she is.”

Hunter opened the door and got in. “Whew, it's starting to get nasty out there!” Sure enough, the wind had picked up, and raindrops spattered the windshield. She handed back a couple shopping bags. “Ok, I got you a few dresses, a hoodie, jeans, a couple shirts...let's see...oh yeah, socks, underwear, and a pair of sneakers.”

I looked at the purchases, frowning. “Gah. Everything looks so...cute.”

“Hate to break it to you, moppet, but you're a cute little girl now.” Constantine put out his cigarette.

“Well, I did see a nice Grecian style dress, but I wasn't sure about it. It's weird seeing sexy clothing for kids.”

“It's okay, Hunter, I feel ridiculous enough as it is.” I slipped into a pair of panties and socks, and then got into a navy polo dress. Don't ask me how I know what a polo dress is, I was raised in another dimension. I guess the link I share with Hunter grants me some knowledge of her world.

Ironic, that. Technically, she's from Hell, and this would be my world. But I knew so little about it! Oh yeah, Hunter. In my mind, we're both Illyana, really, but Constantine put her foot down, saying she couldn't very well call us by the same name.

She had a point, and that's when the former succubus suggested Hunter. Mama's last name. It hurt to think that my parents were dead; even though I barely remembered them. I put the Eye of Agamotto around my neck, touching it idly. I had no idea how the thing worked, and I couldn't really spare the juice for a divination spell.

My body's reserves of magic were feeble, at best. I figured I should save what I had for an emergency. Granted, the only way to increase my natural mana was to cast spells, but that would take years. Simply put, I didn't have the time.

Plus, the black magic that Belasco had taught me had a corrupting influence. I'd just freed myself of it, I wasn't in any hurry to get that stain on my soul back!

Hunter handed me a sandwich and a container of chocolate milk, which I happily consumed while Constantine put the car into gear. Hunter had wanted to drive, but Johanna pointed out that she had a valid driver's license and she didn't.

Plus, he mentioned something about 'riding the Highway' and Hunter let it drop. There was a lot I didn't know about Johanna Constantine. That needed to be remedied.

“So. Who are you anyways, Constantine?”

“What, you don't know? I'm almost insulted.”

Hunter laughed. “Jo, she was raised by Belasco. You really think he'd bring your name up?”

“Ha, you're right there. Well ok, hm. I'll try to give you the abridged version of my screwed-up life. We Constantines have been sorcerers since way back. We got talent at it, too, but a list of enemies longer than the Thames. Now my parents are what you'd call muggles...”

Hunter laughed at that, but I had no clue what the term meant.

“...so when I started bleeding, my aunt Sophie came down from Cardiff to teach me the family trade. I was a quick study, but for some reason, my spells didn't work quite right. I guess I disappointed her, but what can you do? I was nuts for occult lore tho', I'd read ancient tomes long into the night. Maybe I sucked as a magician, but I figured, knowledge is power, no matter what. It wasn't until later that I found out what my problem was. See, I look like a girl and all, but I'm actually chemically male.”

“Uh, what does that mean, exactly?” I hated sounding like a moron, but I honestly didn't know!

“Heh, guess biology isn't Belasco's strong suit either. Well, ok, basically, when a man and a girl get together to have a baby, you get one part from the guy, and one from the girl. The guy part is called a Y-chromosome, and girls hand out an X. Even tho' I'm built like a chick, I'm really a guy. Which means I can't pop out kids, because both me and any guy I had sex with would be trying to hand out Y-chromosomes. Which don't work.”

I considered that for a moment. “Ah. You can't work female magic, because you're barren. And you can't work male magic, because...uh...yeah.”

“Right, no guy parts. I guess you can relate, although at least you can at least relearn. It goes deeper than genetics though, I actually have a male soul. Which explains my sunny disposition. Now while my internal sources of mana are all screwed up, I can call on outside forces without a problem. And I'm damned good at it. Which of course, leads me to why I'm kind of infamous.”

She lit another cigarette.

“I thought you quit, Jo?” There was concern in Hunter's voice.

“No point to it now. I'm sure you noticed how young I look now. I'll get to that, too. Anyways..I started running with a pack of wannabes; goths, occult freaks, new agers, that sort of thing. Barely enough magic to light a candle, but we thought we were badass. Ran into a real nasty thing, and I got desperate to save my blokes, 'an all. So I called up a demon. I wanted a little one, but...”

“It was Belasco, wasn't it?” I could see where this was going.

“Oh yeah. Nasty prick that he is. I traded him half my soul to save my friends. Didn't specify what condition they had to be in, of course. None of them talk to me anymore, and with good reason. I realized then, what a little knowledge can do, and so I started stalking the magical world, trying to stop people from doing what I'd done.”

“That's when we met. I was on the run, and Jo helped me.” Hunter began to talk, and I could feel pain in her voice.

“Hunter? What is it?”

She sighed. “I'd been given a mission. To do the impossible and seduce an angel. And...I succeeded. But not long after, I realized that there was a new life inside me. Half angel, half demon. The forces of Heaven and Hell wanted to claim the child, so I fled to Earth. Jo was able to shield me, and...we became close.”

“'course, it wasn't easy. They started hauling out the big guns, and I had no choice but to do the same. So I summoned a bunch of demons, and offered them my soul in exchange for various things. I picked 'em wisely; demons that hated each other, and wouldn't share notes. I called up Belasco last, and offered him the other half of my soul. Greedy pus, he never realized I was playing him. Anyways, an angel came to kill me, figuring he could just drag my soul back to Heaven and force me to tell him where Chantinelle was. So he kills me, and to his shock, a pack of demons shows up to claim my soul; they kick his ass just out of general principles. Then they realize that I'd conned the lot of them; only had one soul...well, half, actually, to give. Now, since I'm a right bastard, even half my dirty old soul is worth a lot in Hell, so they were ready to throw down for it right there.”

Hunter laughed. “This is the best part!”

“A civil war in Hell would result of course, so Lucifer himself shows up, and has no choice but to bring me back to life in order to stop the mess! I guess I went too far when I flipped 'em all off though. Anyways, I got really careful about my life from then on, quit smoking and such.”

“Wait..what happened to the baby?” I frowned.

Hunter looked out the window. “It wasn't Jo's fault. While she was dealing with the demons, the angels found me. They...ripped my baby out of my womb and took it. I don't know what happened next. Jo found me, almost dead, and did her best to help me. I wanted to die, to embrace oblivion...”

I could hear her start to weep. God, I wanted to hug her so badly. No one talked for a long time. Finally, Hunter spoke again. “So what did happen to you, Jo?”

“Welp, despite my best intentions, I got iced. Again. Lucifer still hasn't managed to buy my soul off of the other demons, so he had to bring me back, but this time, he had a trump card. He'd gotten at least one of the contracts. On a lark, I'd asked for my youth back. I've been doing what I do since the late 60's, you understand. Well, he had that contract, so he brought me back as a fucking teenager!”

Hunter sounded amused. “I could have warned you about that one. Humans who sell their souls for youth are never very specific. As pissed as he is at you, you're lucky he didn't bring you back as an infant!”

“Yeah, I know, but then I'd just get myself killed again by some bloke with a grudge. So instead, I'm in my prime again, but I got problems just trying to buy a pack of smokes! Which, once I realized he was going to keep bringing me back to life until he could properly damn my ass, I figured, what the hey, and started smoking again.”

“Honestly Jo, that almost makes sense.” Hunter turned to face me, her expression unreadable. We locked gazes for a moment, and then she reached her hand back towards me. I took it in mine and squeezed. She managed a small smile.

“Ok kids, story time is over for now, I got to focus. You should both get some...”

sleep

And I did.

-

I woke up later, oddly enough, in the front seat. Looking out the window, I saw nothing but flat ground with sparse vegetation. “What the..a desert?”

Johanna chuckled. “You're riding the Synchronicity Highway, baby. You get used to this sort of thing.”

I turned to look at her, noticing that Hunter was sleeping peacefully in the back seat. “What's the Synchronicity Highway, exactly?”

“Well, not every mage can do it, but basically, you have to understand that reality has multiple layers, and I don't just mean other planes, like Limbo. A good part of magic is your ability to change your perceptions of reality, and see what's really out there. A lot of stuff that humans can't, or won't, see.”

She flicked her cigarette out the window. “There's no such thing as coincidence, and time doesn't always flow in a straight line. To humans, this creates things like deja vu, or events where causality follows effect, which is usually just chalked up to Fortean weirdness. But the truth is, there's a force that attempts to move things to where they are needed. A road not travelled, I guess you could say.”

“So that's this?”

“No, this is a stretch of Nevada desert, I think we're heading to Vegas. I can guess why, but no reason to spoil the surprise. The Highway is when you move between bits and pieces of reality, just letting that force I mentioned move you where it wills. Most people are firmly anchored in some kind of 'reality', so they can't do this easily. Which is why I put you and Chan...I mean, Hunter, out.”

“You're a powerful mage, then.”

She shook her head. “Nah, I just know some tricks. Anyways, what you really should be asking me about is the Fifth Age.”

“Ok, I'll bite, what is the Fifth Age?”

“Nobody knows, really.” Johanna smirked at me.

“You're impossible, you know that?”

“Part of my charm, you're just too young to appreciate it. But I mean that quite literally; its' a time when everything changes, and a new order arises. You see, the Fourth Age was a time of wonder; magic, divination, sorcery, astrology, alchemy, it was all still accepted, along with the new Science. But then, bit by bit, Science began debunking magic, and people stopped believing. By this point, most of what is magical in the world is hiding, one way or another, or people just don't want to see it. Those of us who work with magic are forced to stick to very subtle uses of power, and lurk in the shadows.”

She grinned. “But all that changes now. Already, Gods are waking up, shaking off the dust of centuries. Beings of incredible power are being born, ready to fight the coming battle. And it's time for the magicians to walk in the open again.”

“What does that mean for me?”

“Not really sure. We know that you're destined to be a major player in the Fifth Age. The Sorcerer Supreme of this Age, is dying. Has been for years, but he's only holding on so he can pass on the mantle to his successor. We think that's you. As the single most powerful magician in the world, you'll be able to guide the course of what is to come. You could be Jesus, you could be the Devil. We just don't know. Some want to kill you...others to control you. Me and my allies, well, we just want to make sure you have a choice. Belasco tried taking the choice from you, after all.”

I frowned. “Aren't you afraid that I could become dangerous?”

“Nah, not me. No matter how it turns out, it'll be a wild ride. Not all of us agree, of course.”

“How does Michael fit into all of this?”

“Mikhail? Well, he's actually a pretty big player in the magical world right now. He's the one that organized us all. You'll see.”

“I don't understand how I'm supposed to be so powerful; I don't even want to use what little magic I have!”

“Trust me, dear, I know. But you will be taught. And you have that thing.” She pointed to the Eye. “It's power reveals falsehood, illuminates the truth, and uncovers secrets. There's a big secret about your true nature; I can feel it, but I don't know what it is. When the time is right, the Eye will open, and you'll understand.”

“I wish it would get it over with.”

Johanna chuckled. “No, no you don't. Truths like the ones I'm talking about, they change you just by knowing them. And you can't burn that knowledge out of your head. Even the charms Belasco used to steal your memories, and Hunter's...have weaknesses. Bits and pieces of who you were shine through.”

I turned to look at my sleeping 'twin'. “He locked away her powers. And she hasn't used them in so long, she's lost a lot of them.”

“True, but it's not that she lost the power, she lost the applications of it. So she learned to channel it in new areas.”

“You're talking about her strength.”

“Yep. Succubi, even ones with her lineage, aren't known for their physical power. But having all her subtle abilities locked off, the energy inside her had to go somewhere. So she became an athlete, and started to work out. Not realizing that what she was doing was creating a new path.”

“She's not a succubus anymore.”

Johanna nodded. “You're right. She's still part demon, but she's become something else again. Your familiar, your psychic twin, somehow part demon and part human as well. It confuses the hell out of her, but the link she has with you makes her happy. It eases her pain. And she has a lot of it. Some of which is my fault.”

“Did they kill her baby?”
“No. I'm sure they didn't. I just hope that she'll get to meet her child one day. And when she does, that it won't break her heart again.”

I looked out the window again. I hoped for that as well.

-

Night fell as we reached Las Vegas, and I looked in awe at the lights of the city. I'd never seen anything like this place before!

“Welcome to Sin City, Illya. What do you think?” Johanna seemed amused by my reaction.

“It's...incredible.”

Hunter leaned forward. “It's been a long time since I was here last. Not much has changed though.”

“Nope, still the biggest monument to human vice I've ever seen.” Johanna reached into her trenchcoat and produced a plastic disc. “And wouldn't you know it, I still have this.”

“Ooh, Caesar's Palace? She'll be there.” Hunter's eyes widened.

“Yep, I'm pretty sure that's why we're here.”

“Um..who will be here?” Sometimes it was like the two of them were speaking a different language.

In unison, they replied. “Zatanna.”

-

It didn't take long for Johanna to turn that one disc (called a 'chip' for some odd reason) into quite a few more; enough to get us a room at the casino hotel. The lights and the sounds, and all the people...my years in the Dark Dimension hadn't prepared me for this, and I found myself reaching for Hunter's hand. She squeezed my hand gently, and I felt a lot better.

The room reminded me a lot of Belasco's private chambers, and both Johanna and Hunter found this amusing when I commented on it. I call it a room, but it was actually several rooms, all quite opulent. For someone like me, who has never really had anything I could call my own, it seemed so excessive!

“Welp, she's here, we'll go see her show. And if we're lucky, she won't try to kill me.” Johanna mixed herself a drink at the minibar. It looked interesting, but I knew better than to try and consume alcohol at my current age!

Oddly, Hunter passed as well, and re-introduced me to soda; I soon found the combination of Coke and cherry flavored Grenadine to be quite addictive.

“That much sugar and caffeine, she'll be bouncing off the walls.” Johanna smirked.

“She's not a kid, Jo.” Hunter immediately stuck up for me, but I considered that Johanna probably had a point, and tried to drink slower. It was good though!

Johanna ordered a pizza, something called a 'Hawaiian'. I ate quite a bit, and ended up taking a short nap, my belly full for the first time in years.

-

Hunter woke me up later, and I took a shower. Afterwards, she handed me the white Grecian-style dress she'd bought for me, and she did my hair up in something called a 'French braid'. Examining my reflection in the mirror, I looked more mature, which was somewhat disconcerting.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I looked at Hunter, who had put on a similar dress, aqua in color. She wore her hair in a ponytail that I thought looked rather fetching on her.

“I think you should try to look your best tonight, Sis. I know you feel silly trying to look grown-up, but I think you'd rather try to have people take you seriously than not.” She put the Eye of Agamotto around my neck.

Johanna poked her head in. She hadn't really made any concessions to the evening at all; and was pretty much dressed the same as always. “You sure she should wear that openly? There's other magi around here, I can feel them.”

Hunter nodded. “Let's face it, Jo. You stick out like a sore thumb. So they're going to notice us, because we're with you. If it looked like we were trying to hide, they'd see it as a sign of weakness.”

“Heh. I got it. So we're going balls-out, so to speak. Throw them off their game.” The Brit grinned.

“It wouldn't hurt you to wear a dress from time to time, Jo.” Hunter smiled at Johanna.

“Bah. I told you, that was a one-time deal!”

“But you looked so good in that dress!”

I sighed. Once again, I was completely out of the loop.

“Well...alright, I did look pretty good. But those heels almost got me killed!”

Hunter laughed. Well, at least she was happy.

-

It turns out that there were two shows billed for the evening. The first one was pretty awesome; Miss Miracle, a young woman in a yellow, red, and green costume performed some rather impressive escapes. Although I wasn't sure what to think about her fashion sense, she had a pleasant, rather chipper voice, and a real flair for the dramatic. Something about her struck me as cute, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
“Damn, Scottie Free all grown up.” Johanna whistled lowly.

Hunter chuckled. “She has filled out some, hasn't she?”

“Some?! That girl is fine!”

“You know her?” I was getting tired of not knowing what they were talking about!

“Scottie? Oh yeah, probably the best escape artist in the world, since Zatara retired. And I'm pretty sure he cheated a little, magic has always been strong in his family.” Johanna explained.

“Zatara?”

“Zatanna's father. He trained quite a few escape artists, but Scottie is probably the best. I don't think she knows any magic, but some of the stunts she pulls make me wonder. Zee, well, she never cared for escapes, she's an illusionist. Damn good one, but you'll see that soon.”

Hunter grinned. “She definitely cheats though.”

“God yes, Zee's a damn Copperfield.”

“Uh...” I frowned.

“Sorry, it's a trade term for a magus who disguises their magic as mere illusions. They tend to get a lot of flack for it too. But all that's about to change soon.” Johanna looked around the room. “I know they're out there, but damn, can't find them.”

“What about him?” I pointed to a man I had noticed; like Constantine, he was dressed in a rumpled trenchcoat, along with a suit and a fedora, making him look like some old-time detective. I could sense there was something odd about him, almost like I wasn't looking at one person, but somehow, two.

“Huh? Oh no, don't worry about him. That's Dr. Occult. He's on our side.” Johanna grinned.

“Maybe I'll get a chance to catch up with Rose.” Hunter smiled.

Ok, this was seriously getting on my nerves. Not all that long ago, I was a force to be reckoned with, a demon-trained warrior and magician. Now? I was small, weak, and didn't have a clue about what was going on around me.

Still, it was hard not to be awed by Miss Miracle's finale, a variation on a famous escape. She allowed herself to be put into a straight jacket, shackled, and sealed into a large metal container; above the container, a crane suspended a heavy metal safe by a chain.

In five minutes, the safe would fall, if she wasn't free by then, she'd die for sure! We waited, breathless, and then the five minute timer ran out, and the safe fell. There were gasps of horror, and one woman even fainted!

And then, the safe door swung open, and Miss Miracle, a little shaken up, but otherwise unharmed, slid out of the safe and took a bow to a standing ovation. I joined in the applause, that had been amazing!
Hunter laughed. “Erich would be quite impressed.”

“Before my time, girlfriend.” Johanna reached for a cigarette, then put it away. No smoking in the casino, after all.

A stunning young woman stepped onto the stage and gave Miss Miracle a hug; I hadn't realized until just that moment how short the escape artist was! “Wow, she's tiny.”

“Oh yes, but that helps in her line of work.” Hunter nodded. Being only 5' 1” herself, Sis knew all about being short!

The taller woman had long black hair, and wore a sexy version of the classic magician's outfit, including a top hat and a tuxedo jacket with tails. However, her shirt revealed some impressive cleavage, and instead of pants her outfit had a bikini-style bottom, leaving her legs bare save for some rather sheer pantyhose.

After hugging Miss Miracle, she took off her hat and placed it on the escape artist's head. To my amazement, the hat fell to the floor, as if Miss Miracle had been swallowed up by it! Zatanna picked up her hat, showed us that it was empty, and placed it back on her head.

“Let's see Scottie escape from that one, folks!”

The crowd went wild.

-

I had to admit, Zatanna was quite the entertainer; as a running gag, Miss Miracle would appear throughout her act any time Zatanna needed an assistant. Miss Miracle was levitated, sawed in half, and even teleported from one end of the state to the other!

And then, for the finale, Miss Miracle locked Zatanna into a trunk, and poked all manner of sharp blades into it. Then she turned to face us, took off her mask...and revealed herself to be Zatanna! I couldn't help but laugh, and for a moment, I forgot all about those years spent in Belasco's realm. I really felt like a little girl again!

Then the box opened, and out stepped a small young woman dressed like Zatanna, although her hair was much shorter. And I'd been right, she was very cute. The two took a bow together, and the curtain dropped to thunderous applause!

“Wow. She's amazing.”

Hunter giggled. “Which one?”

“Both, naturally. Come on, let's go backstage, Zee gave me a nod during the show. Guess she's not going to murder me after all.” Constantine led the way.

-

Johanna knocked on the door to Zatanna's dressing room, and to our surprise, Dr. Occult answered. “Hello again, Johanna, Chan...”

“Hunter.” Sis glared at the older man, who simply nodded.

“Hunter, then. And you must be Illyana.”

“More or less.” I repied.

He smiled at me softly. “I wish I could make your coming trials easier; as difficult as things are for you now, things will become harder before they get easier. But do come in, the girls will be out shortly.”

We filed in after him, and just as we sat down, the stars of the evening joined us. Zatanna was wearing a robe, and Miss Miracle had changed into shorts and a Criss Angel tee-shirt (which, once Hunter explained to me who Criss Angel was, I found amusing, to say the least).

“Well well, Johanna Constantine. Remind me why I don't want to strangle you again?”

Scottie produced a length of chain out of nowhere. “Can I help?”

Johanna sighed. “Gee, thanks Scottie. You don't need to encourage her!”

Scottie chuckled and sat down next to me. “Hi, I'm Scottie.” She held out her hand.

I took it, and found that the girl had a very firm grip. “Illyana.”

Scottie's eyes got big as saucers, and she looked down at my amulet. “Woah...so that's...”

Zatanna looked over. “The Eye of Agamotto. I wouldn't try taking it from her, Scottie.”

Miss Miracle put her hands up in the air. “Last thing on my mind, really! You know how I feel about magic, it's nothing but trouble!”

Everyone seemed to laugh at that.

“As much as I'd like to help train her, I'm kind of booked solid at the moment...I assume that's what this is about, with both you and Richard here.”

Dr. Occult...Richard, I presumed, spoke up. “Zatanna, you can't simply stand aside; she needs your help.”

Zatanna frowned. “I don't mean any offense, Illyana, but I'm not convinced that you won't become my enemy some day. I can't risk training you now if that happens. I can sense the taint of black magic about you. Plus, there's the company you keep...a succubus, unless I miss my guess, and of course, Constantine.”

Johanna grinned. “Oh come on, it wasn't that bad.”

The magician sighed. “No, the sex was great. But you're a bastard, Johanna. I may be able to forgive you, but I'll never forget.”

Johanna shrugged. “Guess that's it then. Ok, we'll be on our way.”

Just then, the door burst open, and a figure entered. “I'm afraid none of you will be going anywhere.” He was a man in a blue business suit, with dark hair and an olive complexion.

“Well...” Johanna lit a cigarette. “If it ain't Felix Faust. You sure you got the stones to take us all on?”

Faust entered the room, brandishing a cane with a crystal orb at the end. “Alone? Likely not. But I'm not alone, as you can see.” Behind him, a huge, no, take that back, hulking man in a suit entered the room, stooping to do so. He had white hair and pale skin, and I could feel dark magic rolling off of his form.

“Oh fuck me...everyone, get back!” Johanna pulled a gun from out of her trenchcoat and started firing.

“born on a monday...” The giant growled, grabbing a table with one hand and hurling it at Johanna.

“Esacne ym seimene ni eci!” Zatanna spoke in some bizarre language, and the giant was partially encased in ice. The other man, Felix, held up his cane, and flames surrounded him, an effective counterspell.

Hunter moved in front of me, blocking my view. I could see, however, the nimble form of Scottie Free tumbling through the air to throw some kind of smoke grenades at the attackers.

Spells began flying freely, and I backed away. I heard a grunt of pain as the giant, Grundy, grabbed Johanna and tossed her against the wall; she crumpled lifelessly to the floor.

And then Dr. Occult was next to me, kneeling. “It is time. The Green Flame descends to Earth..the Eye opens!”

I didn't know what he meant, but then, sure enough, my amulet started to glow. “Hunter!”

My other half turned, and we were bathed in the light of Truth. There was a flash of light...

-

Johanna groaned. Damn that had hurt! The fighting had stopped for some reason, and everyone was just standing there, gaping. “Hey what's everyone looking at...oh.”

Floating in mid-air was Hunter. Except...it wasn't Hunter. She was wearing some kind of archaic armor, and had the Eye of Agamotto (the open Eye, to be exact) around her neck. Static electricity arced all around her body, and Johanna realized she was looking at the Sorceress Supreme.

There was no sign of Illyana, but...she realized the reason was that she was looking at Illyana!

“I am Illyana Rasputina. The Sorceress Who Is To Come! Witness my power, and tremble!” She pointed to Grundy, and the giant flew up into the air, to slam into the ceiling.

“grundy no like flying girl.”

Felix turned to flee, but at a gesture from the girl, the doorway vanished. The wizard turned back, holding up his cane to cast a spell, and Illyana sort of...flowed across the room, leaving afterimages of herself in her wake.

Finding the teenaged sorceress right in front of him, Felix balked. The girl grinned. “Enots sa emoceb!”

And before their eyes, Felix's body began to stiffen, until he became a stone statue. The girl turned and winked. “I hope you don't mind, Zatanna. It just seemed appropriate.”

“Uh..no..it's ok...” Zatanna looked rather pale. I probably did too!

The girl descended to the floor. “It's too soon...I'm not ready...I think...” Whatever else she was going to say was lost as there was a flash of light, and then Hunter was laying on the floor, the small form of Illyana in her arms.

“Ok, um...what the heck just happened?” Scottie Free looked at everyone in confusion.

I lit a new cigarette. “Dunno kid. But I could really use a drink.”

Everyone else seemed to think that was a damned good idea.

To be continued...