In Darkness Dwell
The life and dark times of Gothena, a villain in the DC Universe
Chapter 8: Reap what you sow
Gothena was at a table with Wonder Girl and the two were hotly discussing something. Gothena said "Oh don't give me that shit. Oh boo hoo. You've got the blood of a Greek god. Don't we all. Oh woe is me it's so tough being a super powered young woman in this world. Life must have been so tough growing up with a family and getting to travel the world." Wonder Girl snapped back "Just because you had a rough past doesn't give you the right to hurt people and what do you mean 'Don't we all?'" Gothena glared and ignored the question. "A rough past? Are you kidding me you spoiled bitch." A waiter came up to the table. "Now ladies, I don't mean to be rude but you know the rules of the bar. Let's keep it civil please."
A man in his 30s with unkempt dark hair showing traces of gray and a healthy growth of stubble walked up. He took off his overcoat and tossed it at the waiter. He spoke in a British accent. "Be a good bloke and hang that for me and bring me back a pint." He looked at the table and over at Wonder Girl. "Be a good lass and go tell your boss I'm in town." She stared at him. "You can't just come in here and start barking orders." He smiled. " Listen little lady, I'm here because your boss asked me to be here. Wonder Woman is expecting me and she'll want to know I'm here." She said "I was tired of the conversation anyway" and got up to leave. "That's a good girl." He turned to look at Gothena. "Teenagers have no respect for their elders. I think you're the daft tart I'm here to see. Let's dance." He grabbed her hand and led her over to the dance floor despite the fact there was no music playing. "Mind if I lead?" he said as he spun her in a circle.
They danced for what seemed like an eternity to her but was really only a few minutes. She was blown away. He was rude, arrogant and far too forceful but something about him made her burn and she kissed him. They ended up in one of the private rooms. She was sitting on top of him and said "I'm not usually this forward. There's just something different about you." She smiled and laughed. "I don't even know your name." "The name is John. John Constantine." Gothena started to speak. "I'm..." and he put a finger to her lips. "I know who you are. You're the bird I'm here to see."
She learned a lot from her goddess. Circe had strength and Gothena wanted to have that kind of strength. She was learning not only magic but attitude. Once, she was just some whore who was used and tossed away once her current boyfriend was bored with her. Circe was the opposite though. She used men like they used Alicia. Circe used them for power or pleasure or whatever she wanted and when she was done, she tossed them away.
Gothena slowly learned to do this. Men were easy to manipulate once she learned how. Circe helped her take control. She was learning to gain power in every way. She was no longer the little tramp jonesing for a fix. She was the one in charge and she took what she wanted and moved on. It didn't matter if it was power or money or sex. If she wanted it, she took it and damn anyone who got in her way.
"It seems you've been causing a bit of a ruckus lately. That's a shame. You're a pretty young thing and I hate having to hurt the pretty ones but you have to be stopped." They never slowed their pace despite his threat. "You're here to stop me? That's easier said than..." and he put a finger to her lips again. "Shush. Lass, this isn't a discussion. This is a matter of fact. You did some proper naughty things. They don't want to deal with you so they asked me to. It's not a question of if but when and how." She got angry at this but didn't stop. "And despite this, you still felt this was okay?" He gave her a smile. "You gotta admit sweetheart, it's a damn fine way to say hello." She couldn't argue the point.
They finished sometime later and he dressed and left. She just lay there a few minutes having trouble processing the chain of events. She dressed and went back to the bar. He was sitting at the table drinking his beer. He noticed her walking up. "Love, that was amazing and it's been a pleasure meeting you but I have an appointment. I'll be seeing you soon." He downed the pint, took his coat from the rack and walked out. He stopped a moment before leaving. "Thanks for buying sweetheart. Tip well." She had no idea what his deal was but he could sure make an entrance and exit.
Gothena stood there in silence and saw Jinx walking by and flagged her over. Gothena looked at her and said "What's with him?" "You don't know about Constantine?" she replied. "No, it's the first time we've met. He said he's here to stop me but I don't know if I want to fight him or fuck him again." "Again? Oh my. He can leave that impression" Jinx replied. "But if he's here for you then you're in trouble. You should go talk to Circe, immediately."
After a couple months tutelage under Circe, she embarked on creation of her first magical implement, an athame. Most sorceresses had one. They were very useful for ritual magic and most of the components were easy to get except some specific stones. She finally located the gems she needed to finish it at some jewelry store in Gotham. They were mostly decorative but they were pretty and she wanted them. That would be an easy score. She'd knocked over jewelry shops before and didn't even have super powers then. She arrived just after midnight and blew the door off the hinges with a blast of energy and strolled in. The alarms were going off but what did she care.
She opened the vault rather forcefully with another blast and started searching. "Hold it right there villain" she heard from behind her. She turned and saw Nightwing. Oh boy, one of the Batman wannabes. This might be fun. "I'm taking you in, criminal" he said and pulled two batons. My wasn't he sure of himself. She smiled and launched at him, drawing her blades in the space between them and hitting with all her strength. He moved fast for a human and wasn't where she thought he would be and all she hit was a wall. She felt the pain of a blow to her head and was stunned. What the hell? This was just some punk kid with delusions of caped crusader how the hell did he do that to her with her powers?
She attacked again and once more, he was able to dodge with ease and she took another shot. She tried her blasts on him. Damn, he was agile and strong for a nobody. She was confused and a bit worried. She'd never taken on someone of his reputation and didn't expect a normal human to have these kinds of skills. He must not be a normal human, obviously. Maybe the Bat was enhancing his pupils with exobytes she told herself, trying to logic getting her ass kicked by a normal human.
She had other skills though. He was young, younger than her from what she could see through the costume. She slumped against a wall and held her head where he hit her. "Please. Don't hurt me anymore. They're making me do this. If I don't bring back the gems they'll kill me" she said trying her best to sound scared and innocent. He approached her. "We can help you. Who is making you do this? Is it Freeze after diamonds again? Tell me so we can stop them." She started to stand up and fell. He rushed over to help her. She forced herself not to smile and slowly stood up with his help. "If I tell you they'll kill me. I'm scared." She forced out a tear and leaned into his shoulder like someone who was frightened and looking for support and started her best fake sobbing. "It's okay, I can protect you from them."
She smiled, her head still on his shoulder and said "thank you so much but who is going to protect you from me?" she said as her knee caught him in the stomach and knocked the wind out of him. She considered aiming lower but he probably had a cup on. Better not take a chance because that moment of trust, that single split second of his young naivety was not only all she needed but probably all she would get. Without his guard up and her enhanced strength, it wasn't hard to stun him with that first shot. She hit him a few more times until he was unable to fight anymore.
Silly boy. If he ever learns to stop trusting he might become dangerous. She strung him up by his feet and slapped him several times. "I'm awake" he said. She giggled. "I know" and slapped him a few more times even harder. He was quickly swelling and bruising was evident around his eyes even with his mask on. His lip split open the blood dripping down across his face and into his eyes. They were face to face with him upside down. "Silly heroes and your faith in humanity. I would really like to play with you some more but I'm in a hurry. You are tasty looking though. If you're ever in Metropolis, look me up we'll have some real fun my pretty little pet" she told him then licked the blood on his face and walked to the door. He was struggling against the ropes but it would take him some time to get loose. He asked "What's your name?" just before she got out the door. She stopped and turned. "It's Gothena. You'll be hearing that a lot more in the future. See you later handsome."
Circe was obviously agitated. "I tried to warn you. Lex tried to warn you. There are reasons we have certain unwritten rules we follow. It's not just our side that has killers on it. The heroes aren't as obvious about it but not all their people are Batmans who just beat you up and go away. You've pissed off someone very badly for them to call in the Dark." Gothena looked concerned. "Is he really that bad?" "It's not necessarily a death sentence but you had better keep a low profile and let this blow over. He's as bad as they get and he won't stop. I'll do what I can."
After Circe left, Gothena thought about the turn of events. It wasn't the first time she faced death but this felt different. This guy wasn't some armored killer bristling with weapons like Deathstroke. He wasn't some executioner with a needle to go in her arm. He wasn't anything she'd dealt with. He was just a man. He wasn't half god or exobyte powered. Yet people spoke his name with respect and she already knew from her own father what a normal human could do under the right circumstances. He was also a master of magic and that made him unpredictable. He was worried so little about her he made that visit to Oblivion to say 'hi I'm John I'm going to kill you but first lets shag.' She was scared but she was not going to go down without a fight though.
She needed to plan this out. Her parents always played the long game. It wasn't her strength but she had to learn. She got the impression she couldn't just take this fight head on. She needed to find out more about him. The Hall's database would be a good start. She went to one of Lex's private teleporters and left for the Hall.
Circe and Gothena sat on silk pillows around a low table sipping on...something. Gothena had no idea what she was drinking but it was tasty and made her very light headed. Someone came by periodically to refill the glass everytime it went low and the women were enjoying the luxuries of power. The food, the atmosphere, the silk, the music and the staff were exquisite. She was willing to be there was no place else on earth quite like it. They were somewhere in Asia and Gothena neither knew exactly what the place was called nor did she care.
She smiled. This was bliss. It was pure pleasure and nothing in the world compared to this place. She was worried on arrival she couldn't get a phone signal but Circe laughed. "You have no need of contrivances here my dear. All the pleasure you could ever desire is inside these walls." Then Circe took her phone, crushed it and threw it in the garbage. "Come my dear, let me show how people of our stature have fun."
They had spent the weekend there. A gift from Circe for a recent acquisition Gothena had made for her of a very rare antiquity under guard at a museum. She was tipsy from the drink and lost in what looked like a fantasy straight out of Arabian Nights. Strong, handsome men were there to wait on them hand and foot. They brought her food and fed her, rubbed her feet and massaged her shoulders and brought her to ecstasy many times. It was a fairy tale come alive.
"These and many other things are the rewards of power my champion. I have many people under my command but they're just minions. Some are above others, true, more like a lieutenant or chief but you, you are above them. There is a reason I chose you. I saw in you what was possible with the right influence. Now, it's up to you to achieve it. In a short time, you have excelled in the arts and climbed your way to the top. This impresses me. Continue to serve me and all manner of delights, earthly or otherwise, are yours for the taking."
Circe finished talking and clapped her hands. Two tall, muscular humanoids approached them and bowed. Gothena looked at them then at Circe. "What are they? I've never seen their species before." Circe smiled at the young lady. "I'm not sure to be honest. They are endowed and skilled and paid for and yours for the day and that's all that really matters." They picked Gothena up and carried her to a side room. Circe smiled to herself. "Hedonism is so under appreciated by modern society."
Wonder Woman and John were talking. "The problem is this isn't just someone who will walk away. She doesn't stop at a victory. She delights in hurting people." John was reading some papers as they talked. "With her past, I'm not surprised. She was hurt so she hurts others. She was never taught compassion, love, mercy, none of the things a child should experience. She is still young and hasn't mastered the arcane yet. If we don't stop her now, by the time she has a mastery of the craft, she could be a real threat" Dianna said. He looked up. "Agreed. I don't want to kill her but if it comes to that I will. She's never been given a chance and probably deserves at least one but I'm not hopeful she will take it. Her profile doesn't point to that."
He continued reading. "So do you believe this is accurate? About her parentage, I mean?" Dianna nodded. "Yes. I've gathered enough evidence to believe she's Circe's daughter but I don't think either will ever admit it publicly. They like their secrets." "Any idea who the father is?" he asked. Dianna shook her head. "No. No idea." "I have my own theories" John said. It's not all about mysticism. Sometimes good old fashioned detective work beats a spell.
"What are you getting at, John?" He pulled out a picture. "Recognize him?" "Of course" she said. "I think he's dear old dad. I've been able to make a number of circumstantial connections between her and Luthor." Dianna shook her head no. "No. You don't understand. Circe is an immortal. That would never happen." John smiled. "So, you're an immortal. Can you tell me you've never been with a mortal?" Dianna blushed and stammered. "Well that's...uh well the thing is..." He saved her the embarrassment. "Thank you for disproving your own point and unlike you, Circe isn't known for keeping her knees together. There's more to it than just tertiary connections though. There's bone structure and other physical traits and his abnormal interest in her well being. Did you know she's living at Lexcorp now? A penthouse on the private pool deck no less. She's Luthor's daughter. I'm sure of it but I can't prove it. This would make a great episode of one of those tabloid programs you Yanks love so much."
Circe and Gothena walked through the ruined temple. "You will make enemies. You will make a lot of them. They will covet your power and position. It's tempting to destroy them but that creates martyrs and one martyr is more powerful than an army of soldiers. You will do well to heed this. Even now, as your position within my circle grows, others around you grow jealous. They see you as a rival and a possible stepping stone to their own power. They will never strike overtly. They will come from the shadows. They will seek to knock you down and usurp your position." Gothena thought about this. "Then I will kill them. If someone comes for me, they die. It's that simple."
Circe slapped her hard. "Did you not hear a thing I just said. It's never that simple. Have you ever heard of keeping your enemies closer than your friends? Do you think I've been on a killing spree my entire very long life? I have allies in every corner of this planet. Many of them would betray me at a moment's notice so the key is keeping my alliance more profitable than being my enemy." Gothena, on the ground from the force of the blow, rubbed her face. "I'm sorry. I thought..." Circe snapped. "You thought wrong. Death is a tool like any other and every job has the right tool. Death must not be your first solution for every problem. A living sycophant is better than a dead rival."
"I have taken power in a small kingdom. The former monarch survived the coup. I have taken their position, their castle and their wealth. They have the support of the people but I have the power of the military. What would you do with the former leader?" Circe posed the question to Gothena. Gothena pondered it. "Exile?" she said. Circe laughed. "Now you're gun shy. Your instinct is to say kill him. You say exile in an attempt to placate me. Both answers are wrong but the reason for your answer is on the right path. You tried to satisfy me with that answer even though you weren't sure of it. Always try to placate those in a position of power over you. That's a good step." "What's the correct answer then?" she asked her teacher. "Make him your governor or some such title. Give him power, give him position over the people and wealth. Let him rule in your name. People will resist at first, expecting him to be a puppet and he is but your military backs his rule so they can't object and in time they'll acquiesce. It's not the title people want it's the position of power and a truly powerful leader makes those in similar positions their supplicant. The deposed man regains power and wealth, the peasants don't revolt and keep tending the fields. I continue to be the true power. Everyone is happy."
Circe sat in a chair by Lex's desk with her feet propped on it. He was obviously irritated. "Would you please stop doing that? This desk cost me six figures. It's an irreplaceable antique and I don't want you scuffing it." She ignored him completely. "And these boots are one of kind, hand made of leather from a species of animal that's been extinct for centuries. They're value is beyond measure but I'm not worried about your cheap little desk scuffing them." Lex was suppressing the desire to call security and have her thrown from the building, preferably from the top of it. It wouldn't help anyway he thought. She could fly and would just come right back to irritate him more. Best deal with this and get her out quicker.
"I'll have Deathstroke take care of this. I'm sure some magician won't pose much of a problem" Lex said. "No. This needs to play out. This has gone on long enough. He won't kill her, at least not as his first effort. She isn't in his league and he knows it. He's not cold blooded unless he has to be. I'll talk with him. We're not exactly pals but I think he'll be willing to have a civilized conversation. It's time our little girl learned some self control and restraint and if she won't let us drill it into her head maybe he can beat it in. She won't listen to reason. Maybe taking her down a notch will drive home the point."
Lex was unconvinced. "Agent Serendipity caught her with no problem and she didn't learn anything. Deathstroke utterly dominated her and she didn't learn anything. I don't see how this will be any different." Circe was confident. This is different because this isn't someone in law enforcement out for human justice or someone in the shadows with a surprise attack. This is someone she knows is coming and knows can and will kill her."
"This isn't about you or me. It's about her past actions the consequences of them. She needs to learn restraint. No, this is different and has to happen. "
Wonder Woman was beaten. Between the two women she was defeated yet Circe let her escape when she could have crushed her. Circe laughed as Dianna fled. When Gothena went to pursue, Circe stopped her. "Let her go. We've won for now." "But why? She's your mortal enemy. Why let her go?" the young woman inquired.
"It's simple. People love her. She has friends and allies. Powerful friends and allies. If I killed her, they would come for me. I have powerful friends and allies as well but would they rally to my cause or take the opportunity to grab my power? No, let her go. This way, I win more than I would with her death. I beat her, with an assist you from you of course. I have the exobytes. She has nothing. My position of power is now stronger. My allies, and I use that term loosely, will see me as stronger for it. Her allies will be more likely not to retaliate because they're the good guys. She'll lick her wounds and come back another time and with you by my side, we'll be ready."
Circe sat at a table in Oblivion drinking something fruity and strong. John walked up and sat down. He ordered a beer and looked across the table. "I got your message, Circe. I think a sit down is a good idea. It's not every day you get to drink with a goddess but don't expect me to kneel." His tone was obviously mocking but Circe paid it no heed and sipped her drink. "John, there is no need to be rude. Where is that famous British civility?" She took another sip. "We both know why we are here. You came to kill one of my people and I don't want that to happen. I know and you know she can't stop you if you want her dead. I don't want it come to that."
"Circe, I don't like you. I respect you though. You keep a powerful group of people mostly under control and it rarely spills out onto the streets. But lets not dance around the topic. She's not your minion, she's your daughter and she Lex Luthor's daughter. Now, I don't know how or why...well I know how but not why that came about and it really doesn't matter. You don't want your kid dead and I don't necessarily want to kill her but she's not getting a free pass here. Her actions have been inexcusable."
Circe didn't change her expression. "So you know. There's no point in denying it. You're smarter than the average member of the Justice League and I won't insult your intelligence like that. But if you really want to put all the cards on the table, lets both show our hands. It isn't about what she's done to others. This is about Zatanna. You still have the hots for her and you're taking this personally." She took another sip and continued. "Lets be civil and discuss this like adults." John gazed at the redhead. She liked to talk. This was going to be a long conversation and he hated long conversations.
Gothena sipped her wine. "You once gave me the old line about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. You keep me very close. Does that mean I'm your enemy?" Circe stared at her. "Of course you are. As my closest confidant you know more than anyone else. You're directly involved in many things I do. You have a lot of knowledge and that knowledge is power. I keep you very close my dear to keep you very happy. Anything less would be stupid."
Gothena looked at her. "So you think I'm your enemy? Despite everything I've done for you and everything you've done for me, you still think I could betray you?" "Of course you could. Maybe not today or tomorrow but one day, given the right circumstances anyone can betray anyone. It's my job to make sure you are never given those circumstances."
"You're being bluntly honest. I don't expect to see that from people" Gothena said, somewhat surprised. Circe continued. "My dear, I have no reason to lie to you. That would just be another avenue of animosity and I want you in my good graces, remember? I might withhold things at times but I don't won't to outright lie to you" Circe told her. "And I only withhold information when it's necessary, like when teaching you about magic. Too much too fast will get you killed and you're far to useful to me to let you go and kill yourself using powers you can't control yet. Knowledge is like that, be it arcane or mundane. Knowing too much can be as dangerous as knowing too little." Gothena refilled her glass. "Are you going to go all Zen on me and tell me that true wisdom exists in knowing that you know nothing?" "That isn't Zen sweety, Socrates said that. You should read more."
"She's young and impetuous. We all were once, even you John. From what I've seen you still can be. Admit it, you do what you do as much for the thrill as for the misguided sense of justice. You like the hunt. You like the kill. You're more like her than you care to admit. She likes the hunt and kill. She feeds off the adrenaline of it and your reputation proceeds you John. You know that rush all too well don't you? The only difference is she doesn't have your self control. I can help her with that but it takes time and in the interim, a few do gooders might get hurt."
"Red, it's not the getting hurt that I'm here about. I'm here because of what happens next. She doesn't stop. If she were robbing banks and beating up on heroes in her path that's one thing but she tortures people for fun. She pushes people to the edge of death just to watch them hover on the precipice. Quite frankly this is mostly your fault anyway. If she'd had a family maybe she wouldn't be so wild. I won't kill her if I can avoid it but she's gonna be taken down and spend some time on that precipice herself to get perspective. You can be sure of that."
Circe was a few drinks in at this point and was mildly tipsy and though her constitution kept her from getting drunk it didn't keep her from getting emotional and she was visibly angry. "There are things you don't know Constantine and never will. I did what I did because I was not given a choice. Fate sometimes directs destiny without our approval. Know this. If she dies, you die and a whole lot of other people. It doesn't have to come to that but if it does, the blood is on your hands and I'll make it a personal issue. You don't want me to take this personally. Consider how much power you've gained in your 30 years or so and then think what I've gained in my thousands." She got up and stormed out. He called the waiter over. "Another beer sir?" He sighed. "No, I need something a bit stiffer. Gin and leave the bottle."
Brother Blood was an idiot. Summoning Trigon was a fool's gambit. Why would anyone want to destroy the world when you can rule it? Earth has far too many pleasures to let it be torn apart by some demon. But Circe instructed her to help him with this ritual so she did. She had to admit, the power was invigorating. The essence of sin was enticing to say the least. And now, they stood in a cavern as Blood started the ritual.
A little adjustment of a sigil when he wasn't looking. A slight modification to the power she absorbed to feed into the ritual for him. It was imperceptible but effective. The ritual failed and Raven escaped. In a beautiful twist of irony, he was now encased in his own binding magics and needed her to free him. Not only was Trigon one step further from destroying her playground and all it's wonderful toys, Blood was now in her debt for both her assistance in the ritual and for saving him when it backfired and had no idea she is why it failed. Moron. At least she had the majority of the sin energy left.
She decided this was one of those things Circe didn't need to know the full details of. It's unlikely Circe wanted Trigon to come forth anymore than she did but you can never be too sure.
The Hall's computers had a lot of information on John but nothing that indicated any exploitable weakness. She seriously doubted her old tricks would work on him. She sat in Lex's private office. He wasn't there but she needed somewhere quiet and wouldn't be bothered here. Her focus was on the screen she was reading and she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. The Hall was probably the safest place on Earth she could be right now so she was startled out of her concentration when she heard a voice. "I know the ins and outs of everything and everyone in the Society and even I don't even have physical access to Lex's private office. How did you get in here?" It was Calculator.
"Oh hi Noah. I needed someplace quiet to do some research and this seemed like a good place." He answered quickly. "Yea. That's not the question. It's not why but how you are in here." She looked worried. "Oh, yea. That. Uh, I have the code. I sort of acquired it. You're not going to tell him are you? I'm just doing some quiet reading." He replied "As a long standing member in good standing of the Society I am honor bound to relate all information of an abnormal nature to...oh who am I kidding. I don't have any honor. What's it worth to keep me quiet?" "I have money. How much do you want?" she asked the disembodied voice. He replied "Yea, don't want it. Well, I do but not from you. Well I do but not in this case. I want dinner. At your place. Naked. Friday night. Clear your evening. And guess what's for desert?" was his reply. Lex walked into his office and yelled "What are you doing here?" "Well I guess that means no dinner, damn. Your timing is horrible Lex" could be heard on the comm. "Off this channel Calculator. I want complete privacy. Understood?" "Aye aye captain. Signing off" and the channel went dead.
"Daddy I'm sorry. I needed some place private where I could think. I might be in trouble and don't know what to do" she pleaded, her voice filled with desperation. The scared little girl batting sad puppy eyes didn't seem to phase Lex. Damn she thought. It was still worth the try. "Yes. I'm aware. They've sent some trickster enforcer after you" he replied. "You're safe here but you can't hide forever. At some point, you have to face your actions and deal with them as an adult. We can't fix this for you, not this time." She was on the edge of tears, this time for real as she thought about what could happen. "I don't think I can. I don't think I can beat him and he's going to kill me."
Lex was stoic. "Maybe. Maybe not. I've been in a lot of conflicts in my life. I've even lost the rare one and I'm not dead. You are looking in the wrong place for answers. It's fortunate you were here, I have a gift for you." He handed her a book. It was a copy of the Art of War. "I don't understand" she said. "I know. That's part of the problem."
As she left he started speaking again. "Oh, and Calculator, I know you're still listening. If anything that just occurred is mentioned to anyone else, I will string you up in the middle of the hall and beat you to death then have Faust bring you back to life to just to beat you to death again then turn you into a zombie just so I can beat you every day for eternity." "Y...Yes sir" was the reply.
God she hated libraries. They were musty and dank and boring but Circe insisted. Even this one, though it might be one of Circe's private libraries it stunk of mildew the same as any other. "It's absolutely crucial to your training and you will read and learn" was her order. "Why? You're teaching me. What's the point of wasting my time reading about things that you already taught me to do?" Circe shook her head. "You need to learn. It's not important that you know a single spell. It's important you learn the mechanics of how magic works. When you do that, the rules don't apply anymore.
"What's important is understanding how and why. There are two types of people that use magic. It's like a set of blocks for a child. Any child can take the blocks and stack them but the truly powerful build the blocks themselves. I can teach you to stack blocks but to truly master the arcane, you need to read."
Gothena was irritated. "Oh like you've read everything here." Circe smiled at her. "I have and many many more. I could quote these tomes if need be and you need to be able to do that as well." The young lady sneered at Circe. "I supposed you're going to test me on it as well." Circe shook her head no. "No young one. There won't be any tests from me. The tests will come when your skills are put to use and you either live or die. In our world, failure can often mean a death sentence and knowledge is the first step to not failing."
Circe continued. "What would you do if I taught you to summon a new kind of demon and the spell failed. The demon still came but you couldn't control it or the portal didn't close and more came in or any other unpredictable occurrence? Would you be able to instantly adapt a new technique or new spell to fix it? I could but you couldn't. You would die despite knowing exactly how the summoning spell worked. The arcane can be unpredictable. It's just like nature. It's survival of the fittest, it's survival of the most adaptable."
She sat on the deck reading the book he gave her. Why this book? It wasn't that long and was written about battles in ancient China or something. What did this have to do with magical duels happening in the 21st century? He had odd taste in books but he was smart and good at what he did so maybe there was something to it. She kept reading and thinking.
Circe and Lex were dead ends. She was on her own this time. She had burned too many bridges and she was bordering on panic. Why was it so damn quiet? It was nearly two weeks since she met Constantine and nothing. She even dropped by Oblivion a few times just to see if he was around and try to pick up gossip. Nothing. He hadn't been there. He hadn't spoken to anyone. It was like he vanished. Maybe that was his game. Maybe he was trying to scare her. She didn't want to admit it but it was working.
Thinking about how afraid she was reminded her she forgot about Sinestro. Damn it. She quickly composed an e-mail to him about how she felt she couldn't control the ring and it conflicting with magic and she enjoyed their time together and so on. She hoped he would not take offense to that, she had enough enemies right now. She went back to the deck and started to read again but decided to give her eyes a break and went over to the railing. She looked out over the huge lake made by C.A.O. dam. Her mind was racing. Her life had been a whirlwind since she left the orphanage. It was non stop chaos and it was starting to overwhelm her. Deeptown, the list, Serendipity, the trial, exobytes, Circe, Lex, Deathstroke and now Constantine. It was one thing after another and it kept stacking. She felt herself getting dizzy and threw up. She leaned into the railing and sat down. Great, on top of everything else now she was having anxiety attacks.