Chpt. X: The Hermit & the Witch

Dick followed Roy on his bike down the street that eventually turned from the main road to a small ghetto. When they left the coffee shop, it was 12:30 PM. It took them over an hour to get out of Central Gotham & make their way towards the Narrows. Once they did, it was a few minutes past 2:00 PM. Dick felt like the entire day had passed and he wasn't sure why he even decided to go out with Roy.

The two eventually slowed to a block that was home to old vintage shops. Some sold old antique items, some sold old clothing. There was an old movie theatre a few doors down, & a couple doors away from that was a shop called "Giovanni's".

Dick slowed his bike to a stop next to Roy. "That's the place, huh?" Dick asked.

Roy nodded. "Yeah, this is it."

Dick looked up at the sign above the door. "For a psychic, you would think he'd be creative with another name for the place."

Roy turned to Dick, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Well, what would YOU name it?"

Dick thought about it. He couldn't come up with another name. "Shut up," he mumbled.

Dick sat up from his motorcycle & stepped onto the curb. He looked back at Roy, who was still on his bike. "Are you coming?" Dick asked.

Roy shook his head. "When I went & got my reading, the dude had said it was good to be alone because there's less auras clouding the telepathic something."

Dick let out a sigh. He felt nervous about going to see the psychic alone. "Fine, how long will it take?"

Roy shrugged. "It took me a little over an hour."

Dick nodded. He looked up at the door. There was tons of stickers & posters of abstract symbols. Some looked like stars & moons. Some looked like Aramaic script. The lighting inside of the windows looked dim. He didn't feel anymore comfortable going inside. He had driven all the way out there, though. He might as well go through it.

Dick walked to the door and pushed it open, startled by the bell above the door ringing. The first thing Dick noticed going in was the smell. It was an old stench, as if everything in the store was ancient. Dick coughed for a moment, choking on the thick musty air & shut the door behind him. The air itself had dust flying around in the light rays that shone through the windows.

Dick had to take a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. He noticed the tall shelves filled with books with dead languages as titles & jars covered with clothes & labeled in more dead languages. He looked up at a wall, which was entirely covered by a painting of constellations. It was incredibly artistic and beautiful, using dark blue & black colors with the most subtle hint of white to represent the stars.

"Hello?" Dick called, his voice unable to echo in the cramped store. There was small round tables with older books on stands for sale, & a few decks of cards. There was also a few accessories like expensive looking jewelry & rings. Dick went over to touch a blue band that had an engraved symbol that resembled a golden bird. It sat on a table next to a phonograph that also caught Dick's attention. Jack Haly used to have one in his office.

"Like what you see?" said a woman's voice from behind Dick. Dick turned to see a young pretty girl with jet black hair stretching down past her shoulders standing by a doorway in the back of the shop. She wore a black blazer with a white button up under it, & tight black skinny jeans. She had her arms crossed and was leaning against the door. She had a sly grin across her face. "That one is a family heirloom from Abraham Lincoln," she said, nodding at the phonograph.

Dick glanced back down at the vintage record player then back up at the girl. Her grin stretched into a huge smile, then she giggled. "Dude, I'm kidding," she admitted.

Dick sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled embarrassedly. "I'm a little confused as to what half of this stuff is."

The girl walked over to a large circular desk that had a crystal ball on one end, a deck of cards in another, & a few small statues of creatures Dick couldn't place names on. "It's okay, I know what that's like."

"Really?" Dick asked, walking slowly over to the desk.

The girl smiled. "No, I grew up checking half of this stuff out every day."

Dick looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. Who was she? Did she work at the store?

Dick cleared his throat. "Um, I'm looking for someone," he started. "An old dude, a psychic I think. Probably Giovanni."

The girl's smile faded slightly. "Sorry, my father is away on business. Whatever it is you need, though, I can help you with it," she ended with a seductive wink.

Dick felt his cheeks burn slightly. He cleared his throat once more. "Sure," he said, his voice cracking softly.

The girl eyed Dick with confused look. "Well, what is it you need?"

Dick scratched the back of his head. "My friend came in here recently wanting to find someone," he started off. "Apparently your father could locate people psychically."

The girl nodded, taking a seat behind the circular desk. "Yeah, I think my dad told me about that. Guy had a red hoodie, right?"

Dick nodded. "Most likely."

"Yeah, my dad did that for him." The girl looked up at Dick, her dark eyeliner making her blue eyes bright. "Do you need me to do the same?"

"Can you?" Dick asked. His heart began to pound. He might actually be getting somewhere with this.

The girl nodded, smiling. "Sure, it'll take a bit of work, but I can." She gestured to the seat for Dick to sit down. She began to shuffle a deck of cards next to her.

"My name is Dick, by the way," Dick said as he sat down.

The girl looked up at Dick. She tucked a small lock of her black hair behind her ear. "I'm Zatanna," she said.

"Zatanna?" Dick repeated. "Is that, like, a roleplaying name?"

Zatanna looked up at Dick, eyebrow raised. "Excuse me?"

Dick felt his cheeks burn. "Um, like, a magic name or something?"

"My name is Zatanna," she said a little harshly. "Zatanna Zatara."

Dick stayed quiet for a moment. He genuinely thought it was a fake name. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Zatanna finished shuffling the cards. "Don't sweat it," she said softly. "...Dick," she added with a slight emphasis.

Dick made a slight grin. He walked right into that one.

"Alright, so to create a locator spell, I could use several methods. The most common one is for me to use an old item of hers, like a charm necklace, an old toy, maybe some scarf or hat or something, & use her aura's residue on the item to trace it back to the owner."

Dick bit his lip. "I, uh, don't have anything of hers."

Zatanna nodded slowly. "Alright, that's fine. I can do something else." Zatanna picked up the cards she had shuffled a moment ago. "I'll do a tarot reading. This will help me get a better feel of who you are as a spirit, & I'll have a better connection to you when I try to locate her through your memories with her."

Dick's heart stopped for a brief moment. "What?"

She let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, everyone freaks out when they hear 'memories'. It's just part of the ritual, nothing I see will leave this room."

Dick swallowed hard. "I suppose," he mumbled.

Zatanna smiled. "I'm sure whatever I'll see in you, I've seen worse in others."

I doubt it, Dick thought to himself. He watched as Zatanna laid out ten cards in front of him. She looked up at Dick. "Alright, you'll be picking out three cards. Pick the first."

Dick looked at the ten cards. It was arranged in two rows, five in each row. The first card Dick picked was the fourth card on the second row. Zatanna slid it off the table and looked at it. She eyed the card for a moment, as if she was struggling to interpret the card. "Is this your first time doing this?" he asked.

Zatanna shook her head. "No, it's just doing tarot readings isn't my strongest suit." She looked back down at the card then showed it to Dick. "Okay, this is a Hermit," she said. It was a card that showed an old man in a cloak holding a staff & a lantern. "This card basically represents, well, a hermit. Someone who's been on the move for so long, never staying in one spot for so long. Does that sound right?"

Dick nodded slowly, staring in awe. He was really impressed with the accuracy of the first card.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Zatanna asked softly. "I understand if you wouldn't want to."

Dick smiled weakly. "It's fine," he mumbled. "I, uh, grew up in a circus. I lived with them while we traveled to different cities. Here, Central City, Metropolis, Blüdhaven, all over the Eastern seaboard. Then I was in an orphanage for a few years. I was on the run, I went out of town for a bit too. Now I'm living with a billionaire who I really don't trust."

Zatanna kept quiet for a few moments. Dick closed his eyes. He hated this. Talking to people, trying to open up. Whenever he tried, it was always a mistake. Anyone he ever opened up to or trusted either ended up leaving him or using him.

"I'm sorry about your parents," Zatanna finally said. Dick looked up at her with watery eyes. She gave a warm smile. "The orphanage...that must have been painful."

Dick thought about when he first met Cheyenne. "Not all of it," he said softly with a slight grin.

Zatanna's small smile grew more. She nodded to the cards. "Pick another card."

Dick looked down at the two rows & touched the first one on the first row. Zatanna slid it & held it up, showing it to Dick. "The Lovers," she said. The card contained a naked man & woman with a mountain in the background & an angel hovering over the two. Zatanna continued to explain. "This card is a little vague in my opinion. It's sometimes interpreted as a man & a woman in love. It could honestly be any sort of relationship, though. Maybe two siblings getting closer, a blossoming friendship, a father-son relationship. Whatever this relationship is, it might not have even come into your life yet."

Dick pondered what she had said. He was under the impression the Lovers card would've been for him & Cheyenne at least. Dick scratched his neck. "Alright, so basically I'm going to have a significant relationship, whether it's now or later?"

Zatanna set the card aside. "Yeah, pretty much," she answered. She looked up at Dick. "Do you have any, um, significant relationship already?"

Dick raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you mean."

Zatanna smiled. "Oh my God, I'm asking if you have a girlfriend," she said bluntly.

Dick let out an awkward chuckle. "Haha, um, no, I don't."

Zatanna winked at Dick. "You should." She looked down in her lap. "I volunteer," she mumbled softly.

Dick shook his head with a grin, feeling his face blush. "I figured you would have a boyfriend. I mean, look at you."

Zatanna scoffed. "Right, because every teenage boy wants to date a girl who spends her afternoons cooped up in a vintage magic shop practicing the dark arts."

Dick shook his head. "That shouldn't be a deal breaker. People are so much more than what they do in their spare time."

Zatanna nodded her head, smiling. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She gestured to the cards. "Pick another, hun,"

Dick looked at the cards & reached for the fifth card on the last row. Zatanna slid the card up & read it. She squinted at it with a raised eyebrow. "Okay," she started. She flipped the card so Dick could see. It had what looked like a king in a red coat holding a sword in one hand & a scale in the other. The card was upside-down. "This is the Justice card reversed. Injustice. It may mean, in layman's terms, you've lived an unfair live, like you've endured unjustifiable things. Maybe you're going to do something unjust." Zatanna shook her head & shut her eyes. "Sorry, I'm really bad at this."

Dick held a finger up. "Wait," he started. He struggled to word his question carefully. "So, injustice...would that apply if you've maybe done something unjust in the PAST?"

Zatanna nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Dick bit his lip. Hermit, Lovers, & Injustice. He was uncomfortable with those cards. Except for Lovers. He wanted that to be Cheyenne. He really wanted that to be Cheyenne.

Zatanna set the cards back up in a deck & laid them to the side of the table. "Alright, so that's our tarot reading. When I enter your mind, I'll be more able to do so more smoothly."

Dick took a deep breath. He was still unsure whether he wanted someone to go into his mind, seeing his memories. That was if she wasn't some con artist.

Zatanna slid the crystal ball towards the center of the round table. The crystal was completely clear, it almost shined like a fresh bubble blown from a bubble wand. The small stand in which the ball stood in was made of wood & shaped like a hand. Dick admired the the craftsmanship of the stand. Then again, it might've just been a store-bought prop.

Zatanna waved a hand over the crystal ball. "Okay, hold your hands over the ball, palms up," she said.

Dick felt his heart beat hard. It was happening. He was going somewhere with this. He held his hands over the ball. Zatanna placed her hands on top of Dick's. She stroked his palm a few times, smiling. "Soft hands," she mumbled before grasping his hand in hers.

At first, she held his hands gently. Then she slowly squeezed tighter. Her eyes suddenly fluttered closed. Dick watched as Zatanna's mouth began sifting slightly. It took him a while to realize that Zatanna was actually speaking. What she was saying, Dick couldn't tell.

Dick felt his nervous heartbeat beat harder and faster. It felt unnatural. It felt like his body was screaming for help, like his body knew something was happening that wasn't normal. His chest began to burn. His arms began to tense. Dick fought through it, though. He had been through worse than a chest burn and tense muscles.

Dick let out a roar in agonizing pain as his head was suddenly pained with shock, as if someone slammed a baseball bat into his head several times. It throbbed & felt like his mind was expanding, like a balloon about to explode. Dick continued to scream, but soon all sound was drained from his mind & all he heard was a silence & a long never ending beep.

Dick looked down at Zatanna. She still held onto his hands, but now she was more gripping, as if she were holding on for dear life. By the way her mouth moved, Dick could tell she was shouting at this point, whatever incantations she was shouting.

Through all the strange sensations through his body & mind, Dick could finally focus on what he thought was him feeling Zatanna in his mind. It felt as though something was making him remember certain things, like memories. Was this how Zatanna was supposed to find Cheyenne? He was still a bit unclear on the process. Was she JUST scanning through memories…?

Suddenly, the beeping sound that Dick heard in the silence disappeared along with Dick's vision.

The first sign Dick had that he was alive was the return of sound. He heard a muffled voice speaking. Then he distinguished it as a man's voice. Soon it became clear it was a shouting man's voice. Then it became clear who's voice it was.

"Who the hell gave YOU the right to do your voodoo shit on him?" shouted Roy.

"It's my dad's shop, asshole!" spat a woman's voice, most likely Zatanna. "I knew what I was doing!"

"Clearly not, because you knocked him the fucked out!" Roy roared harshly

A few moments passed. Dick still couldn't see, & he was unsure what was happening. He couldn't feel anything, or smell at this point. He solely relied on his sense of hearing, & nobody spoke.

Suddenly Zatanna made a sound like a breath out of air. "He PASSED out. The whole thing worked. Dick's spirit just went astray as I entered his mind."

"What the hell does that mean?" Roy asked.

Suddenly light flooded Dick's vision. Dick gasped heavily, struggling to take in a deep breath. He became able to feel & smell & see again. He saw the dim lights above him. He felt Zatanna kneeling over Dick's body with Roy standing over him. He could smell the old odor of the shop. He was alive.

"Dick," Zatanna said softly, then embraced him in a tight hug.

"Oh my god," Roy said softly to himself.

Dick pulled away from Zatanna. "What happened?" Dick asked.

"I made the connection with your mind, Dick," Zatanna began to explain. "I was in your memories, searching for her. I found her. Cheyenne. She was with you when you grew up. I locked onto her spirit through your memory & located her in the city."

Dick nodded his head. "That's great, really, I'm actually freaking thrilled, but...what happened to ME?" Dick asked.

Zatanna bit her lip. She held Dick's hands in her own and squeezed tightly. "Your spirit went astray, Dick. Me going through your memories brought you to a state of limbo, but you fell too deep. That happens sometimes, but it's almost never permanent."

Dick looked at Zatanna's eyes. They showed sincerity. Dick looked up at Roy's. They showed distrust.

Dick looked back at Zatanna. "So...how much did you see?"

Zatanna stroked Dick's forearm. "I saw the morning you & her were playing with the swings, then she fell, & you ran to get her a band-aid," she said, smiling softly.

Dick smiled to himself. He remembered that day. He was so scared for Cheyenne. He saw a lot of blood & thought she was going to die.

"How long was I out for?" Dick asked.

"Maybe 30 minutes," Zatanna said.

"And you two didn't think to call an ambulance?"

Roy stepped in. "And say what? That I sent my friend to a witch who delved into his subconscious & fucked him up?"

"Witch?" Zatanna spat.

"Oh, sorry, is that not the politically correct term for you people? I'm sorry, I meant bitch."

"Oh, fuck you."

Dick threw his hands up. "HEY!" he called out, silencing the bickering two. "Forget I asked, just shut up." Dick looked up at Zatanna. "So where is Cheyenne?"

Zatanna bit her lip. "She's in Chinatown in the Stevensburg area West of here."

Dick nodded. He held up a hand towards Roy to help him up. "You know where that is?" Dick asked Roy.

Roy nodded. "Yeah, I do. Lemme get some cash from the bike to pay this chick."

Dick watched Roy walk to the door. Once he opened it & walked out, Dick felt a hand on his arm. He looked back to see Zatanna with worried eyes.

"Dick, I don't want you to go to Stevensburg," Zatanna admitted in a soft voice.

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zatanna swallowed hard. She seemed to be shivering a slight bit. She was really afraid. "When feeling Cheyenne's aura in the city, I felt...something else," she said with a slight crack in her voice.

Dick shook his head. "'Something else', what's that supposed to mean?"

Zatanna gripped Dick's arm tightly. "Something evil."

Dick stared blankly. "Is this your way of trying to freak me out, that way I'm convinced not to go to Chinatown because there's nothing there?"

"What? No."

"Okay, so Cheyenne really IS in Chinatown, & I DIDN'T just waste my time here."

"Yes, no, she's there, you didn't waste your time."

"Okay, well, I'm going to find Cheyenne, & that's that."

"Dick, there's a demon where she is!" Zatanna cried. "You could die! Is she really worth the risk?"

Dick let the words sink in. A demon...that could easily go with the crazy story the Fosters had said about Cheyenne & the poltergeist. But this could all easily be bullshit. But no matter what, Dick needed to go see Cheyenne, whether there was danger or not.

"Yes," Dick said. "She's worth it."

Zatanna looked at Dick in his eyes. "Cheyenne's a lucky girl," she said with a faint smile & glassy eyes.

Zatanna turned & walked back to her circular desk. She began searching for something. When she found it, she returned back to Dick & handed him a small card.

Dick took the card & read it. "'Constantine Private Detective Services'?"

Zatanna nodded. "There's a number with it. Call him when you get there."

Dick looked back at the card. He slid it into his pocket when Roy walked back into the store with a wad of money in his hand.

"Alright," Roy said as he approached Zatanna, thumbing through his money. "Giovanni made me pay $30 for the tarot reading & locator thing, so I assume it's the same for you."

Zatanna held a hand up and shook her head. "I wanted my first customer here to be free."

"Oh," Roy said softly, stuffing the cash back in his pocket. "Kinda wish I got to you first, now."

Zatanna scoffed. "Yeah, no," she mumbled.

Roy rolled his eyes. He turned to Dick. "Alright, you ready?" he asked Dick.

Dick nodded. "Yeah, I think so." Dick turned to Zatanna. "Thanks so much, Zatanna. Really, I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Zatanna smiled. She went over to Dick & hugged him tight. "If things don't work with you & Cheyenne, you should come visit me," she said in a sensual tone.

Dick let out a laugh. "Hah, I don't know," he said.

Zatanna didn't let go of Dick yet. She hugged him tighter and leaned her head against his neck. "Then call the number when you find her," she whispered. "For me."

Dick pulled back, looking at Zatanna. Her smile had faded. She was now dead serious. Dick turned away, walking to the door.

Roy followed behind Dick. When Dick reached the door, Zatanna called out. "Roy?" she said. Dick & Roy both turned back. "I'm sorry," she said.

Roy stared at Zatanna. Dick watched the two. It seemed as if they were having a conversation just by staring at each other. Roy nodded, then rushed out the door. Dick looked back at Roy, then at Zatanna. She waved her hand weakly at Dick. "Good luck," she said softly.

Dick nodded & walked out the door. He walked over to where Roy & the bikes were. Roy was already sitting on his, ready to leave. He wore his helmet on his head and was staring straight ahead with the engine running.

Dick swung his leg over the bike & turned on the ignition. He turned to Roy. "What was she sorry for, Roy?"

Roy stayed silent for a moment. Dick waited. Maybe he wouldn't tell him. Dick didn't expect him to. The two barely knew each other. Roy was helping Dick find a friend he didn't even know, though. Maybe he'd let Dick comfort him, whatever it was that bothered him.

Roy flipped the visor of the helmet up & turned to Dick. "Nothing, yet," he said over the engine. "Nothing...I hope."