"So, have you found anything yet?" Lana Lang asked Zatanna a rainy Thursday afternoon the following week. Zatanna looked up from a somewhat large tome with slightly yellow pages, a look of mild exasperation cast over her beautiful face. She tucked back a wayward strand of ebony hair – was her pompadour falling apart? – and shook her head solemnly.
"Nothing...would you believe it? All these books in my father's collection...and not a single thing that references that tattoo of yours."
"How can that be?" Lana asked, confused. Her face bore a look of concern as she took a seat across from the sorceress in Lana's apartment. The two young women had been cooped up all evening, searching through Zatara's entire library, which Zatanna had magickally transported over as soon as classes had finished for the day.
Zatanna shrugged. "I honestly don't know Lana. I mean, either that symbol of yours means something that predates the written word, or it's from another planet. I've exhausted all the resources that I have at my command, and there isn't much else that I can possibly do."
"There has to be someplace that I can find information on the symbol," Lana replied as she shifted through the large stack of heavy tomes on her round glass dining table.
"We've checked everywhere!" Zatanna exclaimed. "I've gone through the mystical symbols of any and all cultures that my dad has listed in these books, be it Hindu, Chinese, African, Themysciran, everything! Have you spoken to the Native American tribe that the caves used to belong to?" Zatanna inquired, hoping that it was a resource that Lana hadn't yet tried.
"Yes, I finally made contact with someone from that tribe, and other tribes related to them."
"Any luck?"
"They refused to tell me a single thing," Lana replied with resignation. "I swear I'm on the point of giving up. I mean, maybe the symbol means nothing, right?"
"That's wishful thinking sweetie," Zatanna replied. She patted Lana's dainty hand and offered her a consoling smile. "The way I see it is this: whatever that symbol means, it stands for something far too powerful for any of us to understand, or even grasp yet. I'm going to have to bring in someone bigger than me and ask her opinion on it."
"Such as?"
"Madame Xanadu."
"What is it with you magic people and having your names begin with the letters x or z?" Lana asked as Zatanna's car pulled up in front of a small brownstone building just on the outskirts of Metropolis. Zatanna had used an invisibility spell on her car so she could go at whatever speed she wished to without getting caught. The spell once dissipated halfway to Metropolis, and a police car had given them chase, but Zatanna had caused the car to get a flat tire or four, and then had promptly gone invisible again. The girls were there in an hour and a half.
"What do you mean?" Zatanna asked as she shut the door to her car. She shrunk the car and stuck it in her purse, smiling as Lana stared at Zatanna in shock. "I know, amazing isn't it? I never need to look for a parking spot. If I can get my teleportation spell right, pretty soon I won't even need a car."
The girls started walking up the four steps to the glass and oak door when the door pulled open and a woman who looked stunningly like a younger, more ethereal Greta Garbo opened the door. She was dressed casually in velour sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt that proudly said it was from "Armani Exchange". In her hand was a mug filled with what Lana assumed was coffee. She couldn't be more than twenty-five-years old.
"Zee, hi! I was wondering when you were going to drop by. The cards told me it'd be sometime this week," the young woman greeted Zatanna in a warm, friendly voice. She gave Zatanna a hug and then turned to Lana, who was standing just behind her. "And you must be Lana Lang. Pleasure to meet you," she said, sticking out her hand. Lana shook it gracefully.
"You must be Madame Xanadu."
"I am," Madame Xanadu replied, beaming. "But you can call me Xan. All my friends do. Madame Xanadu just sounds too...I dunno...chrone-like. Anyway, come on in. I just made cocoa, fresh too, with actual chocolate. You guys want?"
"Cocoa would be great," Zatanna replied as she followed Xan into the living room. Lana also followed suit, taking in the, well, normal décor of the brownstone. Lana had expected something completely different from a woman named 'Madame Xanadu'.
"Lana, you?"
"Yeah, cocoa sounds great."
"Good. I have marshmallows too, so..."
"Perfect."
"Great," Xan said, giving the girls a quick nod as she whisked away into the kitchen.
As soon as Xan was out of earshot Lana turned to Zatanna and asked, "How do you know her?"
"Long story short, I was searching for something, and Xan just so happened to point me in the right direction."
Lana tilted her head to one side questioningly, as if waiting for more information, but when Zatanna offered none, Lana let the subject go. "What can she do exactly?"
"Xan is a -"
"– tarot card reader." Xan filled in as she gently stepped back into her living area with a silver tray. On it were two mugs as well as a plate of assorted sugary goodies, a sight which instantly lit Zatanna's face up. Sugar she could never say no to, especially since she had the power to get rid of any zits that they may cause. "As well as crystal ball gazer, you know, things like that. Your average fortune teller, I suppose you could say." Xan noticed Lana's expression of uncertainty and said, "Don't worry Lana, I'm no Miss Cleo."
"I wouldn't have brought you here if she wasn't, Lana," Zatanna added.
Lana, who trusted Zatanna probably more than she trusted even Clark, nodded. "Okay...so what do we have to do?"
"Well, first, let me see the symbol."
Lana nodded and set down her mug. She stood up, turned and lifted her sweater up to just a couple of inches above where the tattoo ended. Xan tilted her head to one side as she studied it.
"Intriguing," she whispered. "It looks like an incredibly stylized 'S'."
"What do you think it means, though?" Lana prodded. Xan stood up and walked over to Lana. "May I?" she asked, in regards to the tattoo.
"Go ahead."
Madame Xanadu lightly traced the symbol with her fingertips, feeling only skin. "It's under your skin isn't it?" Lana nodded. "Weird. I mean, it's definitely mystical in nature...but when I touch it...power just ripples off it. Where did you get this, Lana?"
"The tomb of Countess Theroux."
"The name sounds familiar. She was a witch if memory serves me right."
"But not homo magi Zatanna added.
"Borrowed power. Makes a woman dangerous. Tell me Lana, have you been having any dreams or any visions? Any new powers that have manifested themselves?"
"Nothing," Lana replied. "Everything's the same as it always was."
"Do you get any other vibes off of it, Xan? Any visions or anything?"
Xan shook her head dejectedly. It was weird. She was usually so good at reading people, at seeing through their auras and reading what their destinies were. But with Lana...this symbol blocked everything. She seemed to be in a simple state of flux. Her destiny was...uncertain, it seemed. "Nothing. The tattoo...it blocks any information I could have otherwise retrieved from Lana. It's got immense power, you two."
"So...what can we possibly do?" Lana asked as she let her sweater back down again. She sat back down on the couch as Xan sat down in a plush armchair opposite her and Zatanna.
"Short of a spell to remove the symbol, not much. It can't be removed surgically, I can assure you of that."
"Do you know any spells?" Zatanna asked.
Xan shook her head. "Sorry, Zee. I'm not good with spells and magic. That's more your forte."
Zatanna opened her mouth to refute Xan's comment but the beautiful brunette held up a pale, slender hand and said, "Trust me on this, Zee. You'll figure it out. And whatever happens? It'll happen for the better."
Zatanna tilted her head. Xan knew something connected to Lana, and she was reading it off of Zatanna herself. The fledgling sorceress looked at Xan questioningly but Xan merely said, "I can't say anything, Zee. Not in this case. It could screw things up. Just trust me when I say that you need to find a spell to remove the symbol, and you need to use it with all the power you can muster."
"All right. Thanks Xan."
"Always." Xan said, hugging her friend. "And Lana, take care of yourself. When things figure themselves see me." Lana gave Xan the same questioning look that Zatanna had given her, but Xan merely smiled knowingly.
The girls left Madame Xanadu's home, feeling more unsure and confused than they had when they had first arrived there an hour ago.
Writer's Note: Hey all...sorry it's taken me so long to update! I was stuck with a bit of writer's block, but I think I'm back on my way again. Thanks for the sparkling reviews, and keep them coming, along with any flamers you may have!