"Zatanna? What the hell did you do to Lana?" Clark asked again, his voice beyond the point of cracking with fear.

"I-I didn't mean to. Lana wasn't-this-it wasn't-" Zatanna stared at Lana's dead, skinless body in shock, horror, and the slightest bit of morbid curiosity. What had she done exactly? Where had she gone wrong? And Lois and Chloe? Were they flayed as well? Zatanna swore under her breath as that thought crossed her mind and turned to Clark, who, upon seeing Zatanna's face, realized what she was thinking.

"I'll go check," Clark said, "but you stay here. We need to talk." With that, Clark sped off in a red and blue blur, leaving Zatanna alone with Lana's body. Zatanna involuntarily shuddered and started to walk over to Lana's body, to see if any piece of the tattoo had remained behind on her. There was nothing save red muscle and some blood.

Zatanna involuntarily retched.

Clark reappeared in less than three minutes, not even the slightest bit breathless. "They're okay," Clark said. Unconscious at the moment, but still breathing, living, and with their skin. Now, we have to discuss what the hell happened here."

"Yeah, you know…funny thing about that," Zatanna replied, trying her best to keep worry and nervousness out of her voice. "I don't know," the sorceress shrugged. "No clue at all. I'm more clueless than Alicia Silverstone will ever be."

"You're avoiding."

"Hardly, super boy. I honestly don't know what's happened here, and I need to find out. You, you're just blocking me. Look, Clark, I don't wanna do anything that I'll regret, so just let me get past you and figure out what the hell it is that's going on here."

"I don't think so."

"You asked for it."

"Asked fo-"

"Evom!" Zatanna shouted out, sending Clark hurtling back against a cave wall. The force with which Zatanna sent him actually knocked Clark out and Zatanna regretted that just the slightest bit, but she didn't have time to go all confrontational on him right now. She needed to figure out a way to save Lana.

The rain pelted down on Zatanna as she stood outside Madame Xanadu's home. The young sorceress had been apprehensive about using any spells after her disaster with Lana, besides that one spell to throw Clark aside, which is why she hadn't formed a shield around her to protect herself from the rain.

Xanadu opened the door, this time dressed a tad bit more formally in a flowy, empire waist black gown. Her striking eyes stood out beneath her long lashes, and she smiled pleasantly at Zatanna. "Zee, hi. What a…well…not surprise," she said, smiling charmingly. "Come on in."

"Hey Xan. You weren't busy or anything, were you?"

"Hardly sweetie. Just felt a little dressy. Do you want anything to drink?" Xanadu asked as she led Zatanna to her living room.

"Sure. Dirty martini, five olives."

"You realize you're only eighteen, right?"

Zatanna rolled her eyes. All this time and Xanadu still treated her like a little sister. "Yeah, okay. Cherry coke? With five maraschino cherries?"

"Better."

Moments later, after both women were settled down in Xanadu's comfortable living room, Xanadu asked Zatanna gently, "So, what's on your mind?"

Zatanna looked Xanadu in the eye for a moment, not exactly sure how much Xanadu knew or how much she suspected. Judging by Xan's cryptic message at her last visit, though, Xan definitely knew something was up. But what? "I flayed Lana," she stated simply, forcing the words to come out of her mouth as best she could.

"Late news," Xanadu replied. "I knew it would happen the last time you came here."

"And you didn't warn me…why?"

"I can't disturb the plan of things."

"The plan of things?" Zatanna asked incredulously. "What 'plan of things'? Xan, I killed a girl today, a friend of mine, point in fact, and you're telling me you couldn't stop it because you couldn't disturb the 'plan of things'?"

Xanadu nodded a regal little nod and said, "That's exactly what I'm telling you, Zee."

Zatanna took a deep breath. She liked Xanadu a lot, she really did. But she hated the whole cryptic-girl thing that Xanadu put on sometimes. Why couldn't the woman just speak straight-forwardly? "You wanna be more specific there, Xan? Or do I really need to resort to a truth spell?"

"We both know you're too frightened to really use any spells just right now, Zee," Xan countered. "But sure, I'll specify this a little bit for you. Lana's special, as I'm sure you know. But her destiny, it's not just the simple little destiny of a small town girl. She's not destined to become some mediocre fashion designer or a television newscaster. She's meant to play a much bigger role in things to come, a role with more power."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't say much further Zatanna. But all of this has been foretold for years. Look into any mythology and folklore, be it Native American or Egyptian or even Etruscan. There are bigger powers at play here, bigger powers for which we are just pawns. You won't understand it for years to come, indeed, none of us will. But we all have some major part of play here, and yours right now is bringing Lana back."

"So I can bring her back?" Zatanna asked, hopefully, suddenly getting from her cryptic friend the answers that she sought. The bit about her being a pawn in a bigger game confused her, but whatever it was, Xan had made it clear that it had something to do with Lana.

"Of course you can. And you will…but you need to act soon to do it. Not everything is pre-destined. Lana's flaying was…but hers coming back…well, not so much."

"You're kidding me with this, right? How can only part of our lives be pre-destined?"

"I can't answer that, Zee. I don't think anyone could. It's the way of the world."

"You know, if you could be any vaguer…"

"Don't hate me, Zee. I'm only the messenger here, the conduit. But heed my warning. Act quickly or it will all have been for nothing."

"So, where do I start then?"

"Egypt."

"Egypt? As in Africa Egypt. With the pyramids and the river Nile and all that?"

"The one and the same."

Zatanna nodded. That wouldn't be too impossible to do. She could forge a note and take it to Smallville High, telling them that she had to be away for a family emergency. Then she could go to Egypt and figure out whatever needed to be figured out. Hopefully, things wouldn't be as difficult as searching for her father would be. "I can do that. No problem."

"There is a catch though."

"Isn't there always?"

"You need to take Clark Kent with you."

Writer's Note: Hey all…thanks for the great reviews, and please keep them coming! Lol, yeah, I tend to reference Buffy quite a bit unconsciously, I noticed as I went back to read the story so far. Sadly, I'm first and foremost a Buffy fanatic, and so I guess that has a lot to do with it? A for Elphalba, that was a reference to the book "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, which tells the tale of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, whose name happens to be Elphalba. Great book…if no one's read it yet, you guys should. Amazing stuff, that. Anyway, yeah…so…keep on reading and reviewing, yeah people? And enjoy!