"I told you this was all destiny," Madame Xanadu stated simply later that afternoon.
Lana shot Xanadu a look of incredulity while Zatanna's eyes shot figurative daggers at her friend.
"So not helping, Xan," Zatanna replied icily.
"What does she mean by it was all destiny?" Lana asked Zatanna confused. Both Zatanna and Xanadu turned to look at Lana, instantaneously realizing that the last couple of times Zatanna and Xanadu had spoken, Lana had been dead.
"Xan's indicating that you were supposed to die," Zatanna replied. "That for some reason, you've got some higher purpose than being a small-town girl," she filled in.
Lana looked blankly from Zatanna to Xanadu and then back again. She blinked once and then dryly said, "My higher purpose is bringing dead butterflies back to life?"
Zatanna raised an eyebrow at Xanadu. "If that's the reason that she died, then I need to tell you -"
Xanadu raised a hand, indicating Zatanna to stop talking. The brunette shut her mouth and let the mystic speak. "I highly doubt that's the reason that what's happened has happened. There is more, most definitely more. Raising something from the dead may just be one of your powers."
"Just one of my powers?"
"Well, you felt different after coming back, didn't you?"
Lana nodded and opened her mouth to speak but Zatanna interjected. "Don't ask her that. She makes it sound very 'The Three Faces of Eve'."
"Hey!" Lana cried out.
"Sorry sweetie," Zatanna apologized. "But you really do. No, seriously, Xan, what did you mean by one of her powers? Is this a residual witch possession thing?"
"Hardly," Xanadu drawled. "It's really more of a what-you-let-out-of-the-scarab thing." The young woman leaned back in her armchair and looked between her friend and acquaintance as though they should have realized this by now. Granted, she figured that Zatanna already had, but didn't know how to break it to Lana.
"What…what was it that she let out of the scarab exactly?" Lana asked.
"A life essence, if you want to put it in a nutshell," Xanadu replied.
"Right. No nutshells," Zatanna said shaking her head.
"Didn't you look at the myth on the walls of the temple?" Xanadu asked. "I mean, they should have explained everything to you."
"I glanced at them," Zatanna replied, a little uncertainly.
"And?" Xanadu prodded.
"There was a myth," Zatanna continued. "Something regarding the transference of power."
"And?"
"A reawakening of – hey!" Zatanna stood up, suddenly adamant. She unconsciously struck a pose, her hands on her hips as one of her hips jutted out. Xanadu leaned back, satisfied, and gently crossed her arms.
"Yes?"
"What the hell did you have us retrieve?" the sorceress asked, tiny sparks of magick flaring from her fingertips.
"Something to bring Lana back," Xanadu promptly answered. She tilted her head and flashed both Lana and Zatanna a small, knowing smile. "What else would I have you retrieve?"
"She's not completely herself though, is she? She's something other than what she was."
"Like I said, Zee, Lana has a bigger destiny."
Zatanna, getting angrier, stalked over to her friend, the sparks of magick that were jumping out of her fingertips becoming more and more powerful by the second. "Tell me," Zatanna said, upset. The young woman wasn't sure what was going on, and yes, she knew she may have been overreacting, but something was direly off here, something Zatanna didn't understand. And Zatanna hated not understanding what was going on. Xanadu, on the other hand, knew more than she was letting on, and she needed to spill the beans. Soon. "Tell me what this mysterious destiny is, Xan. Tell me what I did to my friend. Llet em eht hturt won!"
No sooner was the spell out of Zatanna's mouth than had Xanadu effectively blocked the spell. "Come on, Zee, I can see the future. You don't really expect a spell you throw at me to seriously work, do you? Look, just sit down, calm down, and I'll tell you whatever it is that I can."
"Whatever you can? Or everything you know?"
"Zatanna, you know I can't upset the balance of the world by telling you everything. Things that happen must happen."
"Remind me why we're friends again?"
"Zee…maybe you should let her talk," Lana softly suggested, her voice calm but her delicate face bearing a mixed expression of worry, confusion, and dread.
"Alright," Zatanna nodded. "Fine. Talk."
Xanadu nodded and took a deep breath. "This isn't going to be an easy explanation, Zee. There're a lot of things coming into play here, a lot of things to be affected by this…this change."
"Wait," Lana stopped Xanadu before she could continue. "Why don't you start by going back to the myth on the temple walls? I mean…that is where all of that started, right?"
Xanadu nodded. "Yes, that's right. The myth – it speaks of an ancient power being reawakened, an ancient power being reborn."
"Right. We've gotten through that already, Xan. What's the rest of it?"
"Well, the myth – in a nutshell – is this: There was this goddess back then, a consort of Khepri, if you will. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, as is most of the mystic underground, but there are reports of her dying. How, I'm not sure, but her essence was trapped inside a scarab and kept in an inner chamber in a temple that was dedicated to Horus and Khepri."
"The temple that I went to."
"Right. In any case, the stage was set for her rebirth, or at least the transfer of her power, to one who would need it most. I guess that was you, Lana."
"That explanation isn't good enough for me," Zatanna answered. "There's some stuff you're deliberately not telling us, Xan. I mean, that nutshell was…u know…not so shell-y?" Zatanna paused for a moment over her choice of words, shook her head, and continued, "You know what I mean. What's the rest of the story?"
"That ties in with Lana's destiny, Zee. Those are things that I am not privileged to tell you."
"Can't you give us a hint?"
"From beneath you it devours?" Xanadu said lamely, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm kidding there. Alright…a small hint then. Here goes: Poetry will bring forth blood, and the white wave will surge this evil forth."
"Any vaguer and you'd make a Picasso look like a Michelangelo." Zatanna said rudely.
"What does it mean?" Lana asked. She stared directly into Xanadu's eyes, feeling more confused now than when she had entered Xanadu's home.
"Like I said, Lana, I really can't give you anything more than that. The rest is up to you guys to figure it out. Just, be sure to do it soon? Things may start to move faster than you like or realize, and the whirlwind of things to come won't be pleasant."
Zatanna sighed dejectedly. "Yes, because portents of doom always tend to be on the chirpy side of pleasant." She stood up. "So…Xan. Thanks for your non-help, yeah?" The sorceress headed towards the door, a little peeved and a little scared, with Lana, who silently thanked Xanadu, in tow.
Writer's Note: Hey all! Yeah, the lid thing was pushing it a bit too far. Looking back on it, I could have just had her say "Wols" and have her grab the lid in mid-air.
Anyhow, keep on r-and-r-ing yeah??? Really appreciate all of it!
Me.