A/N: I wonder if anyone is reading this anymore. In any case I've decided to finish this out of all of my other fics first because I'm more inspired to do it. All of the others will be put on hold due to the fact that I have stupidly over loaded myself with fics and other projects. So after talking with Shadowhawk we came to a solution. I'll work on two fics at a time, this and my original on Fictionpress. -LB

Also please forgive any mistakes that I may make, stupid plot holes, or OOC. Because all in all I really don't care anymore.

Chapter 10

Somewhere a frightful looking child clenched his small hands in anger. Somewhere a large murder of crows took flight squawking wildly into the night air. Somewhere in a prison cell a man cries out the name of his sister in pain.

Silence, pure unadulterated quiet that screamed in their ears; it was as if it had some how been embodied and the silence had wrapped its fingers about their necks choking them, slowly struggling to suffocate the heroes trapped in a state of disbelieving stupor.

The drab colored walls, a horrid shade of gray in the dark cast with odd twisted shadows, lowly resonated harsh labored breathes as the surreal air hovered about them, caressing, embracing, and swallowing them whole. Standing about the figure laying on her side in a growing pool of fresh dark red blood, the metallic moist stench invading their noses filling their heads and making them somewhat dizzy, they looked onto one another, a look of question marring their faces and lacing their minds with a subtle hint of panic. Medea S. Azure, the mistress of crows, the minion of Klarion and the very sorceress who had captured and still held their fellow comrades, was dead. Dead, she was dead by a simple mistake, a slip up of all things.

"Umm guys how do we explain this?" Flash asked staring downwards at the sleek silver blade of the bloodied sword pierced through Medea's chest in such a manner that she looked like some slain mythical beast.

The four heroes looked towards one another silently dreading the future they knew was coming once the police stepped through those doors. Yes she was dangerous but she wasn't murderous she didn't put the people into a panic like some of the better known and destructive villains had, the media would have a field day with the news that they had killed the woman, even if it was accidental (even then they'd eat it up). The media ached for such a fuel to feed their soulless fires, not to mention the politicians, protesters, and the people would question their capabilities, they would question their intentions, their merit and their morals even more so than they have been doing before. No amount of past good deeds done would make up for one simple mistake.

They would be branded killers for the accidental death of the magic welding thief. They would become the people's enemies.

"We can only do what we can by telling them the truth. It was an accident." Green Lantern stated looking down about the body as if saying it would help to reassure the dreadful fact.

The sight was disturbing to Hawk Girl, almost like looking at a disturbed reflection, seeing how simply the woman had been killed left her to admit to her own mortality and even more so admit to the fact that it could have easily been her. "We have to take the sword out." She stated kneeling down to the corpse's side. "Flash, you'll have to do it, you're quicker." She commented pulling the black winged woman up into a sitting position.

"What? Uh-uh, there's no way-"

"Flash!" Everyone shouted at once.

The action was nearly undetectable when the red speedster took hold of the sword's hilt and jerked the blade out before dropping it just as quickly to clatter loudly on the ground as if it had burned him.

The sword was out, but that still left them at a stand still, left them in a sense of shock. They had to call for the coroner, but then how would they get to Klarion? How would they save Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, if the author of their curse was now at their feet dead?


Dark, it was dark and still in a familiar way, a way she remembered well. Death, she was at the very jaws of death and had yet to be swallowed. It was warm and coaxing like a warm bed promising sleep to a weary soul. And oh was her soul weary, she wanted nothing more than to let the seductive embrace of death take her away from her life that, for as long as she could remember, wasn't always kind. Something in her chest jerked but she didn't care, she knew if she kept still just long enough she would finally find peace.

She had to…

Wake up.

'No. I don't want to.'

Must wake up.

'No, just let me go to sleep. Let it end.'

I can't.

'Why can't I? Why not let it end?'

I promised Klarion.

'Klarion…Morrum…Morrum I can't feel you. I can't feel anything. Why do I feel so weak? Morrum…Grandfather…Morrum…daddy, daddy Morrum.'

"Daddy." The group jumped with surprise at the weak child-like plea.

"Dead, she should be dead. At least I think she should be; I thought she was." Flash murmured frantically as they all stared at the woman slowly regaining her consciousness.

J'onn's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the dead glaze in her eyes lifting, he had seen it before on that night her spell turned against her, her life's blood was flowing through her again after her brief moment of death.

It was then that grim realization dawned upon him…she couldn't be killed by ordinary means. If she proved to be a very dangerous foe instead of the mere caretaker she was…he almost didn't want to think about it.

Upon completely waking onto the world once more Medea did not pay any mind onto the four heroes standing about her, their bodies ridged and ready for any other surprises (though after witnessing someone return from a state of death nothing was all that surprising). No, they did not matter so much as her pain. Liquid mercury eyes ablaze with the great magik narrowed in agony as her narrow reedy fingers stiffly and shakily lifted upwards to the bloody hole as if unbelieving of the fact she had a fatal wound gapping in her chest, the once beautiful black top torn asunder revealing a great deal of her non too gifted blood covered bosom.

A trembling breath drew within her lips making the heroes jump to attention only to wince when the breath was released in a growing inhuman screech that might have shattered glass had it been an octave higher. The glass windows about and above them pushed in moments before they exploded the large shards of glass raining down in upon them.

Letting close a gasp of surprise Green Lantern held his hand up above his head creating a shield above them protecting them from the deadly raining shards.

The cry waned to a sad whimper, a sharp echo giving note of the great sound that had once been reaped from her throat, as the deadly raining bits of glass trickled to a halt as they shattered into oblivion leaving them to stand in wonder.

"Be on guard." Hawk Girl commanded holding her mace before her while her green eyes scanned the now open air above them.

"What?"

"That wasn't a cry of pain. That was a call for help." She answered eyeing the first dark bird as it made its way over the roof's edge.

"What's one little bird going to do?" Flash questioned, "Caw at us to death?"

No one had a chance to reprimand him for no sooner had the cocky words slipped from his lips did the large black cloud of black bodies fly in to join the fray. It looked like a thousand of them if not more where flying above their heads in a huge figure eight, the crows' large screeching caws filling the air in an chaotic dissonance.

Flash frowned, dodging with the others when one would make a mad dive towards them, actually believing in some form or fashion that they could really do something to make a difference or really do some harm. "Okay, still what can they really do?"

Half bent with their arms drawn upwards to protect themselves from the attacking murder they spied a large descending figure fall from the moving frenzy of black, landing on the cold hard floor with a loud echoing boom. Large inky black wings unfurled revealing, as it stood to a height of six feet, a humanoid yet monstrous crow-creature.

"I would really like it when you learn to stop when you're ahead." Green Lantern grumbled to Flash as they looked the new threat up and down in cautious awe.

The crow creature stood defensively before the conscious-failing woman, pale black gray flesh with black feather covered mounds on its chest that gave away the crow's gender rose and fell heavily, willowy yet muscular arms tensed as clawed hands clutched and unclenched at her femininely curvy side. Its head that completely of a crow's looked hatefully towards them, if it was at all possible for a crow to express any sort of emotions on its face.

Bending it gathered the gasping woman into its gray arms with a sort of gentleness no one would believe the creature capable of, its silver beady eyes never leaving the four heroes as they were kept at bay by the ever charging wave of crows.

It parted its large sharp break released a loud screech the sound like metal scrapping into metal. The noise was like blood to sharks, the once simple cloud of crows cawed louder as they no longer flew together in the tight eight but flew downwards in a chaotic fury some moving towards their mistress while the rest attacked the four spectators cawing, scratching, and pecking them with a enraged and somewhat insane resolve.

"They're going to get away, stop them!" Hawk Girl cried out swinging her mace while moving towards the separate curtain of crows carelessly knocking their winged attackers away.

At her words the attack and the symphony of screeching caws stopped, it was as if time itself had stilled, but the soft beating of the many wings told otherwise.

As if being sucked into a vacuum in space the massive murder spiraled up and out of the broken moon roofs dissipating into the air revealing that they harbored no injured woman leaving the heroes unsure of exactly what had passed but knew deep in the recesses of their minds that it was far from the end of their encounter with Klarion and his minions.


The return to the Watchtower was a bittersweet homecoming, graced with small yet stinging scratches the four gathered together in the infirmary to tend to their minor wounds to ward away possible infections.

They wanted to feel elated at the notion that not only had they stopped the robbery but they had managed to take the desired emerald and even better they had their Man Hunter returned onto him.

But the joy was continuously buried by the depressing thoughts that J'onn was only one while three others were still unaccounted for. The image of the woman they had thought dead still flashed through their troubled minds reminding them of the act they had committed, no matter who they were or how bad they were they knew that life was sacred, if the woman had not been as she was they would have committed homicide. But what more they still knew naught what they were fighting to prevent.

The stifling silence lingering about the small group of heroes was tense, all of them wondering, waiting. It didn't take long before the silence was broken as Flash stood to look to their newly returned teammate, "J'onn, why didn't you contact us? I know you didn't have your communicator but you're the greatest psychic, the most powerful one we've met! Why didn't you make contact with us?" He demanded waving his hands about to emphasize the emotions backing his words.

"I did as I did so that I could gain a better perspective of our adversaries and perhaps learn what it is that they plan to do without them becoming aware of my attentions. And I must mention that though my abilities are great even I am not immune to magic."

At his solemn voiced confession the three stared in stunned amazement at the Martian, "Well what did you find out? Do you know what they are up to? What about their location? Do you remember where they were? And are the others alright?"

"To some extent. Again her magic prevented me from knowing or keeping track of the exact location but it is somewhere within Metropolis's city limit. And from what I have heard and what I have received Klarion wishes to open some sort of gate."

"A gate?" Green Lantern echoed looking just as confused as his comrades.

"Yes, a gate that leads onto different realms so that he may unleash the inhabitants onto the world." J'onn answered.

"But why? From what we've heard about this kid this really isn't his sort of thing." Flash interjected.

Shayera frowned, "No, but it will cause the sort of chaos he likes. Think about it, if he's after Etrigan again surely he'll come out to face Klarion or Klarion will take his forces to him. But the real question is can we stop them?"

"We could call for Zantanna." Flash suggested leaning back somewhat in his seat. "I mean wouldn't it be useful to pit one magic user against the other? And she's our greatest ally in that field, look how useful she's been so far."

Shayera shook her head from side to side, "It wouldn't work. I've been around her before; she says that her magic is waned whenever she's around me for some reason. It would be a waste if she's weakened before we could get to Klarion."

Green Lantern dug into his pocket removing the emerald, "Well we do know that for now they won't be able to do anything until they get their hands on this."

"Or until they find another one to replace it." Shayera mumbled as she bridged her fingers together and rested her chin upon them. "But then again Medea's injured, she might be out of the picture."

"No, with such magic on their side it will not take her too long to recuperate. But it would be wise to gather the last item Klarion seeks before then, a particular scepter." J'onn spoke his orange eyes looking upon the agreeing faces of his comrades. "Without it Klarion can not open this gate as he wishes, perhaps then he will tire of this and return the others to normal."

"I doubt it," Green Lantern stated standing onto his feet, "But it is worth a try. Do you know where it is?"

A simple nod was his only answer.


Although he had come into the human world from the otherworld dimension to learn all he could about witchcraft rather than suffer the strict direction of the adults who had the nerve to tell him what he could and could not learn or do with his vast powers and incredible talents he found the 'normal' side very entertaining. They had cartoons, videogames, ice cream, and the people were easy to mess with given their strange line of morals and steadfast faith.

In this world not everyone was a little knowledgeable about magic, and it was very rare to come across someone who had a fraction of his basic knowledge, it was a miracle when he did come across a decent magik wielder.

But soon he would really have his fun, with just two more items to get he would wreak havoc on all mankind until he grew bored and decided to do something else.

The room of the den was dark, just as he liked it, the only light permitted was the big screen television as it flashed casting shadows about the room, the eerie glows reflecting in sickly colors over the boy's pale alabaster skin.

He was up past his so-called 'bedtime'; it wasn't as if Theodore was going to enforce the curfew Medea set for him. The one eyed man was too much of a coward…he was no fun. Even Teekl showed a sense of boredom towards him. He liked it when someone would carelessly push his limits; he loved waiting and watching trying to figure out just how long he could stand them before he decided to get rid of them with some sort of spell, though which one exactly he wasn't so sure of until that moment, it was always what suited his mood.

And from the feel of things he knew his mood was about to be tested.

There was a loud clamor from the large attic upstairs; Medea was brave enough to come back. Without even bothering to speak Theodore walked off to see to retrieving the newly arrived woman.

Medea's battered body landed in a useless heap at the small boy's feet once Theodore took away his support with a cold sense of carelessness. "You failed." Klarion stated moving from his seat to stand before her.

Keeping one hand balled over shreds of what once was the skirt of her costume over the bloody hole she used the other to push herself up to sit on her weak knees. "It's only a minor set back. I can and will have both the emerald and the scepter to you before the next waning of the moon. I swear, I'll have it in time." She promised her pained voice wheezing with a fiery determination that usually blazed in her soul when she was in the heat of battle.

Klarion's black eyes narrowed down upon her crippled form, her promises doing nothing in the least bit to sooth his disappointment and childish anger. He looked into her eyes, those mesmerizing eyes, eyes that told every single emotion that trickled through her. Eyes that pleaded with him, eyes that comforted him, eyes that he loved to see smiling down upon him.

He didn't want to see her eyes anymore…or rather-

Sitting on the floor she stared in disbelief as she felt the air about her charge with a sort of electric energy she always felt when even Klarion performed his magik, no not electric, more like the cold moist feeling of morning fog on the skin. His black eyes, the eyes that seemed to look right through to the soul, were voids as his cold face turned frightfully chilling before her eyes. His hair flared as if carried by an invisible wind just moments before something sprung from his form, a dark shadow baring the frightening semblance of a horrific demon. It hissed as it grinned rushing towards her its small dark hands outstretched and grasping in the air like some greedy child. She had no time to scream, there was no use in dodging. His spell flew through her, hitting her like a gust of wind washing over her in only a second before stopping.

Her eyes stun, as if specks of sand had been blown into them forcing her to rub away the pain before opening them…to darkness.

"No."

Eyes that once shinned silver clouded over with the murkiest shades of ashen gray. They gazed unseeing before her staring blankly into a void unaware that cold black eyes stared directly into them.

Her breath quaked with fear as she unsurely moved her hands before her.

The Two of Swords. The blind man.

TBC