Chapter 11: Unsettling Winds
Artemis gazed over the balcony rail to the trees below. A slight breeze ruffled her hair as she leaned out. Arella had brought them to one of the Aviary's tall towers while they waited for Theron to arrive. From what Artemis could tell, Arella lived here. The room was comfortably furnished. Soft rugs covered the floor, and feather pillows were always in easy reach. It made the room feel cozy despite the stone walls and floor.
Artemis could hear quiet snores coming from Nightwing on the lounge. She had to suppress a tinge of jealousy towards her teammate. He had to be at least as nervous as she was about the mission, but he could still get a little sleep in lulls like this. Raven had curled up in a large chair above the shaggy green dog on the floor. Arella was the only one left awake with Artemis.
"Here," she said, handing Artemis a cup. "Some tea should help settle your stomach."
Artemis took the cup gratefully with a nod to the woman. The warm mug gave off an earthy aroma with a slight hint of berries.
"You have a lovely home."
"Thank you, dear," Arella replied. "I always enjoy sharing it with others. I wish you could have seen it under happier circumstances."
Artemis took another sip of her tea. "Tell me Arella," said Artemis, "what was it like raising Raven in Azarath? I don't get the impression that her father was around much."
Arella glanced down and towards her sleeping daughter. "No," she answered with a sigh, "Raven has never met her father. She is my only family." She took a slow sip of her tea.
"Raising a child is never easy. Raven was a curious baby, always ready to laugh or smile. But my people have always been afraid of my daughter. Of her power. Of what she might become. Azarath will never accept her. It will always see her as an omen of looming disaster. I have watched the whispers slowly eat away at her, with nothing that I could do to stop them. Nothing that I could do to protect her. That is the reason I agreed to help her escape to Earth. I wanted to give her a chance to have a new beginning. She deserves a life without a past to haunt her. It is the hardest decision I have ever had to make."
"I can't imagine choosing to never see your loved ones again."
Arella sighed. "Sometimes… sometimes circumstances force you to take drastic action. No matter how determined you are, sometimes it is impossible to be with your loved ones."
Artemis didn't respond. Her red-headed speedster kept coming into her mind. She refused to believe the woman. There was no way she was going to let Arella's words be true for her. She was going to get Wally back. She would never give up.
A bright green light appeared high on the horizon. Several moments passed as the light flew steadily closer. Even with her eyes accustomed to focusing on distant objects for her archery, the light was nearly upon them before Artemis realized that it was shaped like some sort of long-necked bird. A heron or an ibis, maybe? It was made of the same fiery energy that Raven projected with her powers. As it alit on the rail, Arella caressed the bird's neck. Her eyes closed as if she was carefully listening to a quiet whisper.
"Theron is here. We should wake the others and start scrying for your friend," she said.
"Whoa," muttered a groggy Beast Boy as he stretched out his back, "you guys have the coolest post office ever. Do we get butterbeers and chocolate frogs next?"
The bird dissolved into a flurry of cinders once Arella turned away. "Come with me. Theron will want to draw his circle in the center of the Aviary. You should find your other teammates."
"I'll go find them!" volunteered Beast Boy. A bloodhound snout was already beginning to form on his face.
"Actually, Gar," interrupted Nightwing as he hooked a finger into Beast Boy's collar, "I'll go find the others. You should stay with Tigress and Raven."
Beast Boy started to object, but thought better of it after taking a glance at the young girl rising from the armchair.
Arella led the group outside. Artemis lingered to walk with Nightwing as they made their way back down the stairs.
"You're awfully eager to go find Tim," remarked Artemis.
"Ah, young love," teased Dick. "Wouldn't want Gar walking up unexpectedly and embarrassing my little bro, would I?"
"No, that sounds more like your job."
"Hey," protested Nightwing, "he's got to learn to be more discreet somehow. Timmy was always a quick study. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."
It took Dick slightly longer than he anticipated to run across his missing teammates. He had to hand it to them; they had chosen an out of the way spot to make out. Now the pair was dragging behind him, Tim with a grumpy scowl on his face.
Dust was settling quickly around them. Dick knew that with the Aviary's high walls, they would only have a few more minutes with daylight to guide them. A chilly wind washed over them, almost lingering on Dick's skin. The insect noises around them paused as the wind continued to sweep ahead of the group.
"Did anyone else feel that?" asked Wonder Girl. She rubbed her arms with her hands. "Something isn't right. Don't ask me why, but it feels almost like we're being watched."
"None of us are used to navigating with this much undergrowth in low light situations. I think it was just the wind," replied Robin, though he looked none too confident of the fact himself.
"There's nothing we can do about it now, anyway. We should keep moving," said Nightwing. "The sooner we can get back to the others and out of Azarath, the better. Arella said they would be at the center of the Aviary."
After several more minutes of tromping through the vegetation, the group made it to a clearing in the center of the compound. Their friends were all milling about beneath a gigantic oak tree. Nearby, a small pond reflected slivers of moonlight. Artemis was the first to notice them approaching and waved them over. As they got closer, Dick saw Theron finishing the last touches of an ornate sigil filled with arcane runes.
"There," the lanky youth commented. "The circle is ready now. Let's find out where your friend is hiding. I need something with a bond to him, a blood relative or a treasured item. Something that will resonate on a metaphysical level while I search."
Artemis stepped forward. "We…," she looked around at the others, "we have a special connection."
Theron nodded. "Okay, that might work. Let's give it a try."
He led Artemis to take a seat in the center of the circle. Theron followed her, being careful not to smudge any of his work, and pulled out an ancient looking silver hand mirror. He gave Artemis the mirror to hold.
"This is a powerful and delicate mystic instrument. Try to keep it as still as you can, and concentrate on an image of your friend," he instructed.
The others watched as Theron's eyes grew clouded and he stared deeply into the mirror. The sigils around them began to glow with their own faint phosphorescent light.
"How long will it take for Theron to locate Kid Flash?" Dick questioned Raven.
"It could be anywhere from a few moments to several hours," answered the girl. "There's never a clear pattern, though being on the same plane and having a strong item to use as a focus tend to quicken the process. We won't know for sure until it is done."
"Theron is the most promising student the Academy has had in decades," explained Arella. "Even among our oldest masters of the art, few could hope to match him in this task. What he lacks in sheer power, he makes up for in absolute control. His powers are amplified using the mirror and circle. If your friend is alive, he will find him. Have patience."
The minutes stretched endlessly as the group waited for the scrying process to finish. The whole time, Theron and Artemis sat motionlessly in a state of deep meditation. The waiting was torture. Dick couldn't stand it any longer and began to pace around the clearing. The insects grew silent again. He couldn't explain it, but his instincts were screaming out a warning. All of his training had taught him to trust his instincts. They were not alone. Dick's eyes strained to pierce the shadows that nightfall had brought to the Aviary. His search was interrupted with a shout.
"There! I've got him," exclaimed Theron. "He's still alive, and I've found him."
Dick returned to the group. "Guys, I don't think we're alone," he warned. "We should leave as soon as possible."
"I can calibrate the circle to send your guests away," agreed Theron. "The sooner they're gone, the smaller the chance that the Council discovers that you brought outsiders here. Then all we have to do is come up with some explanation for where you've been all this time..."
"Stop," interrupted Raven. "I'm going with them, Theron."
A look of horror spread on Theron's face. "But… but you can't. No one is allowed to leave Azarath. This is your home."
"I may have been born here, but Azarath has never been my home. I know it, and you know it." Tears formed in Raven's eyes. "I need to find a place that will accept me for me. Not settle for a place that hates and fears what I represent. I'm going with them and not coming back. Please help me."
An oily voice echoed through the clearing. "You heard it for yourselves. We have enough evidence."
Only a few feet from where Dick had been walking, robed figures began materializing from the shadows. The voice came from the man in the center. Two guards stood at both his left and right shoulder. Dick watched as more people revealed themselves along the tree line. They were surrounded.
"Magistrate Coman and his men," stammered Theron. His skin paled.
"Direct the circle, Theron," murmured Arella in a rushed whisper. "I will start the incantation to open the portal. The rest of you, try to stall them."
Raven stepped forward to face their leader. "What are you doing here, Coman?" she asked. "Are you proud that you've finally found something to support your suspicions?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you, Abomination." He turned to his guards. "Seize them."
The robed figures immediately leapt into action. Tendrils of deep blue energy erupted towards Nightwing and his friends.
If the guards had been trying to detain some other group, a direct assault like that may have taken them down in seconds, but there was a reason that the Team trained so hard. Nightwing rolled left and kicked himself into the air to avoid the first two attacks. At the same time, Raven was using her own powers to defend Theron and her mother. Walls of crackling black energy deflected each of the incoming tendrils. A green tiger lurked protectively behind her, raking out with fierce claws whenever someone got too close.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Robin fling several small pellets at their assailants. Each released a blinding flash when it made contact with the ground. The distraction was just enough to give Wonder Girl an opening. With a quick leap forward, she hurled two of the men deep into the trees and out of the fight.
While Robin was preoccupied watching Wonder Girl work, one of the enemy spells caught his leg. The world turned upside down as he was lifted into the air. Just as quickly, he was dropped to the ground. The culprit's leg was sporting a new quarrel courtesy of Tigress.
"Stay on your toes," chided his brother with a laugh as he moved to fight alongside him.
"Enough!" screamed Magistrate Coman. With a violent gesture, he summoned a massive yellow-orange construct of pure energy, almost like an eagle's talon. With another move, he sent the talon rushing towards Theron and Arella, ripping up the ground beneath as it traveled.
Wonder Girl was just in time to save the spellcasters. Her Amazonian strength allowed her to prevent the claw from advancing, and with a wrench, she shattered the talon into harmless embers. The few seconds of distraction cost her dearly, though. A group of Coman's men joined forces and caught Wonder Girl with several tendrils of energy. They lashed around all four of her limbs and her neck, holding her securely. Wonder Girl struggled against them, but it was clear that she was beginning to tire.
Meanwhile, the rest of the guards had surrounded Nightwing, Tigress, and Robin. They stood back to back, each protecting the others' flanks, ready to react whenever the first guard struck. Unfortunately, their attackers changed tactics. They combined their energies to form a dome over all three heroes at once. The heroes had no options to escape or to help their friends.
Raven and Beast Boy were the only ones left to resist Coman's forces. While the others struggled, he slowly walked forward to confront the two.
"Surrender, Abomination," he taunted. "Surrender now and your companions will have painless executions. You know the Law. Face your fate. You should never have been allowed to live in the first place."
Raven collapsed in frustration, her fists clenching the grass and her head hidden beneath her hood. The air around her thrummed with a pulse of barely restrained power.
"You. You are the monster here," she hissed. "And you will Never. Threaten. Me. Again!"
Raven launched herself into the air. Her hands were held wide and engulfed in rolling black flames. At the same time, four blood red eyes pierced the darkness surrounding her face.
Raven swiped her hand in the direction of the dome. A loud crack burst through the air, shattering the spell. Coman's men staggered backwards, stunned from the blow. With another twist of her hand, Raven's energies surrounded the nearby trees. Strange spidery language passed over her lips. Suddenly, the trees began to writhe and lash out at everything within their reach. Nightwing heard bones crack from the men that had not reacted quickly enough to evade the wooden juggernauts.
Tigress leapt away from an incoming limb, and Tim parried a smaller branch with his bo staff. Nightwing took the opportunity to knock out the distracted guards and drag them from the dangerous foliage. Things were quickly getting out of hand.
Raven moved her attention to the guards restraining Wonder Girl. A quick gesture sent a crescent of fiery energy to cut her bindings. The remaining guards began to run, but Raven extended her power into the ground below them. Boulders flew into the air after their retreating attackers. Harsh thuds echoed back as several stones found their targets.
Once it was clear his men had deserted him, Magistrate Coman began to flee.
"Not so fast," cackled the red-eyed Raven. A coil of her power lashed out to trip the man, and Raven lifted him off the ground by the neck with a ring of her black energy. Coman gurgled as Raven slowly tightened her noose. After several seconds, the man stopped struggling.
"Raven, stop," pled Wonder Girl. She placed her hand on Raven's shoulder to try to get through to her.
A massive burst of energy shoved Wonder Girl away, and Raven let out an incoherent shriek. Coman was dropped to the ground, forgotten, and coils of Raven's power began to squeeze Wonder Girl's torso. Cassie cringed as she was forced to endure the pressure.
"What are you doing, Raven? We're your friends. You have to stop this," pled Beast Boy.
"Let her go," shouted Robin.
A green aura formed around Raven's legs, quickly extending to cover everything but her head. "Raven, you have to calm down. Don't let your emotions control you," Theron called.
Raven shuddered, and with a deliberate motion closed her eyes. After a moment she lifted her head again. Two violet eyes appeared again, no longer the four bloodthirsty red eyes of before. She returned to the earth and slowly lowered Wonder Girl into Robin's arms.
Around them, Arella's incantation to open the portal was rising to a crescendo.
"I… I'm so sorry," stuttered Raven holding back tears.
"No time for that," interrupted Theron. "The portal is going to be open any second now."
He passed Raven his silver hand mirror. "Here, take this. You'll need it once you get there."
Nightwing put his hand on Theron's shoulder. "What about him?" He motioned at the unconscious Coman on the ground. "Will you be alright?"
"Don't worry about me," said Theron. "I've got supporters on the Council. They don't want their golden boy taken down. Things will be dicey for a while, but I'll be fine."
Suddenly, the white pillar of light shot up from the circle at their feet. Arella walked around from behind the light.
"That's your cue," muttered Theron.
The heroes each exchanged quick goodbyes with the Azarathians and stepped into the pillar, but before Raven could enter, Arella pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Raven, you are my daughter, and I will always love you. Be safe, and follow your heart."
"I love you too, Mother," said Raven with a final squeeze before she turned and walked into the portal.
A/N: Sorry for the huge gaps between chapters, everyone. I'm gonna blame it on grad school taking over my life. Never fear, this story is still not abandoned. It has an ending that I will get to some day. Like always, I enjoy getting your input.