Zatanna: Mistress of Magic Issue 4
Written by Bodhi Ouellette
New Orleans, Louisiana; Fortune Teller's Shop:
"Hello, Zatanna," Madame Xanadu greeted to Zatanna and her guests unexpected arrival. "I wasn't expecting you to come." Xanadu gestures her hand in a manner for her guests to enter into the room. John and Etrigan enter into the room together, while Zatanna takes a seat at the table. "Happy birthday, Zatanna," Xanadu said courdesingly.
"Thanks, Madame," Zatanna shyingly responded back. It seemed as if Zatanna was nervous around the presence of Madame Xanadu. John, on the other hand, had no problems with approaching Xanadu and sticking his arm out towards her.
"Hi," John introduced himself in a kindly manner, more so than ever. "Names John Constantine. I don't believe we've met before."
Madame does not take John's courtesy in shaking his hand, in fact she ignores it. "No we haven't," Xanadu's attention rather, went directly towards Etrigan, who while in the room, was still by the doorway. "But I do know you, Jason Blood."
Zatanna, surprised to just hear this new information given, turns back at Etrigan. "You two knew each other?" Zatanna asked him.
"We did, Nibun," answered Etrigan proudly. "A long time ago, during the dark ages, where we slayed dragons and battled armies of darkness, back in our primes. Man, those were fantastic times."
"Agreed, they were indeed," said Xanadu.
"How long do you guys go back?" John asked.
"About five hundred years, why?"
"Well, that's a long friendship you two have got there," John commented.
"Which brings me to my question," Madame Xanadu directed her attention to the magician sitting opposite of her. "Why did you come here?"
"We need your help," Zatanna replied. "There's someone that wants us dead. When John and I visited Jason, we were attacked by shadow-crawlers. They said that they come from someone named Allura. Do you know who that is?"
Madame Xanadu became curious, yet sceptical. "Why did you go to Blood's house?"
Zatanna took a long pause. "We... John came to me and told me he might have a lead as to... as to what happened to my parents."
"I knew it," Madame Xanadu blurted out, realising that it was a big mistake.
"Knew what?" questioned Zatanna, raising her eyebrow."Do you know something about what happened to my parents?" Madame Xanadu startled. She moved her eyes, then her head down looking at her lap, refusing to answer Zatanna's question. Zatanna was getting more irritated.
"Tell me," Zatanna said sterningly.
"I won't," responded Xanadu.
"Why not?"
Madame Xanadu was thinking of a response. "It's... Look, Zatanna, I-"
"-You've known all along, haven't you?" interrupted Zatanna, who now couldn't keep herself together. "You know what happened to my parents and you've never bothered to tell me?!"
Madame Xanadu lets out a soft sigh. "I wanted to tell you at the right time."
"Well, I guess now is the right time," said Zatanna.
"How far do you guys go?" said John, who was trying to loosen up the rising tensions in the conversation between the two witches. "It sounds like you've known each other for a long time."
"I raised Zatanna since she was five," Xanadu answered.
"Oh…" John turned his head to Zatanna. "Why haven't you ever mentioned you knew her, Z?"
Zatanna was going to give John an answer, but she couldn't find a response, so she drifted off. John became more intrigued with what the two's relationship was. "Now, I'm interested." John pulls over a chair and plops right down on the chair, lifting up his legs and puts his feet on top of the table, eager to learn more. "Tell me your full story about you two," John said.
Madame Xanadu letted out another sigh. "Fine," said Xanadu. "If you insist. But instead of telling you our story, let me show you instead."
"John, we're not here to tell stories-" before Zatanna could finish, John interrupted her.
"Come on, loosen up a bit, Z," said John. "What's so bad about sharing some family history, together. Especially for the curious like me." He points his thumbs right at himself.
"Look into the orb," Xanadu ordered the two young magicians. "And see for yourself, our tale." The orb displayed the real life events that took place involving Madame Xanadu. The two, with Etrigan looking in the background, watch the orb as if it was a movie.
"As you already know," said Madame Xanadu. "I've known your father for a long time, Zatanna. First time I met him was in May of 1977. The first Star Wars just came out in theaters, and almost everyone went to go see it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see it opening weekend. I was recruited in by The Lord of Order, Nabu, after Anti-Fate had escaped from his prison in the Tower of Fate. I worked with many other wizards and witches, and monsters, like Etrigan and myself. But there was one man that I noticed who I did not recognized ever seeing before; he was very young at the time, about his mid twenties, and his attire was mostly of black, including a long black coat, and he wore a white shirt, and of course later on in life, he'd wear the full tuxedo and all. This man was your father, Giovanni. He was fascinating to be around. There was this charm that made your father enjoyable to be around. You get that from him, Zatanna."
"I already know most of this, though," stated Zatanna. "Why are you telling this again?"
"Because your friend want's to know, now hush!" Xanadu continued. "Anyways, the two of us began a mutual relationship after all of us defeated the Anti-Fate. It was clear that despite the abilities he showed, he still had much to learn about, like any other magician out there. So, I decided to take him under his wing. I've taught your father to sense any mystical activities occurring around him, levitating and teleporting, prestidigitation, and informing him on his vast knowledge of sorcery. In highsight, we became close friends… very close friends even…"
The last sentence aborhented Zatanna out a little bit. Her second mother dating her father. "You're telling me you and my dad almost had an intimate relationship?" Zatanna asked.
"It's true, Zatanna," Madame Xanadu admitted. "We were in an intimate relationship at the time. Both of us didn't expect it to happen, but it just… did."
"Why did you two break up?" John asked.
"After I taught your father all that I could teach him, Giovanni wanted to go out and entertain the world as a magician. I wanted to stay where I was, so we both decided to end our relationship. We still were friends after that."
"Years later, in 1986, Giovanni contacted me, telling me that he was getting married, and he wanted to invite me to his wedding. I went, which was where I met his bride, Sindella. She was a stunning young lady, I'd tell you. I'd be lying if I'd say I wasn't a bit jealous that she was dating him instead of me."
"And how was the wedding?" John sarcastically asked.
"Terrific," answered Xanadu, clearly playing alone with John's sarcasm. "The cake was delicious, and the decorations, just astounding! Back to the topic and hand, a few years later after Giovanni and Sindella's marriage, they had a baby girl; Zatanna, in 1989. I didn't get to meet you Zatanna until you were about four years old. That's the first time I saw you in person…"
1993:
Back in the day, Madame Xanadu's shop was located in Los Angeles. Here, the shop was bigger, with items inside of it than just looking like a cheap fortune tellers store, and more like a magic shop. Xanadu's shop was located just near Hollywood, so she'd sometimes get a few filmmakers who'd want to grab some junk to buy for as props or supplies needed for special effects. Xanadu also sold stashes of drugs, but not the very well known stuff, oh no; she had some of the best drugs only the magicians could get their hands on. She had her fortune telling booth set up, but barely anyone would bother to use it. But why was Xanadu focusing her time on selling magic drugs and realistic special effects? By this time, Her fortune telling days were at the time, not doing well, and thought that this would be a good way to keep up her business. Luckily, it worked.
One day, Madame Xanadu was visited by an old friend of hers. The bell that on top of the door that rung whenever a customer opened the door, alerted Xanadu. She came out from the back room, and up to the corner, when she noticed that it was Giovanni Zatara and his wife, Sindella with him.
"Giovanni!" Xanadu gleefully cried out, making her way towards the two, and hugging them both. "It's so good to see you two again!"
"Likewise, Madame," responded Giovanni. "And I see you've focused your time on selling other things than just telling fortunes."
"Indeed I have, Giovanni," Xanadu confirmed. "How are you and Sindella?"
"Fine, thanks," said Giovanni. "Um, we actually brought someone along with us for you to meet. Come over here, Zatanna."
Hiding behind Sindella was the very little four year old Zatanna, acting very shy against strangers. Sindella moves aside to let her father pull her over to introduce her to Madame Xanadu.
"Zatanna," said Giovanni, "This is Madame Xanadu. She's a friend of mommy and daddy."
The young Zatanna approached Madame Xanadu. The Madame kneels down to match up with Zatanna's short height. Xanadu gave her a small wave gesture. "Hi," said Xanadu. "My real name is Nimun Inwudu, but I'm mostly known by others as Madame Xanadu. You, my dear, can call me whatever you'd like."
Zatanna stayed quiet for a while, until she finally spoke out. "Hi, Nimun…" Madame couldn't help but let out a small smile. "She's adorable, Giovanni," complemented Xanadu.
"Well, thanks, Xanadu," Giovanni responded back. "We're training her to be a magician like us, out of her interests of course."
"Four years old and she already knows what she want's to do," stated Xanadu. "How much does she know so far?"
"Well," started Giovanni. "We've taught her how to lift up a book, a couple of apples, and how to turn a human into a bunny." He looked back at Sindella, with a bitter face.
"I did not appreciate that at all," Sindella stated. "And you laughed at it too!"
"I couldn't help it, honey," Giovanni defended himself with. "It was funny, and Zatanna thought it was funny as well."
"Haha!" Zatanna laughed. "Mom was a bunny!" Madame Xanadu couldn't help but snicker a little bit.
"If you ever need someone else to teach some magic to your daughter, you can always come to me," Xanadu suggested. Sindella and Giovanni gave Xanadu a soft nod.
"That was the start of our mutual relationship together," said Xanadu. "A relationship that would just get even deeper as time came by."
"So, I'm gonna assume you two got along," said John.
"We did," confirmed Xanadu. "Though she mostly learned from her parents, I did teach her a few things about sorcery." Madame Xanadu trailed off a bit. "Something happened to your parents, Zatanna. I don't know what happened exactly, though."
"Do you remember what happened?" asked Zatanna.
"Of course I do," said Xanadu. "I remember your father coming to my shop. He was bleeding, but the blood was really dark, almost pure black. He told me someone was after him and Sindella. Someone named Allura. He didn't tell me anything else, other than that he had his diary sent to the Tower of Fate. And that he was giving me you to take care of. I think he knew that he wasn't gonna make it. And that was the last time I ever saw your father, Zatanna. The next day, I was called into a court meeting, when the police got involved and found Giovanni's will. The will stated that I was now your new legal guardian."
"How was life after that?" asked John. "What was it like now being a parent?"
"Well, it's not like I was never a parent before Zatanna," Xanadu remarked back at John. "I've had to take care of my own children many times in my life. A week later, I moved all my stuff to New York, where Giovanni and Sindella lived in, that way Zatanna could be closer with the friends that she had… like Bruce Wayne for example-"
"Hold up!" John cut Xanadu off, and then turned over towards Zatanna. "You were friends with BRUCE WAYNE?! That handsome smug billionaire?"
"That'd be the one," Zatanna remarked.
"Wow, you really do get around with everyone…" there was a long pause after John said that. Zatanna and Madame Xanadu looked at John with a their eyebrows up. "Not in that way," John yelled back.
Gotham City, Wayne Estate; 1995:
Madame Xanadu drove her car up towards the long driveway of the Wayne Family Estate. As she drove up, she wondered how her day with Bruce was. Ever since her parents went missing, Zatanna hadn't been the same as she was when she first met her. She couldn't blame her; losing her parents at that age would mess up with a kid one way or another, but she knew that her socialising with others would help her out more. She parked her car next to the steps of the Wayne Estate, turning her car off, and exited the car. She climbed up the few steep staircases and approached the door. She knocked on the door and immediately opened up, and was greeted by the Wayne Families butler, a younger Alfred Pennyworth.
"Good evening, Miss Xanadu," greeted Alfred kindly. "Are you here to pick up Miss Zatara?"
"Hello, Alfred," Xanadu greeted back. "And yes, I am."
"Very well, then," said Alfred. "I shall get her down immediately. Please, come in." Xanadu entered into the Estate, while Alfred, before he went off to fetch her adopted daughter, turned back around to face Xanadu.
"Would you be interested in a small cup of tea?" Alfred asked politely?
"No, thank you," declined Xanadu.
"That's alright, I'll be back shortly," Alfred went off to go get Zatanna. After a minute or so of waiting, she heard multiple footsteps coming down from the stairs, where she saw Zatanna, and Alfred and a young Bruce Wayne behind her.
"Hi, Zatanna," said Madame Xanadu. "How was your day with Bruce?"
"It was great," Zatanna said.
"It was incredible!" Bruce blurted out. "She showed me a bunch of magic tricks and stuff, and it was awesome!"
"Well, I'm glad you two managed to entertain each other," said Xanadu. "Where's Thomas and Martha?"
"Out of state for a while," Alfred answered. "They'll be back in a few days."
"I see," said Xanadu. "Well, say goodbye to Bruce, honey."
"Bye, Bruce!" said Zatanna.
"Bye, Zatanna!" Bruce said back.
"Safe travels to both of you," said Alfred. Zatanna and Xanadu left the Estate and headed back to the car. Zatanna opened the doors to the back, while Xanadu returned to the drivers seat, starting the car up again.
"What's for dinner?" Zatanna asked.
"Your favorite," Xanadu answered. "Pasta with pixie dust flavorings."
"Oh, yummy!" a gleeing Zatanna responded with.
New York; 2004:
Madame Xanadu was worried sick. Zatanna had managed to sneak out of the house by using a duplicate spell, making it seem like she was still in her bedroom. Where could she have gone? Recently, Xanadu was being strict on Zatanna, giving her more punishments and restraints. Teenagers, she thought; their rebellious behaviors and weird tastes in music. She could hear the doors opening in the back of the kitchen. Zatanna was sneaking her way into the house, but was caught off guard when she heard Madame Xanadu clear her throat, now appearing behind her. Zatanna turned around to stare at her.
"Uh… hi?" said Zatanna.
"Where have you been?" Xanadu demanded.
"I was out-"
"Out where, exactly?" And what are you wearing?!" Zatanna was wearing a very punk rock style, with her black hair colored in with blue and purple dye colors, some eye liners, a small dark jacket and a black shirt, with short shorts and fishnets on her legs and arms, and large black boots with buckles on them.
"What about it?" Zatanna asked. "It's my style."
"It's a really crappy one, at best."
"You wouldn't understand."
"No, I probably wouldn't, now where were you?"
Zatanna sighed. "I was out at a concert. The Black Canary. She's an awesome singer, I've actually met her a couple of times, we're close to best buds even. That's kind of where I got the fishnet style."
"Well, at least that explains the fishnets," said Xanadu. "But you know you're grounded, meaning, you're not suppose to be out."
"I know, but I really needed to see her again-"
"I don't care. Now you're punishment has been extended."
"What?!"
"Three weeks, grounded. Now get upstairs, young lady!"
"You know, I don't have to listen to what you have to say to me."
"What are you implying-"
"What I'm implying, is that all these restrictions you're giving me, I don't have to oblique to them!"
"Zatanna, that's enough-"
"Stop it! I don't want to hear it!" Zatanna ran off towards the stairs. Xanadu followed her, stopping at the bottom of the staircase.
"You listen to me, young lady-"
"Stop talking to me like I'm your daughter, because you aren't my mother!"
That last sentence made Xanadu stop and stare at Zatanna in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had just said to her. "You're right, Zatanna," said Xanadu. "I'm not your mother. But I've been trying to do the best that I could at raising you like what your parents would've wanted. I'm sorry that they're not here anymore, and I'm sorry that they can't be here to raise you themselves, but damnit, I'm trying real hard and it, and I won't stop until you finally grow up to be an adult, and…." she started tearing up. "... and I just…" not even able to finish her sentence, Xanadu began bawling her eyes out with tears, taking a seat on the staircase and doing nothing but crying. Zatanna felt awful for her outburst. How couldn't she? Her frustrations of being a teenager was just let out at that moment. She walked down the stairs and sat right next to Xanadu, and comforted her.
"I'm sorry… mom," said Zatanna sincerely. This was the first time Xanadu could think of that she called her mother. "You're right. I miss my parents. I miss them a lot. I wish I could just know what happened to them. I may always see them as my mother and father, but deep down… you are more of a mother than I could ever get. I'm sorry." the two embrace in a long hug.
"Aw… that was nice," said John.
"And that's our little story," Xanadu finished. "I hoped you enjoyed it, John."
"Yeah, I kinda did," said John. "We both got something out of it."
Zatanna took a long time to speak up. She was too caught up in reliving her old memories shown from the orb. She finally spoke out. "Do you think my dads diary would have any information?" she asked.
"Possibly," Madame Xanadu pondered that question. "That actually would be a good idea."
Zatanna stood up from her chair. "Well, then, let's go find the Tower of Fate and find that book for ourselves-"
"Watch out!" Etrigan cried out at Zatanna. She looked back behind her to see a Shadow-Crawler, creeping up the dark wall, and lunging towards Zatanna, choking her. John tried to intervene, but John was picked up off the ground by his right shoulder, and thrown at the back of the wall. Zatanna could not get a good glimpse at what the large creature was, other than it carried a few weapons on his back. Etrigan swung his sword at the creature, but it used it's axe to block the attack. Xanadu approached the Shadow-Crawler to cast a magic spell on it, but it proved little effect. In fact, the Shadow Crawler created a hammer with the back of its head and swung it at Xanadu, knocking her away. Zatanna was now on her last ounce of air before she would pass out. No matter what she could do, she wasn't getting out. Best to just let it take her out and wake up later…
To be continued in Zatanna: Mistress of Magic Issue 5!