Harry Potter Returns
A Harry Potter/Superman Returns Crossover

Chapter Nineteen
Let's Do the Limbo Rock

Updated May 27, 2011

Superman looked up and down the dark, silent street they were in, then turned back to Magik. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said, a bit grumpily. "Miss Clea just froze my body — I could still hear everything being said." She looked around the street as well. "We'd better find someplace with more cover than this — I don't know how much of your strength is left by now."

They moved into an alleyway between buildings. "It's hard to tell," Superman said softly, "but I'd estimate I'm down to about a third of full strength. It's not going to last very long if I have to keep fighting Clea's soldiers."

Magik smirked. "Don't worry, Supes, I've got you covered. Clea messed up — she should have realized, I can teleport us back to Earth, where you can get your batteries recharged."

"But what about the others?" Superman protested.

"Don't worry, we can come back for them," Magik said, stepping next to Superman. "Ready? Okay, let's go!"

But nothing happened. After a moment, Magik shook her head angrily. "Aw, crap!" she said again. "The bitch put some kind of barrier around Limbo!"

"Limbo?" Superman asked.

"Or Otherplace — whatever you want to call it," Magik explained. "It's my domain — or I suppose you can call it mine, since I'm its Sorceress Supreme. My stepping discs can teleport myself and others anywhere I know exists, but I have to travel through Limbo to get there."

"Clea blocked your access?" Superman asked. "How could she do that, if it's your domain?"

"Beats me," Magik huffed. "She must be projecting a lot of magical energy to do it, though…I wonder how long she'll be able to keep it up?"

Suddenly there was shouting near the head of the alley. A group of soldiers had spotted them. They charged down the alley toward the pair. "Probably too long ," Superman said, leaping forward to engage with the soldiers. There were shouts and cries of pain as Superman quickly took care of the threat. Even with only a third of his strength, he was more than a match for them.

After all the soldiers lay unconscious at his feet, Superman gestured for Magik to join him at the head of the alley. "We can't stay here," he told her. "This alley dead ends — we have nowhere to go except up, and I don't want to use extra energy flying, if I can avoid it. Do you think you can find a way through Clea's barrier?"

"I don't know," Magik said, uncertainly. "She has a lot more power than I do, here in her home dimension."

"We also have to figure out some way to find the others," Superman said, as they moved away from the alley.

"I think it's going to be the other way around," Magik disagreed. "Doctor Strange or Doctor Fate will have to find their way back to us — we have almost no chance of locating them. Besides, Stephen has the Orb of Agamotto — if anyone can find all of us, it'll be him."

"And Doctor Fate?" Superman asked, then turned to Magik. "There's something familiar about her, I should be able to remember, but…"

"You really don't remember?" Magik looked amused. "That's interesting!"

"Who is she?" Superman asked. "I know she was one of the other teachers at the Academy, but I didn't meet all of them."

"When did you meet any of us?" Magik asked. "I don't remember you visiting the school."

"I was attending the school disguised as a twelve-year old," Superman said. "I was Jonathan Clark."

Magik laughed. "Oh, yeah, that kid!" she said. "I guess it makes sense, if you and Harry Potter swapped some of your powers with each other. You'd need to know how to use magic, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Superman nodded. "I've been working my way through the Academy Library for the past few months."

"Are you coming back when this is all over?"

"I don't think so," Superman shook his head. "I've learned about all the magic I can. And now, with Kara wanting to be a superhero, I should help with her training."

"Good," Magik said. "I'm sure she'll make you proud — she really wants to help people."

"I just hope we can get her back home so she can," Superman said, grimly.

=ooo=

It did not take Luthor long to make the flight back to Chicago. With the box containing the Philosopher's Stone securely in his grip, Luthor consulted his GPS only twice to get his bearings, landing in front of the building where he'd left Dumbledore, with nearly 15 minutes left of his hour of having Superman's powers.

Instead of taking the elevator, he amused himself by flying up the staircase to the fifth floor, then entered room 502. In his office, the sleeping form of Professor Dumbledore was still in the chair. Diggle was sitting behind the desk; he sat up straight as Luthor entered the room. "I see you've returned, Mr. Luthor,"

"Brilliant deduction," Luthor said, dryly, as he stood in front of the sleeping form of the headmaster. "Wake him up," he said curtly, pointing to Dumbledore.

The diminutive wizard took out his wand and pointed it toward Dumbledore's form, who slowly lifted his head. "What…" the wizard said, groggily.

"Hi there," Luthor said, smiling. He leaned over, opening the box and showing its contents to the old wizard. "Recognize this?"

Dumbledore stared at it for several seconds. "It's the…Philosopher's Stone."

"Right!" Luthor agreed. "Nicholas Flamel tells me you have a counterspell to perform on this rock, so its magic will be reactivated."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I…don't…"

"Ah-ah!" Luthor chided him. "No fibbing, now — he already told me all about it."
Dumbledore looked uncertain. Finally he said, "Very well — release me and I shall perform the counterspell."

Luthor shook his head. "No can do, I'm not letting you have a wand again. I want you to tell Diggle the spell and let him do it."

Dumbledore shook his head again. "I'm afraid Dedalus won't be able to perform the counter accurately enough to break the spell."

"Well, that's a chance we'll have to take," Luthor shrugged. "If he can't do it, then I'll just have him use the Imperius Curse on you and have you do it."

Dumbledore looked chagrinned, but nodded. "As you wish. Have Dedalus come closer, I will whisper the spell to him."

Luthor gestured to Diggle, and he came around the desk and leaned close to Dumbledore's mouth. Listening with super-hearing, Luthor caught the words though they were in no language he'd ever heard before. Diggle finally nodded and turned to Luthor.

"Go ahead and cast the spell," Luthor said, holding out the box with the Stone in it. Diggle waved his wand over the box, muttering the same words Dumbledore had whispered to him.

Pain and weakness suddenly shot through Luthor, and his legs wobbled and gave way, dropping him on the floor. As the box fell to the floor, the top popped open and the Stone fell out — not red, as he'd expected, but green and glowing.

Kryptonite!

"What the hell did you do?" Luthor gasped, trying to push himself away from the kryptonite.

Diggle passed his wand over himself, and his form changed to that of Albus Dumbledore. "You never possessed the Philosopher's Stone, Lex — it was a ruse to trap you. The stone you stole was a transfigured piece of kryptonite."

"But Flamel —"

"Nicholas passed away last year, as I told you. I knew you would never accept that the Stone had been destroyed, so I made sure you would be able to 'find' it, as you expected."

"How did you find out about me having super-powers?" Lex gasped.

"Well, I am quite a clever wizard, after all," Dumbledore replied. "However, one of my associates had a, how shall we say, a frank discussion with one of your men — Brutus was his name, if I recall correctly. He was able to give us details of your ability to gain Superman's powers using Polyjuice Potion. Of course, as you've discovered, you also gained Superman's weaknesses as well as his strengths.

"Now I will summon the Aurors, who will take you to the Ministry where you'll stand trial for the various crimes you've committed against wizards."

"But I'm not a wizard!" Luthor protested. "The worst your wizarding government can do is remove my memories about you!"

"That will be up to the Wizengamot," Dumbledore replied. "But I daresay they will at least consider placing you in Azkaban."

"I've been in prison," Luthor scoffed. "It's not so bad."

"You've never been to Azkaban, Lex," Dumbledore answered. With two flicks of this wand, he bound Luthor with ropes and placed him in a deep sleep, then sent his Patronus to the Ministry to summon Kingsley and the other Aurors. It would take them a short while to make arrangements for a transcontinental Portkey. He hoped it would not be too long — he wished to get back to the Academy, to find out the progress on Harry's rescue.

=ooo=

Harry and Kara found themselves, strangely, in a small bedroom. There was a twin size bed next to a set of double windows, and a few other items: a tall, round bedside table (Harry guessed) and a vanity. "I don't get this," he said, looking around in confusion. "What's this supposed to be?"

Kara pointed to a nearby door. "Maybe we should see where it leads."

"Why don't you use your X-ray vision on it and find out?" Harry suggested.

"Because I'm trying to conserve my energy," Supergirl answered, annoyed. "In case I need it for something more important — like, say, defending us from monsters or stuff. Or hadn't you noticed that your superpowers are gone?"

"You know about those?" Harry asked.

"Superman told us about the accident," Kara said. "You got some of his powers and he got some of your magic."

Harry nodded; in spite of being annoyed with her himself, he was glad Linda — or Kara, he reminded himself — knew about them. "Okay," he said. After a few moments he gestured toward the door again. "Well, shall we go?"

Supergirl made a soft snorting sound then opened the door, which led into a short hallway then into a living room that was just as drab as the bedroom had been. Looking around, Harry saw a nearby dining area, complete with a table, chairs and a china hutch. The living room had a highback chair, with laces doilies on the arms and back, and a rocking chair. Kara was looking around as well, an expression of bemusement on her face. What was Clea trying to tell them, dropping them in a place like this? It sort of reminded Harry of the Kent farmhouse, though it seemed much more drab and dull than Martha's home.

"There's no place like home," Kara suddenly muttered, half to herself.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Never mind," Kara shook her head. "Let's see what's outside the front door."

If the inside of the house was boring and drab, almost remarkably so, the scene that greeted them outside was equally remarkable: they were surrounded by flowers of all shapes and sizes, arranged around a small pond with a silver bridge over it.

What was most unusual, however, was a brick road that passed in front of the house. It was yellow-gold in color; in one direction, the road wound in an ever-tighter spiral until it dwindled to a point. In the other direction, they could see that it led off into the distance, over hills and dales, until it disappeared at the horizon.

Harry shook his head at this turn of events. "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Kara giggled. "What's funny?" Harry asked.

"That's what Dorothy said, when she landed in Munchkinland," Kara told him. She peered back at the house. "Well, I don't see any ruby slippers sticking out from under the house, so I suppose we'll have to find some other way home."

"Right," Harry said, staring at her warily. "What?"

"You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"No idea."

At his look of confusion, she added, "It's a motion picture, I watched it at Martha's one night."

There was a sudden puff of smoke and flame nearby, and both Harry and Kara turned to see a black-robed figure appear from the midst of the smoke. It was Clea, dressed in an old, absurd-looking witch's costume, complete with broomstick and a wide-brimmed, pointed hat. "What's this all about, Clea?" Harry asked, his tone somewhere between exasperation and curiosity.

"You've been playing a role with me for the past two years, Harry," Clea replied. "It's time you started playing things my way." She pointed a long finger at Kara. "Your little girlfriend here has been living in Kansas for a while — I thought these images would make a suitable challenge for you."

"What's the challenge?" Supergirl asked, impulsively. "To follow the yellow brick road?"

Clea chuckled. "Yes, it is! Your challenge is to follow the road until you reach Oz. That will be no easy task, I assure you!"

"And if we do?" Harry asked. "What's our reward?"

"If you make it to the Emerald City…" Clea pondered for a moment. "I'll send your little super-friend home, unharmed."

"What about Harry?" Kara demanded.

Clea looked at her scathingly. "Harry still has a mission to complete before I'm done with him, little girl. Just be thankful I'm letting you go — if you succeed in completing my challenge."

Supergirl struck a defiant pose. "I'm not leaving unless Harry gets to leave, too!"

Clea shrugged indifferently. "Suit yourself." She pointed a finger at Harry. "We'll just see how well you do, Harry Potter — but be warned: I'll get you, my pretty boy, and your little girlfriend, too!" Laughing evilly, Clea gestured with the broom in her hand, and plumes of colored smoke surrounded her. When it cleared, she was gone.

Harry shook his head. "Okay, that was pretty weird."

But Supergirl looked thoughtful. "I wonder how close to the story she plans to stick — there are talking trees that throw fruit, fields of sleep-inducing poppies, and flying monkeys in that picture."

"Sounds like fun," Harry said, dryly.

"But there are also other characters that helped Dorothy get to Oz — the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. If we meet any of them, they might be able to help us make it to Oz."

"I'm not really interested in playing any games with Clea," Harry told her. "But if we make it to this 'Oz,' and Clea keeps her word, then you'll get to go home."

"I'm not leaving without you, Harry," Supergirl said, adamantly. "I don't know what kind of superhero I would be, if I just ran off and left you here, after all the effort we've put into finding you, to bring you back with us."

"It looks like that's up to Clea, now," Harry pointed out. "Right now we don't have any way of knowing what's happened to the others."

"I know it," Supergirl said, in a discouraged tone. "But we have to at least try, don't we?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we do." He smiled slightly. "You know, it's usually me that keeps egging everyone on when they're ready to give up."

Supergirl grinned as well. "I guess you're just becoming a slacker in your old age."

"Old age?" Harry snorted a laugh. "I'm not that much older than you now!"

"You did fill out pretty well," Kara noted, giving Harry an appraising look. "I thought you looked awfully young, the last time I saw you."

Harry just shook his head, then pointed down the yellow brick road. "Shall we get going."

"Sure," she said, and they fell into step together. After a moment Kara took his arm in hers, and began singing softly, "Oh, we're off to see the Wizard…"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean? What wizard?"

"Never mind."

=ooo=

Superman and Magik spent some time avoiding roving bands of Clea's soldiers, moving along the dark city streets, in shadows and through alleyways, until they finally took refuge in an empty building. Superman used his X-ray vision to determine the building was empty; they then made their way inside and into a room that allowed for multiple escape routes if they were attacked. They would have problems if the soldiers blocked all exits, but Superman had noticed that the soldiers tended to attack without forethought.

"It should do for a while," Magik said, looking around at the room. "But if Clea decides to tell her soldiers where we are, they could rush us from several directions."

"We'll have to take the risk," Superman decided. "We need to come up with a plan to get your teleport ability back."

Magik shook her head, frustrated. "I don't have the power to break Clea's spell, Supes! I already told you that!"

"I understand," Superman nodded. "But perhaps I do."

"That's going to be a pretty tall order," Magik looked skeptical.

"I expect so," Superman agreed. "But I don't see what else we can do, do you?"

"Not really," Magik shrugged. "What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know yet," the Man of Steel admitted. "What can you tell me about this Limbo of yours?"

Magik spent the next several minutes describing Limbo: Also known as "Otherplace," it was a pocket universe containing demons and other being who had either been trapped their or had remained for reasons of their own. Its former ruler, Belasco, a powerful sorcerer who had once served the Elder gods, other ancient extradimensional demons. Otherplace took the form of a small, rocky planet, with limited resources except for magic, which permeated the planet and atmosphere. At the center of the planet was a heart-shaped deposit of a magical metal called promethium, which supplies its magical energies and gives reality to Otherplace itself.

"How much control do you have over this Limbo?" Superman asked.

"From here? Magik shook her head. "None at all. My magical abilities are pretty average on Earth — here, in Clea's domain, I have about the same or maybe a little less.

"But if I can make it back to Limbo," she added. "I can reassume the mantle of Sorceress Supreme and break Clea's barrier. The catch is, I have to get through the barrier before I can do that."

"I may have a way for us to do that," Superman said. "I've read something like 95 percent of the books in the Academy Library — I'm trying to remember a set of spells that will let us slip through her magic and into Limbo. Can you tell me how your 'stepping disc' ability works?"

"Well, it developed while I was living there, being trained by Belasco —"

"Wait," Superman said. "You actually lived in Limbo?"

"For seven years," Magik nodded. "I was kidnapped by Belasco to be his ally in his conquests of other dimensions, including Earth, but he allowed me to become more powerful than him, and I deposed him and assumed the title of Sorceress Supreme of Limbo."

"Go on about the stepping discs," Superman prompted.

"Well, it's like a conduit," Magik continued. "I visualize the place where I want to teleport to, and my connection with Limbo brings me there and then on to my desired destination, more or less."

"More or less?" Superman repeated. "So your control is not absolute?"

"It kinda depends," Magik said, a wry expression on her face. "If I'm teleporting across town, I'm usually spot on where I want to be. If I'm making intercontinental jumps I can usually get within a few yards of where I'm aiming. Most of the time, teleporting between dimensions, I can land anywhere from a foot to a mile from where I'm trying to go. And if I'm teleporting to another planet, I'm usually not to picky where I land, unless I know where I'm going. Then I can usually hit within a few miles or so of my target."

"I see," Superman said, slowly. "So, first we have to get you to Limbo. From there, do you think you can remove Clea's barrier and prevent her from raising another one?"

"Piece of cake," Magik nodded confidently. "Now that I know what she's doing, I can make sure she can't do it again. The only problem we're going to have, Supes, is that when we come back her to get Harry and the others, she's going to be the big kahuna again."

"We don't have much choice," Superman told her.

"Agreed," Magik nodded. "Well, at least we can get you charged up again. And I may have a way for you to retain most of your superpowers, even without a yellow sun to recharge you.

"But first things first," she finished. "How are we going to break through her barrier and into Limbo?"

"There are some spells specifically designed for weakening magical wards," Superman said. "Even wards as powerful as Clea's. I can begin invoking them, then you can try teleporting us to Limbo. I hope one of them will work."

"Well, then start casting them," Magik said, determinedly. "I'm ready to start kicking Clea's skinny butt."

=ooo=

Harry and Kara had walked some distance along the road, over hills and along valleys, and were now entering a farming area. Rows and rows of corn flanked them on either side, protected by rickety wooden fences.

"How far is it supposed to be to this Oz, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Kara said. "They never really say how long they walked."

"If I had any idea where it was, I could teleport us there."

"Assuming Clea would let you," Kara muttered.

In reply, Harry vanished, reappearing on the road a hundred or so yards ahead of her. In a flash Kara had super-sped up to walk beside him once again.

"I thought you were conserving your strength," Harry said.

"I thought you were going to stop being a jerk, too," Kara retorted.

Harry snorted. "Well, I guess not."

"Fine," Supergirl said, looking away from him. "Forget I said anything."

Harry looked away as well. "It was just a joke," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that."

Harry looked back at her. "Right — can't resist eavesdropping, can you?"

"You're standing right next to me!" Kara said, outraged by his comment.

"Well, that doesn't mean you have to listen!" Harry replied, lamely.

Supergirl just shook her head, refusing to be baited further. Suddenly she pointed down the road. "Look up ahead," she said. "I see a signpost."

"What's it say?" Harry asked, the argument forgotten.

Supergirl focused her vision on the sign. "It's pointing to the left, it says 'Oz.'"

As they neared the sign they saw the reason for it: they had come to an intersection in the road, with three more yellow roads leading off in various directions. The signpost also had arrows pointing in the other two directions as well. All of them said, "Oz."

"Hmm," Harry said, waving a hand at the signpost. All of the signs glowed blue momentarily.

"What did you do?" Kara asked.

"I cast a spell to see which path to Oz was the shortest one," Harry said. "But they all said they were the shortest path. I don't know which way we should go."

"Some people take the path on the left," a new voice said, one they both recognized. Turning, Harry and Kara saw Doctor Strange looming over them in the cornfield behind him. Weirdly, he was somehow attacked to a stake that lifted above the stalks of corn. There was a curiously empty expression on his face as he smiled at them, one hand pointing in the direction he'd just indicated.

"Doctor Strange!" They both exclaimed, and hurriedly stepped over the fence into the field. "What are you doing there?"

Strange shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know, really — I don't remember much before finding myself hanging here."

"Can you get down?" Supergirl asked, anxiously.

"I don't know how," Strange replied, staring at them dully. "Can you help me?"

"There's something wrong with him," Supergirl whispered.

"Oh, you think?" Harry replied, sarcastically. He gestured toward Dr. Strange, who lifted away from the stake and floated down to the road where they were standing.

"Thanks," Strange said, looking around with an air of seeing things for the first time. His normally sharp, penetrating stare had been replaced by a dull, slack-jawed expression. "I don't know how long I've been hanging there, watching the crows eat the corn."

But Harry had noticed something else was missing besides Strange's wits. "I don't see the Orb of Agamotto on him," he said to Supergirl. "What happened to the Orb?" he asked Strange urgently.

"The what?" Strange replied. Harry sighed.

"Great," he said. "Just great! I'll bet Clea took it from him, somehow!"

"But she said he could leave if he turned over the Orb to her," Supergirl recalled. "Why would she do this to him, if he complied? He doesn't have the Orb on him."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

"Hello?" Supergirl said, pointing to her eyes. "X-ray vision, remember?"

Harry shook his head, not liking the idea of a 15-year old girl X-raying the clothing of a bloke who was 65 years old, even if he looked like he was in his…fifty's? "Alright, that's a bit too much information," he said.

"But that makes her even more powerful, doesn't it?" Supergirl surmised.

"It does," Harry nodded, grimly. "Too powerful, I suspect, for all of us combined to stop her, if she decides not to let us go at the end of this journey."

"Journey?" Strange repeated. "Where are we going?"

Harry looked at Kara. "We're off to see the wizard, I suppose," he said, with heavy irony. "Take his arm, Kara — we might as well get going. Hopefully we can figure out what Clea did to him and reverse the effects, somehow."

Kara took the sorcerer's arm, then looked at the three roads leading away. "But which road do we take?"

Harry shrugged. "All roads lead to Oz, supposedly, so it doesn't matter which one we take." He pointed to the left, the road he was standing closest to. "We might as well go this way," he said. They turned and began walking down the road.

=ooo=

The bleak, dark landscape of Limbo was momentarily illuminated by a flash of white as two figures appeared: a tall man dressed in red and blue, with a flowing red cape, and a willowy blonde with striking blue eyes.

"Wow, we made it!" Illyana said, turning to give Superman a hug. Superman accepted the gesture but let go of her almost immediately. A bit embarrassed at her emotional reaction, Illyana covered by saying, "I'm glad you knew those spells, Superman — I was beginning to think we'd never break through Clea's barrier."

"Well, now that we're here," Superman said, looking around. "What do we do next? Can you remove the barrier?"

Illyana nodded and appeared to concentrate for several seconds. "Done," she said at last. "She won't be able to put up another one in its place — I've erected spells to counter any such attempts."

"That was quick," Superman noted. "What next?"

"Well, we should see about getting you back up to full power," Illyana suggested. "I was going to teleport us to Earth, to let you soak up some rays, but I have another idea."

"And that is —"

"Just a second," Illyana interrupted him. "I want to get things going." She raised her head and said, loudly, "S'ym! N'Astirh! Front and center!"

There was a flash of reddish flame and smoke as a demon appeared in front of them. Red, with cloven hooves for feet and batlike wings, the demon had a long snout filled with teeth. His red, glowing eyes flicked from Illyana to Superman and back. "Yes, Mistress," he said, bowing obsequiously. "You summoned me?"

"Where's S'ym?" Illyana asked, looking around. "I called for him, too."

"On his way, Mistress," N'Astirh said, bowing again. "He was, shall we say, disciplining the troops…"

There was another flash of smoke, purple in hue this time, and a gargantuan purple demon stepped from the fumes. Superman looked up in surprise. While the first demon stood no taller than Illyana, this one towered over him. "S'ym here," the demon said, resentment in his voice. "What does Mistress require of S'ym?"

"I want you to take a work detail and get me some promethium," Illyana told him. "I need at least fifty pounds of the raw mineral."

S'ym eyed Superman. It was pretty clear he viewed his presence as a threat to his position. "May take some time," he grunted. "Must dig deep to get to mineral."

"Then you'd better get started," Illyana snapped. S'ym stared for a few moments longer, then grunted and disappeared.

"When they extract the promethium," Illyana told N'Astirh, "I want you to fashion it into a ring with this symbol —" she indicated the "S"-emblem on Superman's chest "— for the setting."

"And what is this ring for, Mistress?" the demon inquired, a bit nervously. He, too, now viewed Superman with suspicion.

"I'll take care of that," Illyana told him, curtly. The demon bowed and vanished as well.

"You control those…things?" Superman asked, after the demons had disappeared.

"Yeah," Illyana replied. "I am the Sorceress Supreme here, after all — they're all my subjects."

"Slavery?" Superman said, his tone making it clear he didn't approve, even if the slaves were demons.

Illyana gave him a annoyed look. "Come on, Supes — they're demons! Besides, they're more slaves of this dimension than they are of me. I control Limbo, so they have to do what I say."

"That doesn't sound like much of a distinction," Superman observed.

"You know, you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you," Illyana retorted. "How's your strength level?"

"Low," Superman admitted. "I'm down to perhaps a fourth of full strength."

"Well, this ring is going to fix that," she told him. "I'm going to enchant it so that it converts magical energy from Limbo into yellow solar radiation. That should raise your strength back to its full level."

"Will it work in the Dark Dimension, too?" Superman inquired.

"I hope so," Illyana replied. "Though if Clea figures out what I've done she may be able to cut off the flow of magic into the ring. If that happens you'll begin to lose power again."

"We'll have to chance that." Superman considered options for a moment. "We'll have to find the others fast and get out of the Dark Dimension as quickly as possible, even if we can't get the Eye back for Dr. Strange."

Illyana shook her head. "I hate that — it gives Clea more opportunity to try crap like this again and again."

She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Anyway, let's go to my palace — I want to have everything prepared when they finish the ring."

Superman looked around. Limbo seemed to be a planet, but was a strangely small one — the horizon seemed only a few hundred yards away; and, though it seemed to be perpetually dusk here, there were no stars in the sky. "How far is —"

"— it?" he asked, just as they reappeared in a throne hall.

"Not far," Illyana grinned. "Especially when I can teleport anywhere I want."

"Very opulent," Superman said, looking around at the lavishly-decorated room. The room was long and narrow, with silver torch stands along the walls, which were covered with exquisite wall hangings. In the center of the ceiling was an enormous crystal chandelier. At the head of the room was a golden throne, trimmed in the finest silk. "Not one for underdoing things, are you?"

"Well, if you've got it, flaunt it, I always say," Illyana answered. She walked over and sat down on the throne. "Besides, I need to keep the natives impressed with my power, or they start getting ideas. S'ym and N'Astirh have tried to organize the other demons to overthrow me. They nearly succeeded once, too — I had stayed away from Limbo too long. Now I try to get back every so often, to reassert my status as Sorceress Supreme."

She stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me for a bit, I'm going to make preparations to enchant that ring."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Superman asked. "To see what you're doing?"

But Illyana shook her head. "No, I'd rather do this alone, if you don't mind—I'm going to impart some significant magic into the ring, and I need to mentally calm myself." She smiled, a bit wryly. "In spite of my cool demeanor, I'm a bit rattled by everything we've been through."

"I understand," Superman said, with a small smile. "It would rattle most people."

"I'm not most people, though," Illyana pointed out. She waved a hand around her. "Feel free to look around the palace. I'll send for you the minute I've finished the ring." She disappeared.

Superman smiled to himself. Miss Rasputin was an interesting woman. If circumstances were a little different… but no — ultimately, she was not his type. His thoughts went to Lois; it was too bad things hadn't worked out between them, though Rao knew he'd had his chance with her. But the stress of knowing who he was had seemed too much for her, especially after the crisis with Zod, Ursa and Non.

No, he would go back to Earth and help Kara prepare for her role as a super-hero. She'd need a cover identity and a fair amount of training in the use of her powers. Clark just hoped he could get her and the others back to Earth…

"Hey, blue boy," a voice spoke behind him. Superman turned. It was the large purple demon, S'ym. His wanderings had taken him to a different area of the palace. "You lost?"

"Not really," Superman said, coolly.

S'ym had a large cigar clenched between his fanged teeth. "You look lost," the demon grinned. "You shouldn't go wandering around the palace — you never know what might happen."

"I appreciate the advice," Superman said, keeping his tone mild. "Well, I'll see you around…"

"Hold on," the demon interrupted. "S'ym'll make sure you don't get lost again." He advanced until he was standing directly in front of Superman, towering over him. "The Mistress might get worried about you."

"I don't think so," Superman demurred. "She knows I can take care of myself."

"Ooo, tough, are you, blue boy?" S'ym blew cigar smoke in the Man of Steel's face; Clark waved it away. "Maybe you'll show S'ym just how tough you are."

"I don't think so," Superman said again. He didn't know how strong this S'ym was, but he was already at a disadvantage, seeing that the demon was magical in nature, and his strength level was low now. "We don't have a reason to fight."

"Sure we do," S'ym grinned. One of his fists suddenly lashed out, striking Superman across the face. Caught off-guard, the blow knocked him down and he slid a dozen feet across the floor.

"S'ym thinks blue boy isn't as tough as he thinks he is," S'ym smirked as Superman picked himself up off the floor. "I think you're a wimp."

Superman stepped up to the demon once again. Based on the effort he'd seen S'ym put into the blow, his strength level, as low as it was, was more than adequate to handle a few more blows. "Let's try that again," he said, challenging the demon.

"Sure thing, wimp," S'ym reared back, and Superman braced himself. S'ym's fist smashed into Superman's cheek, but this time the Man of Steel did not budge. It was a hard blow, though; Superman had actually felt the demon's leathery knuckles connect. He felt an odd sensation spreading from the point of impact. But no damage was done.

S'ym blinked, looking at the Man of Steel in surprise. Without a word he turned and strode away. "Nice seeing you, too," Superman called after him, shaking his head at the sudden change in the demon's attitude.

At that moment he heard Illyana's voice inside his head. "Okay, Supes, meet me in the throne room." He turned and headed back to the room, where Illyana was holding a ring of silvery material.

"Here it is," she said, handing it to him. Superman examined the ring. It had his emblem on its head — the image glittered red, as if it were composed of ruby or other precious material. "Try it on," Illyana prompted.

Superman slipped the ring onto his right hand. Immediately he began to feel stronger. "It's working," he said. "I can feel my strength coming back."

"Of course," Illyana said confidently. "I know my magic, at least here in Limbo. You should be up to full strength in a minute or so."

"Good," Superman nodded. "And you think it'll work in the Dark Dimension as well?"

"It should absorb the magic there as well," Illyana concurred. "Maybe not as fast as here, but it should keep your power level up, unless you have to go full tilt."

"Okay, I'm ready," Superman said a minute later. "Are we ready to go back?"

"Ready to rock 'n' roll," Illyana agreed. "Let's go save our friends!"

A/N: As usual, reviews are requested and appreciated!