Chapter Three

Another morning had arrived at last as Zee woke up with a groggy yawn, stretching her arms wide. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, revealing the chaotic mess that was her room: clothes piled on the floor, books scattered across her desk, and a mountain of blankets half-hanging off the bed. She let out a sigh, knowing she had chores to tackle too. The thought of cleaning everything up felt exhausting.

Then, an idea sparked in her mind, and a small grin crept onto her face. Why do all the work when she had magic at her fingertips? Zee held out her hand, closed her eyes, and murmured a soft incantation. The air around her shimmered, and with a gentle flick of her wrist, the magic sprang to life. Clothes floated up and neatly folded themselves, books stacked themselves in perfect order, and her bed sheets smoothed out as if an invisible hand were tucking them in. Within moments, the room transformed from a chaotic disaster zone to a pristine, tidy space. Zee gave a satisfied nod, proud of her clever solution.

"That's better", she said to herself, her chores no longer looming over her like a dark cloud. Now, with a smile on her face, she could face the rest of the day without worry.

After tidying up her room with a bit of magical flair, Zatanna felt energised. She finished her morning routine and stepped out into the bustling city. Today was her day on patrol; an unspoken responsibility she had taken on, knowing that even the quietest days could turn chaotic in an instant.

As she strolled through the streets, keeping an eye out for trouble, her attention was suddenly caught by a commotion a few blocks away. People were scattering, their panicked shouts filling the air. Zatanna's heart skipped a beat as she noticed two masked figures rushing out of a jewellery store, bags filled with stolen goods slung over their shoulders.

Without missing a beat, she ducked into an alley. With a quick incantation, her casual outfit shimmered and morphed into her signature stage costume: tailcoat, fishnets, and top hat. In a blink, she had unveiled herself as the Mistress of Magic. Taking a step back into the street, Zatanna's presence commanded attention even in the chaos. One of the robbers turned and spotted her, his eyes widening with fear.

"Stop right there!" Zatanna called out, her voice filled with authority. The robbers hesitated, looking at each other in confusion before making a break for it.

Zatanna smirked. "Alright, let's have some fun," she muttered to herself. She raised her hand and spoke the words of a backward spell, her voice laced with determination. "Gab daol desrever!"

The bags of stolen jewellery jerked to a stop mid-air, reversing direction and slipping right out of the robbers' hands. They floated back towards the store, like a scene in rewind.

One of the robbers pulled out a gun, desperation flashing in his eyes. "Stay back!" He shouted, aiming it at Zatanna.

She raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Taeh Pu!"

Before the crook could fire, the gun itself started glowing orange and smoking, and with it came a hot burning, forcing him to drop it from his singed hand. Before he could react any further, Zatanna was already casting her next spell. "Ezeerf ni ecalp!"

The robbers suddenly found themselves unable to move, frozen in place as if trapped in an invisible block of ice. They struggled but couldn't break free.

Zatanna approached them calmly, a small smile playing at her lips. "You picked the wrong day to rob a store," she said, tipping her top hat in a playful salute.

As the police arrived to take the robbers into custody, Zatanna released her spell, leaving them with a stern look. "Next time, maybe try a legal job," she quipped, before turning away and disappearing into the crowd. Her patrol continued, but now with a little extra spring in her step and a smile in her lips.

Later that day, Zatanna continued her patrolling in the city, venturing as far and wide as she could. As the day soon turned to dusk, she made into an industrial area of sorts, complete with chainlink fences of weary steel and warehouses of age-old bricks. One by one, the lamp posts lit up, offering light when and where the sun wouldn't for the moment and time-being.

Just then, from out of the darkness, a deep yet soft masculine voice spoke. "Hello there". Zatanna jolted and quickly turned and looked around until she found who it was coming from. Walking from under the shadows were a tall and thin figure completely donned in a winged suit and antennaed helmet of black with trims of yellow. "Miss Zatara, I presume?"

"And a hello to you too", Zatanna stood firmly with gloved hands on her hips and a cock of her brow. "Whoever you are".

"You can call me Killer Wasp", the stranger introduced himself proper.

"Killer Wasp, huh?" Zatanna cocked her head as well. "So what are you up to?"

"Oh not much", Killer Wasp answered nonchalantly, walking in a circular motion around Zatanna. "Just been told to handle you by someone who claims to not only know you, but also accuses you of being a thorn on his side". He paused for a bit. "Oh and he likes his pet cat as well".

As soon as this 'Killer Wasp' brought up that last bit, something in Zatanna's mind out two and two together. "Wait, you're working for Klarion?"

"Actually, I'm working with him", Killer Wasp corrected. "I'm personally hoping to have a seat in the Light".

"You'd have to prove yourself first", Zatanna defied.

"And that's what I shall do", Killer Wasp spoke back.

"Tel em taolf!" Zatanna cast a spell on herself, making herself lift off her feet and levitate above the ground.

Likewise, Killer Wasp's wings started fluttering fast before he too floated upward as well, his clawed gloves sparking with flashes of blue lightning. Zatanna shared to make the first move, charging and firing a beam of yellow at the foe, but he quickly dodged to the side and flew towards the young magician with electrically-charged fists. The Mistress of Magic managed to evade the first few several throws aimed her way before she returned with a roundhouse kick to Killer Wasp, knocking him back down to the ground.

As Zatanna landed right beside to check on him, Killer Wasp flinched and snickered sinisterly. "I like it when a lady manages to kick my ass", Killer Wasp soon got up to his feet and flirted. "The more strong and powerful a woman is, the more attractive they are in my eyes". His helmet parted open, revealing his smooth pale face, almost as white as snow, his pitch-black hair with a few stripes of yellow, his eyes of piercing golden-amber, and the smile formed on his long flat thin lips.

As she took a few steps back from him and he took a few steps forth towards him, Zatanna started feeling something off about this individual gazing into her, something that set off her senses. Something almost arousing, making her shoulders tense up, her breath slip and her hairs raise. Her lips quivered, her eyes widened and her pupils constricted, she knew something was wrong, she knew something was trying to take over her, but by then, it was already too late and inevitable. As soon as the last bit of futile resistance had ceased, her shoulders relaxed, her pupils completely dilated and her eyelids nearly drooped just over them.

Killer Wasp's grin glowed darkly as he ran a finger or two up Zatanna's smooth chin. "Now then..." He said while stroking some of her own smooth raven-black hair. "Will you do as I say? And use your power to serve and benefit me?"

"Yes...My master..." The enthralled Zatanna whispered and shuddered, her expression, or last thereof, unchanging.

To be continued...