's
"Sentinels" since Amazon Arrow frequently visits their home turf
(Coastal City). Every other picture and story is his, and those
featuring the villains are mine.
“Elf Witch!”
“How may I be of service, Oh Great Lord of Lycans?”
“Come, woman... Gaze into the Stygian Eye and tell me what you see.”
“It appears to be… no… that… that makes little sense… could it be?”
“Indeed it is… Just as I have foreseen.”
“But… what... what does this mean, My Lord?”
“It means this is the beginning of the end. The sun sets on the Age of the Amazons and my triumph is nearly at hand!!!”
Ms. Kent glanced up from the computer screen and noticed the keen interest her interviewee was taking in her. Her faced flushed ever so slightly, and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards for a moment, but when she addressed her, her manner was professional and unfamiliar.
"Well, you certainly have an impressive work history, Miss Jones," Ms. Kent said with a smile, "It would appear that the only library of note you haven't spent time in was the Ancient Library of Alexandria!"
Tabitha laughed politely and thought to herself, You'd be surprised. Aloud she said modestly, "I suppose I've gotten around."
"That's one way of putting it. I can see from your references that you've spent a great deal of time studying both the mystical and the occult. Any particular reason you find these two subjects so fascinating?"
"I've always heard it said that you can learn a lot about a culture through their stories and mythology. Magic and occult practices often crop up in fairytales and folklore, and I've just always found them to be the most fascinating aspects of all the old stories," Miss Jones replied, then worry crossed her face and she asked, "That's not a problem I hope?"
"Not at all," Ms. Kent reassured her, "I was just curious. You've certainly had a fascinating and far-reaching career. What prompted you to come to the Racks View Memorial Library? You're not from this area I understand?"
"No, I'm originally from Coastal City," Tabitha replied, "I moved down here a little while ago, trying to get back in touch with an old friend." The young woman studied Ms. Kent's reaction closely as she said this, but if the Head Librarian had caught her meaning, she wasn't letting on. When she didn't receive the desired reaction, Tabitha decided to press on.
"This seems like quite a grand library, have you been working here long?"
"No, actually. I was appointed Head Librarian by Mr. Mathers only a few weeks ago," Ms. Kent replied, "and what with the rather premature reopening of the library, we've been scrambling to get things sorted around here."
"What do you mean 'premature?'" Miss Jones asked.
"The building just recently underwent a massive renovation, courtesy of Mr. Mathers, the curator. Unfortunately, it was reopened to the public before all of the work was completed, so there are still some things that need attention. It should all be sorted out soon, though, and none of it poses a hazard. Mostly cosmetic from what I understand."
"I see," Tabitha replied, then paused for a moment and added meekly, "So, do I have the job?"
"You do as far as I'm concerned!" Ms. Kent replied, smiling brightly, "I'll just have to run your résumé by Mr. Mathers before it's official, he likes to take a look at any girls we hire from out of town, though I see no reason why he'd object to your being here. It will probably take him a while to go over all of your references, so why don't you head home and we can put you to work bright and early tomorrow morning."
"Thank you very much!" Miss Jones replied as she shook the hand Ms. Kent had extended to her. She bid her good day and made to leave the office, but stopped halfway out the door. After a moments hesitation, she turned around and asked, "Ms. Kent, do we know each other from somewhere? I have the strangest feeling that we've met before."
"Oh I don't think so," Ms. Kent said, gracing her with a flattering smile, "I'm fairly certain I'd remember if we had."
Tabitha Jones stared hard at Ms. Kent for a moment, then nodded slowly and made her way out of the building. The young woman stopped just outside the main door and stared off into the sky. Tabitha Jones, she thought to herself, there's a name I hadn't expected to use again. Her reconnaissance complete, the incognito Spellbound took stock of what she knew and pondered over it.
The last sighting had been almost a month ago, that seemed about right. But why on earth had she changed her name to Kent and hidden here of all places? It wasn't like she needed to do that to protect herself, if anything this had only made her more vulnerable! Well, that wasn't entirely true. It had taken all of the divination skill Spellbound possessed, plus a lot of old fashioned investigative work and no small amount of luck to track her down. 'Ms. Kent' had certainly gone to a great deal of trouble to cover her tracks, but why? What was her motive? None of this made sense, especially considering what she had been doing prior to her disappearance. And why didn't she seem to remember anything? Was it an act? Or had something happened to her?
Spellbound sighed and made her way around the building, headed to a nearby bus stop. She didn't have enough information yet. She had the job, at least, so that meant she would be able to observe her closely without arousing too much suspicion. It was dangerous, obviously, but she had to know more. As she walked past the library, she caught sight of Ms. Kent stacking books on a shelf, and stopped. She studied her unknowing friend for a few minutes, then set her jaw and made herself a pledge.
"I don't know why Amazon Arrow, who only a few weeks ago had become increasingly power-hungry and virtually omnipotent, suddenly believes she's a common librarian, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it. That's a promise, Chryseis!"
“The Sentinels lack conviction. Watch as democracy emasculates the mighty, Elf Witch! These fools play right into my hands.”
“The one known as Red Empress is quite magnificent. Can the Stygian Eye see if I will one day have the opportunity to taste of her essence?”
“Disgusting succubus! I will not avert the gaze of The Stygian Eye from one of the most important moments in this war simply to satisfy your voyeuristic fantasies!”
“Forgive my wanton nature, Oh Great One. Tell me… how is it that a gathering of bickering heroes bears such significance?”
“They do not realize it, but the Sentinels have it within their power to ruin all of my plans. The decision that they make in this moment will guide the fate of the Amazon Arrow.”
“And… do you know the outcome of this debate already, My Lord?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then… if I may be so bold… why is it necessary to observe them?”
“You try my patience, Elf Witch. Perhaps you would like your inquisitive tongue ripped from your throat! How would you satisfy your Red Empress then?”
“My deepest apologies, All Powerful Lord of Lycans.”
"So let me get this straight," Slugger said angrily, "you've known where the Amazon Arrow is for over a week, and you're just coming to tell us about it now?!"
A tense silence filled the meeting room. Spellbound could see anger and confusion on most of the faces around her. Amazon Arrow's attack on Thane had left him weak and disabled. A few hours after they found him, he slipped into a coma-like state, and had still yet to come out of it. She knew when she called the meeting that they weren't going to take the news well, but she hadn't expected this. They weren't just angry. They were out for blood.
"She's not the same," Spellbound said, trying to diffuse the situation, "I've been watching her for weeks now. She's different, like she can't even remember who she was, or who any of us are. She's forgotten everything!"
Hierophant fixed his otherworldly golden eyes on her and said softly, "You once said that she had confided in you that she drew her power from the rings she wore. Does she still have them?"
"No, that's just it! She doesn't! It's like she's left it all behind, or maybe they weren't able to handle all of the power she had, they got destroyed or lost. I don't know. The point is-"
"The point is she's defenseless!" cut in the Red Empress, pounding her fist against the table and rising to her feet, "meaning we should strike now, and finish her!"
"What?! No!" gasped Spellbound.
"Whoa! Come again?" interjected a startled Solaris, "I agree that we gotta do something, but killing's a whole 'nother ball of wax!"
"Are you serious?!" scoffed Slugger, "After what she did to Thane? Death is too good for her!"
"Whoa! Easy, Kurt!" Wire called out, "Thane's in a bad way, sure, but killing Amazon Arrow isn't going to change that."
"He's been at deaths door since we found him! He could expire on us at any minute!" Slugger shouted back, "and I want to make sure that bitch pays for it!"
"Everyone calm down!" came the imposing voice of Guardian as he stood and let the sheer weight of his presence subdue everyone around him, "much as we'd all like to make sure we stop Amazon Arrow before she has a chance to go on another rampage, the truth is the matter is out of our hands. We're sanctioned heroes with a specific theater of operation, and Racks View is well outside of that! We have no jurisdiction there; no legal right to intervene. Even if we did, we do not operate as judge, jury, and executioner! All we can do is try to get in touch with any heroes or heroines that operate in that area and hope that they can subdue her safely."
"No," Hierophant said with finality. The other Sentinels all turned to listen as their leader rose from his chair.
"I don't know why she has stopped accumulating power. I don't know why she is hiding as a librarian. I don't know where her rings are. I do know that the path she is on leads only to death and destruction, the likes of which has not been seen on this world in millennia! She is weak, she is vulnerable. We will go to Racks View, we will find where she is hiding, and we will end her mad quest for power once and for all, before the opportunity is lost."
"No!" cried Spellbound, "How can you say that?! She rescued us from the Asoni when they invaded the city! We fought side by side with her as we drove them from our planet! She stood up to the Clue Gang when you were too afraid to get involved! She's been one of our greatest allies!"
"Sir," Wire said to his leader, "Spellbound is right. She deserves better from us than a cold, heartless execution! We owe it to her to try to save her!"
"She attacked one of us!" Hierophant retorted, danger dripping from his words, "Thane may very well die! I cannot, and will not tolerate anyone who threatens the lives of one of our own!"
"Oh really?" Wire shot back, his eyes flashing with anger, "because as I recall, when you and I first met, I was trying to kill you! You didn't just tolerate me after that, you recruited me!"
The whole room fell silent at this revelation. Hierophant stared coldly at his protégé, and Wire met his eyes in silent challenge. The tension in the room, already thick, was like a visible force between the two of them.
Hierophant breathed slowly and said in a calm, even voice, "That hardly compares. You were never any threat to me."
"Hey Wire," Slugger spat, "You don't want to do what needs to be done? Fine! You stay here and play dolls with the other girls, and let the men take care of business!"
"We can't kill her!" Guardian said with finality. He turned to look Hierophant in the eye as he continued, "If she were anyone else, maybe, but Chryseis is an Amazon. She's an ambassador from another land. Wonder Woman and Ultra Woman are her people. If we were to kill her, can you imagine what they would do when they found out? And they would find out."
Again, silence reigned in the meeting hall of the Sentinels. The opposing members all glared at one another, none of them willing to back down, but none of them willing to break the silence and possibly ignite an argument there might be no returning from.
"So we capture her," Scrapper finally said, adding her voice to the discussion for the first time.
All eyes turned to her, and she suppressed the urge to gulp as she felt the intensity of their gaze. "We knock her out or something, keep her sedated, and then turn her over to the Amazons. She's their ambassador, she might as well be their problem too. If they can help her, they help her, and if they kill her, at least no blood will be on our hands." Grudgingly, the two parties consented to Scrapper's idea, and a plan was formed.
It was time to put an end to Amazon Arrow's power quest!
“Oh, how delightful! Run, little Amazon… run! Hahahaha…”
“NO! This isn’t right! DAMN!!!”
“What is it, My Lord?”
“Apparently at least one of The Sentinels isn’t quite as stable as I was expecting. He’s going to try to kill her!”
“You are… surprised, My Lord? I don’t think I’ve ever seen….”
“I am not omnipotent, Elf Witch! I see the future in glimpses and broad strokes, but the details are always elusive.”
“Then your plans may NOT come to fruition?”
“Oh, I’m certain that they will… but if The Amazon Arrow dies I may have to make a few… adjustments…”
“If she dies… what then?”
“Chryseis is not my only asset, Elf Witch. The Amazon Arrow is resourceful. Clearly we are approaching a significant crossroad. Let us see what events transpire…”
Ms. Kent had been walking home from work when she saw three strangely costumed people headed her way, their eyes fixed on her. There was an unnerving quality about them, and Ms. Kent decided to turn around and find a different route home. She quickened her pace a little, then heard them call out a name she didn't recognize. She quickened her pace again.
"Hey, Kent!" called out a very unfriendly man voice, "Real clever name! Stop for a minute, we need to chat!"
Despite herself, Ms. Kent looked back.
"Please Chryseis!" implored a striking young woman in a flattering bikini and cape combination, "We just want to talk!"
The Sentinels had decided to approach her directly to see if Spellbound was correct and she really didn't remember any of them. In the event things went south, only Spellbound, Red Empress, and Slugger would confront her directly. The other Sentinels were hidden nearby, ready to spring at a moment's notice should the need arise.
When she first looked back, 'Ms. Kent's' expression was exactly what they would have expected from someone who had never heard of them: blank confusion. But as she stared at them for a moment, something changed. Her eyes widened for a moment and she opened her mouth to speak, then her face contorted in abject terror and she started running as fast as she could!
"Shit!" growled Slugger as they gave chase, "We spooked her!"
"Everyone!" Spellbound said into her comm-link, "Chryseis is on the move! She's headed for a section of rundown back alleys! Wire, I think you're the closest to her!"
The other Sentinels acknowledged and began converging on the panic stricken librarian.
"Get away!" she shouted back at her pursuers, "Leave me alone!"
"Guardian!" Slugger shouted into his comm-link, "You sure all the civilians were cleared out of the area?"
"Yes," came his reply.
"Good!" Slugger said, "'Cause I think she recognized us! When we catch her, we end her!"
"No!" shouted Spellbound in dismay.
Guardian replied, "Kurt! We agreed not to-"
"She recognized us! That means Spellbound was wrong! AA hasn't gone all psycho on us yet, but we need to make sure she never gets the chance! When I catch her, I'm snapping her damned neck!"
"You can't do that!" pleaded Spellbound.
"Watch me!" spat back Sluggeras he split off from the others and went down a different alley.
"Wire!" Spellbound called into her mic.
"I heard!" he replied.
"You have to get to Chryseis before Kurt does!"
"I know!"
Panic began to rise in Spellbound's chest. This was all going horribly, horribly wrong!
“Excellent! You see, Elf Witch? The future remains on its proper course.”
“The Stygian Eye’s vision is shifting! What has happened, Oh Great One?”
“The Sentinels have failed! I thought perhaps that the ruthless among them might shift the tide, but collectively they are only ‘heroes’ …and are thus weakened by compassion.”
“Pathetic… It is a vulnerability shared by the Amazons as well. It is why I know you will be victorious, My Lord.”
“Thanks to The Sentinels this battle is now inevitable. Behold the future, Elf Witch!”
“I know of this one... She is the Amazon Champion known as Ultra Woman.”
“Yes. She will make fine breeding stock. I look forward to muzzling and mounting that bitch myself.”
“Then she is most blessed, My Lord of Lycans.”
“Indeed.”
Ultra Woman is the OC of
Ms. Kent was a remarkably swift runner. Even with panic and strange memories clouding her mind, she was able to stay ahead of her pursuers. She darted back and forth down side alleys, once catching sight of the man who had broken off from the others that were chasing her, but none of them ever got close. Indeed, if her head had been clearer, she would have realized that she was loosing them.
As she turned another corner, she came face to face with a new costumed assailant. He had the same aura of dread familiarity about him that the others did, and she turned to escape him as quickly as possible, but he reacted more quickly, and strong arms wrapped around her torso before she could make her escape.
"Let me go!" she almost pleaded in her panic as she fought against the steely grip that encircled her.
"Chryseis! I'm here to help you!" Wire tried to reassure her as she clawed at his arms, "You have to relax! I don't want to hurt you, I'm trying to keep you safe! You have to calm down!"
Almost in response to his words, her struggles ceased for a moment. Wire was about to reassure her again, when she threw back her head and let out a cry that made his blood run cold! She turned in his grasp to look at him, and her eyes were glowing white. She brought up her hands, and he saw her soul rings materialize on her fingers. Her hair shot out from her head, and he could feel the incredible power surging through her.
Off in the distance, the other Sentinels were closing in. They needed to get away! He needed to warn them! But he couldn't. Wire seemed frozen in place, unable to move or speak. He had never felt as terrified as he did now. A goddess had awakened, and she was not happy!
“Chryseis’s aura is GLORIOUS, My Lord! What I wouldn’t give for a taste of her now.”
“That would be the end of you, succubus. Her power is far more than you could possibly contain.”
“Still… it would be a fine death.”
“My little godling’s might grows exponentially with every passing moment. Soon she will… wait... ”
“Oh my… Who is that?”
“The Hierophant! NO! ”
“Another unforeseen complication, My Lord?”
“There are very few beings that walk the mortal plane whose fate the Stygian Eye cannot foresee… The Hierophant is one of them. He is not visible in any of my visions of the future.”
“Perhaps he is simply unseen because he will soon die, Your Grace?”
“Perhaps… but unlikely. This one is dangerous. He is older than I. Perhaps older than The First Ones. I am not certain that he CAN die. I have been content to avoid him until now because his path rarely intersects with my agenda, but The Amazon Arrow seems to have attracted his attention. I cannot allow him to align with the Amazons. Steps will need to be taken.”
“It does not appear to be an alignment that he seeks, My Lord…”
In one swift motion, Chryseis spun out of Wire's embrace and brought a Soul Arrow into being. Time slowed as they stared eye to eye, her face contorted into crazed hunger, his a mask of shock and fear. The arrow plunged into his chest, and a pain he had never experience wracked his body! As he lost consciousness, he was aware that the other sentinels were converging on their position. Chryseis spun around to face her new attackers, her skin began to change color, and her clothes started disintegrating as she glared at them.
"You fools!" she cried disdainfully at the pathetic heroes and heroines before her, "you have no idea what it is you have unleashed!"
On the rooftop above her, just out of sight, Hierophants watched what was transpiring below. He could not let this continue. Kneeling down, he began silently chanting an ancient incantation all but lost to the world. He imbued his weapons with a secret magic, one he had hoped never to have to use: a deicide curse! One prick from his hooks and Chryseis would be shredded from reality; reduced to a pile of sand. His stomach churned as the forbidden magic took hold of his weapons. When it was done, he saw that the remaining Sentinels had surrounded Chryseis. Her attention was focused elsewhere.
Exhaling slowly, Hierophant leapt down from the roof and struck!
“AAhhggghh!!! That explosion was cataclysmic! What has he done?!?!”
“Most impressive… I do not know if this was The Hierophant’s power or hers. I have never seen its equal. Rarely are such energies unleashed within this plane of existence”
“I can almost feel the mystical resonance from here! Could anything survive that?”
“The blinding energy dissipates… We will know in a few moments…”
Hierophant's hook blades struck the defensive barrier Amazon Arrow had taken from Thane. It did not stop his attack, but it slowed the speed his blades were moving at. That fraction of a second made all the difference.
With a resonating cry, the ground around Chryseis detonated and a strange energy came spiraling outward. Hero and heroine alike were thrown back and they all struck the ground senseless; dead to the world. Amazon Arrow floated back to down, and gazed contemptuously at the helpless forms of the once mighty heroes that lay sprawled about at her feet.
“Magnificent! The Sentinels are down!”
“Did… did she kill them, Oh Great One?”
“Unfortunately… no… but they have all been incapacitated, including The Hierophant. They will not interfere in the battle to come. My triumph is now inevitable!”
“Unless some other unforeseen circumstance arises…”
“Impossible!”
“But... My Lord… the very definition of ‘unforeseen’ implies…”
“If you favor breathing, Elf Witch, you will not complete that sentence. We both know the limitations of The Stygian Eye... and I know exactly what you are trying to do. You are fortunate that I have not eviscerated you already, treasonous bitch!”
“Why is it, My Lord, that you let me live? …if I may be so bold.”
”Because you are a woman, and I control you as I control ALL women! It is in your very nature to be servile. I will one day need to slay The Amazon Arrow… and you will help me do it.”
“Ahhh… You are most generous, Lord of Lycans. That is a prophecy I myself would like to see fulfilled!”
“Patience, Elf Witch, for now I have use for her. The Amazon Arrow’s power will be mine to command; she will help me to enslave her sisters, destroy their island home, and eliminate the First Ones!"
“I can’t wait, Your Grace.”
“The Age of the Amazons is at an end... The Ascension of the Lycans has begun!”
"Fools!" Chryseis shouted bitterly at the bodies sprawled about her, "I was trying to forget! It was the only way to contain all of this power! But I can't now! You've ruined everything!"
She stalked about, glaring down at the faces of those she once thought of as friends.
"I won't be able to subdue myself again," she said softly, "I had hoped to avoid the destiny I see so clearly, but that is not possible now."
After a moment's silence, she looked to the setting sun and set her jaw, "So be it then. I have the power; I will use it as destiny demands, and end this once and for all!"
The Amazonian goddess took to the air, leaving her past, her friends, and everything else she had held dear behind her for good. The fates had aligned, and she would face them without reservation. It was time to show the world what she was capable of; nothing would stand in her way.
Nothing!
An interesting turn to the story. I like the mass defeat image at the end.
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