The sounds of battle could be heard in the distance. The noise was faint at first, but was rapidly growing in volume. The invaders would be here soon. The man known as Lord Evil sat on the side of the bed in the master bedroom. He wore his usual attire that was a throw back to the Victorian age. It reminded one of what would be worn by an eighteenth century English nobleman.
A concerned look locked on his face, Lord Evil gazed upon the unmoving form of his wife, the malevolent Lady Darkness. The black clad woman was resting on the silken sheets of their bed, her head propped up by pillows. She had just completed the arduous task of the Joining in which her black attire had split like some giant amoeba creating two identical copies. These new copies coated the bodies of the sorceress Lady Zee and the heroine known as the Enchantress.
Lord Evil was unsure of the specifics of what had happened. He had suspected for a very long time that the outfit that coated Lady Darkness was in itself sentient. That it was an intelligent and symbiotic creature that was the true force behind the Empire of Darkness. Now it had spread to three sorceresses, increasing its ability to conqueror.
Gently, Lord Evil ran his hand along the cheek of the sleeping Lady Darkness. She was still as lovely as the first day he had laid eyes upon the woman, some eight years ago. It now seemed almost a lifetime ago and very far away on the magically dominated world of Terra Nova.
The accident that had stranded the man who would become Lord Evil on Terra Nova had claimed most of his fellow crewmen. Those who did survive the fate of the USS Eldridge were never the same. Most went insane while others were simply branded as such. The man who became Lord Evil was simply one of those who was never seen again and declared missing and presumed dead.
In reality, the strange accident sent the man into an alternate dimension and to the world of Terra Nova. The Earthman was a minor technician and now found himself on a world were magic held sway. Survival was difficult at first, but in time he was able to adjust to his new surroundings. He learned the art of spellcraft, in spite of the conflict with his scientific know how.
He wandered the world of Terra Nova for many years, keeping mostly to himself. Magic potions were used to keep the man young and vital. His loneliness all changed on the day when he was visiting a city within the oppressive Empire of Darkness. She wasn't known as Lady Darkness at that time. That particular title went to the current Empress. Instead, her name was simply Ashley.
Ashley was a young and beautiful, yet highly skilled sorceress. There was a small group of such sorceresses, a collection of those seemingly highly favored by the Empress himself. In time, Lord Evil realized that this cadre of young and beautiful sorceresses was being honed as eventually replacements for the Empress.
There was a mutual attraction between Lord Evil and Ashley and the two fell in love and were married several months later. The two used their powers in the service of the Empress. There were various rebel fractions that always needed to be dealt with and other kingdoms that needed to be brought into the Empire, usually by force.
Then the time of the Joining came and Ashley was selected for the honor. The young sorceress disappeared into a private chamber with the black clad Empress of Darkness. It was a new Lady Darkness who emerged from the chamber hours later. The woman known as Ashley was no more.
Lady Darkness then assumed the throne, while the previous Empress left to embark on some great mission guaranteed to grant her great power. Lord Evil never saw the previous Empress again. Intelligence indicated that she had somehow failed in her bid for ultimate power and was never seen again.
Ashley quickly adapted to the role of being the Empress. Her personality changed ever so slightly, becoming more arrogant and ruthless than she had been before. Lord Evil suspected that the darkness that coated her like a second skin was responsible for this change, but he never dared voice his concerns. Ashley also gained darkness powers that she had never possessed before.
In spite of his personal concerns, Lord Evil did nothing. He was now the consort of the Empress of a vast empire that granted him great personal influence. He found the taste of power to his liking and didn't want it to end. But still he longed to return to his home on Earth. Lord Evil spent many hours doing research in the vast library within Shadowhold. After years of study, he prepared a magical incantation that should, in theory, transport him back to Earth.
The Empire continued to grow and expand under the iron hand of the new Lady Darkness. No one ever questioned the sudden change in Rulership. A Lady Darkness had always sat upon the throne for thousands of years. The fact that it was not the same individual never bothered anyone. Not that any had the courage to make such concerns vocal. However, each Lady Darkness was coated by the strange darkness that hugged their bodies like a second skin.
Even the fanatically loyal Ectolians never raised a question when there was a change in Empress. To outsiders, the Empress of Darkness was an immortal being of great evil. A powerful and malevolent sorceress who desired to conqueror all. The stuff of nightmares.
The campaign to subjugate the Kingdom of Cynalon was failing, forcing the Empress herself to intervene. A team of costumed individuals had come to the defense of Cynalon. They were strangely clothed beings with fantastic powers. Later, Lord Evil would realize that they were the Guardians, a team of heroes from his own home world.
The duo was overwhelmed by these Guardians and near defeat. Lord Evil cast the magical incantation he had researched as a means for he and Lady Darkness to escape capture. The spell worked, the pair found themselves back on Earth. However, Earth was a magically poor world. The couple's most powerful spells could no longer be cast. All their enchantments were far less potent.
By the time they attempted to return to Terra Nova the way had been blocked. A powerful enchantment had been erected blocking passage to Terra Nova from Earth. The duo was now stranded on Earth, penniless and without any of their followers.
The evil mages had arrived in Great Britain and found themselves in a world neither was familiar with. There had been vast technological advances on Earth during the forty some years Lord Evil had been on Terra Nova. Lady Darkness was confused by it all at first, but eventually considered it to be a different form of magic that she could only barely comprehend.
The pair assumed the identities of Lord and Lady Carrington, minor nobility of the British upper crust and rather wealthy individuals. The real Lord and Lady Carrington were killed in secret. Using magic to take on the forms of the Carringtons led to the pair seizing vast wealth.
In time, they fell in with the vile organization known as DEMON. Their magical knowledge ensured them of a high ranking in the organization. It was an alliance of convenience, as DEMON would be most useful in locating magic enhancing items. Perhaps some enchanted item would be powerful enough to break the barrier blocking their return to Terra Nova.
Finally, Lord Thorne summoned the pair to New York City to take control of the large DEMON base located there. It was this promotion that led to acquiring the Stone Crown, which amplified Lady Darkness' powers even more. But much like when she first was covered by the Darkness, Ashley's personality changed once more. She became even more possessed at controlling and dominating others. It was a constant source of concern for Lord Evil.
Lord Evil's reverie was shattered as the door to the bedchamber was flung open. The Ectolian General Vilsimbra came barging in, the two sorceresses who had just completed the Joining behind her.
"Forgive the intrusion, my Empress," Vilsimbra begged. "The Empress' personal warriors are falling rapidly without her guidance! We are in danger of being overrun!"
"This particular skirmish has been lost," the blonde haired sorceress announced. Each was now coated by the skintight darkness as Ashley had been. "We are not ready to take on these challengers at this point."
"The bonding process will take several more hours until it is complete," the silver haired sorceress added. "At a time and place of our choosing we shall deal with these miscreants. Secrecy to our plans remains paramount!"
"Agreed," Lord Evil chimed in. He leaned over and gently drew the still sleeping Ashley into his arms. He then carried her towards the waiting others. "Where is Blaise?"
"The earthly sorceress is currently in battle for her Empress," Vilsimbra explained.
"We can recover her and the others at a later date should we so desire," the blonde Lady Darkness added. "Prepare for transport."
"Gather around me," the silver haired Lady Darkness commanded. But before she could begin spellcasting, she stopped and looked around in confusion. "I can sense something... Something very familiar... Calling me..."
"It is nothing," the blonde Lady Darkness countered. "Merely an echo of your past self. It shall be gone momentarily."
"Of course," the silver haired Lady Darkness offered, her confidence returning. "The Joining is not yet complete. This one resists. Let us be off."
The Spell of Transport was cast and reddish energy surrounded all those present. A moment later the master bedchamber of the Carrington Estate was empty.
| Roll Call: |
|---|
 Enchantress |
 Firestar |
 Lightburst |
 Texas Ranger |
Guest Starring Scarlet Sabre |
Firestar blazed a trail across the morning sky. She wore her usual golden yellow and orange costume with black trim. Her blonde hair trailed behind her in the breeze, merging with the flame trail that remained in her passing. The flames faded away a few seconds after Firestar's passage.
Keeping pace with the young heroine was the white clad Texas Ranger. His costume was cowboy-esque in style, complete with a white ten-gallon hat. Ranger's gloves and boots where golden in color. Emblazoned on his oversized belt buckle was the outline of the state of Texas.
Unexpectedly, Firestar slowed her rapid pace and came to a stop, hovering over the expansive estates laid out below her. Ranger slowed as well and joined his young teammate.
"We are, like, so lost!", Firestar said to her teammate in frustration. "I have no idea where we are at or where we're supposed to go!"
"Ah'd recognize the Kirby place if'n I could see it, but that plumb don't help us find this thar Carrington Estate," Ranger added in his typical drawl. He too was lost in this very unfamiliar territory.
The rookie Avengers had been dispatched by Black Diamond to back up Muskateer in his quest to locate the missing Enchantress. While there had been no direct communication with the swordsman, the team had been brought up to date on the situation via the Scarlet Sabre's cybernetic alter ego Jaime.
Muskateer's search for the Enchantress had taken him and his allies to the Carrington Estate located in the Westchester area. While the expansive estate appeared much like any other in this region, it was secretly the current base of operations for the Morbanes Lord Evil and Lady Darkness. Muskateer, Scarlet Sabre, and the Sorceress had launched a raid on the estate in an attempt to rescue the Enchantress. They expected to encounter a small army of supervillains in the process. (Editor's Note: As shown in Muskateer #24)
Information gleaned by Muskateer and relayed to the Avengers by Jaime had revealed that security at Ryker's Island had been compromised and those inmates incarcerated there had fallen under the spell of Lady Darkness. The remainder of the Avengers was currently at the Ryker's Island complex. The facility had been just been freed from Lady Darkness' thrall. They would be joining Firestar and Ranger as soon as possible.
"This isn't good!", Firestar continued. "We've got to help Musky!"
"Can't help 'im, if we can't find'm. Maybe we should call fer help?"
"Might as well," Firestar mumbled as she pulled out her comlink. "We can't help anybody this way." The young heroine couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the current situation. She tried to come up with what to say to Black Diamond to explain her dilemma.
"Hold on thar, lil' lady," Ranger suddenly interrupted in an excited voice. "It done looks like they've sent a scout to blaze the trail fer us!"
Ranger pointed off into the distance. Firestar's gaze followed and she noticed small aircraft approaching the hovering Avengers. She didn't recognize the craft at first, but its identity finally dawned on her.
"That's the Sky Sabre! Scarlet's jet!"
The Sky Sabre drew closer and slowly circled around the hovering Avengers. It then turned and started to fly away, slowly at first, but with ever increasing speed. Even more astonishing, there was no pilot!
"I reckon we're supposed to follow," Ranger noted. He surged forward in a pursuit of the mini-jet.
"I guess," Firestar added as she also flew after the jet. "I don't know what's weirder. Being lead by a miniature jet or the fact that no one is flying it!"
Led by the Sky Sabre, the two Avengers reached the Carrington Estate a few minutes later. The estate was an expansive one. A long driveway led to the main house from an extravagant black wrought iron front gate. The lawn was freshly cut and the grounds had been nicely landscaped. Everything seemed normal enough on the outside.
"A might fair spread," Ranger drawled as he flew over the front gate. "But not as big as back'n Dallas."
The normalness all changed the closer the heroes got to the main entrance. The elegant front doors had been smashed open and were lying inside the foyer. The Sky Sabre slowed as it reached the entryway as it continued to guide the heroes. Once confident that the Avengers knew where they were going, the jet suddenly accelerated and flew off once more.
"This must be the place," Firestar remarked as she slowed to hovering speed. "The front doors have Muskateer's handiwork written all over them."
"Then let's ride in and round up them thar doggies! Yee-Haw!" Ranger surged forward once more, flying through the open entrance and into the main house beyond. Firestar just shook her head in response and flew after her teammate.
The pair flew through the small foyer and emerged in a grand hall. The doors between the foyer and the hallway were also wide open. The heroes passed over several unconscious bare-chested men in black vinyl pants and leather hoods. Neither Avenger paid the men any attention. It was movement and the sounds of battle dead ahead that was their focus.
Near the middle of the grand hall stood the Scarlet Sabre, her namesake weapon at the ready. The sword-wielding heroine had been assisting Muskateer in his quest to locate the missing Enchantress. The Avengers had also heard that the Sorceress from the Dallas based Superior Six was also helping Muskateer. However, neither Muskateer nor the Sorceress could be spotted.
Some thirty yards behind Scarlet was the unmistakable form of Ogre. The large muscle bound man had green skin and wore a dark green costume with yellow trim. Ogre was slow and lumbering, but was in Black Diamond's strength class. The man-beast was bellowing something unintelligible.
Standing before the crimson-clad swordswoman and with his back to just arriving Avengers was a man in a charcoal-black bodysuit. The outfit completely covered his body with the exception of his brown hair. As the Avengers watched, Thunderbolt generated a bolt of lightning and flung it towards the Scarlet Sabre!
"Glad you guys could join the party!", Scarlet called out upon seeing the new arrivals. "These jerks keep trying to get me to dance with them and won't take no for an answer! I mean, really! They're not my type!"
Scarlet reached out towards the lightning bolt with her sabre and batted the attack away. The re-directed arc of electricity struck Ogre in the chest, throwing the behemoth backwards in the process. Ogre bellowed even louder now.
"Now don't you worry your pretty little head there, ma'am," the Texas Ranger responded. "Ah'll teach these sidewindah's some manners!" As Ranger spoke, he generated a thought ram that caught Thunderbolt square in the back of the head. The force of the impact threw the electrical villain forward and towards Scarlet.
Firestar raised her hands with the intention of sending a blast of fire at Thunderbolt. Give him a taste of his own medicine for what Thunderbolt had done to Firestar back at that Warehouse when she first joined the Avengers. (Editor's Note: Way back in Avengers #2.)
But instead, the young Blood heroine spotted something purple moving off to her side. Firestar turned and her eyes grew wide when she realized that close bye was the traitorous Lightburst! He appeared to be disorientated and was using the wall for support. Cassie spun and generated a two-handed blast towards her estranged teammate.
"You!", Firestar sputtered out in anger. The flames bowled over Lightburst and he was slammed hard into the hallway wall. Silently he slid down the hall, collapsing in heap on the floor. The light-wielding mutant remained unmoving on the polished marble floor. Firestar eyed him for a few more beats to make sure he was unconscious.
"You've caused enough trouble, you creep!" Like many on the Avengers, Firestar had no great love for Lightburst. She didn't know much about the man outside of finding him to be a jerk. For Muskateer's sake, Cassie wasn't going to let 'Burst get away.
A short distance away, the Scarlet Sabre advanced on the prone Thunderbolt. The electrical villain was currently closer and a much easier target for the heroine than Ogre. "Thanks for the assist, Cowboy," Scarlet called out to the Texas Ranger. "Now to administer the coup de grace! Again!"
But as Scarlet closed in on the villain, he suddenly turned into electricity itself and shot away. Thunderbolt streaked into an electrical outlet in the wall and vanished!
"Hey!", the Scarlet Sabre called out in exasperation. The heroine waved her sabre around in agitation. "Come back here and take what's coming to you!"
While Scarlet was voicing her frustrations on Thunderbolt's escape, Ranger came in and landed beside her. "Looks like a stampede hit this place."
"Something like that, Cowboy," Scarlet explained as she looked around for more trouble. The heroine had been involved in one very long fight ever since she had arrived at the estate. "It's bad enough to have all these thugs running around, but I'm on to the second and third go around with some of them! This is getting really tiresome."
"What is going on?", Firstar wondered as she joined the other heroes. "Where are Muskateer and the Sorceress?"
"They've gone after Lady Darkness and the Enchantress," the swordswoman of the Freedom League stated. "Her thugs ran interference on us and by the time we got through that, they were gone. The Sorceress thought she could duplicate the spell they used but could only take one other along. Muskateer went with her leaving me behind with a houseful of thugs and miscreants."
"Here comes some more of these polecats!" Ranger pointed off down the hallway deeper into the mansion. Two more villains were coming to attack. One wore an orange and red costume and carried a shield. The other wore metallic gray armor with orange flame and blue ice patterns all over it. Ogre was still lying on the floor before the new arrivals trying to gather his wits.
"More foes that we fought before," Firestar cried out. "That's Mechassassin and Thermax!"
"Yeah, tell me about it," Scarlet chimed in. "It's a veritable bad guy family reunion." Although, some of the villains that Scarlet, Muskateer and the Sorceress had battled the first time around had disappeared on her, plenty of them still remained. Enough to make Scarlet's life interesting while waiting for back up to arrive.
"I want my pistol returned to me and I want it back now!", Mechassassin declared angrily. Muskateer had borrowed the weapon while the mercenary was unconscious earlier in the battle. It was currently with the swordsman where ever the Sorceress' spell had transported them. As Mechassassin stalked forward, a small blade popped out of his gauntlets.
Firestar inadvertently gasped in response. She had heard that Mechassassin's blade was tough enough to damage even someone like the Thing! There was no way Cassie was going to let the mercenary get close enough to use it on her!
"Tough noogies," the Scarlet Sabre responded defiantly. "Firestar, blast that creep! Mechassassin's' battlesuit doesn't hold up well against fire."
"Sure thing," Firestar happily responded. "I like facing villains who can't stand the heat!" Another two-fisted blast of fire was launched towards Mechassassin. Cassie had spread her attack so it was almost impossible to miss her target.
Vainly, Mechassassin tried to use his small shield to protect himself. The effort was for naught and flames surrounded the mercenary. His battlesuit served as a conductor for the heat and it felt to Mechassassin that he was being cooked in his own armor! Mercifully, he blacked out from the intense heat and collapsed to the floor.
"You're my kind of girl, sweet thing," Thermax gleefully called out. "I like hot women! But you'll find that Thermax is the Master of Temperature! I can heat you up or cool you down! Even put you on ice!"
Thermax gestured dramatically towards the trio of heroes. Scarlet raised her sabre up; confident that she could reflect whatever attack the villain sent her way.
"That lil' fellar talks way too much," Ranger nonchalantly drawled. "He ain't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve."
While Thermax prepared to fire, the Texas Ranger reached out with his mind. Suddenly, at the very last moment, Thermax's arms were jerked away! In one moment he was targeting the three heroes who dared raid his mistress' estate. In the next, he had acquired a new target: Ogre!
Ice began to form all around the green-skinned behemoth. Ogre could only growl in confusion before being completely entombed underneath several layers of solid ice.
"Nice move, Cowboy," the Scarlet Sabre complimented in appreciation. "I always did like killing two birds with one stone."
"That's not what I wanted to do!", Thermax raged. "You're the one responsible for this! The guy in the cowboy outfit!"
"Shucks, you plumb got it right on the first guess, stranger," Ranger admitted. "Ya done won the prize!"
"And you win a cold and frosty death!" Thermax dramatically pointed his armored gauntlets towards Ranger. The Master of Temperature's ice spikes would wipe the smirk off that do-gooder's face!
"I'll stop him!" Firestar aimed and let loose with another blast of fire. For a moment Thermax was obscured from the heroes by the raging flames. However, once the miniature inferno faded away, Thermax remained standing there unharmed.
"You think you can actually hurt me with heat? I am Thermax! Master of Temperature!" Undaunted, Thermax prepared to fired off a volley of his ice spikes. Once more, Ranger reached out with his telekinesis and caused Thermax's arms to suddenly shoot up and point directly over his head!
The volley of ice spikes flew straight up and blasted into the vaulted ceiling high overhead. A trickle of plaster and wood came raining down on the surprised villain. A large chunk of the ceiling itself followed a moment later. Debris rained down on Thermax, threatening to completely bury the criminal. When the dust finally settled, Thermax was unconscious within a mound of debris of what used to be the ceiling.
"What a first class dunce!", Scarlet said with a laugh.
"Way to go, Tex!", Firestar cheerfully added. "You really shut that jerk up!"
"Shucks, twern't nothin'", Ranger humbly intoned.
The sound of ice cracking and breaking drew their attention away from Thermax. Close by, the layers of ice imprisoning Ogre were beginning to splinter and fracture. They could barely hear the muffle roar of Ogre yelling. The cracks grew wider by the second. Ogre would be free again in mere moments!
"Looks like big, green, and ugly is throwing a tantrum", Scarlet noted in a concerned voice. "We defeat one bad guy and another turns up. I want off this merry-go-round!"
"Great," Firestar muttered. "I just wish Di or Angel were here. I guess it's up to us to put him down before he gets really mad!"
"Let's see if we can break this bull down with a bit o' teamwork, lil' lady," Ranger suggested.
"It's worth a shot," Firestar agreed. Cassie took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was to come.
By now, Ogre was to his feet. Great hunks of ice were being liberally tossed every which way by the man-beast. Ogre roared something unintelligible as he freed himself from his icy prison. Bellowing loudly, the large villain started towards the waiting heroes.
"Now!", Firestar cried out. Blasts of fire came from her hands and covered the advancing Ogre. The Blood heroine poured everything she had into the attack in an attempt to stop raging behemoth. Sweat poured down Cassie's face as she unleashed everything she had at Ogre. At the same time, the Texas Ranger generated a thought ram directly at their foe.
The combined attacks were not enough. Ogre remained on his feet and continued to bellow loudly. "You not stop Ogre! No one stop Ogre! Ogre crush you all!"
With that, the green-skinned behemoth lifted his fists over his head and in a blur smashed them down on the polished marble floor. The effect was instant and devastating. Giant cracks appeared in the marble floor and the sound of support beams being torn asunder filled the air. The floor of the grand hall split open, dumping everyone inside into the cellar below.
It sounded like thunder crashing as the main floor was suddenly dropped into the basement. An uneasy silence then filled the air as dust and plaster kicked up from the collapse greatly reduced visibility. The whole episode occurred so fast that neither Firestar nor the Texas Ranger could fly free from the danger. They both joined the Scarlet Sabre and Ogre in the chambers below.
Firestar groaned as she pulled herself to her feet. There was flashing pains in her right leg and 'Star favored it. "What was that maniac thinking?"
The Scarlet Sabre sat up and pushed part of the floor off of her legs. "That's an oxymoron, Firestar. Thinking is not something you use to describe Ogre."
"That thar hombre doesn't know his own strength," Ranger drawled as he telekinetically shifted debris aside. Once on his own feet, Ranger offered a helping hand to Scarlet. "Let me give you a hand there, lil' lady."
"Thanks cowboy." Scarlet allowed Ranger to pull her back up. Then she dusted herself off while she took in her surroundings. "Keep an eye out for the architect of this disaster. I'm sure this little spill didn't do anything to improve Ogre's sunny disposition."
The chamber they had fallen into was large and filled with machinery and equipment. A laboratory of some type perhaps. Scarlet's inspection came to a complete stop when she observed the large device situated near the middle of the lab. It looked like a giant ray gun from a bad 50's B movie. The device had been assembled piecemeal and a major component was very familiar to the heroine. It appeared to be damaged from the collapse.
"The Energy Amplification Array," Scarlet unexpectedly cried out in astonishment.
"The what?", Firestar wondered aloud. "What are you talking about?" Gingerly Firestar turned around to see what Scarlet was going on about. The Blood heroine's mouth dropped open in surprise at what she saw. "What the heck is that thing?"
"That thar gizmo looks like a toy," Ranger added in an unimpressed voice.
"Its much more than a toy...", Scarlet started to explained. Unexpectedly, she stopped in mid-sentence. The strange looking machine was inexplicably moving! The bizarre looking device was rising into the air!
A loud, guttural growl filled the chamber. Before the startled heroes eyes, Ogre was lifting the large machine up and into the air! The man-beast muscles ripped and bulged as he hefted the device over his head. He intended to hurtle it at the trio of annoying heroes!
"Ogre destroy you all!"
"Hey, put that thing down you overgrown lummox!", the Scarlet Sabre cried out. "There's millions of dollars in equipment you're juggling there!"
"Ranger, stand by with your force wall," Firestar instructed her teammate. "I'll handle this." Without explaining her intentions, Firestar rose into the air and flew before Ranger and Scarlet.
"Gotcha, lil' lady." The air before the western hero and the Scarlet Sabre shimmered slightly as a force wall was erected between them and Ogre.
"Wait a minute!", Scarlet said. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Surrender and I will not harm you," Firestar called out in a loud and commanding voice. She ignored the Scarlet Sabre's question.
With a bellowing howl, Ogre threw the device directly at Firestar! The Blood heroine was not surprised in the least. In fact, it was exactly she was expecting to happen given the low intelligence of this particular foe. Cassie had been gathering her strength and as soon as Ogre threw the machine, Firestar acted!
"NO!", Scarlet yelled in vein. The EAA was worth millions to her employer Sheryl Campbell.
A powerful blast of fire came from both of Firestar's hands and was centered on the flying device. A split second after impact, the strange machine exploded into millions of fragments! Hunks of hot and melting metal went flying everywhere.
The shrapnel pelted both Ogre and Firestar unmercifully. Numerous slag fragments pummeled Ranger's force wall. The western-flavored Avenger devoted his full concentration to keeping the barrier erect. Sweat trickled down his face. Miraculously, the force wall held and Ranger and Scarlet were protected from harm.
The shrapnel and the sound of the strange device exploding died down. Both Ogre and Firestar were down on the debris strewn ground. Cassie lay on the ground unmoving. There were numerous cuts and tears to her costume. Blood flowed freely from dozens of places.
Heart in his throat, Ranger lowered his force wall and rushed to the side of his teammate. "Firestar! Come on, lil' lady, speak to me!"
A weak smile came over Firestar's face. "Did I get him?"
Ranger looked back over his shoulder. While he was checking on Firestar, Scarlet had gone to make sure Ogre was down for the count. The crimson-clad heroine experimentally nudged the behemoth with her foot and received no response.
"Yup, ya done got'm, pahdner," Ranger explained as he looked back to Firestar. "You just lay there and relax. I'll fix yer wounds up."
"Don't bother, Tex. I'll be fine in a minute." A moment later, Firestar's body erupted into flames. Ranger stepped back in astonishment.
The Scarlet Sabre paid little attention to what was transpiring with Firestar. Instead, she sadly eyed what little remained of the strange device. If her theory was correct, the machine was capable of opening doors into other dimensions. Perhaps it could even be used to follow to where Muskateer and the Sorceress had gone.
"I hope Sheryl had a great insurance policy on the EAA," Scarlet casually remarked. With a sigh, the swordsman re-joined her Avenger allies.
By now, Firestar's flames had gone out. Her minor wounds had been completely healed. With Ranger's assistance, Cassie was on her feet once more.
"Was that machine important?", Firestar wondered aloud.
"Don't worry about it, Firestar. What's done is done." Scarlet placed her hand on the fiery heroine's shoulder for reassurance. "All in all, we've done very well. Black Diamond and the rest of the Avengers will be here shortly. Let's make sure that the villains we've captured remain that way."
"Come on, Ranger," Firestar urged as she took flight once more. "Let's secure the area."
"Right behind you, lil' lady." A moment later, Ranger joined Firestar in flight and together they flew up through the large hole in the ceiling.
Down below, the Scarlet Sabre was slower to move. She looked back to where the strange machine had been standing. It looked damaged before Ogre had even picked it up, so it might not have been useful anyway. With the device now destroyed, it appeared that Muskateer and the Sorceress, wherever they might be, were completely on their own.
The imperial suite was deserted at this time of night. That all changed in a flash of red light has a group of five beings materialized. One was the Earthman, Lord Evil. Cradled in his arms was the first of a trio of Lady Darknesses. This one wore the Stone Crown and possessed jet-black hair. She had been known as Ashley before her Joining with the Darkness.
A silver-haired Lady Darkness completed the spell that had brought all present to Shadowhold. She was incomparably lovely with flawless features. The darkness clung to her like a second skin, showing off all her delightful curves. She had been known as the Enchantress before succumbing to the Darkness.
That last Lady Darkness was the most voluptuous of the three and the shortest. She had corn silk blonde hair and while not as beautiful as her sisters, was still an attractive woman. She had been known as the High Morbane Lady Zee before being dominated by the Crystal and then later possessed by the Darkness.
The final member of the group was the Ectolian General Vilsimbra. She, like all of her race, had angular features, pointed ears, and glossy black skin. Vilsimbra was the commander of Lady Darkness forces. It was a position that afforded her great personal power and responsibility.
Unexpectedly, the two standing Lady Darknesses swooned, as if experiencing a momentary weakness. Their legs grew weak and their knees buckled. Both collapsed to the floor.
"My Empress!", Vilsimbra cried out in astonishment. She didn't know which Lady Darkness to assist first and ended up choosing the closest one. Vilsimbra bent down beside the blonde-haired Lady Darkness. "What is wrong, your highness?"
"Great pain," the blonde Lady Darkness uttered slowly.
"Our predecessor is dead," the silver-haired Lady Darkness added. "We felt the pain of her death in our mind. It momentarily overwhelmed us."
A look of shock locked on his face, Lord Evil looked upon Ashley with great concern. Much to his relief she was still breathing. A grimace of pain appeared on her brow, but it passed. Lady Darkness continued to slumber.
"She is resting," Lord Evil told an equally concerned Vilsimbra.
"We speak of the Lady Darkness before her," the blonde Lady Darkness said as she rose to her feet. "We are all joined together, bound by the Darkness itself. We felt a part of ourselves die."
"The sensation was overwhelming, but now has passed," the silver-haired Lady Darkness added. She too was on her feet again. "She had nearly grasped ultimate power, but failed. Pity."
"I will have this investigated, my Empress," Vilsimbra vowed. "Those responsible will be found and delivered before you."
"In the meantime, see that we are not disturbed," the blonde Lady Darkness commanded. "We must rest and regain our strength. When we arise, the Joining will have been completed. Then shall our plans for conquest go forward."
"As you command, my Empress," Vilsimbra responded as she bowed deeply. "Sleep well."
Vilsimbra quickly departed the chamber. She would alert the rest of Shadowhold to the return of the Empress. Guards would be posted outside her suite while the enslaved servants would await their every need. Food and drink would be at the ready.
Meanwhile, Lord Evil made for one of the private bedchambers here in the Imperial Suite without comment. It was the same chamber that he and the Ashley Lady Darkness shared for many years. The other two women let him depart without comment.
"It is good to be home," the silver-haired Lady Darkness announced as she gazed about the vast chamber. "We've been away from Shadowhold far too long."
"Agreed. Come let us rest. There will be much work to do later," the blonde Lady Darkness stated. She gestured towards one of the other bedrooms in the suite. Picking their own private rooms, the two new Lady Darknesses retired for the evening.
