SENTINELS OF MAGIC#4: "Like A Mockingbird" by JM de Joya
"When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn't teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, "I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." =To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee=
Zatanna opened her eyes, and found herself staring into the open space. They were inside some garden, some place far off. Jonah Hex mumbled something quietly, while Dr. Occult gathered his items that fell on the grassy ground. Jonah turned around, eyeing their sorroundings. Pink and purple sky. Multi-colored trees. Cute walking teddy bears. Big waterfall... ...cute what??!?! "I think we're in god damned hell," Hex mumbled, as the teddy bears began prancing around. "This is like my worst nightmare. Ever." "I think they're cute!" Zatanna said lightly, bringing moans to her fellow mystic. "Kind of like live stuff toys...like those children shows." Occult sighed, and opened his stop watch. "Time...the time..." They couldn't hear anything ticking, no sound that reminded them that time was of an essence here, in this world. Jonah gruffed, sitting down on the grass. "So...this's what's inside the Orb of Thessaly? Really can see why Diablo didn't want to go back..."
"Monsieur Strange, this problem...you can't fix, non?" Black Orchid said, as Strange, one of the most powerful mystics on Earth, examined the Orb of Thessaly. "...no, this technology is way beyond me, I think...so far, I haven't found a clue on how to decipher it...wait, I think...Tim! Get me my staff!" Strange's apprentice, the one known as Tim Hunter, stepped forth from the books, holding onto the golden staff. He began to take one step at a time, hesitant to get near his mentor. "...What's wrong, Tim?" Strange asked, as the boy stepped away after placing the staff in his hands. "N-nothing, sir..." "I sense something in your words. You have something you seem to hide from me..." "No! Sir, I...it's nothing." "...then...I guess it's nothing at all..." The boy disappeared in a cloud of misty dew, leaving the two other magicians to their solitude. Strange onlooked at the cloud of mist fading, and turned back to Black Orchid. "Now where were we?" He asked, as his staff began to levitate centimetres above the Orb. "Can you summon your Spirit Essence then, Orchid? Your Chakra should be very powerful, especially in the forehead." She turned to the wizard, and stared into his eyes. "...Monsieur, I..." She took a big gulp, and sighed. "...I don't know..." Strange turned to Orchid, and placed his hands on her. "I...just don't know! This shouldn't have happened, Monsieur Strange! None of this would happen if I didn't hide...my erreur grave." The former Sorcerer Supreme looked into the young mystic's eyes, and stared at them. For a while, Black Orchid thought she had seen the same treachery, sadness and shame she saw in herself, like a spark for a second, as it faded away. "...I...I..." "You can do it, Black Orchid. I know you can." She turned to the Orb of Thessaly, and raised her index finger to the staff. It began to radiate a blue and red light, merging into a purple glow from Orchid's forehead.
Dr. Occult realized what the creatures were, dancing around like teddy bears around a circle... "Faery circle," he said, grabbing onto the mystical his Sigil of Seven, his true source of power, Dr. Occult spun around, and cast a spell. The "teddy bears" began to shift, their glamour beginning to peel away. Within instances, the creatures appeared as their true form. "Korred!" Zatanna exclaimed, as took as step back. "...I take back that <>I>'cute' comment." They began to snap their jaws, readily awaiting to attack their prey. "I believed these creatures would plan to kill us with their dance of death...then take your spines away," Occult grumbled. "Well, you do paint a graphic picture, don't you?!?!" Jonah Hex said, as he began throwing projectiles of pure mystical energy at the Korreds. They began to implode one by one, these creatures, but where too many. Zatanna yelled an unknown spell, and the pea-soup fog began to form. Suddenly, it formed into a figure of an ancient dragon, flying high into the sky with Zatanna on its back. "Me' cis," she said, as the dragon flew down to the earth, dividing the legions of Korred. "Esrepsid! Won!" the dragon began to spread like dewmist, spraying the Korred with an unknown substance. They began to screech in agony, as they began melting. "Wow," Jonah said in awe. "What did you spray them with? Enchanted SpellDew?" "Alka Seltzer and tap water. They hate it." "Oh." Dr. Occult then cast a mystical barrier over the three, as the Korred began to make last attempts to kill them, even when they were melting. Occult was silent, concentrating on the keeping the field open with the Sigil of Seven. When the mist disappeared, the trio of mystics found themselves in a dead land, wasted. "Definitely one faery repellant I'd want," Jonah Hex mumbled, while they walked through the wasteland. Suddenly, they found one figure, a little faery girl. Her eyes were famished, as well as her voice was raspy. "Don't hurt me..." Occult stood before the child, and raise the Sigil of Seven. "You...you have placed us in grave danger...for that, you must..." "Wait, Occult don't do it!" Zatanna yelled, grabbing the doctor's wrists. "...she's helpless...she's harmless...don't, just...don't do it." Dr. Occult, puzzled, placed his hand down. Zatanna turned to the girl, and gave her her hand. "Don't worry...we won't hurt you." The faery's eyes widened, yet tears were missing, for she had not drank for long. "No...can't you see? You already did..." She tried to stand up. "...he sent me here..." "Who?" "He...the Lord..." "The Lord...?" The feary move closer to Zatanna, grabbing onto her sleeve. "...Lord of Entropy..." Suddenly, she began to dissolve, slowly but painfully. "He-he knows! He'll kill you! Just like he did to the Black Majestrix!" Her scream was endless, for five minutes, before she faded into ashes. Somber, Zatanna stood up, and turned to the two men who were with her. "What will we do now, Zatanna?" Dr. Occult asked somewhat sarcastically. "We," Zatanna said, trying to clear her throat. "--we'll find out who this Lord of Entropy is. And when we do..." "We do what?" Zatanna's eyes lit with anger. The little faery girl was young and innocent. Whoever did this, was beyond mercy. "...we'll stop him."
Madam Xanadu flipped the card open on one side, and placed it on the table. She was, after all, specializing in cartomancy, the magick of cards, so she might as well use her well benificial gifts. After all, when one is immortal, one must do something. She placed the card of the Empress on top of the pile, as she tried to discover the future of the Sentinels of Magic. "All magick...superstition shall be unlocked," she muttered to herself. On her hand, the book of the Dark Chapter rested. Strange had loaned it to her, for reference on a certain powerful entity he was searching for. Suddenly the cards began to fly, as if by itself. Xanadu desperately tried to reach for them, yet they were seemingly out of reach. Suddenly, the windows opened, trashing wind began to swirl across the room. Xanadu grabbed on to something, as the cards began to fly even more. Then, it died instantly. Xanadu fixed her hair, and began to gather the fallen cards, when she noticed there was only one card on the table. The Tower. And it was cut it half, perfectly clean. "...disaster, destruction..." Xanadu picked the two pieces, and and pieced them together. "...and Death." That night, she knew, her old friend would take another again.
"Sacre Mere...I...can...feel it!" Black Orchid felt her body surged with otherwordly power, coming from the staff of Strange. She had power, she knew, and she was slowly feeling it altogether. "Ah," she uttered, as the Orb began to levitate. With the candles set in the right positions, Orchid could finally summon the spirit essence she was hiding within her, flowing constantly. "Orchid! Back away now!" Strange yelled, as the Orb began to shine brightly. "It may be too strong for you...!" "No, Monsieur Strange! I can...I can do it! Can't you see?" "Orchid, it's not meant to be this way." "All this time, I have wanted to help! All my life, I've wanted to make a difference! Now, I...can!!!" The Orb began to shake powerfully, as the it began to implode. Strange reached out, and grabbed Black Orchid before it relic exploded in her face, and rolled away as the it began to combust. Then, after white explosion, Zatanna, Dr. Occult and Jonah Hex were back in Fortress Hill stunned as ever. "Good, you are back," Strange said, still holding on to Black Orchid. "We had a kind of...inconvinience getting you back." "I blew it," Black Orchid grumbled. "C'est la tuer..." "What are you talking about?" Zatanna asked, sitting beside her, then faced Strange. "Did something happen?" The former Sorcerer Supreme sighed. "She...she...I can't bring do this." Black Orchid turned to Strange, feeling half betrayed, half relieved. "Then I will," Black Orchid stood and took a step back. "...I blew it. I tried to help you...and even that, Grande Mere, I can't do right." She then ran out of the room, as Strange sighed. "Zatanna...she...she tried."
Agatha Harkness sat in her wooden chair, in the darkness of her house in Salem. Calling for her black cat, she placed catnip on the floor, awaiting for the feline to appear. The cat dropped on her lap, and she pulled out its purple pouch, another strip of paper she held. She sighed, and placed it on the floor. The shadows began to grow, as if alive, moving around her. Agatha just sat still, awaiting for its movement. "What are you waiting for?" she asked the shadows. "I know who you are, and what you will do...so do it." The shadows suddenly came alive, grabbing Agatha, as she silently sat still. She felt herself slowly disappearing, her soul finally released from the worldly presence. The creature slowly gobbled her body in the darkness. Then. The darkness. Her eyes began to blur, as she saw the woman's pale face staring at her. "Hi. I'm here," she said. "Take my hand." Agatha couldn't see her face, but saw that there was an Ankh dangling on her chest. Just like the legends of the Endless that the Kindly Ones told her. "...you...you are Death." She smiled, motioning Agatha to hold on to her hand. Suddenly, another pale skinned figure flew beside Death. "No, I can't! I won't!" "Boston Brand...I know you, you're that guy who flies around the realms." Agatha was blinded, as Deadman began to plead to Death. "I can't let you take her yet! She still has something to do on Earth!" "Look, I don't have time for this...other people are waiting for me..." "I can't let you take her." Death's eyes shined brightly, like a dragon's flame. "Deadman, stand aside." Deadman stood firm, and Death sighed. "...okay, you can save her for now. I've too much work to bother right now, I'll catch up later." "Thank you, milady." "Don't mention it. Gotta go." Death disappeared in a flash, and Deadman captured the soul of Agatha Harkness, and held her hand, guiding her back into the real world. "...what now? I am too old...and my body has been destroyed by the Dusk King..." Deadman guided her through the realms, as they fell to Earth like a shooting star. "We'll find you a body, Agatha. Things are growing hectic within the Sentinels of Magic, you are needed..."
Fortress Hill. Tim Hunter sat in the top of the tower, reading the book in his hands. Sighing, he sat with the book Strange first gave him, the Seven Voyages of the Cluracan. He opened it, and read it silently. "Well, what's a fine bloke like you sitting on top of this here place?" Tim had recognized that voice, coming from beside. John Constantine sat down, and gave him a slice of apple he had in his hands. "Not really nice weather we're having here, eh?" He pointed towards the thunder rolling back, crackling like a leather whip. Tim grunted. "In Fortress Hill, there's no such thing as weather. Everything you see here is a manifestation of emotions and thoughts of the people who live here..." "And you two blokes, Strange and you, live here alone?" Constantine grabbed the book Tim was holding, and opened it. "Hey, I was reading that!" "Tough, kid. You better learn ta be tough in this here bloody realms..." "But I am..." Constantine then hit Tim in the face, sending him on the ground. His glasses fell into Constantine's hands, and Tim got up, angrily. "Why...why did you do that?!?!" "Toughening you up, boy. You're not gonna be tough by saying ya are." Constantine gave Tim Hunter his glasses, placing it on his palm. "Now, show me what you got, or I'll take the trousers next." Tim gulped, and flicked his wrists. Suddenly, a dazzling array of sparkling light and fire began to dance in the sky, then disappeared. "Not good enough. Listen, Tim ol' boy, you want to be tough?" "...yes." "Say it." "Yes." "Say it like a man!" Tim stood up, and smacked Constantine in the face. The mystic landed on his feet, and smiled. "Good...you're learning...use that with your magic." "What about my Master?" "Don't tell him about this. Don't even show him your potential yet. Pretend this never happened." John Constantine turned his back. "We'll meet again tomorrow, right?" Tim asked the man, as he dispersed into the sky. And Tim sat silently, with his fists on the ground, and slammed it against the ground.
That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncrids, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." =To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee=
NEXT ISSUE: Things are really beginning to be tense, as the Sentinels of Magic are growing slowly uneasy of each other, as they begin to discuss on the future of the group. Meanwhie, Tim continues his secret training with John Constantine, for what exactly?...all this, and the fate of the Blue Devil and Agatha Harkness! Plus, a new Sentinel of Magic joins their ranks! Be here in 30 days, as we bring out this highly emotional piece and turning point in the lives of Earth's greatest mystics! SENTINELS OF MAGIC#5..."Tension".