Kara grabbed him, caught the tips of his fingers. Below, the wind howled with maniacal fury, pulling Zaltar away from her. "Hold on," she cried.
"I . . . can't . . . My eyes . . ."
"Zaltar, you can. Zaltar," she pleaded, "remember, it's darkest just before the dawn. Hold on! Don't give up now. We're almost there.
We're going higher, into the light."
His fingers tightened on hers.
Leading him, she edged upward. The light was closer now, shining with a fierce brilliance. "Zaltar, we're almost there."
From below, the winds, in one final excess of fury, rose up, howling and powerful. Zaltar's fingers slipped away from hers. "Zaltar!" She turned to see him falling, tumbling, falling into the abyss. "Zaltar . . . Oh, Zaltar!"
He was gone, only his voice echoing up to her—"Kara . . . it's up to you . . . you . . . you . . .
A sob escaped her. But there was no time for grief. That would have to come later. She continued upward . . . toward the light . . . The heat became unbearable, the light burned white and fierce, a blinding sun . . . and she knew she had to enter that white, fierce burning light, had to enter it and pass through it.
Selena was not pleased. Understatement. Selena was furious, fuming, and fulminating; when Selena fulminated, everyone near her got nervous. She pointed to the mirror. There, climbing steadily toward the blazing light of the Quantum Vortex, was Supergirl. "Do you
SEE
that?" she demanded.
"Yes, darling."
" 'Yes, darling; yes, darling.'
SHUT—UP!
"
"Yes, darling." Ethan was on automatic, as he had been for—how long? Sometimes he thought it had been forever, that he'd always been Prince Ethan, sleepwalking through his days . . . As he stared at the mirror image of the girl in the red cape, he remembered a kiss. . . . Maybe (he wasn't quite sure of this, but then, in the state in which Selena kept him, he wasn't quite sure of anything), just maybe, that kiss had something to
do with this girl. Although that didn't make sense. Did it?
"Yeah, like the Thessalian Fireballs weren't so all-fired hot." Bianca hoped her little joke would cheer up Selena.
"They were
GUARANTEED
to work."
"Money back?" Oops. Bianca saw that Selena was not amused. That was Selena for you. Took everything too seriously. Bianca was always telling her,
Relax, enjoy,
but Selena was a real
TA
, type A. Heart-attack type. Thought the whole nine miles was something you had to race through at top speed. Bianca tried to think of an appropriately serious remark to pacify Selena. "At least the Thessalian Fireballs got rid of that other schmo." Oops again. That didn't go down any better with big
S
.
"I don't
CARE
about him. Get that through your pathetic little pinhead! It's her. . . . Isn't there
anything I can do to stop her?" Selena paced back and forth in front of the mirror. "I need some ideas,
fast
."
Thunder rumbled and the room shook. "Weird," Bianca said. "The sun's shining outside"
"Don't give me weather reports." Selena snapped her fingers. "Ideas! Ideas! Don't either of you have any ideas? Forget it, I already know the answer."
Another crack of thunder rattled the cages hanging from the chandelier and set the mirror and the Coffer of Shadow jumping.
"Hey, like, what's happening?"
"Something . . . and I don't think it's any good," Selena said.
She was right . . . or wrong, depending on your point of view. The image of Supergirl on the mirror screen disappeared, replaced by a blazing light that drove them all back. Light . . . white-hot light . . . so hot it shattered six windows. And in the next moment, the mirror, itself, shattered as Supergirl burst through it. Glass flew in every direction. Her momentum carried her around the room at Super Speed.
She was still glowing, literally and figuratively, from her passage through the white light of the Quantum Vortex. She had done it! Come through every peril and danger and arrived where she started. But she would never forget she hadn't done it alone. If not for Zaltar . . .
Zaltar, dear friend . . . I'm here. And now I'll take the Omegahedron back to Argo. For you, Zaltar . . .
She banked her flight and landed in front of Selena. "You've had your fun, Selena. It's time to pay up. The party's over now."
Selena grabbed the Coffer of Shadow. "Think again, bluebird! One wrong step, and even if
you
don't, your friends will get the point." The Burundiwand flashed up toward the cages, then down to the marble floor. Red-hot steel spikes sprouted directly below the cages.
"Don't worry, Jimmy! Lucy! Nigel! I'll save you" Supergirl turned on Selena. "I'd stop right now, if I were you."
"But you aren't." Selena pointed the Burundiwand. The chains holding the cages to the chandelier snapped. The cages plunged straight for the deadly spikes.
Supergirl inhaled. She had to save her friends! Now . . . exhale! Icy Super Breath swept across the steaming hot spikes, and they exploded in all directions, barely a moment before the cages smashed to the floor.
The prisoners crawled out of their cages and staggered around dazedly.
Supergirl pushed them toward the other room. "Hide! Stay there"
"That won't save them, Supergirl," Selena sneered. "I'll have them back in cages, or worse, before long"
"I doubt it," Supergirl said calmly. She held out her hand. "Give me the Omegahedron. It belongs to Argo"
"Oh, so that's what you call the whatchamacallit,'' Bianca said interestedly.
"Is that what you want?" Selena said. "Far be it from
me
to keep you from what you want" Opening the Coffer of Shadow, she touched the Burundiwand to the Omegahedron. "Now, come, Wind!" she cried, unleashing a wind as fierce as that in the Quantum Vortex. The room darkened as a gale roared toward Supergirl, knocking her over. Selena laughed. "Is that what you want, Supergirl? More, you say?"
The gale whipped toward Supergirl again. She scrambled to her feet and pulled out her cape like a bullfighter. "
Toro!
" She sidestepped neatly.
Selena's face contorted. The Burundiwand flashed. A wall of bricks crashed down on Supergirl, burying her.
"Heads up," Bianca croaked from the corner where she was crouching.
Sitting on his throne, Ethan observed and said nothing. Numbness was his style. Why do anything, why say anything, why care? Just go along with whatever happened, whatever was wanted. . . . Yes, my darling . . . yes, my darling . . .
But the oddest thing . . . Instead of,
Yes, my darling
, his mind began to spit up and repeat just one word.
No. No. No
. Something was happening to him, had been happening from the moment Supergirl burst through the mirror. That numbness was lifting, leaving him, and his mind tingled like a hand or a foot that had been asleep and was coming back to life. . . . He hadn't cared about anything for ages, but now, fearfully, he stared at the pile of bricks. Where was she? How could she survive that brick tomb?
Just then, with a tremendous thrust of her shoulders, Supergirl threw off the crushing mass of bricks, flinging them to every side like a dog shaking itself dry.
"Curses!" Chanting and raving, Selena lifted her arms. The floor beneath Supergirl swayed and erupted in flames. Supergirl was thrown to her knees. "Now . . ." Selena screamed. "Now . . .
this time
!"
The floor beneath her opened into a yawning pit of fire. Above her, perched on a beam, a huge stone gargoyle blinked and came to life. Its eyes glowed purple-green. It spread its arms and dove for Supergirl.
"Supergirl!" Ethan yelled. "Up! Look up!"
Supergirl leaped aside. The stone demon crashed past her, through the floor, into the fire below.
Selena turned in a fury on Ethan. "You, I'll take care of later!"
"Well, excuse me, folks," Bianca said, creeping out of her corner, "when you gotta go, you gotta—" Barely sparing Bianca a glance, Selena flicked the Burundiwand. Invisible hands pinned Bianca against the wall. "I guess," Bianca said, "I'll stick around for a while, after all."
Selena moved toward Supergirl, chanting hoarsely, her eyes a glowing orange. A black mist coalesced around her, shrouding her for a moment. A figure appeared in the mist, an exact replica of Selena, but drained of color and life. As Selena chanted, the Shadowself moved its mouth soundlessly. As Selena moved, the Shadowself moved, mimicking her every gesture.
In her invisible prison, Bianca whimpered at the sight. Ethan turned pale, and even Supergirl was affected.
"Demon . . . my demon . . . Power of Shadow, my Truer Self," Selena intoned, "now . . . do my bidding . . . I command you . . . Destroy her!"
The Shadowself detached itself from Selena and moved toward Supergirl.
Selena raised her arms above her head . . . so did the Shadowself.
Supergirl leaped up onto a beam. The Shadowself floated to the beam. Below, Selena moved forward, arms outstretched and cupped. On the beam, the Shadowself moved toward Supergirl,
its arms outstretched.
Waves of power radiated from the Shadowself.
Supergirl was pulled forward . . . closer . . . closer . . . closer . . . The arms of the Shadowself opened
to receive her. Sweat burst out on her brow. Below, Selena gestured like a conductor, enfolding her arms. Above, the Shadowself gestured, folding its arms around Supergirl, sucking her into itself.
Selena clawed her fists apart. The Shadowself clawed Supergirl. Selena gestured, ripping and tearing. The Shadowself ripped and tore. . . . And
inside the Shadowself, Supergirl was being pulled and torn . . . ripped and torn. . . . The end was coming. Evil Selena would be victorious.
I'm with you, Kara . . . go on . . . on . . . on. . . .
It was Zaltar's voice.
Don't give up. . . .You can do it . . . you . . . you . . . you . . .
Summoning her last bit of strength, Supergirl curled up like a spring inside the Shadowself, then uncoiled and threw herself backward. She came flying out of the Shadowself feet-first.
Selena's eyes burned with an orange fire. She advanced on Supergirl. Above her, still controlled by Selena, the Shadowself advanced.
Supergirl wavered.
And Ethan, creeping behind Selena, slammed down the lid of the Coffer of Shadow, cutting Selena off from the Omegahedron.
Selena felt something vital draining from her, like blood.
As Selena grew weaker, Supergirl's strength flowed back into her.
"Supergirl," Nigel croaked from the other room, "
make her confront her demon
."
Supergirl jetted through the room, circling Selena at Super Speed, whirling her upward. She set her down on the beam, facing her Shadowself.
The Shadowself whispered her name like a lover, "Se . . . lee . . . naaa . . ." and slowly drew her toward itself.
Selena screamed.
Supergirl spun a web of wind, enveloping Selena and her Shadowself. Around and around she flew, drawing the net of wind tighter, drawing the two inside, the two who were now one, toward the mirror. . . .
The mirror yawned blank and empty as the web of wind passed through it into the black void.
They were gone.
"Gone," Jimmy cried, raising his arms. "Golly!"
Lucy danced into the room. "We're free again!"
Bianca, released from the invisible hands, rubbed her arms. "Yeah . . . free . . ." she echoed, but she looked perplexed, even lost.
And, indeed, the scene had one more act to be played out.
Bianca approached the empty mirror. "So, like, where they'd go?" She poked her head through the frame, then gave a startled yelp as something grabbed her and pulled. "Wait a sec!" She held on to the edge. "You don't want me! All I did was follow orders." She held on for an instant longer; then she, too, was gone. "Orders . . .orders . . . orders . . ." Her voice pleaded tinnily for another instant; then all was silent.
All was quiet.
Lucy, Nigel, and Jimmy looked around, as if they still couldn't believe what they had seen. "Is she really gone?" Jimmy said.
"She is
gone
," Lucy said. "The evil sorceress has flown the coop."
Holding the Coffer of Shadow distastefully with her fingertips, Supergirl tossed it through the mirror frame. It disappeared, and after a moment, there was an enormous splash, which echoed and died away. She passed the Omegahedron in front of the mirror, and the scattered fragments of glass flew into the frame and reassembled.
"Selena . . ." Nigel said. "Where are you now?" Then to the others, as if defending himself, "She had her good points."
"Maybe for you. But what I say is, Happy day and hip, hip, hooray!" Lucy flung her arms around Jimmy and kissed him. He immediately kissed her back. And she returned the favor. Of course, not wanting to be in her debt, he then kissed her in turn. She kissed him back. The kiss went on. And on. And on.
And this was the way Jimmy and Lucy celebrated Selena's downfall and their freedom.
Which was as good a way as any, maybe the best way. Supergirl cast a rather wistful glance at them, but such frivolity and fun was not for her. She had the precious Power Source again and another arduous journey ahead of her. Still, there were a few loose ends to be tied up.
"Listen, all you good people," Supergirl said. "I must return the Omegahedron to its rightful home. If it's not too late—"
"It won't be," ever-optimistic Lucy put in and resumed kissing Jimmy. My, my, my, she thought, what she'd been missing!
"—and I have to ask you all," Supergirl went on, "not to say anything about me and—"
"We understand," Ethan said. "We never saw a thing. Did we, Lucy and Jimmy?" No answer from that quarter. "Nigel?"
"You can depend on me not to talk out of turn." Except for a streak of gray in his hair, Nigel had been restored to his former self, but there was a shade less swagger in his walk, a shade less confidence in his voice. His eyes would be forever touched with shame and sadness. He sighed. "Without
her
. . . my whole world is—" He turned his hands outward. "There's just no point anymore. No more dirty tricks, the fun's gone."