by Libbylawrence
Before the second wave of altered showgirls could attack, a newcomer joined the fight — a beautiful woman with long, cascading black hair, dark eyes, and a curvy figure. She wore a black evening gown with matching high heels, which sparkled with countless tiny sequins. One side of the dress revealed a daring slit. A gleaming tiara rested in her thick, luxurious hair, and her dazzling earrings flashed in the night lights.
“Princess Prism!” Zoro exclaimed, recognizing the stunning stage magician.
“A fan! Cool! I don’t suppose these rather tacky women are irate because my show was sold out?” she said with a throaty laugh.
Princess Prism raised her hands, posing dramatically as the tiara she wore blazed with white light, striking the remaining harpies with bolts of mystical energy and transforming the furious women back to normal. They landed on a flashing cushion of crystal formed by Princess Prism’s tiara.
She wiped her hands together casually and fluffed her hair, as if to signal that a good day’s work had been accomplished. “Now, back to the stage!” she said. “I need to have Babs retouch my make-up!”
Warlock approached her, saying, “Wait! You just performed real magic. You are far more than a stage magician!”
“You’re Warlock,” Princess Prism replied, recognizing him. “I’ve heard of you. Daddy mentioned you. He’s Jack Lansing. You knew him as Diamond Jack when he was a mystery-man. I’ll tell him you said hello! Ta ta!”
Zoro spoke up. “You’re Diamond Jack’s little girl! Not so little anymore!”
The black-haired beauty smiled winningly and remarked, “Daddy always said you were a charmer, Zoro!”
Warlock took that moment to ask, “I know your father used a mystical gemstone. That gem in your tiara has magical power too. Are you carrying on his crusade?”
She frowned, gazing down at her nails as if bored, and said, “No. I used my magical gemstone to make me a star! I want to be famous. If I can do some good with it like I just did, that’s fine, but this girl is strictly in it for the fame!”
Warlock stepped in front of her, saying, “Wait! I hate to be rude, but I must say that’s a rather selfish and spoiled attitude. You have strong magical powers. How can you waste them on such trivial matters?”
Princess Prism retorted, “You were a stage performer once, as was El Carim. Don’t give me attitude! I’ve had a hard life. I was seven years old when my mother and I joined Daddy at the ceremony honoring the Marvels. We were all caught in the Suspendium Trap. As hard as it was for the adults to deal with waking up twenty years later, think of how much more terrible it was for a child! (*) My dad started behaving strangely. We later figured out that his mystical gemstone had been tainted by a Priest of Set. He started to become violent. My mother sent me away to boarding school so I wouldn’t see his madness. Later, I was given my own gemstone, only mine is free of any curse. I do use it for good, but I also use it to boost my act. I’m not ashamed to say I want to be a star!”
[(*) Editor’s note: See “The World’s Wickedest Plan,” Shazam! #1 (February, 1973).]
“Speaking of Diamond Jack,” said Zoro, “Lance O’Casey told me that he and Ibis helped your mother free your father from the dark magic that had taken him over. (*) Lance says your parents are happily reunited, and Jack has given up the heroic life.”
[(*) Editor’s note: See Shazam’s Squadron of Justice: Voyagers.]
Princess Prism nodded slowly, saying, “Yes, they are happy now. Why shouldn’t I also be happy? I love being Princess Prism. My stage act makes audiences forget their troubles. Is that really so bad?”
Warlock offered his assistance, saying, “You have great potential. I wish you well. I only feel that prancing on a stage is a waste of that talent! Should you ever wish to talk with me or learn more about magic, I will be happy to help you!”
Princess Prism gave a dazzling smile and said, “I appreciate that!” She floated down to the resort on a crystalline platform.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Warbird grumbled, “What a witch!”
Zoro placed a hand on Warbird’s back, saying, “Don’t judge her too harshly. I think beneath all those sequins and sparkles, she has a good heart! She certainly helped us!”
Warlock nodded, watching the girl depart, and said, “I sense nothing tainted about her or her gem. She just needs to grow up a bit.”
As he spoke a few soft words, a golden object appeared from within the resort below. “This is the base of the Lamp!” he said. “I can join it to the handle like so, and the Lamp will soon be complete!”
Zoro observed, “You know, of course, that these threats are not meant to harm you. Someone wants to stop you from completing your task, but he or she doesn’t seem overly serious about it!”
Warlock nodded, saying, “You’re no wizard, but you have to be the most perceptive man I’ve ever met. Nothing escapes your keen powers of observation! I begin to suspect Andrea wants me to find her!”
Zoro looked at him intently and said, “If she wants to see you, she may also have wanted you freed from the curse. Could my arrival and subsequent actions have been compelled by some spell? I do not like the thought that I’ve been used by some unknown mystical being!”
“You are under no spell now,” Warlock reassured him. “I checked as soon as the idea occurred to me. I have to admit that the circumstances that brought someone with your unique condition directly to me at this particular time made me ask the same questions you’re having now.”
Warbird looked thoughtful as she added, “If Andrea wants to meet you, perhaps she also wants you to retrieve the Lamp. She couldn’t do so on her own, and she must still want it!”
With a nod of his head, Warlock replied, “Warbird, I think you may be right! That would even explain why our opposition has been less than overwhelming.”
Zoro smiled proudly. “See?” he said. “She is a brilliant young woman! I told you!”
Warbird briefly smiled with pleasure before frowning again. “Do you think I could ever wear my hair like Princess Prism?” she added ruefully. “She’s a brat, but she sure knows her way around a mirror!”
***
Later, as the plane soared over the southeastern corner of Norway, Warbird wondered aloud, “What kind of mythical beastie will come after us here? I bet it’ll be something Norse!”
Zoro smiled and replied, “I trust your instincts. No doubt we’ll see soon enough!”
Warlock announced, “This time I’m going to summon the final part of the Lamp immediately!” He gestured abruptly, and a golden construct in the shape of a lamp appeared. He joined it to the handle and base, smiling approvingly.
“This is it! The Lamp of the Gods!” he declared.
Suddenly, the plane lurched sharply, and Warbird cried, “Something is taking control of the plane! It’s not responding to my controls!”
Zoro observed, “Ah, this must indeed be magical threat number three!”
“Allow the plane to go where it wishes to,” Warlock said. “I can cushion any impact. I’m eager to end this!” His eyes flashed with passion as he held the Lamp, and Hugin perched on his shoulder. “I agree,” he said as if in reply to the raven. “This must be the denouement!”
“I don’t like this!” Warbird cried. “I’m not used to being helpless in a plane!”
“Don’t worry!” Zoro told her. “Just relax and leave the flying to our unseen foe!”
Warlock nodded and said, “It is fine, Warbird. I am picking up a rather familiar mystic vibration. It is indeed Andrea who is behind all this, and I have no doubt that it has all been orchestrated so she can steal the Lamp and use it for conquest! She will regret ever crossing my path!”
The plane descended safely onto a barren field, but the supernatural power was clearly disturbing to Warbird. The petite blonde had been a prized pupil of Captain Midnight’s and had even traveled through space. She was a scientist and what might be called a futurist, and she had no love for magic. Although she had seemingly enjoyed the bizarre battles with the Undead and the harpies, those encounters had not forced her to examine her capabilities and find herself lacking.
I’ve battled space pirates on Pluto, and I’ve outwitted the Cybernetic Web. I can’t be a plaything for some witch! she thought, gritting her teeth and gripping the controls with a firmer hand.
“We’re near the head of the Oslo Fjord,” Zoro pointed out. “The city of Oslo is nearby.”
Warlock explained, “I allowed the final part of the Lamp to be hidden in a place of its own accord. I felt it best that not even I knew exactly where. It was only by assembling the other two parts that I was able to ascertain the location of the third. It was a bit of extra protection!”
As they climbed out of the plane, Warbird commented, “It’s rather pleasant here.”
Zoro nodded. “Oslo is a wonderful city. A fleet of ferries connects it to other smaller towns, and the city has a number of fine museums. It is certainly not a crude or primitive place.”
Warbird smiled. “Of course you speak the language,” she said. “Is there anything the Man of Mystery can’t do perfectly?”
“I can’t explain that!” Zoro said, pointing up to a weird outline of a woman that seemed to burn its way across the skyline.
“Andrea does love to make an entrance,” said Warlock. “She could be the opening act for Princess Prism’s Vegas show!”
The feminine outline approached them, and the burning nimbus grew brighter until the interior of the humanoid shape filled in, revealing a lovely Irish woman with raven black hair, flashing green eyes, pale skin, and sensuous lips. She wore a simple black dress and boots.
“Edmund, you are a welcome sight! I have missed you!” she said.
Warlock smiled, his hands trembling at his sides. He was fearless but also nervous and wracked with emotion as he gazed at his captor and former lover.
“Andrea, you will have all of eternity to miss me when this day is done!” he said. “You will have time to recall in intimate detail every nuance of this most happy reunion!” His gaunt body seemed to grow larger as his mystical powers manifested as a flashing aura surrounding him.
Andrea smiled coldly and said, “Then let us preserve this moment and retain our old privacy!” Cords materialized, binding Zoro’s hands, while similar ropes bound Warbird.
Seconds later, Zoro freed himself from the ropes. Though conjured by magic, they were merely ordinary ropes, and his legendary mastery of escapes proved useful once again. Warbird casually dissolved her own ropes with a pellet of fluid from a small ring on her right hand, showcasing her well-equipped arsenal of gadgets, a testament to her training under the great Captain Midnight.
Zoro caught her eye and shook his head slightly, signaling that this had to be Warlock’s fight. They would help if needed, but they would not interfere until that moment arrived.
“You know I freed you!” Andrea exclaimed. “I manipulated that fine man there into finding you. I knew his heroic nature would enable him to give up one of his extra lives to save you! I have regretted trapping you. I was a spirited girl with no thought for what I was doing. I’ve wept over it since that hateful night!”
Suddenly, Warlock towered over her, his magic transforming him into a giant. “I won’t shed a tear over this!” he shouted.
Grabbing her, he raised her into the air, his grip unyielding. She twisted and kicked, but she could not break free. “Andrea, I loved you!” he cried. “I loved you, and you hurt me! You can’t know how badly you’ve ruined my very life!”
“I deserve your hatred!” Andrea replied. “I am in your power now! End my life! I will not try to stop you… indeed, I doubt I could!”
Hugin screeched loudly, flapping his black wings as he circled his master.
Warlock gently lowered his arms and began to assume his normal size and shape. “You are right, old friend! I won’t be as cruel as she was. I won’t become the very being I’ve dedicated my life to stopping.”
Zoro sighed with relief. He was indifferent as to what happened to the Irish witch, but he feared his friend would suffer greater torment afterward had he killed her.
Andrea fell into Warlock’s arms, and he gasped for breath as though he was choking.
“You’re crying!” he stammered, gazing down at her face. He wiped a tear off her cheek and stepped away from her.
“Andrea, you wanted me to kill you,” he whispered, finally understanding. “You freed me so I could reassemble the Lamp and use its power to end your life, didn’t you? That’s why the only resistance you made was a token one! You hoped I’d be duped into killing you!”
She hesitated for a second, and then, as sobs shook her body, she nodded. “I don’t want to go on living this way!” she said, her voice cracking. “My thirst for power has made me empty! I’m young and possibly immortal. I can’t face an eternity like this. I can’t live without love!”
“You’ve alienated everyone,” Warlock stated. “Your thirst for magical power drove everyone you ever cared for away. You lost your humanity when you gained your magical talents!”
He sighed heavily. “I’ve felt alone too. I’ve felt like an outsider. I could easily use the Lamp to kill you. You tricked me before when I was lovesick and vulnerable, but I’m in control now. I can’t be beaten by you… possibly not by any mortal magician. I can read your heart. You no longer have the malice you once embraced so proudly. I won’t help you die… but maybe together we can help each other to live!”
Taking her hand, Warlock nodded as she looked up at him in surprise. Andrea wept on his chest, and he held her for what seemed like hours, but was, in fact, mere moments.
“Zoro, Warbird, I want to thank you both for helping me as you have,” said Warlock. “Should you ever need me, I will be there for you in turn.”
Turning to Warbird, he said, “You are a special lady. You make your teachers proud, and you combine their skills with your own rare gifts! You are a true heroine!” He bent down and kissed her cheek.
Warlock then turned to face Zoro. “You gave me more than freedom,” he said, shaking hands with him. “You gave me a friend!”
Zoro the Man of Mystery smiled warmly. “Well done, friend,” he said. “It has been my pleasure.”
Rejoining Andrea, Warlock said, “We’ll be going now by our own means of travel. May your futures be blessed, and may we all meet again!” He took Andrea’s hand, and as he whispered an arcane command, they vanished into the wind.
Zoro stared into the empty skyline for a moment, then turned to face Warbird. “I do wish him a happy ending. Now, why don’t we go find a few perils of our own to conquer?” he said with a smile.
The dashing Man of Mystery and his capable partner walked back to the plane, preparing to depart. Zoro glanced back again and thought, I truly do wish them both well!
The End