Everyone looked to Amy for an answer but I shocked everyone in the room, including myself, as the answer came to me through my connection with the Wildflower.

The soft, subtle energy thrummed through me, steadying my rampant thoughts and easing the anxiety in my chest. It didn't so much carry the idea with it, but it allowed me a moment of meditation to ponder.

"Amy's the First Wizard on Earth, from Earth, right?" I asked.

Amy nodded. "That's what I feel. I mean, I'm new at this so I could be wrong, but...that's the general consensus."

I turned to Andre. "And wizards get more powerful the older they get?"

Andre shook his head. "Not necessarily, it depends on the person. But yes, that's generally how it happens."

I nodded like I was listening to him intently and using the information to form a brilliant plan in my head. Wouldn't you know it? For the first time that brain of mine really was working. Really. It was. "So, that means that you, Debbie and myself are the only real defence earth has against supernatural baddies. It's already been decided that the wizards of Earth need to be looked out for, but we can't do that. It would be like the Justice League catching street thugs instead of stopping the big freakin' meteor plumetting towards the planet. However, we can't just let the wizards come into their power by themselves."

This was it, my moment of brilliant glory. The one time since I'd taken on the Wildflower that I had an actual plan.

I opened my mouth to tell everyone how clever I was.

And freaking Andre took the freaking words right out of my freaking mouth.

"Alright, here's the plan. We contact Humbert and his people to help with the selection and training process, while Debbie, I, and..." he paused, and his mouth made an odd motion as if it made him sick to say it, "Mr. Gardner, will try to get to the bottom of the disturbance."

Debbie gave him a smile that should have been mine, "That's a great idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it!" She looked up at me. "Joey, I know you guys have been antagonistic in the past, but I really think you could learn from the old man here."

...and still, the night managed to get worse.

Debbie was right, this called for a collective 'oh shit'.

Oh shit.

AN: I'm sorry to double-post, it's just been a while since anybody posted on this, and I kinda wanted to write something for these guys and hopefully get somthing going again! So, here goes! Continuing the "meanwhile, Reza" lines that Anduriel started.

Reza

Reza wrapped the furs tighter around herself as she decended into the cave. It seemed as if the temperature had dropped the second she entered...Usually magic generated some heat, even ice-centered spells resulted in a slight rise in temperature outside of the effected area.

Not here. Never here. The wraiths of the dead were not meant to be warm.

All around her, she felt them. They reached out cold, ghostly hands to touch her as if she were a holy savior decending into their hell. Occasionally one was corporeal enough for her to feel a corpse-hand run down her leg. But she was concerned with larger spectors. The closer she got to the bottom of the cave the more she felt it.

Raw power. Coming from a creature pratically made of nothing else. And Reza knew that She had put great spells in place to control the impact of her magic on visitors...and still Reza felt the pressure weighing down on her. What a magnificent being.

Eventually, she saw the faint glow of red firelight at the end of the tunnel. The darkness slowly became a bloody red glow, and the wraiths that had been following her crept backward. Warmpth was not meant for the dead, and neither was light. It was their curse, to be lacked all things of life except the memories of it.

The tunnel she entered was filled with rings of the red fire.  Calmly she stepped over each of them. 81 in total. She didn't worry about touching it, in a place like this, even the fire lacked warmpth.

She entered a great hallway. It must have one point been a part of some citadel or the center of an empire. Now it was buried by the millenia beneath the sand and rock, forgotten by all but a few.

The accursed few.

Reza was never a religious woman, but here...she felt like making the Sign Against Evil, even though she knew the creatures here were not evil. No matter how they came across, no matter how She came across...they were not evil. They were driven by the needs of the universe. Sometimes this resulted in the pain of lower beings. Reza knew this, and it was what kept her from making the Sign.

At the end of the great hall...Reza found Her. She sat on a throne of cold marble carved from the same piece of rock as the wall behind it. It was large, and carved with endless circles and incantations meant to keep Her power in check.

She was not so impressive herself. A girl who looked no more than her teens was not what Reza expected every time she decended to the Hall of Ancients. Her eyes and hair were black, her skin the same caramel color as Reza's. Her dress was black, and in the style of the Earth medieval, with sleeves dropping all the way to the floor.

"Child of Wildflower," when She spoke, Reza felt the urge to run. "You know why you have been summoned here?"

"I do," Reza answered.

"You did not try to run?"

"Why run when there is nowhere to hide?"

She seemed pleased with Reza's answer. At least as pleased as she could be. "And I take it that you understand the consequences of your actions."

"Of course."

She rose from her seat, "The Universe is in chaos. I feel it. The turmoil and pain wrapping around all things like a dark blanket." She rose from her seat. "I will give you one chance to explain yourself, Child of Wildfire, before I cast judgment."

"I did not throw all things into chaos for personal power if that's what you're implying. I know better than that." Reza sighed, "Things needed to change. The Emperor was not fit to rule. He needed to be forced from power. The resulting turmoil was not my intention. I had thought that the Essence of the Emperor would pass to his son the moment he was gone, thereby keeping universal balance."

The woman on the throne nodded, listening carefully, "I understand. I truly do. But the Emperor is an important part of the Balance maintained between worlds. You gambled, and it may result in the end of all things. Whatever you're intentions, I cannot let a single being get away with taking such risks."

Reza nodded, bowing her head. She had known this would come from the beginning. It was the cost of her dream. "I accept my punishment, Your Majesty."

Slowly rising and descending from the throne. The carvings glowed with the same red fire-light Reza had seen in the hallway leading to the Great Hall. As She walked down the steps, each lighting up with the same powerful carvings.

All the while, Reza felt as if the pressure behind her eyes would force it's way out through her forehead. Standing so close to Her made Reza's skin burn and her lungs gasp for air. It forced her to her knees.

"I, Queen Among the Dead and Living sentence you, Reza of Wildfire, to the Land of Wraiths. There you shall remain for all eternity. Your torment shall be to watch the lines of the suffering dead grow, all because of your actions." She raised a hand and Reza forced her eyes shut.

The magic slammed into her with the force of a runaway golem. Picking her up by the chest and hurling her across the length of the Great Hall. She contacted the marble, seperating her shoulder joints. She slid along the marble as the magic pulled her closer to her end. Inside, she felt her body become numb, touch, sight, taste, hearing all faded into a muffled darkness. She screamed, a single, wordless cry of failure. But then...

She stopped. The magic stopped. hovering just an inch from the hallway now consumed by red fire.

It took her a moment to realize that it hadn't dragged her into the depths of the Wraiths' land.

The Queen Among the Dead and Living walked towards her, slowly. Across the great hall it took much time for her to reach Reza. She wasn't one for rushing things. She came to Reza, and placed a cool hand on Reza's forehead. Suddenly, the pain subsided, and her senses returned to her.

"I am," the Queen spoke, "granting you temporary leave of this sentence. Fix it, however you can. If you fail, or if you die in the process, remember what awaits you. And if you succeed...keep in mind that not all will be forgiven, but your sentence will be lessened. Now go, Reza of Wildfire, mend the whirlwind you have sewn."

Debbie didn't look pleased as she concurred.  "This one isn't going to be swept under the carpet.  Magic has been found--alive and well on Earth.  What do you think will happen now, Joey?" 

I shook my head and tried to imagine what I would have thought if someone started showing pictures of flying dragons on the news.  "Debbie, I don't have the slightest idea."

There wasn't much we could do. We were surrounded by a force far scarrier than the armed guards of Wildfire or wizard-turned-spider-monsters of the Emperor: the American media. All around me there large, black machines that could only be cameras. They obscured the faces of the cameramen, making them seem like strange alien probes instead of people.

Though...if the cameras were the alien probes...the men and women in sleek business suits and slick hair were the alien ambassadors hassleing you in some bizzare greeting custom in a language unlike anything you've ever heard.

Andre...was visably suffering. Even though the majority of his face was obscured by his hat, I could see the hard clench to his jaw. He was a carreer thief; staying to the shadows had kept him alive for centuries. His proffession was the very definition of 'low-key'. It had to be killing him to have all of that attention on him.

Debbie was doing considerably better, much to my suprise. As we forced our way through the crowed of reporters she was right beside me the entire way. Occasionally her spitfire nature shown through, and she would shove her hand in the face of a camera that got too close. Once she even pushed hard enough to send the cameraman sprawling back into a collection of his fellows.

Frances was still suffering from head trauma. He stumbled through the crowd following Andre. I'm not even sure he still knew what was going on.

Carrolton handled it like a pro. Giving orders and the most beaurocratic bull I had ever heard about an escaped mutant, one in a trillion thing, it would never happen again, nothing to worry about folks, blah, blah, blah.

My senses returned to me again about the time I crawled into the big SUV Carrolton had called for us. Normally I dislike those ridicules, huge cars, but in this particular case I was happy to crawl into the behemoth with tinted windows. We all crawled in, everything got quiet as the doors closed and the driver went about trying to drive though the crowed of people that had gathered.

Debbie was the first to break the silence, "...Well, I think we can all join hands in a collective 'oh shit'."

I glanced back and Andre, "Didn't you teach her better than to use language like that."

"I used your modern parenting methods of self-reliance," He quipped back. "But Mr. Gardner, you are a walking 'oh shit' you know that?"

I glanced back at Debbie, whispering, even though I had to lean across Andre to get to her, "Why is he calling me 'Mr. Gardner'? I think I recal saving his ass?"

Debbie leaned over too, so we met halfway across Andre, she whispered too, "He's still angry about the hand."

Jeez...you miss the power limiting bangle just once and you're marked for life. "He grew it back."

Andre, finally seeming to get fed up with my very adult and not in the least bit juevanile behavior, grabbed me by the hair and pulled me back, "You're breath smells like rotten eggs."

"You little-" I began, before realizing the other adults in the car were staring at me.

Carrolton 'ahemed' from her seat opposite us, and turned her attention to Andre. "So, do you mind telling me what that thing was?"

Andre leaned back in his chair, "It was a low-level demon." He leaned foreward for effect. "And notice how I say, 'low level'. As in, if you think that's bad, wait till you see what's coming." He eyed the crowd around the SUV, "Although. You'll excuse me if I don't feel inclined to talk under such pathetically insecure conditions?"

Carrolton smiled a business woman's smile, "Naturally-Driver, take us to Mr. Clapp's apartment."

"It's Capp." I insisted childishly. Somehow I felt that between Andre acting like a snot, and Carrolton acting like a snob, that this was going to be a very long night

I covered my chagrin by grabbing another donut, "Well yeah, of course, what I meant was...ah..." I took a bite to stall and give me time to think of an excuse, "What did you tell everyone N.A.I.F. stood for?"

Frances took a break from his sip of orange juice to look at me, very seriously, "It's top secret."

"...You never came up with a meaning, huh?"

He shrugged, "That's only half true. My partner came up with something clever, I just never...remember."

I laughed really hard at that. Not that I really had any right to, I probably wouldn't have remembered a bunch of big nonsense words either. We ate in silence the rest of the time, at the end I shoved a doughnut in my mouth. It tasted really good, and I couldn't resist a slight sense of arrogance. Debbie had always complained that I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight. I had naturally relished every possible oppertunity to remind her of it. Just as she had relished the oppertunity to drag me into an interdementional power play. See? Our relationship was very even.

With the doughnut and the orange juice finished, we got to work. Frances briefed me again on the case, "Local businessmen have been violently murdered. They are all from different companies, so there was no connection there."

I reviewed what I'd learned last night, "But the connection is that they all had the tendency to pay women to sleep with them."

"Yes, but it's important to remember that only one of them was known to pick up street prostitutes, the others spent their time with the high-end escort companies. And their bank accounts were drained shortly before they died."

I felt smart, even though I was really only reciting what he'd told me last night, "Aha. So whoever did it wanted money."

"And food," He added.

"And food," I agreed. A severe understatement was what that was. These business men had been skinned, and devoured almost down to the bone. Frances told me that the only way to identify them had been through dental records. I began, "So, I don't know a whole lot about mythology. How many she-demons are there that lure and devour flesh? Is it a vampire? I've always wanted to stake a vampire. Like Buffy."

He smirked, "Mr. Gardner you're Xander at best."

"But I have superpowers," I argued.

"Yes, but your a pale, skinny, parrot of a man," He seemed to get great pleasure from the look on my face, but he quickly dropped the subject and continued. "The you actually aren't going to get much trouble from the vamps. They've been here almost as long as people. They came here from one of the inner worlds about the same time we were clubbing animals with big sticks. As a result their culture has...adapted. While this would normally fit the profile the manner in which the victims died doesn't work out. Vampires tend to make it look like suicide, or hide the body in a way that no one will find it."

"So what did this?" I asked.

He sighed, "That's why we're here." Suddenly he looked just a little bit older, a brief look of longing went across his features.

I suddenly realized something. Frances was eating breakfast with me, and he'd been at the apartment until late last night. The idea that he even had an apartment seperate from his own home made me wonder if he ever really got to see his wife and family.

But, I reminded myself that it wasn't my place, and that I didn't know enough about the situation to supply an accurate judging of it. Not unlike this alltogether investigation. I am definately learning to speak before I talk.

After that I left to change into the fresh clothes he'd brought me. Blue jeans and plaid. I must have looked like a lankier version of the guy from Starksy & Hutch, and it felt uncomfortable to wear clothes that were so tight after spending so much time in the loose clothing of Wildfire. But all that mattered was that I was wearing familiar threads again. It felt really good. Even though my home was destroyed, this was the closest it seemed I was going to get, and I was glad for it.

Then we left to...investigate. I think. I remind you that I really wouldn't know what investigation looked like if it was knawing my face off. Debbie had always been far more into the detective shows that I was. The only one I ever seriously paid attention to was Scooby Doo, and according to Debbie that didn't count.

It was actually kind of funny, we'd spent a lot of time together before all of the supernatural crap, and those times watching TV and eating popcorn were distant. Now, I couldn't really imagine her as anything other than a perky mage-thief. Well, that and the spawn of Andre, but other than those two things I had a hard time pictureing her any other way. It was very, very hard to think there was a time I'd thought she was human.

With a sigh I realized I missed her. No, not Mage Debbie. Human Debbie. Sure Mage Debbie and I were still very good friends, probably even stronger after what we'd been through. But I didn't miss Mage Debbie like I missed Human Debbie. I guess that was because I knew that I would see Mage Debbie again, and that Human Debbie was someone I would never get a chance to see again. A part of me mourned that.

Quickly, I shoved it aside so Frances couldn't see. I walked out the door to the bedroom and met him at the door. We left quickly to go check out a theory he had.

I'll admit I was quite anxious to see this car that had once housed the Wildflower for him.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"This is some interrogation room," I managed as I took a deep drink from the bottled water. It actually wasn't an interrogation room, it was Frances' kitchen. A homey little kitchen with more plastic in it than metal or wood, but clean. Except for the coffee maker, which seemed to be the only thoughroughly used part of the kitchen.

Frances sat down at the opposite side of the table from me, "So, how did it come to you?"

There was no need to specify what he was talking about, "A friend. She gave it to me as a gift, turns out she knew what it was the entire time. What about you?"

"I was in a car crash when it came to me. Saved my life. When I crawled out a Knight took me to another world, claiming I stole it," He leaned over the table, "You're in some pretty serious trouble here. Homeland Security isn't going to be happy that a bomb went off in your apartment, and you were sighted in the middle of mysterious activity at the scene."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, "I shouldn't be suprised. That's kind of how my last few days have been..."

He smiled, and suddenly I couldn't help but feel just a little bit connected with him. We were both people who had been sucked into something we didn't want, into a battle against forces greater than our own. "Yes, isn't it funny how the Wildflower is supposed to deffect circomstances to our benefit, and yet it seems we are more unlucky when we have it than when we didn't...However, you do have a chance to avoid trouble with the government."

Oh goody, time for the sell. I figured there had to be some reason he hadn't taken me directly to the station. I'd HOPED it was some internal connection to me or a desire to talk about old times...suppose not. "Okay," I said, "What do you want?"

He put down his coffee, and met my eyes, "Let me explain something to you. This world is the farthest away from the center of the..."

"Multiverse?" I offered.

"Thank you, multiverse. This world is farthest away from the center of the multiverse. Of all the worlds it's the newest, and thus the less connected to the spiritual plain." He rose to his feet and walked over to a cabinet, where he pulled out a collection of manila file folders. Sitting back down at the table he continued, "However, it seems that in the last century the spiritual pressure in this world has increased. I assume this is because we are no longer the last world in the lineup, that a new world is spawning after ours, and thus is pushing us closer to Wildfire."

"And thus we're becoming more affected by the magic..." I finished as I reached for the first of the file folders. It was a mass murder, looked like some kind of office party, but it was hard to tell through all the gore. At the center was a creature somewhere between man and wolf. I could only guess, a werewolf. It was dead, filled with gunshot wounds.

Frances nodded, "Exactly. You see, we've always been drifting closer, it just seems that as the new world is in it's birth stages the process has been accelerated."

I shook my head. All my work to keep the Empire from absorbing my world, because it would cause mass panic, seemed to be in vain. It was all happening anyway. "Damnit..." I cursed, "And there's nothing we can do to stop it?"

"No, this is the natural process of things. Although,normally it's supposed to be slower. Usually people become accustomed to it over a long period of time."

I was looking through another file folder, this one was filled with burnt corpses, "What do you need from me?"

"Protection. We need someone who can stop these supernatural forces, keep them from killing people, which will keep them from being noticed."

"And if I refuse?" I felt like I'd said that simple phrase so many times recently.

He laughed, richly and deep. When he calmed down he managed to say, "You are the Wild-bound. You should know the answer as well as anybody."

I smiled. So, Detective Frances DID know what it was like to be the Wild-bound.

Andre's left hand was gone.

Yet still it seemed young Gardner had leveled the playing field. It only took Andre a few moments to shake the shock of losing a limb to the back of his mind. Literally. He used his internal magic to push the searing pain and shock to some dark, unused corner of his mind. At the same time he repressed the shock of survival. He couldn't leave those things there for too long; it would tear his subconcious apart if left there.

But this wasn't going to take that long.

The Wildflower created a current of energy under his feet, carrying him to the balcony. In the mere moments it took for him to get up there he summoned his sword. It appeared in his right hand in a flash of crimson. He didn't give the Emperor time to register his presence there. Andre lunged and quickly cleared the short distance between them.

The Emperor brought up his hand, and within seconds a twin of Andre's own sword blocked his strike in a flurry of red and white sparks.

The Emperor smiled at him, Andre knew, as satisfying as an execution was, winning a battle against him would secure victory in the Emperor's mind. As far as he was concerned the risk was worth it. They exchanged blow for blow, each meant to kill.

Andre received a slice at his head with a twist of his neck to carry vitals out of reach, before bringing his blade up to slice at the Emperor's stomach. The Emperor's sword darted in front of Andre's, deflecting the blow. More sparks of energy dispersed into the air. He swung the sword in a downward arch. With a parry Andre burried the other sword in the marble of the balcony. Andre let a little bit of his energy wash through his body, causing a familiar warmth to spread through his limbs. Twisting his body in an acrobatic display he sent a roundhouse kick flying at the Emperor's head...

...And the Emperor caught it in his hand, endowed with defensive energy to counter the murderous. Quickly, though, the desire of the energy in the hand became that of offense. With superhuman strength it tightened on Andre's ankle.

Oh crap.

Andre screamed as the Emperor jerked and dislocated his right ankle. Alarm flared through him and he let a burst of emergency energy carry him to the other end of the balcony. Hopefully out of the Emperor's reach.

He was wrong.

Within moments the Emperor followed, suddenly the one on offense. Andre tripped on his useless limb, and just barely stopped a blow that would have sent his head flying, or at very least turned him into a Pez Dispenser. In a desperate attempt he risked his one good leg to send the Emperor back. This time the kick paid off, it burried itself in the Emperor's solar plexis, and the stored energy in it spilling out it pushed the other man back, flying into the opposite railing of the balcony. The landing was hard enough so that a little bit of the marble cracked, and it took the Emperor a little bit longer than usual to get back to his feet.

In the break-time, Andre managed to scramble to his feet, and took the time to look for Debyone.

She was in the room that connected to the balcony, binding a long cut on her chest and stomach with some of the Emperor's expensive silks. She had also somehow managed to work her way through the binding spell.

Despite the situation, Andre let a little bit of fatherly pride flow through him. His baby was already unraveling S-Class binding spells.

He turned his attention back to the Emperor, who was staggering to his feet, "Andre, why do you fight? Don't you see, all you have fought for is lost to you. Your arm and leg are useless."

Andre pondered it for a moment, before shrugging and saying, "Because I'm alive when I know I should be dead, I suppose. I can't help but shake the feeling that stopping you is supposed to be my Good Deed, old dad always said every thief needs at least one of those before they die..." He motioned to Debyone, "As a matter of fact, I suppose even if I don't kill you, if she lives then I consider my Good Deed complete."

The Emperor gave a wolfish smile, "You are a fool. Do you really think that after all the evil you have done you will be allowed to end on any sort of a spiritual high point?"

Andre shook his head, "Karma doesn't work that way. At any point we have the chance to start atoning for the things we've done."

"If I remember correctly, Andre. You failed the last time you attempted something like this. Four boys died, very young for mages of their power, in their fourties. It seems as though that was an act of punishment for your karma."

An old familiar pain began to work its way into Andre's chest. An old fear crept into his mind.

The Emperor was touching on something he'd always feared. That his wife, and his sons were all taken from him as punishment for his sins.

And here he was, in a position to lose his daughter, his only remaining child, the very same way. Fear as old as time clutched him as images flashed through is mind. Each one of his children, all of them mangled at the hands of his greatest enemy.

He knew he couldn't live with himself if that happened.

Andre knew the only way to protect Debyone was to kill the man who threatened her.

Even at the cost of his own life.

Andre lifted his sword above his head, using as a conduit for the energy inside his body to spill out and gather strength from the world around him. A scarlet column of energy enveloped him body and soul as every last bit of his magic swelled out of him.

The Emperor rose to his feet, and lifted his own sword to the heavens. White energy gathered around him matching Andre's in size and intensity.

Andre couldn't help but ponder how the people of earth had the silliest tendency to believe that the ones wearing white were the good guys.

He stood there, letting his intent to kill flow over the other man, and accepting the Emperor's intent in turn.

Like he'd told Gardner, he'd lived a good life. He was ready, and would die happily as long as Debyone could be saved.

A century's worth of mind-games and combat...It ended here. Whoever was left standing when the credits rolled, kudos to them.

Andre released his charged up energy just as the Emperor released his. It was like the force of tidal waves colliding. A beautiful locking of explosive, raw power that sent waves of concussive blast echoeing through the courtyard causing damage to the building in some places. Light that outshone the clouded sun filled the courtyard, exposing the battle between the Spider Guard and invading forces, between Gardner and the Living Cloud (oh boy, was he in over his head). Wind seemed to blow both towards and away from the battle of wills and power.

Andre let out a wordless scream. The Emperor followed suit. The force of maintaining such high levels was wearing down on both of them. It was a question of who would give out first.

Suddenly, the marble beneath their feet began to shatter and break under the pressure of their battle. They both held their connection to the magic of the world around them as long as they could; even as they began to plummet to the ground below, even as the balcony twisted as it fell and they felt themselves seperate from the marble as they fell. Everything they had so focused on their one destructive spell that neither bothered with any sort of levitation.

Their concentration never wavered.

It was the kind of battle that, long ago, their mutual teacher had told them made mere mages into the great sages of legend.

Sometime during the fall, the mass of energy became too large for either to hold up, it needed to go somewhere.

So the mass of energy pushed its way into the opposing force, fusing together. It collapsed under its own weight...

...and exploded outward in a way that no one in the courtyard should have survived, much less either of the men at its center.

(AN: Sorry, got a little carried away. I just really wanted to write this battle.)

She wore strangly feminine, large, round gold earrings.  Yep, she was amazing, but she was also our lesser niminesis, Reza.  Great.  Now what?

I stood there for a moment pondering what to do. As heroic as it would be to deliver a baby while simultaniously overthrowing a cruel patriarch and saving my friend's father I didn't want to deal with Reza.

"Mr. Gardner," She said, and I did not almost jump out of my skin, and I did not scream like a little girl. "Mr. Gardner," She said a little harsher, "Either enter or leave, but you are making a stressful situation worse for this woman, she thinks you might be a spy or an assassin."

As much as I would have liked to make Reza think twice about that little statement, I didn't feel the need to make the woman giving birth worry about me any more than she already was, "I'm no threat to this lady."

"Then who are you a threat to?" Reza said without even looking at me.

"The same person I've always been a threat to, the Emperor."

Reza laughed and looked back at me, "You are far from a threat to him. Trust me. However, if you insist on this foolish path, I will not stop you. Either you will bring about his fall, or he will bring about yours and the power of the Wildflower can wait for a more worthy man. Either way I could care less."

I blinked, "Why?"

Reza shrugged, "Because I win either way, and I lose either way. Therefore it does not matter."

I kept watch of her as I passed to the other end of the room, just in case. As a result I got a good look at the woman giving birth. She looked very much like Reza. They had to have been sisters. But what struck me more was the birthing woman's similarity to Debbie. They had the same nose, same eye-shape, same face-shape.

I figured it out just as I walked through the door. I pondered saying something, but decided against it. I couldn't rescue her right then, if only because it would cause more problems than it solved. I needed to focus on making sure Andre didn't hang, first and foremost.

The best way to do that was to take the Emperor out the equasion.

I followed Humbert's directions to a fault the rest of the way up to the Emperor's balcony. I didn't run into trouble, which was amazing considering how the rest of my week has gone.

The farther up I got the more decorated everything became, a sure sign that I was going in the right direction. As I reached the top of a final flight of steps I prepared myself for what lay beyond. The Emperor was a serious force. If he had enslaved and imprisoned all those worlds he had to have been a great magic power in his own right. What had happened to the last bearer of the Wildflower that caused the Emperor to gain possession of it?

I sighed, I had never been a man of faith, or belief of any kind. It was something I was going to put aside as long as possible. But all that aside, I knew my place in all of this. I knew that I had to go through that door, otherwise Debbie would have to watch Andre die, or she would become impatient and react out of anger, then die herself. All those soldiers who finally thought they would overthrow an evil empire would retreat as yet another chance cowered away. Earth would fall to the empire, and even if it somehow stayed free the whole idea that magic existed for a fact would tear the civilization apart.

My resolve refilled with thoughts of those depending on me, and I kicked my way through the door like a cop. I was about to add some bravado laden challenge to the grand entrance when I stopped in my tracks.

The Emperor stood before me, with a harsh, cruel smile on his face. I suddenly became overwhelmed with the feeling that even if I had a physical one-up on the man, he had this battle won mentally long before this even began. I saw why.

At his feet Debbie was slumped to her knees, defeated by some kind of a binding spell. Weakly she looked up at me, defiance burned in her eyes, even as her body remained defeated.

"I have an army of mages, young Wild-Bound," He said musically, "And I expected such a foolish rescue attempt. Did you honestly think I wouldn't catch her?"

Anger flowed through me, a child's anger at having been caught in the act, energy flowed through my hand to the Wildflower. Faster than I could register, he whipped out a beautiful Chinese sword (a less worn-down twin of the one Andre had used) and placed it to Debbie's neck, "I worn you, you are powerful, but I am older, and I could slice her throat even in the freak chance you managed to slay me. Sheathe your sword, we need not be enemies."

As much as I hated to admit it, he had me by the short ones. I couldn't bring myself to be responsible for Debbie's death. I sheathed the Wildflower.

"There," He said as though speaking to an animal he was training, "Now we can be civil." The Emperor sheathed his sword and gently guided Debbie to her feet, didn't jerk her up by her hair like most villains. He must have seen the look in my eyes, because he sighed, "Oh...I understand. It's the girl isn't it? Why you're doing all of this? While I'll admit that I had originally intended to kill her in front of Andre as a parting gift if she would be better served keeping you happy then I'll be happy to let her live. You need just say so. No sex though. That's my one condition."

I wavered a little. We were in a bad position, perhaps it was best to just go along with it, "It isn't just her. I came for Andre too."

He gave a small laugh that seemed fake, "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about Andre. He dies today. You, however, can limit the casualties."

The offer seemed tempting. I would be saving the lives of Debbie and the men standing out ready to attack the Imperial Palace. I let myself be tempted, just a little more, "And what of my homeworld? Earth? Will you refuse to invade it and absorb it into the Empire if I give you my assistance."

Debbie struggled against her captor and the binding spell, "No! Joey!" The spell tightened and she broke off.

The Emperor smiled warmly, "I would be perfectly willing to spare your world, again, if you ever need anything from me to make your stay more enjoyable all you need is to ask." Great, now he was giving me the Hotel manager sell, right before dropping back to 'evil emperor'. "There is, however, one catch."

"Isn't there always?"

"I want proof of your loyalty." He motioned out onto the balcony that the room connected to. Not believing myself lucky enough for him to turn his back to me, I went ahead and walked out to survey the sight before me.

Andre stood atop the gallows, the noose draped over his neck and tightened like a demented choker necklace. His hands were bound behind him, his ankles tied together. But his head was held straight, there was no fear on his face, just a sad, knowing smile. The man was smiling with a noose on his neck. I was a little imprssed. Debbie wasn't impressed so much as crying hysterically. My heart twisted a little, a part of me knew what was coming.

The Emperor knew I knew, and a cruel smile worked it's way across his features, "I want you, Joey Gardner, to be the executioner for this special event." His hand tightened around Debbie, a silent reminder of all I stood to lose and all I stood to gain by one simple action.

~She-Wolf