He nodded.
"Me too," the third wheel piped up.
Okay then. Everybody gathered around the circle.
I searched for something inspirational to say or maybe something profound. I thought about dedicating this to Tommy, about promising him that I was finally gonna bring his killer to some kinda justice, but my hands started shaking a bit.
Probably better to leave Tommy out of it for now. Later there would be time to reflect and remember my cousin. But me and my magic needed to be sharp and steady to pull this all off.
“Fuck it,” I said. “Let’s do this.”
Our magic flowed to life between us. I felt Orion’s on one side and mine on the other. Mixing our energies had been such a fight at first. It happened so easily now, one little push from either of us and we’d be connected. Except we needed to be a bit careful since Orion refused to risk fully blending our powers again. He thought absorbing any of my magic was too much of a risk. He was sending power to me while I tried to receive and not give anything back.
The distance didn’t feel right and wasn’t exactly ideal, especially since we hadn’t had any time to practice like this, but we’d deal. Waiting wasn’t an option. Not when we had the opportunity and an ally to assist us. And if we waited too long, there would be more victims.
I cut myself this time. The blood dripped down onto the white of the circle. It turned the ring a light pink, such a weirdly innocent color for summoning a monster.
The circle glowed when I found him, activating as I began pulling Lex here. His hazy form started appearing in the circle.
I imagined it like a mental tug of war. Orion and I reaching across the distance separating us and dragging Lex to us. A battle of wills and magic where we forced him to answer our call.
But… as soon as we found him, as soon as we brought him closer, it felt like there was no resistance at all. Dragging him turned out to be unnecessary. He rushed to us, coming faster and faster without putting up a fight.
Lex arrived with a loud crack that reminded me of thunder, landing in the circle where we directed him. But the force of his arrival slammed against the circular barrier hard and cracked it open.
So much for trapping him.
The lights flickered as he stood before us, nothing blocking or containing him. A hooded figure in black, his hands tensed at his sides, but he made no other moves. Nobody moved.
"Son of a bitch."
Face to face with the monster, I acted without thought and launched myself forward. The fist I threw out never connected with his face because Orion caught me and held me back.
Lex’s shoulders quivered, laughing at my knee-jerk response.
"Yeah, you psycho, laugh it up." We’d show him who got the last laugh.
With a flourish, he removed his hood. Cruel blue eyes glittered with amusement. The dark hair and same build I’d seen glimpses of before his arrival greeted me, along with the face that haunted me for years. He was also covered in tattoos that were not there last time, a few peeking out from under his sleeves and near his neck.
Three vs. one and yet he stood proud, unafraid. I wondered how I ever fell for his lies last time. He posed as a weakened innocent wizard who needed help. The bastard was doing just fine now, high on stolen magic and violence. Even outnumbered, he acted like he had no cares in the world.
He acted like we were old friends catching up. "Look at you, Robin. You haven’t changed."
"Oh, I’ve changed a lot."
I subtly moved closer to Orion, needing to be ready whenever the standoff and pleasantries ended. Bad Mother kept adjusting and trying to get behind Lex without him noticing.
"I remember the first time I saw you.” The bastard actually smiled as he reminisced. “So eager, so curious."
"And so 13 years old, don’t forget that, you creepy ass—"
"I heard your call, little Robin. Your sweet plea for magic and your willingness to doanythingto discover the truth. Connecting us was no accident, I had to be sure I could find you again."
"Sure took you awhile."
"Yes, well.” He finally faltered, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “There were complications buteventuallyI found my way back to you."
"So glad,” I said. “Now I can send you back to Hell myself."
