Breathe in the Embers

Part 17

“Well, that was exciting.” Margaret commented with a grin, shattering the tension which had built since Litheuga slunk back to the warehouse. She hadn’t even called Martin back, and hadn’t said a word since returning.

“Hardly.” Lithuega spat contemptuously. “Ishlithtavast was toying with me. She’d killed the summoner already and let everyone else go. She even allowed me to handle the fire. This was nothing more than a minor, amusing diversion for her.”

“So…. who is that?”

“One of the Six, First of the Six actually. She is the most powerful Carcolith on our world. If she had wanted to, this city would have burned from her mere presence, and I couldn’t have done anything about it.”

“Then if she didn’t come to burn the city, why was she here?”

The question stunned Lithuega into silence. It wasn’t something she’d considered before. The Six never did anything without purpose. Where others might dally or amuse themselves in pacts on various worlds, the Coven had everything they could ever desire in their vast palaces at home. There was no reason for them to leave without a prize awaiting them.

And the idea that Ishlithtavast was interested in Earth was very troubling indeed.

“I have no idea. But more importantly, there is no conceivable way for me to find out.” Lithuega admitted with a sigh, rubbing her temples. “I am an ant to her. Mildly irritating since she found me on her sandwich today, but otherwise of no consequence at all.”

Silence reigned between them once more.

“So…. now what?” Margaret finally asked, rocking back and forth on her heels, the air pulsing with Lithuega’s anger.

“Now, I need to get stronger, as Martin has.” Lithuega answered, raising a hand. Her shadow lifted up with the gesture, solidifying into Martin in moments. “I need to train. I have no idea what Ishlithtavast wants here, but it can’t be good. For my contract to hold, we need to find out. For me to find out, I need a great deal more power and knowledge than I currently possess.”

“Did I miss something?” Martin inquired, eyebrows raised incredulously.

“A great deal.” Lithuega confirmed with a nod, facing him with fists planted on her hips. “A much more powerful creature than I manifested and caused that fire. The one who called her apparently did not have the knowledge to contain her, which makes no sense. None can call a Carcolith without knowledge of just what they’re calling. That means either she came to him and tricked the summoner into conjuring her out of sheer sadism, or this is part of something bigger.”

“How likely is the sadistic option?” Martin asked, pretty sure he wouldn’t like the answer. Sadistic demon was one thing, but a large scale plot was another.

“Near zero. She doesn’t delight in death and destruction for its own sake, however willing she is to cause both. We need to find out what she is really up to, even if we are unlikely to stop it. A few of the heroes on this world might be able to stymie her to some degree.”

“Cool, let’s do it then.” Margaret pumped a fist in the air.

“Lovely enthusiasm, but you’re missing a step.” Lithuega chided. “We need help. I don’t even know where to begin hunting for mystic knowledge on your planet, and that is the only possible way I can find something to stop Ishlithtavast. Not to mention that whatever we find, my own power will likely be insufficient. We need others with powers suitable to this fight, and that means no longer moving secretly.”

“What?”

“I get it.” Martin nodded thoughtfully. “Up until now being mysterious and unnamed has helped us fly under the radar, but that isn’t really an option now. Not only is there a second incident involving us, but we need to start forging connections. A lot of heroes use magic exclusively, or at least to support their own abilities. Our most likely source of both knowledge and aid is the superhero community itself.”

“Which means coming out?” Margaret ventured, the others nodding in confirmation.

“It means joining that community.” Lithuega sighed. “However much I dislike it. We don’t have time to get us all up to snuff. If Ishlithtavast is moving openly, she has to be confident that whatever she is doing is foolproof. She could have killed me to keep secrecy with very little effort. We need to build more of a rapport, establish ourselves as trustworthy.”

“So what, we wander around and save more people from stuff?”

“That would take forever, and you’d be just as mysterious as ever.” Margaret pointed out. “What you two need is some good old fashioned PR.”

The others stared blankly at her, and Margaret sighed.

“Look, you have powers,” she pointed to Lithuega. “And you’re a smart guy, and I’m sure you could pull off some impressive vigilante shit on your own. But now we need other people. And as I’m sure you all know, getting other people involved always complicates everything to hell and back. We need to let people know who you are, what you stand for, and that means developing an identity. A brand. We need to get the word out, which brings up a topic we covered once before. What name will you be going by?”

“Hellhound.”

“Salamander.”

“SALAMANDER?! I’m not a damned lizard!”

Now it was Margaret who rubbed her temples.