The black SUV pulled into the Circus of Horror parking lot and stopped near the gate. The back door opened and Razor stepped out, holding the door for his date. Tsukiko stepped out dressed in figure flattering jeans and a hoodie with a green witch on the front saying ‘Don’t make me loose my flying monkeys on you’.
Razor shut the door and the SUV parked as they walked past other guards stationed by the entrance. Both saluted with hands over hearts and head bowed slightly.
“Highness,” They said in unision.
Nodding Razor walked by and into the park. The paths were illuminated by sets of spotlights arranged across the path. Every so often they passed other amazon guards watching the paths. Various incarnations of Highness, sir, and Prince Razor accompanied by similar salutes repeated themselves multiple times as they walked through but no one tried to stop them.
“Y’are really someone important,” Tsukiko said with a wry grin.
Razor smiled down at her, “And you doubted me?”
“No, Not Really,” She shrugged, “Just no one really treated you with deference before now that I’ve seen.”
“It’s okay. You haven’t seen much yet. Plus the few we did meet aren’t military or court guard, so they would likely not salute.
“And of course,” He continued, “My sisters wouldn’t because they are pains in the ass.”
Tsukiko laughed, “Siblings are like that.”
Razor nodded and they walked in silence for a bit as Razor led her through and around the loop.
“Your Highness,” Melina bowed low, “We are almost ready to start breaking through the barrier. Midnight is in a half an hour.”
“Why are y’all waiting for midnight again?” Tsukiko asked stepping around Razor.
He glanced at Tsukiko, “Tsukiko, this is Melina, head of the Court Guard who supply the Royal guard.”
“Melina, this is Tsukiko Maxwell,” He said to the older woman, “She’s going to be our Magia on scene for this instead of Herro. He is a bit laid up.”
She raised an eyebrow, “A Maxwell. Any relation to-“
She is cut off by a huge explosion sound from behind. They duck as what appear to be scorched human remains fly past from the direction of a Roller coaster where part of the track is tipping from the loss of support beams.
A second humanoid form walks forward. Its movements are jerky, and as its features get clearer from the flame-lit silhouette, it can be seen that its eyes are pure white with facial skin rotting off.
“Leave my playground Amazon Filth,” The dead figure says with the mouth hanging open and the words coming clear despite the obvious lack of a tongue.
The guards around them converged, and everyone had weapons drawn. Tsukiko had a staff in her hand leveled at the corpse, the end of the staff two colors of hardwood twined together and points with a gem suspended in the air between.
Razor kept one hand on the hilt of his still sheathed sword as he yelled, “Was that your doing?”
“Oh Yes,” the corpse laughed, its mouth still not moving. It opened the tatter suit it was wearing , revealing a vest of dynamite covered with magic vials, “Do you like my handiwork?”
Tsukiko gasped as she viewed them, “Those are incendiary potions. Worse than the tnt.”
“So who are you?” Razor asked, voice stern and commanding.
“Know that I do not answer to your impudent rule Princeling,” It said with a rumble, “However I will answer for the Magia amongst you, singular though she may be.”
It continued, the eyes glowing a deep purple, “I am Warlock, Master of souls and Lord of undeath.”
Razor saw Tsukiko’s staff dip a bit. Glancing over he noticed her face was a bit pale. Scowling he turned back around, “Glad to meet you. So if this is your handiwork, why haven’t you just blown us up yet?”
“Because, Princeling, I am not a monster. I am going to give you a chance to leave my presence and not get yourselves killed.”
“Of course you are,” Tsukiko growled out, “My dad’s mentioned you in passing. You betrayed all we’ve stood for for centuries.”
Warlock’s voice was tinged with sorrow, “What we’ve stood for? My dear, Magia have stood for power unchained and rule of the strong for centuries. If anything they have betrayed all of us especially my clan long ago”
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“And I,” He continued, “Am the strongest. You would have made a fine apprentice my dear, but you have allied yourself with a bad crowd. So I will mourn the loss of a great mage.”
Tsukiko shouted as she saw energy condense around the potion bottles, “Everyone run into the barrier.
They spun to see her holding her hand towards the wall. They were all shocked as a wrought iron gate showed in the wall and slowly creaked open. Razor glanced at her before shouting, “Go!”
A few Amazons remained as Razor grabbed Tsukiko and ran in. He made it in with her as a huge explosion shook the foundation behind them. Tsukiko let the gate close and they could see th flames hit the barrier and travel up its surface. A crater of earth and concrete was evident as the smoke started to clear outside.
Standing just behind the gate they could still see from the inside Razor turned and looked at Tsukiko, “I knew there was some reason I liked you.”
“I thought it was my drop dead beauty,” She quipped back with a slight grin.
“Oh,” Razor’s grin nearly split his face, “That is but a minor reason my dear.”
Turning to the other Amazons he spoke softly, “Okay people. We’re in, let’s see what we can find and get this place out of our lands once and for all.”
Milena made a small bowing nod and started to get the guards moving. A pair rushed past and out into the park. Razor stood and watched before turning to Tsukiko, “I must say you were able to figure out the entryway in a brief amount of time.”
“Not really darlin’,” Tsukiko said, a smile on her face, “I was analyzing it the entire time we walked around it and were talking with Warlock.”
“All that time?” Razor asked raising an eyebrow.
She nods and starts towards one of the warehouse buildings, “It’s not a big thing. I’ve been doing all sorts of multiple instances of magic at once all my life.”
“Okay,” Razor followed close and scanning both ways, “Must say, that is a cool skill.”
As they get closer, Milena walks over and bows, “Highness, please come look at this. I think we’ve got the missing people. At the very least some of them.”
Razor took in the scene before him. There were rows of chairs and figures slumped in the chairs. Most of the ones closer to the door were dressed as he’d seen them earlier. Barkers and ride attendants and stall operators. None were moving or breathing and all had the boneless limpness of death.
“Damn,” He said with a sigh, “This is not going to be pretty.”
“We should be careful,” Tsukiko urged.
As if spurned onward by her comments as one the figures in the rooms heads snapped up and looked at the door where the group stood.
The same deep and resonant voice from the corpse outside came from each one’s mouth, “Well Well, you all survived. I must say I am impressed.”
“Now that’s not creepy,” Milena said deadpan.
“Warlock,” Tsukiko almost growled, “Are y’all gonna to try and blow us up again?”
“On the contrary my dear,”
She had her staff resting on the ground but Razor could see the knuckles on her hand turning white, “I’m not your dear, psycho.”
“Tut Tut,” The corpses say again, “That’s not nice. I plan to help you out of this and you go insulting me.”
Razor raises an eyebrow, “Help us?”
The dead eyes shift to look at him, “No, Princeling, Help HER.”
All the bodies stood as one and started to walk towards them. Milena holds her arm out and pushes Razor back, drawing her long serated dagger.
“Back Highness, We’ll take care of them.”
Razor opened his mouth to argue only to see Tsukiko with her hand on Milena’s dagger. The other woman pulls it back but not before a slash across Tsukiko’s hand wells up and drips blood down her palm. She shifts her staff to the cut hand and points it at the corpses.
“Burn ya bastard,” She cries as flames burst out across the room. Each body catching fire like they were spontaneously combusting. The flames burned a brilliant white as the bodies started to char and turn to ash.
As a skeleton stood walking towards them Warlock’s voice came clear, “A mere inconvenience, but such power I am impressed. We will meet again and you will be mine, Scarlett's daughter.”
She roared and the flames became almost blindingly white. When the last corpse was ashes the flames died on their own, allowing the amazon’s to search the warehouse for any clues, remains, or anything else of use. That assumed any clues remained after the inferno of Tsukiko’s flames.
Razor stood beside Herro with her hands on her hips, “So that’s what went down for us last night.”
“So, you’re saying we learned nothing in there?” Herro asked.
“Not nothing,” Razor smiled, “We learned a lot actually but not where the mastermind is behind this thing.”
“Warlock,” Herro said softly.
Razor nodded and he continued, “My dad mentioned him when we were younger. He made him out to be the boogyman of our society. An evil necromancer who was one of the most powerful of his age. Whenever that was, dad never elaborated on that. I suppose dad would be useful if he were around. However, it also appears that he know the self ascribed name of our mother. I don't like that. Wonder what else he knows about my family”
Herro looked glum as he looked around. He knew they’d walked the entire time of the flashback but just now noticed they stood near an Olympic size swimming pool. He glanced at Razor who smiled before he heard a sound. Concentrating, his eyes got wide as he ducked behind Razor.
Noticing the footsteps too, Razor didn’t move as Summer rounded the corner and stopped, looking at him. Razor smiled at her, “Summer, you’re here. Herro has something he wants to show you, so calm down on the sexy sexy for a little bit.”
“What is it?” Her voice was a tad breathy as she breathed deep, only a bit out of breath.
Turning to Herro, Razor put her hands on his shoulders and put her head by his ear, “You’ll thank me for this later Girlie.”
With the final word she pushed Herro into the pool. A high feminine yelp sounded as Herra splashed around before climbing out and glaring daggers at Razor.
“You… You…and my hair! Are you serious?!” She stammered before seeing Razor completely ignoring her. She turned her head to See Summer’s eyes sparkling.
“Is she like you then?” Summer asked, an odd elation in her tone.
Razor nodded, “She goes by Herra, but basically it’s the same aside from her personality being a bit more, girly than Herro.”
“Oooh,” Summer said clasping her hands in front of her and walking over. Stopping on front of Herra she bit her lip and her sparkling eyes looked the now standing other woman up and down as they narrowed, “I get a boyfriend who’s also a girlfriend. That’s so hot.”
Before she could respond, Herra found herself being dragged off by the Amazon princess, her eyes pleading with Razor before she was out of sight.
“Now, to let them have some fun before we interrogate our prisoner.” Razor said to open air, pulling her phone out, “If I can’t get Herro free from Summer’s grasp maybe we can do Good cop, Bad cop, and-“
She smiled and put her hand on her chest before she called to get the prisoner ready, “Sexy Cop.”