Little Sister (Conclusion)

 

Previous  having recovered her mace with help from fairies, Stheno faces a battle with ogres.

Though the fairies pressed their attack, they lacked the firepower for dealing with ogres. The giants were too dumb to appreciate the subtleties of fairy music; they swatted away explosive stars; and Chianna couldn't use a starburst spell to blind them, since that would spoil the gorgon stare.

"Enough of this oafish delay." Stheno unclipped her mace. "I summon. . . .me!" She transformed into a giant floating head. But the ogres were slow to petrify owing to their small intellects. When all four finally succumbed, Stheno transformed back, dropping from the tax on her reserves.

"Presumptuous cretins!" She sat among wildflowers, surrounded by stone gargoyles. From across a bridge came two men, one of them having dark skin. "A Numidian."

Pete bristled. "Why does everybody say that? I'm from Cleveland."

"No you aren't," Ed said. "You're just tired of being the emissary from Planet Soul."

The other members of Team Dan arrived. Dan counted on the hovering fairies to assure the gorgon they weren't enemies. "We're glad you're all right, Miss. You probably know about your two sisters and the maces they're bonded to."

"I do, Leader Man." Stheno fixed her eyes on a trio of approaching dragons, and her serpents began to rise.

"Wait!" Zena came from behind and placed hands over Stheno's eyes. "Those are our dragons. They're here to recover us from the mission."

The serpents relaxed. "You may unhand me, Sword Girl."

Bonnie put a nervous hand to her neck. "Those eyes are looking right through Zena's hands!" 

The gorgon returned the mace to her sash. "I have seen how capable you are. There is the matter of a jealous goddess, and what she has done to me and my sisters."

"A goddess?" Ed shook his head. "That's a tall order, and we don't come cheap. You got an account with us?"

"Hold on,"Dan advised, seeing how the girl wasn't amused. "Consider working with us until you catch up with this goddess. It'll be profitable for us all."

"As you say, Leader Man. My first task is to free my sisters."

Unnoticed, Bonnie carefully draped a dress fold over the Mace of Medusa.