She arrived on Earth in a mysterious Symbio-Ship with false
memories and awesome powers and abilities beyond that of mortal men and women....

Issue #16

The Gemworld War Part 1: Through The Mirror Darkly

Written By Paul Daimler

Power Girl sat calm and collected in the interrogation room.

Across the table sat a decidedly odd man. His pale gray skin the color of ashes was unsettling somehow against the bright orange jumpsuit all detainees of the Century City Jail wore. His hair was an unkempt afro a darker shade of gray than his skin. His eyes were pale pink and bore into Power Girl from across the table.

“I’m confused as to why you wanted to speak to me.” Power Girl said calmly. She’d been informed that when he had been apprehended, he was wearing a gold jumpsuit made of a material that traced back to patents Starrware had registered earlier next year—patents for a new material in development that had not yet been released in any public way. Power Girl had managed to cover her surprise when she was told that.

“I’m sure you are.” The man purred, his face enraged, despite the fact that he was keeping his tone civil. “You and I have yet to meet.”

“We’re meeting now.” Power Girl smiled, drumming her blue-gloved fingers against the table. “If this was your way of trying to meet me, well, I must say that I’m flattered, but surely a guy like you can find an easier way to meet women.”

“SHUT UP YOU INSOLENT WENCH!” The man roared.

“Wow.” Power Girl nodded slowly in approval, “You went from zero to complete a-hole in five seconds flat. I assume I struck a nerve?”

“How dare you address Riang the Pitiless so civilly! You may have powers beyond that of mortal men and women, but you are nothing more than a mutt, a genetic mutation created from homo-magi and alien trash breeding!” The man spat.

“Look, Riang the Pitiful, you called me. Don’t get all Jack Nicholson in a Few Good Men on me. What do you want? You were arrested outside of a warehouse you broke into, you were wearing a costume made of material that has not yet been released to the public, and you have a really messed up tan.”

Riang’s eyes burned with rage. “I do not answer to you!”

Power Girl feigned a yawn, “I don’t really have time for this. I’m running late for a very important meeting at Super Friends Headquarters about spandex that doesn’t chaff. Please get to your point Riang. And, before firing off some angry statement or proclamation, please remember you asked the police to speak to me.”

“I need you to pass a message to your nephew.” Riang said, his voice trembling as he tried to keep his seething anger under control.

“I don’t have a nephew.” Power Girl replied coolly.

“You do. You just haven’t met him yet.” Riang said, his eyes burning. “I want you to give him a message when you finally meet him. Which shouldn’t be too much longer, since the events he and I are clashing over will occur within the year…”

“Oh, are you from the future?” Power Girl asked with a raised eye-brow. “Cause I haven’t had anyone from the future try to give me cryptic messages since I was a member of Infinity Inc.”

“Always with the jokes? You won’t be laughing much longer Daughter of Magic and Stars.” Riang’s voice suddenly leveled out evenly, the anger slipping completely from it.

“Oh? So you know of the prophecy as well? Are you an agent of Adramelek the Terrible? Whoever the hell he is.” Power Girl asked pleasantly, although suddenly a chill had slid over her.

“Oh, where I am from, and where you nephew is from, the prophecy is in full swing.” Riang smiled. “So, tell your nephew this—he will fail in his mission. He will not get the items of power he’s searching for. He will not save you from your death. In fact, he won’t save anyone. You will die Power Girl. And, then the world will cave beneath the might of Adramelek’s reign.”

Power Girl remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath.

“You definitely succeeded in rattling me Riang. But, only for a second. Your kind always talks a big game and always throws around threats and proclamations about how you’re going to win and succeed and crush the world. And at the end of the day, you blow-hards always lose. You guys always fail. Because you never have the heart to follow through. You’re all angry. You’re all overcompensating for something. You are always falling short. Good always wins. And, maybe I will die…” Power Girl paused for a moment, really thinking about the statement she was about to make. “Maybe I will die, but there will always be someone to take a stand in my place. There will always be someone ready to pick up the mantle and fight the good fight. So, think about that while you sit in your containment cell in Belle Reve—and realize you will be there for a while. Since you have no fingerprints on record and no identity, you fall under a very special law special for super-villains, where you can be held indefinitely until your identity can be determined. So, if you are from the future, have fun rotting in a cell since they’ll never figure out who you are.”

Power Girl gave a little wave and then left the room. Once outside of the interview room, Detective Ian McLean fell into step beside her.

“That went well?”

“I guess.” Power Girl shrugged. “He said I’m going to die and the world is going to fall beneath the might of Adramelek the Terrible.”

“Him again?” Ian asked, remembering the investigation into Dana Deacon’s murder a few months back that had revealed all sorts of awful prophecies and doom for Power Girl.*

*see Power Girl Issue 12-13.

“Him again.” Power Girl replied brightly.

“It sounds pretty grim. Aren’t you worried?” Ian asked, his green eyes searching her face for any sign of fear or weakness.

“I guess.” Power Girl shrugged. “I try not to get worried about ancient prophecies. They are handed down through the years, and can often be completely mangled and misinterpreted by the time they get to us. Besides, if I’m destined to die…” Power Girl paused again, thinking about this. Then she smiled brightly, “I’m it’s destiny I can’t very well change it can I? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a meeting.”

“OK.” Ian said quietly, “Will you tell Karen I said hello? I had to cancel a date last night due to the Royal Flush Gang knocking over a video store.”

“A video store?” Power Girl asked with a raised eyebrow. “Have you gotten the feeling that they’ve just given up?”

Ian laughed, “Yeah, I’ve gotten that impression a couple times. Any way, will you tell Karen I said hi?”

“I’m sure you’ll see her before I do.” Power Girl replied. “But, I’ll pass the message along.”

Power Girl walked off, leaving Ian behind to watch her leave.

“I somehow doubt that.” Ian said, “I just wonder how much longer you’re going to keep your secret identity from me?” Shaking his head, Ian turned and walked back into the interrogation room to speak to Riang the Pitiful.

“So, she still hasn’t told you she’s Power Girl?” Liz asked, her brow furrowed.

It was a warm morning in Century City as they walked slowly down the sidewalk, leaving Garth’s stylish and well-located condo, heading toward Morning Glory’s, a popular restaurant in this trendy neighborhood Garth called home—one they’d made brunch or breakfast at the entire time Liz and Carrie-Joyce had been in town.

“Nope. Not yet.” Garth said, shaking his head. “I’ve done everything I can to hint around about it, letting her know that it’s cool to tell me.”

“It didn’t take you this long to come out of the closet.” Carrie-Joyce remarked with a roll of her eyes. “I mean, it’s hard to miss when you spend as much time with her as we do.”

“I hear that.” Garth laughed, “I don’t know what to do, other than just come out and ask her. But, that could just scare her and push her away.”

“You don’t think part of it’s because she’s Superman’s cousin, do you?” Carrie-Joyce asked thoughtfully.

“We’ve all met her cousin Clark.” Liz chuckled, “He’s definitely no Superman.”

They all laughed at that.

Liz stopped laughing suddenly, her eyes growing wide and scared.

“Liz?” Carrie-Joyce asked, pausing. She and Liz had been best friends since freshman year at Berkley. In the ten years that had passed they’d become so close that they knew each other better than anyone else. Something was wrong.

“Somebody…” Liz started to speak, then snapped her mouth shut so sharply her teeth clicked together, nipping her tongue and drawing blood.

“What’s wrong?” Garth asked.

Liz spun suddenly toward a man several people away from them in the groups of people flowing by.

Liz’s eyes went to the sparkling star-shaped medallion suspended on a gold chain around his neck, the medallion appeared to be embedded with diamonds, although they were most likely zircon or glass.

“Deedra…” Liz whispered just beneath her breath.

The man wearing the pendant, a short spindly man in his mid-forties froze in place as he realized he’d been spotted. When Liz’s gaze fell upon him, he turned tail and ran off, weaving through the late morning sidewalk traffic until he disappeared around a corner.

“Liz?” Carrie-Joyce blinked, looking toward the direction the man had disappeared in and her friend’s vacant expression.

Liz blinked, color rising to her cheeks.

“Sorry.” She shook her head, the emptiness that had momentarily filled it suddenly became cluttered and full of random thoughts.

“What the Hell just happened?” Garth asked.

“I’m not sure.” Liz said quietly. “Let’s go get some brunch. I’m starving.”

Lacing her arms through both Garth and Carrie-Joyce’s she led them toward Morning Glory’s, even though both Garth and Carrie-Joyce’s thoughts were still fixed on the strangeness that had just unfolded before them.

“When we see Karen at dinner tonight, we have to tell her about this.” Carrie-Joyce said, even as Liz led them forward.

Garth nodded grimly, his gaze settling on the oddly serene smile that curled her lips.

A slight smile curled Power Girl’s lips as she streaked through the sky above Century City, heading toward the corporate headquarters of Starrware. Her trip to the Century City Jail this morning to meet with Riang the Pitiful had delayed her trip to the office this morning—which meant she’d missed an important conference call with Legacy Studios about adapting their fantasy film series “The King of the Gauntlet” into a multi-player online game. She was sure that Cheryl and Johnny O had handled it fine, but it couldn’t have looked good that the CEO and co-owner of Starrware had missed such an important meeting.

“More and more that’s happening.” Power Girl mumbled as she landed on the roof of the building that housed Starrware’s Century City offices. Between all the meetings she was missing at Starrware and having to duck out of dates with Ian to deal with stuff only Power Girl could deal with, she was wondering if she would ever find the ability to juggle and balance it all. How did Clark do this?

Reaching for the door to the hidden compartment in the roof vent to trade her Power Girl uniform for a sensible business suit and the glasses, hair clip, and gel she used to complete her Karen Starr disguise, she found that she had company.

“Hello.” Power Girl said brightly, dropping her arm to her side quickly, hoping that this person had not realized what she was trying to do.

“Power Girl, thank Citrina I found you!” The girl said. The sunlight played across her bright yellow dress and the gem suspended around her neck.

“You found me.” Power Girl said, trying to keep the exasperation and annoyance from her voice. She could already tell that this was going to be one of those days.

“Oh thank Citrina!” The girl gushed. “I have been looking all over this strange place for you! Finally I found your magical signature and traced it here.”

“What can I help you with?” Power Girl tried to sound pleasant, but wasn’t sure if she was succeeding. Luckily the girl seemed so overjoyed with locating her that she was not noticing any rudeness in Power Girl’s voice.

“We need your help. The Gemworld is in great danger. And you’re our only hope!”

Power Girl was unable to stop the groan from escaping her lips. She was definitely not making it to work today.

“Ok. I assume that you need me to travel to the Gemworld with you to stop whatever it is that threatens your world?” Power Girl asked.

“Yes! Lord Aquamarine sent me to enlist you!”

“OK.” Power Girl said, reaching up to touch the small slot on her earring. “Give me a second to make a phone call.”

After pushing the button, she said, “Office.” The voice activated dialing function in her earring sent the call through to her personal assistant Beverly’s desk.

“Starrware. Karen Starr’s office.” Beverly’s efficient voice answered.

“Beverly. It’s Karen.” Power Girl sighed, “I’m not going to make it in today. I appear to have come down with some of flu or something. Perhaps food poisoning. I’m going to stay home today.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Stay home and get lots of rest.” Beverly said, “It’s the best bet. I will let Cheryl and Johnny know. And please Karen, be careful.”

“Be careful? What do you mean?” Power Girl had suspected for some time that her secretary Beverly Chaucher knew that Karen Starr was also Power Girl.

Beverly hestitated for a few seconds, “I’m sorry. I meant to say feel better.”

“Ok.” Power Girl shook her head, “Thanks! Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good day Karen.” Beverly said before disconnecting the line.

“I have the worst kept secret identity in the history of secret identities.” Power Girl shook her head.

“What’s a secret identity?” The girl asked.

“I’m probably not the person to ask since I’m not very good at them.” Power Girl sighed. “What is your name?”

“I’m Princess Topaz.” The girl said. Her blonde hair had streaks and strands of darker shades of topaz. “I was selected by King Aquamarine and the resistance to come here to find you.”

“Princess Topaz? That’s a bit unwieldy.” Power Girl remarked.

“I don’t get my first name until my twenty-first birthday.” Princess Topaz said quietly, her tone somber.

“Ah.” Power Girl nodded, “Do you have a nickname or something?”

“What’s a nickname?”

“Nevermind.” Power Girl shook her head, “Lead the way back to Gemworld Princess Topaz.”

Princess Topaz touched the giant topaz pendant on the chain around her neck.

A beam of magical energy exploded from it, opening a doorway on the roof of the building.

“Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.” Power Girl sighed, wondering if this was such a good idea. The last time she’d gone off to help another world with their problems she’d ended up in a Pocket Universe where she had barely escaped with her life and with a less than six survivor of an entire planet.

Unfortunately there wasn’t time to weigh this. People needed her help. What kind of person was she if she didn’t answer the call for help?

“Karen isn’t going to make it in today.” Beverly Chaucher said, poking her head into the conference room where they were preparing for the second part of the conference call with Legacy Studios was going to start in a few minutes. “She has food poisoning or something.”

“What? Did the Royal Flush Gang rob a Taco Whiz?” Johnny O asked, trying to keep his groan to himself.

“Probably.” Cheryl said with a sly smile, shaking her head. “Of course, if that were the case she’d be in. It’s probably something big.”

“What do you mean?” Minerva Bates asked from where she sat at the end of the conference table. She was not quite sure why she at this meeting, as she’d been hired to bring her inventions and ideas to Starrware and was here whenever she wasn’t at class. But, since the get-go Karen Starr had made sure that she was involved in every major business decision and participated in every major conference call with clients.

“Nothing.” Cheryl said shaking her head, the sly smile still in place. “After a while you’ll figure it out.”

As Beverly Chaucher left the room, a massive man with dark eyes entered the room with a twenty ounce cup of Sand Dollar coffee.

“Ms. Delayre, I have your coffee.” Cheryl turned to the sound of her assistant Victor Church’s voice. It chilled her more and more lately.

At first Victor Church come across as odd and slightly inept socially. It had been endearing in many ways. But over the past few weeks he’d started coming across as cold and vacant. His eyes had seemed to take on an emptiness that Cheryl found chilling. His one-time seemingly innocent questions about Karen Starr and Power Girl had come across as an awkward but sweet crush. Now Cheryl was wondering if there was something more to it as his behavior became more and more shark-like.

She had been meaning to put in a call to the agency they’d employed him through to request a replacement, although she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to tell them as the reason for replacing him. As far as his duties went Victor was more than capable and proficient. There was just something off about him. Karen didn’t like him much either, and Karen had a sixth sense sometimes about people. Cheryl was sure it was something that was very useful to her in her career as Power Girl.

“Thanks Victor.” Cheryl said, taking the coffee. “Will you change my lunch reservation from Iagio’s to the Vineyard?”

“Yes, Ms. Delayre. I’ll get right on that.” Victor left the room.

“He’s creepy.” Minerva Bates said the second he was out of the room, and then blushed fiercely. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”

Johnny O chuckled, “Have I told you lately Minerva I’m glad you’re here? Usually I’m the one who says stuff like that. You’re honesty is muchly needed around here.”

Mickey, head of their software design department smiled at Minerva, “I feel the same way about him.”

Cheryl turned toward the glass walls that separated the conference room and gave it privacy, while keeping the goings on inside visible to everyone in the main offices.

She watched Victor Church on the other side, moving like a massive dark shadow toward the small office that acted as a buffer between the main room of Starrware and Cheryl’s offices. The analogy of a shark returned to her. She needed to get on the phone to that employment agency today.

As they moved between dimensions, the air around them was filled with energy signatures and patterns that Power Girl didn’t recognized. On some level she realized that each one represented a doorway to some other dimension or plane of existence. The darkness beyond these energy images was absolute.

“I’ve heard of Gemworld before.” Power Girl said to Princess Topaz as they flew through the swirling plane between dimensions at a dizzying pace. “But, I’m not sure why you need me. Surely there are far more powerful people from my world that could do this. My friend the Silver Sorceress is much better at magic stuff than I am.”

“You were selected because you are Atlantean.” Princess Topaz said. “Only someone with genetic ties to the Gemworld could successfully stand against the threat of Red Topaz.”

“What do you mean genetic ties?” Power Girl asked.

“The magic of the Gemworld comes from Ancient Atlantis.” Princess Topaz began her tale as the dimensions blurred by them at a dizzying rate, “Six generations before your grandfather Arion was the Lord High Mage of Atlantis, the city of Atlantis was ruled by a council of twelve. Each of the council was a great and powerful magician in their own right—each harnessing great powers with individual powers unique unto them. As the council grew in power, they saw less and less of the populace of Atlantis, eventually selecting a liaison to act as their voice and face to the people of Atlantis.”

Power Girl listened to Princess Topaz as she spoke, concentrating on the girl’s words—using them as a focus to not pay attention to the odd darkness that swirled all around—shadowy images flickering within representing different dimensions and realities between her world and the Gemworld. Some of what she said sounded familiar. When she’d first discovered her ties to Atlantis she had researched it as much as she could—Aquaman bringing her what precious little information was available from the time before the sinking of Atlantis. And Queen Hippolyta had provided a few more pieces based on her interactions with the hidden Atlantian cities of Venturia and Aurania during World War II, and even more information had come from the abandoned city of New Atlantis in Skartaris.

“Eventually their liaison grew ambitious. Using the fact the council had isolated themselves and were unaware of anything outside their chambers other than what information he brought, he began to amass power—convincing each member of the council that as their public face he should wear a small gem housing their power in a chest-plate—so that the people would properly recognize him as their spokesperson.” Princess Topaz’s warm yellow eyes focused on the gateway before them even as she told her tale, her face a mask of concentration. “With each of these gems, the council gave away a portion of their power. And, the combination of that power on the chest-plate made their liaison quite powerful. Casting a spell that masked going’s on outside the council’s palace from them, the liaison named himself King of Atlantis, beginning an age of tyranny.”

“As he grew more and more powerful and oppressed the people more and more, a great rebellion was formed. Civil War waged for years. Finally a single Mage led the people to victory—defeating the corrupt King and deposing him. The High Council was finally aware after being sequestered from their people about the corruption they had allowed to run rampant under their watch. Determining that they should face a penance, they exiled themselves from Atlantis—going far away to make a great settlement, while the Mage who had defeated the tyrant King, became the first High Mage and Lord of Atlantis. These twelve former council members Atlantis, creating great cities in the world beyond Atlantis and were long forgotten by the time Arion rose to power. When the time of magic began to wane, and the sinking of Atlantis drew near, a young powerful witch named Citrina had risen to prominence. Predicting an end to their way of life, she led the people of this great city to a magical dimension she had created by forging a pact with both the Lords of Order and Chaos. They called it Gemworld. When Atlantis finally sank, many of the refugees were given sanctuary on the Gemworld, reuniting with the descendents of their ancestors, while others fled to Skartaris where they found New Atlantis, others fled to the hidden outposts of Aurania and Venturia where they started new outposts, that remained in contact with the sunken cities and one city that remains hidden—even from the magics of the Gemworld.”

“Isn’t Gemworld protected by Amethyst?” Power Girl had not met the woman personally, but she had fought by their sides during the Crisis, and the story of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld had been relayed to her. But she hadn’t heard anything of the woman since—and during the search for her Atlantean roots, she’d never considered that Gemworld might hold secrets of it revealed only now.

“Once it was. Amethyst’s mother, Lady Amethyst and her lover a Lord of Order Pantagones who had taken residence in the body of the dead Lord Amethyst, were slain by Dark Opal at the bequest of his masters the Lords of Chaos. He’d reassembled the ancient breast-plate, embedding a stone from each of the houses save Amethyst and attempted to wrest control of the Gemworld once and for all—believing that he was to rule the Gemworld for his masters. Amethyst defeated Dark Opal and the Lords of Order, but in the process lost her humanity—her spirit merged with the Gemworld, where it remained for many years—protecting us.” Princess Topaz said quietly. “Five years ago Gemworld time, the Lords of Chaos and Monarch attacked the Gemworld.”

Power Girl’s attention perked up at the mention of Monarch. Her understanding, related by the Time Trapper when he’d enlisted her to defeat him in a Pocket Universe reality, was the wandering spirit of Monarch was a third of the soul of the Anti-Monitor reborn in their Universe’s new reality after the Crisis On Infinite Earths. He had infected Hank Hall of her Earth, leading to the creation of Extant after twisting and breaking Hank Hall’s soul and leading him to kill his partner the second Dove. The Time Trapper had explained that when Monarch was cast out of Hank Hall’s body—he’d been turned mad, and morphed into Extant, and Monarch had wound up trapped in the Time Trapper’s maze of Pocket Universes and layers of Hyper-Time, fighting his way through them trying to merge with Lord Xenon, another part of the Anti-Monitor who was imprisoned in a Universe in the center of all those false and altered realities.

“Monarch was on the Gemworld?” Power Girl asked.

“Yes. With the assistance of the Lords of Chaos he nearly destroyed our world. Amethyst defeated them, but just barely. At the end of the battle, she disappeared. And we have not seen her since. And now our very way of life is threatened again, but this time from within—rather than forces from outside. Within my own house in fact.” Princess Topaz said.

“What do you mean?” Power Girl asked.

“The tyrant the Gemworld faces now is my eldest brother—Red Topaz!”

And with that revelation a portal opened before them, splitting the chaotic darkness and revealing a world of bright and glittering beauty beyond.

Near the Tower of Power, which sat across the river from Century City, a glittering portal in the shape of Arion’s star opened, and Power Boy flew through.

“Hurry! We can only keep the time portal opened for a short time!” A voice called from beyond the portal. “I’ll do what I can.” Power Boy said.

“If you get stuck in the past, you’ll fail and all will be lost.”

“You’re always so cheerful. Have some faith in me!” Power Boy grinned back through the portal, before flying off toward Century City.

The ground beneath her feet exuded magic. Power Girl frowned, feeling the weird waves of heat that rippled over her whenever she was confronting with magic.

“Gemworld is entirely made of magic.” Power Girl groaned, “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“I thought it would be evident from the story.” Princess Topaz said. “Why is it a problem? As the granddaughter of Arion, you are uniquely powered by magic.”

“And uniquely weakened by it.” Power Girl said, feeling dizzy and wobbly on her feet. She swayed slightly. Princess Topaz quickly moved to help her gain her footing.

“This is an unfortunate and unexpected wrinkle.” Princess Topaz said her yellow-glinted eyes wide with concern. “I have to get you to my brother Prince Topaz. He will know what to do.”

With a blast of sparkling yellow magic, Princess Topaz created a magic carpet, which she quickly ushered Power Girl on to. They flew rapidly toward the bright glittering palace, primarily made of brilliant yellow topaz, but decorated throughout with topaz of varying colors.

As they drew nearer to the castle, Power Girl collapsed, consciousness slipping from her body as her weakness to magic got the better of her.

“By the Gilded Gods!” Princess Topaz exclaimed. She was holding onto Power Girl, and when she passed out and collapsed, she took Princess Topaz with her—breaking her concentration and causing the magical manifestation of the magic carpet to dissolve beneath them.

The two women hurtled toward the ground, it spinning toward them rapidly.

“Think!” Princess Topaz told herself frantically as the lush green ground rushed toward them.

A burst of energy exploded from the topaz gemstone around her neck, creating a buffer between them and the ground, which enabled her to lower themselves slowly to the ground.

Upon reaching the ground, Princess Topaz nudged Power Girl.

“Power Girl?” She whispered.

Power Girl grunted in response, having slipped deeply into unconsciousness. From the dark well that she’d slipped into within her mind, Power Girl could faintly hear Princess Topaz’s voice floating down, distorted and wavering. She tried to say something, but could not make her words form or make her mouth work.

“I’ll get you to the palace. My brother will know what to do.” Princess Topaz said frantically.

“Oh, really?”

The voice was cold and deadly and Princess Topaz looked up to see a tall lanky man standing there, wearing blood red robes. Long flowing white hair was combed back from his gray flesh. His bright red eyes peered at her, shooting death at her.

“So, this is the savior of the rebellion?” He chuckled.

“Yes.” Princess Topaz said defiantly, standing her ground.

“She’s going to be a lot of help asleep. It would appear there is some sort of mystic block within her, reinforced with some sort of mental block that prevents her from truly knowing her full mystic nature. It’s a shame really.”

“Shut up!” Princess Topaz screamed, her yellow magic flaring out around her creating a mystic shield around her and Power Girl.

“Is that anyway to talk to your brother?”

“You are not my brother. Not anymore.” Princess Topaz said, gritting her teeth and concentrating intently on keeping the mystic shield secure around her and Power Girl.

“You can’t cut blood ties. I may have transformed myself through magic, but I am still a member of the house of Topaz. But, I’m my own man. With my own name. I didn’t even have to wait until my special birthday to get my own identity. Don’t you want to be your own person my dear twin sister? There are several different names you can take, although I’ve already claimed Red Topaz.” His eyes flared with unholy light.

The air around him exploded with magical constructs of red serpents and dragons, all of them hurtling through the air toward Princess Topaz and Power Girl.

TO BE CONTINUED

NEXT ISSUE: Power Girl meets the rebellion as Red Topaz readies a plague that he hopes will even the playing field. In a world full of magic, can Power Girl finally overcome her weakness to magic and claim her full heritage so to help lead the resistance to victory against the forces of Red Topaz? Or will she again fail to save a world from a power-mad dictator?