Witching Hour lll

They argued and debated for a while. I didn't mind, I was getting paid by the hour.

Idea's of how to address and approach the Enchantress were mixed. Batman, of course preached caution and in the interest of not being killed, research.

Some of the others couldn't be bothered to wait. I guess realizing that they'd been attacked by thousands of teeth ripped from the bloody mouths of soon to be murdered children was enough to cloud their minds.

I get it.

Children dying would motivate most people. I guess that-

A tug, a beacon of light appeared in my mind, fire burning like a it set aflame for a pyre made of magic.

My consciousness was pulled through the world in my astral body, a form of consciousness separate from the physical body, almost like a ghost. It was a crypt, a cemetery stretching miles.

The energies of millions flickered at my senses. 'Najaf!' An Iraqi city with kore than 5 million buried here. 'Largest cemetery in the world. Now why did she choose this place?'

My control over the dead waned and waxed with the place and people I found myself with. Not many people know that Voodoo is religion.

It comes from West African Vodun brought over to Haiti, Southern America and parts of South America. Voodoo practitioners can communicate with the spirits, or loa, of Earth to achieve a multitude of things. As an Avatar of one of the most powerful loa, that granted me many powers regular practitioners didn't have.

Even still, enforcing my will over spirits of another religion was way harder than when I'm in New Orleans. That didn't mean it was impossible, just harder. Hopefully Allah doesn't eradicate me for what Im gonna do.

"WITCH! STOP WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO!" The air sizzled at my roar. She didn't seem bothered at all. She hunched over many of the graves. Her pale, skinny arms tracing magical lines in the air,

"You cannot stop what is going to happen, sorcerer!" Her voice was unpleasant, like glass cracking against concrete. "A world of my choosing shall reign. My goddess has foretold so."

"Your goddess is not with you in this circumstance, witch! If you do this...-" I had to calm the anger invading my mind. She was going to reanimate the dead and use their bodies to desecrate the crossroads and cemeteries, she didn't know what she was doing! "LISTEN! June Moone, resist the witch, she is in your mind feeding you a false world, break free!" I spoke to the clueless woman trapped in her own mind.

———

Jericho's power strained at the limitations of his astral body. Magic in the astral body is almost impossible. To even return to his own body was liking pushing against a tsunami.

'What the hell is happening?' He asked himself as something wouldn't allow him to return. A small amount of desperation started to become evident. "Kite m 'pase lòtbò a!" He yelled with passion.

(Translation: Grant me passage to the Otherside!)

Hands from beyond the realm of living reached from nowhere and surrounded his body in loving embrace. Hands of all ages and colors touched lightly and carefully, remembering who the man they're helping is.

"Bonswa, Loa! I need to get back to the Justice League, please take me back to my body." He spoke respectfully to the spirits enveloping him. He received no verbal answer but he knew what it was.

It didn't even seem like a second went by before he felt his astral aspect wash away into nothing. 'Thank you.' He internally thanked the spirits who helped him before urgently waking his body up.

"We need to go now!"

———