306 - DC: The Infinite Villain (Patreon)

The Court's Talons and Talia's Bargain

'Talons?'

Damon recognized the attackers with some surprise. Talon wasn't one man's name. It was what the Court of Owls called its assassins.

Bats weren't the only things that flew through Gotham after dark.

The city had another unsettling nursery rhyme besides the one about Solomon Grundy.

Beware the Court of Owls. It watches night and day.

From Gotham's walls and attic eaves, it sees you on your way.

Even when you're safe at home, its eyes are by your bed.

Speak its name, and a Talon comes to claim your head.

The Court trained the Talons to kill for it. The rhyme exaggerated its reach, but not by much. Gotham's old families had built an organization with people in every industry. They had worked from the shadows for generations, exercising influence over a city that rarely saw them. If the Waynes represented Gotham's public face, the Court was the one it kept hidden.

'So the Court has its eye on Talia?'

Thwck!

Talia drove her dagger into a Talon's heart, ducked, and kicked another attacker aside. Then she ran toward Damon.

"Help me!" she called.

The Talons noticed his sudden arrival. They stopped chasing her, spread out, and slowly closed around them both.

The man she'd stabbed began to move. With an effort, he pulled the dagger from his chest, threw it away, and rose to his feet.

"They won't die," Talia said under her breath.

She'd tried more than once. Whatever injuries she dealt them, they kept getting back up.

"Interesting." Damon took in her battered appearance. "Why are they after you?"

"The Black Lantern ring."

He nodded. It was unusual enough to attract the Court's attention.

"Spend tonight with me, and I'll get you out of this," he said.

"Fine." Talia answered immediately. The Talons were already surrounding her; this was no offer she could weigh freely.

Damon moved.

He closed on the nearest Talon and punched with Steppenwolf's strength, without stacking it.

His fist struck the man's helmet. The face beneath caved in, and his head burst a moment later.

The others hesitated, then prepared to attack. Blue lightning flashed. A rapid series of impacts followed, and every Talon fell headless to the ground.

Talia stared as Damon turned back toward her. She took an involuntary step away.

She had known he was powerful. Seeing it at this distance was something else.

Whoosh!

Flames sprang up around the fallen Talons. The smell of burning flesh spread across the street, sharp enough to turn her stomach.

The bodies burned to ash. There would be no getting up again.

"Let's go to your place," Damon said.

Talia paused. "My car's outside."

She drove him to her villa. Gotham's streets were busy again. With the Parademons gone from sight, people had resumed their routines. They were used to the city descending into chaos every other week.

The villa stood in the suburbs, large and isolated.

He saw no servants or guards.

"Is this where you used to live?" he asked.

"Where I live now." Talia dropped onto the sofa, ignoring her torn clothes and the cuts beneath them. "Where did you expect me to be, Wayne Manor? Bruce and I are together, but we don't live under the same roof. Besides..."

Her smile took on an edge. "Since he came back, Bruce Wayne has spent his time at charity events helping rebuild Gotham. Batman spends his nights dealing with criminals. I returned his shares, but I'm still the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. How much time do you think we have together? He's clever, too. I don't intend to let him find out what I'm doing. But I could move in with him, if you needed me to."

"I could even marry him."

Damon let that pass. "Where's the bathroom?"

"This way."

She took him upstairs. Damon undressed to shower and noticed she hadn't left.

"Joining me?" he asked.

Talia gave him a flat look, then stepped in.

They simply washed. Her wounds were minor. Afterward, they put on robes, and she opened a bottle of wine before leading him to her bedroom.

Her training in the League of Shadows showed in the way she ignored her injuries.

Damon leaned against the headboard with his drink. Talia stood by the window.

"Do you know why I'm studying the Black Lantern ring?" she asked, turning toward him.

"To destroy Gotham?"

She took a sip. "That's part of it. I've developed some attachment to the city over the years. It won't change what I believe, but destroying Gotham is no longer my first priority. I want a Black Lantern Corps of my own. I want to fight my way back into the League of Shadows."

She set down her glass and untied her robe.

It fell to the floor.

She faced Damon without trying to hide the bargain she was making. "Help me."

"I'm not interested." He shook his head. "You might amuse me, but that doesn't make you one of mine."

"I know. Because I'm Bruce's girlfriend? I'm not asking to belong to you. I need your help. In return, I'll do something with you I've never agreed to do with anyone else."

It was an intimate offer she said she had kept off-limits until now.

Damon understood her meaning. It did not erase the condition he had imposed when she needed rescuing.

He looked at her. "What do you need me to do?"

"Help me build the Black Lantern Corps, or take control of Solomon Grundy. When I return to the League of Shadows, I need you to arrange a fair fight between me and him."