Demons (Damirae)

Chapter Eighty-Five

Silence.

Then a horrible, tortured muttering. The incessant, subconscious whisperings of dread that punctuated the air like a million bullet holes through flesh and bone.

"No. no.no.no.no.no.no..."

No one spoke.

The murmurs stopped and the murmurer fixed his posture, rising to his full height and, with flat eyes, he seethed, "You never can stay dead, can you?"

Talia's dark, arched brows drew together and her voice snapped, "How far you have abandoned our ways. You dare to address me so vulgarly?". She reigned in her vengeance, "But of course, you've abandoned our way of life, what more am I to expect?"

It was a difficult situation. Not only for Batman and Robin, but for the others as well. What the heck were Cyborg, the Flash, Wonderwoman, Superman, Raven and Emrys supposed to do with Batfamily domestics? Spectate? Apparently so. Peacekeeping antics wouldn't work in this live-wire scenario.

Bruce had one question, "How?"

Talia turned her keen eyes towards her old lover, "My body was retrieved by assassins loyal to me, they paid for their tardiness dearly.", the easy manner in which she spoke of killing reminded Batman just why he should be so wary of her. "But that is of no consequence."

Damian narrowed his eyes, "You killed them."

Resting her hands on her hips (on the hilts of two long daggers comfortably resting over her robe) Talia pursed her lips, "Still daddy's little boy. But I'm not here to change that.", she glanced at Batman, "You've damaged him so much I doubt even I could."

Brazen as ever, Diana stepped forward- her hands too at her hips, a lasso and sword in her fingers- and boomed, "What is your purpose here then?"

"A confrontation."

Superman and the Flash raised their fists; Cyborg's arm-cannon whirred in to place; and Diana unwound her lasso.

The woman scoffed, throwing a disparaging look at the Justice League members. "Oh please, I have no notions of being skilled enough to take you all on by myself. I don't mean a physical confrontation, half-wits."

Barry dropped his fists, "Then what..?"

"By all mean leave", Talia shooed away the Leaguers, "my business is with my son. I happened to locate him when he was in your company. Purely coincidental. This doesn't concern any one else."

Not a muscle moved. Juuuuuuuust in case. You never knew with these Al Ghuls, always something up their sleeves.

Still standing in front of the woman and his son, Batman growled, "Go on. Confront away."

Being a practical woman, Talia Al Ghul was never bothered by awkward situations or all eyes expectantly on her. Thus, she began with a voice of thinly veiled fury, "I am risen from my water-grave Damian, and the first matter I attend is the League, your Grandfather's legacy. What do I find? Nothing! A handful of loyal, incompetents who resurrected me and the rest scattered! Upon tracking down many of those still on Earth, what do I hear? Half our forces banded under the control of a Light Council renegade Ringmaster supporting a coup in Trigon's realm led by the demon's sons."

That summed it up better than Raven could.

"And you have done nothing!", she concluded, not shouting but not in the least bit calm.

Emrys made a move to speak, but was silenced with a wave of her hand, "I didn't ask you. Though I can't imagine what you're doing here, traitor."

The other waited for Damian to speak, wading in foggy waters and through murky air.