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A sinister cascade of lightning crashed above the black pyramid in the forbidding desert of Third Earth. Deep in the heart of the dark structure, Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living stirred in his sarcophagus, awakened from the sleep of the undead. Irritated at the unexpected disruption to his rest, he emerged and stepped over to the edge of his cauldron. The liquid within bubbled, and an image slowly took form in the murky waters while Ma-Mutt approached the edge of the pool, barking loudly.
“What is it, my horrible hound?” Mumm-Ra looked down at his pet. The grotesque dog gave an excited bark in response and began to run around in circles. Puzzled by his behavior, and not in the mood to decipher his familiar’s dog-speak, Mumm-Ra gave a sigh of exasperation. “If you’ve energy to spend, go dig a hole or something,” he grumbled, and then quickly added, “and do it outside.”
Ma-Mutt ignored his master, and barked with increasing urgency. Narrowing his eyes, Mumm-Ra decided to ignore him for the time being and focused on the cauldron instead. He wondered if whatever it was that had Ma-Mutt so wound up was the same reason he had been so suddenly awakened. The image he saw in the pool was odd to him; the gloomy picture of a lone grave in the Forest of Mists. The stone marker was weathered and crudely cut, and it seemed as though whoever rested there was long forgotten, except for one detail. A single flower, a freshly plucked moon lily, was carefully laid at its foot. Mumm-Ra’s expression changed to one of curiosity. “Now why would the cauldron show me this?”
At the sound of his voice, the statues of the Ancient Spirits of Evil shook on their stands and their eyes glowed a bright and sinister red. “Mumm-Ra…”
He looked up from the cauldron to the giant statues looming above. He could not tell from their tone whether what they were about to say was good or bad. “What is it, Ancient Ones?”
“Mumm-Ra, after all this time, you still have not defeated the Thundercats. From what we have seen it is apparent that you do not have what it takes to rid this world of them on your own. To compensate for this incompetence, we have arranged for you to have a partner.”
Their words stunned him speechless for a long moment as the implication of what they said registered. A partner? An assistant was one thing—he had used those who the Ancients had sent to aid him many times—but a partner? One who would presumably be his equal, with whom he would have to share the spoils of victory? That was ludicrous!
“No, spirits!” the indignant, and somewhat alarmed Mumm-Ra objected. “I will prove myself worthy! I can defeat the Thundercats! I don’t need anyone else. I have both the Mutants and the Lunatacs in my employ. All I need is some time—”
“Time?” the spectral voices of his masters cut him off. “We have given you time! Time and time again you have tried, and time and time again you have failed. That is why we are sending you one who will join you in your quest to destroy the Thundercats. We are giving you a bride, an eternal partner in evil.”
Mumm-Ra’s previous thought of the notion as “ludicrous” suddenly felt woefully inadequate to convey his feelings on the matter. “A bride?” he hollered. “I have no need for a bride! I am Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living! I work alone!”
“Not anymore, Mumm-Ra, unless you want us to leave you with no power at all.” Their response seemed oblivious to his outrage, something that did not escape his notice and galled him all the more.
“No!” Mumm-Ra tried desperately to think of a way, any way, to talk his masters out of the insane idea before it was too late. He could tell that they were not in the mood to be trifled with, and would not take open defiance well, but perhaps with some humble supplication…
“Please, Ancient Ones,” he said, amending his tone to one less rebellious, “Don’t take my power. I swear on my unholy life that I will prove my worth to you, as I have over the millennia. But please, I beg you, my wicked masters, don’t force me to—”
The Ancient Spirits of Evil were not swayed by what they considered more empty promises. “You will go to this grave in the Forest of Mists and place this artifact on the tomb.” The waters of the cauldron bubbled higher and a stream erupted from the center, bearing a stone talisman carved with arcane symbols of power for Mumm-Ra to take. “It will call the spirit back into the body that lies there, and create from her remains an ever-living female being like yourself. She will rise from the grave to join you as your bride. After you awaken her, you will bring her back here to be bonded with you in a dark marriage ceremony in our presence.” The statues then lapsed into silence, and when Mumm-Ra made no immediate move to carry out their orders, they shook again, forcefully and impatiently, their eyes glowing a warning scarlet. “Go now, Mumm-Ra!”
Mumm-Ra recoiled, and glowered resentfully as he took the talisman. “All right. Who is she?”
“In life, she was a servant of evil, and your servant for a time. Her name was Torlei.”
“Torlei?” Mumm-Ra repeated the name, searching his memory. He recalled that it belonged to a Lunatac, one that had been a part of Luna’s gang of Lunar-Plundarrian renegades back when they had first come to Third Earth. The waters of the cauldron swirled again, and that time formed another vision to jog his memory further. Mumm-Ra saw flashes of a time long past, when the Lunatacs arrived on his world. There were a total of seven of them: Luna, Amok, RedEye, TugMug, Chilla, Alluro, and one other, a female named Torlei. She was a psi and bore some resemblance to Alluro. Like him, she was tall and had a slender build, and had long grey hair of the same unkempt and wild consistency as his. Her belt also had a medallion not unlike the other psi’s eye talisman, except that hers bore the image of a lightning bolt in the center. It had been the symbol of her power, the mastery of telekinesis and energy fields, which allowed her to move things with her mind and direct blasts of psychic energy at her adversaries. Mumm-Ra remembered then that she had been Alluro’s sister, but unlike her brother and the rest of Luna’s crew, she was no longer among the living.
Unchecked ambition and greed, qualities she shared with her fellow Lunatacs, had been her undoing. One day she had ventured into an ancient temple ruin on DarkSide and found a mystical black sphere that pulsed with energy that she realized she could use to augment her own powers. What she did not know was that the ruin had once been an altar to the Ancient Spirits of Evil, and that the orb was a focusing item of a long-gone priest who had not achieved immortality as Mumm-Ra had. All she had known at the time was what her psi senses discerned when she touched it, an incredible surge of power that seemed to fill the depths of her very soul. The lust to harness that power, combined with her own ambitions and destructive nature, drove her quickly into a twisted madness from which she would never recover.
Consumed with ambitions for conquest, she returned to the other Lunatacs and demanded that they make her their new leader instead of Luna. Though she had worked for Luna for years, Torlei had resented being subservient to her, and she knew that the day would come when she would prove herself more worthy of leadership. But to her dismay, the other Lunatacs would not follow Torlei, hurling accusations that she was mad, dangerous, and unstable. In her fury at being balked, she turned on all of them, her brother included, and attempted to kill them. With the magic of the Ancient Spirits of Evil reinforcing her powers, she was able to overpower them and imprison them in a telekinetic energy field that nearly burned them all alive. In an ironic twist of fate it was the physically weak Luna that saved the other Lunatacs. Her tiny size allowed her to slip through a small flux in Torlei’s energy field long enough to take hold of and aim a laser pistol. She shot the psi woman and struck her dead in the heart, killing her instantly. The deadly energy field evaporated with Torlei’s last mortal breath.
Although Mumm-Ra already knew the gist of the circumstances surrounding Torlei’s death, he had never given it more than a passing thought. What was one less troublesome Lunatac to bother him, after all, when he had never held any particular fondness for any of them to begin with?
“So she is who you would have me bond with.” Mumm-Ra glanced up at the statues dubiously. “Why her, Ancient Ones? What makes some fool Lunatac worthy of such power and immortality?”
The statues rumbled again and gave their answer, their ominous voices echoing through the dark sanctuary of the evil mage once more. “Torlei’s mind touched our Dark Orb of Power, and with that touch she learned the darkest secrets of our evil. The knowledge drove her mad, but it also drew her to us. In her dying moment she agreed to give us her soul and servitude in exchange for more power and the chance to seek revenge. Her spirit is restless, and it has been waiting since her death to return to the physical plane and carry out her destiny. We will now grant that by having her join forces with you. Together you will have the means to defeat the Thundercats. Go to her grave and raise her now, Mumm-Ra. You know the consequences for disobedience.” With that, the statues reverted to their inert state again, and the spirit presences withdrew from the pyramid.
As the Ancient Spirits of Evil finished speaking, Ma-Mutt ran to his master’s feet and barked again. Mumm-Ra frowned, reached down, and picked up his faithful hell-hound. “A wife. Of all the ridiculous things, the Ancients want a wife for Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living.” Ma-Mutt whined back at him. “What, you don’t agree? Well, I suppose a woman might be worth having around for a few reasons. It doesn’t look like I have a choice anyhow.”
The resigned Mumm-Ra set Ma-Mutt back on the floor. “Guard the pyramid while I’m gone.” The dog barked obediently in response, and Mumm-Ra flew off toward the Forest of Mists.
* * *
Skytomb was in chaos that afternoon. Luna was screeching at RedEye, TugMug, and Chilla to fix some faulty wiring that had just given their leader an electric shock that caused her hair to stand up on end, making it even bigger than usual. The other Lunatacs took great delight in making fun of her, which only served to worsen her mood. “What on Third Earth is taking you idiots so long to fix this?” Luna waved her crop for emphasis.
“The power grid’s destroyed. The surges burned up a lot of the circuitry, and they have to be rewired,” RedEye explained, rolling his eyes while his back was to her.
“It’s going to take us hours to get the power cells recharged again, too,” TugMug added.
“Unless maybe we plug Luna’s hair into them and drain the static,” Chilla said with a snicker, inspiring similar reactions in the other two.
“Enough out of you!” Luna hollered back. Her normally near-nonexistent patience was worn even thinner at the moment. “Just fix it! I don’t like having only emergency power on in Skytomb. We’re too vulnerable.”
RedEye turned around, a frown on his pale face. “We’re working as fast as we can. Besides, there’s no sign of Thundercats on DarkSide. The scanners work well enough on emergency power to let us know if they’re in the area.” He brushed some grime off of his gloved hands. “If you want it done faster, get Alluro in here. If his lazy hide was here to help, the mess would be fixed faster.”
“Where is he, anyway?” asked Luna.
“Right here,” Alluro answered as he came in. When he saw Luna’s impromptu hair restyling, he laughed. “What happened to you? Did you stick your finger in an electrical socket?”
“She blew up the whole power grid just to get a new look,” remarked Chilla
“For the last time, shut up and get to work!” Luna snapped back at her before turning to Alluro. “And where have you been? You were supposed to be helping us!”
“I was out. There was something I had to do.” His tone became curt and somewhat defensive as he answered. A more sensitive individual than Luna might have picked up on the cue not to press the issue, but Luna was not known for her sensitivity.
“What could possibly be more important than your duties at Skytomb?”
Alluro sighed and turned away. “Never mind, Luna. You wouldn’t understand. I’ll go get some tools,” he said, and then left to get them.
Luna frowned as departed. “Do any of you know what’s going on with him? He’s acting strange.”
“Stranger than normal, you mean?” TugMug said with a snort. His expression changed as something occurred to him. “Wait, what day is today?”
“The 189th day of the Third Earth year,” RedEye replied, and as he recited the date, all of the Lunatacs fell silent and exchanged looks of realization. Chilla was the first to vocalize her thoughts, however.
“Oh, this is the anniversary of the day Torlei—”
“I told you to never speak that name!” Luna cut her off with a shriek, her mood gone exponentially fouler. She waved her crop at Chilla, her eyes ablaze with fury. “She was a traitor, and I don’t want any of you to mention her ever again. You know how I feel about that!”
“Like you ever keep how you feel to yourself,” muttered RedEye, irritated by Luna’s dramatics.
TugMug was also annoyed, mostly because he could not concentrate on the wiring when Luna was hollering. He set his pliers down and faced her. “She was crazy, Luna, and she was Alluro’s sister. You can’t expect him to just forget about it. Not even you’re that cold.”
At that, Luna’s angry scowl deepened, and her voice rose in tandem with her temper. “She tried to kill me! She tried to kill us all. Don’t expect me to forget that. Now finish this wiring job and tell Alluro to get over it and get back to work! I’ll be upstairs. Take me out of here, Amok.” She tapped her steed with her crop, and the two of them left without any further word on the matter.
* * *
Miles away, Mumm-Ra arrived at Torlei’s gloomy gravesite. He set the talisman that the Ancient Spirits of Evil had given him, a small onyx statue with jewels embedded in it, atop the headstone and began to chant in the ancient tongue of his evil masters. As he did, the wind picked up and whipped around him. A glow of energy began to emanate from the statue, which grew as Mumm-Ra finished chanting. It then pulsed outward, enveloping the gravesite and a swath of ground in front of it that covered the body laid to rest there. Mumm-Ra watched as magical energy caused the dirt to roll aside while something stirred and rose from beneath.
A moldering corpse, little more than a skeleton, emerged from the grave. Mumm-Ra would have found the sight fearsome and disgusting had he not been one of the undead himself. The decayed body stood, and another beam of unnatural light shot down from the sky and surrounded it. Mumm-Ra recognized it as the same energy that transformed him, the power of the Ancient Spirits of Evil. The light grew brighter as it engulfed the dead form, blinding him for just a moment. When his vision readjusted he could see the figure clearly. Instead of bare bones covered with desiccated patches of decayed flesh, he saw that she now had a form of supernatural skin covering her body. It was a sickly pale purple color, much like he imagined it would be for one of her people if they were in the throes of great illness or just after a lingering death. Her hair was restored to her body as it had been when she had died, long and gray like Alluro’s, falling to her waist in length. Her skeletal horns were also restored, as was the moon birthmark upon her forehead, although the crescent now glowed an eerie and sinister red, as did her eyes. Torlei’s clothing was the same as she had been buried in, repaired from its worm-eaten and tattered state from being in the ground so long. It was a navy blue dress with loose sleeves and a long hem that came to the ground, giving her a similar look to Mumm-Ra in his mummy form without the hood. At her waist was her lightning bolt medallion, hanging from a chain of thick silver links that encircled it like a belt. She could have almost passed for a living Lunatac if it were not for the unnatural glow of her eyes and birthmark, and the appearance of subtle fangs in her mouth.
Mumm-Ra noticed them glistening in the shadowy darkness of the Forest of Mists when she laughed a deep, evil laugh not unlike his own, aside from its feminine tone. She immediately turned toward the sky and spoke. “Ancient Spirits of Evil, your eternal servant Torlei has been awakened!” It was then that she noticed Mumm-Ra bearing witness to her resurrection, and immediately her expression changed from one of wicked delight to one of annoyed suspicion. “I was summoned back into the physical plane by Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living?”
He ignored the younger immortal’s rudeness. “Yes. I was sent here by the Ancient Spirits of Evil to raise you and take you back to the Black Pyramid to be my bride.” He spoke without emotion, as if he was discussing a mundane matter of an attack plan to a Mutant.
“Your bride?” Torlei snapped back in disgust. “You must be kidding.” She had not thought much of Mumm-Ra in her mortal life, and even though they now served the same masters, she did not find that her feelings toward Mumm-Ra himself had changed. Like the other Lunatacs, she still held him in contempt for destroying their ship and trying to force them into servitude. In the past, the Lunatacs had worked for Mumm-Ra because they had no choice, but they certainly never enjoyed it. She resented Mumm-Ra almost as much as she did Luna from her memories of her living days.
Mumm-Ra, meanwhile, quelled the urge to knock the resurrected Lunatac down a peg with a blast of red lightning. Satisfying as it might be, he knew that the Ancient Spirits of Evil would not approve. Omnipotent bastards, he thought resentfully. They probably get a sick thrill out of this. He gave her a stern look. “They feel that I need a partner in my evil existence, and they chose you for me.” His eyes glowed brightly for a moment before he added in a decidedly sarcastic tone, “Believe me, I’m just as pleased with this arrangement as you are.”
Torlei let out a low growl, as the Ancients had not warned her of this particular quirk in her fate, but she was as powerless to do anything about it as Mumm-Ra was. Defying the Ancient Spirits of Evil was not an option. She let out a melodramatic sigh and forced herself to look at Mumm-Ra as a partner and mate, distasteful a thought as it was to her. “Lucky me,” she said without bothering to mask her feelings on the matter. “So we’re to be bonded then, Mumm-Ra? Why you, and why me?”
His response was an ambivalent shrug. “The Ancient Spirits of Evil have decreed it so. If I don’t comply, they’ll take away my power, and you must comply or they’ll return your body to the grave it came from and your spirit to a ghostly state.”
“Which is effectively useless,” she said sourly as she joined Mumm-Ra’s side. “So be it then. Lead the way to our home, darling.”
“As you wish, dear,” Mumm-Ra replied with matching sarcasm, and flew with her back to the pyramid.
* * *
Lynx-O tapped urgently at the keys of the Braille board in the Tower of Omens. “This is strange, very strange...”
“What is it, Lynx-O?” asked Pumyra, as she, Lion-O, Bengali, Panthro, and Cheetara all entered the control room.
“No trouble I hope,” said Panthro. “We just got here to pick you up for the Berbil Harvest Festival tonight. I wouldn’t want to miss it. There’s gonna be a lot of good food.”
With a frown, Lynx-O told them, “I’m picking up some strange energy readings emanating from the Forest of Mists. The fluctuations have caused minor disturbances in the Tower of Omens’ monitoring equipment. I don’t know what could be causing it.”
“You can’t get a fix on the signal?” Bengali asked.
“Only within a small area, and I can’t bring up any images on the monitor.”
Cheetara joined him at the console, her sixth sense beginning to tingle as she pondered the situation. “Odd… my sixth sense is warning me about something. I can’t tell what, but it seems like something bad. Very bad.”
“Then I wonder if the Sword of Omens knows anything.” Lion-O lifted the sword up to his eyes. “Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!” A vision of Mumm-Ra with Torlei at the gravesite was shown to him. “Oh no,” he groaned.
“What is it? What did you see?” asked Panthro.
Lion-O lowered the sword and re-sheathed it in the claw shield. “It looks like Mumm-Ra raised someone from a grave that seems to have similar powers to him. She spoke with him and they flew off together. I think she’s another avatar of the Ancient Spirits of Evil, perhaps an apprentice.” He eyed the others with worry. “Oddly, she also looks like she’s a Lunatac, or at least she was once upon a time.”
“Another undead enemy?” Pumyra looked at the others, alarmed. “Mumm-Ra’s powerful enough on his own. Now we have to contend with two of them?”
“That explains the ominous feeling my sixth sense gave me when I concentrated on it,” said Cheetara.
“Strange. I wouldn’t have thought there’d be a dead Lunatac here on Third Earth,” mused Lynx-O. “They’re alien to this world, originating on the Moons of Plundarr. Until now, we were certain that the Lunatacs of Skytomb were the only ones here. Did one of them die?”
Bengali let out an uneasy growl. “It’s not Luna’s grandmother again, is it? She was on Third Earth; that’s how Mumm-Rana wound up with her belt.”
Pumyra shook her head. “Mumm-Rana exiled her back to the Third Moon of Plundarr, where she was originally from. I’d guess she died there since she never came back to Third Earth.”
“This new friend of Mumm-Ra’s doesn’t look at all like Luna. If I had to compare her to any of the Lunatacs we know, I’d have to say she looks the most like Alluro,” said Lion-O. “I also got the impression that she’s been dead for some time, probably since before Mumm-Ra entombed them in lava on DarkSide, long before we ever came here. Her grave looked like it’d been there a while.”
“There must’ve been more than just Luna’s current crew when they came to Third Earth then,” Cheetara surmised.
“Regardless of whether she’s a Lunatac or not, it still means trouble for us if Mumm-Ra’s involved. You can bet your claws on that.” Panthro looked at Lion-O. “We better find out what he’s up to.”
Lynx-O took in some more information from the Braille board. “There’s a shift in the energy. It seems to be more focused now. I think the atmospheric conditions in the Forest of Mists were interfering with it, but now I can trace it more closely. It looks like it’s moving toward Mumm-Ra’s pyramid.”
“Then I think we should go and find out exactly what Mumm-Ra’s up to,” Lion-O said decisively. “Lynx-O, stay here and keep monitoring the energy fields. Let us know of any changes, and let the others at the Lair know what’s going on.”
“Will do, Lion-O.”
Lion-O turned to the others. “The rest of us will go to the Black Pyramid and find out exactly what’s going on with Mumm-Ra and this dead Lunatac.”
* * *
In the desert of sinking sands, Mumm-Ra and Torlei returned to what was now their pyramid. As soon as they touched down on the ancient stone floor, Ma-Mutt rushed to their feet, barking excitedly. He ran in a circle around the two of them, and after a cautious sniff in Torlei’s direction, he barked a greeting at her.
“A dog, Mumm-Ra?” Torlei asked with amusement. “How very domestic of you.”
“He’s some company I conjured up a while ago. Every sorcerer needs his companion animal.”
“I believe the magical term is ‘familiar’ is it not? He’s truly grotesque. He suits you.” It was not clear whether she was being sarcastic or not, but Mumm-Ra did not care either way.
“Enough small talk. Let’s get this bonding ceremony over with.”
Her eyebrows rose at his gruffness. “How romantic. No wonder you’ve been single for thousands of years.”
Mumm-Ra ignored that as well, and went over to the platform by the pool. “Join me,” he commanded, beckoning to her. She ascended the steps and stood next to him, peering down into the murky waters of the cauldron. She had seen it before, of course, in the past when Mumm-Ra had summoned her and the other Lunatacs into his pyramid, but that perspective was new to her, and fascinating. Mumm-Ra wasted no time, however, and began the ceremony. “Ancient Spirits of Evil, hear your servants Mumm-Ra and Torlei, who have come before your mighty presence to be bonded for all eternity!” Torlei then snapped to attention as well, and waited alongside him for their answer.
They were not kept waiting long. The statues rumbled and came back to life, aglow with dark power. “Mumm-Ra, we have heard your call and will bond your souls in darkness for all time, so that your powers may unite and work to each other’s benefit, and that you may never be separated and reign eternal in evil.” Their attention focused solely on Mumm-Ra. “Do you, Mumm-Ra, take Torlei to be your ever-living companion with whom to plot and scheme in evil triumph or humiliating defeat, power or weakness, to never be separated in power or spirit, until the end of time?”
Glancing at his wicked fiancée, Mumm-Ra grimaced slightly and resigned himself. “I do.”
The Ancients’ attention turned to Torlei. “Torlei, do you take Mumm-Ra to be your ever-living companion with whom to plot and scheme in evil triumph or humiliating defeat, power or weakness, to never be separated in power or spirit, until the end of time?”
Torlei looked at Mumm-Ra and questioned whether or not this would be the biggest mistake of either life she had known, but she wisely refrained from pressing her luck by stating such or hesitating. “I do,” she replied with about the same enthusiasm as Mumm-Ra had.
As soon as she verbalized her consent to their bonding, a clap of thunder crashed so loud it seemed to be within the black pyramid itself. The statues’ eyes glowed a bright scarlet, and they focused their evil energies on the undead pair. Their voices echoed in unison and filled the chamber as they spoke the words that finalized their dark spell. “By all our powers of darkness, we now pronounce you mummy and wife.” A supernatural beam of energy burst forth from each eye of each statue, striking in the dead center of their alignment to form one massive beam which then surrounded the two undead beings, drawing them together and intertwining them. Both could feel something changing and mingling in their aural energies, a force that would connect them permanently that could never be removed. When the spell completed, the statues reverted to their inert form, and the magical energy dissipated into the musty air of the pyramid. Mumm-Ra and his new bride were left alone on the dais with Ma-Mutt at their feet, wagging his tail.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, and then Mumm-Ra took a steep closer and leered at her. “Every groom is entitled to a kiss from his bride.”
She looked back at him and his rotting mouth with revulsion. While she was no better herself, her mortal memories were still fresh enough that the notion turned what would have been her stomach had she been alive. Even when she had been among the living, she had been a willing spinster, and a man like Mumm-Ra was hardly her type even if she had been so inclined. She took a step backward. “Er, Mumm-Ra, I don’t—”
Fortunately for Torlei, their “moment” was shattered when a slew of Thundercats charged into the black pyramid with their weapons drawn. Lion-O, Panthro, Bengali, Pumyra, and Cheetara faced the two of them ready to strike. “Whatever you’re up to, Mumm-Ra, you’re not going to get away with it!” Lion-O announced, holding the Sword of Omens in front of him in a threatening pose.
“Thank the Ancients for small favors,” Torlei muttered, until she took note of the identity of their intruders. “Thunderians? Why would Thunderians be here on Third Earth?”
Mumm-Ra meanwhile let out a roar of outrage. It was not so much that he missed his post-nuptial smooch, but because the Thundercats had broken in and he had missed any warning sign that his home had been invaded by the enemy due to his preoccupation with the bonding ceremony. “They are the Thundercats,” Mumm-Ra said contemptuously. “Their own Thundera was destroyed, and they came here to my world to infest it instead, preaching their infernal Code of Thundera, and interfering with my evil rule. They are our enemies, ones who would prevent our rule in ultimate evil, the very ones the Ancients brought you to me to aid me in destroying! Let’s do it now!” He shot a deadly burst of red lightning in the Thundercats’ direction.
Predicting the attack, Lion-O leapt backwards and swung the Sword of Omens to deflect away the blasts of evil energy. With a loud cry of “Ho!” he in turn shot at Mumm-Ra with a powerful beam from the Sword of Omens, which Mumm-Ra dodged by leaping backwards, while Torlei darted to the side.
“You have nerve, Thundercat! You won’t get away with breaking into our pyramid and shooting at my dear husband,” Torlei snarled viciously, and advanced toward them as she drew on her telekinetic powers. She could feel the Ancient Spirits of Evil’s power flowing through her, and a vast pool of dark energy available for her to draw on beyond anything she had ever felt while alive, even after taking hold of the Dark Orb of Power.
The Thundercats exchanged stunned looks when they heard what she said. “Your what?” Panthro repeated in disbelief.
“Did you say ‘husband’?” gasped Pumyra.
Glowering at them, Torlei raised her hands, spreading her fingers as the tips began to spark. “The Ancient Spirits of Evil have bonded us for all eternity. Say hello to the new ever-living empress of Third Earth—Torlei, partner of Mumm-Ra!” She released the energy she had been channeling with a violent blast. The force was great enough to knock the Thundercats backwards, and with a second flick of her wrists, a force field grew around them, trapping them inside so that they were unable to move. The web-like energy was the same type she had once used on Luna and her crew just before her death, only now it was stronger. She smiled with evil satisfaction. The power of the Ancient Spirits of Evil was delicious and addictive. It was worth putting up with Mumm-Ra for, she decided, very much so.
Bengali grunted under the stinging force of the energy. “Ugh. What a—”
“She’s Mumm-Ra’s type all right,” Cheetara muttered as she struggled fruitlessly against the telekinetic field. “Evil, mean-spirited, and undead.”
Pleased by his bride’s performance, Mumm-Ra stood over them and sneered. “I’m so glad you decided to crash our little wedding reception, Thundercats. What better gift could there be than the chance to destroy our enemies right here and now?” He laughed and put an arm around Torlei’s waist.
Unimpressed, Panthro groaned in disgust. “Save it for the honeymoon, if you make it that far, you undead bag of bones!”
Torlei was not impressed by Mumm-Ra’s possessive display either, and she turned toward him with a sour look. “Well, it’s nice that you’ve gotten what you want, Mumm-Ra, but I haven’t. The Thundercats mean nothing to me. They’re your enemies. I captured your foes, but you haven’t returned the favor.”
Mumm-Ra’s temper flared. “What foolishness are you talking about? We’re partners, my dear,” he snapped. “My enemies are your enemies. Besides, who could we possibly need to destroy more than the Thundercats?”
“I still have a bone to pick with Luna,” Torlei replied with narrowed eyes. “She killed me, and I will see her pay dearly for it. The way I see it, you owe me my enemies’ heads on a platter the same way I gave you yours. Either you fetch me her for my revenge, or I’ll let these feline pests go.”
“What?” Mumm-Ra was outraged. “You would dare cross me that way? We are partners, upstart, and don’t you forget it!”
A half-smile of sarcastic sweetness crossed her lips. “Watch me.”
Mumm-Ra saw the Thundercats watching the exchange, and he knew that they would spring loose the second she gave them the opportunity. While he remained confident that they could be handled, he did not want the hassle. Torlei had the advantage of surprise on her first attack, but the Thundercats were quick learners, and he knew they were not to be underestimated. Having them captured and incapacitated was too valuable for him to allow her to have a tantrum and throw it away, so instead he scowled at her. “I see loyalty is not one of your better traits, but I should have known that from the circumstances of your death. Very well, have your way then. I’ll humor you and capture Luna, but only because I want the Thundercats destroyed and they’re so conveniently packaged as it stands.”
“No,” Torlei pressed, her eyes gleaming red in the darkness. “That’s not good enough. I don’t want just Luna. I gave you five, so you give me five. Bring me Luna plus four of the others, at least.” She eyed him evenly. “Prove yourself worthy of my company, Mumm-Ra, and I’ll be quite an agreeable wife to you.”
Livid at her arrogance, Mumm-Ra considered cursing her with a vile spell that would put her in her place, but he refrained, since it would be ultimately counterproductive to his own goals. “I raised you from the dead! Isn’t that enough for you? You should be groveling in gratitude for the favor I gave you.”
“Do it,” she insisted, “or I might just get so distraught over our little quarrel that I lose my concentration, and with it, the hold on the telekinetic field they’re in. Then they’d get away… Oh my, wouldn’t that be a shame?”
“Oh, fine!” Mumm-Ra blasted the floor between them with a red-hot beam of energy that singed the stone in lieu of hitting her. “Have it your way, then, you miserable woman. I’ll go and get those damnable Lunatacs for you.”
Torlei gave him a vindictive and manipulative smile back that he knew already that he would hate for years to come. “Thanks, honey.” It seemed that the Fourth Moon accent she shared with her brother accentuated her condescending tone, and it left Mumm-Ra cursing at her in seven different ancient languages under his breath as he flew out of the pyramid.
“I think he was better off as a bachelor,” Bengali whispered to Panthro, pinned beside him in the force field. He nodded back in grim agreement. They were in big trouble, and they knew it.
* * *
After what felt to them like an eternity but was in truth only a matter of hours, the Lunatacs were able to restore power to Skytomb and had a chance to take a break. Luna rejoined the others after the power had come back on, and after she finished attempting to de-frizz her hair. She was still on the other side of the common room that served as Skytomb’s lounge with Amok while the others relaxed about on seats at the far side of the room. Chilla was still fuming over how Luna had treated her earlier, and was ranting about it fervently to the others, who had already grown bored and were half tuning her out. “How dare she scream at me like that just because I said Torlei’s name? It’s not my fault she was in a bad mood because she was dumb enough to shock herself senseless.”
RedEye shrugged. “Luna’s been screaming at us for years. You should be used to it by now.”
“Besides, you know how she feels about Torlei. You should have known better than to say anything,” TugMug added.
“Well, she asked, didn’t she?”
Sprawled out on one of the seats with his feet up, Alluro frowned. “You didn’t need to spell it out. I managed to avoid saying anything, and I’m the one who went to…” He sighed again, and decided to drop the subject. “Never mind. All you managed to do was give her a license to badmouth my sister for days. I’d rather remember her the way she was before her insanity, not rehash her final moments through Luna’s eyes.”
“Your sister tried to do us all in, including you,” Luna said coldly as she and Amok joined them. She sat upon Amok’s back with a towel wrapped around her head. “We would all be dead if I hadn’t stopped her. Of course, you forget that part, don’t you, when you reminisce about the ‘good old days’ with that traitorous witch.”
Alluro just glared at Luna, while the others grumbled under their breaths and made faces, a typical reaction after having dealt with her for so long.
Even Amok had enough of the conversation, and the usually silent brute growled a quiet but distinct, “Stop it.” The other Lunatacs glanced at him in surprise, for Amok so rarely said anything at all that whenever he did, they usually listened. His face seemed as impassive as usual, but there was somewhat weary look in his eyes. “No more talk.”
“Amok is right,” Alluro agreed. “Drop it.”
“Fine,” Luna conceded, although her tone made it clear that she wanted to do anything but.
Chilla looked at the towel wrapped around their tiny leader’s head like a turban. “So how’s your hair?”
Luna pulled it off and ran her stubby fingers through the damp and unruly purple and white strands. “It’s wet from trying to get the static out, and charred at the ends from the electrical burns. I had to cut off two inches.”
TugMug let out an amused snort at Luna’s vanity. “I don’t see a difference; your hair is still as big as ever.”
“And you’re still as ugly and stupid as ever!”
“And you’re all my prisoners!” Mumm-Ra’s voice boomed as he crashed through the outside wall of Skytomb and into the room. Debris from his dramatic entrance flew everywhere, and the six Lunatacs instinctively ducked or took cover behind large pieces of furniture before turning to see what had happened. When they did, and the dust began to settle, their shock changed to outrage when they realized that their “ally” had just done them extensive property damage.
Luna and Amok charged forward and confronted him. “Mumm-Ra! What in the name of the Moons is the matter with you? You just broke our wall!”
TugMug hopped angrily and shook his fist as he joined Luna and Amok’s side. “You’d better fix that, you worthless bag of bones!”
Mumm-Ra did not even bother to dignify TugMug’s insult with a reply. Instead he raised his arms, ready to attack. “I’m taking you all as my prisoners as a gift to my new bride.”
His announcement shocked them more than his stated intent to capture them. “Your wife?” Chilla said, stunned. “Who on Third Earth would be stupid enough to marry you?”
Cackling, Mumm-Ra’s eyes glowed a malignant red. “You all knew her very well in life, Lunatacs. In fact, I believe this is the anniversary of her death.”
Alluro stared at Mumm-Ra in complete horror and disbelief. “Torlei? But she’s...”
“Dead?” Mumm-Ra cut the psi off. “Not anymore, Alluro. Not since she became the bride of Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living, and gained the gift of immortality from the Ancient Spirits of Evil. Now she lives just as I do!” He advanced toward them, smiling cruelly. “And she has plans for you, Luna, as well as the rest of you. She only wanted four, but I think she’ll be quite, heh heh, appreciative if I give her a complete set.”
“You can give her this,” an unimpressed Chilla hissed back, before spitting a lungful of ice at him. Mumm-Ra predicted her attack and countered it with a blast of red lightning. It struck her in the chest, searing into her cold flesh and knocking her down immediately, leaving her clutching her body in pain.
Luna could not help but remember the first time Mumm-Ra had gotten the better of her and crew, and she was determined to do all that she could to stop it from happening again. She held on tightly to her brute’s horn, and they charged at Mumm-Ra from one side. TugMug came at him from the other side, hoping to overwhelm him with a simultaneous attack. He fired heavyweight gravity beams at Mumm-Ra, but the mage’s reflexes were as quick as the magical lightning he had struck Chilla with, and he deflected the graviton’s attack with ease. Instead of their intended target, the first beam hit Amok, slamming both him and Luna into the floor and pinning them there before the brute could even get in the first swing, while the second bounced back and hit TugMug himself, stopping him dead in his tracks. He landed on his side on top of his carbine, making it a laborious and difficult chore to discharge a beam to counter it with under the weight of the force field. RedEye was already after Mumm-Ra as soon as the others fell, but Mumm-Ra saw his sidewinder coming at him, and dodged it. The weapon only clipped the ever-living’s shoulder before colliding with the destroyed wall behind him.
Alluro used Mumm-Ra’s distraction as a last ditch effort to try and overcome him with his own powers, although he did not have high hopes for it to work. Mumm-Ra had always been resistant to being thralled. His apprehensiveness was not betrayed by his demeanor, though, and Alluro spoke with his usual confidence, bolstered by the spite and loathing he felt for Mumm-Ra. “Give up,” he said, projecting his will forcefully into his voice as the orb from his psyche club flew into position above Mumm-Ra’s head. “You cannot resist. You will release us and leave. You know you don’t stand a chance at overpowering us.”
At that, Mumm-Ra let out a derisive burst of laughter. “Don’t I? I defeated your friends in mere minutes, and you’ll go faster than them, foolish Lunatac. You ought to know by now that your worthless mind powers don’t work on me.” He reached up and grabbed Alluro’s orb from where it hovered above him, and channeled his own energy into it before hurling it back at the hypnotist. Alluro was not fast enough to duck or dodge, and it hit him hard in the torso, electrifying him with the mage’s burning magic on contact. With Alluro out of the way, Mumm-Ra then turned to RedEye, sneering. “Pathetic. That was even easier than the last time I defeated the lot of you.” He then shot RedEye with his magic, and laughed as he summoned a magical net to entrap all of the Lunatacs. When he finished, he picked the net up and flew through the broken wall to take them back to his pyramid.
When he arrived, Mumm-Ra dropped the net full of captured Lunatacs right at Torlei’s feet. “There,” he said with flat impatience and more than a bit of sarcasm, “just to please you, I captured all six of them. I do hope that you’re happy now?” Her red eyes lit up with wicked glee as she eyed the captive forms of her former compatriots, and although she did not say anything, Mumm-Ra could see that she was pleased. That in turn pleased him, for it meant that they could get on with what he wanted, which was to deal with the Thundercats. “Now shall we destroy the Thundercats? Or would you perhaps like a diamond ring first?”
The smile on Torlei’s face faded at his mockery. “Don’t patronize me.”
“Then don’t delay me any longer with your whims,” he snapped back.
“This couldn’t get any stranger if it tried,” Panthro muttered to the Thundercats trapped with him. “Mumm-Ra took the Lunatacs prisoner along with us.”
“Whatever they’re up to, it can’t be good,” Bengali growled in a whisper.
Cheetara nodded along with them, about the only move she could manage trapped as they were by Torlei’s telekinetic magic. “We have to get out of here and stop them.” She grunted with fruitless exertion. “But I just can’t move under this force field.”
“If only I could reach the Sword of Omens, I could call Tygra, Lynx-O, and the Thunderkittens,” Lion-O lamented. “But I’m not sure I could even hold it if I managed to call it. In this pressure I can’t budge an inch.”
Ignoring the Thundercats in favor of the new captives, Torlei strode over to the Lunatacs and stared down at them. “Hello, Luna dear,” she greeted her former leader with false sweetness. “I bet you didn’t expect to see me here, did you?”
“Actually, I did,” Luna retorted contemptuously. “Mumm-Ra gloated to us about your little marriage. It’s a perfect match if ever I saw one. You two truly deserve each other.”
Alluro was still in shock at seeing his dead sister alive and walking before them. Words failed him at first, but finally he managed to speak. “Torlei… sister, is that really you?”
She glowered at him. “I’m standing here, aren’t I, brother?”
The venom in her tone made him wince, although he supposed on some level that he should not have expected otherwise given the terms they had parted on prior to her death. “Why are you doing this?”
“Being murdered tends to bring out my vengeful side, Alluro. And you all standing around watching while she did it makes you just as guilty of betrayal as she is.”
“I loved you,” Alluro said, heartsick at the biting edge in her voice. It was just like it had been that terrible day all those years ago. Time had dulled some of the details from his memory, but now they had come back, and he wished that they could have stayed forgotten with how much they hurt. “I mourned your death for years. I’m still mourning it. I visited you at your grave today. Surely if your spirit was still here you remember that? You must understand—”
It seemed for a moment that his words touched her, but the rage in her soul and the influence of the Ancient Spirits of Evil ended it quickly. “Understand what?” she snarled back at him. “That you betrayed me and watched me die?”
“I never betrayed you.” Alluro turned away, unable to stand the burning hatred in her eyes, pulsing with the power of Mumm-Ra’s masters.
His answer only angered her more, and she shot him in the neck with a stinging blast of telekinetic energy that made him cringe. “Liar! Who refused to side with me when I came to you with my plans for taking over leadership? Who called me crazy and tried to steal my orb? Who didn’t stop Luna when she shot that blaster at me?” She shot him again, that time making him yelp.
“You tried to kill us!”
“You chose her,” Torlei screamed, and shot the captured Lunatacs with another burning surge of energy. “Luna.” She spoke the name as if it were a curse. “You sided with Luna, dear brother! And you have the gall to say that you didn’t betray me?” She thrust both hands forward, and the entire group of them rolled backwards and slammed into the base of one of the giant stone statues. “All I wanted was for you to recognize me as the leader. I was always smarter, more organized, and I even treated you all with more respect than Luna ever did. If she’d accepted quietly, I’d have even let Luna stay in the group. But no. You chose her!” She walked over to where Alluro lay and stared down hard at him. “Why is that? Was Luna better for you? Did she satisfy some sick fantasy of yours that I never could?”
Despite their own situation, the exchange between Torlei and the Lunatacs had the Thundercats’ full attention as well. Until that point, none of them had known anything about the Lunatacs’ personal lives, and certainly not that Mumm-Ra’s new bride was Alluro’s sister or that Luna had killed her. It struck them as strange to see the Lunatacs as individuals with families and personal connections that meant something to them when they had always known them as raiders motivated by greed and personal gain.
Alluro, meanwhile, blanched at Torlei’s implication of him having anything to do with Luna in such a way. “Never, Torlei. You know I always felt that blood was thicker than water… but the power in that orb twisted you. It made you irrational and destructive.”
“He’s right,” Chilla spoke up from where she lay. “None of us would follow you because you’d have gotten us all killed. That black orb thing you had messed up your mind and your judgment.”
“And that’s why I tried to get it away from you,” Alluro finished.
Disgusted with their excuses, Torlei blasted them all again. “That ‘black orb thing’, as Chilla so eloquently put it, was the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s what gave me the knowledge and power that allowed me to overcome my mortal limitations, and tap into the power of the universe that only accomplished mages can harness! It’s what allowed me to cheat death, and put you in your places… then and now.”
“All it put you in was in your grave,” Alluro said bitterly.
“Not another word out of you, brother!” Torlei’s voice was full of raw rage and emotion. “It’s you that hurt me most of all, you and your precious Luna. I sacrificed years of my life caring for you. I raised you after our parents died, you so young you barely remember their faces or the sound of their voices. I was but a child myself but still I stole, demeaned, and even sold myself to take care of the two of us. And how did you repay me? You lied to me, you schemed against me, and sided with Luna. How do you think that made me feel?”
Alluro was stung on multiple levels by her accusations and her twisted take on the events that transpired the day she died at their old base on DarkSide’s Moonfire Peak. “That’s not how it happened. You weren’t in your right mind then. You aren’t now.”
“You aren’t kidding. You’d have to be missing a few screws to join with Mumm-Ra,” Bengali growled from across the room.
“What do you know; even Thundercats can get something right sometimes,” remarked Luna.
Torlei cast a glare in the tiger’s direction before turning back to Alluro. “I’ll deal with your betrayal later. But first I want revenge on the one that delivered my fatal blow.” She looked at Luna, who despite being stubborn enough to not want to give an enemy the satisfaction of seeing her squirm, had a look of genuine fear in her eyes. Amok could feel it, too, and he grunted and struggled fruitlessly in the magical net. Torlei parted the energy field so that she could reach Luna, and sneered at her. “Now we’ll see just how tough you are without Amok to save your neck.”
“Wait!” Mumm-Ra interrupted Torlei and joined her side. Although he had not begrudged her the moment to gloat, he had his own ideas for what would be done with their prisoners. She gave him a venomous stare, which pleased him after she had interfered in his own personal revenge on the Thundercats earlier. Payback was not only fair, but in combination with being evil, it was downright delightful. “I have a better idea, my dear. One that will allow us to have a little more fun with them. Let’s put them aside and ‘save’ them as a souvenir of the day we conquered Third Earth. If we seal them in molten rock, they can serve as a warning to those who would cross us, at least until we think of something painful and torturous enough to do to them when we decide we’re finished with them once and for all.” He grinned, showing his jagged and broken teeth. “As statues they might as well be dead. We’re the only ones who know how to release them, except for those incompetent mutants, but they can’t even lace their loincloths, much less undo a magic spell without our aid. If we were to simply kill them now, the fun would be all over with too soon, and the death of a despised enemy is a terrible thing to waste.”
RedEye let out a snort of disgust from inside the net. “Molten rock again? How original of you, Mumm-Ra.”
Panthro chortled darkly. “He never was much in the creativity department. He has about five basic attack plans that he alters slightly, thinks he’s brilliant when he does so, and then when he’s defeated, wonders why.”
Mumm-Ra did not find the remarks as amusing as his prisoners did, and he roared in outrage, shooting red lightning at all of them. “Silence! Do not dare to mock me, Thundercat!”
Torlei considered his suggestion. “I suppose if we entombed them in stone, we could think of tortures to subject them to at our leisure… and prove that furry fool wrong about our ingenuity.”
“Yes,” Mumm-Ra said with a grin. “Let’s take our prisoners to the proper site for the spell, then!” He nodded to Torlei, and the two of them lifted their helpless captives into the air and flew with them to the largest active volcano on Third Earth.
* * *
It did not take the ever-living duo long to prepare their spell and victims for the entombment. Mumm-Ra and Torlei stood upon the rocky rim of the volcano with the Thundercats and Lunatacs secured several feet away in one large Thundrainium cage attached to a pulley setup that would lower them slowly into the volcano while Mumm-Ra and Torlei cast the spell. The Thundrainium rendered the Thundercats as weak as kittens, and while it did not affect the Lunatacs, they were still trapped without their weapons so there was little they could do but languish beside their incapacitated adversaries. Adding to the indignity of the situation was the fact that they could see all of their weapons piled up in a heap out of their reach. Though Mumm-Ra and Torlei did not need the weapons, they both enjoyed knowing that their prisoners would feel even more wretched being able to see but not use them to escape their demise.
“I don’t believe this,” grumbled Panthro. “Of all the ways to end it, I never pictured it like this, imprisoned in a Thundrainium cage with our enemies, about to be sealed up in rock by two corpses practicing black magic.”
“The most disgusting part of it is that it’s our so-called ‘ally’ doing it to us again,” RedEye said irritably.
Luna sat sullenly upon Amok’s back and looked over at the weakened Lion-O, who was sprawled out with the other Thundercats on the floor of the Thundrainium cage, barely conscious. “Lion-O, why doesn’t your ‘all powerful’ Sword of Omens get us all out of here?”
“They took our weapons, Luna.” Lion-O replied in a voice little stronger than a whisper.
“Well, can’t you call your stupid sword? It works every other time you’re imprisoned,” said TugMug.
“I don’t have the strength to call for it loud enough for the Eye to hear me.” Lion-O’s voice was so fatigued it seemed that he might pass out at any moment. “Thinking and wishing and even whispering for it to come hasn’t worked so far.”
Pumyra struggled to sit up, and grimaced as the Thundrainium burned the palms of her hands that she tried to use to support her weight. “There must be some way out of here, some way to stop them.”
“How?” Chilla hissed from where she leaned against the bars. She felt almost as weak as the Thundercats looked from the volcano’s oppressive heat. “You Thundercats can barely move! I’m the only one of us here with any kind of weapon, and this heat is killing me.” She panted and wiped her forehead, which came away unnaturally moist for an icewalker. “And even if it wasn’t, I can’t spit enough ice to put out a volcano.”
Cheetara looked over at Alluro. “I have an idea,” she whispered hoarsely.
“What is it?” asked Lion-O.
“Alluro, Torlei’s your sister, right?”
The Lunatac regarded the Thundercat with a frown. “Yes. She was, anyway, in another lifetime. I have no idea what she is now that Mumm-Ra’s twisted her.”
“Maybe you could use that. It’s obvious that she remembers you, and you are her kin. Part of her must still care about you.”
Alluro raised an eyebrow at Cheetara’s suggestion. “I know you Thundercats are slow, but I think it’d be obvious even to you how she feels about me. She made that quite clear back at Mumm-Ra’s pyramid.”
“Not necessarily,” argued Pumyra. “Of any of us, you’d have the most chance of reaching whatever good,” she paused, and amended as she reconsidered her words, “whatever mortality still might exist in her.”
TugMug snorted at the Thundercat’s slip. “Maybe you’re not as dumb as you look. At least you don’t think we Lunatacs are cut from the same goody-goody cloth that you are.”
Pumyra ignored TugMug and continued to try and convince Alluro between labored breaths. “You’re not only a hypnotist, Alluro, you’re her brother. You can convince her, get through to her. Maybe if you remind her of your past together, your connections and happy memories—”
“That she’d renounce Mumm-Ra and let him out?” Chilla finished for the Thundercat, and glanced at Alluro. “It might work. Of any of us, she was closest to you.”
Cheetara nodded, glad that the others understood what she had been thinking but had not had the energy to explain thanks to the Thundrainium. “Then you could let the rest of us go.” Although she did not like the odds of trusting a Lunatac to play savior to them, it was the only chance they had.
Luna was not as confident. “It won’t work. Torlei had no problem trying to kill Alluro along with the rest of us the day I killed her. Thank the gods I was able to reach that blaster and shoot the traitorous witch, or we’d have all been dead.” She wrinkled her nose. “Funny thing is, I never expected the shot’d be enough to kill her. I intended to have Amok deal with her when we got out. But what’s done is done.”
Bengali growled. “How can you talk about taking life like that?”
Frowning at the tiger, Luna retorted, “Killing to save myself, not to mention the others—which I’d think you Thundercats might call honorable if it was another Thundercat doing it—might not seem noble to you, but you’d be surprised at what you’d do if your life depended on it, boy.” She tapped her boot against Amok’s horn. “But my point is that Torlei doesn’t care about any of us. The woman bound herself to Mumm-Ra, for crying out loud! There’s no goodness to reach in her. You’re fools if you think there is.”
“I can’t believe that,” Lion-O argued, grunting with effort to get on his elbows. “There’s some goodness in everyone, even the most hard-hearted souls.” He looked pointedly at Luna. “Even you.”
“Hah,” was Luna’s only response to that.
“Yes. If no one else, you care about Amok… or else you wouldn’t have apologized to him after he threw away your grandmother’s belt.”
“Shut up, Thundercat. Don’t make presumptions that make you look more foolish than you already do.”
RedEye groaned, irritated at the continued bickering in the face of their impending doom. “If any of you have a plan, you ought to try it now. Those two are chomping at the bit.” He gestured to the undead pair on the volcano’s rim.
Following the darkling’s gaze from Mumm-Ra and Torlei to the bubbling lava below, Bengali shuddered. “How badly does it hurt? I know he did it to you once already.”
“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Alluro said sarcastically. “Just imagine someone pouring concentrated acid over every part of your body, burning with pain that pales in comparison to anything else you might’ve felt, until you go numb, blind, and lose your awareness altogether from pain and oblivion.” He grimaced. “And it feels the same in reverse when you’re freed, too.”
TugMug pulled furiously at the bars of the cage. Although he was strong, he was weak from all of the struggling he had already done in trying to get loose, and the Thundrainium would not give. “Screw that. I’m not going through that again!”
“Doesn’t look like we have much choice,” Panthro said with a low growl.
“Unless we take the long shot.” Cheetara eyed Alluro urgently. “At least try to get through to your sister.”
Alluro frowned. “Much as it galls me to say Luna’s right, she probably is.” He looked at Torlei at Mumm-Ra’s side, trying to reconcile the sister he had once known to the creature that called herself her now.
“You have nothing to lose by trying,” Lion-O urged.
“Understand that we’re grasping at straws here,” Alluro said with a sigh. “Even though I’m the most powerful hypnotist on this or any other planet, my mind powers don’t work on beings such as Mumm-Ra.”
“Then speak from your heart. I’m sure you Lunatacs have them, even if you don’t use them much.” Cheetara offered a half-smile of encouragement.
Alluro did not respond to either Thundercat, or to the muttered derisive remarks he heard coming from Chilla and TugMug’s directions in response to the Thundercats, but he did go to the part of the cage that most closely faced Mumm-Ra and Torlei. “Torlei!”
The undead psi whirled around at the sound of her brother’s voice and glared at him. “What?”
“Please don’t do this, sister.” His tone was pleading, apologetic, and convincingly sincere, but Torlei was not impressed. Mumm-Ra jeered while Torlei strode closer.
“Give me one reason not to.”
“I understand why you’re so angry. Of course you are. I know how it must seem from your standpoint… but you must understand. Luna never meant to kill you.”
“She meant to wound me then?” Torlei scoffed incredulously. “Cause me agonizing pain? Is that supposed to make me want to spare you?”
“No! It was a misunderstanding. Nobody wanted you dead. Luna shot to snap you out of it, not to kill you. I know it’s no consolation and it can’t be undone, but I swear to you it’s the truth. None of us wanted you to die, especially me.” Alluro met her eyes, sickened by the malevolent red glow in them instead of the pale yellow she had in life. “You’re my sister. I loved you. I still do.”
Torlei came closer, her expression hard as ever. “Your intentions mean nothing, and regardless of Luna’s supposed intentions, I still wound up dead,” she countered viciously. “Maybe things would’ve been different for you if you’d stayed loyal to me, or if you’d at least tried to stop her from killing me, but you didn’t.” Her scarlet eyes narrowed. “No, brother dear, I’m afraid your half-baked words of sentimentality aren’t enough to wipe the slate clean. Actions speak louder than words, and you proved where your loyalties lie back at Moonfire Peak, so now you can pay the price with your chosen allies along with your enemies. As far as I’m concerned, I have no brother. Mumm-Ra and the Ancient Spirits of Evil, the ones that restored the life that Luna took from me, are my family now. You’re nothing and you mean nothing to me, Alluro.”
Using what strength he could muster, Lion-O crept closer to the side of the cage. “I don’t believe that. There’s a part of you that still wants to care about your brother.”
“What do you know, feline? Don’t dare to assume you know anything about what I feel.”
“Keep going,” Cheetara whispered from behind Alluro. “Remind her of good times you had with her.”
Brushing aside the thought of how odd it was to have Thundercats offering familial counseling advice, Alluro pressed on with the arrogant thought that he did not need them telling him how to approach his sister when he was the master of the mind and persuasion. “Sister, listen to me. I thought about what you said back at the pyramid. You were right—you did so much for me over the years. I must seem so ungrateful… and I’m sorry.” He paused a moment to let his words sink in. “For so long you were all I had. You raised me when you were but a child yourself, only six years older than me. I know what you went through to keep us both safe when you could’ve just left me behind to fate. I’ll always love you for that, and for the times we shared during and afterward. We were all each other had for so very long, long before we even knew Luna and the others.” He smiled wanly. “Remember what that was like? When we would go from city to city conning the wealthy to get what we needed, and perhaps a bit extra for fun? Or what you taught me about using my own powers above and beyond the lessons we got from the temples and tutors? You always said I was like our mother, that I had her powers, even though I don’t remember her.” He watched as glimmers of recognition registered on her harsh features, and smiled more confidently.
“Remember how we’d laugh at the stunts we pulled? Like the time I hypnotized that puffed-up little worm Zymachus to moon the mayor after he crossed us? I thought you’d collapse on the spot you were laughing so hard. How about when we met the rest of them all those years ago in the capitol?” He gestured to the Lunatacs imprisoned with him. “Remember how it felt to bring our enemies to their knees as a team? Even that dreadful mad dash out of the club that brought us here to Third Earth was a rush. The Moons still must have our names down in the history books as a gang not to cross.” His smile faded. “Tell me, can you truly forget all of those good times, and let one terrible misunderstanding and that wretched mummy to torture and kill me now?” His voice grew shaky. He was no longer drawing on his hypnotic powers at all, though his words were charged with enough emotion that they carried a sway of their own.
She remained silent as she listened to him speak, but a faint echo of wistfulness flashed across Torlei’s features as she remembered the times Alluro spoke of, as well as others he did not, before the incident with the orb back on Moonfire Peak. Still suspicious, she searched his eyes for the slightest hint of deceit, but found none.
“It’s working...” Pumyra whispered.
Lion-O seized the opportunity that Alluro had provided for their escape with his distraction. The renewed hope of having a plan had given Lion-O enough of an adrenaline surge to provide the strength he needed to call on the powers of the Eye of Thundera. Mustering every bit of energy he could, he called out, “Sword of Omens, come to my hand!” His voice cracked on the last word, and it ended in a half-cough, but it was enough to wake the Eye nonetheless. The mystic gem flashed red, and the blade magically rose from the inert pile of weapons and flew in his direction.
When he saw what was happening, Mumm-Ra let out a furious shout. “Oh no you don’t!”
It was too late, and the sword fell firmly into Lion-O’s grasp, while Torlei’s face twisted back into its hateful rage as she realized that she’d been had. “You’ll sink to any level to save your own hide, won’t you, Alluro?” she hissed with unbridled contempt. “You used our past distract me so your enemy Lion-O could free you all!”
“No! That’s not what I was doing,” Alluro protested, furious at the Thundercats’ timing to make it seem like he had betrayed his sister yet again. Although his aim was to get out and survive, his words to Torlei had been sincere, and he hated Lion-O as much as he did Mumm-Ra for turning her further against him.
Torlei scowled. “You almost fooled me, brother. I almost believed you actually cared about me, and that I might’ve been wrong in wanting to see you dead along with Luna and the others. But you’ve proven yet again that brother or not, you’re not worth it, and that family will stab you in the back just as soon as anyone else,” she said venomously. “All you care about is yourself, and what you can get. Well, you’ll get what you deserve as Luna’s little second banana—to fry alongside her and the rest of your friends. Burn, all of you!” She spoke a spell invocation that caused the chain on the cage to begin lowering into the lava.
Fortunately for the prisoners, the Sword of Omens revitalized Lion-O’s Thundrainium-weakened body, and he raised it as high as he could through the bars. “Not this time we won’t. Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats—Ho!” His powerful battle cry echoed to the heavens and the Thundercat signal burned its image into the ashen sky. The power of the Eye of Thundera quickly restored the strength of the other Thundercats while Lion-O sliced open the top of the cage. Everyone inside, Thundercat and Lunatac alike, leapt out of the prison and onto the rock ledge before it fell into the bubbling lava below. When he landed, Lion O pointed the Sword of Omens at Mumm-Ra and Torlei and let out a resounding shout of “Ho!” A blue beam shot from the Sword of Omens, stunning the undead pair and allowing the rest of them time to collect their weapons. Mumm-Ra and Torlei recovered quickly and fought back, resulting in a stalemate between them and the Thundercats and Lunatacs that lasted until the Thunderstrike arrived to turn the tide of battle. As always, the other Thundercats had seen the cat signal and came as soon as they could to aid their Lord.
Lynx-O, Tygra, and the Thunderkittens were in top form and came in with the Thunderstrike’s guns blazing. Manning one of the pods with his sister behind him, WilyKat locked on the smaller and unfamiliar form beside Mumm-Ra and fired while Tygra attempted to target Mumm-Ra from the other pod. Tygra’s shot missed, but WilyKat’s was spot on, and the blast hit Torlei squarely in the back. The impact sent her over the rocky ledge and plunging right into the heart of the volcano she and Mumm-Ra intended to seal the Thundercats and Lunatacs in. She let out an unearthly screech as she fell, and then vanished. Despite all that had happened, Alluro still saw the sister he almost had back rather than someone who had just tried to kill them all, and he ran to the edge shouting her name. When he reached it, he saw nothing but the fiery pit below and no trace of her.
While that happened, Lion-O blasted Mumm-Ra in the chest with the Sword of Omens, knocking him backwards. Realizing that he had lost and that his partner was gone, he had no choice but to retreat and regroup. He reverted into his mummy form cursing the days that each of his foes had been born, and flew back into the air to return to his pyramid. He did not sense Torlei’s presence, and he supposed that she had met her end when she fell into the volcano. Ever-living or not, he knew that young immortals were considerably weaker than ones as old as himself, and if her body was too damaged to reconstruct itself then she would not be able to survive. It left him with a disturbing sense of regret, for another plan failed and another battle lost, and perhaps a very tiny bit for the loss of a partner whose potential he had never had the chance to truly explore.
Back on the volcano’s side, Luna dug through Amok’s saddle pouches until she found a remote controller that could summon the Lunattacker to come to them. “Thank the gods that the most convenient volcanoes are on DarkSide,” she muttered as she watched the Thundercats gather around the landing Thunderstrike now that Mumm-Ra had gone. Her own group was more scattered; TugMug and RedEye were close by, and Chilla was lingering behind them walking a bit slower due to the volcano’s heat. Alluro was still at the volcano’s edge, staring down at the lava seemingly transfixed. She was about to shout to him to snap out of it when the Lunattacker arrived. RedEye and TugMug wasted no time in getting in, while Chilla paused by Luna’s side. “Where’s Alluro?”
Amok pointed to the volcano edge, and Chilla sighed irritably. “It figures.”
“Tell him that if he’s not in here in a minute we’re leaving without him,” Luna said. “I don’t want to stay here and have the Thundercats decide we owe them some favor for their part in saving us, or try to get the better of us to ‘rehabilitate’ us while we’re vulnerable now that they think we have redeeming traits or something ridiculous like that.”
Chilla nodded, not bothering to argue the point that as an icewalker, the last place she wanted to go was closer to the lava. However, the heat was more tolerable to Chilla than more of Luna’s hot air, so she went anyway. “Alluro, get up,” she said as she approached. She grabbed his shoulder and shook it, and when he did not immediately answer, she yanked him to his feet away from the volcano’s edge where the heat had her sweating rivers of cold water onto her dress.
“She died, again, and I didn’t stop her. Again,” Alluro lamented as Chilla dragged him further down the hill.
Chilla stopped only long enough to forcibly turn him toward her. “There’s nothing you could’ve done. She’s gone. Dwelling on it won’t change anything.” Giving advice and sympathy did not come naturally to Chilla, and it showed in the rare occasions she attempted to deliver it, such as that moment, although the oppressive heat made her words terser than they might have been elsewhere. “Listen to me,” she said, lowering her voice and pulling him along again. “Torlei wasn’t really alive, not like us. It was just some spell of Mumm-Ra’s. Now let’s get out of here before the Thundercats decide to kick us while we’re down.”
Alluro remained silent, but listened, and picked up his pace alongside her.
As their walk changed to a slow run, Chilla added, “Just let her go. You don’t want to remember her like that.”
“No,” he said finally. “Everything that happened today is best left in the past. Let’s get out of here.” The two of them reached the Lunattacker and climbed in, and the Lunatacs wasted no time in speeding off back toward Skytomb.
The Thundercats stopped talking long enough to take note of their foes’ hasty exit. “Hmph,” WilyKat remarked. “The least they could’ve done is thank us. We did save them too.”
“A thank you isn’t anything I’d ever expect from one of them anyway,” WilyKit said with a shrug.
Exhausted, Lion-O leaned against the Thunderstrike’s door. “Well, I have to admit that it was a joint effort getting out of there. If they hadn’t distracted Torlei, I’m not so sure I’d have been able to call the Sword of Omens without them stopping me. That Thundrainium had us all really wiped out.”
“Thank Jaga that it’s all over with,” Cheetara said with a weary sigh. “I don’t think I like the idea of Mumm-Ra having a partner on a permanent basis.”
Pumyra glanced at the volcano. “What do you think happened to her? If she was Mumm-Ra’s bride and ever-living like he is like she said, then she might still be alive, right?”
Panthro frowned, and then shook his head. “Even if she made it, she’s got to be an ever-living charcoal briquette after that. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her anytime soon.”
Tygra climbed back into his seat in the Thunderstrike. “If she could’ve come out, we’d have probably seen her by now.”
Nodding along with the other tiger, Bengali took the back seat of the Thunderstrike’s main cabin. “He’s right. And on that note, how about we discuss this back at the Tower of Omens… where there’s air conditioning?”
Lynx-O chortled. “Indeed. Not only is the heat miserable, but the volcano smells terrible to someone with enhanced senses.”
“Kind of like WilyKat after he eats too many of Robear Roberto’s tacos!” WilyKit teased her brother.
“Shut up! Like yours doesn’t stink,” he quipped back.
Tygra laughed and gestured for the Thundercats to all squeeze in. There were not quite enough seats in the Thunderstrike for all of them, but they could fit in for a very cozy ride. “Well, we can continue this debate back at the Tower, too. I’ll fly,” said Tygra. The Thundercats squished themselves into the Thunderstrike and took off into the darkening sky, bound for home.
As they left, no one noticed two small hands grip the edge of the volcano, one after another, and a frail-framed, navy-blue clad figure climb out.
* * *
Many hours later, long after night had fallen across Third Earth and an ominous full moon shone in the starry skies above, Mumm-Ra was half-asleep in his sarcophagus. He was about to slip into another deep death-like rest to recharge his powers when he heard a noise that stirred him back into full alertness. “Ma-Mutt,” he called out, “is that you?”
A whine at the foot of the sarcophagus confirmed that it was not. Frowning, Mumm-Ra pushed the stone lid open and peered into the darkness of his chamber for any sign of the intruder.
A pair of blazing red eyes met his own. Mumm-Ra stepped closer and recognized the outline of his undead bride approaching. She moved slowly, and as she drew nearer he could see that she was somewhat burned, her hair and clothes charred, but not all that worse for the wear considering where she had been. “Hi, honey, I’m home,” Torlei greeted him, and let out a bone-chilling laugh.
The End