She Needs Convincing

"Say that again," the tall, dark-skinned woman said.

"Fourteen." Lois repeated, feeling silly.

They took a cab to Gotham; Angelica had paid for it in cash, counting out hundreds from a billfold Lois swore hadn't been there a moment before. Isis had phoned while they were en route, and in due time the grateful cabbie left them off at the back entrance to the Gotham Museum of Antiquities.

The woman that met them was, in every sense of the word, statuesque. Wrist, ankle, brow, and breast were bejeweled with ancient Egyptian relics in gold and lapis lazuli; the white bands that covered her breasts and loins did little to conceal her long, shapely limbs and taut, toned stomach. Dark brown hair hung to the middle of her back.

"Blaze will wait outside," she said by way of greeting. "I will talk to Lois alone for a while."

Without another word, she led the reporter through the quiet museum to the Egyptian Wing, where a temple of Isis had been rebuilt, stone by stone. The weight of centuries seemed heavy in the room.

"You were fortunate I was here, to help with the opening." Isis had said. "Now tell me why I should help you."

Lois had done most of the talking up to that point, the priestess' eyes growing wider and wider, until finally the reporter got to the magic number.

"That's...what I thought you said." She shook her head. "Yes, I can perform the ceremony and cast the spell. But Lois Lane...you know that this is not something to entered into lightly? And that Blaze is not a human?"

"I know it," Lois Lane said. "And I know this is a bit crazy but I...I need to do this. For my babies, and for myself."

Isis looked unconvinced. Her mouth was set in a hard line.

"Your need may be real. But marriage and fertility magic are not quick fixes. There are consequences for these actions that extend far beyond yourself. I think...I will offer you an alternative."

The priestess reached into a display and withdrew a small, golden dagger with a chip of ruby in its pommel.

"This dagger contains a piece of the Ruby of Life. It was used to transfer life energy from the one who held it to the one it penetrated." She handed the dagger to Lois, pommel first.

"Blaze is outside," Isis said. "Touch her with the dagger, in the stomach, and your burdens shall be transferred to her."

Lois stared at the cold metal in her hand. It seemed...so easy.

Is she really offering me a way out of this? The reporter wondered. Or is it just some sort of test? Do I even want a way out?