No matter how cool a Magic card sounds, players will undoubtedly come up with a nickname for it.
Sometimes they’re shortened nicknames like “Mom,” “BoP,” or “STEve.”
They might reference pop-culture with nicknames like “Tim” from Monte Python, “Taylor Swiftspear,” and “The Rock.”
Or they might just be silly like calling Emrakul the “Flying Spaghetti Monster,” Smuggler’s Copter the “Looter Scooter,” Leonin Arbiter “Cat Jesus,” and Solemn Simulacrum is the “Sad Robot.”
Some nicknames are meta and reference similarities to old favorites, like Den Protector the “Maternal Witness,” a callback to Eternal Witness’s Regrowth ability, or how Inventor’s Apprentice is called “Nerd Ape” because of its similarities to Kird Ape.
A nickname might keep parts of the original card in the title like how it’s “Prime Time” when a Titan hits the board or how Karn is often referred to as the “Karnfather.”
Too many times misreading Gray Merchant of Asphodel has earned it the nickname “Gary,” and if you yell out Kalitas in a southern accent you get “Cleetus.”
But “Bob?”
It’s not a shortened version of Dark Confidant. It’s not a pop-culture reference unless I’m really out of touch. It’s not a reference to another card, it’s not an acronym, and it’s not a play on words. So where does it come from?
“Snapcaster Mage” by Volkan Baga
Many tournaments have come and gone in Magic’s history. The Mythic Championship used to be the Pro Tour, Magic Fests used to be Grand Prixs, MCQs used to be PPTQs, there was the Master’s Series for a short while, and there was also the Junior Super Series that offered scholarships for players 16 and under.
This past year we actually saw the return of an old tournament that we hadn’t seen in over ten years, the Mythic Invitational.
It used to be called the Magic Invitational, way before Esports and Magic Arena existed. The prize was the opportunity to design a card that would be printed in a future set showcasing art in the likeness of the winner. Immortalizing yourself in this way has been one of the coolest prizes Wizards of the Coast has ever offered players.
Some of the greatest players in Magic have this honor, like Chris Pikula, Kai Budde, and Jon Finkel. Some of the more powerful cards to be developed from this tournament include Ranger of Eos, Meddling Mage, and Snapcaster Mage.
Our “Sad Robot” friend is actually Jens Thoren, Avalanche Riders is Hall of Famer Darwin Kastle, Sylvan Safekeeper is Hall of Famer Olle Rade, and Dark Confidant is Hall of Famer Bob Maher Jr.
Bob Maher was one of the first big professional Magic players. He started in the Junior Division playing in the first ever Pro Tour in 1996 and moved to the senior division the following year.
In 2000, Bob went on a tear with his Maher Oath deck looking to abuse Oath of Druids. He won Pro Tour Chicago, Grand Prix Seattle, finished third at Grand Prix Nagoya, and finished second at the ESPN2 televised World Championship losing to none other than John Finkel. He had become a household name in Magic and was awarded Pro Player of the Year.
Bob had plenty of respectable finishes over the next couple years to include winning the Master’s Series defeating Gabriel Nassif in the finals, winning Grand Prix Detroit, Grand Prix Copenhagen, and then the Magic Invitational in 2004. He became the third player to ever win a Grand Prix, Pro Tour, Master’s Series, and Invitational. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 with the well-deserved nickname of “The Great One.”
Bob’s original submission for the Invitational was not even close to the Dark Confidant we know and love today. His original submission was actually a sorcery called Asp’s Grasp. At the cost of one green mana, you can give your opponent nine Poison counters. This was before Infect was a mechanic in New Phyrexia but there were a handful of cards up to this point that dealt with Poison counters. So while he didn’t create the concept of Poison counters, it seems he was an advocate for its return.
Even before Infect was a mechanic, Poison counters worked in the same way they do today: if you get ten, you die. Needless to say, the card would have been absurdly powerful, almost to the point of being a joke, and likely not a card that would ever see print.
Somewhere between Bob’s original submission and his time working with RnD we got Dark Confidant. Ron Spears did a beautiful job painting the iconic piece and capturing Bob’s likeness. The flavor text is perhaps one of the best ever printed, both in flavor and profoundness. Alluding to Bob’s nickname, “The Great One,” the line reads
“Greatness, at any cost.”
The card has seen success in multiple formats and multiple different strategies. In Vintage it saw a lot of play in Tinker decks, Bomberman and Jund decks in Legacy, and most G/Bx configurations in Modern. The card is powerful and exciting to play. It tests pilots and their ability to weigh the risk of death against the rewards of card advantage. Even Maher couldn’t help but sleeve up the card, famously flipping 17 damage over the course of five turns to lose from a commanding position in the finals of the 2010 Vintage Championship.
How can we blame him though? The card is as powerful as it is fun to play with. We love granting him personality, blaming him personally for not being on our team when he flips a Blightsteel, and cheering him on when he flips lands and low costing spells. Sometimes even the opponent will get in on it and beg “Bob” to flip some damage to help them out or condemn him when he doesn’t. But “Bob” seems to have a mind of his own and the only thing he can guarantee you is a card. It’s up to you to decide whether the risk is worth the perilous reward.
The card, the art, the name, the flavor text, the player behind it, and all the spectacular moments it facilitates are iconic. It’s why it’s one of the most beloved cards in the game, both in the G/Bx community and beyond.
Over the years, most of these Invitational cards have gotten a makeover, severing their connection to the players that helped create them. To many this is a shame, but for others it offered more choices as a way to further express themselves in deckbuilding.
Regardless of the art and likeness to Maher, most still call the Modern Master’s Dark Confidant “Bob.” It seems we’ll never be able to separate the “The Great One” from Dark Confidant and the two will live on synonymously forever. The nickname isn’t a pop-culture reference or a play on words or a reference to another card. It’s an homage to its creator, its history, and its greatness.
Three months had come and gone since Emrakul’s defeat on Innistrad. The Gatewatch had since made Ravnica their home of operations. Gideon trained with Nissa and Chandra, Jace had Guildpact responsibilities, and Liliana….well, she simply did as she pleased.
Jace had put the word out to the multiverse, if there was trouble, they would come, and they would fight. It wouldn’t be long before the Gatewatch would pique the interest of those on other planes. One of those interested parties was Dovin Baan of Kaladesh. He was looking for help to stop the renegades who were disrupting his plane’s government.
The job didn’t really excite the Gatewatch until they had heard that Tezzeret was operating on the plane. Liliana and Jace were the last to see him before his memory was ruined and body left for dead. To hear that he was alive and well was unsettling.
The Gatewatch went to Kaladesh to try to uncover Tezzeret’s intentions and the events that transpired ultimately led to a confrontation between Liliana and Tezzeret. She uncovered his efforts to confiscate the Planar Bridge, an experimental portal that reminded Liliana of the old artifacts that were built early on in Dominaria’s history. The technology could bridge two planes together, a terrifying tool for invasions and interplanar travels. The two fought back and forth and soon Tezzeret revealed that he was working for Bolas. It seemed that Bolas was responsible for restoring Tezzeret’s mind and body as well as putting him to work on Kaladesh.
Liliana defeated Tezzeret and pried for information on the whereabouts of Bolas. With her heel on his throat, he struggled to mutter,
“R— Ra—”
“Razaketh,” he gasped.
Fear jolted through her at the name of her demon master.
“Amonkhet,” she said aloud. “He’s on Amonkhet.”
Before she could deliver the killing blow, an explosion interrupts her execution and Tezzeret takes the opportunity to escape.
Art by Daarken
The Gatewatch regrouped with their new member, the powerful leonin planeswalker Ajani. They debated whether they should go straight to Amonkhet to try to take Bolas by surprise, or if they should try and gather more allies and information before their assault. Most favored going to Amonkhet immediately before Tezzeret could alert Bolas.
Ajani left to try to recruit more allies while the rest left for Amonkhet. What they found was a desert plane with a secluded paradise within a protective barrier. Past the barrier was a lush, vibrant, organized civilization. The Gatewatch immediately took notice of a huge monument built in the likeness of Bolas’s horns that could be seen from anywhere. In the beautiful city they found the undead working on new buildings, gods like those on Theros, but no sign of Bolas or Razaketh. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful place was the product of such a devious enemy. Liliana had only been here once before, when she was signing her contracts with her demon masters, but it wasn’t anything like she remembered.
The undead servants were strange here, Liliana couldn’t control them and there seemed to be some kind of ambient necromancy keeping them in order. Perhaps this was the product of Razaketh? She sent two shades to try to find his whereabouts and while they were successful in finding evidence of his presence, her prodding also alerted him to her.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Gatewatch was trying to uncover the reason for Bolas’s interest in the plane. What they could find was that Amonkhet had a history and culture older than Bolas, but they had been corrupted by him. The gods couldn’t seem to remember what had happened before his intervention and the population seemed to look forward to his “glorious” return. The prophecy was stated that when the second sun would rest between the horned monument, the God-Pharaoh Bolas would return and the Gate to the Afterlife would open, revealing a paradise to those who earned it. It seemed that he had supplanted himself in their culture and mythology as a God to be worshiped.
The Gatewatch’s timing was impeccable as the second sun was forecasted to set within the horns shortly after their arrival. As it did, the Gate opened not to a paradise, but a harsh desert to the disappointment of those promised a heaven beyond its border. Not only was there no paradise, but Bolas also remained absent and a demon emerged in his stead. A heavy dark mist trailed its wings as it flew from the Gate and turned the lush river to blood. His curses would set in motion a series of plagues that would end with Bolas’s return to the plane. The prophecies had got it all wrong.
“Liliana,” it rumbled.
“I know you are here, Liliana Vess. You cannot hide from me.”
Art by Jaime Jones
Razaketh forced Liliana to make her way to the Gate where he stood. He had complete control of her. She tried to convince herself that her involuntary movements were just a scare tactic, but fear became an inevitable emotion as she was forced to make herself known in the crowd.
“There you are.”
“Come to me.”
How was she supposed to defeat Razaketh when she couldn’t even control her own hands, couldn’t even reach for the Chain Veil. It was always her intention to use the Gatewatch to help defeat her demons, but she had hoped she would have had more time to earn their trust. She had no choice though, Razaketh could easily defeat her if he wanted. She spoke out to Jace in her mind, informing him of her location and to bring the Gatewatch.
Liliana continued in her involuntary trance towards the demon, through the river of blood, to the Gate. She nearly drowned walking across the bottom of the river to the other side and now the demon had her in his claws. Liliana continued to talk to Jace in her mind, trying to get him to hold off the Gatewatch until the right time when they could ambush the demon. The demon took great pleasure in toying with his disobedient servant.
“I apologize for the forcefulness, Liliana, but I love a dog who comes when she is called. And you’re a good dog, aren’t you?”
He held out a lazy finger and tapped it.
Liliana felt her head nod. Her muscles strained and cramped as she tried to resist the urge, but her head tipped forward . . . then back . . . forward . . . then back.
Razaketh smiled, putting his hand down. “Good.”
He went quiet and considered her for a moment. A smug look pulled at the scales of his face as he thought over his next command.
“Bark.”
“Woof,” Liliana replied in a tone that could ice over the sun.
After he was satisfied with her torment, he finally gave her an opportunity to speak, and she didn’t waste it,
“You have five more minutes to live,” Liliana said, voice dripping with resolution. “You will watch me as I kill you.”
The demon laughed her threat off and ridiculed Kothophed and Griselbrand for being stupid enough to fall at her hands. Liliana had stalled long enough and the Gatewatch was in the perfect position to attack. Chandra blasted the demon with fire and he released Liliana. Immediate relief came over her as she regained control of her body. She attempted to siphon mana for a spell before Razaketh could take notice and stop her.
“I don’t think so,” the demon roared, and Liliana felt her shoulder dislocate itself.
The rest of the Gatewatch joined in as Nissa summoned an elemental, Chandra continued to blast him with flames, Jace was trying to break his control on Liliana, and Gideon was extending his invulnerability magic to her while she shoved her shoulder back into place. Razaketh struggled to control Liliana while simultaneously fighting the other planeswalkers and soon found himself half charred and pinned to the banks of the river by the elemental. His control over Liliana was broken and she took her chance.
“Razaketh,” Liliana called.
“Watch me as I kill you.”
She awakened the massive amounts of death that lay at the bottom of the river; people, crocodiles, hippopotamus, snakes. She controlled all of them and commanded them to eat Razaketh alive. Nothing pissed Liliana off more than someone trying to control her and Razaketh would soon learn that lesson. The zombies shredded the demon apart while he screamed in pain. The carnage was brutal as the rest of the Gatewatch watched in awe and disgust. When the zombies were full she left what scraps remained drift down the banks of the river.
She had done it! And without having to use the Veil! Razaketh was dead and now there was only one more! One more demon and she could reclaim herself!
The Gatewatch had proven itself quite useful and she was giddy at the thought of using them again to kill Belzenlok. That would have to wait though, Bolas was coming, and while that fight may prove easier with Razaketh gone, it would still be a tough battle. To make matters worse, Liliana was completely exhausted and barely able to stand let alone fight such a formidable foe.
“Hour of Devastation” by Simon Dominic
Bolas was huge, towering over the small band of planeswalkers. The fight wasn’t even close. One by one he dealt with each member of the Gatewatch with ease.
He penetrated Jace’s mind and began to take every ounce of his mind and consciousness; he had to planewalk away, or die. Jace’s screams rang in Liliana’s ears and it became apparent to her that the battle was lost before it had started. Chandra’s fire did nothing to the elder dragon, Nissa had no control over the ground that was loyal to Bolas, and Gideon didn’t have the strength to even make a dent in him. He mocked their pathetic attempts.
“That was your mind expert, I believe? Do you have a spare? I can wait, or I promise not to listen if you shout at each other.”
The Veil called out to her begging her to use it against him, but she knew she shouldn’t. It had gotten to the point where every use meant possibly dying to its powerful surges. As if Bolas could hear the voices in her head, he combated them with his own promises.
“Do you know, Liliana, how to use the Chain Veil so that it doesn’t rupture your skin or drain you of life? Do you know how to make the spirits of the Onakke serve you as their master instead of seeking the destruction of your soul and body? I do, Liliana. I do. […] Yes, it’s a nasty weapon in the hands of the untutored. A testament to your power and skill that it hasn’t killed you already. But I can help you unlock its power, Liliana. Its true power. […] I promise you this: whether you use the Chain Veil or not, if you fight me today, you will die. I am a better telepath than your mind mage, more destructive than your fire mage, more powerful than your elementalist, a better general than your so-called tactician. That each of you has lived so long is merely a function of how useful you can be to me. […] Liliana. Go. Leave if you want to live. The safest place in the Multiverse is the place where I have use of you.”
She was disappointed in herself for letting his words unravel her malice towards him, but he was right. They weren’t going to win, and there was nothing to be gained by staying. She turned to the others, pleaded with them to leave, regroup, live to fight another day. They stared back angrily with disappointment, the battle had just began and she was giving up.
She turned back to Bolas, “Where . . . where do you want me to go?”
“Away,” Bolas said. “Away. I will find you, and then we will talk. There are so many useful matters to discuss. Go now, Liliana Vess.”
Here she was again, betraying the few people she cared about for self gain, self preservation. She supposed in was inevitable, it’s the way it’s always gone. Their hurt was tangible and the wave of different emotions was not something she typically allowed herself to feel.
She surrounded herself in a glowing nimbus of dark energy and vanished into the void, her tears finally free to fall in the empty spaces between worlds.
Three remained. Bolas pulverized Chandra’s ribs and crushed her to the point where she was coughing up blood and on the verge of unconsciousness. She had no choice but to planeswalk away.
Two to go. He forced dark energy through the leylines Nissa wished to harness and they began to suffocate her. Without access to the leylines of the plane, she had no power. If it were not for a timely interjection from Gideon, giving her an opportunity to planeswalk away, she would have died.
One left. Bolas had perhaps the least respect for Gideon than anyone else in the group. He was a reckless leader and a horrible strategist, continuing to fight even after the battle was lost. Gideon carried himself so confidently that his arrogance was palpable.
One of Bolas’s talons began to glow as it pressed into the invulnerable shield protecting Gideon. The talon pushed, and pushed, and the shield parted like melted butter, the talon’s sharp point puncturing shield and armor and flesh alike.
Though he may have been content in dying in that moment, Bolas’s mockery gave him reason to live on, to prove him wrong, so he planeswalked away instead.
Now, none remained and Bolas was left to revel in his victory and destruction of the once beautiful paradise on Amonkhet.
“Damnation” by Zack Stella
Gideon arrived in front of the others at the rendezvous point, Dominaria. Ajani had picked it but Liliana was quite happy with the choice. It lined up perfectly so that they could defeat Razaketh and then go straight to the plane where Belzenlok resided. First the Gatewatch would have to lick their wounds and regroup. Also, where was Jace?
They worried where he had gone, was he dead? Did he abandon them? Their frustration from defeat and Jaces absence turned to anger. Liliana tried to calm Nissa down, she needed the group to stay together and remain cohesive.
“It wasn’t a disaster; we killed Razaketh. The rest . . . We couldn’t have anticipated—”
Nissa snapped back at her; perhaps now was not the best time to mention her victory over her demon master.
Nissa’s anger snowballed into accusations,
“You got what you wanted and ran. You don’t care about defeating Bolas, you’re just using us to free yourself from your pact.”
Nissa persisted, “And why here?” She flung an arm out, gesturing to the dead marsh. “How do you want us to risk our lives for you here?”
Chandra and Nissa were putting the pieces together, “Your last demon is here, isn’t it, Liliana?”
She couldn’t defend herself, it was going to come up eventually if she wanted their help.
“Belzenlok is here.”
She tried to convince them that defeating the demon would unlock her ability to defeat Bolas, that it was a necessary step, but her words only hurt them further. Outraged, Nissa ended her watch, revoked her oath, and abandoned them. Chandra, hurt by Nissa’s actions, also left shortly thereafter.
Only Gideon remained, who believed that Liliana could help defeat Bolas without her demon’s shackles. He was injured though, and he needed rest.
“Broken Bond” by Ryan Yee
They found a small inn at a nearly deserted town that looked to be in ruins. She found out that the Cabal, followers of Belzenlok, had taken this territory and with it all of the beauty she had remembered about the Caligo Forest and Benalia. She went out to find some herbs that could help Gideon heal and couldn’t help but visit the grounds of Vess Manor where she had grown up. To her surprise is was still in tact, run down, but still standing. It shouldn’t be though, it had been too long since being deserted to still stand. She wondered who was watching over it enough to keep it from crumbling, the Raven Man?
Returning to the inn she had a run in with some of the undead Cabal knights patrolling the area. The undead were easy to dispatch as she simply took control of them from their Cabal cleric. As she was about to destroy the last one, a voice whispered in her mind, different from that of the Raven Man and Onakke.
The Void awaits.
Josu?
An image of a lich passed before her mind and the lich’s face was that of Josu’s.
The Cabal cleric was mortally injured but Liliana interrogated nonetheless.
“Where is Josu? What has Belzenlok done to him?”
“He knew, our Demonlord, the Scion of Darkness, he knew you were coming! He has made your precious brother into his servant, the commander of his unholy forces!”
Belzenlok is using my own brother against me, Liliana thought.
“He serves our lord, he . . .” The cleric gurgled as blood filled his throat. He gasped, “The Void awaits,” and slumped lifeless on the pavement.
She still feared it, the Void, the damnation that Josu had cursed her to. The guilt and fear from that day, the day her spark ignited, still followed her. She had to unmake Josu and lay him to rest. That would undo his curse and would weaken Belzenlok’s army without a general. She would have to lure Josu to the manor, where the curse was born.
Gideon and Liliana convinced the general of Benalia’s forces to come together and meet at the manor to lure the Cabal. Liliana spoke to Josu in her mind to catch his attention and bring him to the front of the ranks. He was unrecognizable as a lich, but he recognized her instantly.
This was her chance, she had to act now while he was vulnerable. She called upon the Veil and sent a blast towards Josu. His lich-like appearance retreated and he suddenly became the brother she had remembered with pale skin and dark hair. His peace was short lived though as he began to crumble to dust. The curse was broken and the ruins of the manor began to crumble as well. She could barely stand, weak from the Veil’s use.
“Josu, it’s all right. It’s over. The curse of the House of Vess is ended.”
“It cannot end, Liliana. Not while you still live.”
“What do you mean?”
What was left of his lips formed a sneer. “You destroyed the House of Vess, Liliana”
“Josu, I wasn’t here—”
“Of course you weren’t.” Josu’s voice strengthened, even as his body failed. “What do you think happened after you left? They died. All of them. Father tried to lay me to rest. I killed him myself. Mother took our sisters away, searching for a cure for me. And searching for you. She thought you lived, thought you’d been stolen away. She followed a rumor of magic that could save me and the journey killed her. Others took up the burden, our sisters, our cousins, trying to stop me, to destroy me. All of them died.” He was fading now, fragments of his body disappearing into windblown dust. “You killed me. You killed them. It is you, Liliana. It will always be you. You are the curse of the House of Vess.”
And he was gone.
The words shook her, they were hard to digest, hard to swallow. What made it worse was that Gideon was there to hear it all as well, to see her in such a vulnerable state. Sadness and disbelief turned to anger and rage. Belzenlok would pay for using her brother the way he had, “If I must be a curse, then let me be Belzenlok’s!”
“Final Parting” by Eric Deschamps
The rest of the battle was easily handled as the Cabal forces quickly scattered without their general. Afterward, Gideon and Liliana made their way to the city, where the Gatewatch was set to meet with Ajani after their fight with Bolas. It wouldn’t be long before a massive sky ship descended from the heavens upon them, the Weatherlight.
Ajani was disappointed, but not surprised to hear about their defeat on Amonkhet. Ajani was one of the firm opposers to the plan, and blamed Liliana and her distracting demons. Regardless of how things unfolded, they were down three planeswalkers and so he left in an effort to find more. Gideon and Liliana were left in the hands of the Weatherlight crew and its mission to overthrow the Cabal and save Dominaria from Belzenlok.
The Weatherlight had picked up some worthy inclusions to their crew as they made preparations: the time mage Teferi, Urza’s creation Karn, the legendary pyromancer Jaya Ballard, and even Chandra, who had returned to Dominaria looking for Jaya. The plan was to use Teferi’s time magic to help Gideon and Chandra infiltrate the Cabal Stronghold and find the Blackblade in their treasury. The blade was a soul siphoner that consumed the souls of those it slayed. The more it siphoned, the more powerful it was to wield, and it had already absorbed the soul of an elder dragon. Once the Blackblade was found, the rest of the Weatherlight would attack from the outside while Gideon and Chandra wreaked havoc from within. After the Cabal forces were distracted and weakened, Gideon would confront Belzenlok with the Blackblade and destroy him with it.
Before they could reach the Cabal, Jace planeswalked aboard the Weatherlight. He seemed hurried but even more importantly, he was alive. He explained that Bolas was preparing a trap for planeswalkers and tried to recruit as many as he could. They decided to stay and help Liliana instead, proclaiming that it would be more beneficial if she could help at her full power. Jace, disappointed and untrusting of Liliana, leaves to find and help Ajani.
The plan was executed well as Gideon and Chandra had found the weapon thanks to Teferi’s time magic. The Weatherlight crew, along with Liliana, overpowered the Cabal with thousands of undead that had laid just beneath the surface of the battle worn soil.
Gideon drew the Blackblade and met Belzenlok in the courtyard and caught his attention.
“I smell Planeswalker. Who are you?”
Gideon didn’t hesitate. “I’m Gideon Jura. I came here with Liliana Vess to kill you.”
Belzenlok bared his fangs again in a grin. “You. The Gatewatch. I know what’s planned for you. It almost seems a shame to kill you now. Almost.” Belzenlok lunged forward.
The two fought but Gideon was unable to pierce the demon with the powerful weapon. Liliana would soon catch up to them and their duel, but she was far too weak to engage while she still held control over the undead army that was fighting the Cabal. The best she could do was distract him. She ridiculed, belittled, and tempted him to try to break his focus. Gideon lunged at every opportunity he could find but Belzenlok was fast and strong.
He swatted Gideon like a fly and Gideon released the Blackblade from his grip. The weapon caught in Belzenlok’s hide but it wouldn’t siphon his soul without a wielder. As Belzenlok went to finish Gideon off, Liliana went for the hilt, grabbed it, and the dark energy soared through her. The incredible power of the weapon rendered Belzenlok paralyzed as Liliana drained him of his life and trapped it within the blade. Belzenlok’s body withered and collapsed onto itself until the blade released what was left of him; a pile of flesh, ash, and horns.
“You should have left Josu alone.”
She was exhausted but she felt incredible at the same time. She was victorious and she was finally free. Excitement quickly led to confusion at the sight of her still remaining scars, but perhaps they would always be a reminder of what had been done, regardless of whether the demons that had inscribed them were dead.
Belzenlok was defeated, the Cabal had been overthrown, Dominaria was safe, and Liliana was free. The Weatherlight crew celebrated their victory but there was still much work that needed to be done. The crew became the guardians of Dominaria and not just its saviors, while the Gatewatch left to help Jace. Teferi took his oath and joined the Gatewatch against Bolas. Karn decided to help against Bolas, but would not take the oath, as he had other priorities that he would need to attend to afterward.
Art by Tyler Jacobson
It was time to part ways, to go help Jace, Ajani, and the others.
Carrying the Blackblade, Gideon glanced around at them all and said, “Are we ready?”
Everyone nodded and began to planeswalk away, following Gideon’s lead.
Liliana watched the others leave but remained behind. Confusion and panic followed. She had meant to follow him. Why couldn’t she? Had she lost her spark? Perhaps the power of the Blackblade or the Chain Veil had damaged her ability to planeswalk.
Then she saw the dust in the court rise and swirl into a whirlwind. A dark form grew at the center of the maelstrom. “No,” she breathed, as sick realization settled on her like iron chains. “Oh, no.”
Nicol Bolas materialized out of the darkness, his huge scaled dragon form looming over her, the sheer weight of his presence drawing all the light and air out of her world.
“You really should have read the details of your pact more closely, Liliana. You seem unaware that with your demons dead, your contract defaults to its broker. Me.”
Everything.
All of her victories over her demons, her betrayals, manipulations, triumphs and trials were all leading her here, to be Bolas’s slave. She was furious, disappointed in herself, and filled with sorrow. Perhaps she would simply disobey, abstain. He replied to her thoughts as if she had said them out loud.
“No. If you disobey my orders in any way, the pact will kill you. You will age hundreds of years in a moment, a desiccated husk to be blown away on the wind.”
Maybe that was okay. Maybe that was better than facing the Gatewatch on Bolas’s side. Maybe that was better than being under Bolas’s thumb. Perhaps death would free her from her prison once and for all.
No.
She couldn’t. Not while she had the will to fight. There had to be a way out. There had to be a way to be free. One day, she would be free, but that day was not today.
“In Bolas’s Clutches” by Zack Stella
If you’re interested in reading any of Liliana’s stories mentioned in this article feel free to visit her home page here.
MtGRock 