Lines of Allegiance

"Lines of Allegiance" is a two part, twenty-four page comic story that appeared in the December, 1996 and January, 1997 issues of Disney Adventures.

• Writer: B. JG Weiss
• Art: Joe Staton
• Lettering: G. Saladino
• Coloring and Separations: C. Sotomayor

Summary

Part One - Friends and Enemies

Xanatos and Owen wait atop the Eyrie Building for Demona to arrive. She is supposedly prepared to sell Xanatos the legendary "Fealty Rose", a mystical plant that makes anyone who is touched with it instantly loyal to the bearer of the rose. But once she arrives, she shows her true agenda when she touches Xanatos with the rose, making him her slave. He is so completely in her thrall that when Owen knocks the rose from Demona's hand and she calls to him to follow her as she dives after it, he steps right over the buildings edge, to Owen's horror. Fortunately, Demona catches both him and the rose and flies off into the night. With typical aplomb, Owen remvoves his gloves, takes out his cell phone, and calls the police, requesting to speak with Elisa Maza.

Broadway and Bronx return to the clock tower and find that only Elisa is there. Elisa tells Broadway about the call she got from Owen earlier, in which he explained how Demona used the Fealty Rose on Xanatos and requested that the Manhattan Clan bring him the Grimorum Arcanorum to search for more information on the rose. Broadway is still worried that no one else is at the clock tower; Goliath usually leaves someone behind to guard their home. As he wonders, Brooklyn arrives suddenly and tells Broadway and Elisa that Demona has Goliath, Hudson, and Lexington under her spell and he was the only one to escape. He says he will take them to where Demona is. But as they come out onto the clock tower balcony, Hudson and Lexington attack Broadway and Brooklyn turns on Elisa, revealing that he too is under the spell of the Fealty Rose. Broadway yells at Brooklyn to release Elisa and he does - in midair. Hudson and Lexington throw Broadway back against the clock tower wall and leave him, saying that Demona can find him easily enough later. Brooklyn catches Elisa as she falls and the enslaved gargoyles fly off with her into the night. Broadway regains consciousness and wonders aloud to Bronx where he's going to find help.

In another part of the city, Demona is chasing the still free-willed Goliath through the skies. She argues her case that humanity is irredeemable, once again citing her long life experience as evidence. But he rejects her, pointing out that she cannot win her own clan to her side without fighting and enslaving them. Just then, Brooklyn enters, carrying Elisa. She calls out to Goliath and he is momentarily distracted, just long enough for Demona to touch him with the rose and enslave him as well.

Broadway arrives at the Eyrie Building, carrying the Grimorum Arcanorum. He explains to Owen what has happened to the rest of his clan. Owen suggests that they team up to rescue Xanatos, Elisa, and the rest of Broadway's clan. Broadway is still suspicious of Owen, but Owen points out that he doesn't have much choice but to trust him....

Part Two - Crossing the Line

Demona now has Xanatos, Elisa, and all of the Manhattan Clan except for Broadway and Bronx under her control. She is staging a battle between Goliath and Xanatos (in his Steel Clan exo-frame) to ensure that Goliath is completely loyal to her.

Back at the Eyrie Building, Broadway waits while Owen searches the Grimorum for information about the Fealty Rose. They learn that the rose bush only appears on "royal ground" during a full moon and that the only way to end its influence is to uproot the plant and burn the roots under the light of the same full moon during which the rose's power has been used. If the plant is not burned by sunrise, the victims of the Fealty Rose's spell will remain Demona's slaves forever. Unfortunately, Owen has no idea where the bush could be. Broadway decides to approach the problem as a mystery and think like a detective. He deduces that since the bush only blooms in the light of the full moon, Demona couldn't have travelled far to get it. That leaves finding the "royal ground", which Broadway thinks means a castle. Owen tells him that Castle Wyvern itself is the only authentic castle in the New York area and the rose did not come from there. But Broadway remembers that there is another castle in New York: Belvedere Castle in Central Park. It isn't a real caslte like Castle Wyvern, but Broadway points out that the Grimorum doesn't say it has to be an authentic castle. He suggests that they take Bronx there and have him sniff out the rose bush. Before they leave, Owen warns Broadway that Xanatos's battle armor is missing, likely taken by Xanatos himself under Demona's spell while Owen was downstairs talking to Elisa earlier that night.

Accompanied by Bronx, Broadway and Owen arrive in Central Park to the sight and sound of nearby laser fire. They carefully investigate and find Demona still having Goliath and Xanatos fight while the rest of her captives watch. Realizing that Xanatos is not intended to win this battle, Owen insists that they hurry. Bronx begins sniffing around for the rose's scent and shortly finds the small glowing rose plant. Broadway uproots it, but Demona bursts through a bush and attacks the three of them. The rose plant is passed to Owen and Broadway just manages to stop Demona from crushing him with a boulder. Owen runs off as Demona calls her slaves to aid her. She sends Xanatos, Hudson, and Brooklyn after Owen and keeps the rest with her to handle Broadway and Bronx.

Xanatos lands in front of Owen and Hudson and Brooklyn flank him. Xanatos still has enough will left to say that he can't stop himself from shooting Owen as he points his arm cannon at him. Owen replies with a characteristically unemotional "I understand, sir". But as Xanatos fires, Owen dodges, leaving the Fealty Rose plant to take the laser beam blast and catch on fire. As the plant burns, Demona's slaves are freed from her influence. And just in time too, as Goliath has subdued Broadway, and Demona is about to touch him with the Fealty Rose. Goliath catches Demona's hand and tells her the rose is now useless and her magic is undone. She flies away and Goliath thanks Broadway for rescuing them.

Elisa, Xanatos, Owen, and the clan all regroup at Castle Wyvern. Owen presents Broadway with a gift, a book of Sherlock Holmes stories. Broadway asks if it's from Xanatos, but Owen replies it's from him, in thanks for saving both him and Xanatos. Broadway suspects that Owen just doesn't want to feel indebted to him and asks him if that's the case. Owen doesn't answer, but tells Broadway he would have made a fine detective. With his new book in hand, Broadway joins his clan in flying back home.

Links

• "Lines of Allegiance: Part One - Friends and Enemies" at the Avalon Archives
• "Lines of Allegiance: Part Two - Crossing the Line" at the Avalon Archives