Appearing in "Duel of Fire!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Shialmar the Shadowqueen (Death) (as Princess Shialmar in flashback, killed by Doctor Strange)
- Kyrii
- Gargoyles
Other Characters:
- Silver Fox (Bayan)
- Kan (Only in flashback)
- Prince Jehan of Sirik (killed by Shialmar) (Only in flashback) (Death)
- Vung (killed by Shialmar) (Only in flashback) (Death)
- N'Garai (Only in flashback)
- Cyndriarr (Invoked)
- Seraphim (Invoked)
- Daveroth (Invoked)
- Raggadorr (Invoked)
- Faltine (Invoked)
- Watoomb (Invoked)
Locations:
- Kaichek (Unnamed)
- Majaedong
- Earth
Items:
- Cloak of Levitation
- Eye of Agamotto
- Black Mirror (Only in flashback)
- Spells
Synopsis for "Duel of Fire!"
Continued from last issue.... Shialmar is spying on Dr. Strange, Clea, Wong and a band of freedom fighters led by Silver Fox who hope to overthrow her rule. Wong is in the process of explaining how his ancestor was responsible for Shialmar's tyrannical rule: He explains how his ancestor Kan travelled to Shialmar's realm and how he agreed to join Shialmar, her father Jeham, and magician Vung in helping overthrow the Wizard Kings who ruled he realm. Manipulated into helping by Vung, Kan would lead Jeham's army against the Wizard Kings. During the war, he would fall in love with Shialmar, and would also wonder if the damage he wrought was worth the cost of the lives he was supposed to be saving.
Eventually Kan and his forces would overthrow the Wizard Kings, however he would be betrayed by Vung who has been working in secret with the demonic N'Garai. When Vung attempts to sacrifice Shialmar to the N'Garai for immortality, she turns things around on him by offering her loyalty to the demons. The N'Garai instead take Vung as their sacrifice and grant Shialmar with immortality, however the spells also makes her evil as well. Shialmar would then kill her brother and take control of the kingdom. Kan is sparred however due to her continued love, Shialmar would send Kan back to Earth, trapping him there. Shialmar would tyrannically rule the realm ever since.
With his story finished, Wong and the others are surprised when Shialmar appears before them, attacking with a spell that turns Silver Fox's warriors into gargoyles. These gargoyles would cause their foes to transform into gargoyles as well upon physical contact. As Shialmar fights Dr. Strange one-on-one, the others find themselves facing impossible odds against the growing army of gargoyles. When Clea is touched by one of the creatures, she finds that due to her not being a native of the realm that the transformation isn't quite as instant as it is with the others.
Wong tries to turn the combat in the heroes' favor by attacking Shialmar directly, allowing Strange the distraction needed to stop taking the defensive and attack straight on. This barrage causes a gigantic mystical bolt that takes out both Strange and Shialmar. It also causes a bolt of mystical lightning to travel into the Earth dimension and strike Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. With the battle over, Clea uses the Eye of Agamotto to revive Dr. Strange, however Shialmar is not quite so lucky, free of the N'Garai's influence, she has reverted back to her previous peace loving self. However this freedom has come at the cost of her immortality and after parting words with Wong, she dies.
