#9 - Swords and Sorcery, Part One

By Barry Reese

PROLOGUE

Dane Whitman stood on the balcony, feeling the chill winds blow. He could hear Sersi moving about in the bedroom and he contemplated heading back inside, wrapping himself in her embrace and forgetting all about Sean Dolan. But he couldn't.

Sean had been his friend -- someone who had looked up to him. And Dane couldn't help but feel responsible for his transformation into Bloodwraith. Now there were so many people dead because of Sean...Victoria Bentley, Abby's friend Henry...and many more nameless ones. The Ebony Blade's thirst for life was unquenchable and Sean was merely a puppet under the sword's curse.

Dane felt soft hands wrap around his waist and Sersi pressed her body against his back. "Come back to bed, Dane. It's late."

Dane nodded. "I will in a minute." He turned to face her and he stared into her eyes for a long moment, reaching out to caress her cheek. "I'm going after Sean tomorrow, Sersi. I have to end it...the curse, Bloodwraith, everything."

"I understand. Do you want my help?"

"No -- but thanks for offering. I've already called an old friend for help and that should be enough. After that...I've got a few plans for the Ebony Blade. Hopefully, I can end its threat forever."

Sersi pressed her lips against his, letting her tongue dart out for a quick brush against his mouth. "I love you, Gann Josin."

Dane stiffened at the words -- he knew she wanted to bond with him again, open her soul to his. But he'd been hesitant to allow it...though he was loathe to admit it, the Lady of the Lake's warnings* were bothering him. He fought not to let his discomfort show. "I love you too, Sersi..."

(*Repeated once again last issue.)

Sean Dolan was fully submerged in the persona of Bloodwraith. He felt no guilt over those he had slain nor did he ever really miss his former life. In his heart and mind, he was one with the Ebony Blade and that, in the end, was enough. The Blade had enslaved many over the years but few had been as devout in their devotion as Sean Dolan.

Bloodwraith walked slowly through the rain-slicked streets of London, his cloak pulled tightly around him. His hood was pulled up high over his head, hiding his spectral features. A fire burned in his belly, a desire for vengeance. In his warped mind, he believed this to be a result of Dane Whitman's supposed betrayal, but in fact the desire came not from Sean Dolan but from the Ebony Blade, spurned once too often by the Black Knight.

The villain paused outside the Millenium Tower and stared up at the structure which served as the headquarters to the Crusaders. Bloodwraith chuckled at that. Crusaders...the Blade had seen the Crusades and knew the type of bloodshed that it entailed. It had been a very good time...these modern day Crusaders were nothing more than pretenders to the name.

Bloodwraith placed a hand on the sword's hilt and stepped back into the long, gray shadows. He wasn't sure what to do next -- as Sean Dolan, he had been a bright young man, but not overly so. And the blade itself, while possessed of a keen and malevolent intelligence, had always relied upon its hosts to formulate plans and such. "I shall wait for you to make your move, Dane...and then I'll have my revenge on you..."

THE NEXT DAY

Karla Whitman was enjoying herself. The time-displaced Black Knight of 2099 was a bit of a recluse, never as comfortable in the spotlight as some of her costumed contemporaries -- she had picked up the armor and her energy blade out of necessity, not desire. She gazed around Dane Whitman's laboratories at Millenium Tower and smiled. "This is so...quaint!"

Beside her, Dane laughed. "Thanks. I think. I figured you were getting tired of being cooped up in the Castle -- feel free to look around."

Karla moved into the room, letting her fingertips brush against objects she'd only seen in holovids and databooks. She leaned over some loose papers. "Is this what you're working on now?"

"Yes -- it's a variation on the same energy technology that the USAgent uses. It allows for someone to form energy-based objects into just about any shape they desire -- be it a shield, a javelin, etc. It's in the planning stages."

Karla picked up a pencil and made a notation on the charts. "There. That should lower the amount of energy you need for it to work -- I'd also try and combine it with some of Pym Particle Technology that's coming along soon. It'll revolutionize personal holotechnology -- the energy generator you're talking about here could be made small enough to fit in your pocket or even embedded in your fingernails. Very nice stuff -- too bad about the drawbacks, but they only come about after years of exposure..."

Dane placed a hand on her shoulder. "Karla..." He smiled softly. "Slow down. I appreciate the help but you're going to have to explain things a bit more. What side-effects of Pym Particles are you talking about specifically?"

Karla shrugged. "Oh. Well, I probably shouldn't say -- I could create a divergent timeline. Oops, already did. Damn." She reached up and rubbed between her eyes. "My head aches. Do you have any neural taps I could take for the pain?"

"We have aspirin."

"Is that for pain?"

"Yes."

"I'll take six."

Dane shook his head. "How about two?" He moved over to his desk and took out a bottle from the bottom drawer. "You know, I can get you home whenever you want. The Avengers wouldn't have any trouble finding some way for you to go back -- Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four probably has a time machine in his bedroom."

Karla took the offered aspirin and swallowed. "Hmm. I'd like that...eventually. I have to admit that I'm enjoying this little jaunt into history. I mean, meeting you is like a dream come --" Karla halted, a warm flush covering her cheeks. She smiled with embarrassment. "Sorry."

Dane noted that she was quite pretty when she was like this -- kind of uncertain and worried when it came to interpersonal relations, though she seemed confident enough when it came to scientific matters. He would have fallen hard for her back in his university days...

"So you've heard of me in your time?"

Karla looked shocked at the question. "You're the greatest Black Knight of them all! You restored honor to the name, made it something to be proud of...there hasn't been a day that I haven't looked at your face on the holovid and dreamed of..." Her words trailed off, and she looked back at the charts.

Dane felt a selfish pleasure at her discomfort. Considering how Abby Rose had asked him out* and now Karla's obvious hero-worship, he was beginning to feel pretty good about himself these days...

*It happened last ish. Squire Barry)

Dane's communicator chirped and he picked it up, noting that Karla seemed grateful for the interruption. "Whitman here."

"Dane," Linda McQuillan -- Captain UK -- responded, "there's a visitor here to see you. An American."

"Gotcha. I'll be right down." He turned off the communicator and looked at Karla, "Tell you what, Karla -- why don't you look around the lab while I head downstairs. I'll be back up soon."

"Okay." Karla sat down at the desk and peered with interest at Dane's computer.

Behind her, Dane stepped out.

The man waiting in the lobby was thin and elegant with a neatly trimmed moustache. Though he wore a long coat over a rather flamboyant tunic, he gave the air of being almost aristocratic. Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, warmly embraced his old friend. "Dane. You're looking well."

"Thanks, Stephen. I could say the same for you. How's Clea?"

"Beautiful as always." Stephen raised an eyebrow playfully at Dane. "And what of your love life? What lucky lady owns your heart these days?"

"Well...Sersi has moved in with me."

Stephen noticed the hesitation in Dane's voice but chose not to press it. His friend would open up about it if he wanted to. "Well, I'm sure you didn't ask me to come all the way to England just to exchange pleasantries. What kind of help do you need?"

"I want to take care of the Ebony Blade...for good."

Bloodwraith woke from a deep and troubled slumber. It was late afternoon, the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows. Bloodwraith had taken refuge in an abandoned church, one of the many buildings that had been damaged during superhuman battles. Something was troubling him, deep in his soul he sensed...danger. He stood quickly from the bed of rags upon which he lay, drawing the Ebony Blade. It seemed to sing softly as he drew it, a high piercing sound, like a demon cackling on a Sunday morning. "Who dares?"

"I do, Sean." The Black Knight stepped from the shadows, his own weapon sheathed. The Shield of Night was on his arm, though -- testimony to his realization that Sean couldn't be trusted. "I've come to settle this." Sunlight cascaded off his armor, giving him a shimmering appearance.

Bloodwraith's laughter echoed in the abandoned church. He narrowed his blood-red eyes. "I feared that I would have to hunt you down, traitor -- but in the end, your own sense of morality has led you to the slaughter." He waved the Ebony Blade through the air. "The blade wants you, Dane...It wants to put you in the same place it put Victoria...Vicky misses you, Dane...A lot."

The Black Knight drew the Sword of Light, the sunlight glinting brightly off its polished surface. Bloodwraith shrank back, a dark skuttling thing before the light. "You're sick, Sean. Every word you speak is dictated by your hunger for the Blade. I know what it's like...the Curse very nearly took me, too. But you're strong enough to fight it..."

"Fight it?" Bloodwraith moved forward dangerously. "Why would I want to do that, Dane? So that you could make me as weak as I was before? So that you could go back to laughing at me behind my back? I am now and forever Bloodwraith -- I have embraced that which you feared. I have become that which you never had the courage to be!"

The Ebony Blade whistled through the air as it came down on the Shield of Night. Dane was disappointed, but not surprised. He'd known in his heart that it would come to this.

Dane backed away, keeping his mind clear. He had far more experience as a fighter than Sean and even though the Blade served as something of an equalizer, he could still out-think him. Dane parried the next sword thrust, the Sword of Light and the Ebony Blade clashing together. The Black Knight ignored the string of curses and threats coming from Sean, instead studying his opponent's fighting style, noting the openings that Sean consistently gave.

"Why are you so quiet, Dane? Do you realize now all that you've given up? The power?"

The Black Knight glanced into the dark, stygian face of the Bloodwraith and felt his stomach turn. Was it too late? Was Sean gone forever? "No, I don't regret giving up the Ebony Blade, Sean. Seeing you like this only reinforces my belief that I did the right thing." The Black Knight suddenly began pressing the attack, taking the offensive.

Bloodwraith grew more silent as the Knight began pressing him back, further and further. The only sounds in the church were the clanging of sword against steel and the muffled grunts of two old friends, fighting as mortal enemies. The Black Knight swung the Sword of Light, cutting deep into Bloodwraith's wrist. Inky black blood spurted from the wound and the Ebony Blade flew across the floor, landing in a cloud of dust and debris.

Bloodwraith howled, backing up. He crashed over the altar, landing on his back. The Black Knight placed a boot on Bloodwraith's chest. He was panting. "Do you have it, Stephen?"

"Yes, I do." Dr. Strange stood next to the sword, which was awash in a mystic shield.

"You are a coward, Dane! You bring this wizard into our affair?!"

"He led me to you, Sean -- and he's going to help rid you of the curse."

"Never! The Blade and I are one!"

Dane closed his eyes and drove his foot hard against Bloodwraith's head. The sound was painfully loud. The thing that had been Sean Dolan lay silent, unconscious.

"You did the right thing, Dane. It's the only way to get him the help he needs."

The Black Knight nodded, turning away from the Bloodwraith. He pulled his helmet off and looked at Dr. Strange with a pained expression. "Can we do it, Stephen? End the curse forever?"

Stephen's face grew grim. "It won't be easy, Dane. But I shall do everything in my power to free Sean of its influence and help rid the world of this unholy object..."

Written In Black

Kell Carpenter said :

BLACK KNIGHT #7:

This issue was a nice change of pace. I enjoy Barry's "filler" issues that come between major story arcs, because they end up giving us a better feel for where he's going with them. I liked Dane's discomfort at Sersi's "redecorating spree"; what man *hasn't* felt the same way when he's just moved in with his wife/girlfriend/signifigant other? I'm intrigued by a couple of the smaller goings-on. 1)Karla Whitman is *very* interesting. As a fan of the 2099 stuff, I can't wait to see more of her... 2)I'm looking forward also to the "mystery man", Bennet du Paris. If I know Barry (and I think I do), this guy will make life *very* interesting for Dane soon. One other scene I liked was the Cap/Dane scene. It's nice to finally have them talk through what the events of Galactic Storm and the Kree/Shi'ar War did to their relationship. I think that Cap and Dane's tentative understanding (agreeing to disagree, with respect) is the position we all strive toward. Keep this kind of stuff up, Barry.

Thanks, Kell. Karla will play a bigger role in the future -- she's proven to be very popular and I promise that we'll get the full story on her soon.

Mark Bousquet wrote :

BLACK KNIGHT 8

In the aftermath of the Ultraverse storyline, this book may have quieted down a bit, but it hasn't slowed down. This was a great issue all around and this series keeps going strong - plenty of drama on all fronts. I really liked the Lady of the Lake scene that opened the issue. It gives a real nice sense that Dane is a guy who feels like he's been tugged all over the place and just wants some kind of anchor. But, building nicely off of last issue's talk with Captain America, instead of choosing the sensible choice - the Lady of the Lake - he's chasing his emotions with Sersi. Really effective scene. It will be nice to see, too, just what Barry does with Mordred. Dane could use a good rogues gallery and Mordred would fit the bill nicely. If there's a negative it's that the Abby character hasn't yet done much for me, but that doesn't detract from the issue much at all. Great issue all around.

Thanks, Mark! You're right about Dane's rogues gallery -- I'm spending much of the first year trying to rectify that. So far we've seen Bloodwraith, Proctor, Mordred, and Exodus (briefly). In year two, look for some new additions to the gallery as well.

Randy Lander wrote :

Barry, enjoyed Black Knight #8 as well. The dragon fight disappointed a little, as I had read Dane fighting a dragon in HFH, and didn't much enjoy it then, so it brought back unpleasant memories. :) But the stuff I love, the bits with his supporting cast (particularly Karla...I *really* love this character), were as strong as ever. And I look forward to where you're going with the Bloodwraith story.

The Lady of the Lake confrontation was also a terrific moment...very well written. I like the way you're handling the dangerous, probably bad-for-them-both Sersi/Dane relationship quite a bit.

Thanks for the comments, Randy. Sorry the dragon fight didn't work for you -- I wanted to emphasize Dane's role as a knight of Avalon in the story and figured a dragon was appropriate. The Sersi/Dane relationship will continue building towards what will either be a major breakthrough for them...or a major fall. We'll see which one it is. The Sersi thing has been in the background a bit these last couple of issues and will be next issue, too -- but with # 11 it will take center stage, for good or ill.
Keep in touch, everyone!
Barry Reese