Knights of Old Orders

Part Three: The White King

the 53rd tale of agc

written and created by Mark Bousquet

2201 APRIL

THE NORTHERN WILDS OF ENGLAND

Nightfall. Camp is set, a fire burning. Sausages and vegetables sizzle in small pans.

"Black Knight, a word if you please."

Dane Whitman nodded to Arthur Braddock, turning the cooking of meat over to Grimm. The two knights moved off to the side, away from camp to talk in private, one in the garb of the Black Knight, wielder of the Ebony Blade, the other dressed in the ceremonial armor of Captain Britain, and now wielder of Excalibur.

"You do not trust me," Braddock said to Whitman, the elder knight by over three decades of Earth-life, two centuries of Avalon-life.

Dane looked Braddock in the eye, so there was no confusion in his words. "It is not that I do not trust you, Arthur Braddock. I just do not understand why the Lady of the Lake let Excalibur loose back into the world of man so soon after she promised me it was years, perhaps decades away. It is why I agreed to come here, to England, instead of journeying to Asgard, or staying in Avalon to complete more training."

"Whitman, you have trained more than any knight in eternity." Braddock smiled, then dropped his voice, pulling Dane a few more steps away. "The situation has changed, dramatically. The Unspeakable Evil has returned."

Dane’s eyes went wide, "No."

Braddock nodded, "Just after you left, the Lady discovered von Doom’s return in the scrying waters."

"This is … distrubing," Dane said, shaking his head. "I must return to Avalon at once, and plead with the Lady to send me immediately to Asgard."

"Dane," Braddock said somberly, "she won’t listen. Not until you have completed your charge. We must find the ancient texts that will allow us to tap into the Wellsprings, and grant the Lady greater access to her powers so that she may protect Earth. The locating of the Lake of Avalon here, in the mortal realm these past four years has taken its toll on our Lady." Braddock paused, seeing if Whitman would immediately discover the lie. If he knew that the Lady now planned to remove all of England to Avalon, leaving the Earth to fend for itself, he would turn against them. "Besides, Whitman," Braddock said louder, clasping the Black Knight’s shoulder, "you would leave me here with these young charges?"

The Black Knight turned to look at the campfire, noting the bodies that filled the roster of their dragon-hunting party: Crawler, Grimm, Vitesse, Heartland, and Reignfire, a friend (and more, Dane thought) of Braddock’s.

No, he thought. Leaving these people alone with Braddock would not be a good idea. Of them all, only Vitesse seemed to have the confidence to not let Braddock simply order them to slay – or attempt to slay – Lockheed. And there was still the question as to where Illyana Rasputin was. Without her … he looked to the cold, spring sky, where Lockheed circled slowly, alit by the moon … killing the dragon might just have to be their course of action.

"Come," Whitman said to Braddock, "let us hurry them along."

"You insist on heading down into the caverns of the Hills of the Wilds?" Braddock asked, turning his own head skyward.

"I do," the Black Knight answered. "It is the best way to bring the dragon to us."

"How, exactly, will the beast know?"

"He’ll know," Dane said. "Believe me, he’ll know. And you would know that if you spent half your time reading the old histories as you do your skill with the sword."

LONDON – THE HELLFIRE CLUB

In what was once an office building, in what was once a conference room high above London, the Hellfire Club convened. The candles and darkness remained, but the costumes of the old Hellfire Club, the traditional costumes of an age gone by were now replaced with business suits, created by the finest Italian designers to update the Club’s look.

Around the circular, wooden table, moving left from the empty seat of the White Queen, sat two empty chairs, then December Kale, the White Bishop and woodland priestess, and Edgar Shaw, the White Rook and London businessman. The seat of the White Knight was empty, as was the seat closest to the White Queen – the seat reserved for the White King.

"Where is Frost?" the White Bishop asked angrily.

"Patience, December," the White Rook smiled. "It would be like our Queen to be fashionably late, and, as Queen, she has earned that right. I am more concerned with the absence of the White Knight. It is … bad form for him to be late. Disrespectful."

Tamara Harkness, the Red Bishop and high priestess of the sect of the Scarlet Witch, laughed from across the table. "The Knight is probably passed out somewhere, addicted to the opium you peddle on the streets, Shaw."

The White Rook's smile stayed even, "Unlike the religion you peddle, Harkness? I am not the only one offering a false sense of security to the rabble."

"Enough, the two of you," the Red Rook slapped his hand on the table. Arlan Wisdom, nearing forty, was still one of the best assassins in the world, and his presence made some at the table uneasy. "Perhaps the White Queen will finally bring us her King."

Spiral, the Red Knight, folded her six arms, said nothing.

"Be careful with your words, Wisdom," the Red King said in a low, somber voice. "It would not be wise to tempt the anger of our Queen."

"Bah!" Wisdom slammed his fist on the table. "Just because the White Queen bested you in sacred combat to achieve her rule does mean the rest of us live in fear, Gordon Xavier."

"Then maybe this will allow you to remember who your Queen is," came the voice of Wilhemena Frost from the doorway. Arlan Wisdom looked up to see the severed head of the White Knight bounding across the table to rest before him.

"That is the price of disobedience," the White Queen said, taking her seat. She did not reveal to them that it was Penelope DaCosta, Reignfire, who had done the deed.

THE NORTHERN WILDS OF ENGLAND

It was not easy moving across the landscape of the Northern Wilds. Thick patches of tall, branch-infested trees were cut by long, deep pools of swamp, were cut by open fields. Every square foot of land, it seemed, contained some grotesque beast of nature: hummingbird-sized insects, long, wide snakes that could trip a man, wild boars, flying beetles … Mary Wagner had never imagined such creatures existed in anything but fairy tales.

"Tell me, Grimm," she said to the man next to her as the group walked through a dense section of forest. Ahead of them, the Black Knight and Arthur Braddock cut a path with their legendary blades. "Do you think the hand of God created such foul creatures as live here?"

Grimm looked down into her soft eyes, "Couldn't say. Don't really care."

Mary frowned. "How can you … not care?"

Grimm reached down, grabbed a ten-foot long snake behind the head and pulled up to eye-level. "It exists. That's all I need to know."

Behind them, Heartland walked with Reignfire. She was, he thought, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. They had been walking for eight hours, and he had yet to say more than three words to her. Didn't feel he had any right to talk to someone so beautiful, someone who carried herself so proudly. Royalty, he had thought.

"So … um … what do you do for a living?" he asked. "I mean, when you're not beating up bad guys." He had wanted the last sentence to come out as witty banter, but found, by the look on her face, that it hadn't worked.

"A 'bad guy'?" she asked, giving him a quick look, then turning away. They walked in silence, the thick trees and shrubs around them thinning out slightly as they began to move up an incline. Heartland winced, would rather fight a hundred thousand alien brigades then have a beautiful woman look at him like Penelope DaCosta had just looked at him. "How quaint," she continued. "A bad guy. Tell me …"

"Heartland."

"Heartland," she smiled wickedly. "Do you beat up 'bad guys' for a living."

"Uh, well, yeah," he shrugged, feeling silly. "At least, we did, before the accident to our space station."

"Your space station?" Reignfire asked, now turning her attention fully to the young man. She looked at him for the first time - blond hair, blue eyes, about her age (young twenties), but not anywhere near her experience. "You own a space station?"

"Worked on one," he said, wanting to crawl into a ball and hide.

Vitesse walked just behind Braddock and the Black Knight. "Yeah, I thought I recognized you," she said to Dane. "The Black Knight. Avengers, Defenders."

Dane looked over his shoulder, "The Lighthouse, right? The Collector's space station?" Vitesse nodded. "What happened to you guys? When was it you disappeared? 2003?"

"October, 2002," Vitesse answered, a deep bitterness in her voice. "We were deemed a complete and utter failure by the Collector. We were unable to stop the coming of the Centric Sceptre during the Millenium Encounter in 2000. Doom attacked the following year." Vitesse's voice became far away. "We just sat there, watching this alien horde coming at us from light years away, knowing we couldn't stop them. There was a Lighthouse near Chandilar. We watched the feed as Doom's army paused just long enough to kill every member of the crew who wouldn't swear obedience to Doom. They left the equipment in place. I'll never forget that about Doom," she said, shaking her head. "His troops hit them with a precision so intact that even though the entire crew was wiped out, the entire space station was still working at 98% capacity when Doom's shock troops were finished."

Dane exchanged a glance with Braddock as they rose into a clearing one hundred meters from the top of a small hill. Did Vitesse know that Doom had returned?

"The Collector came the following year, about a half-year after the Reign of Doom ended," Vitesse shook her head. "Declared us a failure, declared himself a failure. Said it was foolish to believe the universe could ever be taught to save itself." She kicked at the dirt. "Never thought we had a fair chance. Station was always changing crews, dealing with equipment failures. Got caught in a time loop once that had us bouncing all over the place. Switched commanders like the Wasp used to change outfits."

Dane felt a twinge in his side at the mention of Jan. He forgot what it was like to think of most of his former friends and teammates as real people. Long ago they'd drifted into the recesses of his mind - it had been many decades, if not a full century, since he'd talked to anyone who knew the people he knew personally.

"Next thing we knew," Vitesse said as they came to rest atop the hill, "the Collector was boxing all of us up and storing us away in a deep freeze."

"How did you end up here, in this era?" Braddock asked as the entire group now gathered around to hear the end of Vitesse's story.

Vitesse shrugged, "Don't know. Just awoke one day, stumbled out onto the floor. Looked around, saw Heartland here was with me."

"We tried to break our teammates free, but," Heartland winced, looked to the sky. "We were weakened from the stasis, disoriented. Next thing we knew this entire horde of bats, or birds, came screeching out of the upper vents down on us, ripping into our skin."

"The encircled us," Vitesse continued. "About one hundred large bats screeching like banshees, just going around and around. Didn't know what to do, so we bolted. I've got superspeed abilities. Grabbed Heartland and just ran until we found some escape pods."

"We did our best R2 and 3PO impersonation," Heartland said softly, "and got the hell out of there."

"Only thing," Vitesse finished, "was that the pod was rigged somehow to send its occupants back to their home of origin. Pod floated away from the Collector's craft and next thing we knew, bam, were in something the pod's computers identified as 'the Surf,' then we emerged and crash-landed just off the English coast. Swam here and were nabbed by a bunch of intolerates all dressed up like the Scarlet Witch within a few days." She looked now only at the Black Knight, "When we learned what year it was, we figured it'd be no problem to get the craft repaired and head back to space to free our teammates, but ..." she looked skyward to Lockheed, "there's dragons and magic here, but no electricity. Hard to fix a spaceship without electricity."

Dane nodded. "I will help you when I can, Vitesse, but we have more pressing matters at the moment." He pointed around them, and they noticed they were standing atop a small hill in a ring of small hills. In the valley below them, a large crack lay in the ground like an open wound. "Lockheed's entrance. We enter there."

The group looked down to see a small cave halfway up the hill they were on.

"How do you know this?" Grimm asked.

"Avalon," Braddock answered quickly, then began to descend. "Now let's go. London is not going to be burned by that beast on my watch."

ABOVE LONDON

Lockheed circled, his giant wings flapping once a minute, trying to keep the rage buried deep within him. He was cognizant of little beyond the fire that raged within him, the fire that desperately wanted release. Caught between the mind of reason and the mind of the beast, the great purple dragon wondered why Illyana had left him for so long.

THE TUNNELS UNDER THE NORTHERN WILDS

The Black Knight traversed the tunnels at the head of the group, leading them deeper into the underground labyrinth. Braddock walked last, protecting their rear from a surprise attack they were certain was coming. They spoke little, the sense of dread heavy in the thick, damp air. Grimm followed behind Whitman, then Reignfire, Crawler, and Heartland, this section of the tunnel allowing room enough for but one to pass at a time.

LONDON – THE HELLFIRE CLUB

"The Red Rook tests my patience, Red King," Wilhemena Frost admonished Gordon Xavier, as they stood alone in the Conference Room, the curtains now drawn to reveal the outside world below them.

"That he does," Xavier answered, shrugging. "But he serves a purpose."

"If you cannot keep him in line, Gordon," the White Queen threatened, "then you best watch your back. Wisdom has his eyes on your seat. He thinks he could best me in combat."

"Unlikely," Xavier shook his head. "No, if the Red Rook makes an issue of one thing, my Queen, you can rest assure that his attack will come in another direction. He will not challenge you. If he makes a move of power, it will be in secret, and you will not see it coming."

Wilhemena folded her arms, scolding Xavier. "He is in your house. It is your duty to keep him in line."

Xavier smiled, "Perhaps I wish your death, Ms. Frost." He turned to the glass.

The White Queen felt a shudder run through her body, finding herself suddenly immobile. Her eyes flashed at Gordon, who casually looked out the window.

"I wonder," he said, calmly, "how one goes about capturing a dragon?"

Frost couldn't answer, her body shaking in place, caught in a vice-like grip. She watched as Gordon Xavier, a young Brit of all of twenty years, leapt onto the table between them, long black hair flowing down to his shoulders. His eyes looked down to hers, and she felt something grip the base of her spine for just an instant. It passed, and Wilhemena felt her world go momentarily dark.

When the wooziness passed, she opened her eyes to find Xavier standing across the table from her, looking as calm as he had when she asked him to stay. Smiling at her, he asked, "Are you alright, my Queen?"

"Get out," she ordered.

"Of course, my Queen," Xavier answered, bowing slightly before exiting.

The White Queen watched him go, her breathing deep and measured. For not the first time, she wondered if her recruitment of young Xavier had been a mistake. There was power in his blood, she knew, but was there, she now asked, more there than she could control?

She turned, her eyes again finding Lockheed. "I will have you," she whispered, her right hand coming up to touch the glass before her, "and then all will be mine."

THE TUNNELS UNDER THE NORTHERN WILDS

"Fan out," Dane ordered, drawing the Ebony Blade.

As the group moved into a large, open cavern, Arthur Braddock strained to see what had caused the Black Knight alarm. In seconds, he had his answer.

Twenty demons, freshly murdered. Their blood still pooled around their broken forms.

Excalibur was out without hesitation. "Your call," he deferred to Whitman. "I have little training with the dark arts."

Dane nodded, looked to the rest of the group. Along the right wall, Grimm and Crawler fanned out slowly. Crawler held too close to Grimm, he noted. Inexperience. Reignfire followed behind her, covering automatically. At their left, Vitesse and Heartland moved properly, Heartland making certain to stay even distance between them and the speedster in front of them. "Despite his awkward nature," Braddock whispered, noting the same acts, "the young American appears to be properly trained, while the blue-furred German girl cannot keep her eyes off the dead bodies."

"I will go across first," Whitman said by way of answer. "Stay here until I enter the tunnel ahead, then move in behind us. Be mindful for a change in the air. A warm breeze will feel pleasant in this cool environ, but it will herald Lockheed's return."

Braddock nodded. "Who are these demons, Dane? Has Belasco come again for Illyana?"

"Look at their markings on the shoulder," the Black Knight pointed out. "It is the symbol of one that causes me great concern."

"Mephisto?" Braddock shook his head, guessing.

Dane looked at Arthur, measuring the young knight. "You best mark this symbol well in your mind, Arthur. It is the mark of Merlin."

Arthur felt a pit develop deep within his stomach. "But what does Merlin want with Illyana? Even if he does, why use demons?"

"That is a very good question, Braddock," Dane replied, then moved out across the floor.

ABOVE LONDON

The fire that burned in the great stomach of Lockheed would be released. The dragon had held it off as long as he could, but the beast would win out over reason. Illyana had abandoned him and her pact as dragon mistress. In the end, what he did would rest on her head and not-

The dragon turned his head suddenly to the north, then beat his wings hard, his entire body changing direction, the city below forgotten. Now, Lockheed saw the world through only one word:

Rage.

THE TUNNELS UNDER THE NORTHERN WILDS

"I do not believe my eyes," Heartland said at the sight before them.

"Fairy tales," Dane said to Crawler as she came to stand next to him, "are often highly accurate. Vitesse, with me. Everyone else wait here."

Before the group of adventurers, a small path led down to the floor of an enormous cavern, easily dwarfing the size of Wembley Stadium.

"The cavern of Lockheed," Braddock said, as amazed as any of them. It was a sight to behold, in any age. In piles larger than buildings, the treasures of the Old Ways were laid bare: gold, silver, steel, emeralds, rubies, enchanted wood … and many more metals and jewels long forgotten in the world of man.

Grimm looked to Crawler, Braddock, Reignfire, and Heartland, saw a glaze wash over their eyes. "Snap out of it," he said roughly. "Don't forget why we're here. Don't forget what's coming."

"Hold your tongue," Reignfire snapped, her eyes sharpening. "There is treasure enough here to bring this entire land out of poverty."

Grimm said nothing, thought, 'We're treasure robbers now?' He looked to Braddock, who now stared at Reignfire with open lust. Making a note of that, he turned his attention to the Black Knight and Vitesse. They were far enough away that he could not hear the words that passed between them.

"What do you want me to do?" Vitesse asked as they reached the floor. The treasure looked even more impressive from this level.

Dane kept his eyes forward. "You're the back-up. If I don't make it out of here, you take whatever you see to the Lady of the Lake. Try to absorb as much as you can so that-" Dane's eyes steeled.

"What?"

"Time-hole," Dane said. "Stay here." Vitesse watched as the Black Knight moved to what appeared to be a hole in reality. There was a circular gate, about seven feet across, and it appeared to be made of short branches, laced together. Candles were lit across its construction. In the middle of the gate, Dane and Vitesse could see into what she could only assume was another world.

It was horrible. In a landscape that appeared to be the city of Boston in the middle of a foreboding rainstorm, a blood-soaked woman with a metallic arm fought against a horde of goblins, cloaked in purple. Some rode aboard gliders, tossed orange bombs down at the woman, others stayed on the ground and fired at her with arrows or guns.

"Come on," Dane said sharply, tearing her away from her thoughts. "I go in first to draw the goblin fire away. You follow - grab Illyana and yank her back here."

Without waiting for a response, Dane had jumped through the time-hole. Vitesse watched as he shouted something and waved his sword at them. The response was immediate, as goblins pealed off to attack the Black Knight. Vitesse watched as the pressure was eased from the blonde-haired woman, and let her own energies build to run in after her, when a terrible scream suddenly caught her quick and hard, knocking her to the ground. She looked behind her to find the source of the scream and froze in place as a giant purple dragon emerged into the cavernous space around them, its eyes locked on hers.

Behind Vitesse, on the landing, Braddock had knocked Grimm, Heartland, and Crawler to the floor as he turned his head skyward, watching Lockheed come. "Hide amongst the treasures," he ordered. Reignfire stood beside him, her body now covered in the black energy that served as the source of her powers. Braddock turned to give her an order, but saw that she had already taken to the air, drawn to the dragon.

"Theivesssssssss!" Lockheed's voice whistled through fire, smoke, and teeth. "Death!"

Braddock saw his eyes were locked on Vitesse, who stood before a time-hole, unable to move. He looked down the ramp to the three heroes he had pushed forward, "Help the Black Knight! Crawler, use your teleportation powers! I'll hold the dragon at bay!"

The words were true to his desire, but Arthur soon saw he would be almost useless where he was. Above them all, Reignfire moved across the vision of Lockheed, and the great beast roared in unholy hatred, his large frame moving quicker than it should have been able to, it's neck and maw twisting and snapping at Penelope DaCosta. As mesmerized as Vitesse was by Lockheed, Braddock was almost equally mesmerized by Reignfire's dance across the sky. She was the most alluring woman he'd ever met, both physically and spiritually. For the past three years he had longed for her in private, but now he found himself drawn ever deeper within his desire. The Lady of the Lake had warned him to be careful about her, but what the Lady didn't understand (or perhaps understood fully, he now thought) was that what made her dangerous - the ego, the often cold demeanor, the lust to be great - was what attracted him so much to her. In the dark, depressing world that England had become, Penelope DaCosta was a woman who could turn that around. She could be, he dared to think … England's Queen?

Grimm moved to Vitesse, catching the dizzy woman in her arms. She felt weak, pointed towards the blonde-woman. "Save her," she choked, before her eyes went wide. Looking into them, Grimm saw the reflection of fire moving towards them, and pushed Vitesse to the ground, blocking her with his large frame.

"Aaaaaargh!" he screamed in agony, feeling the rocks on his back seared by the dragon-flame.

Crawler and Heartland had seen the errant blast of fire coming towards them too late to warn Grimm. Now they moved forward, saw the smoldering of his orange-rock skin, and their eyes were drawn into the time-hole, where the Black Knight and the blonde-haired woman they believed to be Illyana Rasputin fought against a goblin army.

"Vitesse said to save her," Heartland yelled above the roar of the dragon above, pointing to Illyana. "I'll get her, you help the Black Knight! Grab and run!"

Mary Wagner watched Heartland step through the time-hole, then followed immediately after. The first thing she noted was the stench of decay in the air, and had to shake herself free from the nausea that instantly descended. She watched Heartland fly across the surface of the city road, yell something, and saw Illyana's hands raise into the air, where Heartland's arc brought them together. He snatched her at the wrists and lifted her into the air, into the very heart of a horde of goblin gliders, then arced back around to the exit.

Shaking her mind free, she turned to see how best she could help the Black Knight. What surprised her most was the number of dead goblins already at his feet. He slashed at the approaching horde that just didn't appear to have an end. Crawler thought about her powers of teleportation, what she believed she could do, didn't know if she could pull this off.

Didn't matter. Had to try.

Bamf!

She vanished, felt herself pop, and was suddenly behind Whitman. "It's me," she yelled in his ear, then grabbed him around the waist, and-

Bamf!

They both popped out, then back in, not ten yards from where they started. "Unnnnh!" Mary moaned, falling to the ground. The small gap between them and the goblins, mixed with the surprise of Crawler's appearance, was enough for Dane to manage their escape. Reaching down to pick up the young woman in his arms, he ran to the time-hole, arriving just in time to watch Heartland and a battered Illyana rush through.

"Lockheed!" he heard the sorceress yell as he rant though the gate with Vitesse, commanding the dragon back to the mind of reason.

Crawler watched, almost in awe, as Illyana commanded the dragon to her, then turned around to close the time-hole before the goblins could pass into this world.

As Lockheed's mind cleared, the dragon landed gently in the open middle of the floor, it's great head coming to rest before his dragon mistress, Illyana. The group moved together, still careful of the dragon's intentions. Neither Mary nor Heartland could take their eyes from it's enormous body.

"What are you doing here, Dane Whitman?" Illyana asked pointedly, her body covered in the blood of both herself and goblin alike.

"Saving London from dragon-flame," he answered, sheathing his sword. "Where were you? The responsibilities of a dragon mistress are not to be-"

"Did you come here to lecture me, old man?" she asked, placing the tip of her sword on the ground.

"Do not be fooled by Ms. Rasputin's young appearance," Braddock said, arriving to the group. "She is nearly as old as Whitman, which is to say, pushing two centuries. Though while the Black Knight's aging was slowed by the natural state of Avalon, Illyana's stems from the drinking of dragon blood. As his reason comes from the drinking of hers"

"I should tear your heart out," Illyana said to him, not bothering to hide her disdain.

"Enough," Dane said loudly. "You have not answered my question, Rasputin."

Illyana turned her cool eyes to the Black Knight. "It is a world I have never before seen." She pointed to the tunnels beyond. "I had gone up to the Northern Wilds to hunt and gather for food. When I returned, those demons you surely passed attacked me from behind. I had called to Lockheed, but some magic was blocking my call."

"That would take strong magic," Braddock said skeptically.

"Did you not see the mark on their shoulders, Arthur?" she asked haughtily, her eyes blazing for an instant at the sight of Excalibur. "They bore the mark of Merlin. Powerful magic does not begin to describe the horrors we will face if someone is tapping into Merlin's power." She looked behind them to study Grimm, Mary, Heartland, and Penelope, then brought her attention back around to the two knights. "If that is the best England has to save itself, you will not carry the day when it comes. If the magic of Merlin's order is being used then it means the Wellspring is not secure."

"And that world?" Dane asked, motioning to the time-hole.

Illyana's face turned even colder, "Someone was here. Someone had come into my dwelling yesterday, while I was away, and opened the gate into that world. That takes more than the magic of those dead demons. The treasure of Lockheed has been stolen from by those goblins we fought, though I do not know if they are connected to the threat of Merlin, or were merely designed as diversion." She looked from Dane to Braddock and back. "They said they were from something called the House of Goblin."

"The House of Goblin?" Dane asked, frowning. "I have not heard of it."

"Nor have I," Arthur answered, growing concerned.

"You must have felt a hint of recognition," she said to Dane, who nodded. "They way they looked, and moved." The two knights saw Illyana shudder, "Their laugh."

"Osborn."

Illyana grimly nodded. "I asked them who they followed, who ruled their House, but it was one whose name I did not recognize. They said their master was one called Angelica Osborn."

THE NORTHERN WILDS

"You will not join us, Black Knight?" Arthur asked.

Dane Whitman shook his head, "My quest must come first, Arthur. You know this."

"But your mission and mine are so similar," Braddock protested, though without much enthusiasm.

"No," Dane put up a hand. "Your mission is, in part, to inspire the people of England. Mine is simply to find the ancient texts, to protect the Wellsprings."

Arthur nodded, knowing Dane disagreed with what he was doing at some level, though in typical Whitman fashion, would not give words to the extent of those feelings. "Very well, Black Knight," Braddock said. He turned to the others. "You are all in agreement then?" he asked, his eyes drawn to Penelope's.

They nodded. "Good," Braddock said, raising his sword to the heavens. "On this day, let the realm of England be made aware, taking their name from the Lady's fabled sword, the group Excalibur … is reborn!"

LONDON – THE HELLFIRE CLUB

Braddock rode in an aged lift, Reignfire draped in his arms. They kissed passionately, Braddock thinking that tonight would finally be the night that Penelope gave herself to him.

The lift stopped, and the door opened. "There is someone I want you to meet," she whispered at him, pulling away."

"Who?" he asked, following along, not really caring, not thinking the meeting would be now.

"Arthur Braddock," a sultry voice said to him, "my name is Wilhemena Frost. Welcome to my humble dwelling."

Arthur looked up at a woman that had all of Penelope's seductiveness, but much more experience. He glanced around, saw that her "humble" dwelling was an apartment of extreme luxury. It was almost disgusting, he thought, thinking of the state of poverty the rest of the land lived in. Words to this effect almost came to his mouth when he saw, on a reading table beyond Frost's bed, one volume of the ancient texts. He did not know which one, but there it was, as if it were just another book in this woman's personal library.

"Thank you," he said, his eyes returning to the lithe, beautiful older woman. "What can I do-"

He felt Reignfire come up behind him, wrapping her arms under his to encircle his chest. She whispered, "You wield Excalibur, Arthur Braddock. You are a King in waiting, a man destined to rule us all. I wonder," she kissed the back of his neck, "why should you have to wait at all?"

His voice was caught in his throat as Frost approached him, her sparkling eyes foreshadowing her intent.

"Tell me," she asked, her hands moving over Penelope's, then up to touch his face, "how I may serve the new White King of the Hellfire Club."

'Hellfire Club?' Arthur thought, a momentary panic hitting him, but before he could raise the question, he felt the White Queen slowly and pleasurably enter his mind, where he found Reignfire already waiting.

Knights of Old Orders concluded.

They said their master was one called Angelica Osborn.

YGGDRASIL

Comments c/o bousquet22@earthlink.net

For a subscription to AGC, send an email to me and I'll add you to the agcverse mailing list at yahoogroups. You will receive every issue of AGC and TALES of AGC as soon as they are ready for print.

Here are a few more emails regarding AGC 50:

MARK, JUST WANTED TO DROP YOU A LINE-JUST FINISHED THE 50TH ISSUE, AND ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW! I HAVE ENJOYED THE SERIES FROM THE START, AND YOU HAVEN'T LET US DOWN- DOOM, THE GREAT EVIL-I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT BOOK.

I LIKED THE WAY THAT YOU BROUGHT BEN-VELL AROUND- THE PUTTING AWAY OF CHILDISH THINGS AND TAKING COMMAND OF HIS LIFE AND DESTINY? HOPE HE PLAYS A BIG PART IN THE NEXT BOOK-ALSO ALL OF THE ORPHANS,INCLUDING K'ZAN,THE NEW HERALD-IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HIS POWERS.

ANYWAY, THANKS FOR A GREAT RIDE, HERE'S TO THE NEXT 50,TAKE CARE, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME,

NICK LEBREQUE

I have been reading AGC for the last year or so. This is by far the best cosmic story I have read. I just read Earth X and Universe X and while I like them both for different reasons than AGC, AGC is the ultimate story. There are many levels, past, present, future and they all get tied together very well.

I did not see the leader of Order coming. I simply could not fathom who it could be. But it makes perfect sense. I had made the assumption that Kang killed Doom. Kang did not kill Doom, but defeated him and locked him away in a cell Necropolis and apparently Doom reprogrammed Ultron-12 to kill Kang and then escaped.

The only drawback for me was the death of Thanos. He is my favorite bad guy. I thought that Death herself had banished him from her realm. If so, how could he die? If not, when did she retract her banishment of Thanos? (Unless it was a behind the scenes retraction that wasn't meant for the readers)

Something else has puzzled me. Based on Captain America's personality, it seems he would not underutilize a power/skill he had. What is the explanation of his not using his Cosmic Awareness with more control?

My last question, do any of the other higher powers know what Adam Warlock just found out in issue 50? If so, what are there roles and why haven't they acted before?

Another thought. I find it hard to believe all of the entities sited (Set, Mephisto, etc) would follow Doom (a mere mortal). Did Order give Doom more power so the other beings dare not go against him?

Tremendous storyline so far. If you fail to achieve in the next 50 issues what you did in the first 50, it will only be because you set the bar too high for yourself.

Charles White

NEXT ISSUE: ALL GOD'S CHILDREN 54: The Jazz Masquerade, Part One

Brono and the three remaining Orphans travel on a secret mission to find the Celestial Messiah. Their path leads them to a luxury spacecraft called the Bliss, where all will be tempted by nightmare and fantasy alike.

-- Mark Bousquet ...

29 November 2002

Northern Bear Productions