"Avalon is mine!" Mordred's voice was shrill with emotion as he stood before the Lady of the Lake. All around him, his minions were pillaging the realm of Avalon. Screams filled the air, bringing a smile to Mordred's face. After centuries of living in Morgan Le Fay's shadow, he had finally come into his own.
The Lady of the Lake shimmered before him, her beautiful features drawn tight. She gazed steadily at Mordred, as if trying to wither him with her stare. "You shall never be able to claim Avalon as yours, Mordred. Avalon is far more than a mere place in the time/space continuum. It is a packet of ideals and beliefs that are abhorrent to one such as you."
Mordred sneered, "Oh, please... Spare me your platitudes. The battle is over, the spoils are mine to claim."
Shadows licked at Mordred's heels, slowly rising up to form several humanoid forms. The Parliament of the Dark stared with lustful evil at the Lady of the Lake. "Avalon has fallen... The Lady has been promised to us."
Mordred glanced over his shoulder at them, nodding. "Yes... I did promise her, didn't I?" He turned back to the Lady, seeing her in all her unearthly beauty. She stared back defiantly. "Very well. She's yours. Take her."
The shadows moved forward as one, sliding toward the Lady of the Lake. She tilted her chin up, refusing to see the rising tide of evil as it approached. "Avalon shall never fall to the likes of you, Mordred. These sins will merely follow you for the rest of your days."
Mordred turned away as the shadows began rushing over the Lady's form. He strode out the room, a shiver going through him as the Lady cried out in some indescribable agony. "Your words mean nothing anymore... I've won."
Wynter opened his eyes to a searing agony. He glanced down at his white robes, seeing them stained with red. He was bleeding profusely from a number of wounds, but he was unbound and free to move about. Evidently the hordes of Mordred had left him for dead.
"Their mistake," he murmured. White-pink energy suddenly enveloped his body as a simple healing spell repaired most of the minor wounds done to him. He stood up and surveyed the devastation around him. Avalon was in ruins, the Gates thrown open. "By the crown... Mordred's gone too far, this time."
"I agree... Now do you mind telling me who in the hell you are?"
Wynter jumped at the sound of the Black Knight's voice, turning quickly in a crouch. His eyes opened wide at the sight that greeted him - the Black Knight, Spitfire, Sersi, Albion, Union Jack and Kate McClellan. Several of them glowed slightly, evidence that the power of the Pendragon resided within them. Wynter turned his gaze to the Black Knight, murmuring "You look so much like Percy that it's incredible..."
Dane Whitman stiffened. "Percy... You mean the original Black Knight?"*
* (Sir Percy of Scandia was the first Black Knight, active during the last days of Camelot - Barry)
Albion moved past Wynter, staring with an open mouth at the horror before him. "Avalon... How could Mordred do this?"
Kate crackled with energy. "That pig! I'll fry him for what he did to poor Dai - this only means that I'll cook him slowly."
The Black Knight suddenly fell forward, his mind burning with searing agony. Spitfire caught him in her arms, holding him up. "Dane...?!"
"The Lady... My God... The Lady..."
Wynter nodded gravely. "I feel it too... She has been violated, tainted by the Parliament's touch."
Dane pulled himself away from Spitfire, his jaw set. "We have to free Avalon... But Mordred is mine."
Union Jack grunted, his hand resting on the hilt of his silver dagger. "Pardon me for not agreeing with you there, mate. Mordred killed some friends of mine - the Knights of Pendragon have dibs on the jerk."
Kate whirled, energy crackling from her eyes. "Would you both just shut up!? I don't care who takes care of Mordred - as long as someone does!"
Albion turned back to the group, his presence calm and reserved. "Kate's right. We can't panic or give in to our rage. Dane, take Sersi and Spitfire with you. I want you to go after Mordred. Union Jack, Kate, and I will deal with the Parliament."
"I can help find Mordred." Wynter moved forward, his eyes showing his quiet resolve. "He's in the very heart of Avalon. He seeks to destroy it completely."
The Black Knight shook his head, his voice shaking with worry. "I have to check on the Lady first."
Sersi touched his arm. Her green eyes glittered with compassion. "Albion will protect her, Dane. But you're the defender of Avalon - it's up to you to stop Mordred."
Dane held her gaze for a moment and then nodded. "All right. Let's do this." He held out his hand, palm down, into the center of the group.
Sersi responded first, placing her warm hand on his. Kate came next, then Albion and Spitfire. Union Jack hesitated before placing his own hand in the center of the circle. Wynter remained outside the circle, knowing that he had not earned a place with the others.
"No matter how we may feel about each other personally, we're united by our love of this place and what it stands for. May the Lady watch over you all." The Black Knight's voice seemed to echo in the air, drowning out even the cries of the pillaging army within. The group felt a unity of purpose before stepping back. The final battle was about to begin.
Albion led Kate and Union Jack into the Lady's chamber. The trio were covered in gore, most of it gained en route to this spot. The forces of Mordred were lazy in victory and ill-prepared to defend themselves, especially against a woman who could move as fast as lightning and two men who were Pendragons.
Albion held up a hand to keep Spitfire and Jack from entering the room. He could see the Lady's form suspended in the air, twitching spasmodically. Her normally beautiful appearance was soiled and ugly, with dark black veins running through her "flesh". The veins pulsed with awful intensity, causing the Lady to gasp with each pulse.
"The Parliament... It's merged with her."
Union Jack made a noise of disgust. "It's sick, a bloody travesty. I hope the Black Knight runs old Mordred through with that magic blade of his."
Kate glanced at Albion and whispered, "We have to do something - but how much damage has already been done? The Lady of the Lake may never be the same again."
Albion nodded slowly. He'd thought the same thing... Had they all failed then? Failed to keep Avalon safe from all harm? Tossing off his self-doubt, he moved confidently into the room. He'd seen war and he'd seen death - this, he told himself, was nothing new. "Parliament! Show yourself if you dare..."
The shadows stopped writhing for a moment before slowly peeling off the Lady's form. The inky-black veins coalesced into a single, towering form. "We dare much, mortal. What manner of madness directs you to confront us so? The battle is over, Avalon is lost."
Albion shook his head. "Never. Not the true Avalon. And that is what we fight for."
The Parliament roared then, moving forward as one entity. A powerful fist slammed into Albion, sending the aged hero flying. Kate watched in horror as Albion slammed right through a stone wall.
Union Jack launched himself at his adversary. He'd faced vampires, ghouls, and werewolves in his time as a hero - but nothing filled him with as much revulsion as he felt when he touched the Parliament. He shoved his silver dagger deep into the thing's body, delighting when it made a most human grunt of semi-pain.
"Fools! We have existed for eons! Such as you can never stand against us!" The Parliament picked up Union Jack like he was a rag doll and threw him against a stone wall. Jack felt his shoulder separate, falling to the ground in agony.
Albion and Kate attacked as one, each striking from opposite sides. Kate spewed electrical energy into the Parliament's side while Albion summoned all the power that he had at his disposal. He channeled his connection to the Pendragon and crackled with power. With a powerful, earthshattering blow he sent the Parliament staggering back.
"The darkness can never stand against the light - that much has been proven again and again!" Albion raised both hands into the air, energy continuing to build about himself. "Joey! Kate! I need your energy! Let loose all the Pendragon power that you have!"
Kate nodded at once. "Yes! It's the only way!"
Union Jack glanced up, his eyes filled with tears from the pain. He knew what Albion was doing - each of the Knights of Pendragon contained a portion of the Green Knight within them. It gave them enhanced dexterity and strength, amongst other abilities. It also gave them the ability to expend all of that energy in one powerful burst - but at the risk of permanently severing their connection to the Pendragon. In effect, they could become normal humans as a result. For Joey, who had never considered himself much more than the simple son of a dock worker in the first place, it was not a hard decision to make.
The three heroes crackled with power, the combined energy being unleashed howling in the room. The Parliament split into a dozen shadow forms, each racing to be free of the powerful light. A bright green burst of energy shot forth from the trio, striking the Parliament in all its forms. The things hissed and burned, shrinking to nothing. With a final pop of power, it was over. The Parliament was gone.
Union Jack lay panting where he was, exhaustion creeping in. He felt Kate kneel beside him. "How are you, Joey?"
"Okay... Normal, though. My healing powers... they're gone. I'm completely human again."
Kate cracked a wry grin. "Lucky you... I think I've still got some of mine." A tiny spark of electricity shot from her fingertips.
Union Jack blinked in surprise. "But how?"
"Don't know - Peter must still have his too, or else he wouldn't still be young."
Union Jack grunted. He wasn't jealous that the other two had somehow kept their powers - maybe the Green Knight wasn't done with them yet... and maybe he was done with the Union Jack.
Albion moved closer to the Lady of the Lake, staring up at her with worry. He knelt before her, whispering "Our prayers are with you, Lady."
The Lady of the Lake did not answer, hanging there in the air quietly. Her face was ashen and her manner suggested one who was in the mystical equivalent of shock.
The Black Knight was silent as followed the mysterious Wynter through the winding labyrinth of Avalon. He could feel Sersi watching him with concern, but he knew she couldn't possibly understand what he was going through. The Lady of the Lake had come to him when he'd been feeling lost and had given him a new sense of purpose. For that, he would be eternally grateful.
Spitfire moved at the rear, forcing herself to resist her strongest impulse - to zoom past the others and look for Mordred herself. She hated moving so slowly, wishing nothing more than to wrap things up quickly so she could return to Earth to continue her search for her son.* She glanced at Sersi, seeing the beautiful Eternal watching the Black Knight closely. Spitfire knew that it didn't take a telepath to see that a relationship was present between them.
* (Kenneth Crichton is currently the vampiric villain known as Baron Blood II - Barry)
Sersi, for her part, felt both jealousy and rage. It was obvious that Dane felt very strongly for the Lady of the Lake and she could certainly understand why... but she still felt a twinge of uncertainty. Was it possible for Dane to love such a creature? If so, how could Sersi possibly compete with a virtual Goddess? The rage she felt was directed at Mordred and his minions - seeing Avalon so despoiled stirred vague images in her mind of seeing her own Olympia lying in ruin. The images were quite unsettling.
Wynter stopped suddenly. "My magicks have found him. He is there - in the spiritual heart of Avalon."
The Black Knight peered around the mage. He'd never been this far into Avalon before and he found it both frightening and beautiful. Before him lay a round chamber of the deepest blue, the floor and ceiling covered by beautiful tile. In the center of the chamber floated a blue sphere, surrounded by a mystic shield. The shield was obviously weak in areas, having suffered numerous attacks by Mordred. The evil sorcerer was standing before the sphere, his back to the heroes, uttering strange mystic phrases.
Spitfire rushed forward, ignoring Dane's order to wait. She slammed into Mordred, driving him to his knees. "Dog! You're going to pay for your crimes!"
Mordred suddenly vanished before her eyes, a split-second before a mystic bolt slammed into her from behind. Spitfire's eyes rolled back in her head as she fell forward unconscious.
"Idiot!" Mordred stepped from the shadows, a leer on his face. "Don't you think I expected someone to come after me? It was child's play to create an illusory doppleganger!"
The Black Knight stepped into the room, Sersi and Wynter at his side. "Mordred... You're going to pay for this."
"Ah... The Black Knight. Have you seen your precious Lady of the Lake yet? Poor dear..."
The Black Knight stifled a curse, forcing himself to remain calm. "All you've done is reveal yourself to be a coward, Mordred - You've never been any kind of threat on your own. You hide behind the Parliament or behind Morgan... You never stand on your own."
Mordred spread his arms out expansively. "Here I stand, Dane... All alone."
Wynter ignored Mordred, moving forward to stare at the heart of Avalon. Cracks lined the sphere's surface, blue energy beginning to spill out. "Sersi... Come here. I'll need your help with this, I think."
The Eternal moved over, casting a worried glance back at Dane as she did so. "What's wrong?"
"Mordred has damaged the Heart... If we don't contain these mystical energies, all of Avalon will be destroyed."
Sersi shrugged. "I can easily create some sort of shield around the sphere."
"It's not that simple. There are powerful mystic forces within the Heart - we'll need to combine our powers to fuse the cracks within the sphere."
"Very well - how do we begin?"
While the mage combined his powers with those of Sersi, the Black Knight struck the first blow in his battle with Mordred. He slashed with the Sword of Light, striking Mordred's side.
The villain staggered from the force of the blow. "Is that the best you can do, Dane? Honestly, I've taken much stronger blows from other Black Knights!"*
* (Mordred slew Sir Percy of Scandia, the original Black Knight, and has fought others throughout the centuries - Barry)
"Perhaps you have, Mordred, but rarely have you faced a Black Knight who had so much to fight for!" The Black Knight ducked a return blow from Mordred, kicking out with a foot that sent Mordred tumbling to the ground.
Mordred raised his hand quickly, firing an eldritch blast at the Knight. Dane brought up the Shield of Night, catching the mystical energy. The Black Knight then discharged the energy back at Mordred, causing the mage to scream in agony.
"Damn you to a thousand hells, Dane Whitman! This is my moment of triumph and I won't have it spoiled by the likes of you!"
The Black Knight ducked another energy blast, raising his sword once more. He brought it down hard, the flat of the blade striking Mordred in the forehead. Blood streamed down into his eyes, making him curse.
"Give up, Mordred. Your little game is over."
"Oh, I don't think so - This time, I win." Mordred rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his face. "I'm going to kill you the way that I did your ancestor!"
The Black Knight ignored him, letting his instincts take over. He dodged or blocked Mordred's attacks easily, his years of combat experience outmatching that of Mordred. He delivered a number of superficial cuts to the evil sorcerer, further enraging him.
With the rising anger came sloppiness. When Mordred left his flank wide open, the Black Knight struck. The Sword of Light pierced his armor and skin, sinking deep in the villain's side. Mordred howled, collapsing immediately.
The mage glanced up, his face fallen with despair. "Do your worst, Knight... Slay me."
The Black Knight stared at him, raising the sword above his head. "No... Death is too good for you." Dane brought the hilt of his sword down hard, slamming it into Mordred's skull. Unconsciousness welcomed the villain immediately.
The Black Knight turned to see Wynter and Sersi awash in energy. Their combined powers slowly sealed the cracks in the Heart of Avalon, bringing an end to the terrible affair. Wynter's long white hair was matted with blood and sweat but he offered a grin to the Eternal. "We did it... Avalon will survive."
The assembled heroes were quiet and introspective, each sitting in the spacious living room of Garrett Castle. Albion was watching Kate and Union Jack with concern, seeing the strain that was evident in their posture. The realization of all that had been lost was beginning to sink in, he knew. He'd grown well acquainted with death during his long life but it never got any easier.
The Black Knight broke the silence. He stood behind Sersi's chair, a hand lying casually on her shoulder. Something in this whole affair had brought them together, for which Sersi was quite grateful. "The Lady of the Lake is, for lack of a better term, in a coma right now. I'm going to monitor her as much as I can but I'm not sure what can be done for her. Wynter has tried every spell in his repertoire to help her but he thinks it's going to take time for the Lady and for Avalon to recover. As for Mordred - Wynter has imprisoned him in Avalon itself. He's in a state of suspended animation, so hopefully he'll stay there forever."
Kate let out a sigh, leaning forward and cupping her head in her hands. "I can't believe this... We let him despoil the most wonderful place in all reality."
"We stopped him before he could destroy it, Kate. That's something to be proud of. And I don't think we should stop here." Albion looked around the room.
"What are you talking about?" Union Jack glanced over at his friend.
"I think we should stay together. We worked well as a group and we can do a lot of good - not only in terms of protecting Avalon from further harm, but also in defending Great Britain."
The Black Knight nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. I'm willing to lead the group if that will sway anyone."
Union Jack rolled his eyes. "Bloody arrogant son of a -" He shook his head. "I'm in, I suppose. But I don't want us to be the Knights of Pendragon... Without Dai, Gawain, Adam and the others, it wouldn't be the same."
Kate straightened up. "I agree. I'm in, but I have outside commitments as well."
"I think we all do - but I'm in, as well." Sersi smiled up at Dane, who nodded in appreciation.
Wynter cleared his throat. "I realize that none of you know me... But I'm willing to offer my services if you'll have me."
Union Jack glanced over at Spitfire. "What about you, Jackie?"
Spitfire paused for a long moment, but she knew that her decision was never really in doubt. "I'll join - but my first priority is to my family."
The Black Knight stepped forward. "Then it's official, then. I recommend that we honor the fallen members of the Knights of Pendragons by adopting the name 'Pendragons.' It's simple and to the point."
"I agree." Albion smiled at the others, his confidence filling the room. "The Pendragons it is!"
In Black Knight #7: Things slow down a bit for the Black Knight as Dane learns more about Psycorp and Sersi meets Miriam Ross, Dane's other love interest! The sparks are going to fly! Also, be sure to check out Dane over in Pendragons #1!