The Pendragons # 1
REESE PRODUCTIONS

LYONESSE

"The island appeared approximately 16 hours ago, Albion. Given its location, there's been some talk that it might be of a mystical nature. We tried to contact Captain Britain to investigate but he's pretty much retired these days * ... Thankfully, you came to us soon after." The British naval officer stood a respectful distance away from Albion, his eyes locked on the island that was rapidly coming into view. The two men stood on the deck of a navy cruiser, each lost in their own thoughts.

(*Captain Britain has currently lost his powers and has taken a leave of absence from adventuring to spend time with his wife Megan.)

For Peter Hunter, it seemed so surreal. Blessed with the power of the Pendragon during the early days of World War I, he had fought in defense of the British Isles for close to 80 years. But the events of recent days had taken his already unusual life to another level. As Albion, he had reunited with his fellow Knights of Pendragon to investigate the deaths of several former teammates. The search had led to an alliance with the Black Knight, Spitfire, and Sersi... and a terrible battle with Mordred the Evil. The day had proven victorious for the heroes in the end, though the other-dimensional realm of Avalon had suffered a great deal of damage *. This morning, he had awakened from a dream that depicted an island rising from the water... returning to a land long forgotten from its shores.

(* See Black Knight # 4-6)

"It's Lyonesse." Peter's voice was tinged with awe as he saw a tall, castle-like structure on a high hill. "In British legend, a fertile country between Land's End, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which disappeared beneath the sea... It was the birthplace of Tristan in Arthurian legend."

The naval officer blinked at the hero. If the words had come from anyone besides a living legend, he would have scoffed. But the sincerity in Albion's voice only brought chills to the man's arms. "Lyonesse...?"

Albion nodded slowly as the ship come to a halt. The beach was sandy and clean of all human debris... a small, cobblestone path led upwards to a grassy knoll. Beyond it stood a high castle. He couldn't fathom as yet exactly how Lyonesse had returned, but he felt in the pit of his stomach that he knew why... "It's going to be our home."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Albion turned to him, his still-youthful face parted in a smile. "I think that the Pendragons would like to stake a claim to this island, Captain. How soon can we some approval from the British government for such a thing?"

ONE WEEK LATER

"This is unacceptable. It is bad enough that we're still recovering from our humiliation at the hands of Excalibur... Now we must contend with this!" The Red Queen tossed down the London Times, a photograph of the Pendragons on its front page. "I propose that we deal with this group sooner rather than later. If we are to rebuild our power base, we must have the freedom to make our plans in peace."

The assembled Inner Circle of the London Hellfire Club sat in silence for a moment. All of them echoed the Red Queen's thoughts to one extent or another, but it was the newly crowned Black King * who spoke up first.

(* The Ebony Knight was made Black King in Black Knight # 4)

"I agree with Margali... This group is dangerous. Far more dangerous than Excalibur was, in my opinion. They must be destroyed." The Ebony Knight's voice was cold and flat, his eyes flashing from beneath his dark helmet. Once he had been Alec Drake, collector of the arcane. Now he belonged, body and soul, to the cursed Ebony Blade.

The Red King, devoted to Margali as he was, agreed. "The only question, then, is how do go about this?"

The Black Queen leaned forward. Her own power base had eroded since the death of the previous Black King and the deposing of Mountjoy *, but she was eager to reestablish her place in the Inner Circle. "I think we should send a squadron of our finest warriors to this island of theirs. We can overwhelm them by sheer numbers."

(* This happened back in Excalibur # 100.)

Margali Szardos, the Red Queen, sneered. "Our warriors would be no more than cannon fodder against them. Sersi alone could dispatch a dozen or more of our fighters. No... We must deal with this in another way..." Her full lips twisted in a cruel grin. Glancing at the Ebony Knight, she purred. "Perhaps our newest member would like to handle the duties?"

The Ebony Knight's eyes flashed with interest, his unholy hatred for the Black Knight coming to the fore...

Kate McClellan stood on the balcony outside her room, watching as Spitfire practiced with Albion and Sersi below. Kate smiled as she saw the super-fast heroine evade all of her teammates' attacks... It amazed to her think that she was now a teammate of Spitfire's -- she'd grown up reading stories about the Invaders, of which Spitfire had been apart. To look at Spitfire now, though, it was hard to imagine she had been fighting against the Nazis in World War II. The woman was youthful once more thanks to a blood transfusion from the original Human Torch and in full possession of her powers.

Kate herself wondered how strong her own powers were these days. She'd expended so much energy in battle with the Parliament of the Dark * that she'd expected to lose her powers completely -- instead, she'd found them weakened but still there.

(* The terrible battle was shown in Black Knight # 6)

"Penny for your thoughts, Kate?" Union Jack's voice brought Kate around. Joey Chapman was in plainclothes, having dispensed with the colorful uniform that had been a symbol of justice since the first World War. "Sorry about barging in -- your door was open."

"I was just watching the practice session. How are you feeling these days?"

"Well, I feel bloody terrible for the most part. Getting bitten by a werewolf * and then losing my Pendragon powers ** makes for a pretty bad month in my book."

(* See the Union Jack limited series)

(** Again, in Black Knight # 6. What are you waiting for? Go read that issue!)

Kate smiled a bit, but it was a weak one. "Dai's funeral was rough, wasn't it *?" She knew that Joey had been rather morose since they'd buried their former teammate a few days before.

(* Dai Thomas, a former Knight of Pendragon, was murdered in Black Knight # 4)

"Well, yeah... There was that, too. It's not fair, Kate. Dai wasn't a costume guy like me. He didn't deserve go die -- especially not like that."

Images of Dai's bloody form rushed unbidden into Kate's mind. "You're right about that..."

Joey glanced around. "Nice place though. More rooms than we could ever use... a whole island to ourselves... not to mention Dane's passing his cash around like it was confetti. That damned lab of his would put the Avengers' to shame, I think."

Kate noted the trace of bitterness in Joey's voice when he'd mentioned Dane. The son of a dock worker, Joey had lived hand-to-mouth for years. That made extremely thin-skinned when it came to the so-called upper class, of which Dane Whitman -- in Joey's mind, at least -- was a part.

"Attention, all Pendragons. Please meet me in the Main Meeting Room." The Black Knight's voice echoed through the castle's intercom system, drawing a frown from Joey and a look of interest from Kate. Things had been very quiet so far for the group -- perhaps that was about to change.

Dane Whitman -- the Black Knight -- was struck by something unusual as he watched the last of the Pendragons file into the Meeting Room. Though he'd been a member of three different groups in the past, the Avengers, Ultraforce, and Heroes for Hire, never before had anything felt so right. It was if his entire life had been one long, hard struggle to reach this point. He had overcome personal loss, being stranded in an ancestor's body during the Crusades, and the recent war with Mordred. He had come through stronger than ever.

Seated around the group's round table were a collection of Britain's greatest heroes. Spitfire sat beside Union Jack, her face pensive as she contemplated the horrors that her only son Kenneth might be enduring even now *. Jack, for his part, sat frowning at the notion that the Black Knight had elected himself de facto leader. The mysterious magician Wynter sat quietly, his thoughts an enigma to all. Kate McClellan and Albion were engaged in a quiet discussion, while the Eternal Sersi was watching Dane with a mischievous air.

(* Spitfire's son Kenneth is currently the vampiric villain known as Baron Blood II. For more, see the Union Jack limited series.)

When everyone was settled, the Black Knight began his spiel. "I want to let everyone know that reaction to our formation has been pretty positive. I was on the phone with the Prime Minister this morning trying to get some form of semi-formal sanctioning. I don't think any of us want the group to be an official arm of the government but it might help if we work closely together with them."

Sersi nodded. "And there's been no problem with our claiming the island?"

"None. I think the government is so pleased to have a high-profile hero group around that they'll give us a long leash for awhile. With Excalibur disbanding awhile back, the government's been concerned about their ability to deal with superhuman threats."

Wynter spoke up next, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. He was the one that they knew the least about -- he had appeared literally out of nowhere to defend Avalon *. "I've finished my mystic searches of the island, by the way. There's an enormous amount of magical energy in the air here -- but no signs of any malevolence whatsoever. I agree with Albion's initial assessment -- this island appears to be a gift of some sort."

(* In Black Knight # 5)

Spitfire pursed her lips. "I wish we knew more about it. I'm suspicious of anything that looks so perfect."

The Black Knight nodded. "Normally, I'd agree. But in this case, I'm looking on it as a reward for our service to Avalon. Frankly, after all we've been through -- we deserve it."

The Ebony Knight crouched low on the rooftop of Devin's Pub. The rowdy crowd within was enjoying themselves quite a bit from the sound of it. But the Knight felt no desire to join them. He was growing colder by the day, his spiritual needs amply fed by the Ebony Blade. Behind him, three dark things scuttled. Called forth from some stygian place, they were the Red Queen's servants for the evening. The Knight felt his sword pulse with a hungry need. Down below... Coming around the corner... Dane Whitman. The former owner of the Blade -- the one who had tried again and again to destroy it. The Blade still held some sort of connection to Whitman, allowing the Ebony Knight to track his movements.

Down below, unknowing of the danger from above, walked Dane Whitman, Sersi, Jacqueline Falsworth (Spitfire) and Kate McClellan. "It's too bad Joey couldn't join us -- I think he knows every good pub in London."

Kate smiled. "It is a bit unusual for him to turn down a pint. I think he's supposed to stay sober tonight, though -- he's going to a wedding with Romany tomorrow."

Jackie listened to the playful banter with envy. She wanted to enjoy herself, give herself over to her youthful impulses. But the thought of Kenneth... It made her weak, filling her with a sense of guilt so profound that she thought she'd go mad.

Sersi held onto Dane's arm, a smile on her lips. She was enjoying this -- being with her lover again and relishing the London nightlife. "After this, Dane, shall we go dancing?"

"I'd like that. I don't think I've been dancing in ages."

"Dane Whitman! The time for vengeance has come!"

The spectral voice brought the group of friends to a sudden halt. Looking up they saw three dark creatures with sharp claws descending upon them. An armored figure brandishing the Ebony Blade remained standing on the rooftop for a moment more before leaping to the ground.

"Dane...?" Sersi blinked in surprise, recognizing the Ebony Blade. "Who is that?"

"I have no idea... It's certainly not Sean, though *."

(* Sean Dolan, a young ward of Dane Whitman's, was transformed into the evil Bloodwraith by the Ebony Blade in Avengers Annual # 18.)

"You may call me the Ebony Knight, Whitman... For I have no other name any longer." The Ebony Knight moved his blade in a graceful arc, its strange energies humming in the air.

Kate recoiled as one of the shadow-beings moved forward. It was eerily similar to the Parliament of Darkness figures she'd fought in Avalon and the memory was not a pleasant one. As soon as the figure looked ready to pounce, she took the initiative. Electricity blazed from her fingertips, striking the demon with full force.

Dane frowned -- He hated engaging an opponent in the middle of the street where innocents could be hurt, but he saw no alternative. Touching the pendant around his neck, he murmured "Avalon." Immediately, his armor surrounded him. He drew the Sword of Light just in time to block a blow from the Ebony Knight. The two mystic blades clanged together, tossing off sparks.

Spitfire raced into action, not caring that she was still dressed in street clothes. Her identity was publicly known regardless and so she saw her Spitfire costume as a uniform and nothing more. At superspeed, she slammed her fist into one of the demons.

Sersi smiled at her shadow-opponent. "It appears that there are all too many things lurking in the dark these days... Let's see how well you stand against an Eternal, demon!" Sersi stepped aside gracefully as the thing bounded at her. Its rapier-sharp claws raked her pants' leg, drawing blood. Sersi ignored the flare of pain, instead firing destructive energy from her eyes. The blast shattered the demon in two, causing it to howl in agony.

Spitfire gaped -- if she'd had any doubt before, it was erased now. Sersi was by far the most powerful of the Pendragons. The speedster lacked Sersi's ability to dispatch her foe with one blow but she made up for it by grabbing the demon's head and slamming it into the ground a hundred times in less than 10 seconds. The demon slumped forward, defeated.

Kate McClellan's electrical storm was surrounding her own enemy, making it writhe in torment. With a final burst of lightning, the thing dispersed, leaving Kate panting in its aftermath. There was no mistaking it -- she was significantly weaker than she had been in the past. She'd have to learn her new limits -- and quickly.

The Black Knight found himself driven back by the insane strength of the Ebony Knight. The villain swung his sword in wide, deadly arcs that the more experienced Black Knight found difficult to parry. "Where did you get the Ebony Blade? Don't you know that's it's cursed? You're not in full possession of your faculties as long as you wield it."

The Ebony Knight laughed, a mirthless sound that froze the Black Knight's blood. "The blade and I are one -- As we were meant to be. I have surrendered to it completely!" The Ebony Knight suddenly drove a fierce blow into the Black Knight's stomach, causing blood to spurt from a deep wound. The injured hero fell to one knee.

The Black Knight tried to raise the Shield of Night to defend himself but black spots were forming in front of his eyes. The Ebony Knight raised his sword high, eager to bring it down and end Dane Whitman's life. The sword started to fall...

...And was blasted out of the Ebony Knight's hands by one of Sersi's energy blasts. The villain whirled around to see the three remaining Pendragons staring him down. Lightning crackled around Kate while tendrils of energy snaked from Sersi's eyes. Spitfire looked ready to move at a moment's notice. It was Spitfire who spoke first, saying "Sorry, friend -- But the Black Knight has teammates, you know."

The Ebony Knight raised a hand and the Ebony Blade flew back into his grasp. "So he does. I have seen all that I need to see for tonight. Your little group is quite strong, I'll admit, but you are all doomed to failure." With a sudden flash of mystic energy, the Ebony Knight disappeared in one of Margali's magical portals. As had been worked out beforehand, the sorceress had monitored the battle closely.

Sersi knelt beside Dane, clasping his hand. "Dane! Are you going to be okay?"

The Knight nodded. "I think so -- Get me back to the island. Wynter can help patch me up..." He staggered to his feet, one thought burning in his mind -- the Ebony Blade had to be destroyed before it ruined even more lives.

In Pendragons # 2 An old foe of Albion's is back with a plan to launch a new Dark Ages! Plus : Union Jack and Spitfire go undercover in search of Baron Blood!

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Welcome to the first issue of The Pendragons. I hope you'll find this series a welcome addition to your monthly reading -- I promise lots of surprises, some action-packed stories, and more of the characterization that readers of The Black Knight are used to. You might note that Dane got a starring role in this issue but the next few issues will move the spotlight onto the other characters (after all, Dane has his own book to strut his stuff in). Look for Albion to be spotlighted first, then Spitfire and finally Wynter as our first year wraps up. Please let me know how I'm doing.

Barry Reese

You can reach me at aric_dacia@yahoo.com

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