by Barry Reese
Hank’s mouth opened once, then twice, before he managed to croak out “Sally… I looooooove you…”
And then Rasputin crushed the shriveled skull in upon itself and Sally screamed long and loud.
The Mad Monk tossed the body of his enemy to the side and turned to face the Flame. “Come to me!” he commanded. The Black Flame seemed to flicker in resistance but finally gave in to the power of the man who compelled it. The Flame jumped through the air in a straight line, pouring down the Mad Monk’s throat and filling him with unimaginable power.
“Behold!” Rasputin shouted, his voice echoing through the cemetery. “A new god is born!”
CHAPTER XVIII
Whisperings of the Future
Whisper slowly flipped over the tarot cards before her, taking a reading for her own future. It was filled with danger and strange temptations but in the end there would be an opportunity for redemption that she simply couldn’t pass up. In her past were lies, cheats and even a murder or two. Things that a girl simply couldn’t wash away without help.
“He’s almost here,” a male voice said from over her left shoulder and Whisper nodded slowly. The ghostly presence of Warren Davies had arrived several hours ago, eager to be connected once more with his son. Once upon a time, he had been able to manipulate his flesh and blood through painful visions of future crimes. When the doorways between the worlds of the living and the dead began to close, their relationship had been cut off.
The door to Whisper’s home opened without preamble and the Peregrine strode inside, his long coat whipping about his ankles. “I don’t have much time,” he began, not even noticing the hazy and somewhat indistinct figure who stood behind the seated Whisper. “Make it quick.”
“I’m glad you decided to stop in,” the medium said with a soft smile. “I know that you’re busy but I think this will be worth the extra trip.”
“Men and women might be dying,” the Peregrine answered. “I don’t have time for small talk.”
“Hello, son.” Warren Davies emerged from the shadows, his face still looking the same as it had all those years ago, when he’d been gunned down in front of his little boy’s eyes.
The Peregrine hesitated, surprised to see his father once more. “What’s been going on? I thought you weren’t going to be able to visit me anymore.”
“The pathways are still open but they’re much more difficult to navigate than before. It took a tremendous force of will for me to reach you before but with Whisper’s help I’m able to materialize more fully.”
“You… you’re a grandfather.” Max felt awkward saying it but the words tumbled out before he could stop them.
“I know,” Warren answered with a sad grin. “He’s a real showstopper.”
Whisper cleared her throat, urging Warren not to forget the true business at hand.
The Peregrine caught the implied exchange and re-adopted the stoic demeanor he often used while in “uniform.”
“Son,” Warren began. “There’s something you need to know. The future is always a hazy thing at best but I’ve seen something just over the horizon. An old enemy coming back, but not alone this time. He has someone with him. Someone who’s going to do great harm to you and yours.”
“Can’t you be more specific?”
“I’m sorry… but no.”
“Has to be the Warlike Manchu. I’ve been wondering when he’d stick his head back into my business.”
Warren said nothing, though something in his expression made Max somehow feel that there was more to be said. “I’ll be back when I can,” he whispered, beginning to fade from view.
“Wait!” the Peregrine said, reaching out to grasp at his father’s arm. His fingers swept through empty air and Max had to restrain himself from crying out in frustration. “I miss you,” he finally said, lowering his head and sighing.
He became aware that Whisper was watching him and he turned towards her, trying to keep the emotion from his voice. “Do you have anything useful to tell me about the Black Flame or what we’re about to face?”
“Rasputin has gained the full power of the Black Flame,” the attractive woman said.
“Does that mean the Reaper’s dead?”
“His soul has been added to the fires of the Black Flame.”
“Damn,” Max whispered. He raised his left arm, pushing aside the black glove that he wore. The watch he wore was specially made from a material that was extremely resistant to heat and damage, much needed attributes for all of the Peregrine’s equipment. “It’s getting late. Thanks for the information, Whisper. I’d better get to the cemetery with the others to make sure Rasputin doesn’t get away.”
“He’s releasing the 68 demons,” she added. “All the ones he’s studied in the past are going to be coming through the rift. What your father sensed in the future is related to the events of this very night.”
“What do you mean?”
“The old enemy of yours… I think you’d best be prepared for their return.”
The Peregrine’s mind filled with the faces of a hundred old foes, all of whom were deserving of death for a multitude of crimes. “It’s kind of hard to prepare for them when I don’t know who they are. Can’t you give me anything more to go on?”
Whisper smiled teasingly. “Do you really expect me to give you a straight answer?”
“Not really.”
“I won’t disappoint you.”
Without another word, the Peregrine turned on his heels and stepped out into the night.
CHAPTER XIX
To Battle the Mad Monk
Libby chewed on her fingernails as the roadster pulled to a stop just outside the cemetery. The two groups of adventurers had paused briefly enough for the Peregrine to speak with Whisper and then made haste to the area of town where Kaslov’s machine had led them. In truth, the sensor had not been needed, as the lightshow going on overhead had been a beacon for the men and women pledged to stopping Rasputin. The Peregrine’s allies—his wife Evelyn and the town’s police chief, William McKenzie, were in a car that moved so silently that Libby could scarcely believe it. Leonid, meanwhile, was driving a rented vehicle that purred like a kitten.
“You sure you want to be in on this?” Flynn asked from her side. The girl was wedged in the front seat between her two male companions. “Nobody’ll think less of you for staying outside with the car.”
Libby smiled gratefully but shook her head, sending her blonde curls into a tizzy. “I’m seeing this one through, thank you.”
“Suit yourself, but stick close to me, okay?” Flynn stepped out of the passenger side of the car and held the door for the lovely young woman. She waved him away, turning towards Kaslov. With a sigh, Flynn shut the door and moved to join McKenzie.
“Leo… can we talk for a moment?”
The stoic Russian nodded briskly. “Of course.” He kept his eyes locked on the skies above, where jets of flame occasionally shot high into the air and wraith-like wisps of smoke could be seen, darting about madly. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry for the immature way I acted on the trip to Canada. I suppose I’ve been carrying a schoolgirl crush for you for some time now and when you rebuffed me… I shouldn’t have been so silly, that’s all.”
Kaslov turned to face her, his eyes burning into hers. “It’s me who should be apologizing, Libby. You’re an amazingly beautiful woman and there’s a part of me that would like nothing better than to pull you into my arms and make love to you.”
Libby’s eyes widened quickly and she felt a flush rise to her cheeks. “Leo! I’ve never heard you speak like that before!”
“I try to keep those kinds of emotions at bay. But I want you to know that I… just can’t give in to those feelings. Perhaps I will be able to someday. Perhaps I’ll be able to set aside my chosen mission, just a little. But for now… I can’t. And so if you want to be with someone like Flynn, I certainly won’t try to stop you.”
Libby laughed softly, tears
beginning to form in her eyes. “I was only trying to make you jealous.”
Kaslov seemed to relax somewhat. “Oh. Well. I suppose you succeeded in that. I—”
A knock at the driver’s side window broke off their conversation. The Peregrine was standing there, looking somber in his mask and heavy coat. Kaslov stepped out as Libby dabbed at her eyes and did the same.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Max said, casting a quick glance at Kaslov’s female companion. He could sense a good bit of emotional tension between all three of his new friends but had elected not to pry. “But if Whisper’s right, every second we wait just makes it worse.”
The Russian began moving towards the heavy wrought-iron gates. Beyond them, he could hear a peculiar wailing that reminded him of a particularly perilous adventure involving a banshee in Scotland. “Do you truly feel comfortable having your wife go into battle with us?”
The Peregrine looked over at him, surprised by the sudden question. “She can take care of herself.”
“Libby told me that Evelyn’s been left behind before, out of concern for her safety.”
Max sighed as they pulled open the gates and prepared to enter the cemetery. He glanced back to make sure that Evelyn couldn’t overhear him. “I’m terrified of something happening to her, if you have to know.”
“Then why do you allow her to come with you? Why do you allow someone to get close to you when you know that the life you lead will only lead to her being placed in danger?”
The Peregrine considered his answer as the group moved deeper into the fog covered graveyard. The weight of history clung to the place like a tangible shroud. “I used to push people away from me. But I finally came to realize that my war is not one that I can win on my own. I need friends. I need support. I’m not made weaker by having her in my life. I’m made stronger.”
Kaslov made no reply but the man’s words sank into his brain like a warm knife through butter. Was he wrong to think he couldn’t balance both his mission and his romantic life? Perhaps there would be time after this affair to consider such things. He could only hope that Libby would be patient with him.
“There,” McKenzie said, rushing up to stand next to the two men in the front of their party. The police chief was pointing up the hill, where the shape of the Mad Monk could be seen. His silhouette was framed against the backdrop of the moon, several inhuman shapes dancing about his heels.
“Did you call for back-up?” Max asked.
“Yes. I told them to come and wait outside the gates—and to not let anyone or anything out of the cemetery unless they knew the password.”
“Good. These demons might be shape shifters and I don’t want them escaping.”
“I don’t plan on sending any of my men in unless I call them on the radio,” McKenzie reminded him. “They’re not equipped to fight demons and I’d rather not have them knowing that I’m moonlighting as a vigilante.”
“Understood,” Max replied. “And don’t worry—if things go according to plan, we’ll do the heavy lifting and your boys are just there for clean up.”
The group came to a stop just below the peak, where Rasputin was now fully visible. The Russian mystic knelt down, looking down at the approaching heroes. A snake-like demon with the head of a dog coiled about his left shoulder. Rasputin stared hard at Leonid, recognizing in him some of the same traits that he’d once noticed in the man’s father. “Welcome, young Kaslov. I hope that you are prepared to die like your father did: writhing in the dirt, like a coward.”
The Peregrine glanced over at Kaslov, wondering at the shared history between the two men. “The plan is still good?” he asked.
“Yes,” the Russian superman replied tersely.
The group spread out at a signal from the Peregrine. Max was aiming to move around the Mad Monk in hopes of finding the remains of the Black Flame. As a telepath and sensitive, he alone had the best chance at summoning the Flame back from Rasputin. Kaslov, meanwhile, was charged with the unenviable task of combating Rasputin directly. The rest of the group—Libby, Evelyn, McKenzie and Flynn—were to try their best to combat and contain the 68 demons. To aid them in this, Max and Kaslov had modified a number of weapons so that they might do more damage to the occult beasts, including coating various implements in silver and dousing others in holy water.
Flynn was the first to engage the enemy as a four-armed monstrosity that looked like a cross between an Asian luck dragon and a wooly mammoth came bounding out of the fog, roaring in fury. Kaslov’s friend opened fire, spewing holy water covered bullets at the beast. The bullets sliced through the demon, sending up smoke from each of the wounds. As the creature hissed in pain, McKenzie helped finish off the demon by delivering a well-placed shot to the side of the thing’s head.
The battle was thus joined as the demons that flew through the air and those that scrambled about on the ground became aware of a war for their survival. The demons flew towards their foes, a ghostly entity coming up from the ground and wrapping its talons around Evelyn’s waist. The Peregrine’s wife let out a cry of surprise and then slashed backwards with the dagger she brandished. The silver blade cut deep into the demon’s spectral flesh and sent it flying away in pain.
The Peregrine cast one glance back at the love of his life and then turned away, focusing on the task at hand. Kaslov was moving to engage Rasputin, leaving Max to try and end the battle on another front. There was no sign of the flickering blue-black mass that Kaslov had described, which could only mean that the entire entity was now residing within Rasputin’s frame.
Cursing, the Peregrine began looking about for any sign of where the Flame had resided just before entering the Russian. He saw an oddly burned patch of dirt and grass and knelt to touch it with his hand. The signet ring he wore began to glow fiercely, a sure sign that the dark powers of the Flame had been in this spot recently. Max ran his fingers through the blackened soil, reaching out with the mental powers he possessed. He felt the lingering mental essence of the Flame, an incredibly ancient entity with powerful desires and loneliness. It craved contact with the beings who summoned it, drawn to them by the force of their emotions and needs. Come back to this spot, the Peregrine projected into the ether. Remaining bound to Rasputin won’t satisfy the things you really want. You’ll be a slave, a toy for him to manipulate at his whims. Come back! Be free!
Rasputin felt a sudden shift in the power within him but was unable to focus on what was causing it. The massive Russian Leonid Kaslov had stepped in front of him, sparks of rage burning within his eyes. “Come to revenge yourself upon your father’s killer?” the Mad Monk taunted.
“My father was a great man. He saw you for the threat that you were and tried to stop you. It’s to the detriment of the world that you refused to stay dead.” Kaslov sprang into action, delivering a karate style chop to Rasputin’s neck. The sudden attack sent the Monk staggering back, clutching at his injured throat.
With a hiss of violent anger, Rasputin tossed aside the demon that had been tightly wrapped about his shoulder. He then brought up both hands and unleashed blue-tinted lightning from the tips of his fingers. The electricity blazed into Kaslov, causing the famous adventurer to cry out in alarm. Both Libby and Flynn looked up from their own ferocious battles in surprise. Neither of them had ever heard the mighty Russian in such distress.
Kaslov refused to surrender, however. He began taking several slow, agonizing steps towards Rasputin. Each movement caused more of his skin to blacken and burn. “You are… not… going to win!” he said, his words coming out in great gasps of pain.
“I am a god!” Rasputin retorted, his eyes widening as the man continued to advance. “I have conquered death! I shall not be denied!”
Kaslov cried out, throwing himself forward. He tackled Rasputin and knocked the man to the ground, steam rising off his body. They rolled about, arms locked tightly about each other. Kaslov was far stronger than most men but his strength was met by the Mad Monk’s own Flame enhanced abil
ities.
While a battle to the death was taking place, Sally bolted from her hiding place and made a mad dash towards the edge of the cemetery. She could see flashing police lights up ahead but her progress was halted when a man grabbed her roughly by the elbow. She whirled about to see Big Charlie and his men.
“Hello there, doll. Glad to see we didn’t miss all the fun.”
Sally looked back towards the cop cars. “You’re going down, Charlie. There’s no way out.”
“No law against being in a cemetery,” Charlie answered with a cold smile. “Did you see your old beau again, honey?”
“You bastard!” she cried, attempting to slap his face as she did so. Charlie caught her hand and squeezed, causing her to whimper.
“We had a good run, you and me. But it’s over. Understand?”
“You got that right,” someone said from his left.
Charlie turned to see both his men taken down by a slender woman with a penchant for sweeping leg kicks. Her first nearly took Mikey’s chin off and her second sent the other man to his knees. She then drove a foot hard into Charlie’s nether region, making him drop Sally and land hard on his back.
“You okay?” the woman asked with concern.
Sally blinked in surprise. “You’re that actress. Evelyn Gould.”
Evelyn beamed at the recognition. “You know me?”
“Sure do. I loved you in Ki-Gor and the Ivory Goddess.”
Evelyn took Sally by the hand. “C’mon. You can tell me all about your favorite parts—once we’ve gotten your bruises and cuts looked at.”
* * *
The Peregrine could smell the burning of human flesh. He looked over to see Kaslov and Rasputin now tied together in a pyre of Black Flame. The alien power washed over both of them, dancing up in tiny sparks of fiery death. You are older than man! He continued to project, hoping his words could reach the intelligence of the Flame. Can you truly exist as a servant to a mortal? Be free! Be free!
