The Peregrine Omnibus Volume One (68 page)

Max accepted the hand and then proceeded to introduce his wife, though he did not give her name. She had never chosen a true codename and had balked at all the suggested ones that Max had come up with.

When the pleasantries had passed, Keane pressed on with the crucial part of their meeting. “You still have the Knife of Elohim?”

“Yes,” Max admitted, putting a hand over the sheathed weapon at his waist. “Your old enemy thinks I’m starting a collection.”

Keane offered a brief smile. “You’ve made a dangerous new enemy then. I believe you are in grave danger. Mr. Quinn was in possession of such a blade until it was stolen from him by the same men who took the weapons from Doctor Satan.”

“And you know who they are?” Evelyn asked, excitement beginning to bring a flush to her cheeks.

“You bet we do,” Quinn answered, speaking before Keane could do so. “And between the four of us, I’m betting that we can stop them before they wreak any more harm.”

“But,” Evelyn said, confused. “In your condition, I don’t mean to be rude but—”

“It’s all right,” Quinn replied. He fished into his coat pocket and brought forth a small rod with a stamp emblazoned on the end of it. He’d made his decision to trust them and was prepared to take the plunge. Holding the stamp up so that both Max and Evelyn could see the image of a bat in flight, he lowered his voice and said “Let’s just say that justice isn’t
always
blind.”

Max found himself laughing aloud and soon enough everyone else joined in. He unsheathed the Elohim blade and brought it forth, meaning to pass it over to Keane but what he pulled forth from the leather scabbard was not his normal blade. This was a poorly constructed forgery that was shocking to see. Max was momentarily speechless.

“That’s impossible,” Max stated. “I just had the blade in my hand.”

Keane snatched away the forgery, running his fingertips along it. “A shadow doppelganger,” he whispered with an impressed air. “Arias was here. The range for such a spell is only a few feet. Tell me, has anyone taken a strange interest in your blade since you arrived?”

Max thought back over the past few moments and the image of the scarred police officer came back to him. “A policeman. He had a scar and a moustache. I’d heard he got the wound from Satan years before…”

“The moustache was obviously a disguise but the scar was real enough. A mystic wound that Arias can’t hide.” Keane saw confusion in the Peregrine’s eyes and sighed. “Let’s go somewhere, shall we? There’s so much to explain and precious little time to do it. Very soon, two men named Arias and Marlon Woodson are about to make a terrible mistake—and all of humanity is going to pay the price!”

CHAPTER VII

An Alliance Forged

“My real name is Max Davies. When I was eight years old, my father was gunned down by criminals while I watched. Shortly thereafter, I began to experience visions of other crimes. I was compelled to do something about them. When I was old enough, I traveled the world and studied with every great master I could find. I’m now an expert in various sciences and every fighting skill known to man. As the Peregrine, I’ve patrolled the cities of Boston and Atlanta… and I’ve faced every kind of horror you can imagine and then some that defy classification. I guess you could say that I’m a creation of circumstance but that’s not quite true. The visions I experienced in my younger days were sent to me by my father, from beyond the grave. He wanted someone who could avenge his death and so he helped shape me into what I am today.”

Tony Quinn listened to Max Davies’ words and nodded along with them. Though their experiences were certainly different, there was something that bound them together: a sense that they had seen all the evil that any good man could bear but rather than being broken by the experience, they had chosen to fight back against the encroaching darkness.

The group was gathered in Quinn’s laboratory, where Carol Baldwin and a former crook named Silk Kirby had joined them. The two confidantes of the Black Bat had stayed mostly quiet during the sharing session that had begun almost immediately upon the group’s arrival. Every now and again Carol and Silk exchanged a glance of curiosity. Would Tony really open up to these almost-strangers?

To answer their question, Tony leaned forward and began to speak. “Several years ago I was a district attorney in this city. I loved my work and I loved putting criminals behind bars, where they couldn’t prey on the innocent any longer. One day, an enemy thought I was becoming a bit too successful in my work. He threw acid in my face, blinding me and leaving me with this latticework of scars around my eyes. I’m not sure what I would have done with myself if Carol hadn’t come forward shortly thereafter with an incredible offer: her father had been a police officer and on his deathbed he’d asked her to offer me his eyes. The surgery worked better than anyone had ever dreamed—not only did it restore my sight but I gained the added ability to see in perfect darkness. Fashioning the identity of the Black Bat, I decided to let the world continue believing that I was blind. It seemed a good way of protecting my identity. With Carol and Silk’s help, I like to think I’ve helped this city a lot… but the police don’t always agree.”

At this point, all eyes turned towards Ascott Keane. The dapper and handsome criminologist smiled softly, locking his fingers before him as he leaned back in his chair. “My story is not nearly so romantic and, at the risk of seeming somewhat cold, I would prefer to stick to those elements of my life that are pertinent to our alliance. I have traveled the world, learning the secrets to things that lie outside man’s normal mode of thinking. The occult world is one that interacts and intersects with our day-to-day lives in ways that most people never notice. I’ve dedicated my existence to protecting all those who know nothing of the supernatural, for there are men like Doctor Satan who would stop at nothing to take control of their lives. Like both of you,” he nodded towards Max and Tony at this moment, “I have been lucky enough to find help in this endeavor. A Sikh warrior named Shakir assists me frequently, as does the lovely and talented Beatrice Dale.”

“It feels good to be around people who can actually understand what I’ve gone through,” Tony added, then looked sheepishly at Carol and Silk. “I mean—”

“It’s okay, boss,” Silk responded. “We understand.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t let this be a one-time thing,” Max said. “There might be times in the future when the Black Bat, the Peregrine and Ascott Keane might be a useful team.”

“An adventurer’s club, like the one you are a part of in Boston?” Keane inquired.

“Not quite. More of an actual unit… but I’m just talking off the top of my head here. We need to plan. Speaking of that adventurer’s club just reminds me that Leopold is in danger.”

Ascott made a pained face and issued forth a long sigh. “I am afraid that your friend… is beyond help.”

Max blinked in surprise. “How could you…?”

“After you told me that he had been captured by Doctor Satan, I put into place a scrying spell to help me ascertain what sort of situation he was in. I have found no trace of him on this plane. His spirit has moved on.”

Evelyn moved closer to her husband, who looked stricken with grief. She knew that Leopold was a longtime friend of Max’s and that he had recently become the caretaker for an infant named Kenneth, whom Max and Evelyn had rescued from a cult. “Max, I’m so sorry…”

“He was a good man,” Max said. “One of the best. I swear to God that I’m going to make Doctor Satan pay!”

“We need him at present,” Keane counseled. “Arias has been able to stay one step ahead of us during this entire affair. He’s grown very powerful and I’m not certain that my mystical knowledge alone will be up to the task of stopping him. We need Satan’s assistance in this matter.”

“You honestly think we can trust him?” the Black Bat asked, dubious about allying with a known murderer and thief.

“Of course not,” Keane admitted. “But it is necessary. We have the address where he has planned his ambush of the Peregrine. I recommend that the Peregrine and myself go forth and meet with him.”

The Peregrine pursed his lips, knowing that he would be forced to reign in his instincts to seek vengeance, at least for a brief time.

The Black Bat, however, seemed confused. “Why not have all of us go? If it’s an ambush, you might need help.”

Keane reached into his pocket and brought forth a small scrap of paper. He smoothed it out flat on the tabletop the group was seated around. “Arias and Marlon have all four Knives of Elohim. With them, they plan to cut open a portal to The Bleeding Hells. The creatures within are immensely powerful and extremely dangerous. The only way to truly defeat them is to force them back through the portal and close it again. To do that we need an object called the Jewel of the Seraphim. It was bought at auction about twenty years ago by a man named E. Scott Duval. He passed away 14 months ago, passing the Jewel on to his son, Jacob. This Jewel supposedly contains the distilled essence of an angel and should be powerful enough to fuel a spell to close the rift.”

“And you want me to go get this Jewel?” Quinn asked.

“Yes, though I’m sure that Mrs. Davies would be willing to accompany you.”

“Of course,” she said with a brilliant flash of smile. “That is, if Miss Baldwin wouldn’t mind.”

Carol laughed. “Seeing that you’re a married woman, I don’t mind a bit. Maybe you can keep him out of trouble.”

“If he’s anything like Max that might be too much to ask.”

While the ladies exchanged a laugh, Quinn locked eyes with Max. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yes,” Max said with a nod. “But once we’re done using Satan, I
will
bring him to justice.”

“You’ll have my assistance, I promise you that.”

Keane joined in at that point. “And mine as well.”

CHAPTER VIII

To Battle the Devil

The address given by Girse was to an abandoned tenement building in one of the worst slums of the city. A very large ‘Condemned’ sign hung on the wrought iron fencing surrounding the property. The property was overgrown and rat-infested. Something about the place caused a dull ache in the back of the Peregrine’s jaw, like a tooth that was starting to go rotten at its core.

Ascott Keane, looking suave in his dark suit, held an ankh-shaped weapon in his right hand. He held it in front of him like it was a flashlight and the device cast a steady white glow that seemed to knife through the darkness.

“Given that we’re here to talk to him, shouldn’t we shout out our arrival?” Max asked. “Might save us the trouble of fighting our way through first,” he added.

“Look there and see if you still wish to trust that our host won’t merely open fire upon us,” Ascott whispered. He directed his light towards the front door, to which the corpse of Leopold Grace had been cruelly nailed.

The Peregrine started to rush forward but Ascott managed to grab hold of him.

“Don’t do what he wants of you!” Ascott warned. “The moment your foot touched that first step leading to the door, you’d set off a spell that would leave your body smoking in the grass!”

The Peregrine nodded coolly, trusting that Keane knew about Doctor Satan’s tactics. He still seethed inside over the death of Leopold but he knew his old friend would understand that vengeance had to be set aside for now. Leopold had possessed the spirit of a warrior but it had been tempered by a patience that Max had always envied.

Keane led the masked vigilante away from Leopold’s corpse, whispering an assurance that they would see to the proper disposal of Max’s friend at a later time. The two men crept to the rear of the building, where Max spied Bostiff standing guard. The giant was hobbling about, a rifle held tightly in his hands.

“Allow me,” the Peregrine whispered. He withdrew a shiny star-shaped weapon known as a shuriken. Max had trained with the device during his time in the Orient but rarely had call to use it. With a practiced flick of his wrist, the shuriken whistled through the air and embedded itself in Bostiff’s neck. The wound was not deep enough to be fatal but it was aimed so precisely that it lodged against an important cluster of nerves, rendering the villain instantly unconscious.

Keane led the way into the building through the rear entrance, narrowing his eyes as he seemed to sniff at the air, trying to detect the type of magics that had been used recently. He was about to warn the Peregrine that things of a foul nature were present when a horrible screeching sound filled their ears.

Towards them came a tentacled creature with mossy green skin and bulbous eyes. It was upright like a man but was without clothing, leaving its oddly inhuman figure bare to the naked eye. It stank like an open sewer and left glowing green footprints in its wake. The thing’s tentacles waved from atop its head like hair, each whip-like tendril easilyy as long as a large man’s arm.

The Peregrine took a quick glance around the hallway, which led to a set of stairs leading upwards. A small room that was obviously once an office of some kind was to Max’s right but like everything else he saw, it was rotting and looked like it had become home to rats and the homeless.

Keane let out a cry as the creature reached him, whipping out a tentacle from atop its head. The fleshy weapon lashed at Keane’s cheek, opening a nasty wound and a second tentacle knocked the ankh from the criminologist’s hand, plunging the room into darkness.

The Peregrine immediately moved to the aid of his partner. He drew both of his modified pistols and took quick aim. He fired a volley of bullets that tore the creature to shreds and left it thrashing about on the floor in a pool of greenish-yellow fluids.

“Are you all right?” Max asked, reaching out to steady Keane.

“I’m fine… though I’m beginning to feel embarrassed at the way I keep getting knocked about.”

The Peregrine was about to say that there was no need to be embarrassed when Keane suddenly shoved Max to the ground and threw up both his hands, shouting the words “Protectum explorit!”

The Peregrine looked up just in time to see a shield of reddish energy swell up around both himself and Keane, protecting them from a wave of hell fire that came down upon them.