To most people, those words would have sounded insane. But Morgan was a member of Assistance Unlimited and, alongside Lazarus Gray, he’d seen enough weirdness to last several lifetimes. “Whatever it is that you saw, I can help you. That’s what I do. You’ve heard of Lazarus Gray, right? I work with him.”
“He’s going to fail. They’re all going to fail. And then we all die.” Beth closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I’m too much of a coward to wait for it to come. I couldn’t bear that… horror.”
Morgan saw her foot lift off the roof’s edge and he called her name in sudden horror. He lunged towards her, arms outstretched, but it was too late.
He made it to the edge and peered over, seeing her body tumbling down. She twisted at the last minute, her face now turned towards his.
Her expression was one of relief.
She smiled at him… and then she hit the ground.
* * *
Samantha Grace had rarely seen Morgan look so deflated. He was seated in one of the offices located at 6196 Robeson Avenue, home to Assistance Unlimited. He had a warm blanket thrown over his shoulders and he was holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hands but she could see that he was shivering in his wet clothes, which he’d refused to take off.
The pretty young blonde was one of Sovereign City’s most sought-after figures, not only for her head-turning good looks but also because her family was so well known. More than just a shapely débutante, Samantha was skilled in multiple languages and was capable of besting men twice her size in unarmed combat. None of that was as useful to Lazarus Gray as her ability to sense the emotions of others and make them feel better about their situation. It was a natural gift and one that came in handy on an almost daily basis.
“You did all you could,” she said, taking a seat beside him. She put a hand around his shoulders and rubbed his back. Once upon a time, she knew that he’d carried a large torch for her, but eventually they’d developed a sibling-style relationship that suited them both.
“There’s something weird going on,” he replied. “Those visions she was talking about… I don’t think she was crazy, Samantha. There’s something to it.” He paused and then added, “I never told you everything that I saw during that affair with The Claw
1
but it… it was pretty awful. And I’m afraid that this might be tied into it. There are terrible things out there and they’re just waiting for the right moment to strike. Nightmarish things.”
Samantha could see how much it pained her friend to even discuss what he’d seen in the vaguest of terms. “Lazarus is supposed to be back from his honeymoon in the next day or so. We’ll tell him all about it and I’m sure he’ll know what to do.”
Morgan shrugged off her touch and stood up. “She was barely twenty-five years old.”
Samantha said nothing for a moment, letting her friend pace and stew. When she did speak, she asked, “Do you want to get started on the answers without waiting for Lazarus? No reason why we can’t get the ball rolling.”
“How do you recommend we do that? He’s the one with the connections to the supernatural community.”
“I’m not entirely helpless in that regard,” she said with an enigmatic smile.
“I’m not in the mood to play guessing games,” he said. Though the words sounded testy, Samantha could see that he was glad to have some forward momentum again. He was looking at her very hopefully.
Rising, Samantha moved to the door and said over her shoulder, “Let me make a phone call. Five minutes tops, and then we’ll have all the help we could ever need.”
* * *
Gifted was the name given to humans that possessed the natural ability to tap into the most primal forces in existence—the stuff that normal humans called Magic.
The Catalyst was the High Mage of his era and generally only one existed per century, though their reign sometimes varied in length and occasionally overlapped. They could be recognized not only by their power but by a peculiar uniform that went along with the responsibility of wielding that much magical ability: an emerald set of clothing that changed appearance with the times but always bore a similar look.
The Catalyst of the last century had been Andre Thierry and he still occupied that role at the present time, though he knew that he would soon turn the power and the title over to another. In fact, one could argue that he should have done it already. After all, he had died back in 1903.
Kept mobile by the power of his own will, Andre had continued to defend the world since then but his abilities had waned and there were days when he looked so dusty and dry that he thought he might blow away in a hard wind.
He was old, so ancient that his shoulders were bent forward as if they’d carried a large weight for far too long. He was also a Creole, born and raised in Louisiana. His skin and hair were such that he could never pass for a white man but neither did the Negroes accept him.
A man of two worlds, he had often been called, generally by people who had no idea just how true that was.
Recently, he had traveled to Sovereign City on two different occasions. The first had been to help Lazarus Gray combat the twin threats of The Three Sisters and the immortal Princess Femi. The second had been a happier time, as he’d helped provide an appropriate level of protection for the wedding of Lazarus and his longtime love, Kelly Emerson. Since then, he’d returned to New Orleans and enjoyed a bit of respite from the usual craziness that defined his existence.
As he sat in his tiny home, a brazier of incense burning at his left and a half-empty bottle of wine to his right, Andre realized that the recent wedding had reawakened desires that he’d thought long dead. It had been decades since he’d been with a woman and he’d considered that part of his life to be over. After all, his animated dead state left him where he could fulfill numerous physical desires but they were no longer necessary or even ones that pleased him any longer. The wine was flavorful and pleasant but it could not take him to a drunken state, for instance.
Now he wondered if a woman would find his slightly cool-to-the-touch body pleasing in the way that it once would have been.
The ringing of his phone snapped him out of his reverie. He’d just been fondly recalling a caramel-colored beauty that had taught him quite a bit in his younger days. Sighing, he rose from his chair and approached the noisy device. It was one of the so-called modern conveniences that he had not learned to truly appreciate.
“Oui?” he asked, unable to keep the annoyance from seeping into his voice. When he heard the soft voice that came in reply, however, all of that was forgotten. He was genuinely pleased to hear from one of his new friends.
Their conversation was short and to the point. By the time he’d hung up the phone, Andre’s mood was both alert and somber. Samantha’s words had sent a trickle of fear down his spine, for they did not bode well.
He had felt tremors in the ether for days but hadn’t been able to pinpoint their meaning or cause. Apparently, other sensitives had detected it as well, but whereas he’d only gotten vague impressions of unease, they had seen something more substantial… and awful.
He would do some research and contact a few associates before returning to Sovereign. Something dark and awful was lurking at the edge of his consciousness and he realized that what he’d been enjoying was just the calm before a terrible storm.
* * *
Lazarus Gray and his bride descended the stairs and stepped onto the rain-slicked tarmac of Sovereign City Airport. Kelly was clutching a large umbrella but Lazarus was just outside of its protective cover. It was only drizzling at the moment but with the Sovereign weather, you never knew when it might turn ugly.
In that way, the weather was a lot like the rest of the town.
The newlyweds made an impressive couple. Lazarus was tall and broad-shouldered, with hair that was more grayish-silver than brown. As such, he looked older than he actually was. His eyes were mismatched: one was a glittering emerald, the other a dull brown. His face was handsome and well-formed but there was an odd stiffness to it, as if his expression rarely veered away from the serious cast it currently possessed. His eyes were continuously moving but not with any sign of nervousness. His gaze was like that of a predator constantly on the lookout for new prey.
Kelly Emerson Gray was nearly his equal in height even without heels. Amazonian in stature and beauty, her red curly hair hung loosely about her shoulders. She wore jodhpurs and a man’s button-down shirt. Her calf-high leather boots were scuffed and showed signs of heavy use.
They had arrived without fanfare, having only called ahead to Eun Jiwon so that he could meet them with a car. They found the young Korean-American standing beside the black roadster. He was leaning against the hood, arms folded over his chest. He smiled and stood up straight as they approached and he seemed oblivious to the sprinkling rain.
“Lazarus!” he bellowed. He moved forward and embraced his employer, who responded a bit stiffly. To Kelly, he flashed a broad grin and tipped his cap.
“Have we missed anything of note?” Lazarus asked, putting away their bags and then sliding into the backseat next to his bride.
Kelly remained silent, aside from a brief hello to Eun. Lazarus had been very good on their honeymoon, seemingly focusing only on her though she’d caught his eyes roaming hungrily over newspaper headlines a time or two. She’d never known him to go so long without adventure, though she liked to think that she’d slaked that particular thirst with physical pleasures during the trip.
The good lord knew she was exhausted from her efforts in that regard…
Eun drove them away from the airport and said, “Rash of suicides and Morgan learned that the people killing themselves are having visions of some horrible future.”
“So we only missed the usual sorts of things,” Kelly murmured under her breath. She knew that Lazarus heard her but he directed his response to Eun.
“We’ll need to call in someone for consultation, I would think.”
“Samantha’s already on it. She called Catalyst. He’s supposed to be on his way.”
“Good.” Lazarus looked out the window, watching as the citizenry scurried about on the slick streets. They looked even more forlorn than usual and that was saying something. There was an ambiance to Sovereign City that spoke of lost idealism and tarnished dreams. It seeped into the bones and souls of the people who called the city home, leading many into lives of degradation and crime.
Even Lazarus and his friends had felt the pull of despair from time to time. That they had been able to rise above it was a sign of their inner strength. In this, they were not completely unique. Kelly, Inspector Cord, and others had done the same but they were definitely in the minority.
Eun pulled the car into the garage at 6196 Robeson Avenue and turned off the engine. “Should I try to contact the other special agents in the city?”
The term “special agents” was slang that Assistance Unlimited used to describe men and women who, like themselves, put their lives on the line in the war against evil. Sovereign was home to several of these: Doc Daye, Fortune McCall, The Dark Gentleman and Gravedigger, to name just a few.
“I’ll contact Daye and McCall and let them know what we’ve found out. Perhaps they have something to add.”
Eun nodded, not surprised by the response. There were definite levels to the special agents in the city, both in terms of scope of power and level of trustworthiness.
Kelly slid out of the car as her husband held the door for her. “Can’t believe I’m about to call this place home. Did you know that when I was a little girl, we stayed in this hotel for a few days when our house flooded? Seemed so opulent back then.”
“I like to think we’ve restored it well,” Lazarus said.
“Oh, you have! It’s beautiful. I just never imagined that I’d be living in it someday.”
Lazarus Gray had purchased all three of the buildings that lay on this city block, transforming what had once been an unassuming neighborhood into the beating heart of his crime busting enterprise. The centerpiece of his holdings was a three-story structure that had once been a hotel. Gray’s associates used the first floor, while the second had been gutted and converted into one large room that was used for meetings, briefings, and research. The third floor was off-limits to everyone but Gray himself and was his private domicile. It was there that Kelly would now be moving all of her things.
Across the street were several storefronts owned by Lazarus, all of which had closed down at the dawn of the Great Depression.
“I suppose this place is so big that if we have a spat, we could go days without having to see one another,” Kelly deadpanned.
“I don’t plan to fight with you.” Lazarus took his wife’s hand in his own. “I’m smart enough to let you have your way.”
“Oh, I think this marriage is off to a fine start!” Kelly pulled away and said, “Now I’m going to take my bags inside and start unpacking. After that, I’ll call daddy and let him know we’re back.” She tapped Lazarus on the chest. “You go save the city or the world or whatever needs saving. I’ll see you when you’re done.”
CHAPTER III
Shoveling Dirt
Li Yuchun was a gorgeous young woman. Born of Chinese-American descent, she had long raven-black hair and the sort of figure that combined the best of both races. She was petite and youthful-looking but possessed of the sorts of curves that were generally associated with Western girls. In her late twenties, she retained a youthfulness that helped snag appreciative glances from every man she passed.
It wasn’t just her appearance that made her a useful agent in Gravedigger’s army of operatives, however. She was possessed of two dangerous traits: insatiable curiosity and fearlessness. This had saved her life on numerous occasions but had just as frequently led her to death’s door.
Today, she was sitting alone in the sort of bar that good girls simply didn’t enter. To be fair, she’d never been the sort of woman for whom that description would have been an apt one. In fact, she’d been in this same tavern too many times to count and there were many men present who considered her a natural part of the scenery. Since joining forces with Gravedigger, she’d cleaned up her act but there were still times when she needed to slum it up to gain much needed information.