by Barry Reese
The Horseman backed away, dropping his grip on Gravedigger. He heard a ticking sound emanating from his pocket and he reached a gloved hand in to grab the foreign object. He had just touched it when the device exploded, delivering enough impact to blow a hole in The Hessian’s side. Gore dripped in copious amounts and the white of his bones showed through the flesh.
Roaring, The Horseman swung his sword in a killing stroke, intending to slice straight through the top of her skull.
Gravedigger vaulted to the side, flipping through the air. She landed in a crouch, dagger at the ready. As The Horseman staggered to face her, she raised her right arm and fired a crossbow bolt. It pierced her foe’s leg, pinning it to the warehouse wall behind him. A second bolt slid into place and it, too, was fired, trapping the villain’s other leg. As he struggled to free himself, Gravedigger rose to her full height.
“Say goodbye to the mortal world,” she hissed, breathing deeply. Her hand trembled slightly, not just from the loss of blood, but also from a rising excitement. A part of her did enjoy the fight, the kill or be killed nature of the conflict – in that regard, The Horseman was right. Now that she sensed victory within her grasp, an almost sexual lust was filling her limbs.
The Horseman ceased trying to free himself. He lowered his weapon and his shoulders squared. His injured side was twitching, the magic that healed nearly all his wounds moving too slowly to save him under these circumstances. “I salute you… but this is not the end for me. When you are nothing more than a vaguely remembered memory, I will return. I will kill anew.”
“Give it a rest – and go back to hell,” Gravedigger said. She jumped up, stabbing downward with a stroke that delivered her knife’s blade deep into The Hessian’s neck.
The Horseman’s scream echoed throughout the city, waking those who slumbered and chilling the blood of Sovereign’s fiercest. At 6196 Robeson Avenue, Lazarus Gray looked up from his work to experience an uncommon shiver… while Doc Daye momentarily lost his train of thought. Onboard The Heart of Fortune, McCall woke from a troubled sleep, visions of the undead filling his mind’s eye.
Gravedigger hit the ground in a tumbling roll, coming up to find that her weapons lay before her. There was no sign of The Horseman’s corpse, nothing to show that he had ever been in her midst – gone, even, were his footprints and the blood he had spilled.
“Blood,” Gravedigger whispered. She glanced down and saw that there was evidence of The Horseman’s presence, after all. Her wounds, seeping great amount of her life’s blood….
The world grew dim. In the distance, a man was calling her name.
The face of Josef Goldstein flickered before her eyes.
And then all was black.
***
The Voice filled her mind, drowning out all else. You have done well but your journey has only begun. There are many in this city and this world that need judgment.
Charity opened her eyes. She was resting on her knees, in a brightly lit room. The walls were decorated by a soft floral pattern and the floor was lined with lush carpet. She wore her Gravedigger uniform, though with her hood thrown back and her mask resting on the floor beside her.
Directly in front of her was an elaborate fountain, one that was shaped like a mountain, with a waterfall gently cascading down its surface. The entire display was nearly six feet high and half that across. The craftsmanship was so amazing that Charity felt that she could almost feel the cool breeze wafting off the water and hear the clip-clop of a mountain goat’s hooves.
Tearing her gaze away from the work of art, she looked around in hopes of finding the source of The Voice. “Where am I?” she asked.
You are Outside.
Charity blinked in confusion. “Did I die again?”
You still live but you have been gravely injured. Your friends shall heal you so that your campaign may continue. We are pleased that you have formed these attachments, they speak well of you. You inspire others to greatness, just as you inspire terror in the hearts of criminals.
Charity looked down, taking a deep breath. “Josef… when he died, what became of his spirit?”
He had long ago atoned for his sins. He has joined The Multitude.
So many confusing words and concepts, Charity thought. Will it ever make sense? Or am I doomed to not understanding – clarity only coming when I’m dead like Josef?
“What should I do next?” she asked.
Go back to your friends and continue the good work. The final member of your group is soon to arrive and then all will be in readiness. But know that every Gravedigger has an opposite and that you will recognize them when they are near. The Opposite will pose the greatest threat to you and the world.
“The opposite?” she asked aloud.
The room around her began to shimmer and the sounds of the fountain began to fade. Charity tried to stand up, not wanting to leave yet, not wanting to return without knowing about this ‘opposite’ or what new member of her group was soon to appear. Dizziness washed over her and she was unable to make it to her feet….
The words of The Voice came to her, as if from a great distance: Stay true to your mission. The time for final judgment will come and when it does, you must not be found wanting.
***
Charity opened her eyes, finding herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom in Hendry Hall. For a moment, she wondered why she was here and then she remembered the group’s decision to move their base of operations from Josef’s house to Cedric’s. It startled her to think about how she missed the other home – but this was both larger and safer.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, slipping her feet into a pair of comfy slippers. She wore only a nightshirt and she wondered with some amusement who had stripped her – hopefully it was Li, though she wouldn’t have put it past Mitchell to do so. He was too much of a gentleman to have taken any liberties with her body but she still hoped that he hadn’t seen her in that condition.
Memories of her final battle with the Horseman came rushing back but she pushed them aside after checking the bandage over her wound. It felt sore to the touch but she could tell it was healing already.
Of greater concern to her were the things that The Voice had said – words like The Multitude and The Opposite filled her with curiosity. She desperately wished that she could have spent more time Outside. Was that the home place of The Voice? Was it Heaven or some equivalent?
Charity got dressed while she contemplated these things. There were voices drifting up from down below and after putting on a soft blue dress and calf-high boots, she headed to join them.
Mitchell and Cedric were seated in front of the fireplace, engaged in a competitive game of chess, while Li was flipping through a French fashion magazine. The young beauty was on the couch, her long legs tucked beneath her.
“Miss me?” Charity asked as she entered the study.
Li sprang from the couch and gave her a hug. “Sleeping beauty awakes!” she shouted happily.
Charity laughed and squeezed her friend. “How long was I out?”
“Not long. A week. Maybe a month.”
Mitchell and Cedric approached, equally happy to see her back on her feet.
“It wasn’t that long, luv. About eighteen hours.”
“Who dressed my wound?”
“That was me,” Li confirmed. “Dressed the wound, undressed the girl.”
“Lucky you,” Cedric muttered with a playful grin.
Mitchell gave him a nudge with his elbow and Cedric pretended to have taken a much larger blow, staggering back.
Li glanced at Charity and rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. “So, Chief, what’s next?”
Charity took a deep breath before answering. “I think… I think we should all go out for a nice dinner.”
“You’re leaving your crypt, my dead friend?” Li teased. “I don’t think you’ve been out without your mask for any length of time since you were buried in the dirt!”
“Did I e
ver tell you how I love your ability to frame a scene, Li?”
“No.”
“That’s because you don’t have one.” Charity shook her head. “We’ve done a good job. Let’s celebrate. Josef left me enough money that I probably won’t ever spend it so we might as well enjoy it from time to time.”
Cedric nodded. “As long as I can pick up the gratuity.”
“Mr. Moneybags likes to spend money, too,” Li pointed out.
Mitchell noticed that Charity’s expression was one of distraction. “Something bothering you?” he asked.
“I heard The Voice again,” she admitted. “It told me a few things that didn’t make much sense… it warned me that I had an enemy out there that it called The Opposite. And it also made it sound like there was going to be one more member of our group.”
“Can’t say that I consider either of those things to be good news,” Cedric said. “Last thing we need is another enemy – and I quite like the group as it’s currently constituted.”
“We liked the group before you were added,” Mitchell countered, “but we’ve warmed to you. We shouldn’t dismiss more help out of hand.”
A knocking from the front door made everyone pause. Since Cedric had yet to replace the help, he gave a smile and said, “I’ll be right back.”
“No.” Charity stopped him with a touch to his arm. “Let me.”
Cedric’s eyes narrowed. “Expecting someone?”
“Could be our newest friend.” Or enemy, she thought.
Charity left the room, aware of her friends’ gaze upon her. Most acutely, she felt the burning stare of Mitchell. She wondered if it was wise to pursue any kind of relationship with him. The problems that his race presented couldn’t be easily ignored, though she had no qualms about it personally. Others would, however, and that warranted concern. Additionally, there was the fact that they would be working very closely together – what if things turned south? How would it impact their ability to function as a unit?
She tensed as she reached the front door, readying herself for anything. Yanking the door open, she was prepared for any potential threat.
What she saw, however, gave her pause. There was a man standing there, evidently in his mid-thirties from the look of him. He was tall and well formed, with a rangy build that was quite pleasing in appearance. His eyes reflected a dark humor and ample intelligence.
“Can I help you?” she asked, involuntarily relaxing. There was something about this person that set her at ease, as if she had met him before.
“I hope so,” he said, offering her a hand. “My name is Mortimer Quinn.”
THE END
GRAVE MATTERS
OR…
HOW I CAME TO WRITE THIS BOOK
Hello, Faithful Readers! I hope you enjoyed the introduction to Gravedigger, the newest member of my New Pulp universe that began with the arrival of The Peregrine. Since The Peregrine’s first flight back in 2008, I’ve added to the universe with Lazarus Gray, The Dark Gentleman, Guan-Yin, The Claws of The Peregrine and many more.
But none of them are quite like Gravedigger.
To understand how and why I created the character, we first have to go back to the misty past. It was a time of optimism and a surging economy. We were well on the way to electing the first Democratic President since Jimmy Carter. Grunge was filtering its way into the public consciousness.
It was 1992. I was 20 years old and in college, where I was working towards an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Then, as now, I was a huge comic book fan. Then, as now, I was a huge fan of the Valiant Universe. I loved the tight continuity it possessed and the way that little background events and characters would float from book to book, building a cohesive universe.
One of my favorite characters in that universe was Shadowman, who debuted in May 1992. A supernatural hero, Jack Boniface was poisoned by an alien, allowing him to “die” before being resurrected as an avenger of the night. We would later find out that he was only the latest in a long line of Shadowmen. I loved the concept and the series but it eventually faded away with the rest of the Valiant Universe.
But like all good things, it would not stay dead. Shadowman and the rest of the Valiant heroes were recently revived by a new Valiant. The promo art by Patrick Zircher floated around for months before the first issue actually debuted and I adored the revised look of the hero. It got me to thinking… Perhaps I needed to add a new title to my pulp hero collection, one that would serve as a “connector” series. It would have ties to all that had come before and would be the place where fans of The Peregrine or Lazarus Gray could come to get a taste of the greater universe.
I decided I wanted to make the new character a female, to balance out the male-heavy universe that I already had, and that I wanted her to be heavily supernatural as a nod to Shadowman. Like Jack, she would be the latest in a long line of heroes and, as with Shadowman and Lazarus Gray, rebirth would factor large in her origin.
From there, artist George Sellas and I tossed a few ideas back and forth. I had the name Gravedigger but I was afraid it was too masculine for Charity. He convinced me that it could be a neat twist on the name and concept. I told him my idea of tying Charity’s past to Samantha Grace’s origin, which he liked. It not only provided a link to the Lazarus series but also furthered the Grace family’s role in the overall universe.
Once I’d come up with the full origin and George had done his initial character sketch, I thought it would be fun to have a “hand-off” in the story. When I wrote my first Lazarus Gray collection, The Peregrine appeared, as if giving his stamp of approval on the new arrival. With this one, I wanted to have both The Peregrine and Lazarus appear in ways that would bolster Gravedigger but not detract from her starring role. I was inspired by the way Star Trek used to do this – Dr. McCoy from the original series was on the first episode of Next Generation, then Captain Picard from The Next Generation appeared on the first episode of Deep Space Nine, while that space station was a jumping-off point for Star Trek: Voyager when that series began. I thought was a nice wink and nod to the fans.
The decision to use The Headless Horseman in the book came about because I recycle everything. A few years ago, I wrote nearly 20,000 words on a novel I was going to call “Headless.” It was going to be a sequel to Washington Irving’s classic and would introduce a new hero of mine, Mortimer Quinn. I eventually abandoned the project but I always wanted to use parts of that story… so it ended up here. Tying Mortimer to the Gravedigger legacy was easy enough and allowed me to bring the Horseman into the story.
As for Charity’s allies… one thing that I learned from the Lazarus Gray series is that I like having a steady cast of characters to supplement my protagonist. But I didn’t want to create another Assistance Unlimited, who was inspired by Justice, Inc. Instead, I looked to another favorite pulp hero of mine – The Shadow. While Lazarus has a group of partners, The Shadow had a group of agents. There was never any doubt that Harry Vincent and Burbank were lower-ranking than The Shadow. That’s what I set out to do here – Mitchell, Cedric and Li all get their ‘origins’ here and we see what skills they bring to the table. All of them, however, are agents – not partners. Our heroine is the one that stands on center stage during the final conflict.
So where do we go from here? Obviously, the arrival of Mortimer on the last page suggests that there are more stories to be told here. This first Gravedigger novel will appear in 2013 and I hope to follow with a second volume in 2014, if the fates are with me. I hope to continue to update her adventures regularly, just as I have with Lazarus and The Peregrine.
Stop by my blog (http://www.barryreese.net) to keep up with the goings-on in all my pulp stories, as well as take a gander at exclusive artwork.
Speaking of artwork, I have to say thank you to George Sellas, for designing Gravedigger’s look and for the incredibly awesome cover he whipped up. Also, Will Meugniot’s interior illustrations perfectly captured the mood of the story, pairing Charity
’s obvious beauty with her deadly nature. Thanks, guys.
Lock your doors, everyone. Gravedigger is hitting the streets.
TIMELINE FOR THE WORKS OF BARRY REESE!
Major Events specific to certain stories and novels are included in brackets. Some of this information contains SPOILERS for The Peregrine, Lazarus Gray, Gravedigger and other stories.
~ 800 Viking warrior Grimarr dies of disease but is resurrected as the Sword of Hel. He adventures for some time as Hel’s agent on Earth. ["Dogs of War" and "In the Name of Hel," Tales of the Norse Gods].
1748 – Johann Adam Weishaupt is born.
1750 – Guan-Yin embarks on a quest to find her lost father, which takes her to Skull Island [Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island].
1776 – Johann Adam Weishaupt forms The Illuminati. He adopts the guise of the original Lazarus Gray in group meetings, reflecting his “rebirth” and the “moral ambiguity” of the group. In Sovereign City, a Hessian soldier dies in battle, his spirit resurrected as an headless warrior.
1793 – Mortimer Quinn comes to Sovereign City, investigating the tales of a Headless Horseman [Gravedigger Volume One]
1865 – Eobard Grace returns home from his actions in the American Civil War. Takes possession of the Book of Shadows from his uncle Frederick. [“The World of Shadow,” The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]
1877 – Eobard Grace is summoned to the World of Shadows, where he battles Uris-Kor and fathers a son, Korben. [“The World of Shadow,” The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]