So be it, replied The Voice.
Chapter V: Endings… And Beginnings
Gravedigger jerked away from the Horseman, the images of the past fading as quickly as they had come. Mortimer Quinn had been a Gravedigger! The truth of that was almost overwhelming… It confirmed the existence of The Voice, of Josef’s stated history about the continual nature of the role.
And it implied that Josef was not the only one to successfully redeem his soul, for Mortimer Quinn had written his book in 1800, four years after his spiritual deadline.
“Katrina’s father was a member of The Sons or Daughters,” The Horseman said. “I was dispatched to deal with his enemies… first Hale, then Brom. Finally, he sent me against his own daughter, who had turned against him.”
“But Quinn defeated you.”
“Only for a time. I cannot be permanently beaten. Not even death can hold me.”
Gravedigger danced forward, wielding her blades expertly. She delivered a series of deep cuts that would have incapacitated any normal man… but the Horseman merely stood his ground.
His response was as quick as lightning. He stabbed at her with his sword and the blade would have pierced her stomach if it hadn’t been for a perfectly timed throw, one that sent a lawyer’s briefcase hurtling between the Horseman and Gravedigger.
Both combatants turned towards the door, where Li was standing there with a grin on her face. She looked like a little girl who had just won first prize in a contest of some sort.
“Yes!” Li screamed. “I did it!”
“Get out of here!” Charity warned, blocking another swipe of the Horseman’s blade.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her!” Cedric said, moving into view. He tugged at Li’s arm but was unable to contain her.
“You go!” Li shouted at Cedric. “I have work to do!”
Gravedigger sighed, parrying another thrust. She loved Li but the girl was going to get herself killed one of these days. Still… she had to give her credit for the assist.
The Headless Horseman broke off his assault as Li hefted a chair and tossed it at him. It bounced off his shoulder but the distraction was enough for Gravedigger to take advantage. She raised both her knifes and jumped into the air. Again, she brought the blades down but this time, she went straight for the ruined stump where the Horseman’s head had once been. The blades bit deep and jets of the inky-black blood spurted from the wound.
For the first time, the Horseman thrashed about in obvious pain. His ghostly voice quavered and he threw all his weight against Gravedigger, knocking her aside. Then, with both knives still embedded in his body, he turned and ran towards the third-floor window. He crashed through, tumbling out onto the slanted roof and knocking aside shingles as he fell. He catapulted off the edge of the roof and landed beside his steed. The horse was pawing at the ground, smoke drifting from its flared nostrils. It was black as midnight, with glowing red eyes.
The Horseman reached up and yanked Gravedigger’s knives from his body, tossing them aside. He then sheathed his sword and climbed into the saddle.
Gravedigger watched him from the window, his dark form vanishing in the night.
“Aren’t you going after him?” Li asked.
“To what end? I just figured out how to hurt him… but I still don’t have a clue how to stop him.” Gravedigger turned from the window and looked around the room. Body parts and blood had painted the scene in shades of horror.
Cedric was standing there, surprisingly calm. Charity wondered if he was in shock. Noticing her stare, he asked, “So… Is anyone going to tell me what the hell just happened?”
Mitchell applied gauze to Charity’s wounds, ignoring the way she hissed in pain. “I hate seeing you like this, luv.”
“Like what?” she asked, pulling her shirt back into place. She was used to being half-naked in front of Mitchell by now but she tried to maintain modesty, for his sake more than hers.
“Angry at yourself.” Mitchell sat back and regarded her. He was wearing a black shirt and a pair of pressed slacks. They were seated together in what passed as a first aid station in their shared home. It was a room that had seen altogether too much use in recent months. “You did the best you could.”
Charity brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. Mitchell was struck again by how beautiful she was. It seemed wrong that she wasn’t being wooed by scores of handsome men — instead, she was risking life and limb on a nightly basis. “I screwed up. Again. I only saved one person’s life — one! Everybody else died.”
“If Max Hendry had succeeded, he’d be young again and he’d have The Headless Horseman at his beck and call. You prevented that.”
“And now the Horseman is out there in Sovereign… without anyone to reign him in.”
“So you’ll figure out a way to stop him.” Mitchell reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave it a paternal squeeze and added, “Fighting bad guys isn’t all you need to be doing, though. You’re supposed to become a better person, remember? That means making friends, forming a family.”
“How am I supposed to do that when everybody close to me is at risk?”
“Maybe that’s something you have to figure out.” Mitchell stood up and began putting away some of the medical tape and gauze that he’d been using. “Li and Cedric are waiting for you downstairs.”
Charity grinned. “I’ve got to stop collecting helpers. It’s starting to get crowded around here — though I guess it’s good that Cedric has inherited Hendry Hall.”
“Cedric wants to help,” Mitchell said.
“He wants to get into Li’s knickers,” Charity said with a laugh.
Mitchell smiled in return. “I like it when you do that. You should try it more often.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Laughing.”
Charity rose and stretched her back. She avoided looking Mitchell in the eye as she said, “You’re a good friend to me, Mitchell. I know I don’t say that often enough. If you hadn’t been around after Josef died, I’m not sure what I would have done with myself.”
“I’m glad to be here, luv.”
The two of them descended the stairs, arm-in-arm. They found Li and Cedric in the study, enjoying drinks and laughing over some joke that Cedric had just told.
Li looked meaningfully at Cedric before turning her eyes towards Charity. She gave a conspiratorial wink that Charity knew all too well. Charity almost felt sorry for Mr. Hendry — he had no idea what he was getting himself into with this flirtation.
Charity stepped away from Mitchell and crossed her arms over her chest. “Both of you are in?”
“Of course!” Li replied, looking shocked that the question even had to be asked.
Cedric seemed less assured but his response was just as definitive. “I think this world is a lot stranger than I ever suspected… and I want to do my part to make it a little safer.”
Charity nodded slowly. She then clasped her hands together in front of her and said, “Then let’s do this. Mitchell, dig out the newspaper clippings from the past week.”
“Already done,” he replied, plucking up a folder off a nearby table. Handing it to Charity, he said, “I’ve taken the liberty of circling several articles that might be of interest.”
Charity opened the collection and noticed that there was a rapist active in Chinatown, a mobster had been gunned down in front of the Deja Hotel and a woman was wanted for questioning by the police, with regards to the poisoning of her husband.
“Lots of people have dug their own graves, from the looks of this,” Charity whispered. A slow smile spread across her lips. “It’s time to throw on the dirt.”