A tall handsome man in a  black shirt and pants  with glasses sat in his dingy little office. He was scribbling on papers with some skill with a black quill and ink. He stopped when he heard his son Lance arguing with his assistant  outside the office.
"Go away Necromancer he's working!" Blake Alexander heard his assistant shouting. "But I have to see him it is important!" Lance shouted back. Blake got up walked to the door and opened it standing in the door way he asked why they were arguing.
"He wanted to disturb you from your important work," Dante, Blake's assistant said. Lance glared at Dante.
"But this is important!" said Lance.
"Not as important as his work!" said Dante, "He must run a smooth consistent office for this place to keep out of anarchy."
"Dante takes my job more seriously than I do! What is wrong, boy?" said Blake.
"Someone tried to assassinate the  King of the Earth," said Lance.
"They did how is Granddad?" asked Blake worried.
He's alive! He was lucky he was just winged," Lance said.
"I told him it was not important! Nobody died!" Dante said..
"So it was not important," said Blake, the Emperor of the grim reapers and the Underworld among other things.
"Where is he?" asked Blake.
"Charing Cross Hospital under police guard. That is not all I came to say Fate has decreed that I am to kill the assassin," said Lance.
"Oh? Do we know who they are?" asked Blake curiously.
"That's the problem we don't," said Lance sadly.
"We'd better go see my Granddad and find out how he is and what he knows?" Blake said.
"No you have work to do Blake!" said Dante.
"No I have to see the King of the Earth!" said Blake standing up to Dante who was a a bit of a pen pusher and took Blake's job too seriously.
"What's so important about the King of the Earth?" said Dante who didn't know the King of the Earth's secret. The man known as the King of the Earth was in reality more than that. He was  not really Fred Alexander a lowly planetary King.
He was actually more better known as Sapphirus Argent, emperor of the silver intergalactic empire. It consisted of the entire galaxy.
He just preferred the name Fred Alexander his human name.
As Sapphirus Argent sounded too stuffy for him. Most of his family had two names a human name and an alien name. All but Lazulite Argent the last fate who reigned as ruler of everything.
He was a bit of a busy body with  a dark streak. He made Lance play avenging angel killing bad guys. The police saw him as a mad serial killer as did Blake.
He was not mad just misguided and Blake knew it. Lazulite went by his lofty surname Argent.
"Let's go see the King now," said Blake.
"Beat you there!" said Lance disappearing in to thin air follow by his dad who disappeared too.
Leaving one angry Dante alone.


Blake and Lance appeared at the reception desk of the hospital.
"What do you want Dr Death," a man Blake knew only too well said he was an orderly.
"No not you! Where is the receptionist?" said Blake rolling his eyes.
"On a break I'm filling in!" said the rude orderly.
"Ok! where is Frederick Alexander's room?" asked Blake.
"You aren't needed there! He's alive!" said the orderly curtly.
"I know I came to see him he is my grandfather!" said Blake.
"He can't be he's as old as you are!" said the orderly.
"He can't be he's as old as you are!" said the orderly.
"No! We just look young for our age," Blake said.
"And I suppose he's your son then!" said the orderly pointing at Lance who looked 25 too.
"As a matter of fact he is," said Blake.
"Yeah right pull the other leg it's a corpse," said the Orderly.
"Oh! never mind just tell me where Fred is!" huffed Blake.
"I'll take you there," said the Orderly smelling something fishy.
"Ok! Lead the way, Mr Jack Taylor! said Lance reading the orderly's name badge.
"Are you an actor I think I met you at a friend's show?" asked Lance as they walked.
"Yes who's your friend," asked Jack.
"Argent," said Lance.
"Yes I know him bossy fellow," said Jack.
"Yes," said Lance.
"Fred Alexander is in here!" said Jack as they got to the room Fred was in.
"Do you know these men?"  asked the Orderly.
"Yes! Hi Blake! Hi Lance!" said Fred who was in a hospital bed. He was under the guard of a Policeman in odd clothes.
He wore a red tux and top hat and was masked. "Are you one of them Magicians?" asked Jack seeing the policeman. The Magicians were alien super heroes who helped out the police.
"Yes," said Blake, Lance, Fred and the man in red at the same time.
"I was talking to him," said Jack pointing at the man in red.
"Hi Uncle Reynard." said Blake to his great uncle the man in red.
"Hello Blake! Hello Lancelot! I was just asking the king here about his shooter," said Rey, who was Fred's brother.
"King? what he is king of?" asked Jack.
"I'm king of the world," Fred said awkwardly hoping not to sound too pretentious.
"The world? What world," Jack asked
"This world, the earth of course!" said Rey who laughed at the thought anyone would need to ask.
"He's one of your kind!" asked Jack.
"He's my brother, The Red Fox, the King of Mars," said Fred.
"Then you two are related to him!" said the Orderly.
"Like I said," Blake said.
"Oh I can't take this?"said Jack wandering off.
"How are you granddad?" asked Blake.
"Fine! Just can't write!" said  Fred.
"Hi," said Lance.
"Did you see who shot you?" Blake asked.
"Not well, I think he had grey skin," said Fred.
"Not human then," said Lance.
"Of course not boy how many humans have grey skin!" said Blake.
"Any more clues," asked Lance ignoring his dad's comment.
"He called me by my name?" Fred said.
"King of the Earth or Fred Alexander," asked Rey.
"My real name!" said Fred looking around suspiciously for people who may hear him.
"You mean the used your Imperial name" said Rey in a quiet voice.
"Yes! They said something about ridding the empire of the tyrant, Sapphirus Argent," said Fred quietly.
Lance closed the door to the room.
"It seems related to the intergalactic summit we are holding here no one else would call you that," said Blake.
"Yes put on a summit and wackos usually come out of the floorboards!" Lance said.
"Yes," said Blake.
"He's going to try again," said Blake.
"Yes more than likely at the summit! So we'll have to cancel it," said Rey.
"We can trap him in the act!" said Lance.
"No we can't risk the life of the Emperor!" said Rey.
"You aren't the only one who wants to get the assassin.

According to Mortimer said his son the Necromancer wants to kill the assassin!" said Blake. Who was secretly Mortimer which was his reaper name.
Which neither Rey or Fred knew was anything more than a friend to Blake.
"Does he?" said Lance, "Maybe we can trap him or draw him out or the Necromancer can kill the assassin if we don't cancel it,"
"True!" said Rey, "but I don't know which assassin I would put my money on."


Days later Fred stood by a podium with his arm looking normal.  His bandages were hidden beneath a silver tux with blue trim. "Welcome to the Intergalactic conference of the Silver empire.
I am Sapphirus Argent, Emperor of the silver intergalactic empire." said Fred  to the people in the summit into a microphone.
"Hale Sapphirus!" Voices shouted from the crowd. Behind  Sapphirus stood: his son, Dark Star or Variscite Argent, other wise known as Valentine Alexender, he was Blake's dad.
the Raven or Variscite's wife Larimar know as Laura Alexander. Blake's aunt Sapphira Merlin was there.
Blue Midnight, Emperor of the local solar system or Alexandrite Argent who we know as Blake Alexander.
Blake's wife Anatase Argent called Angela Alexander by humans. Lastly was The Enchanter or Lakelandite Argent we know as Lancelot Alexander.
"I would like to thank my Grandson. The local emperor Alexandrite for organizing  this summit. I would also like to thank my brother Rhodonite for organizing the security."

Later in the summit there was masquerade dance. Lance wandered around looking for for suspicious characters and actions.
While he was looking around he found 2 suspicious characters.
They were his niece Astra Sapphira Starfire and her husband Maximilien or Marcasite Starfire. They were the vampire King and Queen.
Lance raised Astra when her parents were murdered. He was like a father to her.
"Hi Lance have you found him yet?" asked Max, who like his wife knew Lance and Blake were Mortimer and the Necromancer.
"Not yet the night is still young you are the most suspicious people I met here!" said Lance.
"No one more suspicious than little old us?" joked Astra.
Lance wandered off leaving them to themselves.
Astra queen of vampires went to a masquerade,
opportunist, she was with her husband Max, the king,
they danced all night, then they got people alone and they
took a little drink
She savored the taste of the blood she drank,
she drank it in a wine glass in her black-gloved hand. Her gloves were of fish net lace her hands bejeweled.
Her husband stood admiring her long black tresses, her dress, and
her gothic beauty,
Her mask a black lace mask fit tight on her finely chiseled face.
Max told a joke. She laughed and cried she laughed too much. She flirting with silence bit her fingertips. They danced like newlyweds enjoying the dance and each other's company.
Their eyes never left each other It was as if nothing else mattered, their hearts in their mouths, the world felt like as if it was theirs alone.
They took joy in each other's touch and movements and the other's loving glance. The world was lost all that existed was the music and the magical moment which lasted till the dawn's light peaked in and the moment was gone.
Back to Lance he was still wandering around when his father walked over to him.
"Hi boy have you seen anything suspicious?" said Blake.
"Hi Dad the only suspicious thing I've seen is vampires.
I think you will have a vampire victim or 2 in your morgue tomorrow as coroner." Lance joked darkly.
"I have no doubt of that!" said Blake  grimly.
Rey seeing them wandered over to them and asked them if they saw anything suspicious.
"Nothing unusual just X-Zeraciens getting drunk on the punch think some body spiked it!" said Lance.
"It seems so!" said Blake.
"I wonder if the Necromancer is here?" said Rey.
"I don't know here or there I suppose, he could be anyone or anywhere, right Lance," joked Blake.
"I wouldn't know," said Lance offhandedly.
"Look whose coming," said Blake seeing Fred walking up to them.
"Oh damn the Sycophants!" said Lance under his breath.
"How is everybody tonight." asked Fred greeting  them warmly he was happy to see them.
"Good granddad," Blake said.
"All is good with me too," said Lance.
"Good! How are you?"  Rey said.
"Just working out deals with the ambassadors," said Fred.
Fred was not alone he was surrounded by a gaggle of delegates.
"Are they the people from behind you when you opened the summit?" an ambassador said recognizing them..
"Alexandrite Argent and your son here Lakelandite Argent. Your other son Chrysoprase, the Time Keeper is amazing.
He is his eldest son and he is my brother Rhodonite, the Martian King." said Fred to his followers.
"Alexandrite Argent and your son here Lakelandite Argent. Your other son Chrysoprase, the Time Keeper is amazing.
"Nice to meet you," said Blake smiling charmingly. He ignored the mistake and the reference to his murdered daughter which was still raw even 20 years later.
Lance smiled "kakna es nar nesh," Lance said to the alien in it's own language.
Roughly translating as "Good evening I have to go see you around!" and walked away to look for something out of place that was just a sycophantic ambassador.
He was no trouble just a pain in the neck to Lance. Who despised sycophants more than pen pushers he had no time for either of them.
He knew sycophants annoyed his father as much as he did but he could take it because he was a pen pusher.


A teenage girl walked up to him.
"This is the most boring party I've ever seen!" said the teenager.
"This is a political party Chrysoberyl it is meant to be boring," Lance said.
"Stop using my real name call me Kristine!" said
Chrysoberyl.
"Sorry Kristine! have you seen any thing strange tonight?" Lance asked her she was his daughter and apprentice.
She had been looking for suspicious things there at the masquerade.
"Oh yeah I saw Astra and Max killing someone and drinking their blood out of wine glasses. yuck!" said Kristine.
"Oh? Other than that!"  Lance said to his daughter.
"Yeah!" Kristine  said.
"What did you see?" asked Lance.
"Oh! I saw a grey alien looking very suspicious he was dressed as Zorro." Kristine said.
"Haven't I told you don't be racist call them by their proper name X-Zeraciens not by their skin color! lectured Lance.
"Dad!" Kristine protested.
"What was it doing?" asked Lance.
"Fighting with a Venusian bartender over his wearing a weapon!" said Kristine.
"What a sword?" asked Lance laughing.
"No a gun." said Kristine.
"A gun? where is he now?" asked Lance panicking.
"He's talking to Granddad," said Kristine pointing at an oddly dress gray alien. Lance ran over to them.
"Dad it's him!" said Lance in his dad's mind, as he grabbed the arm of Zorro.
Lance dragged Zorro into another room.
It was all set up for a banquet it was empty. The sounds outside the room leaked in the room. laughter and music rang slightly muffled into the room.
Lance and the alien Zorro ignored it. "Who are you and why are you as you people say man handling me?" Zorro demanded.
"The last person you will see alive!" said Lance darkly.
"Who are you?" demanded the alien.
"I know who you are and why you are here!" Lance said
"I doubt that!" said the alien.
"You have come to kill the emperor Sapphirus and I have come to kill you!" said Lance
"Who are you?" asked the alien.
"No one you need to know!" said Lance.
The alien was trying to pull away but he wasn't strong enough.
"Let me go or I'll shoot you!" said the alien.
Lance looked at the alien and saw a gun in it's free hand.
He let the alien go it backed off aiming the gun at Lance.
Lance looked angry with himself for not thinking of the gun.
The alien ran out of the room. Lance picked up a knife and followed it.
There were murmurs outside of the room. the alien screamed  "Ji fe ne Argent!" and there was gunshot.
Fred fell and Lance raised his hand the knife was gone. It was in the alien's back. Blake helped his granddad who he knocked overseeing the gun. Rey ran to see if his brother was alright.
He saw Fred was just shocked but fine. So he ran to the alien. He was dead.
"Lance what happened?"  asked Rey.
"I killed him! He was trying to shoot the emperor of the galaxy!" Lance said.
"Good work Lance! I knew the Necromancer would fail to kill him!" said Rey
Blake looked at Lance and bowed his head knowingly. Acknowledging that the Necromancer did well.