Templar

THE GATEFOLD : Chloe Boudreaux was raised by the secret sect known as the Knights Templar. Trained in both the secret knowledge of the world's history and in the deadliest forms of martial arts known to man, she grew up to be a beautiful but lonely woman. Falling in love with Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp, Chloe learned that he was the man she had been trained to defend -- the latest member of the Bloodline Agenda. Operating as the superheroine Templar, she fought alongside Moon Knight and Jean-Paul to defeat the machinations of the evil Seth the Immortal, though much of the Knights Templar organization was destroyed. Electing to remain in America, Chloe resumed her love affair with Jean-Paul. In battle with the villain Nightshadow, however, she was left for dead at the feet of a statue dedicated to Khonshu, Egyptian God of Vengeance. Resurrected from the dead, she has become the latest Fist of Khonshu. Operating as Moon Knight for a time, Chloe has recently turned the identity back over to Marc Spector. She now once again operates as Templar.

RECENTLY : Chloe has learned that her mother, whom she hasn't seen since her childhood, may still be alive -- and affiliated in some way with the Assassins Guild. Armed with information gathered by the Knights Templar, Chloe has now arrived in New Orleans, on the track of a woman named Bella Donna Boudreaux -- who may hold the key to her mother's survival.

Bella Donna Boudreaux smiled to herself as the four Hand assassins dropped into the alleyway behind her, blocking her exit. She swung around to face them, her battle staff in hand. Her long blonde hair was tied back, trailing down behind her. She crouched, adopting a defensive stance -- and smiled. "Come."

That one word, spoken with a husky French-Cajun accent, kicked off the fireworks. The two closest Hand ninjas, dressed in the dark garb of their ilk, swung their blades quickly and expertly. Bella met their assaults with her metal staff, the sounds of clanging echoing through the still New Orleans air. The sound of jazz musicians playing drifted through the air, making the battle seem like a ballet of violence.

Bella Donna ducked and drove her staff into the midsection of the closest ninja. She pushed him backwards into one of his compatriots while she jumped and rolled towards the remaining two. Her movements were fluid and her manner professional -- as befitted someone who had been trained in the arts of death and warfare since birth. The daughter of Marius Boudreaux, patriarch to the Assassin Guild's ruling clan, Bella Donna Boudreaux was easily one of the most dangerous women alive.

The battle was over in less than a minute, as Bella Donna broke one ninja's nose and shattered the spine of another. The other two were blessed with only being rendered unconscious. She stood over her fallen opponents, scarcely breathing fast at all. Pitiful. De Hand must be runnin' out of true assassins. I'm insulted. At least it gives me something to take my mind off of Remy*...

While Bella's heart ached over the memory of her dead husband, the Fist of Khonshu watched with growing respect. Chloe Boudreaux, known in some circles as Templar, watched through binoculars as Bella Donna stepped past her fallen foes and exited the alleyway. Chloe had been following Bella for most of the night and had made the decision that, if the woman needed help, she was going to intervene on Bella's behalf. Thankfully, no help was necessary -- meaning that Templar could continue her surveillance without giving herself away.

The thought that Bella might hold a clue to her mother's whereabouts was never far from Chloe's mind. All the foolish childhood dreams that had been built up around her mother's memory were going to be put to the test -- and, if Halcyon were right, Chloe wasn't going to like the answers*. It doesn't matter whether or not the truth disappoints me. What matters is that I'll know the truth. I won't have to wonder if she were murdered or if she loved me... I'll have a chance to build a normal relationship with her -- or to put the hopes of a reunion to rest, finally. One way or the other -- Bella Donna will lead me to my answers. I know it.

Dropping her binoculars into the pouch she wore at her belt, Templar summoned the Angelwing. The sleek, crescent-shaped vehicle followed her radio signal and dropped a landed nearby. Its nearly silent approach attracted little to no attention in the French Quarter. Once in the cockpit, Chloe took over the controls and set out in pursuit of Bella Donna once more -- and, more importantly, the secrets she carried with her.

Anon stepped into his apartment, his tall and withered form stooped slightly with age. Once, years ago, he'd been a handsome young Knight Templar -- steeled by the knowledge that he was a keeper of secrets, a defender of lost knowledge. Now, as death beckoned, he knew the truth -- that sometimes secrets take on a life of their own... and need no protection.

Anon braced himself for what he knew was to come -- deep inside, he'd known that this moment would come. In point of fact, he'd waited for it many long years. As he reached to turn on the lights, a blow slammed him to the floor. The entire right side of his face ached and felt wet.

Anon glanced up as the light came on, revealing the heavily armored form of the Protecteur. The Protecteur was a legend amongst the Templars, rumored to exist but rarely seen. A rogue amongst his own kind, he was a pariah -- banned from the order for stealing secret knowledge. Now he wore dark blue and red armor, a small cape slung over his left shoulder. He held a warhammer in his right hand.

Anon reached a hand up to touch his injury -- his hand came back slick with blood. "It is you, isn't? After all this time...."

The Protecteur brought down the hammer hard on Anon's leg. A horrifying crack resounded through the room, drowned out quickly by the old man's howl of agony. "Of course it is me, Anon. Though the years have changed me, it is still I underneath the mask. But you -- shriveled and old! You could have joined with me years ago -- but no, you were too slavishly devoted to your masters...."

"As were you, once upon a time, mon ami. But you lost sight of our mission -- lost sight of the pledge of honor that all Knights Templar take." Anon hissed out his words, the pain making it hard to think.

Protecteur knelt down beside Anon, his gauntleted hand resting on the older man's shoulder. "What did you tell her?"

The Protecteur nodded, a sigh escaping from him. He rose and hefted the hammer. Anon braced himself for the killing blow, swearing that he would not beg for his own life. "Out of respect for the friendship we once had, Anon -- I shall let you live. But you shall carry this sin with you to your grave. Chloe could have lived and died without ever finding out the truth. Now, I have no choice but to violate my agreement with my brother -- and nothing good shall come of that. "

Without another word, the armored man strode out of the apartment. Anon groaned, preparing himself for the ardurous task of crawling to the phone and calling for help. He turned over the Protecteur's words in his mind. You are wrong, my old friend. What I did was right and just. It is time she learned the truth -- learned what a monster her father has become.

Chloe Boudreaux stepped into the nightclub, dressed to kill. Literally. Beneath her baggy sweater and trousers, she wore her lightweight armor. Her collapsible staff was stored in a garter on her left ankle and her supply of crescent darts were in a special pouch that she wore under her sweater. If need be, she could go from would-be tourist to Templar in seconds.

Zydeco music filled the air as she scanned the crowd with her eyes. She spotted Bella Donna at a large table, having dinner with several people. Probably members of her guild. I wish I'd had more time to research them all. I could put names to faces then, and have an idea of their abilities if it comes to a fight. Doesn't matter, though -- if all goes well, I won't have to fight anyone.

Fighting down the nervousness that threatened to overwhelm her, Chloe entered what she liked to think of as 'Templar-mode.' It was a way of thinking outside the box, so to speak -- distancing herself from the situation at hand and studying it dispassionately. She had to remember to approach this not as Chloe Boudreaux, searching for her mother. Rather, she had to be Templar, searching for answers to a mystery.

She walked calmly towards Bella's table, smiling softly at the inquiring looks given her by the diners seated around Bella Donna. When the clan leader turned to face her at last, Chloe bowed low. "Bella Donna Boudreaux. It's an honor."

Bella Donna took in Chloe with the practiced stare of an assassin. She recognized that, despite her unassuming garb, the woman before her was a warrior. Her face, however, betrayed nothing. She smiled in return. "Have we met before....?"

Bella Donna paused for a moment, her eyes betraying her surprise. Now that she thought about it, the girl before her was familiar. Very familiar, indeed. When she spoke again, her thick accent was in evident, a sign that she was flustered. "Dis is a very big surprise. I take it that you are Chloe?"

This time, it was Chloe's turn to try and hide her surprise. She failed utterly. "Yes! I mean... you know her, then? Madeleine Boudreaux?"

Bella Donna stood up, sensing that she now controlled the power in this conversation. The thought pleased her. "Oui. Would you like me to take you to her?"

Chloe fell into step behind her, her hands clenched into fists as she walked. Her nails dug into her own skin. "How did you know who I am?"

Bella glanced at her. "Even if it weren't for the fact that you're the spitting image of your mother, I would know you. You and I..." Bella savored the moment before finishing her sentence, "...are cousins. Your father is my uncle."

Chloe Boudreaux climbed the stairs of the plantation house, following Bella closely. The two women had taken a cab to this residential area, mostly going over their family trees. As Bella explained it, her own father Marius had an older brother named Jacques. Jacques had learned the craft of an assassin before fleeing his family responsibilities upon his 14th birthday. He had eventually resurfaced as a member of the Templars, scouring the world for mysteries to solve. During this time, he met and married Madeleine. The two had gone to live in Scotland for a time, before strains in their marriage had resulted in Jacques stealing away Chloe. Madeleine tried to find her daughter, but eventually realized that she was in danger herself -- moving to America, she adopted a new life. Marius had learned of her plight and brought her to New Orleans, giving her the Guild's protection. "...and so my mother wasn't kidnapped, she was rescued? But who did she need protection from?"

Chloe stopped at the top of the stairs, her mouth dropping open. Standing before her in the doorway to an elegantly furnished bedroom was Madeleine Boudreaux... Though time had taken small amounts of beauty from her, she was still breathtaking. Her eyes shone with a passion that made Chloe ache. "Mom...?"

Madeleine nodded, her eyes filling with tears. The two women, separated for over twenty years, rushed into each other's arms. Bella, wisely, chose to move back down the stairs. Their joyful reunion made her own ache increase. Oh, to hold you again, Remy... In the next life, mon ami.

Madeleine kissed her daughter's forehead. "I know you did. I always knew that we'd find one another, somehow."

For a long time, they just clung to one another but in the end the questions proved too much for Chloe. She'd spent her lifetime probing mysteries and knowledge was like oxygen to her. "Who were you running from?"

The sound of shattering wood and glass made both women jump. From down below, Chloe could hear Bella Donna engaging someone in battle. "Mother -- get to safety."

Madeleine held tight to her daughter's arm. "No! You don't understand -- he must have come here, knowing you were on your way. He's violated the agreement he and Marius had, never to come here and bother me!"

Chloe stared at her mother, fear knotting up inside her. She knew the answer before she ever posed the question... "Who?"

The Protecteur slammed the hammer into Bella's midsection, sending the young assassin to her knees. She was very good, a fierce warrior -- but his armor was too tough for her to penetrate. "I am sorry, my niece... but you cannot stand between a man and his child."

Bella looked up at him, blood splattered on her lips. "You are a sick man, Jacques... and you have violated your own promise. Madeleine is under Guild protection here!"

"Madeleine has nothing to fear from me, not if she stays out of my way. I'm here to talk to my daughter."

The Protecteur started to turn but a half-dozen crescent darts embedded themselves in the side of his helmet. None of them pierced the material, but it was enough to knock him off-balance. When he regained his footing, he stared up the stairwell in the direction of the attack.

There, garbed in her armor as the Fist of Khonshu, stood his daughter. Her battle staff was fully extended and held in both hands. "Hello, father. I think it's time we all had a little family discussion, don't you?"

NEXT ISSUE : The finale of "Blood Is Thicker Than Water"! What is the shocking secret of the Protecteur and how will it affect Chloe? Plus : More on the Welsh Horror!

I hope you're enjoying the current storyline, which will have long-lasting implications on Chloe's life. I plan to have our Fist of Khonshu travel the globe, with trips to Egypt, Wakanda and Slorenia planned for the future! Please let me know what you'd like to see in the series.