A sweat lodge in the desert
He makes an odd image in this setting -- Dr. Fate, fully garbed, standing amid the the Native American sweat lodge. And the heat does get to him, but he needs his full array of power this time, and that means the garb of Fate.
He holds the scroll in his hand, and begins to read. The language begins as Greek, and then -- as it passes through his lips -- becomes something older. Something ancient.
And as he speaks, the world listens.
In New York City, Lyta Hall looks out a window as thousands upon thousands of hawks rise to the sky, blotting out the sun.
In ancient Egypt, a tomb in a pyramid rumbles.
In an unmarked grave in this very desert, the corpse of a gunslinger named Nighthawk shifts in its cheap, plywood coffin.
The words continue.
And in a castle vault in England, the remains of the Silent Knight glow softly for a second.
And on distant Thanagar, a prayer service stops for a moment, breahtless.
And the words continue, each past incarnation being called upon, each a tiny spark coalescing into one body.
"I call you by your thousand names," says Fate, in English now. "By Khufu and Carter Hall and Hawkman, I bid you live."
His will will not be denied.
He holds the scroll in his hand, and begins to read. The language begins as Greek, and then -- as it passes through his lips -- becomes something older. Something ancient.
And as he speaks, the world listens.
In New York City, Lyta Hall looks out a window as thousands upon thousands of hawks rise to the sky, blotting out the sun.
In ancient Egypt, a tomb in a pyramid rumbles.
In an unmarked grave in this very desert, the corpse of a gunslinger named Nighthawk shifts in its cheap, plywood coffin.
The words continue.
And in a castle vault in England, the remains of the Silent Knight glow softly for a second.
And on distant Thanagar, a prayer service stops for a moment, breahtless.
And the words continue, each past incarnation being called upon, each a tiny spark coalescing into one body.
"I call you by your thousand names," says Fate, in English now. "By Khufu and Carter Hall and Hawkman, I bid you live."
His will will not be denied.