Deathstalker Return (52 page)

Unfortunately, the Deathstalker Standing had been designed to hold off armies. It was huge and blocky, with outer walls of solid stone over ten feet thick. Set on a rocky promentory, it could only be attacked head-on, from the front; and the many slit windows for defensive fire would make the open plain a killing ground for any attacking force. The castle might be old, but it had state of the art protections, including energy weapons and force shields; and every member of Clan Deathstalker had been trained in the warrior’s way since they were children, in honor and memory of their greatest warrior, the blessed Owen.

Finn didn’t care. He gave the order through Lola Martinez, and the attack troops surged forwards across the plain. Withering fire from the castle cut them down, but they were an army of zealots, and they just kept coming, singing their death songs, vaulting over the bodies of the fallen, every rank getting a little closer to the outer walls and the main gates. But the walls absorbed endless punishment, and the gates would not yield. Lola Martinez was forced to recall her forces, or watch them all die under the organized disrupter fire blazing from the recessed window slits. The army retreated, leaving its dead behind, and the guns fell silent. The siege of the Deathstalker Standing had begun.

No one came to help the beleagured Clan. Although the Deathstalker family had many friends and allies on Virimonde, none of them dared come forwards. High above the world, the great engines of the Transmutation Board hung waiting in orbit, ready to unleash their unstoppable energies at a moment’s notice and wipe the slate clean of all living things. And while Virimonde was not as helpless as it might have seemed, having many old and secret and very powerful planetary defenses—for they had never forgotten the terrible invasion of Lionstone’s time—still none of their defenses could stand off the transmutation engines. The planetary council saw no point in revealing those defenses uselessly, just to save one family. The Clan was doomed, already dead in every way that mattered. The council bided its time, and looked to the future. And revenge.

 

 

Emma Steel and Nina Malapert watched it all happen on one of Nina’s walls. When it was over, Emma launched herself up out of her chair and stalked back and forth across the room, loudly declaring herself ready and willing to kill everyone in the entire government, from Finn Durandal down. Nina nodded and made all the right supportive comments, but mostly she was thinking about how she’d give her eyeteeth to be on Virimonde right then, covering a real breaking news story. It didn’t help that she and Emma still hadn’t worked out what to do with the evidence they already had on Finn’s involvement with the ELFs and the uber-espers. Emma’s language had just started to turn the air blue when a blue steel robot from Shub suddenly materialized in the room with them. Emma’s gun was quickly in her hand, and Nina was just as quickly standing behind Emma and peering over her shoulder. The robot looked at them with its blank face and made no threatening moves.

“I come in peace,” it said mildly.

“That’s what they all say,” growled Emma. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“Time is of the essence,” said the robot. “Shub does not approve of the situation on Virimonde, but unfortunately, we cannot be seen to interfere directly. So, we propose to offer you the chance to go to Virimonde, and do investigative and destructive things on our behalf. Are we right in assuming this would appeal to you?”

“Could be,” said Emma, not lowering her gun.

“Hold everything,” said Nina. “I mean, all right, it’s a great story and everything, darlings, but what could we actually do there? They’re not going to listen to us, are they?”

“We can boost your camera’s signal,” said the robot. “We can guarantee that whatever you broadcast will get out live and uncensored.”

“My kind of robot!” said Nina. “Hold everything, part two. How are we going to get there in time to do anything?”

“We will teleport you right to the Deathstalker Standing.”

“And back?” said Nina, who could be practical when she had to be.

“Should you survive the situation on Virimonde,” said the robot. “But we have faith in Emma Steel to protect you from most dangers.”

“Why choose us?” said Emma.

“It’s hard to find anyone worthy of trust these days,” said the robot. “You will do this for us, in return for future favors. The nature of the favors to be decided by you, at a future date. Should you survive.”

“Oh, please, Emma,” said Nina. “We absolutely have to go! We can’t do anything about the Terror, but just maybe we can do something to screw up the Durandal’s plans on Virimonde.”

“We’re going,” said Emma. “Nina, grab your camera—and a whole lot of really big guns.”

“Super!”

 

 

Twenty minutes later, they were both on Virimonde. Unfortunately, Shub had chosen to materialize them outside the Deathstalker Standing, right in front of the closed and sealed main gates. Emma looked at the gates, and then turned and looked at the huge army of Church Militant attack troops. She already had her sword and gun in her hands, and now she activated the force shield on her arm. She felt she was being remarkably calm, all things considered. Nina, on the other hand, let out a squeak loud enough to wake the dead, ducked behind Emma, and grabbed for the biggest gun out of the several she’d brought along in her backpack.

“Is your camera working?” said Emma, still quite calm and collected, considering an army of attack troops was just starting to become aware of her presence.

“What? What? Oh, yes, we are going out live, and I personally would like to stay that way. I don’t see a bell anywhere on these gates. Do you see a bell anywhere on these gates?”

“Oh, I think they know we’re here,” said Emma. “Their security sensors will have picked us up by now. The question is, will they open their gates for two uninvited strangers, and risk letting in the bad guys?”

“Tell them who you are! Everyone’s heard of Emma Steel! Oh, shit, the army’s looking at us. Emma, why are the soldiers looking at us like that?”

“Probably because we appeared out of nowhere . . .”

The cry went up from somewhere inside the army, a simple enough misunderstanding about how Emma and Nina had arrived, but in a moment all the troopers were shouting it. They surged forwards, their faces ugly with hate and repulsion. An energy blast snapped out of nowhere and ricocheted off Emma’s raised force shield. Nina said some baby swear words, her face pink with rage, and stepped out from behind Emma, holding a gun so big she needed both hands to aim it. She fired the thing, and shot a hell of a big hole out of the first wave of attackers. The charge faltered, but kept coming. Emma braced herself, while Nina hammered on the closed gates with the butt of her gun, yelling
Emma Steel!
and
Press!
alternately.

The first soldiers arrived, and Emma stepped forwards to meet them. She shot the nearest one in the face, and then swung her sword in short, savage arcs. Blood flew on the air, and soldiers fell to either side of her, screaming and thrashing on the ground. Emma fought on, all cold precision, using the razor-sharp edges of her force shield as a second weapon. The dead and the dying piled up before her, and the troopers didn’t seem nearly as eager to close with her as they had been. Nina fired another wild blast from her gun, and a whole section of the advancing troops suddenly disappeared, leaving only blood and scattered body parts behind. But the main part of the army was still pressing forwards.

The main gates to the castle swung suddenly open, and Nina yelled out in triumph before darting inside and calling to Emma to follow her. The Paragon backed away from the army, step by step, not daring to turn her back on any of the soldiers still threatening her. And then a fusillade of disrupter fire opened up from behind her, blowing away the nearest troops like chaff on the wind. Emma laughed in the faces of the shocked approaching troopers, and then turned and walked unhurriedly into the castle. She had to show contempt for scum like this, or they’d walk right over her. She nodded her thanks to the dozen Deathstalkers standing in the doorway, and they bowed respectfully in return. The great gates slammed shut, and the Deathstalker Standing was secure again.

Nina was leaning against an interior wall, alternating between hyperventilating and trying to cover everything with her camera. Emma gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, and looked around for someone to talk to. A squat muscular man in full body armor was giving quiet orders to the others, so she settled for him. He turned as she approached and gave her an amused smile. He had a friendly face and a great leonine mane of silver hair.

“Welcome to Castle Deathstalker,” he said. “Any enemy of the Durandal is a friend of ours. Your reputation precedes you, Paragon Steel, and I’m pleased to see it isn’t at all exaggerated. May I ask how the hell you got here?”

“We have friends,” said Emma. “We’re here to cover what’s happening. My friend over there, trying hard not to throw up on your flagstones, is actually a very experienced reporter. Her camera is broadcasting everything live, so watch your language. We’ve been assured that the camera’s signal can’t be jammed or censored. In the hope that the Durandal won’t dare do anything too obviously nasty while everyone’s watching.”

“I wouldn’t put money on it, Paragon. I am Roland Deathstalker, current head of the Clan.”

“An honor to meet you, sir. That . . . Nina, put your head between your knees and breathe deeply, dear . . . that is Nina Malapert. I think we need to talk, Sir Deathstalker.”

“I think so too,” Roland said dryly. “This way, if you please.”

Emma went and collected Nina, whose eyes were finally focusing properly. She was still clutching her big gun.

“I’ll be fine!” she said, just a little too loudly. “Fine! Did you see that army?
There was a whole army coming right at us!
”

“Come with us for a nice little sit-down,” said Emma, taking her by the arm. “You’ll feel a lot better after a nice little sit-down, and a medicinal brandy.”

“Get me a bottle,” said Nina. “Hell, get me two.”

 

 

Roland Deathstalker led Emma and Nina to the great hall of the castle, a setting so huge and baroque and stuffed with items of historical interest that Nina brightened up immediately, and began an excited, muttered, running commentary to her camera. Emma left her to it, and went with Roland to meet his wife, Laura. She stood proudly before the great open fireplace, a tall, elegant blonde in full battle armor. She smiled kindly at Emma, and spoke sternly to the two big black dogs dozing at her feet. They got up good-naturedly, sniffed at Emma a few times, and then sloped off to make way for her. Nina hurried over, not wanting to be left out of anything. She trained her camera on Laura, and then suddenly got all bashful and tongue-tied. Standing side by side, Roland and Laura Deathstalker had a powerful commanding presence.

“I understand you worked with our son, Lewis,” Laura said to Emma. “Could I ask you for your . . . impression of him?”

“A good man, and true,” Emma said immediately. “Best Paragon I ever partnered. And I don’t care what anyone says; he was never a traitor.”

“We never thought he was,” said Roland. “But the press have said some terrible things . . .”

He looked at Nina, who blushed furiously. “That’s Finn’s work. The Champion. He controls the media these days. They say what he tells them to say, or they don’t get to say anything. But there are still a few of us, trying to get the truth out.”

“I never did trust Finn,” said Laura. “Lewis often brought him here for short holidays, and of course we made Finn welcome because he was Lewis’s friend. But I never liked him. I always thought he was too good to be true.”

“Now, Mother,” said Roland. “That can wait. Paragon Steel, how much support can we expect from other quarters?”

Emma shrugged helplessly. “These days, the Empire goes according to the Durandal’s wishes. He is Emperor now, in everything but name. James is just a front. The King is a broken man, and the House is Finn’s lapdog. You’re on your own, Sir Deathstalker. How bad is the situation here? How long can you hold out?”

“Every member of Clan Deathstalker is here, in the Standing,” said Laura. “We thought they’d be safer here. We never thought . . .”

“We’re safe in here, Mother,” said Roland. “Let that bastard Finn send his armies. They don’t have anything out there that can break this castle. It has only ever fallen once, in David’s time, and that was because of a traitor within, who opened the gates to the enemy. That won’t happen this time. We can hold off pretty much any attack for months; we’ve got guns and food and drink for all. But somehow I don’t see Finn being ready to wait that long. No, he’ll have some other way in mind to get at us, when the obvious one’s failed.”

He paused then, as a message came in through his comm implant, over a private channel. He scowled, and then turned and activated a viewscreen on the wall above the great fireplace. Lola Martinez’s face filled the screen. Her green eyes were very bright, and her smile was unnaturally wide.

“It doesn’t matter that we can’t get in,” she said flatly. “Because you’re going to come out. I want every man, woman, and child in Clan Deathstalker to throw down their weapons, come outside, and surrender to me. Because if you don’t, Finn Durandal will give the order to activate the transmutation engines currently orbiting your planet. And every living thing on this world will melt down into undifferentiated protoplasm. It really is that simple. You surrender; or your world dies. Either way, we get what we want. You have one hour. And then we withdraw, and the engines start their work.”

The viewscreen snapped off. Roland and Laura looked at each other. Nina moved in close beside Emma.

“He wouldn’t really do it, would he?” she said quietly. “I mean, this is
Virimonde!
Owen’s homeworld! Even Finn wouldn’t dare touch it. Would he?”