Deathstalker War (49 page)

“Even if he isn’t that good in bed?”

“I could teach him,” said Alice.

“Does that mean I’m not really your little stud muffin?” said David.

The girls looked round sharply to see David sitting up on one elbow and looking at them blearily.

“How long have you been awake?” said Alice sternly.

“Long enough,” said David. “Very revealing, what girls talk about when they think no one’s listening.”

“What about Kit?” said Jenny. “Is he still asleep?”

“Who can sleep with all this talking going on?” said the SummerIsle, sitting up and running his fingers through his tangled hair. He smacked his lips a few times and grimaced. “I swear every night something crawls into my mouth and dies. I need another drink.”

“No you don’t,” said Jenny sternly. “Go back to sleep and sleep off what you’ve had first.”

“Do you really care for me?” said David, looking at Alice somewhat owlishly.

“Yes,” said Alice, smiling. “Haven’t I said so often enough?”

“I need to hear it,” said David. “I’m really very insecure.”

“All men want to be loved,” said Jenny. “It’s a very profitable weakness.”

“I don’t,” said Kit. “Wouldn’t know what to do with love if I had it.”

“Yes, but you’re weird,” said David.

The two boys grinned at each other, threw aside the cloaks covering them, and got somewhat stiffly to their feet. They were caught in that muddy serene haze between the drunk and the hangover. They sat down beside their respective girls and poured themselves ale from the jug in the middle of the table. It was warm and flat, but life’s like that sometimes. The tavern bar seemed cool and calm and clear, divorced from the world, adrift in the early hours of the morning between dark and light. David took a large gulp from his mug and pulled a face.

“God, this stuff is rough. I swear my palate goes slumming every time I set foot inside this place.”

“Where’s everyone gone?” said Kit. “I was just getting started. I could go all night if I wanted to. I could use a little action.”

“I’m here,” said Jenny.

“I mean real action. I miss the fighting and dueling we had on Golgotha. No one here worth fighting. What’s the point in being the best there is with a sword, if I never get a chance to show it off?”

“Who says you’re the best?” said David. “You may have all the tricks, but I have the boost.”

“One of these days we’ll have to find out,” said Kit.

“Yeah,” said David. “One of these days.”

They grinned at each other and drank more ale. “Be honest,” said David. “Didn’t you get enough bloodshed in the Arenas? I mean, we got through a hell of a lot of opponents in our short time on the bloody sands.”

“It’s never enough,” said Kit. “Still, there are . . . distractions, here.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Jenny. She put an arm around Kit’s shoulders, and he smiled at her.

“We could always go back to Golgotha. Just for a visit,” said David. “See if we could scare up some action in the Arenas. There’s always some poor fool who thinks he’s good with a sword.”

“What about us?” said Jenny.

“What about you?” said Kit.

“If you’re going, we want to go, too,” said Alice.

“You wouldn’t like it,” said David.

“Why?” said Jenny, bristling. “Because we’re peasants? Because we’re not sophisticated enough to show off to your precious friends and Families?”

“Well, yes, basically,” said Kit.

“Screw you,” said Jenny.

“Maybe later,” said Kit.

“You could teach us all we need to know,” said Alice. “Oh please, David. I’ve always wanted to go to homeworld.”

“We’ll see,” said David. “Maybe if you’re good.”

“Oh, I’m very good,” said Alice. “Remember?”

They grinned at each other. Jenny glared at Kit, who stared calmly back. The conversation could have gone in any number of directions, and probably would have, if a starship hadn’t crash-landed right outside the tavern. The first those inside knew of its coming was a long, descending scream of straining engines, high up in the sky above the tavern. The four of them got rather unsteadily to their feet, opened a window, and looked out. The air was bracingly cool and sobering, the sun barely up. The grey skies were splashed with blood. And down through the clouds a ship came howling, with its outer hull on fire.

“Who the hell is that?” said Alice.

“Can’t see any markings on it,” said Kit calmly. “It’s not one of yours, is it, David?”

“Don’t think so. It hasn’t got my crest on it. Besides, no one’s supposed to know I’m here. Whoever that is, it’s coming down at one hell of a pace. It occurs to me we might be a damn sight safer if we were to get away from the window. If that ship crashes anywhere near here, there’s going to be wreckage and shrapnel flying in all directions.”

“I think it’s still under control,” said Jenny. “More or less.”

The blazing craft swept over the tavern, the roar of its engines deafening at close quarters. The floor shook under their feet, and streams of dust and sawdust fell down from the beamed ceiling. They all ducked instinctively, but by the time they’d reacted, the craft had turned around and headed back again. The engines cut in and out, and then it dropped from the sky, crashing as much as landing in the courtyard outside the tavern. The ground shuddered under the impact, throwing the four observers off their feet. David got to his feet first, unlocked the main door, and hurried outside. He had some confused thought about hauling any injured out of the crashed ship, but the moment he got outside the door the heat from the blazing craft stopped him dead. He threw an arm to protect his face, feeling sweat pop out all over him. He tried to force himself forward, but his body wouldn’t obey him, flinching away from the awful heat. A hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him back into the tavern. Someone else slammed the door shut, cutting off the heat.

“Forget it,” said Kit, letting go of his arm. “No one’s getting out of that alive.”

“The hell they aren’t,” said Jenny from the window. “You’ve got to see this.”

The others hurried over to join her at the window. Outside in the courtyard, flames from the ship were rising higher than the tavern. But someone inside the craft had opened the emergency escape hatch, and two figures were emerging. As David and the others watched, the flames seemed to draw back from the hatch. Two women with the same face dropped down onto the blackened stones of the courtyard and headed for the tavern, apparently entirely unaffected by the blazing inferno around them.

“I know that face,” said Kit. “It’s the Stevie Blues.”

“How the hell are they doing that?” said Jenny.

“They’re clones, aren’t they?” said Alice excitedly. “I’ve never seen clones before!”

“If they’ve come looking for us, we could be in trouble,” David said quietly to Kit. “We owe the underground a lot of reports. It’s entirely possible the rebel council might have decided we need persuading to follow the party line.”

“Or, given that we know a lot about rebel plans, the Blues could have been sent to silence us,” said Kit. “Good thinking, David. I’ll make a paranoid out of you yet.”

“Okay,” said David. “This place has a back door. I suggest we use it. Now.”

“What is it?” said Jenny. “Do you know these people?”

“I don’t run from anyone,” said Kit to David, ignoring her. “Besides, there are only two of them.”

“Two battle esper firestarters are more than enough to reduce this place to ashes, along with anyone stupid enough to be inside it when they get here. Those are elves, Kit. Esper Liberation Front. The radical fringe of the radical fringe. The only time they take hostages is when they’re feeling hungry.”

“We can take them,” said Kit.

“Fine. You take the one on the left, and I’ll take to my heels. We can’t fight, Kit; we have the girls to think of. All right, plan B. We’ll talk them to death. No one ever accused the Stevie Blues of being particularly bright. Impulsive, psychotic, and more deadly than a Hadenman in a really bad mood, but not bright. If we keep our wits about us, I may be able to talk our way out of this.”

Kit sniffed. “I’d much rather kill them.”

“I know you would,” said David. “That’s your answer to everything. But your normal tactics aren’t going to be much use against someone who can melt your sword just by looking at it.”

“Good point,” said Kit. “All right, you talk to them. I’ll see if I can sneak round behind them, just in case.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” said David.

“Hold everything,” said Alice. “Do you know these people? I heard the word underground. Are they rebels?”

“Cool,” said Jenny. “I always wanted to meet some outsider rebels.”

And then everyone fell silent as the door swung open and two rebels with the same face stepped into the tavern. Young women in battered leathers with metal studs and dangling chains, over a grubby T-shirt bearing the legend Born To Burn. They were both short and stocky, with muscles bulging on their bare arms. Their long dark hair was full of brightly colored knotted ribbons, and there were splashes of matching colors on their faces. They might have been pretty, if it hadn’t been for their shared frown and the stern, dangerous look in their eyes. They nodded briefly to the Deathstalker, glared intimidatingly at the SummerIsle, and ignored the two girls.

“I’m Stevie One,” said the woman on the left. “This is Stevie Three. Don’t get us confused, or we’ll get cranky about it.”

“Right,” said Stevie Three. “We’re really quite different once you get to know us.”

“Good to see you again,” said David, trying hard to make his voice and smile seem natural. “What brings you all the way out here, exactly?”

“You,” said Stevie One. “But you can take your hand away from your sword. And SummerIsle, that is the worst case of sneaking around behind someone that I’ve ever seen. Now relax. We’re here to help. The shit is about to hit the fan in a major way, Deathstalker. You’ve been outlawed.”

David’s mouth dropped open. He could hear the girls’ shocked gasps, but for a moment he couldn’t say anything. It was as though someone had punched him in the stomach and taken away his breath. “What do you mean, outlawed?” he managed, finally.

“I mean, Lionstone wants your head on a stick,” said Stevie One. “Your holding is forfeit. Virimonde is no longer yours; and there’s a big reward waiting for anyone who brings Lionstone your head, preferably unattached to your body, so the Iron Bitch can spit in your eyes.”

“But why?” said David, almost plaintively. “I’ve been good. I’ve kept my head down, like we agreed.”

“Funnily enough,” said Stevie Three, “I don’t think Lionstone even knows you’re a rebel. She wants you dead because you encouraged local democracy and because you stood against her plans for mechanizing this planet. You shouldn’t have been so open with your Steward. And you really shouldn’t have threatened to go to the Company of Lords. Lionstone’s calling that conspiracy against the Crown. Every other Lord is scrambling to put as much distance as possible between himself and you. They can see which way the wind’s blowing. Luckily for you, Alice’s parents are rebels. They told us where to find you. The bad news is that Empire ships ambushed us on the way down and shot the hell out of us. So you can forget about hopping a lift offplanet. We’re all stuck here. Your best bet is to run like hell back to your Standing and barricade yourself in. We’ll try and work out some way to get you safely offworld. We can’t let the Empress have you. You’d be too big a trophy for her to boast over.”

“Oh, thanks a bunch,” said David.

“Hold everything,” said Kit. “What about me? Am I outlawed too?”

“Hell no,” said Stevie One. “You’re still the Iron Bitch’s darling. Her favorite killer, apart from the Consort.”

“Unless you try and defend the Deathstalker,” said Stevie Three. “In which case, you get to stand trial beside him.”

“She’s right, Kit,” said David. “We’d better split up. If they find you in my company, they could declare you guilty by association. I’ll take the flyer in the stable and head back to the Standing. You and the Blues can get the girls to safety.”

“Forget it,” said Kit. “I’m not leaving you. You wouldn’t last ten minutes without me.”

“You’d be putting your life at risk!” said David.

“Good,” said Kit. “It’s been far too quiet around here. I was only saying I could use a little action. But may I suggest we use the tavern viewscreen to check out the situation at the Standing first? You have enemies there, as well as friends.”

“Good point,” said David. “Alice, Jenny, you’d better get out of here. Go home, and keep your heads down till this is over. If they ask, you barely knew us. It’ll be safer that way.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” said Stevie Three. “You haven’t heard all of it yet.”

David stared at her. “There’s more?”

“You aren’t the only one that’s getting the chop,” said Stevie One. “The whole planet’s been outlawed. Normally that would mean a scorching, but Lionstone has plans for Virimonde. So she’s sending in the troops, to punish the rebellious and bring the survivors under direct Empire rule. The first troop ships should be landing by now. It’s war, Deathstalker. The whole planet’s under attack.”

“My parents,” said Alice, numb with the shock of the news. “They’re high up in the local underground. If the Empire’s infiltrated our ranks, they’ll be targets. We have to contact them, David!”

“First things first,” said Kit. “First we try the Standing.”

“You’re a rebel, too?” said David to Alice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Hell, we’re all rebels here,” said Jenny. “Not much else to do for excitement on a backwater dump like this.”

“The Standing,” said Kit. “We have to know, David.”

They gathered together in front of the viewscreen on the tavern wall, and David put in a call to the Standing, using his emergency codes. The Steward answered immediately, as though he’d been waiting for the call.

“My lord, where are you? I’ve been trying to locate you for hours! It is imperative that you return to the Standing immediately, to answer the ridiculous charges set against you.”

“Where’s my Security chief?” said David. “He’s supposed to answer my emergency codes.”