Deathstalker War d-3

by Simon R. Green

  "Alice! Where's Alice, and Jenny?"

  "I'm sorry," said Kit. "David, I'm so sorry."

  David stared at him for a moment, and then pushed him aside and fought his way through the smoke and the rising flames to where Alice lay still next to a breach in the cabin wall. A disrupter blast had punched right through the metal hull, splaying the jagged steel edges inward. Blood dripped slowly from the sharp edges. Alice had been torn open all down her left side. Broken ribs showed clearly in the red meat, and half her guts were falling out her side. Her eyes were mercifully closed. David made himself look away to where Jenny lay trapped under the splayed-in metal, not far away. She was dazed, but still struggling feebly. David picked Alice up in his arms, and yelled back to Kit.

  "I'm taking Alice! You get Jenny out!"

  Kit loomed out of the smoke, and grabbed David's arm. "David, she's…"

  "I'm getting her out! You see to Jenny."

  Kit looked at Alice, and the red-and-purple guts hanging down from her side, and then nodded, and went over to kneel beside Jenny. David staggered over to the escape hatch, kicked open the door, and dropped down to the ground outside. Kit tugged at the jagged metal pinning Jenny to the floor. It was wide and heavy, and the sharp edges cut at his hands. He strained with all his strength, but couldn't budge the metal an inch. Jenny had shaken off her daze, and was looking up at him with desperate eyes. She couldn't help him. The metal had pinned her arms at her sides. Sweat was running down both their faces now, flushed from the raw heat of the approaching flames. Kit stopped pulling at the unresponsive metal and thought hard. The fire was getting closer, the flames leaping up as they consumed more and more of the cabin. If he didn't get Jenny out soon, the flames would cut him off from the only exit. Jenny saw his thoughts in his face.

  "Kit! Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me to the fire!"

  "No," said Kit. "That would be cruel."

  He drew his knife and stabbed her through the eye. He wanted it to be quick. Jenny jerked once and then lay still. Kit withdrew his knife, put it away, and headed for the exit. He'd done all he could. He dropped down from the escape hatch and hurried across the open ground to shelter in the trees. They wouldn't protect him from disrupter beams, but they should confuse long-distance sensor readings. He had to find David. He'd know what to do. He found David a short way inside the woods. He was crouching beside Alice. He'd propped her back up against a tree trunk, and tried to push her dangling guts back into the great wound in her side. His hands were red with blood, and his clothes were soaked with it, where he'd pressed her close against him. He looked up as Kit approached. He was crying, the tears making slow tracks through the blood that had trickled down his face from the wound in his forehead.

  "She's dead," he said, and in his voice was all the loss in the world. "She trusted me to look after her, and I failed her. Just like I failed everyone else."

  "I'm sorry," said Kit.

  "I killed her, you know. She died because she was with me."

  "You can't blame yourself," said Kit. David's tears disturbed him, but he didn't know what to do about them. "They're killing everyone here. You tried to save her. You did your best."

  David nodded slowly, unconvinced, and wiped tears and blood from his eyes with the back of his hand. He sniffed a few times, then looked up at Kit.

  "Where's Jenny?"

  "Dead. She died of her wounds while I was trying to free her." Kit wouldn't normally have bothered lying, but he didn't want to upset David further. He looked around him. "Any idea where we are?"

  "Yeah. I know this place. The Standing's not five minutes' walk from here, on the other side of the wood. We almost made it, Kit. We were so close. Just a few minutes more, and we'd have been safe. All of us."

  Kit knelt down beside David. "This is Lionstone's doing. Blame her. Now let's get moving. They'll be here looking for us soon."

  David nodded and got to his feet. Kit stood up with him. David looked down at Alice. "I hate to leave her."

  "She's already gone, David. She's beyond pain now. We'll take revenge for her later."

  "Yes. There will be revenge, later."

  David turned and walked off into the woods, and Kit went after him. It was cool and calm and quiet among the tall trees, a dark and private place almost set apart from the rest of the world. The troubles hadn't reached here yet. The air was full of the smell of grass and bark and living things. Kit strode along beside David, enjoying the calm and the songs of the birds. David strode along the open trail, eyes dark and brooding, untouched by the peace around him. Kit kept trying to think of something to say to him, but couldn't think what. He didn't have much experience with this kind of thing. So he strolled along beside David, his hands near his weapons, and left his friend to his thoughts. David would come up with something. He always did.

  Kit was wary and alert, but even so the first he knew they had company in the woods was when three figures stepped out onto the trail ahead of them, blocking their way. One wore a Captain's uniform, one was an Investigator, and the third figure stood well back, holding a gun in a not very threatening way. David and Kit came to a halt, and for a long time they all just stood and looked at each other. The woods were like a great green arena, a place where destinies could be decided, and anything could happen. Anything at all.

  "I'm Captain Silence," said the man with the sword in his hand. "This is Investigator Frost and Security Officer Stelmach. You're under arrest, my lords. Hand over your weapons, and come with us."

  "I don't think so," said David. "I am the Deathstalker, and my people need me. Stand aside and let me pass, or die where you stand."

  "What he said," said Kit. He smiled at Frost. "I've always wondered how I'd do against an Investigator."

  "You'd die, boy," said Frost. "Throw down your weapons, and you'll live to stand trial."

  "Get out of our way," said David. "I won't be stopped."

  The Captain shrugged. "Do what you have to, my lord. In the end, it always comes down to steel, doesn't it?"

  He stepped forward, and David drew his sword and went forward to meet him. Their swords slammed together, sparks flying on the air, and the sound of steel on steel was painfully loud in the quiet. Kit SummerIsle smiled his Kid Death smile and went lightly forward to meet the Investigator. They circled each other slowly, searching for weaknesses in the other's eyes. Stelmach lowered his gun and backed off out of the way. He knew he was only an observer in this.

  David boosted, calling on his Deathstalker inheritance, and new strength and energy surged through him, pushing back the tiredness. Even so, he knew it wouldn't last long. It wasn't that long ago he'd spent a whole evening drinking and carousing in the Heart's Ease tavern. He almost smiled. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but his body knew different. Too much drink and too little sleep would have made him fatally slow without the boost to hold him up, and even with it he doubted he could last long. So he pressed the attack, his sword rising and falling with all his considerable strength behind it. Silence backed away, one step at a time, but still he met the Deathstalker's every blow with equal strength, which should have been impossible. They swung and thrust, stabbing and parrying and recovering, blades moving almost too fast for the human eye to follow. And then Silence stopped and would not back away farther. He met the Deathstalker's savage attacks with calm skill and would not be moved.

  Kit SummerIsle, also known as Kid Death, the smiling killer, pressed his attack with more thought. He'd never lost a fight in his life, and didn't intend to start now, but this was an Investigator, after all. Kit and Frost circled warily around each other, their blades licking out from time to time, to test the other's speed and reflexes. They were masters of their craft, and saw no reason to hurry. They meant to enjoy this. They smiled at each other and went on circling.

  David fought on, rage boiling within him. This one Captain had come to represent to him all the Empire forces, the blind, awful forces that were destroying his life and his world. He hacked
and cut with increasing fury, drawing recklessly on the boost's support, and it was only a matter of time before Silence turned aside one particular wide blow, and ran David through. He cried out with shock as much as pain, and sank to one knee, still somehow holding on to his sword. Silence's blade had punched right through David's gut and out his back. He could feel blood running out of him, hear it splashing on the ground below. Silence jerked his sword free, and David cried out again, blood spraying from his mouth along with the sound. He tried to force himself back onto his feet, and couldn't. The boost was holding him together, but all his strength was gone. The Captain drew back his sword for the killing blow.

  Kit saw David go down, and wasted no time with a cry of rage. He caught Frost's sword in a close parry, kicked her hard in the kneecap, and, while she was off-balance, he whipped off his cloak and wrapped it around her head. He would have liked to kill her then, while she was helpless, but he didn't have the time. He ran over to Silence, calling out to the Captain to distract him from David. Silence turned swiftly, and Kit ducked under the extended blade and rammed the Captain in the stomach with his shoulder. The Captain fell backwards, his breath driven right out of him, and Kit ran over to David and hauled him back onto his feet. It only took a glance to see how bad the wound was, but Kit couldn't let himself think about that. There'd be help waiting at the Standing. There had to be. He got David moving, and then heard footsteps behind him. He looked back, and incredibly the Captain was back on his feet and charging after them. Kit reached for the gun at his side, and only then realized David was leaning against it. The Captain was almost upon them. And then there was the sound of a disrupter firing, and Silence fell to his knees, shot from behind. Kit looked back, and there was the Security Officer with his gun in his hand, eyes wide with horror at his mistake. Kit threw him a quick salute, pulled David to him more firmly, and led him off into the trees.

  Frost had pulled herself free from the enveloping cloak just in time to see Silence fall. She ignored the fleeing rebels, and the shocked, stammering Stelmach, and hurried over to kneel beside Silence. The energy beam had torn away most of his left rib cage. He'd wrapped his arms around himself, as though he could hold his body together through sheer strength. Frost gently pulled his arms away so she could see the extent of the wound. Blackened stubs of ribs showed clearly in the steaming wound, half-cauterized by the energy beam. Behind them, Stelmach was babbling about its being a mistake, and he was sorry, so sorry, but neither of them was listening. Silence's face was utterly white, and he was breathing in quick, shallow gasps. Anyone else would have been dead by now, from the shock alone. Frost grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard.

  "Captain, listen to me! You're not going to die. There's a power in you, in us. Use it! John, dammit, you can heal yourself!"

  She concentrated, focusing on the power deep within her, forcing it to the surface and on into Silence. He gasped once, and then his hand clamped down hard on hers, and he straightened up, his eyes wide and startled. They both looked down at the great wound in his side, and watched speechlessly as the flesh and bone and skin knitted themselves seamlessly together until there was no trace of the wound left. Silence took a deep, experimental breath, bracing himself for pain that never came, and then he grinned suddenly at Frost. She grinned back, and together they got to their feet again. Stelmach was standing over them with his mouth hanging open.

  "I didn't know you could do that," he said finally.

  "Neither did I," said Silence. "Learn something new every day."

  "I'm sorry, Captain, I'm really sorry…"

  Silence raised a hand to stop him. "Apologies accepted. But from now on, Stelmach, if we get in a fight again, don't help me." He turned to Frost. Her smile was gone, and she was a calm, collected Investigator again.

  "Welcome back, Captain. Always knew you were too mean to die."

  "Glad to be back, Investigator. Which way did the rebels go?"

  "Deeper into the woods, Captain. Should be an easy trail to follow. The Deathstalker's leaking a lot of blood. Do you feel up to chasing them?"

  "I think so. But there's no hurry. There's only one place they can go now, and that's the Deathstalker Standing. And once he's there, we've got him."

  Kit SummerIsle eased the wounded Deathstalker down onto his bed and looked around the luxuriously appointed bedchamber. There was only the one door and the one window, which made it easier to defend the room against attackers. For the moment, the Standing was under the control of people loyal to David, but unfortunately the Steward had made his escape with most of his people, and they were probably already linking up with the invading Empire forces. It wouldn't be long before they came knocking at the front door. David lay back on his bed, gasping for breath. One of the servants had wrapped his gut in layer upon layer of bandages, but there was no doctor. Blood was already seeping through the bandages and staining the expensive bedsheets. Kit sat on the edge of the bed and wondered what to do next.

  He could just leave. He could. The Deathstalker had been outlawed, but he hadn't. He could just leave the Standing, walk up to the nearest Empire forces, and claim the protection his rank entitled him to. The Captain and the Investigator he'd fought earlier might make a fuss, but he could always claim he'd acted in self-defense, and, as a Lord, no one would doubt his word. But the thought didn't tempt him long. He couldn't abandon David.

  The Deathstalker groaned suddenly as he sat up, and Kit was quickly there to support him. David's face was grey now, lined with pain and fatigue, but his eyes were clear. His gaze went to his sword, lying on the bed close at hand, and he seemed to draw some strength from that. He gestured at the viewscreen on the wall before him.

  "Turn on the screen," he said, his voice quiet but steady. "I need to know what's happening on my world."

  "You should be resting," said Kit. "We might have to leave here in a hurry, if the Steward comes back with enough troops to storm the Standing."

  "I'm not going anywhere," said David. "This is my home, the home of my ancestors, and I will go no farther. I'll make my stand here. Now turn on the damn viewscreen."

  Kit shrugged and turned on the screen, and together the rebel Lords watched a montage of terrible scenes on the invaded world of Virimonde. Everywhere, buildings were burning. In villages, towns, cities. The dead lay piled in the fields like some dark, ugly crop. Long lines of refugees filed away into the countryside, carrying what was left of their homes and lives on their backs. There was still some resistance. The underground had been established here for many years. They had training and some weapons, but not enough to face experienced ground troops and Imperial war machines. But still the rebels fought on, outnumbered and outgunned, making the Empire forces pay for every foot of ground they gained. David watched his people fight and die, staining the ground they fought for with their own blood and that of their enemies. He saw Imperial marines marching through gutted villages, and massive war machines resting in the ruins of devastated cities, and finally he had to look away. Kit turned the viewscreen off.

  "There's only one thing I can do," David said finally.

  "Right," said Kit. "Grab everything we can sell, and make a run for it. There's bound to be someone we can bribe to get us offplanet. Then, I don't know. Mistworld, maybe?"

  "No," said David. "I told you; I won't run. I'm going to surrender."

  "What? Are you crazy? The best you could hope for would be a show trial and a swift execution. At least on Mistworld…"

  "No! No. If I surrender, and tell the rebels to lay down their arms, the fighting will end. My people will be safe. Too many have died, Kit. Why prolong the agonies? All that matters now is to protect my people in the only way left to me."

  Kit glared at him. "When did you get so damn noble? They're just peasants!"

  "No," said David. "They're my peasants. The bond of duty and obligation that ties us together works both ways. I never really understood that before." He smiled sadly. "It's taken a long time, but I think I fin
ally understand what it is, to be a Deathstalker. Turn the screen back on. See if you can raise someone in charge."

  Kit saw the determination in his friend's face, and stopped arguing. It turned out to be surprisingly easy to raise the man in charge of the invasion. General Shaw Beckett on the Imperial starcruiser Elegance looked out of the screen at the two rebel Lords, and bowed formally.

  "My Lord Deathstalker, my Lord SummerIsle, good to hear from you. Forgive my bluntness, David, but you don't look too good."

  "I'm still here, General." David kept his voice calm and even. "I wish to offer my surrender."

  "Very noble of you, David. I appreciate the gesture." Beckett scowled unhappily. "Unfortunately, I have new orders from the Empress herself not to accept your surrender, on any terms. She wants you dead, David, and the rebellion crushed. My troops took holocameras down with them. People all over the Empire are watching the invasion of Virimonde live. The Empress intends for this to be an example. I'm sorry. I can offer some protection to your friend, the SummerIsle, if you wish. I have no direct orders for his death. I give you my word…"

  "I'll think about it," said Kit.

  The General nodded slowly. "Don't think too long, my lord."

  David smiled tiredly at the General. "Then I don't suppose we have anything left to say to each other, do we, Shaw? Destiny has shaped a path for both of us, and all we can do is follow them to their ends. Pardon me if I don't wish you good luck."