Deathstalker 02 - Deathstalker Rebellion

away from his destiny change anything? Owen shrugged uncomfortably. Honor and belief had brought him this far and would take him farther; he was a part of the rebellion now, whatever the cost. And Chance had admitted the espers' predictions were wrong as often as they were right. But even if he'd had solid proof that he would die, Owen still wouldn't change anything he'd done or had planned to do.
    He'd seen the rotten underside of the Empire and how the suffering of the many supported the opulence of the few; and having seen it, he couldn't look away. He had become, something to his surprise, a man of honor. And who knew; maybe he was a hero, too. Either way, he'd see Lionstone brought down before he died.
    Whatever it took.
    Hazel d'Ark watched Owen make his way through the crowd and clenched her teeth so her mouth wouldn't tremble. She crossed her arms across her chest and hugged herself tightly, her hands squeezed into fists. The need was greater than ever now, and it was beginning to gnaw at her self-control. She was glad Owen was gone. She didn't know how much longer she'd have been able to hide it from him.
    She looked around her as casually as she could, but no one seemed to be paying her any attention. She made herself uncross her arms and concentrated on keeping
    her hands steady while she poured herself a fresh glass of wine. And then it was very easy to take out the metal flask the Hadenman had given her, unscrew the cap, and pour just a drop of Blood into the wine.
    She screwed the cap tight on the flask and put it away again. No one had noticed. And if they had, they wouldn't have understood what they were seeing.
    She was safe. For the moment. She looked down at the wine in her glass. It looked innocent enough, the drop of Blood already diffusing into the alcohol.
    She swirled the wine in the glass to encourage the process, and then she couldn't wait any longer. She took a large gulp and then smiled widely as the warmth of it flooded down into her chest. Blood was potent stuff, and even so small a trace was enough to ease the aching need within her. She made herself drink the rest of the wine slowly, and a warm glow of well-being spread through her. Her grin widened. She felt strong and confident and ready to take on the whole damn Empire. More important, she felt human again. Or as human as anyone could be when she were addicted to Wampyr Blood.
    The Wampyr, the adjusted men, were supposed to be the Empire's new shock troops to replace the rebellious Hadenmen. To make a Wampyr you took an ordinary man, killed him by pumping the blood right out of him, and then refilled him with artificial Blood, which revived him. The result was much stronger and faster than an ordinary man, and a hell of a lot harder to kill. They were also difficult to control and more trouble than they were worth. So the project was reluctantly discontinued. But by then some people had discovered another use for the Blood. It gave you a better high, a more orgasmic glow, then any other drug known to man. It made you superhuman, like the Wampyr, for short periods. And after it wore off, you'd do anything to feel that way again. Blood was addictive.

    Hazel had first encountered it on the rebel planet Mistworld. She ended up in a relationship she preferred not to remember, with a rogue Wampyr called Abbott, and he introduced her to the dark joys of Blood. She broke off the relationship, but breaking free from the Blood addiction took longer. It almost killed her.
    She succeeded, eventually, perhaps because she wouldn't be anyone's slave; not even her own. But now she was back in its grip again, and it was all Owen's fault. He'd made her a part of the rebellion and never even noticed as she began to break under the pressure of constant flight and danger, and the high expectations of others. Finally, it all got too much, and she just broke under the weight of it. She'd never been strong. She'd always needed a little something to support her, whether it was booze or drugs or shitty relationships.
    She'd thought she'd go crazy on the Wolfling World, with nothing to ease her mind, until she remembered that the Hadenmen had taken control of the handful of Wampyr prisoners the Empire force left behind. The Hadenmen had been fascinated by their intended replacements and took them deep into their city for examination. They were never seen again.
    So Hazel went into the city to see the Hadenmen and bluntly raised the subject of Blood. The