Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

pouring herself a very large drink. "Until the Empire finds us. That should take a while. Officially, only the Council members themselves were supposed to know about this. But they're having to call in more and more people to help them, and someone will talk eventually. Someone always does. In the meantime, the Council is doing its best to coordinate resistance, and minimize the damage and loss of life."
    Steel finally noticed Owen and Hazel's arrival, and beckoned for them to join him. He introduced them to the other Councillors, who looked decidedly unimpressed, so Owen decided not to be impressed by them either. It wasn't difficult. Donald Royal was there, looking frail but determined, accompanied by
    his partner Madelaine Skye and Young Jack Random. Quentin McVey represented the Guilds. He dressed like a color-blind peacock with absolutely no taste, and had the most false-looking false teeth Owen had ever seen. Albert Magnus represented the Merchants. He dressed in dusty grey, a perfect match for his face, and generally looked like he'd died and then been dug up again quite recently. Louis Barren spoke for Thieves Quarter, a short and compact woman who looked tough enough to chew up a tin can and split nails. She had a bone-crushing handshake, too. Owen did his best not to wince. Finally, Iain Castle represented Tech Quarter. He was a dwarf with a crooked shoulder, and looked like he had absolutely no sense of humor about it.
    The Council took it in turns to give Owen funny looks, and after catching sight of himself in the mirror behind the bar, Owen could understand why. He was covered in dried blood and puke, and his clothes looked as though someone had died in them. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were so deep-set it was a wonder he could see out of them. All in all, Owen decided he looked rather like some homicidal holy man who'd finally discovered the real meaning of life, and was thoroughly pissed off about it. Hazel looked like a barroom brawler, but then, she always did.
    Quentin McVey was the first to speak. He screwed a monocle into his left eye and looked Owen up and down. "Have this boy washed and sent to my room."
    "Forget it," Owen said amiably. "You couldn't afford me."
    "You always did have a thing for rough trade, Quentin," said Lois Barron. "But this is slumming, even for you. Dear God, this disreputable-looking pair are supposed to be our contacts with the Golgotha underground? They're a disgrace.
    If they turned up at my front door, I'd set the dogs on them."

    "Right," said Magnus. "Get them out of here. We've got work to do. If Golgotha wants to be taken seriously here, they'll have to send us better than this."
    "Kick them out," said Iain Castle, the dwarf. "We don't have time for this."
    Owen and Hazel reached out mentally to each other, and linked. Power shot back and forth between them, building and building. Their presence was suddenly overwhelming, filling the room from wall to wall, drawing all eyes to them. They were wild and powerful, so wildly potent as to seem almost inhuman, or more than human. Their power hammered on the air like a giant heartbeat, vast and overpowering. The Councillors would have liked to run, or kneel, but they were held where they were, like mice before a snake. New energy flooded through Owen and Hazel, washing away all weaknesses and impurities. Hazel's Blood use had kept them from linking for so long that they had forgotten how powerful they were when joined.
    "Cut it out," said Cyder, forcing out the words despite the awe that pressed her back against the far wall. "We're impressed, honest. Now shut it down, before the Empire espers pick up on it."
    Owen and Hazel reigned back on their link, internalizing their power, and suddenly they were just a man and a woman again. Owen could hardly believe that just a few minutes ago he'd thought he was close to death. Now, with Hazel at his side, he felt he could take on an army. It seemed there was still a lot about what the Maze had done to them that they didn't understand.
    "Relax," Hazel said calmly to the Council. "I don't think any esper could pick us up. Whatever it is that powers us, I don't think it's esp."
    The Council members looked at each other, and if anything looked even more upset than before, and Owen suddenly realized that for the moment they were just as frightened of him and Hazel as they were of the invaders. At least the Empire
    was a known threat. He stepped forward, hands raised