Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

everything if we had to. Finlay said it was all a con, that the
    Family had no intention of ever actually giving them the alien drive. But I can’t say whether that was true or not. Finlay was never head of the Clan. His father, Crawford, was, and that man was capable of practically anything to get what he wanted. So Shub sent us tech, and we prevaricated, and the deal continued. No one ever mentioned the word treason. Or what would happen if Shub decided that we were never going to deliver. But then the Wolfes attacked, and it all became moot anyway. After Clan Campbell was brought down and scattered, the Wolfes discovered the existence of the deal and took it over themselves. Valentine was running the Wolfes by then. A man capable of absolutely anything.
    And that is as far as my information goes.”
    Jack scowled. “Can you think of any other members of your Family who might know more about this?”
    “Not really. The few who almost certainly knew all the details died at the Wolfes’ hands when they stormed Tower Campbell. None of it was ever recorded, for obvious reasons. The only ones to survive who might know anything are Finlay and his wife, Adrienne. Though since she was only a Campbell by marriage, she was probably kept on the periphery, like me. As for what Finlay might know… you’d have to ask him. Don’t expect too much from him, though. He’s been busy losing his mind for some time now, and I don’t know how much there is left.” “You don’t like him, do you?” said Ruby.
    “He’s a mad-dog killer. When I think of how he used to hide his evil behind the masque of a fop at Court, it makes my blood run cold. A werewolf moved among us, red in tooth and claw, and we never knew. But none of that matters. He’s still Family.”
    “Let’s talk about Blue Block,” said Jack diplomatically. “What can you tell us about them?”
    “Not a lot,” said Robert. “I was sent to them at an early age, but there was a Family argument, and I was called away before I could be initiated into any of their mysteries. Crawford thought the Clan needed more influence in the armed forces, so a dozen of us ended up in the army and the Fleet. For me it was the best thing that ever happened. I had to prove my worth. And I did. “I don’t think Crawford ever really trusted Blue Block even then. He always suspected they might develop their own agenda. Even then people were beginning to suspect that Blue Block graduates owed loyalty to Blue Block first and individual Families second. I’ll tell you this: a lot more people went through the Black College than you’d think. Or the Families would ever admit. You don’t think a powerful force like the Families would roll over for just anybody, do you? They agreed to your deal because they had no choice. The Clans bow down to Blue Block because their own rising generations are theirs no longer. They belong body and soul to Blue Block.
    “It’s all secrets and mysteries at the heart of Blue Block. The Black College. The Red Church. The Hundred Hands. Names handed down in whispers, at third and fourth remove. No one knows who runs Blue Block anymore, or what their intentions are. It doesn’t make any difference. Their people are everywhere. In high positions too. You’d be surprised.”
    “I doubt it,” said Ruby. “There’s not much left that can surprise me anymore.
    And I never did trust the Families, or anyone connected with them.”
    “How very wise,” said Robert.
    Jack intervened quickly. “What about Finlay? Any idea where we can find him?” “He’s just where you’d expect him to be,” said Robert. “As close to blood and death and madness as he can get. He’s living at the Arenas.” In the Golgotha city known as the Parade of the Endless, everyone goes to the Arenas. To
    see men fight men, singly or in groups, or men fight aliens, or aliens fight aliens. Just as long as somebody dies. Blood is blood, whatever the color. There’s never an empty seat in the stands or the boxes, and season tickets are handed down from generation to generation. The Arenas are the only thing all classes in the Empire have in common. There’s never a shortage of volunteers to risk their lives and honor on the bloody sands, for wealth or privilege or just the applause of the crowd. A few even make a living out of it, for a time. And the greatest fighter of them all, the one every man wanted to fight, and every woman wanted to bed, the man who never backed