Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

the small print. There could be side effects we haven’t noticed yet. Maybe we’re using up our lives. Burning up all our years to come. The energy that powers our abilities has to come from somewhere. The candle that burns twice as brightly burns half as long. And we have burned brighter than suns.” “God, you’re in a morbid mood today. I feel fine. I feel better than fine. Maybe we’ll live forever.”
    “And another thing, why did we all come out of the Maze with different abilities?”
    “Why not?” said Hazel reasonably. “We were all different people.” “Yes, but… some of what we do is
    similar to esp. Jack and Ruby are firestarters, and Giles could teleport. I’ve got something like psychokinesis. But how the hell do you do what you do? What are these different versions of yourself that you’re able to summon up during a fight?”
    “Damned if I know,” said Hazel. “I just call, and they come. None of them ever stuck around long enough afterward to answer questions. Giles thought they were other versions of me from different time tracks—people I might have become if things had gone differently.”
    “Yeah, but time tracks are just a theory,” said Owen. “No one’s ever been able to prove the existence of different dimensions, let alone make contact with them. Maybe the other yous are just products of your imagination, made real by the power within you.”
    “No way,” said Hazel firmly. “I’ve seen some of these other mes. I don’t have that good an imagination.”
    “Yes, but…”
    “Owen, I don’t know! And this is not the time or the place to be having a discussion. Now, stop asking questions and get your ass in gear, or I’ll get behind you and kick your butt all the way up.”
    Owen considered this. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
    “Damn right. Now, shift it.”
    They climbed the rest of the way in silence, eventually coming to the great circular opening in the granite wall that led to the massive caves burrowed out under the Standing. Owen used to keep his personal flyers and other vehicles there when he was in residence. It made sense to assume that Valentine and his cronies had docked their ships in the caves too, which meant the opening would still be clear. And Owen knew of a secret passage that led directly from the main cave to the master bedroom.
    “A secret passage?” Hazel had said.
    “Oh, yes. I used it to escape from the castle when my people first turned on me.”
    “And no one but you knows about it?”
    “It’s a Family secret. The only other person I ever told was David, and he’s dead now.”
    They moved silently up to the lip of the opening and clung to the cold stone, still as limpets, as they listened for any sign that their presence had been noted. After a while Owen gestured to Hazel that he was going to move up over the ledge and into the cave opening. She nodded, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself. Theoretically, there could be any number of armed guards present, looking after the parked ships, but it didn’t seem likely. By any normal standards, the caves were unreachable.
    Unfortunately for Valentine, Owen and Hazel hadn’t been in hailing distance of normal for some time now. Owen took a firm grip on the granite ledge, and hauled himself up and over and into the cave in one swift, fluid motion. He was up on his feet in a second, disrupter in hand, searching for a target, but all was quiet. Four luxurious yachts stood together, powered down, along with a handful of single-man flyers, but otherwise the place was deserted. Not a guard in sight. Owen padded stealthily forward, ears pricked for the slightest sound, but all he could hear was his own breathing. He lowered his gun and breathed a little more easily. “All clear, Hazel.”
    She was with him in a moment, hurrying across the ceramic floor to stand beside him, projectile gun in one hand, grenade in the other. She glared suspiciously about her. “There ought to be someone here. It doesn’t make sense to leave expensive ships like these just standing around unguarded.” “Who’s going to steal them?” said Owen reasonably. “Valentine and his private army are the only people here.”
    “What about security cameras?”
    “Oz still has secret access codes for all the castle’s security computers. Right now he’s editing their signals so we don’t appear. This was all covered in the planning sessions. Hazel. I do wish you’d attend the briefings.”