Deathstalker 04 - Deathstalker Honor

pain.
    “I shouldn’t have shot him,” he said finally.
    “He was as guilty as all the others.”
    “Yes. But that wasn’t why I killed him. I did it because I needed to hurt someone. Punish someone.
    Apart from myself. They were my people. I should have been here to protect them.”
    “Oh, let it go, Owen! You were outlawed. Banished. Get over it. Everyone here turned their backs on you.”
    “It doesn’t make any difference. They were my responsibility. Oz?”
    “Yes, Owen?”
    “Shut this obscenity down. All of it. Whatever it takes.”
    “Yes, Owen.”
    “Now,” said Owen Deathstalker. “Let’s go find Valentine and his cronies. And kill them all.”
    When the head of Valentine Wolfe’s security people appeared, somewhat nervously, on the viewscreen in the great hall to alert Valentine that, in order, two strangers had somehow appeared in the flyer caves under the Standing, been identified as the legendary Owen Deathstalker and the infamous Hazel d’Ark, who then somehow made their way into the castle proper despite all the security safeguards, and could be, well, anywhere right now, you could have heard a pin drop in the hall once he stopped speaking. In fact, you could have heard the pin while it was still in midair. The Silvestri dropped one of his daggers.
    The Romanov went very pale. And the Kartakis’s last swallow of wine went down entirely the wrong way and half choked him. Valentine Wolfe ignored the unpleasant sounds, and concentrated on the increasingly unhappy security chief on the viewscreen.
    “Are you telling me,” he said almost pleasantly, “that all our extensive and incredibly expensive security measures couldn’t stop two people from breaking in?”
    “Well, basically, yes, my Lord. After all, the two people are—“ “I know who they are. That’s why I hired you and your people. And just from looking at you, I can tell there’s more bad news. What is it?”
    The security chief looked even more unhappy, if that was possible. “Some outside system has penetrated our computers and is shutting down the processing plant.” “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, and I don’t think I am,” said Valentine. “But I seem to remember you telling me that such a thing was completely and utterly impossible.”
    “Yes, my Lord. Strictly speaking, it is impossible. It shouldn’t be happening.”
    “But it is.”
    “Yes, my Lord.”
    “You’re fired,” said Valentine. “Collect your severance pay and have your second in command nail your head to a chair before you leave. And no, you don’t get a
    reference.”
    He shut down the viewscreen and leaned back in his chair. The Silvestri picked up the dagger he’d dropped. “You should have had him killed, Wolfe.” “Don’t be silly, Carlos,” said Valentine absently.
    “Mercenaries have a very strong union.” He chuckled suddenly, a soft, dangerous sound. “Dear Owen, how did you know to find me here? I covered my trail extremely thoroughly. And yet, here you are, turning up like the proverbial bad penny to ruin my day yet again. You always want to spoil my fun. Still, I hope you appreciate my little act of vengeance. After all, every dramatic gesture really needs an audience to appreciate it.”
    The Silvestri pulled his other dagger from a portrait’s eye, deliberately ripping the ancient canvas. “I’m not afraid of the big bad Deathstalker. Let him come. Him and his bitch.”
    The Romanov shrugged off the priceless tapestry he’d been wearing like a cloak and frowned thoughtfully. “You might not have enough sense to be scared of the Deathstalker, but I have. He’s a dangerous man. He really did do most of the things he’s supposed to have done. Even the ones that sound impossible. But unlike the rest of you, I had a feeling our security forces weren’t up to stopping or even slowing down a living legend, if he did get wind of our operation. So I made my own arrangements.
    A little surprise, especially for the Deathstalker. Now, if you’ll excuse me, or even if you won’t, I think I’ll go and unpack it.”
    He strode out with his head held high. Valentine applauded his exit languidly, and his scarlet smile widened. “Surprises. I do so love surprises. As it happens, I have one or two prepared for dear Owen too.” “It had better involve sudden death for our enemies, or we’re all in real trouble,” said the Kartakis, his breathing back under control again. He sounded suddenly very sober, and not