Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny

up, moved by something very like awe and wonder, and there high above them were the Ashrai. Not ghosts this time, but alive and vital and very much material again. Reborn, revitalized, brought back into the living world by the power of the Maze. They were still pretty damned ugly to human eyes, with gargoyle faces and huge batwings, sharp teeth and claws and fierce, glaring eyes. More dragons than angels. But the threat and menace of their usual visitations were gone, this time. They were singing, alien voices raised in joy, and glory, and laughter.
    They flew in a bright blue cloudless sky that seemed to go on forever, soaring
    and plunging and gliding on never-ending winds. Carrion watched them with tears in his eyes. He'd forgotten how graceful they could be. He'd lived with their angry ghosts for so long that he'd forgotten the joy and wonder of their lives.
    Silence's eyes burned with tears too, for having murdered such amazing creatures. And then the Ashrai spoke as one, and Silence and Carrion heard their words in their heads like the voices of angels. Not gargoyles at all.
    We were wrong. Wrong to give in to rage and revenge. We are ashamed, that we allowed ourselves to become too tied to what we were, and forgot what we were intended to be. The Maze created the metallic forests, and put them into our hands, but we forgot they were supposed to be a means to an end, not an end in themselves. After we died, the residual Maze energies of Unseeli allowed us to live on as ghosts. Even after the forest, and our reason for existence, were gone. We used you, dear Sean; allowed your rage and need for revenge to give us purpose and meaning. But now you have brought us here, and we remember.
    I'm sorry, said Silence. I'm so sorry for what I did.
    We understand duty, and honor, said the Ashrai. We forgive you. Not because Sean once asked us to, but because we can see into your mind and your heart. We must put the past behind us, John Silence. A greater war faces us now, of the light against the dark, and we must face it together.
    The Recreated, said Carrion.
    Yes.
    Do we always have to be fighting? said Carrion. Are we never to know any peace?
    There has been peace, said the Ashrai. There will be peace again. But right now, we have work to do. The Maze gave us life again for a purpose.
    So what are we supposed to do? said Silence. Do we get to talk to the baby?
    No, said the Ashrai. He doesn't trust you. He will see only Owen. But you have
    done well to come this far. You have a vital part to play in this last battle for the soul of Humanity.
    How do you know all this? said Silence.
    We have a link to the Maze. An old link. Our ancestors knew the Maze, long and long ago. We had forgotten, till Sean brought us here. But we have said all there is to say. The Maze has changed you both, in ways that may be useful. Now we must go, to face the Enemy. Because the Recreated are very close now, and if they win, the light will go out of the galaxy forever.
    And as suddenly as that, Silence and Carrion were back on the bridge of the Dauntless. The bridge crew looked round, startled, voices rising in questions Silence didn't have any answers for. He cut them off with a sharp wave of his hand, and strode over to take his seat in the command chair. Carrion stood at his side, power lance in hand, apparently entirely unruffled.
    "All right," said Silence. "Bring me up to speed. Show me where the Recreated are, right now."
    "All over us," said the comm officer, Morag Tal. "We've been under fire almost from the moment you… left the bridge. We're outnumbered, outgunned, and our shields are failing. Apart from that, things are pretty bad. Any chance of reinforcements, Captain?"
    "I doubt it," said Silence. "Where's the Sunstrider?"
    "Right beside us, and firing off more guns at once than I would have thought possible. Hazel d'Ark appears to be the only one on board. She's doing a lot of damage to the bad guys, and Sunstrider's got some really impressive shields, but even so, she's taking one hell of a battering. Just like us."
    Silence studied the awful shapes filling the viewscreen, even at full
    magnification, and felt a cold hand clutch at his heart. The sheer scale of the ships and the creatures, and their endless numbers… A glance at the tactical displays just underlined how desperate the situation was.
    "Orders, Captain?" said Morag Tal, her voice carefully calm and even. The bridge hushed as everyone turned to look at the