Deathstalker 06 - Deathstalker Legacy

side with him, and no one would believe him. He was on his own. Not least because where Jesamine was concerned, he was guilty. He screwed his eyes shut, as though he could hide from himself in the dark. He couldn't think about her now. He'd go mad. No; his only chance to redeem himself, and perhaps restore his honor, was to perform some act of great heroism, worthy of the Deathstalker name. He had to save the day; openly and extravagantly. And only one way came to mind; find out the truth about Owen and his companions. What really happened to them. Was Owen really dead? If not; where was he? And if he could be found, could he stop the Terror? Lewis raised his hand, opened his eyes, and studied the chunky black gold ring on his finger. Owen's old ring, sign and seal of Clan Deathstalker. Everyone seemed sure it was the real thing. Given to him by a dead man ... It must have been given to him for some reason; maybe it did conceal some secret, useful information. And if anyone was equipped to find the truth, it was him. He was a Deathstalker.
    He sat up suddenly, leaned over, and activated the comm panel by the bed. It was a battered old unit, sound only, but it would do the job. Even in a dump like this, they had to provide the basic amenities, or no one would stay there. Lewis patched a call through to his old home, on the world of Virimonde, using secret family contact codes that only a Deathstalker would know. The peacekeeper computers would be monitoring all the comm traffic, but none of the codes he was using would set off an alarm or trip any flags. And once contact with his family was established, they'd institute a whole series of security protocols from their end, hiding the true conversation behind prerecorded talk of no interest to anyone.
    After what happened to Owen, and later David, the Deathstalker family was justifiably somewhat paranoid. Given the state of his credit card, Lewis had to call collect, which complicated matters a little, but soon enough Lewis was talking with his father, Roland.
    "Took you long enough to get in touch," his father said gruffly. "Your mother's been worried sick. She's currently lying down with one of her heads. We know what happened at the House. It's all over the media, the bastards. This line will be secure for about twenty minutes, and then, if you have more you
    need to say, you'll have to disconnect and try again. How are you, Lewis? You hurt? You need money? I can be there on Logres in under a week, if you need me."
    "No, Dad!" Lewis said urgently. "You're safer where you are. Everything's gone crazy here. I'm not hurt, and I don't need any help. If you came here, they'd pick you up the moment you landed. This is Logres, remember? Best security in the Empire. I should know. I used to help run it."
    "What happened, son? There's been all kinds of crazy talk on the news comment shows. They're calling you a traitor. Tell me it's not true."
    "It's . . . complicated, Dad. I'm doing my best to sort it out . . . but that could take some time."
    "You can't come home, Lewis," Roland said flatly. "The family couldn't protect you. Friends in Virimonde security quietly informed us that they've been given orders to shoot you on sight if you're ever dumb enough to show your face here. The family will still do what it can to help you. We still believe in you. I believe in you. Now tell me what I can do to help."
    "I told Parliament that we didn't have any secret information on the blessed Owen, or his fate," Lewis said carefully. "But I've been doing some thinking, and it occurred to me that this might be just my opinion. Are there things in the family archives that I was never told about? Things no one knows outside the family?"
    "Maybe a few, small things," said Roland. "I would have told you if you'd asked, but you were never interested before. What does it matter now, anyway?"
    "I need to know, Dad. It could be important."
    "Let me think for a minute." There was a long, expensive silence, punctuated now and again by the occasional hiss of static. It was a very old unit. Lewis kept an eye on his watch, and tried not to worry too much as a large chunk of his safe twenty minutes ticked away. "All right," Roland said finally. "How about this. We do know the exact coordinates for the location of the original Deathstalker Standing.
    Diana Vertue crash-landed what was left of the old castle on the planet Shandrakor. The Standing was shot to Hell during the last great battle against