Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

ahead?"
    "Darling, I'm starting to get a little scared," said Nina.
    "Good. It'll keep you sharp, keep you safe. Look, we're better off now than we were. At least now we know what's going on. The world is starting to make sense again. Finn got rid of the oversoul because they could have exposed what's happening. It was probably also part of the deal he made with the ELFs, to make up for the massacre of their people at the Parade of the Paragons. And, he's got rid of the only people who could have exposed him for what he is."
    "Isn't there any way we can get at him?" said Nina.
    "He must know this alliance can't last," said Emma. "The ELFs hate his guts. They'll turn on him first chance they get. Finn's playing a very dangerous game…"
    "I say we just lob a grenade into the Sangreal, and kill the lot of them," Nina said briskly.
    "Tempting," said Emma, "but no. We can't attack the Paragons directly. We'd only kill the possessed bodies; the ELF minds would escape. We have to find a way to drive the ELFs out of their thralls, and rescue the Paragons."
    Nina snorted. "You don't want much, do you?"
    "You! Who are you? What are you doing here?"
    Emma and Nina looked round sharply, to see Miracle Grant glaring at them from the door of the bar.
    Emma grabbed Nina by the wrist and ran like hell. They couldn't let the ELF get too close, and learn who they were from their thoughts. Grant pounded after them, and the other Paragons came boiling out of the bar to join the pursuit. Emma reached into a concealed pocket and pulled out a mindbomb. Utterly illegal on Logres, but still in common use on Mistworld. Emma believed in being properly prepared, and not letting trifling little technicalities get in the way of doing her job. She charged down the street, Nina plunging gamely along beside her. From the sound of the ugly voices behind them, the Paragons were gaining. Emma primed the mindbomb, let it fall to the ground, and kept running. The bomb detonated just as the Paragons reached it. Its vicious energies sleeted through their minds, disrupting all mental activity in its limited range, and the Paragons staggered to a halt as ELF and host mind were both thrown into confusion. By the time the ELF minds were back in control, their prey was long gone.
    Backstage at the House of Parliament, in one of the many small rooms where all the real work of government was done, Anne Barclay and the clone James were working on the text for his next big speech. The esper condemnation speech had gone down really well, and Finn wanted to be sure he had a good follow-up ready to go. James had no strong feelings about espers one way or another; he just said what he was told to say, but still he felt a certain relief that they wouldn't be around to threaten him anymore. Any esper who got close enough might have unmasked him and revealed who and what he really was. He didn't hate them or even necessarily want them dead; he just wanted them out of his life.
    James wasn't actually shallow, just inexperienced, but the result was the same. He could see things as important only when they affected him personally.
    His next big speech would be a clarion call for the House to remove the aliens' votes, and restrict all alien movement within the Empire "for the duration of the emergency." Most of the aliens had already withdrawn their representatives from the House anyway, but the measure would make Pure Humanity happy, and Finn needed another scapegoat to focus popular resentment on, now the espers were gone.
    Besides, with the Terror coming, Humanity couldn't afford to have potential enemies at its back. Better that all the alien species be subdued and controlled, and this speech would be an important step in that direction. Again, James didn't care. He was just following orders.
    Anne soon had the speech whipped into shape, and sat back from the table. She stretched her new body luxuriously, and smiled just a little exasperatedly at James. "You know, this would go a lot faster if you could contribute something, now and again. Help me tailor the words more to your particular speech rhythms, for example. Even change the words to fit your own style. You are allowed to have opinions.
    You don't have to be just a mouthpiece for Finn's words."
    "Really?" said James. "I thought that was exactly what I was created for. Finn's already made it very clear, on several painful occasions, that he doesn't want me to think for myself. I'm just a puppet, something for Finn