Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

towards the great hall at its heart. Part of his certainty came from recognizing landmarks, from stories he'd been told since he was a child, and some of it came from suggestions murmured in his ear by the AI Ozymandias, who had been there before with Owen; but a lot of it seemed like instinct, as though the old castle was part of his blood, his inheritance. As though he belonged here, and always had. The slow, solid roar of the power plant below was growing louder, growling beneath their feet as though in warning. Guide was becoming increasingly spooked, swiveling his bulging head back and forth.
    "It's definitely getting colder in here," said Brett, shuddering dramatically.
    "The cold of the grave," said Rose.
    Brett glared at her. "You're really not helping, Rose."
    "Castles are difficult to heat," said Jesamine. "Everyone knows that. But if I see the butler, I'll pass on your complaints."
    Brett yelped in alarm as a tall, dark figure came stalking suddenly down the corridor towards him. Rose stepped quickly forwards to put herself in front of Brett, covering the newcomer with her disrupter.
    Lewis just had time to take in the figure's old-fashioned clothing, and then it was gone, disappeared between one moment and the next. He opened his mouth to say something, and then stopped as more people appeared, men and women in various battle armors, crowds of them flickering on and off as they hurried silently up and down the corridor. Some of them walked right through Lewis and the others, and he didn't feel a thing, not even a cool breeze.
    "Holo images," said Jesamine. "Computer records from the past. Probably security camera footage. Our presence must have activated them. Or maybe… they're just random images given off as the computers come back on line again."
    She broke off as the word random echoed on the air in whispering voices. A single holo figure appeared, wrapped in a battered old cloak, limping slowly towards them out of the past. They all knew his face. The cloak swung aside for a moment, and they saw he had one hand clapped over a bloody wound in his side. His face was taut and strained, but quietly determined.
    "Jack Random," said Brett softly, all the color dropped out of his face. "Great-grandfather… what happened to you? I didn't think anyone could kill you."
    Random seemed to look at Brett for a moment, and then he was gone, with nothing to show he'd ever been there.
    "Ghosts…" said Brett.
    "Holo images," said Jesamine. "That's all, Brett."
    "No! No… it's the past, coming back to life, haunting the present. The dead are still alive here… Right.
    That's it. I am out of here. No treasure is worth this. I'll go back and guard the entrance."
    "There's no reason to be scared of the dead," said Rose.
    "What if they don't know they're dead?"
    "I'll protect you, Brett," said Rose. "You'll be safe with me. Even the dead have enough sense to be scared of Rose Constantine."
    Brett looked at her for a moment, and then a sharp bark of laughter burst out of him. "Jesus, Rose, we're going to have to work on this whole comfort concept." He glared at Lewis. "All right, I'll stay. But I'm not happy."
    "I'll try to live with the disappointment," Lewis said magnanimously.
    "You shouldn't let this place get to you," Saturday said unexpectedly. She'd hardly said a word since she entered the Standing, except to snort and swear quietly every time she bumped her head against the ceiling. She'd had to walk hunched over all the way, and it hadn't improved her disposition one bit. "This place is big, yes, but size isn't everything. My kind had castles, once. We had cities and technology and all the other things that make you weak. We outgrew them, and left them behind. They got in the way of enjoying the world, of savoring its bloody pleasures, and letting it test us to our limits. There's nothing here for me, Lewis. I think I'll go back to the entrance, and stand guard. Just in case."
    "All right," said Lewis. "Are you sure you can find your way back to the opening?"
    "Of course," said Saturday. "Reptiloids don't get lost. We always know where we are."
    "Pity," muttered Brett. Rose slapped him across the back of the head.
    "While we're busy in here," Lewis said to Saturday, "no one else gets in. No exceptions. Got it?"
    "Got it," said Saturday. She turned and headed back the way they'd come, the flat top of her head brushing against the high ceiling. Guide waited till she was out of sight, and then flexed his