Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

century."
    "Someone slap me," said Nina. "I may faint."
    "Don't tempt me," said Emma, not taking her gaze off Diana. It never occurred to either of them to question Diana's identity, or the truth of what she was saying. Her sense of presence was just too strong.
    Emma did her best to keep her voice level and businesslike.
    "Give me the location, Diana Vertue. And I'll put a bomb under it so big they'll find pieces of the building on the Rim worlds."
    "Tempting thought," said Diana. "But unfortunately, quite impractical. Their meeting place is set deep under the House of Parliament. I don't know if the people would really miss all the members of Parliament, but the old building still has great sentimental appeal."
    "Under the House?" Emma was honestly outraged. "How long has this been going on?"
    "Since long before my time," said Diana. "The uber-espers have used this very secret location for their little get-togethers for centuries. Discovering its location was what got me killed. They ganged up on me.
    Ambushed me. I never even sensed it coming. When I died, the shock scattered my memories. The oversoul arrived in time to absorb my consciousness, but it took me many years to recover everything I'd lost. Now I'm all that's left of the oversoul on Logres, and my abilities are limited by my need to keep a low profile. If the uber-espers even suspect I'm back, they'll go to ground and you'll never find them. But I'm going to fix it so you can sneak into the meeting place under the House, and make a record of everything that happens there."
    Nina had one hand up in the air and waving, like a child in class. "Can I please ask you just a few little questions first, Diana?"
    If you must.
    Nina had a notepad and pencil at the ready. "So, you're here. You're back. Wow! You must have seen a lot of changes. So, what's your favorite restaurant? Who's your favorite vid star? Were you really having an affair with Finlay Campbell? And where does your body come from, if you only exist now as a part of the esper mass-mind?"
    "A lady doesn't answer personal questions. And I don't have time for the rest of that shit. Neither do you, if you want to get to the meeting before it's over. You have to leave now."
    "Why did King Robert and Queen Constance never make a legend out of you, like they did with the others?" said Emma, if only to show she wasn't going to be hurried into anything.
    "Because they had enough sense not to annoy me," said Diana Vertue. "They knew I never approved of the whole legends business. But they were King and Queen, and I… was busy with my own affairs."
    "Affairs?" said Nina, her ears pricking up.
    "Not the kind you're thinking of, dear. And don't push for answers that are none of your business, or I'll hit you with a plague of frogs."
    "Oh, I just love little froggies! They're so cute!"
    "All right, how do you feel about a plague of boils?"
    "Can I just ask one last teeny-tiny question?" Nina put on her best winsome expression, and hit her charm button for all it was worth. "I'm sure an awful lot of people would like to know: why didn't you and the rest of the super-people do something about the Terror, all those years ago? You knew it was coming. Why did you all just go away, and leave it for us to deal with?"
    Emma winced, and braced herself for an explosive reaction, even getting ready to grab Nina and haul her out of the line of fire if necessary, but in the end Diana just looked at Nina for a long moment, and then sighed quietly.
    "Because… we never were super-people, dear. Not really. Just people, with extra abilities. And we were all so very tired, after so many battles, that had cost us so much… We just didn't have it in us to fight another war. Not then. So many good people dead and gone, and we had an Empire to rebuild. So we all went our separate ways, going wherever duty or need drove us… And none of us ever really thought the Terror would arrive in our lifetime. If we thought about it at all, I suppose we all assumed that by the time the Terror finally got here, mankind would have evolved into something capable of stopping it. We all had such faith in the Madness Maze, in those days… I have to go. I have to be about my business. But first, some gifts."
    Emma and Nina cried out in pain and shock as Diana Vertue thrust information directly into their minds.
    All in a moment, they knew exactly where to find the meeting place, how best to get there unobserved, and from what vantage point they