Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

the driving need to find a meaning for it all. Jesamine sang, her face full of rapture, and the Ashrai sang with her. Lewis stared at his love, stunned by the power in her voice. He felt as though he was in the presence of something sacred. Jesamine finally broke off, and the Ashrai stopped singing too. Jesamine slowly lowered her head, sweat dripping off her face, and she put out a shaking hand to Lewis. He took her in his arms, making his strength her own, and she clung to him.
    Oh, Lewis," she said finally, her face turned into his chest. "I think now I finally understand how other people feel when I sing. That was… amazing."
    How did you know that was the right thing to do?" said Lewis.
    I in not the first person to sing with the Ashrai," said Jesamine. Two hundred years ago, Diana Vertue sang with them. Before she became Jenny Psycho. This was the song she sang. It's still here, in the air and in the trees and in the Ashrai. They have never forgotten. Look at them, Lewis. At least now we know some of the old legends were true. These are the dragons, and they are glorious…"
    Lewis held her in his arms, and said nothing. The Ashrai were certainly impressive and powerful, but it would take more than a pretty tune to convince him that they were friends. Hundreds of people had died in the past, just for daring to visit Unseeli. And while the Ashrai were undeniably mighty, they still looked ugly as sin itself to him. And bloody dangerous too. He tensed as a single Ashrai broke away from the others circling overhead, and dropped out of the sky towards them. Lewis didn't push Jesamine away,
    but he did turn her round so he could get to his gun more easily. The Ashrai seemed to grow larger and larger as it fell towards them. Lewis estimated it had to be at least forty feet from gargoyle head to spiny tail, with almost as wide a wingspan. The wings flapped heavily as it landed, cupping the air, and the great clawed feet touched down with hardly an impact. The golden wings folded neatly away upon the shimmering silver back, and the Ashrai folded its muscular arms across its massive chest as it regarded them all with unblinking golden eyes. Rose Constantine drew her sword.
    "I have to do this," she said cheerfully. "I have to know. Damn, you ugly brute, you make me feel so hot..."
    She surged forward, sword held out before her, grinning broadly. The Ashrai reared up, raised one massive foot, and stamped on her. She was slammed to the unforgiving ground, almost disappearing under the huge foot. Her sword flew from her hand as the impact crushed the air from her lungs. Brett shrieked, turned, and sprinted for the cover of the trees. Lewis shook his head slowly.
    "Saturday?"
    "Yes, Lewis?"
    "Fetch."
    The reptiloid nodded and set off after Brett, his long stride rapidly eating up the distance between them.
    Lewis gently put Jesamine away from him, and cautiously approached the Ashrai. The harsh face studied him thoughtfully with its glowing golden eyes. Up close, its heavy breathing sounded like thunder, though it smelt of nothing at all. Damn, the creature was big. Lewis cleared his throat carefully.
    "Hi. I'm Lewis Deathstalker. Nice moves. Could we please have our psychopath back? She's impulsive and annoying, and has several appalling personal habits that you really don't want to know about, but she has a certain sentimental value. If you let her up, I'm pretty sure I can guarantee she won't try that again.
    Or anything else, until she can get her eyeballs uncrossed."
    The Ashrai considered the matter, nodded its awful head, and stepped back, raising its huge foot. Lewis and Jesamine dragged Rose out from under, and set her down with her back propped against a tree. She was having trouble getting her eyes to track, but she seemed to know who and where she was.
    "Caught me by surprise," she said thickly. "Get me on my feet and find my sword and I'll tear his wings off and beat him to death with the soggy ends."
    "No, you won't," said Lewis. "You behave yourself and stop embarrassing me, or I'll shoot you myself."
    "You do realize," said Rose, "That if anyone else spoke to me like that I'd fillet them? Good thing for you that I'm a little under the weather. And that you're a Deathstalker."
    Yeah," growled Lewis. "Lucky me."
    Saturday came striding back with Brett tucked securely under one arm. Brett was calling him every name under the sun, and Lewis really hoped the reptiloid didn't understand most of them. Saturday