Deathstalker 08 - Deathstalker Coda

two burned so very brightly and fiercely. The uber-espers called thralls away from other, lesser threats, and commanded them to bring down Brett and Rose at any cost.
    Brett and Rose fought on with their bodies, but their minds were elsewhere. The process they had started was still continuing. Their minds opened up and up, meshing together on every level, merging into one incredible mind. A single mind, male and female, one personality operating in two bodies simultaneously. What the uber-espers imposed, Brett and Rose learned to do voluntarily. The process that Finn’s esper drug had begun, and the Madness Maze had continued, now reached its fruition in a single mind that was far more than the sum of its parts. It was a fusion, the best of both minds and the worst, all the knowledge and experience and memories of two people, now combined into one. It was a new thing, and BrettRose woke up smiling.
    Their combined will hit the thralls like a hammer blow, hurling them away dead and broken. BrettRose looked about them, and more thralls blew away under the pressure of their gaze, opening up a wide space around the two bodies with a single mind. The uber-espers lashed out with a telepathic attack focused through their thralls, but it glanced harmlessly away from the new creature’s shields. The uber-espers recoiled from this new thing, and retreated, shocked and horrified by stirrings of a long-buried memory. The thralls turned and ran, leaving BrettRose standing alone in an empty square, surrounded by the dead. They slowly lowered their swords and their breathing steadied, their many wounds slowly but steadily healing themselves.
    Nikki Sixteen, that proud and feisty human-alien hybrid from the Rookery, ran through the square at that moment with a dozen of her fellow fighters, heading for the palace, drawn by what they’d heard in Jesamine’s song. She stopped as she recognized Brett and Rose, flashed Brett a smile, and then hesitated. Brett was different. She could feel it. There was . . . more to him. Brett and Rose looked at Nikki, at the same moment, in the same way, and Nikki backed away from them. She was frightened, and she didn’t know why. She ran after her companions, out of the square, not even sure what it was she was running from. Except that it felt . . . like Brett was dead. Or at least gone.
    Gil Akotai led his Mistworld warriors through the streets, using sharp and cunning tactics to split the thrall armies apart into more manageable groups. Mistworlders knew all about strategy and dirty fighting. Gil swung his long curved blade with wide easy strokes, husbanding his energy, always leading from the front. More and more people came to join him as news of his success spread, and soon he was leading an army of his own through the Parade of the Endless. His skill and courage were unmatched, and he built his own legend that day, through feats of valor and derring-do that were all the more impressive because they came from a simple man, untouched by the dubious blessings of the Madness Maze. The Mistworlders chanted his name as a battle cry, and others took it up as Gil Akotai led them unstoppably towards the heart of the city. News cameras came rushing in from all directions to broadcast it all live. People on worlds all across the Empire followed his exploits, because he was one of them, not a legend or monster from the Maze; just a man, with a man’s courage and determination. Gil Akotai led his people on, cutting a bloody path through the chaos towards the Imperial Palace.
    John Silence, the last survivor of those who’d come down in his pinnace, made contact with the clone guards and took control of them. They weren’t much use without officers to guide them, but they recognized Silence’s natural authority, and gratefully accepted his tactics and orders. Silence recognized them as clones, but had no idea of their origin. They still wore their steel masks. But they were a fighting force, and just what Silence needed, so he didn’t question them too deeply. He just set them to work, killing thralls and pulling together, and then he led them into battle, fighting solidly and well. The Maze might not have granted him miraculous powers, like Owen and the others, but he was still the greatest fighting soldier of his time. He’d even gone head-to-head with Owen Deathstalker, and held his own. The thralls were no match for him. He looked into their possessed eyes, and was reminded of his battles long