dug up again quite recently. Louis Barren spoke for Thieves Quarter, a short and compact woman who looked tough enough to chew up a tin can and split nails. She had a bone-crushing handshake, too. Owen did his best not to wince. Finally, Iain Castle represented Tech Quarter. He was a dwarf with a crooked shoulder, and looked like he had absolutely no sense of humor about it.
The Council took it in turns to give Owen funny looks, and after catching sight of himself in the mirror behind the bar, Owen could understand why. He was covered in dried blood and puke, and his clothes looked as though someone had died in them. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were so deep-set it was a wonder he could see out of them. All in all, Owen decided he looked rather like some homicidal holy man who'd finally discovered the real meaning of life, and was thoroughly pissed off about it. Hazel looked like a barroom brawler, but then, she always did.
Quentin McVey was the first to speak. He screwed a monocle into his left eye and looked Owen up and down. 'Have this boy washed and sent to my room.'
'Forget it,' Owen said amiably. 'You couldn't afford me.'
'You always did have a thing for rough trade, Quentin,' said Lois Barron. 'But this is slumming, even for you. Dear God, this disreputable-looking pair are supposed to be our contacts with the Golgotha underground? They're a disgrace. If they turned up at my front door, I'd set the dogs on them.'
'Right,' said Magnus. 'Get them out of here. We've got work to do. If Golgotha wants to be taken seriously here, they'll have to send us better than this.'
'Kick them out,' said Iain Castle, the dwarf. 'We don't have time for this.'
Owen and Hazel reached out mentally to each other, and linked. Power shot back and forth between them, building and building. Their presence was suddenly overwhelming, filling the room from wall to wall, drawing all eyes to them. They were wild and powerful, so wildly potent as to seem almost inhuman, or more than human. Their power hammered on the air like a giant heartbeat, vast and overpowering. The Councillors would have liked to run, or kneel, but they were held where they were, like mice before a snake. New energy flooded through Owen and Hazel, washing away all weaknesses and impurities. Hazel's Blood use had kept them from linking for so long that they had forgotten how powerful they were when joined.
'Cut it out,' said Cyder, forcing out the words despite the awe that pressed her back against the far wall. 'We're impressed, honest. Now shut it down, before the Empire espers pick up on it.'
Owen and Hazel reigned back on their link, internalizing their power, and suddenly they were just a man and a woman again. Owen could hardly believe that just a few minutes ago he'd thought he was close to death. Now, with Hazel at his side, he felt he could take on an army. It seemed there was still a lot about what the Maze had done to them that they didn't understand.
'Relax,' Hazel said calmly to the Council. 'I don't think any esper could pick us up. Whatever it is that powers us, I don't think it's esp.'
The Council members looked at each other, and if anything looked even more upset than before, and Owen suddenly realized that for the moment they were just as frightened of him and Hazel as they were of the invaders. At least the Empire was a known threat. He stepped forward, hands raised reassuringly, and tried not to notice when they all flinched and drew back from him.
'Take it easy, people. We're here to help. This is your city; you tell us how best we can help you defend it.'
Donald Royal stepped suddenly forward to stare into Owen's face. His gaze was firm and steady. 'Yes, you're a Deathstalker, all right. I can see it in your eyes. Damn, it's good to have a Deathstalker with us again. Your Family always did have a talent for stirring things up. I knew your father and your grandfather, boy. Good men, both of them, in their different ways. When all this is over, I'll tell you some stories about them that you probably won't find in your Family records. It's good to see you here, maintaining your Clan's traditions.'
'Leave the old-times shit for later,' said Castle. 'What kind of help are you offering us, Deathstalker? Going to walk out into the streets and awe the Empire troops to death, are you? You might have esp or juju coming out your ears, but that won't stop an invading army. Surely Golgotha didn't just send us the pair of you and their best wishes? We need guns, explosives, equipment.'
'We brought a ship full of projectile weapons and crates of ammunition,' said Owen calmly. 'They should be being distributed even as we speak. That's it.'
'Projectile weapons?' said Magnus. 'What use are bloody antiques against gravity barges with disrupter cannon?'
'You'd be surprised,' said Hazel. 'Besides, you've got me and Owen. We're an army in our own right.'
'Oh wonderful,' said Lois Barron. 'An ex-aristo and an ex-pirate with overblown esp and delusions of grandeur. Like we haven't got enough of those already. Why don't we all just shoot ourselves now, and get it over with?'
'If you don't stop whining, I'll shoot you myself,' snapped Royal. 'These two are different. You felt their power.'
'Oh, we're different, all right,' said Owen.
'That's for sure,' said Hazel. 'And there's always Jenny Psycho. Wherever she is.'
'I don't think we need to tell the Council about her yet,' said Owen. 'They'd only worry.'
'And if you find those two disturbing, there's always me,' said Young Jack Random.
Everyone turned to look at him. He'd been quiet for so long that everyone had forgotten he was there. It quickly became clear that the Council found his tall muscular frame and handsome face much more satisfying than Hazel and Owen.
'And who the hell are you?' said Castle, climbing onto a stool to get a better look over people's heads.
'I know the face,' said McVey. 'I'm sure I know the face.'
Donald Royal smiled. 'Allow me to present my good old friend, the one and only Jack Random.'
The Council gaped soundlessly for a moment, then left the table en masse to crowd around Random, pumping his hand and slapping him on the back, and saying how delighted they were that he'd come to save them in their hour of need. Random smiled and nodded modestly, looking every inch a hero and a legend born. Owen looked at Hazel.
'I may puke.'
'You already did. Try not to get it all over me this time.'
Eventually the Councillors got tired of telling Random what a savior he was to them, and having him modestly nod and agree, and they brought him over to the table to show him the great map of Mistport. Steel pulled Random in beside him to explain things, and Owen and Hazel pushed in on the other side, determined to not be left out of anything. Steel ignored them, concentrating on Random.
'Right, Jack, this map covers all four Quarters of the city, from boundary to boundary. The city's perimeter is defended by high stone walls, but they won't last long. They were only ever intended to keep out marauding local wildlife. A war machine will walk right through them. And of course they don't do a thing to stop gravity barges and sleds. To the north we have Merchants and Guilds Quarters, and Thieves and Tech in the south. The River Autumn runs through all of them except Tech. With our communications out, and most of the streets blocked with people and barricades, we've been using the barges on the Autumn to transfer messages and people. One of our few Emergency plans that is worth anything. Most of the rest depended on espers, and they're not part of the agenda anymore. Whatever it is the Empire's doing, it's scrambled the minds of practically anyone with even a touch of esp in them. A few of the stronger talents are holding out, but it's anyone's guess as to how long. What's left of the esper union is concentrating on combating the air invasion, but all they're doing is buying us some time. We've got runners bringing in information all the time, but by the time we get to hear about anything, it's already over. I'd kill for just one working comm system, but the runners are all we've got…'
'Not anymore,' said a new voice from the tavern doorway. Everyone looked around, and there was Jenny Psycho, looking very pleased with herself, along with Chance and a dozen esper children from the Abraxus Information Center. The children were awake and more or less steady on their feet, but their eyes were wild and unsettling. A general shudder went through most of the people at the table, as they studied the insane children in their ill-fitting, grubby dressing gowns.
'All right,' said Magnus, in his cold grey voice. 'Who the hell are you, woman, and why have you brought these… people here?'
'I'm Jenny Psycho, last manifestation of the Mater Mundi. So watch your mouth or I'll turn you into a small
