Deathstalker War Read Online Free Page A

disturbingly cynical smile. He dressed well, if a trifle sloppily, as some of his furs looked distinctly mangy. He was supposed to be in his mid-forties, but he looked ten years older. Trying to run Mistport will do that to you.
    The woman beside him was much more impressive, and not a little intimidating. Despite the bitter cold she wore no furs, only the formal uniform of an Investigator. Owen could feel Hazel tensing beside him and prayed she’d have enough sense not to start anything. Investigator Topaz was medium height, slim, handsome, and her gaze was colder than the mists could ever be. Her close-cropped dark hair gave her classical features a calm, aesthetic air, but her ice-blue eyes were killer’s eyes. Just looking at her made Owen want to back away slowly and very carefully, doing absolutely nothing that might upset her. He knew about Investigator Topaz. Everyone did. She was a Siren, the only esper ever to be made an Investigator. When she decided to leave the Empire and head for Mistworld, the Empress sent a whole company of Guards after her. Five hundred men. Topaz killed them all with a single song, her voice and esp combining into a deadly force that could not be stopped or turned aside.
    In Mistport, she was officially just a Sergeant of the city Watch, but she kept her Investigator’s title. Mostly because no one was stupid enough to argue the point with her. In a city full of dangerous and desperate people, no one messed with Investigator Topaz. Having met her, Owen could understand why. Without looking round, he could feel Hazel stirring at his side, like a junkyard dog scenting a rival, and Owen decided to get things started before they had a chance to get seriously out of hand.
    “Director Steel and Investigator Topaz,” he said smoothly. “So good of you to come and meet us in person at such an early hour. May I present—”
    “We know who you are,” said Steel. “And if you weren’t official representatives of the Golgotha underground, you’d never have been allowed to land. You’re troublemakers, and the last thing Mistport needs right now is more trouble. And for your information we haven’t got up early; we haven’t been to bed yet. Since Typhoid Mary and the esper plague, those of us who survived have been working double shifts just trying to get things back together again. And I haven’t forgotten the mess you stirred up the last time you honored us with a visit, Deathstalker. I should bill you for the damage.”
    “Given the size of the docking fees, I thought you already had,” said Owen, completely unruffled.
    “And before you ask,” said Hazel, “no, you don’t get your usual unofficial ten percent cut of the cargo we’re carrying. Feel free to argue the point. And I’ll feel free to cut you off at the knees. Possibly quite literally.”
    “Don’t mind her,” said Owen. “She’s just being herself. If I might inquire, since we’re so persona non grata, what brings you here at all? Politeness to the underground?”
    “No,” said Topaz, her voice as cold as the grave. “We just wanted a look at the legendary Jack Random.”
    Random flashed them his winning smile and bowed formally. “Delighted to make your acquaintances, Investigator and Director. Rest assured, I shall do everything in my power to see that our business is carried out quietly and quickly, with the minimum of disturbance to all concerned. But I make no secret of my intention to bring Mistworld into the underground, and the central path of the rebellion. You’ve been left alone in the cold too long. It’s time for us all to stand together, and take the fight to the Empire.”
    “Great,” said Steel, entirely unmoved. “Another bloody hero. We get a lot through here. They come and they go, and nothing ever changes.”
    “Ah,” said Random, grinning broadly. “But they’re not Jack Random.”
    To Owen’s surprise, Steel grinned back. Jenny Psycho stepped forward suddenly. “In case