Free Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny by Simon R. Green

then that whoever passed through the Madness Maze would emerge changed irrevocably. We had put much time and effort into making ourselves what we were, and did not wish to risk unknown changes. We studied the Henge for years, using the most powerful and subtle sciences of the day, and discovered just enough to whet our appetites. Of course, simply by spending so much time in close proximity to the Henge, we were already changing, becoming more than we were. We did not always look like this.
    "And as our bodies slowly changed, our minds did as well. New vistas opened up
    before us. By this time, word of what we'd found had reached the then Emperor.
    To buy us time to continue our studies, we created for him the new shock troops he desired; the Wolflings. But they were affected by the Henge too, and became more than we meant, more than they should have been. The Emperor grew afraid, and had them wiped out. I understand you met the last Wolfling, Hazel d' Ark. A strange creature, possibly immortal. Almost certainly kept alive by the Maze, to serve its own purposes.
    "After the Wolflings rebelled, and the Empire forces moved in to exterminate them, we had no choice but to leave their world. The Emperor had not appreciated our gift, and there were warrants on all our heads. There was no time to plan or prepare. We took one stone and fled, bare hours ahead of the arriving Fleet. The Summerstone brought us here, and we have lived in this place ever since. We rarely leave. Away from the stone, our power wanes, and Time crashes in upon us.
    We look to you to free us from these chains.
    "Centuries passed, while we learned to draw what we needed from the Summerstone.
    And down the long years, we discovered and gave our lives to our great Quest, our search for the greatest knowledge of all; to know the true nature of underlying reality. What is, as opposed to what appears to be. Not the things of mist and shadow that our still limited senses perceive, but the bedrock on which all existence is based. The recent creation of espers has revealed new ways of perceiving reality, but you Maze people have the potential to see, to sense, to know so much more. And you will help us know these things too."
    "You've lost me," said Hazel. "What is there beyond the universe we know? Heaven and Hell and all that?"
    "Such small concepts," said Scour. "We wish to find and experience the basic, primal reality. To rip aside all the veils, and know the answer to all
    questions. We will become gods. It is our destiny."
    "You're all potty," said Hazel. "I'm sorry, but you're all completely barking.
    How the hell am I supposed to help you?"
    "When you and the others passed through the Madness Maze," said Scour, "we felt the change. Your transformation affected everything else, like ripples spreading out from a stone thrown into the center of reality. It was decided that we would take one of you for examination. You had the most weaknesses, and your particular talent fascinated us. If we could control your ability to summon alternate versions of yourself, we would have an endless supply of Maze people to experiment on. We have tried cloning our subjects in the past, but the nature of this place interferes with the process. You are the answer to all our problems."
    "Someone is coming," said one of the severed human heads, and all the Blood Runners turned to look.
    "What do you mean, someone's coming?" said Scour. "No one can come here without our permission. No one can find us, unless we allow it. Who could possibly be coming here?"
    "The Deathstalker," said the severed head, and the other computer heads took up the name, chanting it over and over again, until Scour shut them all with an angry wave of his hand. "He will be here soon," said the first head. "Soon,"
    whispered the other heads in unison, and then they fell silent.
    "Another Maze subject for our experiments," said Lament. "Fortune smiles on us."
    "Fool!" snapped Pyre. "This is the Deathstalker! He