Free Deathstalker Return by Simon R. Green

dropped Brett at Lewis’s feet, and glowered down at him.
    “Next time, I’ll bite off something superfluous. Fleeing in the face of the enemy? The very idea. What kind of impression does that make?”
    Brett clambered painfully back to his feet. “Sorry. Trained reflexes. Also, bone deep cowardice. I did warn you. How’s Rose doing?”
    “When I can trust my feet again, I’m going to kill everything in this clearing,” said Rose.
    “Back to normal,” said Brett. “You go talk to the monster, Sir Deathstalker. I’ll look after Rose. From a safe distance.”
    And then they all stopped talking and looked round sharply as the Ashrai reared up again, presenting its wide curved chest to them. The shimmering silver scales split suddenly apart, unfolding like a rose, and out of the pink interior of the Ashrai walked a man, dressed all in black. He strode unhurriedly towards Lewis and his companions, and behind him the opening in the Ashrai’s chest slowly closed itself. And then the huge alien was gone, vanished in a moment, as though it had never been there. Only the man remained. He came to a halt before Lewis. Tall and whipcord lean, he wore black leathers topped with a billowing black cape. He was dark-haired and pale faced, his features subtly ageless. His mouth was a grim flat line, his eyes dark and accusing. He carried a long staff of polished bone, almost as tall as he was. His movements weren’t entirely human. Just looking at the man sent shivers up Lewis’s spine. He knew who this was, who this had to be. He could feel Jesamine pressing in close beside him, like a frightened child.
    “You are the Deathstalker?” It was the same rasping, inhuman voice they’d heard on the ship.
    “Yes. I’m Lewis Deathstalker, descendant of the blessed Owen.”
    “I am Carrion,” said the man dressed in black, though he didn’t sound entirely sure of it. “I have been an Ashrai for many years. I haven’t been human since John Silence and I returned to this world. I’d forgotten how small and limited a thing it is, to be a man. Even your thoughts are smaller. I have descended from the skies to talk with you. It had better be worth it.”
    “No one speaks like that,” said Brett. “Not in real life.”
    “You’d better let me talk to him,” said Jesamine. “I speak fluent opera.”
    “Let me get this straight,” said Brett. “That alien—that was actually you? You changed from a human into that . . . thing?”
    Carrion looked at Lewis. “These people are with you?”
    “Unfortunately, yes,” said Lewis. “I’d apologize for them, but it’s a waste of time. Feel free to ignore them. I do.”
    Carrion turned the full force of his dark, disturbing gaze on Brett, who immediately darted behind Lewis and peered past his shoulder.
    “It is a glorious thing, to be an Ashrai,” said Carrion. “It’s what I always wanted. I was happy to leave my humanity behind, as something I had outgrown. And now, here you are, to remind me of what I wished most to forget. What do you want with me, Deathstalker? You mentioned the Terror. How can they be here so soon?”
    “It’s been two hundred years since the blessed Owen’s warning,” said Lewis.
    “Has it?” said Carrion. “I hadn’t realized. The Ashrai experience time differently. For us, yesterday is the distant past, and the distant past is yesterday. You’re the first human I’ve talked to since I said good-bye to the captain and gave up human weaknesses to be an Ashrai. You’ll pardon me if I’ve lost the knack.”
    “Why did you want to meet us here?” said Lewis, gesturing at the abandoned base. Not so much because he cared, but to buy himself some thinking time. This wasn’t going at all as he’d expected.
    Carrion looked at Base Thirteen. “This is the only human structure left on the planet. We keep it as a reminder never to lower our guard. I thought it might help me remember how to be human again. It hasn’t been a working base for