Mistworld (Deathstalker Prelude) Read Online Free Page A

crystal for, but then he hadn’t had to. There was only one place willing to pay that badly for a Mistport memory crystal. Only one place that could regularly supply Vertue with the kind of high tech he needed to run his business and maintain his lifestyle. Only one place that would supply a mercenary like Blackjack for a bodyguard. The Empire. Dr. Leon Vertue was an Imperial agent. And now, so was Jamie Royal.
    If I didn’t have so many debts…
    Jamie shook his head bitterly, and walked away down the corridor. Memories of Madelaine Skye pressed close around him, but he wouldn’t look at them. He didn’t dare. It was her own fault; she should have chosen her partners more wisely.
    Leon Vertue watched the monitor thoughtfully until Jamie disappeared around the corner in the corridor.
    “Can he be trusted?” said Blackjack quietly.
    Vertue shrugged. “He’s reliable enough, in his fashion, and you frightened him quite convincingly.”
    “And when he’s finished his work for us?”
    “We can’t leave any witnesses,” said Vertue, smiling gently. “And there’s always room in my units for one more body. There’s so much demand these days.”
    Blackjack looked at him calmly. “That’s a hell of a bedside manner you’ve got there, Doctor. Now if you’ll excuse me, the Balefire will be landing soon, and I have a few security guards to bribe first.”
    “There’s no rush,” said Vertue. “The Balefire will be placed under quarantine until Port Director Steel returns from his Council meeting. And that won’t be for some time. Meanwhile, I have another job for you. I want you to kill someone.”
    “When and where?”
    “Tonight, at the city boundary; Merchants Quarter. The… target we discussed earlier.”
    “Good,” said Blackjack, smiling slightly. “I’ve been looking forward to that.”
    He turned and left without waiting for Vertue’s reply, and the door opened before him and shut after him. Vertue scowled at the monitor screen as Blackjack strolled unconcernedly down the corridor. Leon Vertue had seen things and done things that would have sickened any normal man, but still he was scared of the black-clad mercenary. Vertue pouted angrily. He didn’t like to be scared; it upset him. Vertue had many ways of dealing with those who upset him, all of them thoroughly unpleasant. He smiled reluctantly as his memories calmed him, but still his frown remained.
    He looked back at the monitor, but Blackjack had already disappeared from sight. Vertue licked his dry lips, and felt a little of the tension drain out of him. Even though they currently worked for the same masters, Vertue had never felt comfortable in the mercenary’s presence. Under the polite phrases and stoic calm, he’d seen a deep contempt burning in Blackjack’s eyes, a contempt for everything and everyone who wasn’t strong.
    Vertue scowled thoughtfully. He wouldn’t always need the mercenary… and there was always room in the reclamation tanks for one more body. He smiled suddenly, and laughed softly to himself. Leon Vertue turned his attention to the reclamation tank before him, and ran his hand caressingly over the moisture-beaded lid. He thumbed a control and the swirling blue mists parted briefly, allowing him a glimpse of the cold white face below. Frost covered her staring eyes. She was very pretty. So very pretty. And her flesh would be so cold and inviting and helpless to his touch.…

CHAPTER THREE
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    Decisions in Council
    THE Council chamber was surprisingly wide and roomy, but its timbered ceiling was as low as in any other dwelling in Mistport. The howling spring gales made living in tall structures without high-tech support a risky business. Oil lamps and blazing torches lent the chamber a comforting golden glow, and a battered old heating unit murmured quietly to itself as it supplied a slow, steady warmth. Faded portraits of past Councillors lined the panelled walls, the familiar brooding faces staring down at the