Tyrant's Stars: Parts Three and Four (18 page)

A terrifying spectacle came back to her. The expression her brother had worn as he squeezed her neck. Closing her eyes, Sue said, “I never wanna see that again. That face!”

She put her hands over her eyes. And she remained like that for a few seconds. Then she took her hands away, looked up, and said, “But I stabbed my brother. I suppose that makes us even. Bring me along with you.”

“Your brother is a real mess—but it’s decided, then,” the left hand remarked, sounding weary.

“She’s shown great courage,” Count Braujou said, having held his peace until now. There was a ring of admiration to his words.

For the next five days, the group traveled nonstop. There was no sign of Seurat, Callas, or even the newest assassin, Kima, but of course nothing further was seen of Matthew, either.

“We are entering the northern Frontier sectors,” the lovely female voice informed them on the evening of the sixth day.

As he gazed at the panoramic hologram projected in the room, the count was the first to say, “This is quite a sight.”

After that, he fell silent.

No trace remained of the northern Frontier the world had known. What lay there was a flat black plain utterly devoid of grass and trees. In the twilight, the surface of the plain had a metallic gleam, and it also had an unearthly air that seemed to chill the very winds that blew across it. While looking out toward the horizon where not a glimpse, not a trace of any living creature could be seen, a person might feel a tremendous despair and sensation of loss and would probably collapse on the spot.

Lightning flashed in the distance.

“Before the northern Frontier came to be as we know it, it used to be Valcua’s kingdom, didn’t it?” the left hand said.

“That’s right,” Braujou replied. He was seated in an enormous chair. Sitting beside him on a chair intended for guests was Sue. D remained standing.

“He completely remodeled the northern Frontier,” the count continued. “After he was exiled, this territory was a wasteland for as far as the eye could see. Rumor had it he’d picked up his kingdom and put it in his pocket. And it looks like that was indeed the case.”

“Do you know what the lay of the land was five thousand years ago?” D inquired.

The count thumped his chest. A sound like a gong being struck echoed through the room, causing Sue to stiffen. “Leave it to me. My mind hasn’t gone on me. I’ve also fed the maps into my computer.”

“Where should we enter?”

“It doesn’t make any difference. The whole territory is rigged with sensors. Whether Valcua considered someone an ally or a foe determined whether or not they could enter. And we’ve probably long since come under his scrutiny. I believe he’s telling us we can come at him from any direction, whenever we like.”

“I’m surprised you made it in five thousand years ago,” the left hand said.

The answer to that was simple.

“The Sacred Ancestor gave us a device to negate the sensors. Also, merchants and travelers were able to pass through them."

It was because of this that Sue’s ancestor had met up with the three Nobles who were traveling to confront Valcua.

“In that case—a frontal assault it is, eh?” the left hand said, summarizing their plight nicely. “But before we do that, we might wanna ask that group hanging around up there what their situation is. If I’m not mistaken, that’d be a survey party from the Capital.”

By the border between dirt and steel were assembled wagons, cars, and other transports. Beside them stood sleeping quarters that resembled bisected cylinders. In the center a group of people had gathered, and they were staring in the direction of the count’s car. The first ones to come out weren’t really armed, but the ones who now bounded from the sleeping quarters carried automatic rifles, flamethrowers, and laser pistols. After all, an unknown vehicle was approaching.

A man stepped forward, his laser pistol leveled. A crimson beam of light angled down from his weapon, sinking into the dirt in front of the car. A section of ground a foot in diameter melted, sending vapor into the air.

“The impudence,” the count chuckled.

Sue turned to look at him and said, “Please, don’t.” For she’d sensed his urge to retaliate.

“Stop the car,” D said as he headed for the door.

Looking at the Hunter out of the corner of his eye, the count remarked sullenly, “Am I supposed to answer to your every command now?”

“Lives depend on it—yours, in particular,” D replied, at which the Nobleman’s displeasure became even more apparent.

“Halt,” Braujou ordered.

The instant they saw the young man in black appear, a kind of unvoiced shock rolled through the group of men like a wave. His good looks left them amazed, while his unearthly air numbed them to the bone.

“Is this a survey party?” D asked.

The men were exchanging glances when a tall and imposing figure appeared from one of the sleeping quarters, advancing to the front of the group with quick strides.

“We’re the second survey party sent out here by the Capital. I’m the leader—Otto’s the name.”

“I’m D.”

This time, it was an intense shock wave that passed through the men.

“You . . . you’re D?” Otto asked, his fearless visage tinged with wonder and excitement. “Even back in the Capital we’ve heard there’s a Hunter so good, mere money hardly seems payment enough. Who ever thought we’d run into you out here . . .”

Eyeing the car behind D, he asked, “That your ride?”

The young man before him and the car didn’t seem to jibe.

“Yes, for convenience’s sake,” D replied. Apparently he’d taken a liking to Otto.

Perhaps understanding as much, the survey-party leader grinned, saying, “Well, if there are Nobles to be slain, this job certainly calls for a Vampire Hunter. A bunch of folks have already set out and not made it back, but the man called D, now that’s—”

“You said you were the second survey party, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. The first one left a month back, but that was the last anyone heard of ’em. We got here two days ago and have been establishing our base camp, but tomorrow, we’ll finally set off.” “Hey, if it’s all right with you, why don’t you go with us?” a heavily bearded character called out to D. “You Vampire Hunters know all about how the Nobles live. Having you along would sure be a lot of help—wouldn’t it?”

The men to whom he directed that appeal nodded in unison. “Knock it off. You’re an embarrassment,” Otto yelled at the man. “He’s got his own job to do. And we’d just be in his way. Of course, he’d also be in ours.”

The leader was grinning at D again when a voice called out, “The scout’s back!”

A number of them ran to see. Otto looked in their direction, then turned back to D and said, “This’ll have to wait until later. The least we can do is swap in tel.”

Having said this, he turned and left.

“Now there’s a man among men,” the left hand remarked, sounding both impressed and mocking.

Of course, there was no reply.

After seeing the condition of the scout, Otto had to catch his breath. One of the man’s arms had been torn off at the shoulder, but due to the sterile blood-stanching bandages that he’d applied to it— most likely while fleeing—he’d somehow managed to keep himself alive. Otto estimated that he wouldn’t last another five minutes. His wounds were so grave, it was a miracle he’d even made it back.

“Are you the only one left?” one of the men asked. The reconnaissance party had set out with five men.

The man nodded. He and the men surrounding him had ghastly looks on their faces.

A doctor raced over to examine his wounds, and then walked away from the scout, shaking his head.

“What happened?”

The scout understood Otto’s question, but no voice came out. His ashen lips trembled. The light was swiftly fading from his bulging eyes.

“It’s no use, I guess,” Otto said, about to close the man’s eyes—as was often done to send off the dead—but just then a black figure cut across his field of view.

Seeing the gorgeous youth place his left hand against the dying man’s brow, the men looked at each other. Some of them even intoned spells. D’s great beauty and unearthly air made everything he did seem wondrous.

The light returned to the scout’s eyes. Cries of astonishment rang out, and the men focused on their compatriot, who’d seemingly returned from the dead.

“Can you hear me, Bolan? It’s me—Otto. How about the others? What happened?”

As Otto peered down at him, the man grabbed his shoulder with an emaciated hand. Otto grimaced. The man had ferocious strength.

“They all got killed ... Run for it... They’re ... coming... after me!”

Some of the men shot startled glances out over the black plain, but a deep blue darkness already covered the land, and they could see nothing.

“What do you mean by
they
?” asked another man.

“Glowing cylinders . . . with dozens of arms . . . They hoisted up the others . . . then injected ’em with something . . . and they dropped like flies. . .”

That was when it happened. Someone close to the plain shouted, “Something’s coming, and it’s glowing!”

For a second, the men stared at the scout’s face, and then they got to their feet.

“They’re coming . . . Run for it . . . There’s no use . . . fighting them.”

Bolan drew a deep breath, his body shuddered badly, and then he gave up the ghost.

Ignoring the noisy group around him, D stood up.

Bowing his head to the deceased, Otto said, “Thanks to you, D, we know what’s headed this way ain’t friendly. You have our thanks. Now I’m asking you to stand back.”

“Captain, why don’t we have him help us?” asked a man with belt upon belt of machine-gun ammo hanging around his neck, tossing his chin in D’s direction.

“He’s a private citizen. We take care of ourselves. Don’t go looking to others to do your work for you.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Enough yapping. Reinforce that barricade. Don’t let anything get within a hundred yards of us.”

Giving D a slap on the shoulder and bidding him farewell, Otto dashed off.

The doctor grabbed the corpse by the arm and dragged it away. “You plan on just sitting back?” the left hand inquired.

“Those were his instructions.”