Read Online Slave Empire III - The Shrike by T C Southwell - Free Book Online
Authors: T C Southwell
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the one I
love; he is more precious to me than life. Ask the question that
fills your mind, I see it as clear as day.
I will kill
you just as I killed the Envoy. I am an empath, and more, I have
learnt the skills of the Envoys, and I also have his scars and his
hatred. Ask me. Yes, I lived for my love, and yes, I will die for
him. Here is what you seek, look at it; it’s the last thing you’ll
ever see. She filled her mind with the memory of Tarke’s face.
The telepath squirmed, trying to break free, but she held him.
Endrin and
Jadon struggled to pull the telepath’s hands away from the girl’s
neck, but he hung on. His face contorted and foam dripped from his
lips while he shook uncontrollably. The girl seemed to be in a
trance, staring at the ceiling with an impassive expression. Endrin
watched the monitors with despair as the readings fell or rose to
dangerous levels. Her heartbeat had slowed almost to a halt and her
temperature had dropped while her brain activity was off the
charts. Another alarm sounded, and he grabbed an injector, forcing
a powerful stimulant into Rayne’s blood with a hiss, then looked at
the monitors again.
“Come on, come
on! Live , damn you!”
“We’ve got to
do something,” Jadon said. “If she dies...”
“I know!”
Another alarm
joined the growing cacophony, and Endrin picked up another injector
and turned to the girl. Blood mixed with the froth on the
telepath’s lips as he bit his tongue, shaking violently.
Rayne allowed
the numbness to nibble at her again, fighting the urge to stave it
off. The telepath struggled, but she held him and prevented him
from speaking. You wanted to kill the Shrike, she thought. You would have executed him for a crime he did not commit. I
won’t let you. I’ll show you the meaning of pain and despair. I’ll
lead you down the path of suffering the scars of my anguish bound.
So you’ll learn to fear death, and embrace it as the only friend
that can save you from the pain. You’ll bathe in the tears that
fill my lake of sadness, and you’ll know what it is to be reborn
out of agony and live again with hatred.
There will be
no saviour for you, however. No gentle man with beautiful eyes to
find you and give you his hand. He will not lead you from the path
of destruction and show you joy. Here we both will end. You have
yet to see the ultimate pain of my battle, the scars that only the
Crystal Ship could heal. They have festered again, because of your
uncaring world, and he tried so hard to stop them from swallowing
me. But you have ensured they do, and so you’ll suffer the same
fate.
Here, she said, see what I fear more than anything, which will unleash
my demons upon us both. She imagined Tarke stretched out on an
Atlantean execution block, his arms shackled to the edges. He gazed
at the blade that would kill him as it plunged into his heart. She
shuddered from the shock, imagining his dead face and blind
eyes.
Rayne flung
open all the doors within her mind. The Envoy’s void rushed in and
the howling emptiness engulfed her, sweeping away the telepath’s
mind like chaff in a cyclone. For a moment longer she clung to
sanity, but the massive void was too powerful for her to push back
anymore. It swept into every crevice of her mind, snuffed out every
thought, filled her head with darkness and banished all the light.
Scrysalza’s seals perished in the blankness, its healing succumbed
to the pain, and the howling emptiness swallowed Rayne.
Semil cried out
as the telepath released the girl and collapsed.
Jadon examined
him. “He’s dead.”
“Of course he
is.” Endrin watched the holograms, an injector ready. “My god, no
one dreamt she was so powerful, but we should have realised she was
different. No one could survive what killed the Envoy, and we were
fools to try. That poor fool paid with his life, but at least she’s
still alive, that’s more important.”
A buzzing alarm
made Semil swing to stare
love; he is more precious to me than life. Ask the question that
fills your mind, I see it as clear as day.
I will kill
you just as I killed the Envoy. I am an empath, and more, I have
learnt the skills of the Envoys, and I also have his scars and his
hatred. Ask me. Yes, I lived for my love, and yes, I will die for
him. Here is what you seek, look at it; it’s the last thing you’ll
ever see. She filled her mind with the memory of Tarke’s face.
The telepath squirmed, trying to break free, but she held him.
Endrin and
Jadon struggled to pull the telepath’s hands away from the girl’s
neck, but he hung on. His face contorted and foam dripped from his
lips while he shook uncontrollably. The girl seemed to be in a
trance, staring at the ceiling with an impassive expression. Endrin
watched the monitors with despair as the readings fell or rose to
dangerous levels. Her heartbeat had slowed almost to a halt and her
temperature had dropped while her brain activity was off the
charts. Another alarm sounded, and he grabbed an injector, forcing
a powerful stimulant into Rayne’s blood with a hiss, then looked at
the monitors again.
“Come on, come
on! Live , damn you!”
“We’ve got to
do something,” Jadon said. “If she dies...”
“I know!”
Another alarm
joined the growing cacophony, and Endrin picked up another injector
and turned to the girl. Blood mixed with the froth on the
telepath’s lips as he bit his tongue, shaking violently.
Rayne allowed
the numbness to nibble at her again, fighting the urge to stave it
off. The telepath struggled, but she held him and prevented him
from speaking. You wanted to kill the Shrike, she thought. You would have executed him for a crime he did not commit. I
won’t let you. I’ll show you the meaning of pain and despair. I’ll
lead you down the path of suffering the scars of my anguish bound.
So you’ll learn to fear death, and embrace it as the only friend
that can save you from the pain. You’ll bathe in the tears that
fill my lake of sadness, and you’ll know what it is to be reborn
out of agony and live again with hatred.
There will be
no saviour for you, however. No gentle man with beautiful eyes to
find you and give you his hand. He will not lead you from the path
of destruction and show you joy. Here we both will end. You have
yet to see the ultimate pain of my battle, the scars that only the
Crystal Ship could heal. They have festered again, because of your
uncaring world, and he tried so hard to stop them from swallowing
me. But you have ensured they do, and so you’ll suffer the same
fate.
Here, she said, see what I fear more than anything, which will unleash
my demons upon us both. She imagined Tarke stretched out on an
Atlantean execution block, his arms shackled to the edges. He gazed
at the blade that would kill him as it plunged into his heart. She
shuddered from the shock, imagining his dead face and blind
eyes.
Rayne flung
open all the doors within her mind. The Envoy’s void rushed in and
the howling emptiness engulfed her, sweeping away the telepath’s
mind like chaff in a cyclone. For a moment longer she clung to
sanity, but the massive void was too powerful for her to push back
anymore. It swept into every crevice of her mind, snuffed out every
thought, filled her head with darkness and banished all the light.
Scrysalza’s seals perished in the blankness, its healing succumbed
to the pain, and the howling emptiness swallowed Rayne.
Semil cried out
as the telepath released the girl and collapsed.
Jadon examined
him. “He’s dead.”
“Of course he
is.” Endrin watched the holograms, an injector ready. “My god, no
one dreamt she was so powerful, but we should have realised she was
different. No one could survive what killed the Envoy, and we were
fools to try. That poor fool paid with his life, but at least she’s
still alive, that’s more important.”
A buzzing alarm
made Semil swing to stare
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