Warlord Conquering (The Great Insurrection Book 3) by David Beers (best historical fiction books of all time txt) 📗

good would it do to kill your compatriots while we meet? You paid what I asked, and now I will give you what you want."

Alistair was quiet as the man turned to the door. He studied him closely and felt confident it was the same man he'd seen in the restaurant. Except for the way he acted, the physicality was exactly the same.

He exited, leaving the Fallen Titan and the drathe alone. The drathe looked at his master, and Alistair shrugged. "I don't know any more than you do. You want to go to the meeting?"

Obs walked across the room to the corner and laid down. Alistair chuckled. The son-of-a-bitch was telling him he was on his own.

"You got a good sense of humor for a dog. Get some sleep. I think tomorrow might be a big day."

The AllMother was on his right, and Obs was on his left as they stood on the street outside the fancy restaurant. Alistair felt out of place, given that he was about to walk in with a drathe who came up past his hips.

For her part, the AllMother seemed not to have a care in the world. "I bet their food is delicious," she said, looking through the windows at the guests.

Alistair sighed. He knew she said it to push his buttons. The old woman had an unusual sense of humor. She and Obs would probably really enjoy each other's jokes.

He reached forward to open the door, but the first woman from yesterday opened it before he could touch the handle. "He's expecting you. Please follow me."

She didn't wait for Alistair to respond but walked deeper into the restaurant. Alistair had to move quickly to follow. Obs let the AllMother go before him, then followed with his nose low to the floor.

The group had gone right yesterday, but today they turned left. They passed through black drapes that didn't let eyes pry into this side of this building and found themselves in a narrow hallway. The woman didn't turn around but kept walking forward as if her only job were to go from point A to point B.

Finally, she stopped at the end of the hallway in front of a single door that had none of the poshness of the restaurant. It looked ancient.

The woman turned. "I can't go in. You must go alone." With that, she whisked back down the hall. Obs had to squeeze against the wall to let her through, and he was not pleased about it.

Alistair turned the handle and pulled the door open.

He stepped inside and then stopped, his mind trying to adjust to what he saw. The AllMother walked in on his right and Obs went to her right, sandwiching her between the two warriors.

Alistair's eyes narrowed. Endless replicas of the man they'd met yesterday stood and sat in this room, which appeared to stretch on for much longer than possible, given the building’s layout.

The bodies were motionless, androids or robots of some kind. Whatever he'd sat with in the restaurant hadn't been a real person but one of these.

Slowly, Alistair walked forward, feeling more creeped out by the second. The androids were in different positions, some looking angry, others shocked. Some even had their faces contorted as if they were sobbing.

"I don't know what we've gotten ourselves into," he said. "AllMother, do you?"

She smiled slightly. "I think these dolls are terrific."

He shook his head and walked deeper into the massive room. After another thirty yards or so, he saw an office on his left. The door was open, and the living model for all the androids sat behind a relatively small wooden desk.

The man stood, and Alistair saw that the android from yesterday had been a version of him, but not one that adequately captured him. "Hi. Welcome." He stepped around his desk and met them at the door.

The man looked at the AllMother first. "For many years, I've been wanting to meet you. I'm glad I finally get the chance, Alexandria."

Alistair turned his head to the AllMother, shocked. He'd never heard her name. He had figured she had one but thought that no one alive knew it any longer. The AllMother's face grew harder. "I haven't been called that in a long time. How do you know that name?"

"My business is knowing things. Do you know who I am?"

The AllMother shook her head. "No, I don't, but if I wanted to, I could find out."

The bald man smiled. "The rumors are true, then. You do have abilities that men would kill for. There is no need to go inside my head for information. Who I am doesn't concern you; what I know about your friend does."

Alistair raised his palm. "Hold on. I need to step back a second and ask what is going on behind me. There are, like, a million replicas of you outside, and I imagine each would pass as one of your aides if it was activated. I need to know what I'm looking at before we talk any further."

The man gave a small smile and beckoned them into his office. "Come. Sit."

Alistair led the way. There were two chairs to the right of the desk and a spot for Obs on the left side. The drathe scanned the room quickly, then laid on the floor. Alistair understood it was a sign of trust. The drathe couldn't speak, so he was doing what he could to show his master his thoughts.

It set Alistair a little more at ease. The AllMother took the far right seat, and he took the other. The nameless man closed the door, then sat behind the desk. He motioned behind them with his hand. "No one else on this planet has seen what you did and lived more than minutes afterward." He raised his hand in a stop gesture. "Do not worry, my word is good. You’re in no danger from me, and I don’t fear showing you these versions of me. The chances of you making it off this