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

planet are so small, I put them at zero. Again, not at my hand, but at the will of the people you're trying to find. I figured to have someone like the AllMother sit in my office before she died was worth the slight chance that you three might live. If you do and decide to speak of what you saw here, I will have you killed."

Alistair ignored the other talk, focusing on a single fact. "I still don't know what I’m seeing."

"They're android versions of me, each programmed with a different personality. It's taken a long time, but accumulating an army like this allows me freedom from my enemies and any law enforcement agencies that want to find me."

Alistair was still stunned. He hadn't known this technology existed or was even possible. "It doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't have to. Know that it works for me, and if you breathe a word of it, Fallen Titan, you will never see your wife again—not that I think you will anyway. I agreed to see you after I learned who was seeking a meeting. You're a serious man, and those are rare. I try to treat serious men with the respect they deserve." He nodded at the AllMother. "Plus, the chance to meet a legend like her should not be passed up."

He paused for a moment and placed his hands behind his head. "If you find this friend of yours, beat back the legions preparing to kill you, and somehow find your way at the Commonwealth's door, then defeat that ancient despot, what do you plan to do? Anyone who can do that is not a man but a god. Not a warlord but a true titan from the Greek myths. Will you simply give power back to the people, or will you expand the Commonwealth's reach to here? Will my empire need to worry about a new form of government?"

The question was almost as shocking as what Alistair had seen outside. He hadn't even considered the answer. His purpose in overthrowing this government had been simple: to see his wife. After that? He didn't care.

The AllMother spoke, though, and she didn't sound like a doddering old woman when she did. "When we defeat the Commonwealth, you'll have nothing to worry about from anyone here, nor from those who will come after us."

The nameless man turned his gaze on her. "Ah, I see more clearly now. This man here is your tool, and you’re using him to do something you haven't been able to do without him. You're the ideology behind it all. He doesn't have any ideology outside of seeing his wife again. That right?"

"Close," Alistair said, not liking the tone or the accusations, even if they were true. "If she says you need not worry, then you don't. Plus, we won't be living long anyway, right?"

The nameless man smiled. "Yes, that's right. From everything I know, you've done a fantastic job surviving so far, but if you want my advice, leave your friend to his fate and fight this empire from some other angle. My home here is a glorious one, a wealthy one, but wherever great wealth is amassed, danger is sure to follow. You've already got eyes other than my own on you."

Alistair shook his head. "Fine. Tell us what we want to know. Where is our friend? How do we find him?"

The nameless man dropped his hands and placed them on the desk. "You won't take my advice and leave?"

Alistair shook his head.

He sighed. "I can't give you much help because doing that would endanger my interests. Whether or not you live, I’ll remain here. Your friend's current benefactors have paid a great deal of money to place eyes on you and your group. You're being watched, not only by my organization but by another. A competitor, you might say, but they operate by different rules than I do. To get to your friend, you'll have to survive their attacks. A bounty has been put on your head, Sir Kane."

He flicked his finger at the door behind them.

"The man you want is named Manius. Your friend is under his control. Manius is already looking at you, but if there's one thing our government won't put up with, it's blood in the streets, so he's biding his time until he can kill you without anyone taking too much notice. When people are murdered behind closed doors, it's mostly given a blind eye."

Finally, useful information. This man loved to hear his own voice, though since it appeared he only spoke to android versions of himself, it might have been a while since he’d had a conversation. "Where do I find him?"

"You needn't find him. He'll come to you soon. The information you want is this: don't kill all his men when they come. You'll want one of them to bring you to Manius."

"We'll find our friend there?" Alistair asked.

"Yes," the nameless man said. "You’ll find death also." He stood up, signaling that their time was up. "It was nice to meet you. All of you. Sir Kane, you do strike me as a serious man. I wish your quest wasn't so foolhardy. Knowledge is what matters in this world. That is a reason to kill, to conquer. Love? It only leads to ruin. Heed my words, and perhaps you will make something of yourself, even after your disgrace."

Again, Alistair didn't like the way he spoke, but the man had done as he promised. They knew what came next, and he understood they couldn't kill all of those coming. One needed to live. Alistair stood, and the other two did the same. "I hope that when I get my wife back, you'll hear about it way out here and understand you were wrong."

"Me too," the nameless one said, "but I doubt it."

Alistair, Obs, and the AllMother left the way they had come and headed back toward the busy street. The woman didn't lead them out this time or even look at