“They were invented by one of Gra’multh’s scientists, of course—before I was born,” he said, biting off the words. “Up until then, we Korrigons had only conquered a few of the worlds in our galaxy—those closest to us. But after the invention of the chip and, shortly after that, the invention of the Folding Drive which allows us to move from one part of the universe to another instantaneously, the Great Conquest began. My people went to every corner of our galaxy, ravaging every world that had even theleastbit of natural resources and taking any sentient creatures we found to use on our own world as free labor.”
“You mean asslaves,” I said flatly. This was beginning to sound like the conquests of the New World by the East India Company back in my own world’s past, I thought.
Sir nodded yet again.
“Slaves and pets,” he admitted and I heard shame in his voice. “Since I gained my seat and took the title of ‘Overlord,’ I have been striving to reverse the process, but without much success. As I said, the Nobles and the Higher Caste are making too much profit to want to quit subjugating the creatures who are mentally inferior to us.”
“Maybe that’s part of your problem,” I pointed out. “Thinking that you’re all superior just because you have these crazy Mental Powers. The idea that might makes right.”
Sir frowned down at me.
“I’m afraid you’re not going to shake the idea of Korrigon superiority any time soon, little one. The fact is that wearementally superior, which makes it very difficult to see other creatures, even sentient ones, as our equals.”
“But—” I began, but Sir interrupted me.
“Behold—the throne room,” he said, pointing.
We were just rounding a corner and I looked to see what he was pointing at. What I saw made me gasp—there was an enormous, shining, golden mountain looming up ahead of us. Seriously, it washuge—hundreds if not thousands of feet high and the glare of the light off its golden sides was nearly blinding.
“Is the Sovereign up on top of that thing?” I asked, squinting to try and see the top—but as I said, the glare was blinding and I couldn’t make it out. Icouldsee that it was shaped more like a pyramid than a mountain—though it was much larger even than the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
Sir shook his head.
“No, she is inside it. The entrance is much lower—down at street level. We’ll be there presently.”
“Oh, so she’sinsidethe mountain,” I murmured. “Okay, got it.”
“Her throne sits atop a golden dais of ten thousand steps,” Sir told me.
I looked at him, aghast.
“Are you expecting me to climbten thousandsteps today, Sir? Because I have to tell you, I don’t think I have that in me. Especially not after all the junk food I’ve been eating lately to gain my curves back!”
Sir frowned down at me, his full-black eyes narrowing.
“Junkfood? You told me the foods you were synthesizing were what humans ate in order to maintain their caloric needs.”
“Oh, well, uh…theydo,”I said, suddenly feeling caught out.
It was true I had been synthesizing a lot more cheeseburgers than salads for the past few weeks, but Sir hadwantedme to gain weight. It wasn’t my fault that a glazed donut helped you gain more than a spinach smoothie, was it?
“Look, what I meant to say is, I would need to train alotto climb that many steps,” I told him. “And I just don’t think I’m up to it.”
“You don’t need to worry, little one,” Sir said dryly. “We will be permitted to ride in my chariot until the last hundred steps. Thereafter, if you get too tired I can carry you.”
I thought of my Great Aunt Maizy tucking one of her “babies” under her arm when she went out to the grocery store and frowned as the thought of Sir toting me up the steps in a similar, undignified fashion.
“No, a hundred steps I can manage,” I told him. “Just not ten thousand.”
“You’ll be fine,” Sir assured me.
And then we were driving up to the massive side of the enormous golden pyramid. The entrance was surprisingly small—maybe for security reasons, I speculated—it was barely big enough for the chariot to enter and Sir had to duck his head, after the guards had waved us through. But once we were inside, it opened up into a kind of tunnel which was lit from the sides with rows and rows of floating golden lamps that looked a little like blooming white roses edged in gold.
“The Sacred Glow Blossoms of the Sovereign,” Sir told me, when I asked what they were. “Only she who sits upon the Golden Throne of Ten Thousand Steps may use them.”
“Is your Sovereign always a woman, then?” I asked, looking up at him as we raced along the golden tunnel.
Sir nodded.