“Males are too prone to conquest and war.” His face hardened. “Though I fear that having a female Sovereign hasn’t stopped my own galaxy from being completely conquered and overrun by greed.”
“No, I guess not,” I murmured, watching as the golden tunnel walls with their glowing roses whizzed by.
Then, suddenly, the tunnel ended and we were in the center of the pyramid, which looked like an enormous, golden cavern. Rising up above us was another, smaller pyramid with a tiny golden throne at its summit. Of course, I realized, the throne wasn’treallytiny—it was probably quite big. But it was so far away that it looked like a little Barbie throne sitting up there and the woman sitting in it also looked doll-like and small.
Running up the front of the pyramid were many, many,manygolden steps. Ten thousand of them, apparently, I thought. I was really glad we weren’t going to have to climb all those! It literally would have taken me all day. Plus, they were really steep and there were no handrails to hold onto.
On either side of the steps were smooth, golden channels. At first I couldn’t understand what they might be for, but then I saw another chariot, very like the one we were riding in, rising smoothly up the left-hand channel. Oh—so they were roads or paths up the side of the pyramids, made especially for the floating chariots, I thought.
“I see that Gra’multh has already begun his ascent.” Sir’s voice was grim as he watched the other chariot climb.
“Is that bad?” I asked anxiously. I was really beginning to feel the pressure of the situation we were in now.
Sir shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll have to stop at the base of the topmost steps in order to dismount and climb the last hundred, and Gra’multh will have to stop as well. We should reach the summit at roughly the same time.”
Then he leaned forward as though urging the golden chariot onwards and we sped towards the golden steps and the Sovereign who sat at the top, who would determine the fate of my galaxy.
FORTY-FIVE
ELLI
As we whizzed up the steep side of the pyramid—with Sir keeping one big hand planted firmly behind my shoulders so I didn’t topple over backwards and fall out of the chariot—I just hoped Splendara the Third and Thirtieth would listen to Sir speak and agree with his point of view. But I had a bad feeling about the whole thing—a feeling like someone had warned me I was heading into trouble, though I couldn’t remember who that might be.
It wasn’t Sir, was it? No—it seemed to me the warning had come from a woman with long, blonde hair. But I didn’t know anyone with long blonde hair aside from my big sister, Taylor, and I hadn’t seen her for months. So who was it that had warned me?
I couldn’t quite remember—it was just a fuzzy memory, like a half-forgotten dream. In fact, I thought itmighthave been what I was dreaming before Sir woke me up that morning. I wished I could have had a little time to lie in bed and try to process it, but he had been so busy, getting both of us dressed to go and instructing me on Court Protocol and Proper Pet Etiquette, it had driven everything else out of my mind. I—
An abrupt halt to our steep assent broke my train of thought. Looking up, I saw that we were almost to the top of the pyramid-within-a-pyramid. Our chariot had stopped on a broad dais that had about a dozen guards standing there, holding spears that were tipped with glowing blue lasers instead of blades.
There was a second golden chariot as well and I saw another Korrigon male stepping out of it, who I thought must be Sir Gra’multh, the Overlord of the Southern Continent.
He was dressed in a long black robe with golden trim and he looked much older than Sir. His horns were twisted and knotted and he had black age spots on his ashy gray hands. He also had a long, drooping white mustache and an even longer beard that covered his chest.
“So, Sir Barinthian Ver’Toklar,” he remarked, casting a scathing look at Sir. “I see you’re here to battle for your cause, yet again.”
“I am indeed, Sir Gra’multh,” Sir said grimly. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve brought Mind-Controlled slaves into the Palace, against both law and convention. Your cruelty will not stand!”
Sir Gra’multh waved one liver-spotted hand.
“As if a few Mind-Controlled creatures here or there make any difference. They are inferior animals—they don’t even know enough to care if they’re being controlled.”
“Yes, they do!” I shot back, unable to keep my mouth shut any longer. “Just because other people don’t have ‘Mental Abilities’ doesn’t mean they’re too stupid or inferior to care about having their lives taken away and being forced to work for someone likeyouthe rest of their lives!”
“Well, well—I see you have a new pet, Barinthian,” Gra’multh cackled, speaking to Sir instead of replying to me. “Quite a talkative little thing, isn’t she?”
“She speaks her mind,” Sir said. “I value that in her. She’s also a La-ti-zal and a Pure One.”
“Bought her from the Commercians after picking her out on their Alien Mate Index, did you?” Gra’multh lifted one bushy eyebrow knowingly.
Sir frowned.
“How did you know that?”
“Why…because I decided to buy a pet there myself. Clarissa, my dear, do come out and stop being bashful.”
There was a stirring behind Gra’multh’s voluminous black robe and then a lovely young woman who didn’t look that different from me—well, except that she was considerablythinner—poked her face out and smiled shyly at Sir.