1 The Dream Rider (19 page)

“They aren’t lies, Mallock. You’ve seen what I can do. If
I wanted, I could kill you right now.” There was a sinister feeling in my words
that shocked me. I didn’t like what I heard myself saying, what was happening
to me.

He smiled at me. “Perhaps, Finn. Perhaps. Maybe you are
the dream rider that crazy old man has been searching for. But that isn’t the
lie I’m talking about.”
 

“It’s not?” now I was intrigued. “What lie?”

He stood back up and walked over to a pair of open doors
that led out onto a terrace. “It’s a beautiful day out, Finn. Come, let’s talk
outside.”

I was leery of a trap. If he wanted to kill me, though, he
could have done it while I lay unconscious. I slid out of the bed and found I
was wearing clean clothes, my clothes. I was in my jeans and t-shirt,
temporarily happy to be back in normal attire again. My back, too, felt ok. I
lifted up my shirt and looked in the mirror next to the bed. There were two
long scars across my skin from where Sten had cut me in the arena.

“You heal extremely fast,” Mallock commented. “Those
should have taken weeks to get better. There’s no question you are something
special, Finn.”
 
He motioned for me
to follow him. “Which is why I want to speak with you.”

Outside, the warm sun shone down onto a white marble
rooftop deck. There were several cushioned chairs and a few black granite
coffee tables. A short marble wall about waist high, wrapped around the area. I
walked over to the edge and looked out. The view was absolutely astounding. We
were high up in the tallest building in the city. It must have been the one I’d
noticed the night I arrived. Below us, the city spread out all the way to the
giant walls looming in the distance. Lush, green mountains surrounded the
metropolis on all sides, save for a small area where a vast sea came to a halt
just outside the massive barrier. It appeared to be a harbor filled with
various kinds of ships. From a distance, though, it was difficult to make out
many details.

“It’s quite amazing, isn’t it?” Mallock commented proudly.

I nodded slightly. “Yes. It’s a nice view. Too bad it’s of
a world corrupted by evil.”
 
I
tried to maintain my focus. Mallock was a bad guy. I just wasn’t sure what he
was up to. He was a man that had invaded a planet, slaughtered millions, and
committed countless other atrocities
;
definitely not
someone to be trusted.

“Corrupted?” he laughed again. Mallock stood with his hands
behind his back as he spoke. “You are no doubt aware that there are always two
sides to every story, Finn. So, allow me to give you the actual facts.”

“Facts as you see them,” I interrupted.

“Finn, everything that has ever happened in the universe
happens because of someone’s perspective. It is what defines reality. So, do I
see what I tell you as fact? Certainly. But I see it without emotion, without
bias.”
 
He was full of it, but I
decided to let him go on. “When I arrived on this planet, my intentions were to
bring peace to the people of Sideros. They were barbarians living in a savage
world, a wretched culture. They lacked discipline, structure,
order
. Crime was rampant. People were killing each other in
the streets and stealing from others. I took away all of those things and gave
them something better.”

“Gladiator games?” I said sarcastically.

“I gave them freedom,” he said plainly. That wasn’t the
answer I was expecting.

“Freedom?” I laughed. “You took away their freedom.”
 

Another light gust of wind washed across the terrace,
blowing Mallocks robes and hair behind him in dramatic fashion.

“That depends on what your definition of freedom is,” he
remarked turning his gaze out across the expanse.

“I like to decide how my life should go. Everyone wants
that. No one desires a life where other people pick what you do for a living,
who
you marry, where you work, or what kind of house you
have. And people want to make their own way. They don’t want a world where
everyone is the same. People are unique. And each one wants to express that
uniqueness.”
 

Mallock shrugged. “Perhaps. But Siderians were choosing
poorly. I gave them technology, security, constancy. Everyone wears the same
clothes, works jobs that fit their skill sets. No one has more than anyone
else. It is a fair system. But yes, I did also give them the games,” he finally
responded to my earlier question. “The games remind them of the price of
disobedience—and of their primitive and violent past.”
 

“We had a system like yours back on Earth,” I criticized.
“It didn’t work out too well for those governments.”
 

He raised both eyebrows and faced me, begging an
explanation. “Oh. And why is that?”

“Because sooner or later, the people will rise up against
you. Or you will run out of resources. That’s what happened on Earth. The
governments went broke and the people got tired of being controlled, always
told what to do and how to do it. Eventually, you will have to deal with a
rebellion, Mallock.”
 
A cryptic
grin crossed his face as I finished.

Another breeze swept over the terrace. “The people of
Sideros were unable to stop us when we arrived here. They haven’t the strength
or the ability to revolt. Any who have tried have been imprisoned or executed.
The group you represent in the games is from that stock,” his last words were
full of disdain. “However, revolution is always a possibility, no matter how
pathetic or vain it might be. That is part of the reason I am here. Actually,
why you are here, in this room instead of shut away in solitary or dead.”
 
My eyes narrowed further, wondering
what he was up to.

“You have extraordinary power, Finn. Everyone has seen it.
Yet, the people still do not know what to make of you. You are an alien to the
them, and they do not trust aliens.”
 

“Like you?” I asked derisively. My remark didn’t seem to
cut him in the least.

He ignored the jab. “They distrust anything that is
different. I seek to use this to our advantage.”
 

“Our advantage?” I wondered. “What do you mean
our
advantage?”
 

Mallock took a few dramatic steps towards me, stopping
close. “Finn, I want you to join me. You will be my right hand, second in
command only to me,” the words were not at all what I’d expected. To say he
caught me off guard would be an understatement. He seemed to see that I didn’t fully
understand what he was saying. “There are other worlds out there, Finn. And I
cannot very well leave this one without someone who can control the people. You
have a special power. You are the only one that can keep them in line, and on
the right path.”
 

“Right path?” I lamented. “You want me to watch your
slaves while you go find other slaves. I don’t think so, Mallock. Thanks but no
thanks.”
 

He tilted his head slightly. “Don’t think of it that way.
Look at it like a chance to rule the people as you see fit. As long as they
continue to do their work, that is all that I require. You can keep them in
line with any methods you like.”
 
I
still didn’t trust what he was telling me.

Then again, this could be my chance. I could free the
wrongfully accused prisoners like Jonas and the others. Nela’s face popped into
my head. She wouldn’t have to be surrounded by filth and evil men. Perhaps I
could give her a place to live in the palace. The possibilities seemed endless.
My mind began to race with ideas. Mallock said I could rule as I saw fit. I’d
succeeded. He’d seen my power and was intimidated. Wars were settled this way.
It would be like a treaty of sorts.

Mallock could see I was considering the offer. “All I ask
is that you fight one more fight. After you win, you will be pardoned and given
the rank of high general. Of course, you must kneel before me in the presence
of all Sideros. The people must see that you support me, fully, and acknowledge
that I am the rightful ruler of this world.”
 
The last part struck me as odd.

I didn’t try to hide my smirk. “So it’s an ego thing,” the
accusation didn’t seem to affect him.

“The people must know that you are behind me. If you, a
powerful alien from Earth, submit to me then none of them will ever try to stand
in our way. There will be no revolution. And when they know that you are their
governor, no one will rise against you. Their fear of you and your power will
keep the peace I have brought to them.”
 

He honestly sounded sincere. But his words were thick with
deceit. I walked over to the far edge of the wall and looked down. Despite my
extreme fear of heights, I didn’t seem bothered at the moment. “A full pardon,”
I said quietly. “And freedom to rule the people as I see fit.”

“I will be gone to other parts of the galaxy. You will
answer to no one else, not even Jari. You only have to report to me
occasionally to give a few updates via the communications links to our
ships.”
 

I followed his eyes to a distant spot next to the giant
wall, at the foot of a mountain range. I peered against the light of the sun
and realized what I was looking at. It was a massive shipyard, but instead of
building boats, hundreds of space vessels of varying sizes were being
assembled. Some were small, one-seaters. Others appeared to be the size of
aircraft carriers. I was amazed at how many he had at his disposal. I wondered
how I hadn’t noticed them before. All of ships, made from a charcoal-gray
metal, had a similar rounded shape. And each had strange markings along the
sides; I assumed it was an alien language.

Mallock was going to invade other planets. And he would do
to them what he had done here, to Sideros. While his mouth spoke of peace and
giving people a better life, but his words were layered in lies. He claimed
that no one had it any better than anyone else, yet here he lived in a palace,
surrounded by excess and luxury while everyone else appeared to be living in
abject poverty. And then there was the little fact that he wanted me to bow
down before him. That requirement stuck out in my mind.

I remembered hearing stories about stuff like that from
history:
 
kings forcing other kings
to kneel to them, enemies submitting to their counterparts. I’d studied several
such accounts. One thing that was certain: I wouldn’t bow down to Mallock. He
wanted to make me his pawn, even though he claimed I could rule the people
however I chose.
How
long would that last?
I doubted very long at all. Eventually, he would
return and I would be nothing more than his lackey, just like his game master,
Jari. I figured I might as well save us both the time.

“That all sounds like a really good deal, Mallock,” I cast
a quick glance, noticing he winced every time I called him by his name. I
supposed he was accustomed to everyone calling him Emperor or something
ridiculous like His Highness. I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction.

“So you agree to my terms?” he seemed hopeful.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline,” I sighed,
mockingly. His expression changed instantly to confusion. “Here’s the
thing:
 
I don’t kneel to anyone.
Maybe it’s an Earth thing. Actually, it’s definitely an American thing. But we
don’t bow to other people. And the citizens of this planet and any planet
should decide how they want to live their lives, no matter what mistakes they
might have made or might make in the future. You say you’re going to go out and
bring the same kind of rule to other worlds. Maybe they don’t want that. Sooner
or later, you’re going to run into someone who will be strong enough to stand up
to you.”
 

“I’m disappointed in you, Finn. You lack vision. But, I
can’t say I didn’t expect this. It’s a shame you cannot see things my way. You
believe that I have done nothing but take from the people. Your friend, their
king did the same thing. At least I gave them security in return for their
resources.”
 
He let the words
process for a moment.

My friend the king?
What did he mean by that?
“I don’t know any king,” I said,
somewhat uncertain. “You killed the king of Sideros when you came here and
ravaged the place.”
 

“Oh, quite the contrary. You most certainly know the king,
the mighty ruler of this world,” his tone had turned sarcastic. “I placed him
in charge of one of the groups to train the fighters for the games, a fitting
role for a conquered monarch. Death would have been a welcome release for him.
It is far better that he suffer every day in the bowels of the prison, trying
to vainly give hope to his little band of followers. And the entire time, he’s
training warriors to fight in my arena, so that my name may be glorified
further.”
 

It took a few seconds before I realized what Mallock was
really saying. A chill came over my body. Before I could say anything, he cut
me off. “Oh, he didn’t tell you? I’m not surprised. He lives in shame now, a
shadow of his former glory—if you can call it that. Some king,” he spat.
Mallock gazed out at the city for a moment. When he turned back to me, his face
seemed like it was surrounded by darkness, even in the warmth of the sunshine,
a cold evil resonated from him.