The beast cocked his head. He couldn't defeat the logic in Alistair's words. He served, and if his master said he needed a name, then he would have one. He nodded. "I serve. What is my name, master?"
"Caesar."
"Yes, master."
It was clear to Alistair that he didn't understand the meaning of the name, but there would be time for that later. He had brought Caesar into the room with the rest of his council, but the giant didn’t seem to notice them. Obs was lying at the gigante's huge feet, resting his head on the left one as if it were a pillow.
"Now, Caesar," Alistair continued, "two things. How do we get to the rest of those who serve, and how do we not get killed doing it?"
The giant pursed his lips as if considering the question. Lying wasn't in him. Alistair wondered if he'd ever been deceptive in his life, but he didn't think so.
Finally, Caesar answered. "I can get us there. I don't know if I can keep us from being killed." He nodded as if confirming what he'd said.
Servia crossed her arms and glared at Alistair. "Well, that sounds grand."
Alistair smirked. "Hey, no one's died yet, and look at Faitrin. She's as good as new. Come on, Caesar, let's plan this thing and go get your buddies."
"I have no—"
Alistair raised a hand to stop him. "As long as you're with me, let's not be so literal, okay? Just let those things go."
Caesar looked at Obs, and the drathe stared back at him, then gave an exasperated sigh. The giant nodded as if the two were sharing a moment about their master.
They all slept except Caesar. He stood watch in front of the door like a machine, not moving.
When they woke, they left the hotel, following Caesar's lead. He still had the equipment he'd brought with him. He called it a kill kit, and that was what it was. There were weapons Alistair had never seen and tools he couldn't begin to understand. Caesar paid none of that any attention but pulled out a card. It was black and looked tiny in the giant's hand. If he made a fist, he could crush it to dust.
Alistair was amazed he'd killed one. The sheer size of these beings was beyond anything he'd seen. They were even bigger than the Myrmidons.
"We will use this," the being said in his stilted language.
"What is it?" Servia asked.
They'd turned down a back alley, though it wasn't empty. On this planet, people walked almost constantly.
Caesar tilted his head toward the sky. "They watch all the time. This will make it so they cannot watch." He touched two fingers to the card, one on either side. The edge of the black card lit up, flashing bright gold for a brief moment before returning to its original color.
"Come. Walk," Caesar commanded, slipping his card into his pocket.
Alistair waited until the rest of the group started forward before moving. He didn't know where they were heading, but somehow he'd found another loyal soul—as long as he kept winning.
The AllMother was walking next to him, which was what he wanted. "When we get to these creatures, things are going to get very dangerous. I'm sure you know I don't have a plan yet, but the goal is to convince all those beings that look like Caesar to follow me. Right now, they're going to try to kill me the moment I'm in sight. I know you get that. I want you to be careful. I'm going to ask Caesar to hide you somewhere, but if we can't..." He chuckled and looked at her. "If we can't, you have to promise me you’ll stay alive."
"As you told them, I haven't died yet."
Alistair nodded at the giant. "Any thoughts about him?"
The AllMother raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"I'm not asking for advice," he added with a grin. "I've already made my decision. I'm asking for your thoughts about what you know so far."
She was quiet for a moment, her face taking on a pensive look. "My brother is the one who talks about fate, but the more I see, the more I believe in it. The kings of old had knights. Their best ones were feared throughout the lands." She pointed a bony finger at the giant. "That's your knight. Your first one. I think he'll kill multitudes for you, and I think he'll be feared throughout the universe. I believe Fate is building us an army."
"Not all of my choices have been the right ones," he said softly. "I know you don't want to help me make decisions—"
The old woman put her hand on his. "Not now. Now we go get the rest of your knights. We can talk about your nagging doubts another time."
Alistair nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Perhaps she'd sensed what was coming next, or maybe she didn't want him thinking negatively before a battle. Either way, a transport dropped from the sky directly in front of Caesar.
The gigante stepped to the passenger door, which was standing open. He said something to the AI inside, then pulled his head back and looked at Alistair. "Master, we are ready."
The AllMother smiled. "It's a very strange universe, isn't it? Who would have thought all these majestic things existed?"
Alistair wasn't sure if she was talking about the transport, the giant, or everything else that had happened. He kept his mouth shut and got in.
Chapter Seventeen
“We have all done things we aren’t proud of.”
—The AllMother
The AllMother closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep as the transport flew through the sky. She didn't know how it worked or if she’d be protected from those who wished to do her harm, but she had faith. She hadn't been lying to Alistair when she said this new being was like a knight of old. Caesar would never meet anyone stronger than Alistair; the AllMother knew that to be true, so he would go to battle for
