Alexander (The Horsemen 1)

The Horsemen: Alexander
Marteeka Karland
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2007 Marteeka Karland
An Authorized Excerpt

Life was a bitch. Death, even worse. He had been cut down in the prime of his life, at his moment of greatness, but he had learned many lessons. In his time he had been known as Alexander the Great. Now he was simply Alex Megas -- same meaning, but the man himself was different from what he had been when he was alive the first time. Now Alex conquered with words. Diplomacy was the weapon of the day.

He hated it. A people shouldn't be conquered without ever striking sword against sword. The only reason he was doing this was because he felt like he had been cheated out of a life that should have been his. This was his chance to truly conquer the world.

Purgatory had been a kind of hell all its own. Fortunately, it had also prepared him for what was to come. He had watched as every event unfolded in every part of the world. The opportunities missed made his skin crawl. The whole planet could have been under one rule. Many times over. Everyone could have benefited. So-called "third world" countries could have been eliminated, and no one would have had to live in poverty.

Instead, here he was. Uniting the world under one banner, only to watch it fall into death. He had learned the same thing had happened many times throughout time. No one would survive this. Including him.

Thank the gods. When it was all over, this would not be a world he wanted to live in.

Alex looked in the mirror and straightened his blood red tie. The navy blue Armani suit pants felt good against his skin, as did the silk of his shirt. He had always had fine garments, but this was better than anything he'd ever conceived at the time. At least he'd go out in style.

As newly appointed chief diplomat for the United States, Alex had quickly proven to be superior at getting the U.S. what she needed. What the president didn't know was that the stand down of arms, the ban on nuclear arms, and even control of the world's food supply and shipping routes -- all of it was a ruse. Arrangements had been made with key people within each government to give control of all those things to Alex personally. Alex then passed everything to Vlad. The Horseman of Death. Alone among all the people Alex had met or seen after his death, Vlad terrified him. For Alexander the Great, that was saying something.

He had a meeting with a Japanese scientist in an hour. When it was over, he hoped to have a super weapon that would change the face of civilization. A difficult task, but Alex was confident he could accomplish it. The woman's government either didn't realize the potential of such a weapon, or didn't think it would actually work. The bottom line was they didn't want to pay the price she was asking. He, on the other hand, was authorized to pay whatever she asked.

Once this was complete, he'd turn to the Middle East. With any luck, the majority of those negotiations could be accomplished in New York, and the most prominent terrorists in the world and all their networks would be in hand and ready for public execution by then. With any luck. If not, he'd get a pleasant detour. At this point, he was more than ready for a real battle.

With one last look at his reflection, Alex brushed a few dark curls from his forehead and from where they had caught underneath his collar when he'd dressed. Picking up his alligator skin briefcase, he checked the time on his Rolex and opened the door into the hallway. He took the elevator to the lobby and stepped out the front door to the black stretch limo waiting in the street. He ducked his tall, muscular frame into the outrageously luxurious automobile. As the driver closed the door, something caught his attention.

A slim, feminine figure dressed in a dirty gray coat darted from the alley beside his hotel. As she ran down the sidewalk in his direction, her appearance was what caught his attention. The girl was covered in dirt and grime from head to toe. Long, dirty, blonde hair hung halfway down her back in a mass of tangles. The stocking hat on her head was just as filthy as the rest of her, but her facial features were striking. High cheekbones, wide blue eyes, and a straight aristocratic nose spoke of an elegant beauty waiting to expose itself. She reminded Alex of the goddesses of his people in his time. Truly, she was not unlike Aphrodite herself.

Well, except for all the filth. That alone made her stick out in this part of town. The street people were never allowed near the hotels and shops.

His driver trotted around the limo to the driver's seat, and Alex couldn't seem to take his eyes off the curious creature. She somehow managed to cross the sidewalk to his limo without being stopped by the doorman and was now staring into his open window. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, but when she leaned down and opened her mouth to speak, the limo lurched forward and she was left behind. Had he not been afraid he'd be late, he would have insisted the driver stop, but his plan involved him arriving first so he could set up the room the way he wanted. He had to be in the position of authority. No round table for this meeting. Everyone in the room had to know he was in control.

He had to be in control of himself and not thinking about a street urchin.

Still, he couldn't help looking back. He wasn't sure what he expected, but he thought she'd at least be standing there watching him drive off. But she was nowhere in sight. She'd vanished. Into thin air.