The Almec leader spoke from his seat. ‘I am Cas-Coatl, Lord of the Third Sector. I appreciate the warm words with which you greet us. It is my hope that unity can be established without destruction and bloodshed, and the transition of power completed without discord.’
His words were met by a stunned silence. Rael struggled for inner calm. ‘And what do you offer the Avatars?’ he asked.
Cas-Coatl’s expression did not change. ‘Life,’ he said, simply.
‘Life we already have,’ Rael pointed out.
‘There is little point in discussion,’ said Cas-Coatl. ‘You were pre-eminent. Now you are not. You were powerful. Now you are weak. The Almecs are strong. The strong rule. Do you see a flaw in the logic?’
‘Perhaps you underestimate us, Cas-Coatl,’ said Rael, softly.
‘Your cities have few defences, your army is less than seventeen hundred men – fifteen hundred formed from an inferior slave race. We shall leave now and give you two hours to make your decision.’ He held out his hand. The first officer to his left handed him a folded cloth of bright green. This he laid upon the table. ‘If you decide wisely have this flag flown from the highest building at the wharf. I shall bring in my ships and we will discuss further the transition. You may then retire to your homes and live out your lives as you wish. If not… We will land anyway and march our soldiers through the rubble that remains.’
Cas-Coatl rose, his officers with him.
‘You can, of course, hold us hostage, or even kill us. It will make no difference. Another Lord of the Third Sector will be appointed immediately and you will have lost your two hours.’
‘You are free to go, Cas-Coatl,’ said Rael.
The Almec and his officers strode from the chamber. Rael sent two officers to arrange a carriage for them back to the ship.
As the door closed behind them Rael gazed around the faces of the councillors. All were in shock.
‘At least we know where we stand,’ said Rael.
‘On the brink of an abyss,’ observed Questor Ro.
‘The man was crystal-wed,’ said Niclin. ‘How is it that he could still move?’
‘From what I saw of their ships they have advanced along different lines of learning,’ said Ro. ‘The vessels are mechanically, rather than crystal, powered. Obviously this new line of knowledge allowed them to master the problem. But that is rather irrelevant now. It seems, my friends, that we are facing our doom.’
Chapter Eighteen
Immediately a clamour began in the Council Chamber. Rael leapt to his feet, his arms in the air. ‘Enough, my friends,’ he shouted. ‘We have two hours. Surrender is unthinkable, and therefore we must use the time we have to marshal our defences. All of you – bar Questors Caprishan, Niclin and Ro – should return to your duties. The enemy will certainly have weapons of long-range destruction upon their warships. Go to your districts and organize an evacuation of non-combatants to the eastern sections of the city. Vagar captains have already been told to hold their men in readiness for just such an event, and also to prepare units for recovery and burial. Liaise with the captains in your districts. And keep runners with you, ensuring at all times there is a line of communication between the War Council and yourselves. Go now, my friends. Time is short.’
The councillors filed out, and, as the last left the room, Caprishan spoke. ‘This is a war we cannot win, cousin,’ he said.
‘I know that,’ snapped Rael, ‘but this is not the time to discuss it. As we all saw, eight ships have sailed down the estuary towards the lands of the Erek-jhip-zhonad. I would estimate there to be perhaps three hundred fighting men per ship. That means around two thousand five hundred warriors will be landing somewhere to our rear. An equal number have sailed south. Were I in command of their battle fleet I would land my forces on the marshes three miles south of Pejkan. This is the weakest of the five cities. It will fall within a day. Boria and Caval will follow. There is only a token force of Avatar soldiers in each of the three cities, and they have orders to march to Egaru as soon as the enemy is sighted. The city councils have been ordered to surrender if approached. Most Avatar families have already left, and all crystals and power sources have been renloved or dismantled.’
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