Viperhand - Douglas Niles [50]
"An excellent plan!" cried Hoxitl. "We shall take many captives-perhaps the majority of the invading army-in such an entrapment."
"And you, Chical? You have said nothing." Naltecona fixed his chief of Eagles with a scrutinizing eye.
"There is a thing that troubles me, Most Revered One. Always the warriors of Nexal have met their foes on the field, striving through courage and strength to prevail. It does not seem right, this masquerade of celebration and then slaughter."
"Would you have us face the magic and monsters of this legion in battle, so that we may all be killed?" challenged Kalnak before Naltecona could reply. The ruler smiled, pleased that the argument was between his underlings and did not involve himself.
"Until we know that they cannot be defeated this way, I would. I am not afraid," Chical replied.
Kalnak bristled, and only the upraised palm of the counselor prevented him from drawing his maca. "Nor am I afraid, but neither am I a fool," he sneered.
"These strangers have already bewitched the men of Kultaka," observed Hoxitl. "After they killed lakamal, something our bravest warriors have been unable to do, though not for want of trying, for many years!"
Chical bowed to Naltecona, ignoring the other two. "As my lord wishes, so it shall be. When will the strangers arrive in Palul?"
"They departed from Kultaka two days ago, and they march quickly. They could reach Palul in four more days-six at the most-so we must move quickly and quietly. We will send ambassadors to greet them, to offer presents, and to prepare the banquet. In the meantime, I want you to gather the force I have described.
"You are to march for Palul no later than tomorrow morning."
"Did you find out what all the excitement was about?" asked Halloran, when Poshtli returned to the house just after noon.
Two days earlier, they had both seen long columns of warriors filing out of the sacred plaza. They deduced that the march had something to do with Cordell, but Poshtli had been frustrated in his constant efforts to learn more. Now he returned to the house on the third day, and Hal feared that he wouldn't learn anything until it was too late.
The former knight had accepted Hal's offer to share his dwelling, since the lodge of the Eagles was no longer his home. Neither of them had wanted to remain in the palace, despite Naltecona's assurances of their safety.
The Revered Counselor, however, had been as good as his word in providing a residence for Hal. Indeed, the house was a dwelling that might have sheltered a high nobleman or esteemed sage in Faerun, so sumptuous were its appointments.
The structure stood near the sacred plaza, at the intersection of two streets and a canal. Adobe bricks, whitewashed to a gleaming brightness on the outside, formed the wall around the rooms and large courtyard of the dwelling. The house was two stories high, with three large rooms on the first floor surrounding the open courtyard.
Halloran hadn't yet been comfortable in the house, however. His mind whirled with anxiety for Erixitl. He hoped that she had reached Palul safely, that she would remain safe from the likes of the Jaguar Knights who had struck in the palace. He couldn't understand why Poshtli didn't show more concern, why he didn't go to her.
Yet Hal couldn't ask Poshtli such a question, with its implications of dishonor. He had thought about going to her himself, but then he remembered the eagerness with which she had left him. He felt certain he wouldn't be welcomed by her now.
At times, in the depths of his despair, he even considered returning to the legion. Perhaps he could return Darien's spellbook to the wizard, and everything… He quickly dismissed such thoughts, remembering the hatred of wizard and cleric both. No, the legion meant death for him.
So he tried to study the spellbook. He exercised Storm, polished his weapons and armor, or stalked through the rooms of his house, wasting time while he waited for Poshtli to find out what was happening.
These rooms included a small