They were entering the foothills of the mountains, and Pug saw a sea of campfires, small shelters, and an occasional command tent. Then they were suddenly speeding over a huge command pavilion, the size of a large house. The closer they got to Darkmoor, the more mobilization they saw. ‘My gods,’ said Tomas. ‘I’ve never seen such an army. Even during the Riftwar the Tsurani never threw more than thirty thousand men into the field, and never all in one place.’
Calis said, ‘They brought almost a quarter-million men across the sea.’ Dispassionately he said, ‘This below is the half we haven’t killed yet.’
‘So many deaths,’ said Nakor. He sighed with a heavy note of sadness. ‘And for no good reason.’
Tomas said, ‘Pug has heard me ask more than once if there was ever a good reason for war.’
‘Freedom,’ said Calis. ‘Preserving what is ours.’
Pug said, ‘Those are good reasons to resist. Even those aren’t good enough reasons to start a war.’
As the terrain rose, Pug kept the sphere at an even height. But as they found more and more men below pointing at them, and some starting to shoot arrows, Pug elevated the sphere.
At cloud level, they had a panorama of the battlefield below. ‘Incredible,’ said Dominic.
An army of eighty or ninety thousand men lay sprawled below them, like ants climbing up a hill. At the top of the hill was the city of Darkmoor. The foulburg and most of the city seemed to be in the enemy’s hands, and the fighting throughout the remainder of the city was fierce.
‘Can we stop it?’ asked Miranda.
Calis said, ‘I doubt it. The invaders are stuck on the wrong side of the ocean with no food.’ He glanced at Pug and said, ‘Unless you have some magic means of removing them back to Novindus.’
Pug said, ‘A few at a time, perhaps, but . . . nothing like this.’
Tomas said, ‘Then we shall have to stop the fighting and sort it all out after men are no longer killing one another.’
‘Do you see the Saaur?’ asked Pug.
Tomas pointed to a corner of the city, near the southwest, where a small market was packed with the huge green riders. Pug stopped the sphere and said, ‘Let’s see if we can get their attention.’
He lowered the sphere, slowly, and as soon as the first Saaur saw it, they loosed their arrows at the humans.
But the arrows struck the walls of the sphere and bounced off, and Pug continued to lower the sphere slowly, and after it was dear no immediate threat was offered by the device, the arrows stopped.
Pug landed the sphere before a group of riders, the centermost of whom wore a particularly splendid horsehair-plumed helmet, and who carried an ornate shield and an ancient-looking sword. Pug said, ‘Get ready in case this doesn’t work.’
When the sphere vanished, Pug spoke in the language of Yabon, closely related to the Novindus dialect. ‘I seek Jatuk, Sha-shahan of all the Saaur!’
‘I am Jatuk,’ said the impressive rider. ‘Who are you, wizard?’
‘I am called Pug. I have come to you to seek peace.’
The Saaur’s expression was alien, but Pug sensed he was being regarded with suspicion. ‘Understand we are bound by oath to the Emerald Queen and cannot make a separate peace.’
Pug said, ‘I bring word from Hanam.’
The reptilian face then proved quite expressive, as shock was clearly revealed in his features. ‘Hanam is dead! He died upon the world of my birth!’
‘No,’ said Pug. ‘Your father’s Loremaster used his arts to seize the mind and body of a demon, and in that body he came to this land. He sought me out and we spoke. He is now dead, but his soul is back on Shila, riding with the Sky Host.’
Jatuk urged his mount forward, and when he was right before Pug, he looked down, a towering presence. ‘Say what you will.’
Pug began, speaking of the ancient war between good and evil, the insanity of the Priests of Ahsart, and the betrayal of the Saaur by the Pantathians. At first the Saaur warriors appeared dubious, but as Pug spoke he told them what Hanam had told him to say. He concluded, ‘Hanam said to tell you that you must know, as will Shadu, your Loremaster, Chiga, your Cupbearer, and Monis, your Shieldbearer, that all I have said is true. The honor of your race demands you accept the truth, and the betrayal of your people is more than just lies. The Pantathians and the Emerald Queen and the demons - all have robbed you of your homeworld. They were the ones who destroyed Shila, and took from you, forever, your birthright.’
Consternation was the reaction among the Saaur. ‘lies!’ said one. ‘Clever falsehoods fashioned by a master of evil arts!’ said another.
Jatuk held out his hand. ‘No. There is a ring of truth. If you are what you claim, if you have words from Hanam, then he must have told you one thing to let me know this is no clever lie.’
Pug nodded. ‘He said to remind you of the day you came to serve your father. You were the last of your father’s sons to serve. All your brothers were dead. You trembled in anticipation of meeting your father, and there was one who took you aside, and spoke softly into your ear to tell you all would be well.’
Jatuk said, ‘This is true. But name the one who comforted me.’