“Merciful Kaltara!” gasped the Star of Sakova. “We are not ready for this. That many men will walk right over Alamar. That is almost a third of their entire force heading for one city. I was hoping that the information we sent to them would cause them to send a smaller force.”

“Perhaps this is the smaller force,” sighed Emperor Marak. “We don’t have enough information about their strategy. Get your skimmers into the water immediately.”

“I am ordering it as we speak,” replied Lyra.

Marak could hear the other mages in the background issuing orders and alerting the forces. He was torn over whether or not to activate the skimmers from Angragar. If the attacks were indeed aimed at Alamar, the skimmers from Angragar would be useless. Worse, he would have revealed their existence. Yet if the attacks were aimed more to the north, they would be essential.

“I have to get aloft,” declared Emperor Marak. “You need to be in contact with someone in StarCity at all times. I will be posting mages on the roof here day and night, but I will be elsewhere. Also bear in mind that these communications are not necessarily secure any more. Anything revealing must be communicated in another way.”

“I understand,” replied the Star of Sakova. “I am heading for Alamar, but this palace will be manned all of the time.”

“Is it wise for you to go to Alamar?” asked the Torak.

“I must,” answered Lyra. “It is the only point of contact with the enemy that we can be assured of. After Alamar falls, a lot depends upon Vand’s strategy, and we don’t know what that is.”

“Stay in StarCity,” commanded the Torak. “I will be with you shortly. I can get you to Alamar faster than a choka.”

Lyra frowned as she wondered how Marak could accomplish that, but she agreed to wait for him. The Torak dropped the air tunnel and dashed from the roof.

Chapter 2