help.”
“What do they need?” asked Lord Patel.
“I am not sure yet,” sighed the Emperor, “but at the very least we must house thousands of their people here in Khadoratung. I have ordered my fleet to begin bringing the Sakovans in by ship.”
“How many thousands?” asked Lord Faliman.
“A lot,” shrugged Emperor Marak. “Alamar will probably be attacked in the morning. Right now the only road out of the city is clogged with evacuees. They are going to use fishing boats to ferry the people to Tanzaba. My ships will pick them up there and bring them here. We must create a temporary city for them.”
“I have thousands of people working on the trenches,” frowned Lord Quilo. “I do not know how much time we have to finish the work, but I would hate to lose any of them. Can we afford the manpower to build a city? Can the Sakovans help with the labor?”
“The Sakovans will be mostly women and children,” Marak shook his head. “The male citizens are staying to fight.”
“We could use the armies of the clans in the Imperial Valley,” suggested Lord Chenowith.
“Not for long,” replied the Torak. “Those armies will constitute the bulk of our defense. I want to leave the frontier armies on the frontiers in case Vand has surprises in store for us, such as landing in Zaramilden and bringing his armies over the Kalatung Mountains. Our first line of defense will be the clans inhabiting the eastern coastal region. The armies of the Imperial Valley will be the second line of defense. By that time we will know what Vand’s strategy is, and all of the clans of Khadora will join in.”
“Do you still plan on holding to a scorched retreat policy?” asked Lord Kiamesh. “Because if you do, food is going to become scarce, especially with thousands of Sakovans relying on us.”
“The Motangans will be the ones starving to death,” countered the Emperor. “If we start starving, we will have lost the war.”
“We could open up the Imperial Palace to the homeless,” suggested Lord Jamarat. “I also have room on my estate. Other lords must have space as well, now that our mages have left.”
“He has a good point,” shrugged Lord Patel. “The palace will hold thousands. Also, many lords have homes in Khadoratung. They can be used as temporary quarters until suitable housing is built, on a voluntary basis of course.”
“All of those ideas are acceptable to me,” smiled the Torak. “I have two homes in Khadoratung and will allow them to be used for the Sakovans. Lord Jamarat, your training days are just about over. I would like you to handle the Sakovan people coming to Khadoratung. I think you have the right ideas to deal with it. Will you accept?”
“Gladly,” beamed the Neju lord. “I will make them happy.”
Marak smiled at Lord Jamarat. The man had suffered from brain damage as a child and his thinking processes and speech often reflected that of a child, but Emperor Marak had noticed a distinct improvement since his marriage to the mage Latril.
“Where will the Chula figure into all of this?” asked Lord Chenowith.
“I am going to speak to them tonight,” replied the Torak. “Their style of fighting is rather unconventional. I am tempted to ask them to help the Sakovans, but I worry that we may need their help up here in Khadora.”
“What are the Sakovans facing?” asked Lord Patel.
“Three hundred thousand Motangans are on their way to Alamar,” answered Marak. “They should be attacking in the morning.”
“Three hundred thousand?” echoed Lord Kiamesh. “That is far greater than the combined armies of Omunga and the Sakova. Didn’t the Omungans only have forty thousand men?”
“They had forty thousand men in four large national armies,” nodded the Torak. “They also had city garrisons of several thousand each, but your point is well taken. The Sakovans are badly outnumbered. I should point out that there are still seven hundred thousand men on the Island
“What do they need?” asked Lord Patel.
“I am not sure yet,” sighed the Emperor, “but at the very least we must house thousands of their people here in Khadoratung. I have ordered my fleet to begin bringing the Sakovans in by ship.”
“How many thousands?” asked Lord Faliman.
“A lot,” shrugged Emperor Marak. “Alamar will probably be attacked in the morning. Right now the only road out of the city is clogged with evacuees. They are going to use fishing boats to ferry the people to Tanzaba. My ships will pick them up there and bring them here. We must create a temporary city for them.”
“I have thousands of people working on the trenches,” frowned Lord Quilo. “I do not know how much time we have to finish the work, but I would hate to lose any of them. Can we afford the manpower to build a city? Can the Sakovans help with the labor?”
“The Sakovans will be mostly women and children,” Marak shook his head. “The male citizens are staying to fight.”
“We could use the armies of the clans in the Imperial Valley,” suggested Lord Chenowith.
“Not for long,” replied the Torak. “Those armies will constitute the bulk of our defense. I want to leave the frontier armies on the frontiers in case Vand has surprises in store for us, such as landing in Zaramilden and bringing his armies over the Kalatung Mountains. Our first line of defense will be the clans inhabiting the eastern coastal region. The armies of the Imperial Valley will be the second line of defense. By that time we will know what Vand’s strategy is, and all of the clans of Khadora will join in.”
“Do you still plan on holding to a scorched retreat policy?” asked Lord Kiamesh. “Because if you do, food is going to become scarce, especially with thousands of Sakovans relying on us.”
“The Motangans will be the ones starving to death,” countered the Emperor. “If we start starving, we will have lost the war.”
“We could open up the Imperial Palace to the homeless,” suggested Lord Jamarat. “I also have room on my estate. Other lords must have space as well, now that our mages have left.”
“He has a good point,” shrugged Lord Patel. “The palace will hold thousands. Also, many lords have homes in Khadoratung. They can be used as temporary quarters until suitable housing is built, on a voluntary basis of course.”
“All of those ideas are acceptable to me,” smiled the Torak. “I have two homes in Khadoratung and will allow them to be used for the Sakovans. Lord Jamarat, your training days are just about over. I would like you to handle the Sakovan people coming to Khadoratung. I think you have the right ideas to deal with it. Will you accept?”
“Gladly,” beamed the Neju lord. “I will make them happy.”
Marak smiled at Lord Jamarat. The man had suffered from brain damage as a child and his thinking processes and speech often reflected that of a child, but Emperor Marak had noticed a distinct improvement since his marriage to the mage Latril.
“Where will the Chula figure into all of this?” asked Lord Chenowith.
“I am going to speak to them tonight,” replied the Torak. “Their style of fighting is rather unconventional. I am tempted to ask them to help the Sakovans, but I worry that we may need their help up here in Khadora.”
“What are the Sakovans facing?” asked Lord Patel.
“Three hundred thousand Motangans are on their way to Alamar,” answered Marak. “They should be attacking in the morning.”
“Three hundred thousand?” echoed Lord Kiamesh. “That is far greater than the combined armies of Omunga and the Sakova. Didn’t the Omungans only have forty thousand men?”
“They had forty thousand men in four large national armies,” nodded the Torak. “They also had city garrisons of several thousand each, but your point is well taken. The Sakovans are badly outnumbered. I should point out that there are still seven hundred thousand men on the Island
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