From the chronicles of Colon:
Below the rising storm clouds, the wind begins to howl.
Naltecona comes to me in the morning, his face haggard and his eyes wide. An unaccustomed tremor creeps into his voice as he speaks.
It seems that he has been given a dream. He speaks of shadows and despair, of the ruin of the True World. Almost as an afterthought, he sees his own death.
But he has decided to strike first. The great Naltecona will administer a blow to crush the invaders before they can reach Nexal. No longer does he fear the man, Cordell, as a god.
He has the twin examples of Kultaka and Payit before him now, and he will not repeat their mistakes. He will plan carefully, inventing a shrewd stratagem to lure the strangers into an inescapable trap.
I cannot speak, or I would warn him that a trap may sometimes ensnare the trapper.
TREACHERY AND DEFIANCE
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Chical, gesturing to the cloak, boots, and helmet that Poshtli laid on the floor before him.
"I am here to inform you of my withdrawal from the Order of Eagle Knighthood," explained the warrior stiffly. He and bis venerable mentor stood alone in the darkened sweat lodge. Though it was a hot and sunny day, the heavy log building remained cool and lightless.
Chical stood still, staring at Poshtli for several minutes. The younger man met the gaze with a challenging glare of his own.
"I know that you cannot renounce your order lightly," Chical said eventually. "And this makes me fear that the stranger has placed some sorcery over you."
"No. It is a question of honor. I brought him here, in safety and with good intent. I can no more turn my back on that than you could renounce your responsibilities as leader of the order"
"Are you aware that his companions, his army, are even now marching on Nexal? They have conquered Kultaka and enlisted the defeated warriors of our ancient enemy in their cause against us."
Poshtli's look of surprise showed that he had been unaware of this fact. Still, his reply came quickly. "That is not Halloran's army any more than the Eagle Knights are mine. If the strangers attack Nexal, I will fight in the defense of my homeland — as a common warrior, if I must."
"Your departure means more than simply leaving the order, you understand," said Chical sadly, gesturing toward the garments at his feet. "We are not mere strangers now."
"I understand" agreed Poshtli. "Now we are enemies."
"Summon Hoxitl, Kalnak, and Chical" ordered Naltecona. Slaves hastened to obey. "The rest of you, leave!" A dozen raggedly dressed courtiers scurried from the room, relieved at the opportunity to reclothe themselves in their accustomed finery.
The high priest of Zaltec was the first to arrive, though Hoxitl was closely followed by Chical, captain of the Eagle Knights. Shortly thereafter Kafnak, captain of Nexal's Jaguar Knights, arrived.
The two knights had placed tattered shawls across their resplendent armor. Hoxitl, already dirty, blood-caked, and emaciated, didn't need to do so, since his appearance created no risk of diverting attention from Nahecona's splendor.
"Have you reached a decision about the strangers?" asked Kalnak hopefully. He had been one of the most adamant in advocating an attack against the legion before it reached Nexal.
"Indeed" said the ruler. "The knowledge has come to me — in a dream — that their leader is indeed a man and not a god. He is not Qotal returned to the True World to claim his throne. He is an invader who must be stopped!"
Kalnak's face split into a wide grin, framed grotesquely by the widespread jaws of his jaguar-skull helm. Hoxitl, too, smiled in anticipation of the many captives such a campaign would gain for Zaltec. Only Chical showed less than delight.
"Have you decided where and when this attack will take place?" inquired the Eagle Knight.
"Yes. My spies have reported to me the route of their march. I have selected the perfect place and formed a plan."
"Where?" inquired Kalnak. "Can we strike soon?"
"We place the plan in motion today. The march of the strangers takes them toward Palul, and this is where we will meet them." Palul, although a village under the control and governorship of Nexal, was still safely removed from the great city itself. It seemed to them all a good choice.
"Splendid!" agreed the Jaguar Knight. "We can destroy them in the high pass before they reach the town!"
"No," Naltecona disagreed. "That is not the plan. I want each of you to gather your most trusted knights. Take many thousandmen of warriors, too. But you are not to array for battle before Palul."
The others looked at him in confusion, and Naltecona enjoyed their curiosity. He paused for a few moments to let his listeners wonder.
"Instead, we will invite the strangers into Palul. There a great feast will be held, with much dancing and drinking of octal. Their Kultakan allies, we will insist, must remain outside the town."
"But we, with our men, will be in the town?" guessed Kalnak.
"Yes! And you, my chief of Jaguars, will give the signal. When the feast progresses, and the invaders have had much to drink, you will fall upon them from all sides. In one short battle, the strangers will be annihilated!"
"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 Takamal, 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.