Suak circled in the skies high above Kalonia watching the approaching army that had come with the dawn from the east. Even to his keen eyes they looked no more than motes on the mirror bridge but the sound of their hooves on the bright surface rang loudly in the still, cold air. A thin dusting of overnight snow covered the ground and the top of the dome but there was a clear window where Orietta and Malorye could look out over the bridge. "They bear swords, bows and axes; a great gathering of the tribes. Embelin has seeded the host with listeners and we have been following their progress for five days since they crossed the borders into Illunon." "I don't understand", Orietta said. "Riders have always made weapons to hunt and to defend themselves from wild beasts but warfare is only a dark legend to us. We do not have organised armies. How can this have happened? All Riders are taught to hate the idea of combat between thinking beings. It is against the Vow of Earth." "Someone has been teaching them differently", Malorye said simply. "Someone has been shifting the meaning of the stories intended to keep Rider and Enclave cultures apart until we are perceived not as a sacred place of awe to avoid but a frightening enemy to be crushed. They mean to destroy us." "If Trassamul is behind this as Hirrilow has told us then whatever Kalonia has done to offend against the Vow Of Earth their action is far worse, surely!" "So you might think", Malorye said with an ironic smile. "But it would seem that not everyone thinks the same." "Can we withstand them?" "Though we number only six old men and yourself, the Riders do not know that and Kalonia still has many hidden strengths", the seer said. "These strengths may well be tested to their limit. Hirrilow goes to speak with the leaders now and he will attempt to reason with them. We shall soon see whether he is successful."