The Goddess of Atvatabar
CHAPTER XLVII.
THE COUNCIL OF WAR IN KIORAM.
The sensation produced by the defeat of the royal fleet, thedestruction of forty of the ships, and the defection of the remainingsixty vessels to the cause of Queen Lyone, shook the nation from itscentre to circumference. It appeared incredible that one ship coulddestroy so many well-armed vessels. Our terrorite guns were considereddemon powers, and such was the consternation produced by theirterrible energy that, were it possible for us to use such weapons inaerial battle, their appearance would alone cause the royal army tosurrender.
Coltonobory was confident he could soon suppress the insurrection byvirtue of his superior force.
As for his majesty, he was beside himself with rage at the loss of hisfleet. Had Admiral Jolar been alive he would have answered for hisdefeat with his life. The following royal proclamation testified tothe implacable wrath of the king:
"_His Majesty_ KING ALDEMEGRY BHOOLMAKAR _of Atvatabar to his faithful people_:
"Know ye, my people of Atvatabar, that the desperate barbarian who commands the alien ship, the _Polar King_, has not only alienated the affections of the Goddess Lyone, thereby insulting our holy religion and our laws, but has destroyed forty of our ships of war, and induced the remainder of our fleet to follow his fortunes, thereby giving him power to destroy our commerce, blockade our harbors, and burn our cities. His success has encouraged many who have hitherto been our faithful subjects to flock to his standard, and the terrors of treason and insurrection devastate our beloved country.
"What will be thought of Lyone, who was lately our beloved and adored goddess, who has treasonably allowed herself to be proclaimed Queen of Atvatabar, and who is the prime cause of all this deluge of crime, treason and apostasy by encouraging a heretical affection for a desperate criminal, and who dares to abuse her holy office by seeking matrimony with a murderer? It would be impossible for this cowardly and desperate assassin to visit our country with such destruction were it not that she who was our goddess sympathizes with his inhuman and infernal work. She has only to speak the word that she has no sympathy with such a monster, and his power will be paralyzed in a moment, and peace restored to our unhappy country. Will it be believed that she absolutely refuses to disown such a viper, and even boasts of his work, and that he will shortly set her free?
"Our prisoner, she has disregarded our clemency in holding back the sword of justice that hangs over her head. Her life is already forfeited by her own actions. The monster of insurrection and apostasy must be struck in its most vital part. Orders have been given for a full conclave of the Borodemy, to put our fallen goddess on trial forthwith, and if found guilty to be immediately executed.
"The commander-in-chief of the army, Coltonobory, has orders to attack, pursue and put to death without mercy all rebels in arms, and arrest all sympathizers with the rebel cause.
"Given in our palace at Calnogor in the twenty-sixth year of our reign.
"ALDEMEGRY BHOOLMAKAR, _King of Atvatabar_."
This proclamation revealed the desperate crisis matters had reached.The bloodthirsty king had Lyone in his power, and unless a miraclehappened nothing could save her. The fact that the flag of the queenfloated above Kioram must have added enormously to the wrath of theking, and the supreme question with us then was how to save our queenfrom a cruel fate.
While discussing this important subject with Governor Ladalmir and myown retinue, we were agreeably surprised to learn of the arrival ofthe high priest and priestess and the grand sorcerer and sorceressfrom Egyplosis. Astronomer Starbottle and Flathootly had so farevidently succeeded in their mission.
Hushnoly reported that all Egyplosis was up in arms for the cause ofthe queen. The priestesses had formed an amazonian legion of fivethousand wayleals. These would be commanded by the high priestessZooly-Soase and the grand sorceress Thoubool in equal divisions. Thesacred phalanx of priests of the spiritual palace would be under thecommand of the grand sorcerer, while Hushnoly would hold himself inreadiness for a special command.
While praising the devotion of the twin-souls, a message by telegraphwas received from Gnaphisthasia, stating that the lord of art,Yermoul, was on his way to Kioram. He would travel on the wing by acircuitous route, to avoid contact with any of the king's wayleals.Yermoul would be accompanied by the chief priests of poetry, painting,sculpture, music, decoration, architecture, and dancing.
No messenger had been sent to Grasnagallipas, high priest of thepalace of inventions in Calnogor, as tidings had been received fromthat quarter that the priests of invention, owing to their closeconnection with the seat of government, had become bockhockids of theking. The defection of Grasnagallipas was a severe blow to our cause,as he was the greatest inventor in the kingdom, and master of tenthousand magnetic bockhockids, that machine being his own invention.
Governor Ladalmir said the crisis upon which we were to deliberatedemanded immediate action, and the first step to be taken was toappoint a commander-in-chief for the army of the queen. The victoryachieved by the commander of the _Polar King_ in fighting the royalnavy single-handed, and his personal sympathy with her majesty,pointed out his excellency, Lexington White, already lord admiral ofthe fleet, as the man of all others fit to assume the supreme commandof all operations directed against the royal army to secure theliberation of Lyone and the reformation of the religion of Atvatabar."I therefore," said he, "nominate his excellency, Lexington White,commander-in-chief of the army of the queen."
The governor's proposition was received with the wildest enthusiasm,and I gracefully accepted the high honor conferred upon me.
Hushnoly was appointed my assistant, under the title of supremegeneral of the army, and the list of generals included the grandsorcerer Charka, the grand sorceress Thoubool, the high priestessZooly-Soase, the lord of art Yermoul, Governor Ladalmir, Generals Praand Nototherboc. The chief priests of poetry, painting, music,architecture and decoration, and Professors Rackiron, Goldrock andStarbottle, Dr. Merryferry and Flathootly were also created generalsof the army, being at the same time relieved from service in thefleet.
Rear-Admiral Wallace was promoted to full command of the fleet duringmy absence therefrom, with the title of admiral.
As president of the council, I spoke as follows:
"Supreme General Hushnoly and generals of the army of Her MajestyLyone, Queen of Atvatabar, you are aware of the nature of the crisisthat calls us together and the cause to which we devote our lives andfortunes. Our beloved queen, for whom we fight, is in the hands and atthe mercy of a cruel tyrant. We may hear of her death at any moment.Such an event would crush our hopes and blast our cause beyond hope ofrecovery. We must be both bold and prudent. We must concentrate ourforces to withstand the onset of the enemy. A proclamation must beissued making Kioram, which is under the protection of the fleet, theheadquarters of the army and the rallying-ground for volunteers. Ourarsenal in the fortress will begin at once to make revolvers, underthe superintendence of General Rackiron, for the use of our wayleals.Armed with these, one hundred thousand wayleals will be equal to halfa million men without such weapons.
"We must strike a mighty blow as soon as possible for the sake ofLyone, our queen. Once break the power of the king, and he will beglad to sue for peace by liberating our adored idol, the pride ofAtvatabar."
These sentiments were applauded with impetuous excitement.
Hushnoly caused telegraphic despatches as to the proceedings of thecouncil to be sent to Egyplosis, Gnaphisthasia, and to sympathizers inCalnogor, calling on volunteers for the army of the queen to reportthemselves at Kioram without delay.
Admiral Wallace was instructed to send vessels to various points onthe coast of Atvatabar, to receive volunteers and supplies andtransmit them to Kioram with all possible speed.
The mines of precious meta
ls of the queen, situated on the northerncoast of the kingdom, and the materials for making guns, gunpowder andterrorite, were to be accumulated at Kioram without delay.
Professor Rackiron agreed, if furnished with men and materials, toturn out sufficient hand mitrailleuses to arm one hundred thousandwayleals in less than a month. He also proposed to furnish ourwayleals with magnic spears, and to arm the legs of the bockhockidswith magnic toes, so that a company of the strange animals could routa legion of wayleals. We discovered that the materials for themanufacture of terrorite existed in abundance in Atvatabar, and as thesecret of this substance was still ours, we were in a position to workfearful havoc on the enemy.
Before the council broke up the most encouraging news was receivedfrom our agents throughout the kingdom that the enrollment ofvolunteers for our cause was proceeding with great rapidity, and ahundred thousand men would arrive in Kioram within a week from thedate of our proclamation. Hushnoly was appointed general ofvolunteers, in addition to his rank as supreme general of the army.General Yermoul and his colleagues would command the contingent fromGnaphisthasia, consisting of fourteen thousand wayleals.
While thus discussing the details of our army organization, AstronomerStarbottle and his body-guard, Flathootly, arrived at the fortress,having safely escaped all perils in making a very hazardous journey.