Chronicles of the Invaders 1: Conquest Read Online Free PDF

cheeks glowed with pride.
    “What do I know?” said Nessa. “I’m only a girl,” but she said it in the same way that a heavyweight champion of the world might have said he was only a boxer.
    “What’s the job?” said Paul.
    Nessa leaned in closer to him, and lowered her voice.
    “We think we’ve found one of the tunnels. . . . ”

CHAPTER FIVE
    S yl could hear her father shouting as she neared his office. She paused while she was still out of sight of Balen, the secretary who carefully controlled access to the governor from his desk outside the door. Syl rather liked Balen, and his affection for her was obvious, but she could tell as she peered around the corner that he was unlikely to be welcoming this morning. He was staring at his screen, his fingers rapidly manipulating the display. The screen was a projection created by the castle’s artificial intelligence system, and allowed a screen to be summoned at any time, and in any room. As a child, Syl had thought it magical.
    Balen was simultaneously fielding calls to his communications console, adjusting his tone according to the importance of the caller, though each received roughly the same response: no, it would not be possible to talk to Governor Andrus. . . .
    The door to the office stood ajar. Syl could not see her father, but she glimpsed a short, balding human wearing a suit that was two sizes too small for him. It was McGill, the First Minister of the Scottish parliament, who served as the main channel of communication between the Scottish humans and the Illyri. The Illyri had allowed most local councils, and even national parliaments, to remain active, although they offered only the illusion of self-government, since no major decisions could be made without Illyri approval. Governor Andrus was often heard to remark that given how poorly human governments performed even the simplest of tasks, they might have found it preferable to hand all power to the Illyri, and at least see the job done right.
    As Syl listened, her father’s voice rose again.
    “Greater freedom of movement?” he shouted. “Are you insane? Do you have any idea what is happening in this damned country of yours? Shootings, bombings, acts of sabotage and murder. We had an explosion in the city last night, and then the garrison at Birdoswald was attacked. We lost twenty Galateans, and the captain of the garrison, not to mention two interceptors reduced to charred metal, and you’re asking me to give your people even more opportunities to attack us?”
    “We are not responsible for actions taken south of the border,” said McGill. “And we’re not talking about the whole of Scotland either. For now, at least allow more ease of travel between the cities, and perhaps make Edinburgh itself a free zone, with unrestricted movement within the city limits.”
    “The reason you’re not talking about the whole of the country, Mr. McGill,” said Andrus, “is that most of the Highlands remains lawless. Travel north to Inverness and Aberdeen is only possible by air, because anything that moves along the ground risks being attacked and looted. Most of the time I’m forced to amuse myself by trying to establish which of you is worst: the Scots, the Irish, or the Welsh. The more I study your history, the more I pity the English for having to put up with the lot of you.”
    “And yet now you’re being attacked close to Carlisle,” McGill interrupted. “Forgive me for pointing this out again, but that’s England, isn’t it?”
    “Infected by a virus of rebellion that started up here, no doubt,” Lord Andrus countered. “In fact, I suspect that the terrorists traveled south to Birdoswald, not north. They’re Scots, or I’m a fool. And don’t think that the rebels have any love for your city either. They disapprove of even your limited cooperation with us, and they’d dearly love to make an example of the most obliging of you. Our security procedures protect you as much as they