Oath of Fealty [antikvár]

PrologueThe only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.Edmund BurkeTHE INVADERSElsewhere in Los Angeles it was late afternoon, but here was only twilight. The three invaders peering out of the orange grove were deep in shadow. The sky blazed behind them and sent chinks of blue-white light through the trees to make the shadows darker. There was a fresh smell of fertilizers and crushed orange peel carried on the warm Santa Ana wind.Close ahead the eastern face of Todos Santos was a black wall across the world. Thousands of balconies and windows in neat array showed in this light as no more than a faceless void seen through gray leaves, a sharp-edged black rectangle blotting out the sky.The invaders blinked as they searched through uncertain light, and froze at the thunder of wings above. Nobody was about. They had watched the grounds tenders leave. They had seen no guards."There." The girl pointed. Her voice was no louder than the leaves' rustle in the wind. "There."