Chapter Summaries

After the victory over the Feather Family, Xolotl celebrated the army’s achievements and considered how the battle had strengthened the artillerymen and Spear Legion. He honored Oltar and brought him together with Ezpan, leaving the surrendered Tarasco general to offer wine to the young Sky Family head.

• The warriors pursued the defeated enemy for half a day, capturing stragglers and gathering grain before the fighting ended at sunset.
• Xolotl praised Olorosh and the Holy City Legion, then rewarded the artillery craftsmen by promoting them to warriors.
• Xolotl honored Natali and Etalic for the Religious Legions’ victory and Kuluka and Ezpan for the Spear Legion’s performance; Ezpan pledged the Tarasco Legion’s loyalty.
• Oltar watched the generals’ celebration uneasily and considered learning about the Alliance through Ezpan.
• Xolotl praised Oltar’s father and urged Oltar to lead his army home and punish the Feather Family, then asked Ezpan to offer his wine to Oltar.

After the victory, Xolotl rewarded his generals and declared that the Alliance would march south to conquer the Tarasco Kingdom, where he would be crowned king. The generals pledged their loyalty as the celebration continued into the dawn of the New Year.

• Ezpan welcomed the surrendered Oltar and urged him to follow Xolotl and the Main God, while Xolotl arranged for the drunken Oltar to rest.
• Xolotl praised the archers and western city-state legions, then honored Izel for his pursuit of the Feather Legion and gave him his personal obsidian dagger.
• Xolotl declared that military merit would let anyone rise in rank and announced that the Alliance would capture the royal capital and make him king of Tarasco.
• Olorosh, Natali, Ezpan, and Izel each pledged their support, while Oltar privately wished to preserve his hometown and restore the Sky Family.
• The generals celebrated and discussed military matters through the night as the New Year dawned.

After defeating the Chapala Legion, Xolotl held a conversion ceremony, sacrificed wounded soldiers and nobles, and released six thousand converted militiamen. He then withdrew to Huayamo Fortress and prepared to strike toward Tarasco’s capital as Mexica forces threatened its southeastern grain route.

• Xolotl learned that the Mexica had routed the Chapala Legion, captured more than ten thousand people, and suffered over fifteen hundred warrior casualties.
• Xolotl rejected slaughtering the captives wholesale and ordered a conversion ceremony, with wounded enemy soldiers and captured nobles sacrificed and those who refused conversion executed.
• Oltar and two thousand surrendered Sky Warriors converted to Huitzilopochtli, while most captured militia converted and were released to travel west.
• Xolotl watched the six thousand freed militiamen leave, then declared that the army would turn toward Tzintzuntzan.
• The next day, the Mexica main force returned to Huayamo Fortress with five thousand surrendered soldiers and reorganized while longbow hunters harassed Tarasco’s grain route near Patzcuari.

In Tzintzuntzan, Chiwako learned that the Chapala army had been routed by the Mexica’s thunderous new weapons, while Puapu tried to control unrest among the Tecos. Chiwako returned to his daughter Reed and Weizti, and Chief Minister Tzinni prepared the capital for the Mexica advance as he awaited the king’s return.

• Chiwako questioned a routed Chapala militiaman, who described Mexica weapons that roared, belched smoke, and unleashed thunder before the Chapala forces fled.
• Puapu dismissed Chiwako’s concerns, then set out to suppress the Tecos militiamen’s demands to return home and pacify their tribal chiefs with supplies and women.
• Chiwako guarded the wall while Puapu left, then returned to Reed and shared food with her; he invited Weizti to live with them and help care for her.
• Chief Minister Tzinni ordered his guards to watch the nobles, sent another warning to the king about Mexica weapons, and asked about conditions near Patzcuaro.
• Tzinni learned that fewer than a thousand Chapala militiamen had regrouped and that patrols and grain transports near Patzcuaro remained inadequate; he hoped the king would retreat in time.

Toltec’s Black Wolf Legion ambushed royal messengers traveling southeast, but the envoys killed each other to keep their secret message from being captured. After learning of a major victory on the western plain, Toltec ordered a report to His Highness warning that reduced enemy grain shipments might signal trouble or a change on the southeastern front.

• A messenger paused among the Red Cicada Flowers before Toltec and his hidden hunters ambushed the Hummingbird-clan escort and wounded him with an arrow.
• The messenger killed the deputy envoy and then himself to prevent their message from leaking, leaving Toltec unable to discover what they had carried.
• Toltec learned from a wounded survivor that His Highness’s army and the Chapala Legion had wiped out thirty thousand enemy troops in a decisive battle.
• Toltec ordered his trusted warrior to report that Black Wolf Legion raids had halved Patzcuaro’s grain transport and that many messengers were traveling southeast.
• After hearing that enemy grain shipments had decreased, Toltec told the warrior to warn His Highness that supplies might be failing or the southeastern front might be changing, and to request a swift march south.

King Zuangua learned that the Tarasco capital was threatened and the Sitaquaro front could no longer be held, so he prepared to withdraw with ten thousand elite troops. He left Cuyus in command to hold the fortresses for fifteen days, while the inherited royal banner was replaced with an imitation.

• Zuangua reviewed the nine-month campaign and concluded that the exhausted armies could no longer sustain the fighting.
• Zuangua summoned Cuyus and told him that Mexica forces had defeated Penguari’s reinforcements, threatened the capital, and imperiled the grain supply.
• Zuangua ordered Cuyus to hold the southeastern front for fifteen days while he returned to Tzintzuntzan with ten thousand elite troops.
• Cuyus accepted command of the remaining forces and swore to defend the royal house beneath the eagle’s banner.
• Guards removed the inherited royal banner and raised an imitation, after which Cuyus collapsed beneath the new flag.

As Tarasco’s forces withdrew, King Avet staged a funeral ceremony and planned the next steps of the Mexica campaign. The story left Avet anticipating Xolotl’s advance and a future reunion with Zuangua, while Gilim secretly arranged for the captured Tarasco princesses to attend the banquet.

• Zuangua and the Tarasco royal party withdrew west from the mountain fortresses as King Avet remained behind to face the Mexica forces.
• King Avet led a Sun God ceremony that honored the dead and sacrificed wounded Tarasco soldiers who could no longer work.
• Avet ordered a banquet and discussed delaying a marriage alliance with a Tarasco princess until after Tzintzuntzan fell, while insisting Xolotl would rule the Patzcuaro lake district.
• Avet responded to Tlaxcalan and Huastec threats by ordering reinforcements east, mobilizing militia, and maintaining pressure on Sitaquaro without sending more troops there.
• Avet judged that Xolotl’s capture of Huayamo and Tepopollo’s advance could decide the western campaign, while Gilim secretly ordered the Tarasco princesses brought to the banquet.
• Avet spotted a distant figure near the Eagle Banner and expressed hope that Xolotl would succeed and that he would meet Zuangua again.

King Zuangua led the Tarasco royal legion southwest after his scouts encountered Mexica patrols, while Toltec discovered signs of a large enemy force and hurried to report them to Xolotl. After considering possible routes, Xolotl suspected Zuangua might retreat into the southern lake region and identified that possibility as his chief concern.

• Zuangua's scouts killed a small Mexica patrol, and he turned the royal legion southwest while sending decoy squads northeast.
• Toltec learned that scouts had gone missing and that an unidentified large enemy force was moving nearby, so he ordered an expanded search and returned to the old camp.
• Toltec reunited with the healed Bertad and told him he had found likely traces of the Tarasco king.
• Toltec reported his suspicions to Xolotl, who questioned him and consulted Ezpan about possible routes and supply points.
• Xolotl dismissed Toltec's proposal to surround Tzintzuntzan and revealed that he feared Zuangua might retreat into the southern lake region.

Xolotl assessed the danger of Zuangua fleeing to Colima and shared the Alliance’s history and secret order to destroy the Tarasco royal house. He decided to bypass the royal capital and seize Ihuatzio to block Zuangua’s route southwest, then sent the Mexica army south.

• Xolotl explained that Zuangua could rebuild his forces among the southern Tecos tribes in Colima, where Tarasco influence and difficult terrain could shelter him.
• Ezpan proposed killing the Tarasco nobles, while Bertad urged caution about how they were handled.
• Xolotl recounted how Coyotl Nezahual had rebuilt his power in exile and revealed The Elder’s decree to execute all male heirs of the Tarasco royal house.
• Xolotl ordered the army to bypass Patzcuaro, capture Ihuatzio, and cut off Zuangua’s retreat to the southwest.
• Xolotl assigned Bertad to summon the commanders, Toltec to lead a three-thousand-warrior vanguard, and Ezpan to organize scouts.
• The next day, the sixteen-thousand-strong Mexica army marched southwest while scouts searched for the Tarasco Royal Legion.

Xolotl’s Northern Army captured Ihuatzio and learned that Ixtli’s Southern Legion had landed nearby, prompting Xolotl to order the two forces to join and trap Zuangua. With both Mexica armies closing the routes around him, Zuangua realized the Tarasco Royal Legion had only one road left, though the chapter ended before he revealed his decision.

• Toltec reported that Xolotl’s army had captured Ihuatzio, and Xolotl ordered the town’s supplies and military resources seized while its wealth went to the warriors.
• Ezpan interrogated a Tepanec merchant, who revealed that Ixtli’s Southern Legion had landed in Apatzingan and was marching north.
• Xolotl sent scouts to contact Ixtli and ordered the Southern Legion to join his army while both forces watched for Zuangua’s Royal Legion.
• Zuangua’s scouts reported that the Northern Army had taken Ihuatzio and was cutting off the western route, while Ixtli’s legion approached from the south.
• Zuangua faced the encirclement and declared that only one road remained for his Royal Legion.

Zuangua marched the Tarasco Royal Army north to destroy the Mexica main force before it could unite with the southern vanguard. Xolotl led the Mexica Northern Army out of Ihuatzio to meet him, and the two armies faced each other on the plain as the decisive battle began.

• Zuangua received word that the capital messenger had arrived, ordered scouts to mislead the Mexica, and marched ten thousand soldiers north toward Ihuatzio.
• Black Wolf Toltec spotted the Royal Army and escaped its pursuing scouts to report its strength and approach to Xolotl.
• Xolotl called up his forces, held a pre-battle sacrifice, and promised promotions and land to warriors who distinguished themselves.
• The Mexica Northern Army left Ihuatzio and advanced south as both armies' scouts clashed across the plain.
• Two days later, Xolotl and Zuangua's armies saw each other across the southern plain of the Patzcuaro Lake Region.

Xolotl and Zuangua prepared their armies for a decisive battle between the Mexica Alliance and the Tarasco Kingdom. Zuangua sent a veiled offer of surrender and requested a meeting, leaving Xolotl to consider whether he could accept the terms.

• Xolotl identified the approaching Tarasco Copper Axe Guard and deployed his Northern Army for battle.
• Zuangua promised his soldiers wealth, promotion, and noble rank if they won.
• Zuangua ordered an envoy to suggest that he would surrender the capital and southern lands in exchange for a southwestern domain, then arranged to meet Xolotl with elite archers.
• Xolotl understood the envoy's veiled message, and Bertad warned that Zuangua might be sincere or plotting a deception.
• Xolotl said accepting surrender could spare his army and the lake region a bloody battle, and Bertad asked whether he could accept Zuangua's terms.

Xolotl rejected Zuangua’s surrender and sent Tepopollo to meet the Tarascan king in his place. Zuangua recognized that Xolotl was absent, refused to negotiate, and challenged the Mexica to a duel as hidden reinforcements approached.

• Xolotl agreed with Bertad that the Tarascan royal house had to be destroyed and accepted Bertad’s plan to send Tepopollo to negotiate for him.
• Xolotl ordered that the meeting follow ancient rites and personally instructed Tepopollo to represent the Mexica royal house.
• Tepopollo met Zuangua between the armies and promised the Tarascans a place of peace if they surrendered.
• Zuangua realized Xolotl was not present, while Yuku waited for a chance to attack the Mexica leader but received no signal from the king.
• Zuangua learned that three thousand reinforcements were approaching from the capital and challenged the Mexica to a duel between their warriors.

King Xolotl rejected Zuangua’s challenge to fight personally and sent one hundred Mexica warriors to meet the Tarasco in a pledged duel. The battle turned into a brutal melee, and Nekali searched for a new weapon as the Mexica gained the advantage.

• Toltec failed to find a clear shot at Zuangua and memorized the Tarasco king’s appearance while preparing for a possible pursuit.
• Xolotl accepted Zuangua’s challenge on behalf of the Mexica army but refused to duel him personally, sending one hundred renowned warriors into the arena.
• Izel tried to join the pledged duel, but the elderly Captain of Warriors knocked him down and warned him that he was not ready.
• Two hundred Mexica and Tarasco warriors fought in a deadly melee, with both sides suffering heavy casualties as the Mexica began to encircle their opponents.
• Nekali’s Obsidian flakes went blunt, so he picked up a sharp copper axe from the battlefield and resumed hunting for an opening.

Mexica and Tarasco warriors fought a series of arranged duels, with Yuku defeating several Mexica challengers and forcing Xolotl to recall Toltec. When Tarasco reinforcements appeared from Tzintzuntzan, Xolotl sent Toltec north to stop them and ordered the main army to launch its decisive attack.

• The Mexica won the first arranged duel at great cost, while Xolotl and Zuangua assessed the warriors and their tactics.
• Toltec defeated Hitallama and Esli, but Xolotl recalled him before he could face Yuku.
• Yuku killed Yomak and then defeated Ixca with his spear and copper axe, leaving the Mexica formation silent.
• A scout reported that more than two thousand Tarasco reinforcements were approaching from Tzintzuntzan.
• Xolotl ordered Toltec to take two thousand Longbow Militia and five hundred elite scouts north, then commanded the Mexica army to attack the Tarasco Royal Army.

Xolotl led the Mexica army against King Zuangua’s Tarasco Royal Army, using Wooden Cannons and archery to shake the enemy before the armies met in brutal close combat. As the battle remained unresolved, Xolotl sent five hundred Foot-Stirrup Crossbowmen to target Zuangua beneath the Eagle Banner.

• Xolotl arranged the Mexica forces into a spear-wielding central army, two flanking legions, and a rear Shooting Legion.
• The Mexica Wooden Cannons fired grapeshot into Zuangua’s central Spear Militia, causing panic, while the Copper Axe Guard answered with a deadly volley of arrows.
• Xolotl’s archers and crossbowmen exchanged fire with the Tarasco, and the Mexica spear formations clashed with Zuangua’s central army.
• Olorosh led the Holy City Warriors in an attack on the Tarasco left wing, but he withdrew his Jaguar Warriors to regroup when the enemy held formation.
• The Religious Legion charged the Tarasco right wing in fierce close combat, suffering heavy losses while Xolotl watched the battle unfold.
• Xolotl advanced five hundred Foot-Stirrup Crossbowmen behind the front line and directed them to aim at Zuangua beneath the Eagle Banner.

Zuangua survived a Mexica crossbow ambush as Yuku led the Tarasco guards in a deadly exchange of arrows, while Xolotl’s forces used Wooden Cannons and Jaguar Warriors to gain ground. The Tarasco Royal Army held its formation, and an old warrior beneath Hummingbird’s banner watched Xolotl’s Black Wolf banner from across the battlefield.

• Mexica crossbowmen ambushed Zuangua’s Royal Banner, killing his attendants, but his armor protected him from the bolts.
• Yuku took command of the Copper Axe Guard, organized its archers, and killed Mexica crossbowmen and spear officers as the armies traded volleys.
• Xolotl’s Wooden Cannons struck the Tarasco left wing, allowing Olorosh and the Holy City Jaguar Warriors to break through and seize the advantage.
• Yuku led marksmen against the Wooden Cannons, killing their gunners before the remaining crew withdrew the weapons to reload.
• Xolotl held back his five hundred Jaguar Regiment warriors after Bertad warned him to preserve the force, while the Tarasco army maintained its defense.
• An old warrior beneath Hummingbird’s banner stared across the battlefield at the Black Wolf banner.

Chiwako guarded the Hummingbird banner as the royal-capital reinforcements fought their way toward the king, while he warned Weizti that the king’s promises would not protect them. After watching the Hummingbird warriors take the brunt of the fighting, Chiwako urged Captain Puapu to preserve his troops and consider that the king’s war was not theirs.

• Chiwako and the Hummingbird reinforcements advanced south through Mexica arrow fire as the Tarasco warriors clashed with enemy scouts.
• Chiwako stopped Weizti from charging to rescue the king and reminded him that their families had died because of the kingdom’s rulers and conscription.
• Weizti saw a wounded military-merit noble abandoned by the advancing army and lost his eagerness to fight for noble rank.
• Captain Puapu’s charge failed against a fierce young Mexica general, and he complained that his warriors could not reach the king.
• Chiwako pointed out that the nobles’ private troops and Temple guards were holding back while the Hummingbird warriors fought at the front.
• Chiwako advised Puapu to conserve his warriors and suggested that he might fare better under the Mexica; Puapu stared at the Eagle Banner and slowly nodded.

Xolotl’s Mexica forces pressed the Tarasco Royal Army, but Zuangua’s Copper Axe Guards broke a Mexica spear column and briefly restored the center. With a fresh Mexica force approaching from the south and his northern reinforcements stalled, Zuangua resolved to lead a final assault against the enemy commander’s banner.

• Xolotl’s cannons and reserves helped the Mexica break through the Tarasco line, while fighting on both wings grew increasingly bloody.
• Zuangua ordered his Copper Axe Guards to charge, and they routed the Mexica spearmen who had broken into the center.
• Zuangua recalled the guards to protect him as cannon fire struck closer to the Royal Banner and the front line neared collapse.
• Yuku warned Zuangua that the battle was failing, and a scout reported that fifteen hundred Mexica elites were approaching from the south.
• Yuku urged Zuangua to retreat southwest, but Zuangua ordered him to assemble the Copper Axe Guards and Royal Banner for a death-or-victory assault on the opposing commander.

Zuangua disguised himself among his guards while a double wore the Royal Banner, and Yuku led the Copper Axe Guard in a desperate charge toward Xolotl. As the elite forces clashed and the battle turned against the Tarasco, Yuku broke away from Bertad and took aim at Xolotl with his longbow.

• Yuku persuaded Zuangua to leave the Royal Banner with a double and disguised the king as an ordinary guard before leading more than twelve hundred Copper Axe Guard into battle.
• Xolotl redirected crossbowmen and rallied the Jaguar Regiment to meet Yuku’s charge, while the Tarasco guards broke through the Mexica lines and advanced toward the Wolf Banner.
• The Copper Axe Guard and Jaguar Regiment fought fiercely as Xolotl ordered a general attack and sent Bertad to stop Yuku.
• Bertad wounded Yuku’s left ear with an arrow and pressed him in close combat, forcing Yuku to abandon his spear and retreat behind his guards.
• Yuku escaped Bertad’s pursuit, charged through the enemy formation, and fired his longbow at Xolotl from thirty paces away.