"A third of the people joined us. But the other two-thirds, besotted by old myths, adhered to the Brotherhood. Finally we Humanites seceded from the Brotherhood and seized this city, Anshan. Here man and beast are not equal as they are in Vruun!"
Eric Nelson felt the shock of astonishment from the picture of L'Lan that had just been unfolded to them. A hidden valley guarding the relics of a once-mighty civilization, a valley in which beast-races claimed equality with man and in which a human minority was trying to right that!
"It seems incredible," he said, frowning, "that men and women would concede animals, even intelligent animals, equality!"
"Of course it seems so to you of the normal outer world!" Shan Kar exclaimed. "But the people here who follow Kree and the Brotherhood persist in blind belief in the lying legends."
All the passion of the man flamed into his eyes and voice as he continued with fanatic intensity.
"The equality of the Brotherhood is a mere sham that won't endure. As the beast-races learn more they'll aspire to rule man here! And some victorious beast-clan will, unless we prevent it.
"That's why we Humanites seceded from the Brotherhood and have brought the threat of civil war to L'Lan! That's why, since we're so badly outnumbered, I went into the outer world for weapons and fighters who could restore the balance of power for us!"
Nelson felt a strong sympathy with Shan Kar's burning passion. There was something repellent in the possibility he depicted. Beast-races demanding equality with men, aspiring to dominance over men! All his instincts rebelled against the idea.
"It gives me the creeps!" muttered Lefty Wister. "You ought to kill all the brutes."
Shan Kar looked a little shocked at that. "We don't want to destroy the beast-clans. It's simply that they must learn the Brotherhood is a myth, that men are best fitted to govern."