“But I will obey the Inca’s command.”
“You do not want to kill your own relatives and friends, do you?”
“The king’s commands must not be questioned.”
“Of course not. And we are not asking you to disobey your king in even the smallest matter. But you will admit that Quizquiz is not the kind of king his father was. He is cruel and bloodthirsty. You know the history of the nation back to its very beginning. Was there ever another such ruler—one who wantonly destroyed his highest nobles as well as his common people for the mere pleasure it gave him?”
“No, there was not. The Incas were all filled with solicitude for their subjects. They were all kind and benevolent and just; that is why they were so great and why the people venerated them.”
“I thought so. And if Quizquiz keeps on at the rate he is going, he will break down and destroy all that the others before him have built up at such enormous cost and sacrifice. And that will mean the end of the hidden people, the last remnant of the once powerful and glorious nation. Those who survive will be like your brethren in the outer world, downtrodden, miserable, and without hope.”
“Quizquiz is young, and he is under the spell of an evil influence.”
“Yes, Villac Umu. We must get rid of him by all means. And we must save the nation. We want you to help us help you to do these things.”
“I will not be a traitor to the Child of the Sun; I will not even consider such a thing.”
“No one is asking you to do that. In helping us you will be doing a favor to all the people. This may sound strange to you, and we do not expect you to understand because you are accustomed to look at things differently than we do. But we simply want to prove to you the thing you refuse to admit—that the Child of the Sun is very human; that he makes mistakes and can be good or wicked like any one else; and that he must be taught a lesson that will bring him to his senses. Even your Sun-God is subject to a higher power. Do not take my word for it. You shall have the proof. Wait and see.”