Thealum.”
“Do you think so?”
“It's what she said. That's why I left her and took you.”
“Perhaps she would have. Let's not dwell on old crimes. You've not taught me to hate her as you have others. How did you find her?”
Menish allowed the accusation. He knew it was just.
“I saw her in the road. It was Azkun who saw Tenari, and Tenari was in her care. Later we were able to speak. I had to tread carefully, Althak and Hrangil would not be as generous as you.”
“And how is she?”
“She hates me more than ever. I took Tenari away from her. Tenari was found at the Chasm mouth by a fisherman, as she was herself. The same fisherman, incidentally. She bore a child in the Chasm and believed it was Tenari.”
“You disagree, you think it was Azkun.” Menish nodded. Vorish was very quick. “That would make him my half brother. Why do you think so?”
“He has her eyes, and something of her looks now that he's clean.”
“Who was the father?”
“Who knows? Some Vorthenki Thalissa found it useful to make her bed with.”
“Just because we know this does not dismiss the claims of Godhead.”
“Why not? He's the son of Thalissa. He's a man. Flame of Aton! You are not going to take on Hrangil’s foolishness? It's driving me mad.”
“Then leave that aside. You've not told me what you were doing at Kelerish in the first place. You've never been there before, except for your initiation, I suppose.”
“That was the only other time, yes. You'll find this hard to believe. I had dreams. Have you ever had such dreams? They haunted me every night. I feared sleep. They were so vivid, so terrifying. I dreamed I saw the skeleton of Thalissa climb out of the Chasm at the Tor. It makes my skin crawl to remember it.”
“So you went to the Tor to show yourself it was nonsense.”
“Exactly, and Azkun emerged and was blasted with dragon fire.”
“How strange. When did Tenari emerge?”
“What? Oh, Althak said it must have been about the same time. Why do you ask? She's a little curious, but it's Azkun who concerns me most.”
“Perhaps. But she doesn't eat either, does she? Do all folk who enter the place and manage to leave have this strangeness? But there's more, isn't there?”
“The skeleton, Thalissa, except she's alive now after all, it spoke. It told me of another attack from Gashan. It told me I'd die in the battle.”
“I remember a time you would have thrashed me soundly for concerning myself with dreams. You'd have called me a Vorthenki brat and turned me out with a crust of bread for my supper.” He smiled as he spoke and there was amusement in his voice, not malice.
“You never dreamed these dreams!” said Menish, suddenly angry. “I know what I've said. I know I've always rejected such things. But what else can I think? The dream was half true. Thalissa's son came out of the Chasm alive instead of her skeleton. What if the words are half true? Or what if they are the truest part of all?”
“You fear the possibility of a Gashan attack on the strength of a dream?”
“It costs me much to admit it, but yes I do.”
Again Vorish was silent for a moment, then he spoke.
“Naturally you want me to send reinforcements. It's a lot to ask. Though you, Menish, may ask much of me. I've not forgotten my debts to you.” He paused again as Menish’s anger subsided. “Let's say, for the moment, that I accept this dream as a portent of a Gashan attack. In that case my resources are at your disposal. Don't think me generous, I've no wish to see the Gashans threatening my borders if they over-run Anthor. Gilish III was of the same mind when he mounted his expeditions there. May the servant return?”
Menish nodded and Vorish struck a tiny gong that lay on the table. A moment later the man who had poured the wine stepped into the room.
“Fetch the Gash-Tal from the library.” Without a word the man nodded and left. “I'll read it tonight. I looked it over some years ago and I know there's good information on how they managed their supply lines and troop deployments. Your memories of the last time they attacked will help too, but I would hope this time we were better prepared. Now, how precise were Thalissa's words?”
Menish shook his head at the absurdity of it. It was a dream, and the woman he had dreamed of was alive anyway.
“She said a lot of things about me being responsible for her death.”
“Which we can discount because we know she is alive. Go on.”
“And she said the Gashans would attack in the spring.”
“This spring? You mean in six months?”
“Now that you ask it I don't know. I assumed it was this spring. She was recounting the story of my death with some relish and it did not seem as though it would be a distant event.”
“So we have at least six months. Where exactly did you meet them last time?”
“There's a plain that opens out in the middle of the mountains and an old road across it. That's where Gilish III met them, with more success than we did.”
“You beat them. It was a costly victory, but you won. How many days to get to this plain? Is there water? Ah, you used water from a river last time. How big is the river?”
“What? Not very big. A large stream really. Snow melt. It's cold. They'll be watching for the trick I used last time.”
“I'm thinking about drinking water. We might have to wait for them for weeks with an army in the field. I assume the place is barren of food?”
“There are woods, so there will be game to hunt. No one lives there so no grain fields.”
“Days to get there?”
“Oh, about four weeks with good horses and good men. That's from Meyathal so add another three weeks to get from here.”
“Troops travel half that speed, especially across Relanor where the post horses speed everything up for small parties like yours. We can't use them for troops, of course. They'll have supply wagons and herd animals. Ten weeks travelling, then, allow twelve weeks for contingency. At least we won't need to carry much water.
“I recall you fielded five thousand men last time and it wasn't enough. All cavalry I think. How many heavy cavalry?”
“Two thousand and the rest light. A thousand from Anthor. It would have been enough if they hadn't blasted us with fire. The Gashans were all on foot, although there were more of them than us. You know a good cavalry can mow down infantry. But not when the horsemen are being burned in their saddles.”
Vorish seemed to be counting, his eyes looked past Menish.
“I can field fifteen thousand horse without leaving Relanor undefended. Most of them will be lightly armed, but I can make a third of them heavy cavalry. You can raise, how many? Three thousand?”
Trust Vorish to know his numbers better than he did himself.
“Close enough. All light cavalry, of course.”
“I know how Anthor fights.”
“So you'll send these reinforcements? On the strength of my dream?”
“No,” Vorish said. “That'd be foolish at this stage. We don't have enough information. All we know is that there might be a Gashan attack. We have to prepare for the possibility, not the certainty.”
“You think I'm getting old. You're trying to humour me,” said Menish through his teeth.
“I am not trying to humour you!” shouted Vorish, thumping the table. Even through his own anger Menish observed that Vorish was carefully in control of himself. The outburst was calculated, not spontaneous. “You have to admit that the dream was inaccurate. Merely a pointer to what really happened. This tale of Gashan may be just as wide of the mark. Do you really want me to send men to Ristalshuz to wait for a battle while Relanor itself is attacked from another foe that your dream was really trying to warn us of?”
“The alternative is to sit here safely in Atonir while Anthor is laid waste. If you don't start moving your men
