“Damn you, Vorthenki,” he said in a quiet rage. “You desert us too for your foul dragon gods. Go then. Seek them on a trail of murdered maidens and wanton orgies!”
“M’Lord-”
“Go on, go! Get out of my sight.”
But Althak did not go yet.
“We'll travel to Atonir first, M’Lord. We can take your message to Vorish.”
“Take it then. It will be the last service you ever do me!”
Silently Althak and Azkun, trailed by Tenari, made their way to the door. The crowd drew back from them as if they carried a plague. Menish watched Althak go with a bone-weary bitterness. He had always seen Althak as different but, after all, Kopth came before Menish, a god before a king, before a friend.
Althak and Azkun found horses immediately for themselves and Tenari. Althak visited the men’s lodge and returned with a bag containing his belongings and the dragon shield that had been his father’s. He threw them both across the back of his horse.
“Wait!” from the doorway came the familiar voice of Keashil. Olcish who also carried a pack for them containing blankets and food led her. “Wait, Althak. Take us with you.”
“You dislike Meyathal?” Althak walked towards them and took the pack from Olcish.
Keashil reached towards his voice and clutched at his sleeve.
“Of course not. But take us with you. Gashan was bad enough. I don't want you to leave me again.”
“I can't take you with me. The journey north was too hard for you. The year's older now, and this journey will be even harder. But…”
“Yes?” her blind eyes looked past his, tears welled from them.
“I wish I could take you. Damn it, this is hard enough already!” He pulled her hand from his sleeve and threw himself onto his horse. “Tell Menish it isn't Kopth I am serving on this quest, it is himself. I'm trying to save you all.”
“I know. He'll come to see it.”
“Remember me in your songs.”
“Goodbye, Vorthenki”
They rode away through the gates and down the street.
“No one has ever returned from Kishalkuz, Olcish. We'll never see him again.”
Chapter 29: “I Will Bring Dragons”
They rode in silence for hours. Azkun did not know what to say to Althak. He was grateful for his support, but it had cost Althak so much to come with him. As they rode he could feel the Vorthenki’s grief as if it were his own. Menish had turned him out of Meyathal and all he had been doing was to try and save them from the terror of Gashan. After years of service he was now a homeless wanderer, for Althak had no herds of his own, as did Drinagish and the others. He was a Vorthenki, and he had been content to work at Menish’s side asking little reward. For, though the Anthorians regarded the Vorthenki as barbarians who murdered their fathers to steal their houses, there was another side to their nature. A Vorthenki could be content with little more than the service he could give to a leader he loved. He did not need the herds and tents and horses the Anthorians measured their status by.
But for Althak this was gone, and the memory of Menish’s words drove him like wolves at his heels. He set a cruel pace not even stopping at dusk, and eating a crust of bread in the saddle when hunger grew too great.
When the moon rose they had to stop, for the horses were too weary to continue. But they lit no fire, they simply cast themselves on the ground and rolled themselves in their blankets. Azkun tried to thank Althak for coming with him and the Vorthenki sighed and said “Some things are hard to do, but they must be done.” His eyes shone in the moonlight as he looked back at Azkun. “You didn't leave Tenari behind this time. Why not?”
Tenari lay beside him. It seemed she was asleep, but Azkun had never been able to see her mind.
“I once thought she was a Monnar, but I was wrong. She helped me find the right path in the forests of Gashan in a dream. But I think she is in their evil spells. The dragons will rescue her.”
It took them eight days in all to reach Atonir. Every day until they reached the great wall they rode off before dawn and did not stop until well after dusk. Once past the wall they had fresh horses every few miles so they did not stop to sleep at all. Azkun’s head grew heavy and he fought to keep his eyes open. But he knew why Althak drove them so. This was the last service Menish had given him to do, he was going to do it well.
They rode up to the city gates not long after midnight and were challenged by the guards there. Althak did not know the new passwords and the guards had orders to open to no one after dark without them.
But the captain of the guard knew Althak and let them in. He detailed eight of his men to escort them to the palace, however. Vorish’s orders were not circumvented lightly.
In the light of the waning moon the palace looked like a dark mountain against the sky, immense and dominating, a symbol of Vorish’s determination. More passwords were given and the great gates were opened to let them in. The captain of the night guards of the palace also knew Althak by sight, and he even recognised Azkun, but on his own authority he could not let them proceed further without passwords. He sent for Angoth, who appeared some minutes later.
Angoth was dressed in the long woollen robe he slept in. His grey hair stood out in all directions and he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“Kopth’s balls, Althak, what sort of time is this to arrive? You’ve a message about Gashan, I suppose. All right, Agrith, we can let them in without passwords. I'd have given you the password schedule if I'd known you were going to turn up at this hour.” He looked at Althak carefully. “You look exhausted, man. Come. Sit down. Some wine?”
“Thank you. A few minutes. I must see Vorish.”
“Is it war?”
He nodded. “Soon. They'll attack in the spring.”
“What of this Eye thing?”
“They have it and they appear to be able to use it.”
Angoth grunted. “Your news is all bad.” He yawned again. “Well, I suppose you'd better see Vorish. Anarin! Go and see if the Emperor can see them. Go on, boy, move!” A sleepy-eyed youth who had been dozing in a corner ran off down the passage. “He’ll be awake, of course,” muttered Angoth. “Awake and aware. He probably already knows you're here. They say the walls have ears in this place, and all the ears are for Vorish. Just let me get decent, will you, and I'll come with you. He'll have orders for me.” Angoth disappeared through an archway to another room and they heard rustlings and grunts as he threw on a day tunic.
He returned smoothing his hair and beard with his hands just as the youth stepped through the other doorway.
“The Emperor will see you now, M’Lords.”
They followed him down the torch-lit passage, up two stairways and along a wide hall that Azkun thought he recognised. Two guards stood outside the heavy door they stopped at, but they let them pass through into Vorish’s study.
The Emperor sat on his cushions at his low table, a pile of parchments at one hand and a cup of wine at the other. A tired-looking councillor sat with him, and Azkun recognised him as Treath. Vorish did not look in the least weary. He looked up sharply when he saw them enter.
“Sit down, all of you,” he waved a hand towards the cushions on the opposite side of the table, subtly stressing the ‘all’ of his greeting. “What message do you bear that Menish should send Althak, Azkun and the silent woman… Tenari?” But Azkun could see a coldness in his eyes and wondered if he guessed why they had all come.
Althak sat down but Azkun remained standing and Tenari with him. This was not going to be an interview to relax in.
“Gashan prepares for war. They have the Eye and they appear to know something of how to use it. Azkun saw into their thoughts and they'll attack in spring. Menish has called an arms meet at Gildenthal at the spring
