“…and you'll have heard of the incident in the street below. A knife fight, one man with a knife in his chest anyway. I would have given up. Azkun revived him somehow. I don't know how he got the blood out of his lungs.”
“I was told the man actually died.”
“Dead men don't wake up. He can't have died.”
Vorish raised one eyebrow questioningly. It was a habit he had learned from Menish though neither of them realised it.
“I've given orders for the man to be taken to the infirmary. The priestesses there will examine him and we will know more.”
He was silent for a long moment, his bright eyes looking at Menish intently. Weighing and measuring again. He had always been like that, even as a child.
“What are you not telling me, Menish? What happened at Lianar? Why were you at Kelerish in the first place?”
“Dismiss the servants.”
A gesture from Vorish and they were gone. Menish drew a deep breath, preparing himself for the ordeal. Was there any way he could prevent Vorish from killing Thalissa?
“She's alive. Thalissa, your mother, is alive.”
Vorish looked at Menish blankly for a moment.
“I know.”
“What?”
“Some years ago Angoth… you remember Angoth? He was in Lianar assessing the situation with the northern chiefs. A trustworthy man. He remembered her and he brought news to me. I've had her watched from time to time but she's harmless. And,” he added with a wry grin, “she is my mother.”
“I thought you'd kill her if you knew. She would have killed you if that had been my price to rescue her from 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?”