vaults.”
They stared at her. Appalled. These names were writ in blood in an ancient book, one that these fair folk had not seen in their generation. These were horrors from the elder days, which had been held away from the Argonath for a hundred years by the power of the legions.
“Twenty thousand? Did I hear you correctly?” said Burly finally, in a voice reduced to a croak.
“Yes, and it may be an underestimate. We have no reports from further into the Hazog.”
“They will overwhelm us,” exclaimed Kesepton. “Our half-starved men will be swept aside.”
Ewilra licked her lips nervously. “How can we be sure? How can we know that their force will be that large?”
“We have managed to penetrate the underworld of the enemy. Tummuz Orgmeen depends on the labor of an army of slaves, many of them older women beyond child-bearing age. We have a few willing agents among them— to the last one they hate their masters. So these are not estimates, these are head counts from the bearing pens.”
Ewilra blanched.
Hektor leaned forward. “This is grievous news indeed, Lessis. Where do you think the blow will fall?”
“Towards Kenor will the main assault come. They will first seek to force the Argo Valley and reoccupy Dugguth.”
“We must be ready for them,” said Kesepton.
“We must. But this will be the feint, for some five thousand imps will be pushed across the Oon and up the valley of the Lis to attack Fort Teot. When we respond, which they expect us to do with all the forces we have left along the Lis, the treacherous Teetol will raid in towards Fort Picon and seize as many as a thousand women from the new colonies.”
There was a stunned silence.
“And it would work too!” said Hektor. “We would have been forced to concentrate much of our strength in the Argo Valley. Then when the second army marched on Fort Teot, we would have been forced to commit the brigades from Fort Picon. Necessarily Picon would be shorthanded as a result. If the Teetol came in after that they could not be resisted, and they could come quickly, because it is less than two days march to the villages of the Teetol from Fort Picon. In contrast it would take at least three days for fresh units to reach Picon over the High Pass. If there were any fresh units available. Most of our strength in the Malgund forts would have already been ordered out and committed to the defense of the Argo.”
“Hektor is right,” said Kesepton. “And in addition we should remember that it would take as much as eight or nine days before any sizable relief force could be sent to aid Kenor. As it is, Kenor has the bulk of the active legions present at any one time.”
“I have always said that it was a mistake to colonize Kenor,” said Ewilra in a deathly tone.
Lessis grew mildly impatient at this. In a gentle tone she remonstrated. “Now Ewilra, that’s so silly of you to say. It is the mission of the cities of the Ennead to oppose the enemy. We cannot shrink from the task, for the enemy will only grow more powerful if we do and eventually become irresistible.”
“We can withdraw all women from the frontier again!” snapped Ewilra.
Lessis agreed, reluctantly. “We may yet have to do that. Kenor is vulnerable, especially to treachery from the Teetol.”
Abbess Plesenta broke in with another complaint. “Long ago the legions should have purged the Teetol. They have betrayed our trust again and again. Now the tribes contemplate this fresh treachery. I say the legions must act against the Teetol.”
“then they will have to be paid!” said General Kesepton hotly.
“There can never be enough to satisfy you!” replied Plesenta.
Lessis turned to Plesenta. “My dear Abbess, all this will be extremely expensive whichever way it goes, no matter what we decide at this meeting. If we do nothing for instance, and the Blunt Doom succeeds in seizing a thousand more women, then we will have to face an army of twelve thousand fresh imps
They stared at her. Appalled. These names were writ in blood in an ancient book, one that these fair folk had not seen in their generation. These were horrors from the elder days, which had been held away from the Argonath for a hundred years by the power of the legions.
“Twenty thousand? Did I hear you correctly?” said Burly finally, in a voice reduced to a croak.
“Yes, and it may be an underestimate. We have no reports from further into the Hazog.”
“They will overwhelm us,” exclaimed Kesepton. “Our half-starved men will be swept aside.”
Ewilra licked her lips nervously. “How can we be sure? How can we know that their force will be that large?”
“We have managed to penetrate the underworld of the enemy. Tummuz Orgmeen depends on the labor of an army of slaves, many of them older women beyond child-bearing age. We have a few willing agents among them— to the last one they hate their masters. So these are not estimates, these are head counts from the bearing pens.”
Ewilra blanched.
Hektor leaned forward. “This is grievous news indeed, Lessis. Where do you think the blow will fall?”
“Towards Kenor will the main assault come. They will first seek to force the Argo Valley and reoccupy Dugguth.”
“We must be ready for them,” said Kesepton.
“We must. But this will be the feint, for some five thousand imps will be pushed across the Oon and up the valley of the Lis to attack Fort Teot. When we respond, which they expect us to do with all the forces we have left along the Lis, the treacherous Teetol will raid in towards Fort Picon and seize as many as a thousand women from the new colonies.”
There was a stunned silence.
“And it would work too!” said Hektor. “We would have been forced to concentrate much of our strength in the Argo Valley. Then when the second army marched on Fort Teot, we would have been forced to commit the brigades from Fort Picon. Necessarily Picon would be shorthanded as a result. If the Teetol came in after that they could not be resisted, and they could come quickly, because it is less than two days march to the villages of the Teetol from Fort Picon. In contrast it would take at least three days for fresh units to reach Picon over the High Pass. If there were any fresh units available. Most of our strength in the Malgund forts would have already been ordered out and committed to the defense of the Argo.”
“Hektor is right,” said Kesepton. “And in addition we should remember that it would take as much as eight or nine days before any sizable relief force could be sent to aid Kenor. As it is, Kenor has the bulk of the active legions present at any one time.”
“I have always said that it was a mistake to colonize Kenor,” said Ewilra in a deathly tone.
Lessis grew mildly impatient at this. In a gentle tone she remonstrated. “Now Ewilra, that’s so silly of you to say. It is the mission of the cities of the Ennead to oppose the enemy. We cannot shrink from the task, for the enemy will only grow more powerful if we do and eventually become irresistible.”
“We can withdraw all women from the frontier again!” snapped Ewilra.
Lessis agreed, reluctantly. “We may yet have to do that. Kenor is vulnerable, especially to treachery from the Teetol.”
Abbess Plesenta broke in with another complaint. “Long ago the legions should have purged the Teetol. They have betrayed our trust again and again. Now the tribes contemplate this fresh treachery. I say the legions must act against the Teetol.”
“then they will have to be paid!” said General Kesepton hotly.
“There can never be enough to satisfy you!” replied Plesenta.
Lessis turned to Plesenta. “My dear Abbess, all this will be extremely expensive whichever way it goes, no matter what we decide at this meeting. If we do nothing for instance, and the Blunt Doom succeeds in seizing a thousand more women, then we will have to face an army of twelve thousand fresh imps
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