He smiled. “How you may help us is what we will discuss tonight. What do you wish your people’s role to be?”

Sirri paused. “As archers of the air,” she said. “As eyes in the sky.”

“Indeed, that is how I imagine they would be best employed,” Juran agreed. “I do not think it wise to send you out to randomly attack our enemy during the battle. That would be risky and a waste of your potential. We should use every opportunity to surprise the enemy and work together on land and in the air to our best advantage.”

“How might that be done?” Sirri asked.

“Our war adviser, Lanren Songmaker, has many suggestions on this matter.”

Sirri looked at the man who had greeted them. “I am eager to hear them.”

“Then he will describe them now. Lanren?”

The friendly landwalker rose from his seat. At a nod from Juran he began to speak. Auraya translated. Tryss listened in fascination as possible encounters with the enemy were described, and how they might be resolved with the Siyee’s help. He had imagined the two armies clashing in one great confrontation, not in these carefully planned complex stages and layers of attack.

The man’s understanding of the Siyee’s limitations in flight was surprisingly good. It seemed Tryss had not been the only person watching and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of his allies. Then the man made a blunder, an assumption that the wind conditions in the mountains would be the same as on the plains. Tryss found himself interrupting. Too late, he realized what he had done and fell silent, his face burning.

“Don’t stop, Tryss,” Auraya murmured. “Speak up. This is what we are here for: to correct each other’s mistakes. Better now, than after they have caused deaths on the battlefield.”

He looked up at her, then at Sirri. The Speaker nodded encouragingly. Tryss swallowed hard.

“Air moves differently in the mountains,” he said. “Sometimes to our advantage, sometimes not.”

Auraya translated. The man spoke.

“Can you predict how these winds will move?”

“Only in a general way. We won’t know until we get there if the air will flow as we expect it to.”

From there, the discussion became more detailed. Sirri joined in, but often looked to Tryss when the scenarios Songmaker described became complex. The war adviser was full of enthusiasm, but after a while he stopped and spoke to Juran. Auraya translated.

“We could talk about this for hours, even days. May I suggest that we continue in my tent? All interested in the fine details would be welcome to join us.”