Page 11 of The Boy Bride

“I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t wandered off or anything,” Halza said, flopping back against the pillows.

He spoke as if he’d appointed himself Lill’s guardian in spite of not being able to get out of bed or even move without gritting his teeth in pain. Lill tried not to return an unfriendly look, but it took an effort.

“I’m going to go for a short walk,” he said. “I need to get my strength back.”

“Are you sure that’s wise? Who was that you were talking to just now?”

“Khatu Gukhártu—the man who shot at us.”

“What?” Halza yelped. “But—but I heard laughter! What was he saying to you?”

“He apologized for the arrows and wanted to know what I’m doing here.”

“You mean he didn’t know?”

“I guess Vanu Urártu hasn’t told everyone.” Lill shrugged. “It didn’t sound as if Khatu’s his favourite person.”

“He came in here earlier today, before you woke up, and threatened to—” Halza shut his mouth abruptly as if biting off a word he had thought better of saying.

“To what?” Lill prompted. He came back into the room and sat down on his own pallet. He clearly was not going to be allowed to go for a walk just now.

“To cook me and serve me to his lord,” Halza finished finally, his expression very grim.

Lill put his hand to his mouth to stifle a startled laugh. “That was a joke, Halza.”

“I assure you, he looked deadly serious.”

“I mean it was a joke to him—I don’t guess he wanted you to find it funny. But you know they’re not eating people in here.”

“Not anymore. He said they haven’t had fresh meat in more than a year. But they’ve been in here three years. They must have killed all the weakest among them in the first two years and eaten them, and now only the strong are left—they’ve had no more victims for more than a year.”

Lill looked out the open door at the sunshine on the ground outside. Everything looked bright and normal, and when Halza stopped talking for a moment it was very quiet in the mostly empty village. The idea that it was mostly empty because the remaining residents had eaten those who were missing loomed grotesquely in his mind. The familiar feeling of being exposed, in danger of ambush, crept up on him. He shook himself.

“The stronghold had been breached and the people surrendered. The villagers left—there wasn’t anyone here but Faru Gukhártu and his family when the king’s men drove Vanu in here.”

“How do you know?”

“I heard it from the same man who told you he was going to cook you because they’ve run out of people to eat.”

Halza looked as if he didn’t know what to make of that. “Don’t worry, they won’t eat you. You’re too valuable as Urártu’s bride. And if they want you to eat me, once they’ve, you know—don’t feel bad. You need to keep up your strength to⁠—”

“They have ducks! And goats, and all kinds of vegetable gardens. And there are only nine of them—three of them young girls. They have plenty to eat without resorting to cannibalism.”

“Perhaps they acquired a taste for human flesh when⁠—”

“Now you’re just making things up.”

Halza slumped against his pillows, giving Lill a worried look as if he thought him painfully naïve.

“Wait—did you say there are three young girls in here?”

Lill nodded. “Vanu’s daughters, apparently. I was surprised too.”

“But that’s monstrous!”

“I don’t know about that—they’re safer in here than outside without their father’s protection, I’d say.”

“But … ”