Page 65 of The Boy Bride

“No.”

“Me neither. At least—not supposed to. Rule Susami made for me. Used to drink too much.”

They had reached the door of Vanu’s house. Back in the well yard, Halza’s voice soared in the chorus of a popular Zashian song: “By moonlight I met my love … By moonlight I lose my love … ”

“Think we should keep him as our household bard?” said Vanu. “He’s good.”

“He’s betrothed to a girl down the mountain,” said Lill.

“Is he? Interesting. Let’s go in. Want to talk to you about something.”

“All right, but don’t overuse your voice as you did yesterday.” Lill wondered why he’d said that. What did he care if Vanu hurt his throat again?

* * *

They went in the house, and Vanu gestured toward the seating platform in the front room. Lill climbed up and sat on the cushions. He moved so prettily, like a girl and not quite like a girl. Dancing with him had been a delight.

Vanu took a seat opposite Lill, instead of snuggling beside him as he’d have preferred.

“What did you want to talk about?” Lill asked pleasantly.

Vanu felt strangely off-balance for a moment. The little fortress was putting on a show of openness, but Vanu guessed the defences were all still in place on the inside.

“Do you know what happened to your father?”

“My father?” Lill’s expression went blank for a moment.

“Madurasha Kuro. He was your father, yes?”

The boy’s black eyebrows rose slightly. “Yes. How did you know?”

Vanu turned and reached up to take the green cylinder seal down from the shelf where he had put it. He held it out in his palm.

“Na Gurti found this in your clothes and showed it to me. Here, take it.” Slowly, Lill did. “I recognized the seal. Your father and I used to be friends.”

Lill had been studying the seal in his hand, but now he looked up at Vanu, his expression sharp. “Friends?”

Vanu nodded. “It didn’t end well, though. Do you know how he died?”

“In battle.”

“In a duel on the battlefield. With me. I killed your father.”

After a long moment, Lill said, “I did know that.”

“I thought you did. Hoped you did.” Assumed he did, then panicked when another possibility occurred to him … It was too complicated to explain. “You know why I fought him?”

Lill shook his head.

“He … ” How could he say this in a way that Madurasha’s son could allow himself to hear? “Changed his allegiance. He was an ally—became an enemy.”

“He betrayed you,” Lill translated, his voice flat.

Vanu shrugged. “Maybe. He sided with his kin, his people. I’ve done the same, most times. But he was a friend, before that, and I’d have preferred not to fight him.”

“Did you have to kill him?”

Vanu drew in a breath on a hiss. “I think I did. He was an excellent swordsman, and I was fighting wounded … yeah. I think I did have to kill him. I go over it in my mind sometimes. Could I have disabled him and taken him prisoner?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”