Page 70 of The Boy Bride

“I—my—but I—” Padunu’s distress was clearly audible through the wall and across the room in the darkness. Lill had never heard him sound like this before, all his bluster gone. He sounded helpless, even pitiable. “My lord, such a curse … I don’t know if you understand.”

“Are you frightened?” Faru’s voice was heavy with contempt.

There was a long pause before Padunu finally replied. “Are you not? The oath that you swore to your father, my lord … I … ”

“Tchah! This would not touch it. You made the curse. You will affix the curse. I have nothing to do with it.”

“You are standing here telling me to do it! Do you think the Blue Heaven is a blind idiot? Do you think the spirits are fooled by arguments that would not convince a child? If I do this, I am acting as your tool, and the deed is yours, my lord. Make no mistake.”

There was another long silence. Lill took a couple of silent steps toward the window until he could see Padunu, white-faced and staring.

“My tool,” came Faru’s voice finally, the threat in it clear. “You are that. Think on it, I advise you.”

Lill heard the sound of Faru’s footsteps moving away. Padunu remained rooted to the spot. Deliberately, Lill took another step closer to the window. The shaman looked up, catching movement from inside. Lill had stepped half into the shaft of moonlight falling through the window, and Padunu saw him. For a moment they held eye contact before the shaman turned and bolted away.

* * *

Vanu stood in the doorway and looked down at the dark front room. That was how he noticed the door to the empty room at the front of the house open and a shadow slip out. He stared, trying to follow the progress of the shadow across the room, but even though he was watching, he lost him. Impressive. He was about to make some noise to call attention to himself and let Lill know he’d been spotted, when the shadow reappeared and plopped down dejectedly at the bottom of the stairs to Lill’s room.

Vanu moved, unpropping his shoulder from the doorframe, and Lill started and looked up with a gasp.

“Can’t sleep?’ said Vanu.

“No, I … I got up because I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t doing anything in particular.”

Vanu nodded, though it wasn’t convincing. “Hear those idiots out in front of the house just now?”

“Mm. Yes.”

“Woke me up. Don’t know why they thought they wouldn’t.”

Lill cracked a little smile at that, but it was too dark to appreciate it fully from this distance.

“What, um, were they trying to do?”

“Not sure. Think the shaman’s made some curse—thing they make, bones and herbs—and Faru wanted him to put it on my house.” He shrugged. “Not worried. Been cursed all my life. Born a curse.”

“Born a curse?” Lill repeated.

“Tell you some other time.” He yawned. “Back to bed now. Something you need to help you sleep?”

Lill shifted on the step and didn’t reply for a moment. “Company?” he said finally.

“Hey?” That was unexpected. “Nothing easier. Let’s go.”

Chapter 22

The Language of Love

Lill woke to pale, early sunlight coming in the windows of his room. He felt rested and relaxed, more so than he had in several days. There was a warm presence in the bed at his back.

He turned cautiously, but Vanu was already wide awake, lying with his hands clasped behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He was not under the same quilt as Lill; he’d taken an extra blanket out of the chest to cover himself, and it was strewn half onto the floor because the bed wasn’t big enough for the two of them. He looked over at Lill with a smile.

“Sleep all right?”

“Um. Yes. Thank you.”

He didn’t even remember feeling any awkwardness the night before when he lay down with Vanu. He had fallen asleep too fast, with Vanu lying awake at his back. He ought to explain now why he had needed Vanu there, that he was not used to sleeping entirely alone, but he would have had to make up a story to avoid talking about the dormitory of the Order, and he felt, somehow, too peaceful to want to go to that effort. It was easier to say nothing.