Page 83 of The Boy Bride

Arsha gave him a shrewd look. “Both. It’s both. We want the same thing.”

Chapter 24

The Same Type of Animal

It was a nice house, if you liked these flat-roofed, windowless lowland places. There were colourful tiles on the ground and the archways in the courtyard, and a kind of artificial spring trickling water over carved stone in the middle of it, and there were plenty of places to sit out of the hot sun. That was the main thing Vanu appreciated. The air in Torakand was thick and moist and felt heavy in his lungs.

“Is it always like this in the summers?” he signed as he sat on one of the cushioned benches in a shaded alcove off the courtyard.

“Like what?” said Davanu.

Vanu peeled the neck of his shirt away from his collarbone and flapped the fabric to generate a feeble breeze.

“Hot.”

“I’m reliably informed that this is not hot. This is warm … ish. For real heat you have to go much further south in the great kingdom of Zash.”

Vanu looked at him curiously. “Are you planning on doing that?”

Davanu shrugged, smiling. “Maybe someday. First I want to go back to our mountains. But that cannot be until my work down here is finished.”

“What work? When you left the Summer Pass, I thought you were coming down here just to trade.”

“I was. But then you turned back the Great King’s army from Hawakhurta.” Davanu’s smile glowed with admiration—with something like pride. “I want to help you.”

“You’ve always helped me,” Vanu replied. “You’ve given me so much strength. But help with this? I don’t see how. You’re not a raider, you’re a trader.”

Davanu’s gaze was keen. “You’re not a raider, either. When did you ever go on a raid for your own gain? When did you ever take plunder from anyone but the invader king’s men?”

“I haven’t ever,” Vanu admitted. “But just because⁠—”

“It’s not who you are. You’re a warrior fighting for your people—you’re a leader and defender of men. I want to help you stand before the Great King of Zash and negotiate a peace for the Hawakhaba. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Vanu stared at Davanu as the force of his friend’s insight struck him.

It was true. He hadn’t dared form the thought, but it was true. When he let himself daydream about the future, he didn’t imagine himself holding back the Zashian king’s forces forever. He dreamt of a time when he wouldn’t have to. So this was what Davanu had wanted him to come down to the city to discuss.

“That is what I want,” Vanu said aloud.

Davanu was so pleased that he leaned over and kissed him.

They fucked on the roof of the house that night. Well, on a bed on the roof, and the roof had a wall around it, so it was more private than you’d think. And made love was the way Davanu described it. He was the only person Vanu knew who used the phrase when talking about two men, but it fit—it suited the kinds of things Davanu liked to do. He talked a lot during sex, crooning over Vanu’s body and calling him beautiful. It was something Vanu had come to like because he liked Davanu, not the other way around. But he did like it now, this slow, sweet appreciation, and he had missed it.

“Haven’t done this in the open air in a long while,” Vanu remarked as they lay together afterward. “Lucky I don’t make much noise.”

Davanu kissed his throat softly, his beard tickling Vanu’s skin. Mention of Vanu’s voice always made him sad. Vanu had forgotten that. He knew Davanu didn’t mean it, but the sadness always made Vanu hate his voice. But it was dark, so he had no choice but to speak aloud.

“Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to a friend of mine,” Davanu said. He stroked Vanu’s chest. “A Zashian. Madurasha of the Kuro Clan. He may be willing to help us negotiate peace. I think he will, if we make our case well.”

“I’ll get Darma to come interpret,” said Vanu.

“He’s your … ”

“My interpreter.” He looked at Davanu. “We’re not sleeping together, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I suppose it was. I’m not jealous! After all, I married Vituatha.”

Vanu had not intended to bring that up, but now that Davanu had, he thought he ought to get something straight.