Page 55 of The Summer Pass

“Did you really shout out, ‘He’s an assassin’?” Lill asked curiously.

“I didn’t mean it like that! I thought Darma could use an assassin—I thought he’d be pleased! Between you and me, I don’t know if he knows how to run a—what do you call this?—a counter-siege or whatever. Fuck, I don’t know, Lill—I’m an idiot, is what it is. Hey, you’re smiling! What are you smiling about?”

“I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of wine to help with the pain—I’m a bit drunk.”

“You can get a bit drunk just sitting on the floor in here.” Barda drew a deep breath, flaring his nostrils dramatically. “Helps to keep everyone’s spirits up, anyway. I mean it about the quest, though, Lill. If⁠—”

“I missed you.”

Barda froze. “You really are drunk.”

“No, I missed everyone. I know I was the one who left, but I did miss all of you. And I forgive you. It’s kind of nice that you thought I’d be useful.”

“Sloshed, you’re absolutely sloshed. Padunu, how much wine’d you give him?”

“He’s been badly hurt, you numbskull.” Lill hadn’t noticed that Padunu was hovering nearby, supervising his visitors. That was strangely heart-warming too.

Atari came pattering over, looking rather tear-stained, to sign, “I knew you weren’t bad,” which is what she’s said when she first saw him in the great hall. “I know you can’t talk because your arm is hurt,” she added. “And you need to rest.”

Vanu had followed her over. “I can translate for you,” he offered.

Atari shook her head. “He needs to rest,” she repeated.

“You’re right,” said Vanu, and he stood looking lost for a moment while Atari ran off.

An old woman whom Lill did not know came over with a bowl of yogurt, looking uncertain, just as Lill was realizing that he could have said something to Vanu. He’d forgotten that Vanu could hear him if he spoke out loud.

“I don’t know if you’ll want this, dear,” said the old woman apologetically in Zashian. “But here it is just in case.” She set the bowl down on the top of a small cask near his couch. “You’re Lord Vanu’s boy bride, is that right?”

“That’s right,” said Lill.

Vanu was still standing nearby and had opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again.

“Well, I don’t know what’s so complicated about that,” said the old woman, shaking her head. “My daughter’s fiancé said it was complicated. But he will make a regular war out of one stolen sheep, that’s his way.”

“You must be Auxshna’s mother,” said Lill.

He’d seen Halza sitting on the other side of the cellar by the baskets of apples with a young Zashian woman, and for a moment he felt quite proud of himself for remembering the fiancée’s name—until it occurred to him that she could have been a completely new person, knowing Halza.

“Yes, dear,” said the old woman, to Lill’s relief, “that’s exactly who I am. Now you get some rest and have your yogurt when you feel like it.” She turned to Vanu. “He seems a nice young man.”

Vanu’s eyebrows rose just a fraction. “Yeah,” he said aloud. “Why I married him.”

Auxshna’s mother seemed to interpret this as a pleasantry and laughed appreciatively. “You should get some rest yourself, dear. You look tired.”

“She’s not wrong, my lord,” said Padunu after she had gone.

Vanu shook his head irritably. “Doesn’t matter.”

He rubbed his eyes and walked away down the dark aisle of the cellar toward where some of the others were sitting.

It really did smell strongly of wine, Lill thought drowsily as he closed his eyes.

He woke some time later—impossible to tell the time of day down there—to find the grey cat curled up on the furs next to him. He reached out his good hand gingerly and ran a finger over one silky ear. The cat twitched the ear and peered at him through slitted eyes, but it didn’t jump down and run away. He felt rather pleased with that.

He sat up with the help of Otoni, who seemed to be on Lill duty at that point, to eat the yogurt Auxshna’s mother had left for him and an apple that Otoni brought when he had finished the yogurt and she thought he still looked hungry. She combed his hair and put it into a loose braid.

Barda came past, looking full of purpose. “Got a mission, Lill! I’m off to find someone called Lout?” He shrugged. “Lord Vanu doesn’t know his real name. Apparently he’s a big guy—hope he doesn’t hit me when I call him that!” He laughed cheerfully.