Page 72 of The Summer Pass

Lill was dizzy and bruised when he was marched into the hall of the great house. He’d tried to escape from his pursuers by climbing up into the rafters, and someone had knocked him down by throwing a metal pitcher, which had hit him in the shoulder. He had caught the edge of the gallery rail, so he hadn’t fallen far, but it had knocked the breath out of him and slowed him down. He was furious with himself.

The man sitting at the end of the long table in the hall was older than Vanu, his hair a darker shade of yellow. He was dressed the way Vanu had been when Lill saw him in the camp: sleeveless vest with no shirt, showing off a lot of chest and gold jewellery. It looked much worse on him than it had on Vanu. He sat with his long legs stretched out, boots crossed at the ankle, cradling a sheathed sword like it was a pet.

“What in Earth’s louse-infested pussy is that?” he demanded when the four guards around Lill pushed him forward into the room.

“The spy,” one of the men spat. “What the fuck do you think?”

“Don’t start in at us about his size,” another guard growled. “He’s one of those assassins from the Scorpions or whatever.”

“Snakes, fuckwit,” his friend corrected him. “It’s Snakes.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Darma dumped his sword on the floor—Lill half-expected it to snarl and snap at him—and leaped to his feet. “What are you doing in my stronghold, you little bitch?”

Lill just looked at him. He didn’t find this man remotely intimidating.

“Talk,” Darma growled, bringing his face close to Lill’s. “Fucking Chiddang spy. What are you doing here?”

“Spying,” Lill answered coolly.

All four of the guards laughed. But just because they found Lill funny, that didn’t mean they hesitated when Darma ordered them to hit him. Or to drag him out of the hall and down the dank stairs toward the labyrinth of rooms under the great house.

Darma suggested, sneeringly, that they might like to do more. It was probably his tone of disgust that saved Lill from having to endure that. Lill couldn’t miss the furious looks they gave him; one of them even spat on the floor. It was obvious that Darma’s men had as much contempt for their leader as he had for them. When he made it clear he wouldn’t touch Lill except with a fist but thought they might want to, they must have been determined to show him how wrong he was.

If they changed their minds, Lill had a plan. He had been trained to resist all kinds of torture, of course. It was mostly about focussing on your purpose. You recited things in your head: “I am a tool of the Great King … ” He knew that wouldn’t work for him anymore, because he wasn’t. Even if he wanted to be, he’d been cast out. But he had something else to focus on. If he needed to, he could always think about Vanu.

In the end, the guards had been content to hang him up and shoot arrows at him. But it had been comforting all the same, having a plan.

Vanu lay flat on his back on the bare floor, but he looked comfortable; he was smiling slightly in his sleep. He’d put on his trousers and boots before lying down again—a gesture toward being ready to get up and open the door if any of the others came back. Maybe he’d intended to stay awake.

If anyone did come to the door, Lill thought, he’d have to scramble about getting his own clothes on while Vanu moved the barricades … Maybe he should get up and dress now. He was comfortable, lying in the sun from the window on the soft bearskin, but he shouldn’t fall asleep like this.

He got up, moving carefully to avoid waking Vanu, and retrieved his clothes. The rusty red gown was on the stairs where he had shed it. He picked it up and slipped his good arm into the left sleeve, tugging the other side around himself and fastening it clumsily. He hadn’t worn women’s clothes since leaving Umtúshta, and actually, he realized, he’d never worn a dress without trousers underneath. It didn’t feel entirely comfortable. He retrieved his trousers, climbed back into them, and unfastened the dress, which didn’t close properly over his injured arm anyway.

After that he was ready to lie down beside his husband again, so he did. Maybe I’m half girl, he thought drowsily, fingering the rust-coloured fabric of the gown. Enough of a girl that Vanu wants to take care of me, and enough of a man that he wants to make love to me … He sighed happily, remembering the feeling of Vanu’s hands on his body. His eyes slipped closed.

No one came to the door, and Lill woke feeling refreshed, to find Vanu sitting up and stretching.

“Feel all right?” Vanu signed.

“Yes, lovely.” He remembered he’d been wounded, and of course Vanu was asking about that. “I mean, fine. Not in too much pain.”

Vanu nodded. “I can get you more wine if you like. You’re dressed.”

“Yes, I thought if we had visitors … ”

“I like that gown on you. It’s a good colour.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I should probably take you downstairs. I’ve got work to do.” He made no move to get up.

“What’s your next move?” Lill asked, turning gingerly onto his side to face Vanu and propping up his head with his good arm.

“So first we have to find Prince A,” Vanu signed, “and—ideally—get him down here with us. Because what I’m thinking is, we’ve got to send a ransom demand, and it’s got to seem like it’s coming from Darma. He might be planning to send one himself, but the longer he waits, the more I worry he doesn’t plan to do it at all. Prince A may not still be alive to ransom—we’ve got to reckon with that possibility. Anyway, I don’t want Darma asking for a ransom, because he’d fuck it up.”

“What do you want to ask for?” Lill wasn’t sure he grasped Vanu’s plan.

“The moon. For Pantaresh to call off the siege. His daughter’s hand in marriage. Something he’ll never agree to.”

“Oh!” Now he saw it. “So you can set Artayarasha’s guard against the king’s troops.”

“That. Between my men and his, if I can get them to work together, I’ve got 9000 on the mountain and a superior position. If I can take the fortress and defend the walls, I should be able to drive Pantaresh off. But I want to secure Prince A and Darma before I show my hand. Too much could go wrong otherwise. And I’d rather Prince A was in on the plan than not.”