Page 74 of The Summer Pass

Vanu kissed him on the lips.

“All right, love. You made your point.” His gaze was warm with admiration, and Lill couldn’t imagine anything he wouldn’t be willing to risk for that look.

“I’m not working for anyone,” he said again. “Truly.”

“I believe you.”

Lill wanted to stay in Vanu’s lap, but it seemed an inappropriate place to have a discussion of strategy. He scooted back, and Vanu let go of him.

“So if we’re going to look for Artayarasha … ” Lill started, and then for some reason that jogged loose a memory, and he stopped. “Wait a minute. Vanu, I just thought of something. When you said Darma’s men captured ‘the guy with the biggest earrings’—was Artayarasha actually wearing big earrings?”

“Huge ones. Hammered gold with enamel. They looked light. Comfortable. I remember noticing that.”

“Shaped like leaves, right? With blue and green enamel?”

“That’s right.” Vanu narrowed his eyes at him. “You bring this up because … ”

“I think I might know why Darma hasn’t asked for a ransom yet. I think Artayarasha has escaped.”

“Hah,” said Vanu aloud. “Tell me more.”

“When I was trying to hide from Darma’s men, I got up into the rafters above the gallery out in the hall, and I found an earring that somebody must have lost up there. I didn’t stop to think about who would have been climbing in the rafters wearing big Zashian-style earrings, but now that I do—well.”

“Climbing in the rafters … Is that typical behaviour for Zashian princes?”

“I don’t think so, but from what you’ve told me, he might not be a typical prince.”

“True. So you think he escaped. But has he got back out to his men? Would Firuduna and I have run into him on the way in … ?”

“If he tried to go out the west postern gate before you got there, I think you would. That slope is in full view of the gate—he wouldn’t be able to get down it until after dark.”

“We’d have found him lying dead at the bottom with a broken neck, is what you mean. Climbing in the rafters is one thing, but that man is not a mountaineer.”

“He probably would know better than to try it,” Lill agreed.

Vanu’s expression had changed, as if he was looking at something far away. “Is that how you got in, by climbing up to that gate?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Twice?”

“Yep.”

“In the dark.”

“The first time—the second time it was almost light by the time I got to the top.”

“Fuck me.” Lill had never seen Vanu make that sign before, but he knew it because it was one Nakhana used a lot.

“That’s how you got in yourself, isn’t it?” Lill countered.

“It is, but in daylight, and I’m from the mountains and have been climbing since I was … ” He gestured to indicate a very small person running around. “Which was a good while before you were born.”

“Right.”

Lill tried not to grin, but all he could think of was a little flaxen-haired Vanu clambering over small boulders on the mountainside. He’d have liked to see that. In fact, he’d like to see Vanu show off his mountaineering skills now. Preferably dressed as he was this moment, in trousers and boots and no shirt.

“I’m glad I didn’t know you were doing that,” Vanu signed. He ran his palms over his knees as if to dry them. “Right. So we think Prince A has escaped from Darma but may still be in Tagra Degra. Do you think we could retrace his steps?”