Page 27 of The Summer Pass

“My da was one such. Ma’s elder brother never married, though he was a good raider and had a big house and grazing land and could easily have made a good match. But the story about him was always that he didn’t want to marry because he didn’t like women, and Da hated that. He used to hold it over Ma, like. Oh, I married into this tainted family for you. As far as I know, she never took her brother’s side. Maybe she always thought like Da, maybe she was always ashamed of her brother. I dunno. All I know is, my da was dead by the time I was old enough for everyone to start wondering why I hadn’t married, but it didn’t matter, I still knew I had to do it.”

“But then you divorced.”

“Yeah. Muni’s pretty sharp. The way she put it, we were never going to be ‘two halves of a whole’ no matter how long we stayed married. But she thought we might find other people who would suit us better. Her own parents are dead, and her brothers didn’t care who she married. We split, oh, half a year ago now. Ma hasn’t forgiven me.”

“She likes Muni.”

“No! She never liked her, that’s the bit that makes me crazy. She’s always finding fault with her. There was another girl Ma wanted me to marry, but—well, you met her. Tati. She went and became a shaman, so that ended that. You can’t find fault with someone for becoming a shaman—that’s impious—you can’t go around saying, ‘Look at that bitch, she chose to serve the spirits instead of marrying my son!’” Firuduna snickered. “So it’s Muni she nitpicks at, because she was the second-best. But Muni’s golden compared to me. I couldn’t even stay married and get kids like a real man.”

“I’m sorry. That’s … not fair at all.”

Firuduna nodded. “You know, I’m glad you’re married. I, uh … you’re so beautiful. I was a bit scared of you. I felt like I had to try something because of, just, everything about you. But it’s a relief to know I don’t, actually.”

“We’ll find somebody for you,” said Lill heartily, taking himself by surprise.

“Yeah?” Firuduna looked doubtful.

“I think so. I think we can. But you’ve got to stop taking people hostage the moment they do something you don’t expect. Promise?”

“Aw, shit. They told you about that. I thought they were stealing my things.”

“Their friend was stealing your things, and Zaraz tried to stop her.”

“Yeah, I see that now. I figured that was probably it. They did seem like good people.”

“They said they thought you’d figured it out.”

“What’s that?” the headman of Dukka asked, jabbing a finger at a dark patch of cross-hatching on the map.

“It’s a forest,” said Vanu. “I don’t remember the name.”

The headman of Dukka frowned at Mikhi when she translated this.

“I’m relaying his words,” she said tartly. “He doesn’t remember. I’ve never heard of it,” she admitted.

“I do remember the place, though,” Vanu said thoughtfully. “It’s dense woodland—there are stories of ghosts and things, I remember hearing that. To discourage people from going in.”

He was looking down at the map. He’d taken off a ring and laid it on the parchment to mark the place where the Protector of Akramarra’s personal guard was camped. The shadow of it touched the cross-hatching of the forest whose name he couldn’t remember.

The lord of Tawakhura cleared his throat as though working up to changing the subject. Vanu didn’t give him the opportunity.

“I think there are real dangers in there,” he went on. “But they’re animals, not spirits. Leopards, maybe. Boars, definitely. I’ve had an interesting thought.”

Chapter 11

Mutual Respect and Understanding

Everyone took to Halza’s betrothed right away. Auxshna was friendly and gracious, with a polite word for everyone. She and her mother pitched in to help with the cooking and setting up and taking down of camp.

She told them that she had worked at the same job as Halza, helping travellers in the mountains. That was why she knew the Hawa language. Halza quibbled that it wasn’t the same job. He had been a guide, taking people up the mountain road. She had not gone on that dangerous journey but just interpreted for people. She replied that she did indeed go up the mountain sometimes, as far as Sakka and Dukka, though never without armed guards.

She immediately wanted to befriend the deaf girls and had Otoni and Gurti helping to interpret for her so she could ask them questions about their cat. The girls were surprised to learn that pet cats were well-known in the lowlands and Auxshna was quite familiar with them. Atari began explaining how they’d got their cat, which their father had brought home from a raid on a party of the king’s men travelling through the mountains, “and might have been the King of Zash’s cat and lived in a palace once.” Gurti tried to gently change the subject and did not translate all of this for Auxshna, but it didn’t matter, as Otoni was explaining what Atari had said the next moment. Auxshna looked slightly shocked.

Tirtu and Padunu were briefly united because they both wanted to see Halza and Auxshna happy together. They tried to discuss this with Gurti one day as they were riding. She was on horseback that morning, making room in the wagon for Auxshna and her mother, who had been riding for several days and welcomed a break.

“I think they would make a charming couple,” Padunu declared. “They have much in common. Not only did they do the same work, but they both enjoy trying to rescue people. Have you noticed? Trying, mind you—I will admit that their record of successful rescues is not spectacular, but … ”

“Oh, shut up, Padunu,” said Tirtu. “Now you’re just being mean. Halu ought to marry her because it’s the right thing to do. He gave his word. He can’t go back on it now!”