Page 93 of The Summer Pass

Lill drew a breath as if about to translate. Then he let it out again with a little smile and let Firuduna do it.

Firuduna and the others marched Darma off, down the dungeon stairs. Vanu did not take the time to watch them go. He knew he needed to take charge of the situation here. There were still men loyal to Darma in the crowd.

“This is my fortress,” he signed, for Lill to translate, “and it is under my command now. I have no quarrel with any of you, whether you served Darma or not. Let it all be forgotten. We will not surrender to the Zashian forces outside—you know that. You have been holding them off with hearts of iron. You must defend our walls only a little longer, then we will have reinforcements from my father-in-law’s troops, and we will send that army running back to Suna.”

The crowd cheered. Lill had done a beautiful job of it—he had by far the best voice of any interpreter Vanu had ever had, and he knew how to use it—though the way he rocked back on his heels when he had finished made Vanu think he’d been a little surprised by what he’d found himself saying.

“Back to the walls!” Enu shouted.

Vanu raised his sword and gestured with it, and they all cheered again and began crowding back out through the alley toward the gate.

“I don’t know what he said,” Artayarasha remarked to Lill, “but it seems to have been effective.”

“It was very good,” said Lill.

“For someone who can barely talk, I’m not bad at speeches,” said Vanu, in his pitiful Zashian.

Artayarasha laughed, but Lill looked up at Vanu with a strange twist in his expression. For a moment, Vanu thought he would say something, but he didn’t.

Not everyone went to defend the gate; there were enough people left to form a small procession following Vanu and Lill and Artayarasha as they walked around to the front of the great house to enter by the main door, as befit the lord of the stronghold.

As they walked in the doorway, Lill was hit by a wave of exhaustion. He swayed on his feet and would have staggered if Vanu hadn’t had his arm around him. But of course that meant that Vanu noticed and gave him a concerned look.

“It’s been a long day,” Lill said lightly.

He allowed himself to lean against Vanu a little then, because why not? He was done pushing himself. He wasn’t going to be allowed to do it, and he didn’t mind that. He was injured and tired, and his husband, and probably his father too, would insist he rest, so he would do that.

“Been a month or two since yesterday, for sure,” said Vanu.

They were in the hall of the great house now, a big, echoey room without enough windows to be comfortable, but with hangings and weapons on the walls and more of the western-style couches that the lords of Tagra Degra must have stolen in large numbers at some point—or collected over the years, more likely, because none of them matched.

“Want to go up to one of the tower rooms and rest?” Vanu suggested.

“But you probably have things to do down here.”

“I meant you.”

“I know.” Lill covered a yawn with his hand. “I’ll take one of these couches. Stay where the action is.”

He caught Vanu smiling a little at that. He picked out the most impressive of the couches, which had gilded legs in the shape of women with wings, for some reason. He climbed onto it and curled up at the end so there was room for Vanu to sit beside him when he wanted to.

He closed his eyes, but he was sure he wouldn’t fall asleep. There was far too much going on in the hall.

Now that Vanu was in control of Tagra Degra, a large number of people wanted to talk to him. Most of the residents and refugees seemed delighted to have him back—or were pretending to be delighted—and they were very eager for him to know it.

“What can I do to be of assistance, my lord?” Lill heard Padunu asking, into a lull in the general talking.

“Go down to the wine cellar,” Vanu replied. “Discreetly. The women need to clear out with all their things, and the barricades need taking down.”

“I’ll—” Lill started, opening his eyes.

“Absolutely not,” said Padunu.

“Thank you, Shaman,” said Vanu.

He was having to say all this aloud, Lill realized.

“You need an interpreter.”