“Sir, since the matter touches the Lady Aryenis, who has honoured us by being our guest for some days, and since I like not the manners of those who dwell in the Shamans’ gates, I shall remain with you.”
Then, pulling out my pistol, I held out the butt to him, as he had done with his sword.
He touched the grip, and I could see a look of pleasure in his face.
“One is doubly strong when a brave man joins one. Sir Harilek, I thank you again.”
He looked at Wrexham and Forsyth, who said nothing, but held out their pistols.
As Kyrlos touched them, he rose to his feet.
“It draws late now, my guests. I will tell my daughter that she was right. She said of a surety you would join us, for you were clearly all clean brave men. That she knew, since you showed her greater consideration even than if she had been your own sister, and your men treated her as if she were a princess, whereas she came to you a helpless captive. It seems that in your country you bring up men to treat women as they should do, which is sometimes rare.”
“It had somewhat to do with our late war, this matter of how women should be treated,” said Forsyth. “Many folk came to the war who might have stayed away because of the indignities which the enemy put upon the women of the countries he invaded.”
Kyrlos and his son led us to our room, and saw that we had all we wanted before they left us.
As I pulled off my boots I said to Wrexham: “Well, we seem to have stepped into a pretty little kind of war all ready-made. I wonder if a Shaman is anything like a Hun. Their ways are not very dissimilar.”