He got up and said, "We'll go inside. Shut the door behind you—I don't want your friend straining his ears to hear us."
Val sat tall even in the chair, his face like a carving in a dark granite and his eyes as bright and hard.
"I understand that you took Princess Lyla into the tiger forest today." Val's hand was very near the blaster. "I understand you then played the role of affectionate rescuer."
"Do you believe that story?" Hunter asked.
"Do you have a different one?"
"You might ask Lyla. Or Alonzo. Alonzo is the one who came to me for help when he saw she was going out to die."
"To die?" A startled expression came into the black eyes. "She wanted to die?"
"I'll tell you what happened," Hunter said, and told him the story, omitting only the embarrassing kissing incident and knowing that Sonig had not.
Val was silent for a while after Hunter finished speaking, then he said, "It isn't for me to comment upon Lord Narf's character or actions. She is his wife by her own choice. But the thought of someone else taking her out and—"
"I know. It wasn't so." Then Hunter added, "You think a great deal of her, don't you?"