“I was kidding.” Brian’s brows furrowed. “I’m not going to chain you to the bed like an animal.”
“But I am an animal. I’m a murderer.”
“Daegreth, how many men did you kill in the battle at Laegenshire?” Graely already knew the answer from his earlier questioning with Chaleah.
“I was fortunate enough to have been bested by the young archer, Jireo, at the beginning of the conflict. Yet I would have killed him, and many more, if not for his good fortune.”
“The truth is you’ve never actually killed anyone from Stone Clan, so you’re not a murderer by our laws.”
“I have killed.” Daegreth turned his face away. “I killed many during my trials.”
Graely put a hand on Daegreth’s shoulder, giving a squeeze. “I, too, have killed, Daegreth. Like you, it was only by necessity, though I understand it doesn’t make you feel better about yourself. It’s somewhat easier for the archers, but we who battle by the sword know the pain of watching a human’s life leave their eyes. I’ll defend Laegenshire with fervor, yet I don’t hate my enemies or rejoice in their deaths. With the possible exception of Vindrake himself.”
“Then surely you understand, Graely.” Daegreth shrugged out of his grasp. “I couldn’t live with myself if I killed any of these people.”
“Just a minute, I’ve got an idea.” Brian moved to a cabinet across the room, returning with a strange metal instrument, a thick curved cylinder, not much larger than a knife. “Daegreth, what if I show you I can defend myself against you. This is a gun, and I could kill you with it if I needed to. I’ll keep it with me all the time. I’m licensed to carry a concealed weapon. I don’t think I’ll ever need to use it, but I wouldn’t hesitate if I needed to defend my family.”
“I don’t think that small weapon would be a match against my gift of strength.” Daegreth’s expression mirrored Graely’s doubt.
“Let me show you how it works. You’ll see.”
Brian beckoned with his hand, and Graely and Daegreth followed him outside. “Wait here. I’ll just be a minute.” He tromped through the ankle-high snow, disappearing inside a building.
Daegreth shifted from one foot to the other, rubbing his arms.
“Are you cold?” asked Graely, shivering a bit though the wind was still.
“No. I simply feel unsettled.”
Graely nodded and an awkward silence fell. “Do you understand this word, ‘minute’?”
“As Wesley’s explained it to me, it’s a measure of time, but a very small one. Where we would stack our hands and estimate the number of fingers before sunset, the people of Montana utilize a device, which breaks down each day into small units of time that seem to be quite precise. Wesley says one ‘finger’ equals about fifteen of their ‘minutes.’ They’ve another word, ‘hour,’ that they use in place of ‘hand’ or ‘fist’.”
“Ah, I see.” Graely shuffled his feet to warm them.
Daegreth spoke in a low voice. “I must tell you how grateful I am to be free of Vindrake’s bond; and you have all been very kind. But the bond could return at any time. I mean no insult to you or Kaevin, but even together you’d be no match for me. Though I’m loath to suggest it, perhaps you should return me to La
egenshire where I can be properly restrained, if Brian will not listen to reason. You’ve already gleaned all the information I can give you. It serves no further purpose to keep me here.”
With an appraising glance at the muscles stretching the confines of Daegreth’s shirt, Graely nodded. “You speak truth, Daegreth. I’m considering how we might protect ourselves, short of taking you back to Laegenshire.”
Brian emerged from a doorway carrying a round metal disk, approximately an arm-length in width. Instead of bringing the disk back, he propped it against a nearby tree.
Graely spoke from the corner of his mouth as Brian returned. “I have little faith in Brian’s weapon, but we must humor him for now.”
“Now, watch this.” Brian stretched out his arms with the weapon clenched in his hands, pointing at the metal disk.
Graely jumped at a loud bang emitted by the small weapon. Two more deafening cracks split the air.
“What was that?” Daegreth’s hands covered his ears.
“That was me firing this gun. Now Daegreth… would you run and fetch that lid over there? The one that was leaning against the tree?”
As Daegreth trotted toward the disk, Brian explained the weapon to Graely. “This gun is a revolver. It holds six cartridges, so I can shoot six times without having to reload.”
The door to the house opened, and Karen stomped into the snow, followed by Charles, Wesley, Alora, and Kaevin. Karen glared at her husband with her hands on her hips. “Brian, you scared me to death. Why didn’t you warn me you were going out here to fire a gun?”
Daegreth trotted back with the disk, skidding to a stop before handing the metal object to Brian. “Did the weapon cause this hole?” Daegreth’s face was animated with excitement until he glanced at something behind Graely. His entire demeanor changed as he averted his eyes, mumbling something unintelligible.