'Tell them what you like, as long as you leave us in peace,' the guard shouted. He raised his spear. 'Now go, lest I spit you clean through and through.'
Melcorka pushed Alva behind her. 'That would not be a wise thing to do,' she warned.
'Wait!' That was another voice. A broad-shouldered man joined the guard, wearing the seven-coloured tartan of a king. 'I am Hector. Who are you who seek admission to my home?'
'It is a poor home that keeps a locked door between itself and guests,' Bradan said, 'and it is a home whose name for unfriendliness will soon be known the length and breadth of Alba.'
Hector looked coldly down at Bradan. 'Let these people in,' he said at length. 'Guide them along the causeway.'
The door gave a great creak as it swung open, and two men emerged. One was slight a
