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them no less—” Dyan began hotly.
    “Lord Dyan,” said Marius Alton angrily, “I thought you at least were my father’s friend—or friend enough not to judge his motives!”
    Dyan looked him straight in the eye and drawled, “Who the hell are you?”
    “You know who I am,” Marius retorted, “even if it amuses you to pretend you do not! I am Marius Montray-Lanart of Alton—”
    “Oh, the Montray woman’s son,” Dyan said, in the derogatory mode implying brat or foundling .
    Marius drew a deep breath and clenched his fists. “If Kennard, Lord Alton, acknowledges me his son, it matters nothing to me who else does not!”
    “Wait a minute—” Lerrys began, but Merryl Lindir said, “Must we listen to this even here in Thendara?
    I did not come here to drink with Terran bastards—and with Terran spies!”
    Marius sprang angrily to his feet. “Terran spies? Captain Scott is my guest!”
    “As I said, Terran spies and toadies—I did not come here for that!”
    “No,” retorted Marius, “it seems you came here for a lesson in manners—and I am ready to give you one!” He kicked the chair back, came around the table, his hand on his knife. “Lesson one: you do not criticize the invited guest of anyone— and I am here as the guest of the Lord Lerrys, and Captain Scott as mine. Lesson two: you do not come into Thendara and cast aspersions on any man’s lineage. You will apologize to Captain Scott, and retract what you said about my father— and my mother! And you too, Lord Dyan, or I shall call you to account as well!”
    Good for him , Regis thought, looking at the angry youngster, knife in hand, crouched into a stance of readiness for a fight. Merryl blinked; then whipped out his knife and backed away, giving himself room to move. He said, “It will be a pleasure, Alton bastard—”
    Lerrys tried to move toward them, laid a hand on Marius’s wrist. “Wait a minute—”
    “Keep out of this, sir,” Marius said, between gritted teeth.
    Good, the boy has courage! Good-looking, too, in his own way! Zandru’s hells, why didn’t Kennard —
    For a moment Regis could not identify the source of the thought, then Dyan said aloud, “Put your knife up, Merryl! Damn it, that’s an order! You too, Marius, lad. Council never acknowledged your father’s marriage, but it’s not hard to see you’re your father’s son.”
    Marius hesitated, then lowered the knife in his hand. Merryl Lindir-Aillard snarled, “Damn you, are you afraid to fight me, then, like all you coward Terrans—ready to kill with your coward’s weapons and guns from a distance, but frightened of bare steel?”
    Lerrys stepped between them, saying, “This is no place for a brawl! In Zandru’s name—”
    Regis saw that the others in the tavern had drawn back, making something like a ring of spectators.
    When kinsmen quarrel, enemies step in to widen the gap! Does it give them pleasure to see Comyn at odds ? “Stop it, both of you! This is not a house of bandits!”
    “Get back, both of you,” said a new, authoritarian voice, and Gabriel Lanart-Hastur, Commander of the Guard, stepped forward. “If you want to fight, make it a formal challenge, and let’s not have any stupid brawls here! Are you both drunk? Lerrys, you are an officer, you know no challenge is valid unless both challengers are sober! Marius—”
    Marius said, fists clenched, “He insulted my father and mother, kinsman! For the honor of the Alton Domain—”
    Gabriel said quietly, “Leave the honor of the Domain in my hands until you are older, Marius.”
    “I am sober enough to challenge him!” Marius said, angrily, “and here I call challenge—”
    “Merryl, you damned fool—” Dyan said urgently, laying a hand on his shoulder, “this is serious—”
    “I’m damned if I’ll fight a Terran bastard with honor,” shouted Merryl, enraged, and rounded on Gabriel Lanart-Hastur. He said, “I’ll fight you , or your whole damned Domain—if I can get