«Ara!» he shouted. «Take her away! Is it killing me you will be and in my own hall, and me your host that has saved your life?»
«Will you let her alone?» asked Shea.
«I will that for the night.»
«Mac Shea, take his offer,» advised Laeg from the head of the table. He looked rather greenish himself. «If his rage comes on him, none of us will be safe.»
«Okay. Honest,» said Shea and held Belphebe’s dress for her.
There was a universal sigh of relief from the background. Cuchulainn staggered to his feet. «It is not feeling well that I am, darlings,» he said and, picking up the golden ewer of wine, made for his room.
IV
There was a good deal of excited gabble among the retainers as Belphebe walked back to her place without looking to right or left, but they made room for Shea and Brodsky to join her. The druid looked shrewdly at the closed door and said, «If the Little Hound drinks too much by himself, he may be brooding on the wrong you are after doing him, and a sad day that would be. If he comes out with the hero-light playing round his head, run for your lives.»
Belphebe said, «But where would we go.»
«Back to your own place. Where else?»
Shea frowned. «I’m not sure.» he began, when Brodsky cut in suddenly, «Say,» he said, «your boss ain’t really gotno right to get bugged up. We had to play it that way?»
Cathbadh swung to him. «And why, serf?»
«Don’t call me serf. She’s got a fierce geas on her. Any guy that touches her gets a bellyache and dies of it. Her husband only stands it because he’s a magician. It’s lucky we put the brakes on before the boss got her in thatroom, or he’d be ready for the lilies right now.»
Cathbadh’s eyebrows shot up like a seagull taking off. «Himself should know of this,» he said. «There would be less blood shed inIreland if more people opened their mouths to explain things before they put their feet in them.»