The courtier turned around. He stared at the pistol Geveaux was pointing at his vest and smiled.
“Take care of this fellow, will you?”
Doubert had grabbed the bridle of a horse that had started when it heard the scream. He turned around in response to the offhand command and reached for the pistol stored in his sash.
Geveaux swung his weapon toward Doubert. “Raise your hands! Take your hand off that gun!”
Doubert ignored both demands. He didn’t pull the pistol out of his sash but he didn’t remove his hand from the butt either.
Geveaux hesitated. He was a decent shot but he was confronted with the basic weakness of all firearms. His gun would become a harmless lump of metal the moment he fired it. If he missed, and Doubert finished drawing his pistol….
The third man was already scurry
