“What’s to do?” said the Llozelle. “An attack?”
“A parley, rather,” said Sopespian. “See, they carry green brahey are ing to surrender most likely.”
“He that is walkiween the taur and the Giant has no look of surrender in his face,” said Glozelle. “Who he be? It is not the boy Caspian.”
“No indeed,” said Sopespian. “This is a fell warrior, I warrant you, wherever the rebels have got him from. He is （in your Lordship’s private ear） a kinglier man than ever Miraz was. And what mail he wears！ None of our smiths make the like.”
“I’ll wager my dappled Pomely he brings a challenge, not a surrender,” said Glozelle.
“How then?” said Sopespian. “We hold the enemy in our fist here. Miraz would never be so hair-brained as to throw away his advantage on a bat.”
“He might be brought to it,” said Glozelle in a much lower voice.
“Softly,” said Sopespian. “Step a little aside here out of earshot of tho ntries. Now. Have I taken your Lordship’s meaning aright?”
“If the King uook wager of battle,” whispered Glozelle, “why, either he would kill or be killed.”
“So,” said Sopespian, nodding his head.
“And if he killed we should have won this war.”
“Certainly. And if not?”
“Why, if not, we should be as able to win it without the King’s grace as with him. For I need not tell your Lordship that Miraz is nreat captain. And after that, we should be both victorious and kingless.”
“And it is your meaning, my Lord, that you and I could hold this land quite as vely without a King as with one?”
Glozelle’s face grew ugly. “Not fetting,” said he, “that it ho first put him ohrone. And in all the years that he has e, what fruits have e our way? What gratitude has he shown us?”
“Say no more,” answered Sopespian. “But look—herd es oo fetch us to the King’s tent.”
When they reached Miraz’s tent they saw Edmund and his two panions ated outside it and beiertained with cakes and wine, having already delivered the challenge, and withdrawn while the King was sidering it. When they saw them thus at clo quarters the two Telmarine lords thought all three of them very alarming.