Shane lowered his head and said to Ethan: "Sorry. My man was rude. I'm apologizing for him."
Ethan said calmly: "I don't need your apology. It means nothing to me."
Shane paused. There was no anger on his face. Instead, he nodded and said:
"You're right. An apology should come from the person who did it."
Then Shane looked over to where Ryan was and called: "Get over here."
Ryan looked unwilling, but he still rode his horse over, slowly, to where Ethan stood.
Shane's eyes dropped to the horse Ryan was riding. Ryan, still unwilling, swung down from the saddle, took a deep breath, and spoke in a low, fast voice:
"Sorry. I was wrong."
"You're skilled and strong. You could've killed the rest of the thieves with no effort. I misspoke."
Ethan knew he was being sarcastic.
Shane took a deep breath and said he could agree to Ethan's terms. If the chance allowed, he would heavily injure the thieves in the underground caves, then leave them for Ethan to finish off.
