Chapter Fourteen
<p style="text-indent:1em">The small group of travelers eventually reached a place to camp out of the way of the path and protected from the elements by several large rocks built into a kind of natural lean-to. They slept without watch but rested peacefully nonetheless.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Midmorning saw them all awake and eager to be on the road again, well rested and cheerful. The cheer did not last long however as soon after they broke camp an arrow fletched in green and red thunked ominously into a tree trunk near Mattrick. Reacting with alacrity, his sword already drawn, he handed Daisy the reins to Night star and pushed her behind him. Benji hefted a stick he had been using as a walking stick and stood next to Daisy.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Shadowy cloaked figures emerged bearing longbows and green-grey armor. Their leader a golden haired young man of no more than twenty apparent years approached. Unlike his men he bore a rapier and main gauche rather than the yew longbow they favored.</p> 

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Sir Mattrick Felcara you are under arrest in the name of the laws of Lavilla." He intoned in a quiet but clear voice. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Sir Mattrick drop your weapons. You can not possibly hope to out fight us this time."</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Ah Princelet Jairick, your nanny let you out early." Venom dripped from Mattrick’s voice, though he did not lower his weapon.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Disparaging your betters still, I see." retorted Prince Jairick. "I will not ask you again. Drop your weapons and let my men take you into custody."</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Let’s settle this like gentlemen then." Growled Mattrick raising his sword in a two-handed grip.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"En garde then!" Prince Jairick declared. "Men this is between the outlaw and myself. Do not interfere."</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Daisy, alarmed looked to Benji for a cue but he looked as forlorn as she as they stood behind the big longhaired tracker. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Wait!" she cried. "What has this man done?" </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Mattrick and Jairick both turned towards Daisy as she stepped forward and to the side. Jairick scrutinized her for a moment, a look of faint surprise on his face.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Milady, I would fain spill the blood of this miscreant in front of you but circumstances dictate I can not let him leave alive. He is a wanted criminal in Lavilla and other nations as well. I know not who you might be, but this man is not who you think he is. He is the bastard son of Duke Callonway among other things."</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Duke Callonway! But he’s the one..." She gasped. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">A large forearm snaked around her throat and held her captive in a tight grip as Mattrick seeing his chance, grabbed her as a hostage.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Benji protested and leapt on Mattrick’s sword arm. This turned out to be a bad move for him as he found himself flung far into a thicket of blackberry bushes. Prince Jairick advanced a step.</p> 

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Nah uh mine princeling. Just lay down your weapons and step away or the princess gets it. Oh where are my manners? Prince Jairick Von Lavilla this is Dairissa Goodfell. A pleasure for both of you I am sure but now I will be taking my leave with my hostage in tow."</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Jairick looked indecisively back to his men who held nocked bows aimed at the ground waiting for an order. He slowly lowered his rapier and dagger and nodded ascent. Mattrick, one arm controlling the princess and the other reaching for his horse’s reins felt a weight hit his legs just below his knees. A single moment later he fell backwards over Benji but still held onto the princess who struggled to breath. 

<p style="text-indent:1em">Mattrick dropped his sword when he fell and it was slightly out of reach. Jairick and his men took a step closer but Mattrick was not quite done with his tricks yet. He pulled a pendant from his tunic and whispered a quick word. Sounds of armor filled everyone’s ears and suddenly Jairick’s men were surrounded by knights in black armor bearing Duke Callonway’s ensignia.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">As Jairick turned to face this threat, Mattrick let go of the princess and lunged for his sword. Sensing the movement Jairick turned back and attacked. The fight between Mattrick and Jairick was a blur. Daisy could not tell who was getting blows in but Mattrick was not bleeding at all so he was probably winning. She searched under her rags for her little childhood knife. Benji was out cold face down in the grass. He looked to be unconscious but otherwise unharmed. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Men in green-grey leathers wielding short swords and or maces fought figures of black armor wielding swords, morningstars, axes and other implements of destruction. Since the black knights were still out numbered two or three to one the fight was fairly evenly matched. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Daisy looked back at the fight between Mattrick and Jairick. Mattrick allowed the flashing rapier to rip a hole in his left arm so that he could smash through the main gauche with his sword one handed and land a cut across Jairick’s body. Jairick cried out as his hand broke under the pressure of the blow, his main gauche sent flying. Jairick stumbled and fell to his knees and Mattrick prepared for a death blow.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Daisy gripped her little knife and felt her body go into motion. As Mattrick raised his sword for the coup de grace after beating down Jairick’s rapier, he cried out in surprise, his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed face down. Sticking out of the back of his neck was Daisy’s little knife.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Not a drop of blood emerged from any of his wounds, not even when Jairick pulled out the knife and handed it handle-forward to the stunned princess.</p> 

<p style="text-indent:1em">"As I often suspected. Duke Callonway is dabbling in arts best left forgotten. This, milady was no man at all but a simulacrum. We’ve not seen the last of Sir Mattrick. But now his summoned golems are killing my men. Get on that horse and ride with your friend away from here. Your family is probably quite worried for you lass." With this he bowed and then turned towards the fray rushing to the aid of one of his men.</p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Dismissed, Daisy felt a tinge of dismay. The dashing prince-hero saw in her no more than a wayward princess disguised to look like a boy. She wished he saw her as the young woman she was becoming. But then she realized how could he when the lives of his men were at stake? This was no situation to be mooning over some attractive young man. Time to get Benji to safety. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">She gingerly approached Nightstar half expecting the horse to kick or bite but the horse did neither, only sniffing in her direction. When she reached for the reins however the horse stepped back out of her reach. Neighing, Nightstar looked reproachfully at her and turned away. </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Frustrated and a little tired, Daisy was in no mood to argue with a horse she barely knew. She watched the black horse trot off and wondered where it thought it was heading. She looked down at Benji as he came to, grabbed his head and fell sideways back onto the grass.</p> 

<p style="text-indent:1em">"Unggghh... Did we win?" </p>

<p style="text-indent:1em">Then he noted the clash of weapons and sat back up. "Uh princess we gotta get gone from ‘ere. Dunno if da greenies ‘re gonna win but I dun wanna be round in any case. Lets fly!" He scrambled to his feet and wobbled slightly. Grabbing Daisy’s arm to steady himself. Regretfully, Daisy turned her back on the still raging conflict and walked with Benji south.
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