"Hail friends!" came a voice.

"Hail, good sirs!" replied Odo. "Keep behind me," he advised Charlotte as he nudged Amica a little closer to better see the two men.

As they approached, it was clear to Odo one man was a knight. The other man was immense, a brute, and towered over the knight but wore the livery of a sergeant. A single horse was hobbled and ate grass a short distance away. Odo cautiously kept himself between Charlotte and the two ...