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Back Mattimeo
Chapters (64)
  1. CAPTURED!
  2. Other Books
  3. Title Page
  4. Map
  5. Introduction
  6. BOOK ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. BOOK TWO
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. BOOK THREE
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. What’s next onyour reading list?

Morning sunlight slanted into the trees as swarms of rats ran silently, keeping abreast of their leader. Stonefleck halted on a sloping hillside and listened carefully: they were coming. Nodding to his followers, he dropped down behind an oak. The rats spread themselves among the other trees, notching arrows onto bowstrings. He could not have timed it better. The woodlanders came hurrying through the forest below, looking back over their shoulders to see if they were being pursued.

Stonefleck let fly a shaft at the mouse in the lead, hoping to catch him in the side of his neck. The mottled rat gave a grunt of disappointment as the arrow pinged harmlessly off the hilt of a big sword the mouse was carrying slung across his back and shoulders. A hail of arrows hit the main party below, shrews fell slain and wounded as the mouse in the lead shouted:

“Ambush! They’re on our right flank. Follow me!”

They rushed for cover in the protection of the forest to their left. Stonefleck dashed down the hill after them.

“Charge!”

It was a lucky accident that Stonefleck tripped over a protruding tree root. The rats swarmed past him in a headlong attack, only to be met by Matthias and Orlando.

The two warriors had taken a temporary stand, allowing the rest of their party to get away. Armed only with bows and arrows, the rats could not fire in close combat. Orlando took the first two with a cleaving sideways chop of the huge war axe, while Matthias stepped swiftly from behind a tree and slew a rat who was dashing past. Turning quickly, he took another on the point of his sword. Orlando thundered into a group of the front runners. Wielding his axe, he scattered them like chaff, roaring aloud his battlecry:

“Eulaliaaaaa!”

“Redwalllll!”

Matthias was at his side, the scything, whirling blade cutting a deadly pattern of cold steel amid the rats.

Stunned by the shock of the wild attack, the rat horde fell back. Stonefleck ran up, urging them forward.

“Rush them, there’s only two. Come on!”

They regrouped and dashed in, yelling wildly, but the two warriors were gone!

*   *   *

Matthias and Orlando ran panting into the main party a short distance ahead. The warrior mouse was angry.

“Why didn’t you keep running? We would have caught up with you.”

Basil shook his head. “We couldn’t, not after we heard all the screams and shouts from back there. We were about to go back and help you.”

“You should have kept going,” Matthias repeated. “No time to argue now, here they come again.”

Log-a-Log broke into a run, pointing ahead. “Look, there’s a clearing over that way. Let’s get to the other side of it and hold them off with our slings.”

*   *   *

Stonefleck and his horde were hot on the trail. They had covered half the clearing when a deep shrew voice called out:

“Sling!”