His brother, the tall, sombre Lorgo, spat on his paws, rubbing them together in anticipation. “Aye, dawn’s a good time to attack. The cats won’t be up an’ about just yet!”
Banya Streamdog interrupted them. “Hold on, mates. We can’t go chargin’ in without a plan. If’n the Felis cat’s got Leatho a prisoner, he’s bound to have the fortress well guarded. Stands t’reason he’ll be expectin’ us to try somethin’.”
Kolun dug his big oar into the water moodily. “I s’pose yore right, so wot d’ye suggest we do? We can’t just lie here all day twiddlin’ our rudders!”
Besides being a tough warriormaid, Banya was seldom short of practical ideas. “A sensible plan would be t’send out scouts first. Whulky, Chab, you take the left bank. Lugg, Ganno, you take the right. See if they’re patrollin’ the pier an’ the slave compound. Make a count of the cats y’can see an’ wot sort of weapons they’re totin’. That way we’ll know just wot we’re up against. Oh, an’ most important, keep yore eyes skinned for the Shellhound.”
In the main gate lodge which led onto the pier, Riggu Felis took a leisurely breakfast. The wildcat felt that, with his plans reaching fruition, his position was becoming more secure. Picking at a freshly caught trout and sipping pale wine, he reflected on other matters which required his attention. It was one of the warlord’s strengths: He never left loose ends untied.
Weilmark Scaut stood attendance upon his master, a task which invariably made him nervous, owing to the wildcat’s unpredictable nature. After accidentally slopping wine onto the table while refilling the warlord’s beaker, Scaut murmured apologetically, “Yore pardon, Lord.”
Without helmet or mask, the face of Riggu Felis was set in a tight, fearsome grimace, owing to the severe injuries inflicted on him by the osprey. Scaut wiped up the spillage as the wildcat questioned him.
“Is my prisoner well guarded?”
The weilmark nodded vigorously. “Aye, Lord. I posted two guards on the chamber door, an’ two more at the bottom o’ the stairs.”
The warlord’s tongue licked pensively at his flayed upper gums. “Good. The Lady Kaltag, where is she?”
Scaut wondered where this conversation was leading. “In her room, Sire. I posted three guards on her door.”
Felis sipped more wine. “See that she is closely watched. Well, we should be expecting those outlaw otters to pay us a visit sometime today, Scaut. Listen now, make sure the slave compound is well guarded, but keep the rest of my force out of sight. Don’t send any guards out scouting or patrolling. Now, about the slaves, keep them penned tight in their quarters. I don’t want them out working or fishing the lake. Is that understood?”
The weilmark bowed clumsily. “I hear you, Lord!”
The wildcat’s next question caught the feral cat officer totally off guard. “Tell me, who do you think murdered my faithful counsellor?”
Scaut stared dumbly at the floor. “Sire, I don’t know who slew Atunra.”
Riggu Felis chided him mildly. “Come on, you must have some idea. Was it Pitru?”
The weilmark murmured unhappily, “Lord, it is not my place to accuse yore son.”
The warlord put aside his beaker. “You recall that when we returned here after hunting the Shellhound and his crew, we learned that Atunra had gone missing. That was when Pitru appointed himself Fortress Commander, was it not?”
Scaut’s head bobbed dutifully. “Aye, Lord, yore right.”
The wildcat continued, staring fixedly at Scaut. “Pitru had some very close friends about him, three as I remember. One of them was an officer.”
Scaut replied. “I don’t recall the other two, but the officer was Scorecat Yund, Sire.”
The warlord’s torn features creased in a hideous grin. “That’s the one, Scorecat Yund! Find him, bring him here to me. I’ll find out who slew my pine marten.”
It was now over an hour since daybreak. Bright summer sunlight had banished the mists from the lake surface.
Banya Streamdog called out to Kolun, “Will ye quit paddlin’ round out there an’ get back behind these reeds? Any beast with half an eye could spot an otter of yore size out in the open!”
Big Kolun Galedeep waded grumpily back into the reeds. “Where’ve yore scouts got to, missy? Huh, I could’ve done their job in half the time!”
Lorgo came up on tip-paw, then bent down again. “I can see Lugg an’ Ganno headin’ back along the bank.”
Banya was watching twin ripples approaching along the lake. “That’ll be Whulky’n’Chab if’n I ain’t mistaken.”
Both the aforesaid otters surfaced. They waded in through the reeds, arriving at the same time as Lugg and Ganno.
Kolun cautioned them needlessly, “Stay low, mates. Ye might be spotted by the cats!”
Whulky stood up and stretched his paws. “Wot cats? All we saw out there was birds an’ a few fishes.”
Banya sounded clearly baffled. “Ye saw no cats?”
Chab shook his head decisively. “Nary a frog, let alone a cat. An’ there was no sign of Leatho, either. Everythin’ was quiet at the fortress.”
Kolun scratched his rudder. “Nobeast around, sounds funny t’me. Wot about you two?”
Lugg spoke for himself and Ganno. “We saw catguards posted all around the slave compound. I think they’re keepin’ the slaves locked up—there wasn’t any about, workin’, or fishin’. Didn’t see the Shellhound, though. Don’t know where they’re keepin’ him.”
Lorgo spat away the reed stem he had been chewing on. “I think it’s a trap! Those cats are sly villains.”
Chab pawed water from his ear and shook himself. “Well, if it is a trap, mate, it’s the easiest one I ever walked into, an’ away from!”
Banya stared around at the puzzled and unhappy faces of the clanbeasts. She reached a sudden decision. “Well, we can’t sit here forever. Make ready to march, mates. But pay heed—don’t go chargin’ an’ dashin’ into anythin’. We’ll go slow’ n’steady, split into three groups. Roggan Streamdiver, take yore clan an’ the Wavedogs along the left shore. Kolun, you an’ Lorgo take yore Galedeeps an’ the Wildloughs to the right. I’ll take my clan an’ the Streambattles up the middle o’ the lake. Remember, slow’n’steady. Watch out for traps an’ ambushes, an’ don’t take no foolish chances!”
Big Kolun hefted his oar. “Aye, an’ if ye do get into any trouble, just give a yell, an’ we’ll be there at the double. Good luck to everybeast. Let’s hope we all make it back safe to our families at Summerdell. Let’s go an’ rescue Leatho Shellhound now!” The otterclans moved off silently.
Pitru was on his way to the barracks when he saw Weilmark Scaut and a six-guard escort approaching. He ducked into the cover of the guardhouse. Watching them closely, he observed firsthand their capture of Scorecat Yund as he emerged from the barracks.
Disregarding Yund’s protests, they had grabbed him roughly and were now frogmarching him toward the main gate lodge. Pitru, immediately realising what this was all about, cursed himself for a fool. He should have guessed that his father would not leave Atunra’s murder unavenged.
The young cat hurried into the barracks, where he was met by his other two close allies, Balur and Hinso. Both catguards appeared badly shaken.
“Commander, they’ve just dragged Scorecat Yund off!”
“It was Weilmark Scaut and a band of guards. Your father’ll make Yund talk, he’ll find out the truth about Atunra!”
Pitru grabbed them both by their whiskers, hissing at them, “Shut up, fools! Don’t you think I already know that? Stop panicking and listen to me. Balur, get to the lodge window. See if you can hear what’s going on in there, then report straight back to me! Hinso, gather all the guards that are loyal to me behind the barracks. Wait for me there. Quick now, both of you, our very lives depend on getting things right. Go!”