"Held the tunnel . . . they never passed . . . lots o' weapons for you, my friend .. . odd though . .. don't feel a bit hungry. Jolly cold, wot!"
Fleetscut smiled at Dotti, his eyelids flickered one last time, and then they closed forever. The haremaid looked at Sailears through a shimmering haze of tears.
"They died as friends. Who'd have thought it?"
The older hare helped her upright. "Jukka an' Fleetscut were the bravest of the brave. Come now, young 'un, let them share the long sleep together." Ungatt Trunn felt the cold paw of fear traversing his spine. With no more than a hundred vermin at his command, he stood facing the barred main entrance. Rocks and boulders thudded noisily against the fortified oaken doors. Without his vast Hordes the wildcat was virtually a captive inside the mountain he had captured. There were roars of derision from outside.
"We're comin' to get ye, Trunn!"
"Is that the earth shakin', or is it yore paws tremblin'?"
"Bring up the batterin' ram. I'm tired o' knockin' on this door, mates. Let's knock it down!"
There was no aperture uncovered for the vermin to see what was going on, or to retaliate from. Hordebeasts stood grouped in the entrance hall, staring in horrified fascination at the reverberating doors. Stoat Captain Byle looked beseechingly to Ungatt Trunn.
"They're bringin' a batterin' ramdid you 'ear 'em, sire? Where's Drull an' the others got to? We'll be slain!"
A blow from the wildcat's trident shaft knocked Byle flat. Trunn aimed a kick at the cringing captain. "Get up, you whimpering worm. Find Captain Drull and his sentries, bring them here immediately!"
Byle scurried off to do his master's bidding.
Brog looked quizzically at Ruff asthey both flung rocks at the doors.
"We never brought no batterin' ram with us, mate?"
Ruff hurled a lump of limestone. It made a satisfying thud. "Haharr, but Trunn don't know that, do 'e? We'll need those doors in one piece once we're inside. Remember, Brog, our job's to provide a diversion. Make as much 'ullabaloo as possible 'til Brock an' our pals can find their way to the doors an' ambush Trunn from the rear, inside. Look out!"
Ruff pulled Brog to one side as a gang of rabblehogs loosed their slings. Pebbles rattled against oak like a spring hailstorm. Baron Drucco yelled encouragement.
"Now give 'em a few yells, my 'ogs, tell those vermints wot we're goin' t'do to 'em!"
"Yaaah, yer bluebottomed wifflers, we'll spike yer!"
"Yew can't get away from the rabble'ogs. We've thrown an accordion 'round yore mountain, so there!"
Brog and Ruff joined in with gusto.
"Chop yore 'eads off an' chuck 'em in yore faces, we will!"
"Set lights to yore tails an' use 'em for candles, too!"
"Aye, we'll make the stars fall on ye all right, the moon, too!"
On the other side of the door, Ungatt Trunn paced nervously about, waiting for Byle to return with the reinforcements he had sent him to get. "Stand your ground," the wildcat rapped sternly at his quivering vermin, "the doors will hold! This trident will take the eyes out of anybeast who moves without my permission!"
Trunn spied Byle. The stoat captain was dithering around at the hall entrance, as if unsure of which way to go next. Dashing down the hall, the wildcat cornered him.
"Where's Drull and the guard patrols? I ordered you to bring them to me! Well, where are they?"
Forgetting all titles and protocols, Byle blurted out, "'Ow should I know? There's a badger wid a sword twice the size o' me, there's an army wid 'im, an' they're comin' this way fast!"
Trunn's trident prongs prodded the stoat's neck. "Keep your voice down. You and I are leaving here." He shouted to the Hordebeasts guarding the doors, "Hold your positions, stay there! Captain Byle has found Captain Drull and the guard patrols. We're going to fetch them. I order you to hold the doors. We'll be back soon!"
"But sire," Byle protested, "we don't know wh"
He froze into silence as the trident pricked his throat. "One more word and I'll leave you behind with them. Now follow me up to the second level!"
***********
Brogalaw waved his paws furiously. "Whoa, mates, stop yore rock-throwin' an' shoutin, and lissen!"
The decoy attackers left off their activities. They did not have to strain their ears to know what was going on on the other side of Salamandastron's main doors. Screams, roars, yells and the thunder of Eulalias told them that the plan had worked. Lord Brocktree and his force had made it, up from the cellars to the entrance. Slaughter was raging unchecked against the vermin that Ungatt Trunn had deserted.
Ruff flung away a rock and grabbed his spear. "To the gates, me 'earties, to the gates!"
Durvy and his crew raced up from the shore, their coats dripping with seawater. Konul shook herself vigorously. "Ain't you lot got inside yet, Brog?"
Chuckling, the sea otter Skipper dodged a spray of water. "Ho, don't fret yoreself, missie, we soon will be!"
The ottermaid pointed seaward. "Then ye'd best make it quick, mate. Karangool an' his crews cut out the burnin' ships an' sunk 'em. But they caught sight of us an' they're 'ard on our rudders. See!"
Ten galleys were being rowed to land, crammed with horde crew vermin, led by Karangool. Brog issued hasty orders.
"Drucco, bang on them doors as if yore life depended on it, 'cos it does! Form up in four lines, mates, backs t'the doors, slings, arrers an' javelins. Stir yore stumps!"
Sounds of battle, loud and wild, rang out from behind the doors. The ships plowed into the shallows and armed vermin began leaping ashore in droves. Drucco battered the door, a rock in either paw, bellowing with all his might, "Brock! Brock! Open up, mate! We're 'ard-pressed out 'ere!"
Karangool stood on the prow of his vessel, urging the vermin on toward the mountain. "Slay streamdogs, they fired our ships, kill allbeasts!"
**************
Ungatt Trunn tore driftwood and sacking from a narrow window facing east on the second level. He peeped out and saw a small band of squirrels below. The wildcat nodded, smiling at Captain Byle.
"We're lucky, my friend, it's all clear. Out you go!"
Two arrows took the stoat before he cleared the window. Trunn spoke up in a voice loud enough to be heard from below.
'"Tis no use, mates, the foebeast's waitin' below. 'Round to the south side, quick. I know a good place there!"
He stood perfectly still and waited a short time. When he looked out again the squirrels had run off to cover the south face. With all the litheness of a wildcat Ungatt Trunn descended to the ground. Treading contemptuously on Byle's carcass, he set off north toward the cliffs.
Once the vermin were above the tideline, Brog gave the first rank of archers their order. "Now!" Eight vermin fell, transfixed by flying arrows. The rest paused, but Karangool drove them onward from his ship's prow.
"Rush them, they be only few to us!"
They continued the charge. The archers dropped back to reload as Brog gave a command to the slingers who took their place.
"Shoot an' fall back, mates. Now!"
Drucco foamed at the mouth as he pounded the doors. "Open up afore we're slaughterfied! Open up, Brock!"
Ruff took out a front-runner with a well-aimed rock. "Too late, mate, we'll just 'ave t'go down fightin'!"
Brog judged the distance between himself and the charging vermin. It looked as if Ruff was right. The sea otter Skipper brought forward his spears and javelins.
"Kneel 'ere in line, mateys, points to the fore! Archers, place yoreselves between the spears. Right, now!"
Another deadly hail of shafts buzzed through the night air. Vermin fell, but they kept coming, their own front ranks unshouldering bows and fitting shafts to strings.
With a creak and a groan the mighty doors swung inward. Baron Drucco fell facedown, still pounding with his two rocks at the earth in the open gateway. Gurth and Bucko Bigbones poked their heads around the doors.