Marlfox

For Mokkan it was like a continuation of his nightmare. There below in the courtyard of Castle Marl, the creatures he had fled from in dreams were staring boldly up at him. Fear gripped the Marlfox and he looked about wildly, seeking an avenue of escape. The shrew logboat he had arrived in still lay moored to one side of the rock plateau that served as a jetty. That was it! Dashing from his room, he motioned at the two guards posted outside. "Follow me! Slay anybeast who tries to stop your King!"

They ran obediently with him, along the corridor sloping upward to Wilce's former room, which now belonged to Toolam, Commander of the army. Mokkan burst in on the slumbering rat. "Rouse yourself, fool, foebeasts are at large in the castle!"

Toolam rushed to get his new armor on over a voluminous nightgown, then hefted his heavy spear. "Er, sire, your word is my command, er, y'Majesty!"

"Muster the soldiers, every one, sweep these invaders from my island, slay them or take them prisoner! I will see you when this incident is finished. Fail me and you will go to serve the Teeth of the Deeps. Go now. You two, go with him!"

When they had gone, Mokkan dropped his heavily embroidered cloak of kingship and slunk swiftly down to the main chamber. There he donned his old cloak of dull brown and green weave. Immediately a transformation came over him, and his pale eyes glowed. Now he was a proper Marlfox once more, and everybeast knew that Marlfoxes were magic, invisible! Blending in with the stones of the wall, Mokkan slipped off down the back corridors.

Burble panted along with Dippler in Song's wake, staring around in puzzlement. "Dipp, will y'look at this place, there's neither step nor stair anywheres, 'tis all slopes, yiss yiss?"

Song rounded on the pair and pulled them into a darkened alcove, beckoning them to silence as the sound of clanking spears against breastplates reached her ears. "Somebeast dashing down to the courtyard. Stand by!"

Toolam and the two water rat sentries came into view, hurrying clumsily down the slope. Song whispered, "One each, wait until they pass!"

No sooner were the three vermin past the alcove than Song and her two friends hit them from behind. Amid a resounding jumble of weaponry and armor the three rats crashed headlong into the wallstones and slid down senseless. Song could not resist a slight giggle.

"Sounded like somebeast tripping into a broom closet at Redwall Abbey. Come on, the Marlfox's room must be somewhere up this passage. Go careful now, he'll have heard the noise."

There were other chambers either side of the torchlit passage, but Song knew right away that the one with ornate double doors would be the chamber where the Marlfox had been sighted. Dippler and Burble had armed themselves with the sentries' spears. Brandishing her Leafwood stick, Song gave them a quick nod. They charged the doors yelling their battle cries.

"Logalogalogaloooog! Waylahoooo! Redwaaaaaalllll!"

The doors were not locked, in fact they were not even closed properly, and they slammed inward under the force of the charge. Song, Dippler and Burble exploded into the chamber, heads over tails in a mad jumble. The squirrelmaid was first upright, ready to do battle, but feeling rather foolish at the instant realization that she was facing an empty room. Dippler and Burble sat up, gazing around the chamber in awe. Silken hangings, burnished metal mirrors, incense burners and satin cushions were everywhere. The watervole scurried over to the large carved oaken chair that was serving as the High King's temporary throne and plumped down on it. "Yiss yiss, this is a grand ould chair, so 'tis. I always promised meself one of these. I think I'll plunder it!"

Song and Dippler were not listening. They were staring at the great Redwall tapestry, hanging in all its glory. Martin the Warrior's likeness seemed to smile down on them both.

Dippler clasped his friend's paw. "Wait'll Dann sees this, missie. You've completed yore quest!"

Pride flooded through Song. It had been a long and perilous journey, but they had completed it successfully.

Snapping out of her reverie, she rousted Burble from his plundered throne. "Come on, cushytail, up with you, we need this chair!"

She and Dippler dragged it over to the wall where the tapestry hung. Climbing onto the seat, they began taking down the heavy object, with Burble hopping about protesting. "Ah go easy now, don't scratch the woodwork, watch how y'treat me lovely ould chair, yiss yiss, be careful!"

Rolling the tapestry up, they stood it behind one of the doors. Dippler tore down a silk wall hanging and draped it over the prize, effectively hiding it from view. "There, it should be safe enough here for the moment. What's up, Song? What're ye lookin' round like that for?"

"Where did the Marlfox go? There's another thing, too. Have you noticed that it's gone quiet out there?"

Burble looked up from the chair he was covering with drapes. "Yiss yiss, y'right there, mate, there should be a grand ould battle ragin' round this castle by now, but there's not a single peep from outside. Well now, there's me plunder all wrapped up nice'n'tidy. Let's go an' take a look!"

As soon as Dann and his party had charged, the guards fled back into their barracks and locked themselves in. Torrab posted two hedgehogs and several freed slaves in front of the barracks, calling in a loud voice so the water rats could hear, "Stay thou by here, slay any who come out!" She turned with a shrug to the bemused Dann. "Mayhap yon vermin do not move without command from some Captain or Marlfox. They bear the look of beasts who be not overburdened with much intelligence."

Dann took a parting glance at the dull-faced soldiers penned within their own barracks. "Aye, I think yore right, Torrab. Let's go and see how Gawjo an' the others are farin' at the front entrance."

Ullig and Wilce were in the main barracks, demoted to the rank and file. When they saw Gawjo and his small force enter the courtyard, both vermin grasped immediately their chance of being restored to favor. After a hasty conference together, they took up weapons. Ullig faced the horde of soldiers, who were lounging about awaiting orders from Toolam, who had not yet appeared. "Arm yourselves, there are enemies within our gates. Hurry!"

The rats looked at him but made no move. Wilce shook her spear at them, haranguing the indifferent vermin. "You heard him, idiots. Pick up your weapons!"

One, bolder than the rest, sat down on his bed. "You ain't officers no more, yore only the same as us. We ain't takin' no orders of'n yer!"

Wilce's brain was racing as she challenged the speaker. "Us, common soldiers? Don't be stupid. Who told you that?"

Slightly unsure of himself, the water rat pointed out one of his comrades. "Er, he did."

Ullig did not hesitate. He slew the vermin who had been singled out with a sharp spear thrust. Turning on the rest, he shook his head pityingly. "Him, what did he know about it? Barrack room gossip! You all know me an' Wilce 'ere. King Mokkan asked us to pose as common soldiers for a while, just to sniff out any traitors or rebels who was still loyal to the impostor Lantur. We're still in command 'ere, so pick up yer weapons an' follow us, or it'll go hard on you!"

Gawjo and his party were about to enter the castle when the main barrack doors burst open and vermin began charging toward them. The old squirrel warrior turned to face the foe, backed by his ten big hogs, and rushed the enemy with a bloodcurdling shout.

"Gawj oooooooo!"

Their quills bristling with the madness of combat, the hedgehogs threw themselves headlong into the water rat ranks, flailing out with long heavy clubs, smashing any spears that came close, hacking and thrusting with short broad cutlasses.

"Rollin' circle, form a rollin' circle!" yelled Gawjo above the melee.

The water rats did not fight with the same ferocity as their opponents, but they outnumbered them more than ten to one. Two of the hedgehogs were down before Gawjo succeeded in joining his small force into the rolling circle. Shoulder to shoulder, cheek by jowl they fought, facing the vermin horde, turning like a wheel, plowing hither and thither into the foebeast ranks. A spearblade slashed down across Gawjo's paw as the hedgehog on his right side was overwhelmed by the crushing force of vermin. The old squirrel sighed as he slid in the blood flowing from his paw. They had underestimated the number of enemies. In a short time his column would go under.