Marlfox

Whrrrruuuummmm! Whrrrrruuuummmm!

Whrrrrruuuuuummmmm!

The hogmaid released the chain and it whizzed out over the lake, a whirlwind of metal. She was carried forward by the mighty throw, slipping off the plateau into the water. Like lightning, Torrab and two of her brothers yanked her back, a pike clinging to her footpaw. Mokkan was just turning his head to look back as the chain struck him, wrapping around his neck in the blink of an eye and whipping him straight into the water.

The Teeth of the Deeps, the ravening pike shoals that preyed upon any living thing that was cast into their domain, closed in. Long silver bodies, bristling dorsal fins and ferocious ripping teeth, threshing the water to foam. So ended the reign of High King Mokkan, last of the Marlfoxes!

A mighty cheer arose from the freed slaves. The water rats stared blankly for a moment, then joined in wholeheartedly. The young hedgehog maid sat inspecting her footpaw and Song sat down beside her, eyes shining with admiration. "That was a mighty throw, miss, you must possess great strength. What do they call you?"

"My name is Nettlebud."

Song shook her paw warmly. "I know your father well! He'll be overjoyed to see you!"

Burble scurried about, reassuring slaves and water rats as Megraw came swooping down to land on the plateau. "Don't fuss now, me friend won't harm ye, he's on our side, yiss yiss, an' we're thankful for that!"

Folding his massive wings, the osprey nodded at Song. "Weel, lassie, ah tek it the battle's o'er. Ye'll no be seein' maggypies round here nae mair!"

Nobeast doubted the fierce fish eagle's word.

Dippler eyed his logboat, floating empty out on the lake. "I could take a dozen or so in the logboat when we gets it back to land. Anybeast want to come with me? I'm goin' home."

Home!

The beautiful word meant everything to the creatures gathered by the lake's edge. Some of the freed slaves broke into sobs and wept at the thought of it. Gawjo was one of those who could not hold back a tear. Dann thought of Redwall and his father, and his own eyes filled.

"Look at 'em blubberin', Song," Dippler whispered. "Bet you can't start everybeast weepin' by singin' somethin' nice an' sad?"

Song tweaked the Guosim shrew's ear. "You heartless little horror! Bet I can. Just give me a moment to dry my eyes."

There on the rocks of the sunlit island the young squirrelmaid's voice rang out into the late-summer afternoon.

"Please gaze round our garden, remember me there,

And always be faithful and true,

Then look to the sunset and know that somewhere,

'Tis I who'll be thinking of you.

Home, home, I will come home,

Back to the ones I love best,

Home, home, no more to roam,

My weary heart will find rest.

So leave the door open and keep the fire bright,

As I recall it was always,

It may be evening or dawn's welcome light,

I'll wander back one of these days.

Home, home, I will come home,

Ere the long seasons have passed,

Home, home, no more to roam,

Peace we will find there at last."

In the hush that followed, Song noticed Dippler weeping.

Chapter 34

Rimrose sat at the Abbey pond's edge with Cregga, Sister Sloey, Ellayo, Deesum and Gurrbowl Cellarmole. Between them they were candying nuts and fruit, shelling hazels, almonds and chestnuts, slicing apples and pears, removing stones from plums, damsons and greengages, and selecting berries. These they layered in pottery jars, pouring in honey, then sealing the tops with bark circles and beeswax.

Sister Sloey watched a crew of moles carrying ladders out of the Abbey. "They've finished fixing all the windowpanes, Cregga marm."

The blind Badgermum nodded fondly. "At last Redwall is restored to its former glory, and our beautiful tapestry will soon be back where it belongs. I can stand in the center of Great Hall and feel it, I know I can!"

Gurrbowl placed another full jar to one side. "Hurr, et be'd a long job awroight. This day's ee larst day of season boi moi reckernin'."

Rimrose looked up from her work. "The last day of summer? Surely not. You said that Song and her friends would be back by then, Cregga."

The blind badger pulled the stalk from an apple and began slicing it expertly. "That's what my dream told me, Rimrose. Maybe summer has a few more days to run yet. Are you sure your calculations are right, Gurrbowl?"

The molewife nodded solemnly. "Thurr bain't no mustakes in moi calyoocayshuns, marm!"

Ellayo reassured Gurrbowl hastily. "Oh, we ain't questionin' yore reckonin', marm. Matter o' fact, summer does seem to have gone on quite long this season. Oh, by the way, has anybeast seen mister Florian an' the Dibbuns today? They was 'aunting us yesterday, pinchin' nuts an' dabbin' their paws in our 'oney, gettin' up to all sorts o' roguery they were. Wonder where they've gotten to?"

Deesum nodded in the direction of Mossflower Wood. "Berrypickin'. I heard mister Janglur and mister Rusvul say at breakfast that they'd go along with Florian to keep an eye on the Dibbuns. Huh! Rather them than us, I say. Imagine having charge of that lot in the woodlands. I'll wager they come back filthy, with their smocks all snagged and ripped!"

Rimrose poured honey into a jar, chuckling. "Mister Florian'll be glad to get Dwopple and his gang back here, I should imagine. Is that them now, coming in the main gate? Dearie me, just look at the state they're in!"

A band of Dibbuns charged across the lawn, stained red and purple with berry juice. Janglur and Rusvul followed, towing a cartload of baskets. Florian followed up, breathlessly trying to take a headcount of the Abbeybabes.

"Five, six, seven, be still, y'blighters, wot! Come back here, back I say, young sirs an' missies, line up correctly! Oh, confound the blighters, I've gone an' lost count again. Er, three, four, five . . . Stop dodgin' about there, Dwopple, I've gone an' counted you twice again. You should be five, or was it four? No, three, that's right. Now, three, four, five."

Sister Sloey took a correct count as the Dibbuns ran toward her. "Mister Florian sir, I've got a count, there's twenty-two in all. Is that how many you went out with?"

Dwopple swiped a strawberry and dipped it in honey. "Course not! Twenny-two's norra right, us wen' out wiv twenny-free dis mornin', mista Rusbul counted 'em twice!"

Rusvul and Janglur took a swift count, which tallied with Sister Sloey's. They dropped the cart handles.

"One's missin', Jang. We'll have t'go back to the woodlands!"

"No, you stay 'ere, Rus. I'll go!"

Rimrose hurried past both of them. "You two take a restI'll go. There's some cold mint tea setting in the pond shallows. Help yourselvesyou deserve it."

Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop was first to the tea jug. "Ah, jolly good, cold tea after a flippin' day chasin' those ruffians round bush an' shrub, nothin' like it!"

Rimrose found the Dibbun, a baby dormouse named Guff, with enormous ears. He had toddled right on past the main gates and was close to the end of the wall, going south. Rimrose caught up with him, though he started to run and she had to chase him. She swept the tiny fellow up into her paws. "Where d'you think you're off to, my little button?"

Guff pointed a berrystained paw south down the path. "Gunna zing downed durr!"

The good squirrelwife translated Guff's baby talk. "Going to sing down there? Why'd you want to do that?"

The dormouse babe looked at her as if the answer was obvious. "Cozz dat's whair alia singen be's!"

Rimrose did not doubt the Dibbun's wordhis large sensitive ears could pick up sounds far better than hers. She stood there holding the little creature, listening for quite a while until her ears too picked up the noise. It came from many voices raised heartily as they came through the woods, roaring out an old ballad called "Seven Seasons Gone."