out onto the parade ground, tacking and weaving. Halfway across the courtyard,
he bobbed up and down, checking the trees and scanning the low bushes through
the open main gates.
"What d'you see?" Bane's voice rang across the open space.
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Still lying flat, Badtail raised his head as he shouted back, "Squirrels and
otters. They've got the main gates open and they're shooting from the tr—"
An otter javelin closed his mouth forever.
Bane poked his head around the doorpost. An arrow hummed its way viciously
into the woodwork. He pulled back swiftly as two more buried their points in
the doorpost where his head had been.
Skippe. crouched behind a bush and signaled to Lady Amber, who was perched on
the low branches of an oak.
"Eleven down and plenty more to go," he reported.
\mber drew back her bowstring and let an arrow fly. 'Make * the round dozen.
Skip!"
Grim-laced and determined, the crews of bo A leaders tightened paws on
bowstrings, slings and javelins, waiting for the next head to show around the
doorposts of Kotir fortress.
Inside the building, confusion followed the panic of the initial attack.
Tsarmina dashed upstairs to her chamber, dashing back down again when a
fusillade of arrows greeted her through the open window. Bane sat at the foot
of the stairs.
"Fortunes of war," he said philosophically.
"Oh, burn them out, come down hard on them. I've seen it all before," Tsarmina
sneered. "Well, fox, what's your next move?"
"Is there another way out of here?"
* 'There's the scullery and larder entrance on the north side, but it's only a
small door."
"It'll have to do. Let's give it a try."
At the scullery and larder entrance the door was shut tight with rusted bolts
which took some considerable time to move. When it was finally opened, the
troops hung about reluctantly. Nobody seemed very keen on dashing out to do
battle. Bane prodded a Kotir soldier with his sword.
"Come on. You lot have got shields. Get out there!"
The stoat turned sullenly to Brogg. "He's not giving me orders. I've got six
seasons' service here. Him and his lot only arrived yesterday."
Tsarmina rushed up the corridor, thrusting creatures aside.
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"Get out there, you and you,*' she ordered. "Form a barrier of shields the way
youVe been trained to do!"
Her word was final; there was no arguing with the Queen of the Thousand Eyes.
Three soldiers pushed their way out into the open, shields held up in front. A
slingstone cracked the middle ferret on his paw. He yelped with pain,
automatically dropping the shield. Arrows hissed in once more, reducing the
ranks by a further three.
High in a sycamore, Barklad fired off an arrow as he remarked to his
companion, "How long d'you think we can keep this up, Pear?"
Pear rubbed beeswax on her bowstring before answering.
"Lady Amber says until noon, then it'll be too late for them to go invading
Mossflower. Personally, I think we should encourage them to come out at noon,
then we could follow them back and pick them off in the evening."
Another squirrel swung in through the branches. "Are you two all right for
arrows?" he asked breathlessly. "Here's another quiver full. Give a call if
you're running low."
He swung off to the next tree with his supplies.
Bane tried every possible move, but at each new turn he was frustrated by the
deadly accuracy of the woodlanders. Every exit tried, be it window or door,
resulted in further loss of troops. The summer morning wore on, the high sun
above impervious to the dead that littered the courtyard.
Tsarmina came up with the most sensible suggestion to date. "Why don't we just
shut the doors and ignore them? With nothing to shoot at, they'll have to
leave."
Bane was glad of the solution. He would have mentioned it earlier, had
Tsarmina not been in such a towering rage.
Skipper was no mean climber. He stood on a low bough with Lady Amber. Together
they considered the problem of the doors that were slammed shut and the
bolted, wooden tables which had been placed across the open windows.
"Looks like a stalemate, Amber.*'
Lady Amber thwacked off an arrow at the closed door. "Cowards! They're very
brave attacking defenceless wood-
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landers and killing unarmed creatures, but they can't face real warriors when
it comes to a battle."
Skipper looked up at the clear blue sky. "Ah well, second day of summer and
all's well, me old branchjumper. Come on. Let's withdraw and get back to
Brockhall."
A mischievous smile spread across the squirrel's face. "Right you are, Skip.
But not before I've left them with a small token of our regard."
Tsarmina sat eating woodpigeon with Bane in an inner room with no windows.
There was a tap on the door.
"Come in!" she called.
It was Ratflank.
"Milady, Brogg says to tell you that the woodlanders are setting fire to us."
"What?"
"Er, yes, Milady. Fire arrows. They're shooting them into the doors and window
shutters. Brogg says it'll be all right, though, 'cos it's a stone building
and they'll only bum the woodwork."
Tsarmina sprang up knocking the table sideways. "My chamber! Bane, see if you
can do something quickly. Organize a bucket chain. Put those fires out. If
theyVe touched my room I'll, I'll . . . oooooohhh!"
She dashed from the room, taking the stairs two at a time.,
The wall hangings were smoldering ruins and the door still blazed
merrily—Amber's archers had given it special attention.
"Get those buckets up here. Bring water!" Tsarmina howled down the stairwell.
"But we're trying to put out the fire at the front door, Milady," a dithering
voice called up from below.
*'I don't care what you're trying to put out! Get that water up here on the
double."
"What about the door, Milady?"
"Spit on it, for all I care. This is my room—the Queen's own chamber is on
fire. Hurry up, idiot."
"Idiot yourself!"
"Who said that?" she demanded.
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39
"Place your paw flat upon the blade, grip the handle tight, hold the sword
flat above your head."
Thwang!
Martin countered Lupin's blade as Boar roared out instructions.
"That's how to block the downward chop. Now let go of die blade. Sweep it down
and under. Two paws on the haft, straight up and slice. Quickly, turn in and
slice again at head height."
It took Lupin all her skill to duck Martin's blade. She backed off, panting as
she leaned on her sword.
"Whew. Golly, there's not a lot you can teach this warrior."
"Can't I, though." Boar smiled. "Watch this!"
The badger picked up a fire iron from the forge. Thrusting one paw into his
blacksmith's apron, he adopted a ready stance.
"On guard, Martin," he called. "Go for a direct thrust."
Martin came on guard. Moving in swiftly to take the badger by surprise, he
lunged and stabbed forward.
Boar hardly seemed to move. With a flick of his fire iron he disarmed Martin,
sending the sword spinning and pinning Martin against the wall in the same
movement, the fire iron hovering a fraction away from the warrior mouse's
right eye.
"How did you do that?" Martin gasped with shock.
279
Trubbs and company were watching from the sidelines.
"Oh, he does it easily, old sport."
"No trouble to the jolly old boss."
"Quick as a wink, doncha know."
Boar laughed aloud. "It's only a trick, Martin. Don't get discouraged. I'll