Ferahgo could throw a knife better than any creature. The long skinning knife took Forgrin between the shoulder blades before he had got thirty paces. His eyes were glazing over for the last time as the Assassin retrieved the knife.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Ferahgo whispered close to his car, "this game ends with the weasel killing the fox. Sweet dreams, Forgrin."
Ferahgo's back felt much better. As he strolled along the beach, his brilliant blue eyes lit up with happiness.
Urthstripe watched from the top of the crater with Sapwood and Big Oxeye. Below them on the shore, masses of torchlights were moving away from Salamandastron. Sapwood nodded toward them.
"Hi wonder what they're hup to now, Ox?" The big hare leaned on his spear. "You tell me, ol' chap, you tell me. From up here it looks remarkably like a flippin' wholesale retreat, wot?"
Urthstripe shook his great striped head. "Ferahgo doesn't give up that easily. He wants us to think it's a retreat. What we've got to figure out is why."
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"Why what, sah?"
"Why Ferahgo wants us to think he's retreating. By my stripe, Oxeye, sometimes I think your brain's been scrambled by all the fighting you've done."
Big Oxeye let one ear droop and grinned. "Quite possibly, sah. I often think that m'self. Shall I take a couple of the chaps an' investigate?"
The badger Lord pondered the question for a moment. "Hmm, I'm not overfond of spyingmuch sooner have a straight battle. But if we want to know what the vermin are up to, 1 suppose we'd better resort to a bit of intrigue. Sap-wood, you and Oxeye go. Take a fast young one with you, in case you have to get a message back here quickly."
Sergeant Sapwood threw a smart salute. "None faster'n young Pennybright, sir. She'll be useful to 'ave halong with us. Come on, Hoxeye ol' pal."
Klitch lay hidden in the rocks, watching the mountain carefully. With him were threescore vermin, personally paw-picked for the mission. The young weasel's blue eyes never left Salamandastron as he explained his plan to them.
"When they see the horde withdrawing it'll puzzle 'em we're here to attack, not retreat. Urthstripe will do what any leader would do in this case: send out hares to investigate. That's where you lot come in. 1 want those hares captured not slain, mind. Dead hares are no good to me; I need live hostages. Are the nets ready, Dragtail?"
A tall gaunt ferret whose tail hung limp pointed to the beach. "Ready an' waitin', Klitch. Right in the path taken by our horde."
Klitch held up a paw for silence. "Get down, here come the hares. Three of 'emjust right!"
Oxeye, Sapwood and Pennybright watched as Urthstripe rolled the boulder, closing the main entrance.
Pennybright's eyes shone with admiration. "There's not a creature in the world as strong as Lord Urthstripe. I'll bet twenty of us couldn't budge that boulder."
Sapwood pushed her lightly, urging the young hare onward. "That ain't nothin' to some of the things Hi've seen 'Is Lordship do. Shake a paw, Penny. We ain't got all night."
Padding silently over the sands, the three hares tracked in the direction taken by the main body of the horde.
Klitch spread his soldiers out behind them in a wide half-circle. Striking flint to tinder, he ignited a torch and waved it. Ahead of the three hares sixty more fully armed creatures filed out from the rocks. Fanning out into another semicircle, they trotted swiftly to join up with the others, completely ringing the three hares inside a wide circle that was closing rapidly.
/- Sergeant Sapwood dropped into a fighting crouch, his eyes ^.glittering pugnaciously. "Nice of 'em to send a welcomin'
*'. committee t' meet us, eh, Ox?"
Big Oxeye stood back to back with him, placing Penny-v bright facing Salamandastron.
;';: "Life ain't always true an' just,
; A villainous vermin you can't trust!
"No doubt you've heard that old rhyme, Penny. Well, here ;; are the jolly old villainous vermin in the fur an' flesh, m' i* gel."
;, "They've got us surrounded. What do we do now?" Pen-' 'nybright gripped her javelin nervously. v Sapwood's reply was calm and reassuring. "Just stick by me an' Hoxeye, missie. We've fought our way out of tighter
C1 corners than this'n, believe me."
/Now the circle was drawing tight. Klitch stood outside it, his blue eyes shining triumphantly in the torchlight.
"Well well, what have we here? Three bold warriors sent ;by the badger. No doubt you'll be wanting to fight. Sorry to disappoint you, though."
;;-- Oxeye hefted his spear, chuckling with anticipation. "Oh,
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don't fret, laddie buck, we won't disappoint you. Come on now, step up an' taste some cold steel from Salamandastron. Or haven't y' got the nerve for it, you slimy little weasel?"
Klitch had been stalling for time, but now he saw his soldiers had found the rope ends poking up out of the sand he gave the signal.
"Now!"
They tugged hard and the net was unearthed from just beneath the sand. With a yell they charged inward.
The three hares fought to keep their balance as the heavy twisted fibers of the net appeared through the sand beneath
their paws.
In the confusion that followed, Sapwood yelled to Oxeye, "We're trapped. See if y' can get Penny away from 'ere!"
Oxeye dropped his spear, knocking the javelin from Pen-nybright's paws as the Sergeant lashed out all round at the yelling mob that scrambled forward holding the net high. Exerting his great strength, Big Oxeye grabbed Pennybright and lifted her bodily over his head. Jumping high, he hurled her over the heads of the vermin and the closing net.
"Run for home, gel! Eulaliaaaaa!"
Sapwood went down under the weight of creatures who piled in throwing the coils over him and Oxeye. Seconds later they were clubbed senseless and wrapped in the snares of the fiber mesh.
Pennybright hit the sand in a stumbling run. A stoat managed to grab her, but she bit his paw to the bone and he let go with a squeal of pain. The young hare righted herself and ran flat out for the mountain, the breath sobbing in her throat as she thought of her two friends lying trapped. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Klitch and Dragtail speeding after her. Sand flew beneath her paws. Three stoats were racing madly, trying to cut her off before she could reach the mountain. An arrow whizzed by Pennybright's head, and Dragtaii was notching another shaft on his bowstring. She swerved, ducking left and right. An arrow hummed viciously by, clipping her ear as she
went. The mountain loomed large as Pennybright yelled with the last of her lungpower: "Eulaliaaaaaaa!"
One of the stoats screeched as he went down with a javelin sticking out of him like a flagpole. Bart Thistledown, Moon-paw and Urthstripe came bounding out of the main entrance. Bart unslung his bow and fitted an arrow as he ran. Loosing off the shaft, he sent another stoat limping off with an arrow-. head lodged in his paw. The remaining stoat turned tail and ran off, as Urthstripe grabbed Pennybright and swung her up over his shoulder.
Klitch and Dragtail had stopped running; their quarry had
escaped. The young weasel hurled a stone at Urthstripe's back
as the badger Lord turned to go inside the mountain. It missed
;; and bounced harmlessly off the rocks. He stood paws on hips