The hares sat on the bank, making a hasty meal while they awaited the return of the Long Patrol scouts. Sunflash sat apart from them, the food by his paw untouched, two great rivulets scored deep from eye to jaw where his tears had run. Brad-berry sat next to Sabretache, watching the Badger Lord from the corner of his eye.
Sunflash took a leaf, split it, and pressed it to his lips, then he blew, producing a long, high-pitched whistling sound, then he dropped the leaf and watched it float away downriver. A great shuddering sigh ran through him as he buried his gold-striped face in both paws.
Bradberry whispered to the hare Captain, “What did he do that for?
“That was the way he called Skarlath sometimes, old lad. They were tgether a jolly long time, doncha know. Itll take some seasons before he stops grievin, poor chap.
It was not long before the scouts were back. They reported the way clear. Weapons drawn, the hares entered the cave, wading through the river with Sunflash in the lead. Once inside, the scouts went ahead again. Sunflash and the others gathered on a rock islet in midriver. Standing silently, they stared into the pale, eerie stillness of the huge cavern.
Sabretache drew his blade. “Hist! Whats that noise?
It was a clack-clacking sound, as if somebeast were knocking one rock against another. Bradberry murmured to Hedgepaw, “It could be them, tayin a trap for us, maybe. Wheres the sound comin from?
Hedgepaw looked about and shrugged. “Hard tsay, too much echo an waternoise in here. I say, is that Rockleg an Reetrunn comin back?
Rockleg made his report to Sunflash. “Thumpin great waterfall back there, they never went that way.
Sunflash looked up at the high ledges and galleries winding away into the darkness above, and nodded. “Then theyre in here somewhere. Sabretache, take the Long Patrol outside and climb to the top of the mountain. Its my guess thats where Swartt will be making for. Ill stay in here and find my way up from the inside; we may be able to trap them in between us. Those are my orders. Go!
The hare Captain saw it was useless arguing, but he tried. “Sire, praps youd best take Rockleg an Fleetrunn with you.
The Badger Lord splashed into the water and began wading to the side of the cave where the ledges began. “Ill be all right on my own. Do as I say!
Sabretache decided it was better not to argue further.
When the hares had gone, Sunflash stopped a moment. The clacking noise could still be heard echoing amid the water-sounds of the cavern. He climbed onto the first ledge, and the sound seemed to grow closer. Moving along the natural rock step, he stopped by a large slab.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Sunflash pressed his muzzle to a narrow crack between the slab and the ledge. “Is there somebeast there? he shouted.
The noise stopped and a voice called back, “Burr aye, thurr be two of usns trapped en yurr!
The badger gave the rock a few solid thumps with his paw. He felt a very slight movement. “Ill try and get you out of there. Stand back!
Climbing onto the ledge above, Sunflash found he could reach the top of the slab with both footpaws. Bracing his back, he pressed his full weight upon the slab and began pushing outward. The slab keeled forward, then jammed. “Ive pushed the top away a bit, he called down. “Climb up the slab; you should be able to squeeze out over the top. Here, get hold of this.
Holding his mace upside down, he thrust it in the space, with the handle cord dangling down. Bryonys voice reached him. “Ive got itcan you give me a tug out, please?
Sunflash hauled her swiftly out. Togget took a bit longer because of his plumpness, but he finally popped out like a round furry stopper.
As introductions were being made, there was a screech, and something splashed into the river. Sunflash waded in and came out carrying a bat with an arrow piercing its wing.
Bryony came forward to help him. “Oh, the poor creature. Lay him down here, sir! she cried.
Fortunately the shaft had done no great damage, merely piercing the filmy wing membrane. Bryony snapped the shaft and drew the end carefully out, speaking gently. “There, that didnt hurt, did it. Youll soon be as good as new when it heals.
The bat bared its small fangs in what appeared to be a smile, thanking the mousemaid in a soft sibilant whisper. “My thanks, thanks. I am Lord Duskskin, ruler of Bat Mountpit, Mountpit. Up above is my territory, territory. Wicked creatures are there; they are armed, armed. My bats can do nothing against them, nothing against them.
Duskskin gave them a brief description of his encounter with Swartt and the hordebeasts, with his curious, echoing speech. Sunflash interrupted him. “The vermin are my enemies. I am sworn to slay them. Can you show us the way up to where they are, Lord Duskskin?
The ruler of Bat Mountpit blinked his tiny pinpoint eyes. “You are a mightybeast, carry me, carry me, I will show you.
High above in the far upper reaches of the mountain a dozen or more bat corpses littered the rock ledges. Swartt and his beasts had stopped to rest briefly, ducking their heads as angry bats homed in on them. A rat let fly an arrow and it bounced off the stones, dropping out of sight into the dizzying chasm below.
Veil watched the rat notch another shaft to his bow. “Do you always let them waste arrows like that upon creatures that cant harm you? he sneered.
Swartt aimed a glancing blow at a passing bat. “Keep yer mouth shut, brat, cos if a bat dont fly down it then my blade will!
Veil looked up at the slender shaft of sunlight coming from somewhere above them. “Well, you sit ere thinkin up clever insults an lettin these wall-eyed idiots waste their arrows. Im climbin up ahead to see where that lights comin from.
Swartt snarled, half drawing his sword as Veil pushed past him. The young ferret grabbed a hefty chunk of rock and tossed it threateningly from paw to paw. “Draw that blade an Ill let daylight into yer skull!
Swartt did not attempt to pull his sword out; he sneered upward as Veil began climbing. “Hah! Big talk fer a pup still wet beind the ears. Once Im done wid the badger Ill fix you, thats a promise!
Veil smiled easily down from a crag he had just surmounted. “Talks cheap, deadpawwell see who fixes who in the end! Without a backward glance, he continued his ascent.
The rat was about to fire another arrow, when Swartt laid him flat with a blow from his chain-mailed sixclaw. “Stop wastin those shafts, maggotbrain, you couldnt hit the sea if you was standin on the edge of the shore!
Youthful agility soon brought Veil up to the source of the light. It was coming from a knothole of a small timber door set into the rock. Pulling aside the bar that held it closed, he kicked the door open and crawled out. Blinking in the sunliglit, Veil found himself looking down from the mountaintop. He walked around a fiat plateau.
Far below the hares could be seen, toiling upward through the steep, bush-and-shale-coated mountainside. It was but the work of a moment for Veil to tumble loose chunks and slabs of the shale down at them. He watched, sniggering like a malicious Dibbun as the missiles started up small avalanches of loose scree and rock. Hares dived for cover and hung on to the deeper-rooted bushes, helpless because of the distance and unable to return arrow, sling stone, or javelin at their tormentor. Veil chuckled to himself; this was real power. He loosened more slabs and watched them hurtle and bounce off down the slopes in clouds of reddish dust. The young ferret wished fervently that it might have been Redwallers and not hares that he held at his mercy.
Meanwhile, Sun flash climbed stealthily up through the rocky galleries, holding the Bat Lord Duskskin on one shoulder and listening to his whispering repetitive directions. Bry-ony and Togget were no trouble; the big badger lifted them up onto the rocks ahead, one in each paw, as if they weighed nothing at all.
Togget was staggered by the might of their goldstriped friend. “Yurr, ee bes a gurt strong un, oi feels loik a liddle pebble bein chucked abowt, hurr, eem gentle tho!