The stoat captain Rocpaw slumped down and refilled his beaker. "Hah! This is a great start to an uprisin', us trapped aboard ship, an' our crews all ashore separated from their cap'ns. Now's the time fer bright ideas, anybeast got one?"
Slashback had cracked open the door again to watch what was going on outside. "Well, they ain't made a move yet, just stannin' there, an' Sagitar lookin' well pleased with 'erself," he said. "Ahoy, 'ere comes ole Mad Eyes 'isself with a gang of 'is Monitors."
Barranca still had his sabre at the ready. "Let's sit tight 'ere anear wot Ublaz has t'say. I ain't goin' out there fer a starin' match with that one!"
There was a pause in the proceedings, then the sound of the Emperor's voice reached the rebels in the cabin. "Friends, brethren of the seas, have you got grievances? Come out here and tell them to me!"
Barranca half opened the cabin door and shouted back, "Ho, we got grievances all right, but we ain't stupid, we can state 'em comf'table from 'ere! We ain't takin' no more orders from you, Ublaz. Our crews outnumber you an' yer gang!"
"Be reasonable, friends, fighting will get us nowhere," Ublaz replied, signaling Sagitar to start the Trident-rats moving further up the jetty towards the ship. "Come up to my palace. I will lay on a feast while we talk things out..."
Suddenly Barranca burst out onto the deck waving his sabre and yelling, "Ahoy the taverns! Corsairs ahoy!"
The bold move was successful. In an instant, searats and corsairs began piling out of the waterfront dens adjacent to the jetty.
Ublaz turned, pointing his silver dagger at them. "Stay back, keep out of this! It concerns only me, Ublaz, and those aboard the Freebooter!"
Bilgetail the weasel captain came out on deck followed by the other captains. In a booming voice, the tall somber weasel called to the crews, "Stand by to rush 'em, buckoes! If they puts a single paw t'this deck, then charge!"
Barranca and Rocpaw had positioned themselves fore and aft; they stood by the head and stern mooring ropes, swords drawn. Barranca knew that Ublaz had lost the element of surprise, but he had also figured that if the vermin crews charged, they could be easily fended off by Trident-rats defending the narrow jetty. Moreover, if an attack were mounted, Ublaz and the front ranks of Monitors and Trident-rats would swarm aboard and slaughter the captains before the crews could get to them.
Barranca's brain was as nimble as his paws. Keeping his face averted from Ublaz, he called out his demands. "Order yore soldiers not to make any sudden moves an' we'll tell our crews t'do likewise. But we're finished payin' tribute to you, Ublaz. As for the timber stocks yore holdin'share 'em out atwixt the cap'ns. Oh, an' you kin release my brother Conva, now! Yore days of imprisonin' us is over!"
A cold fury gripped the Emperor. He pointed his dagger at Barranca, snarling, "This is my island. I alone rule here. I am Emperor Ublaz and none dare look at my eyes! Seascum do not dictate terms to me, Barranca. Ask your brotherhe is an even bigger fool than you!"
Ublaz signaled to his Monitors. Four of the lizards strode forward with a sailcloth-wrapped bundle, and slammed it down on the jetty. The bundle burst open, revealing the mangled carcass of Conva.
The mad-eyed Emperor laughed coldly, and said, "This one thought he was a bird. I merely looked at him and he tried to fly out of a high window!"
Barranca was still with horror for an instant, then he roared his hatred at the pine marten. "I'll live to close those evil eyes of yores fer good, Ublaz! This is war! Cut 'er loose, Rocpaw, 'tis waaaaaar!
Rocpaw slashed down twice on the stern rope as Barranca sliced through the headrope with a single blow of his sabre. The ship Freebooter drifted out from the jetty on the ebbing tide, sailing free as the captains loosed her sails. Bilgetail bellowed to the vermin crews milling about on the waterfront. "Retreat to the hills, arm yerselves an' wait 'till we give the word, cullies! We'll take Sampetra fer ourselves, mates'tis war!"
Whooping and screeching, the wave vermin dashed off behind the harbor into the high ground.
Ublaz placed a restraining paw on the shoulder of Sagitar. "Let them go, they are naught but a rabble without leaders. Take a crew of Trident-rats and commandeer Slashback's ship, the Bloodkeel. Hunt Barranca down, slay the other captains, but bring Barranca to me. I want him alive!"
Chapter 7
Grath Longfletch notched another shaft to her bowstring and waited for the next searat to emerge from behind the longboat hauled high above the tideline. From where she sat in the rocks the deadly otter commanded an uninterrupted view of the shore for miles around. She had slain five searats. Their bodies lay on the sands by the boat, each transfixed by a green-feathered arrow. Now only two more rats crouched behind the beached vessel.
Grath held the great bow firmly. Allowing its string to touch her cheek, she gazed down the arrow shaft, singing softly to herself as she waited for the quarry to materialize.
"Run from me, hide from me,
Still my shafts will find you.
All you vermin of the sea,
I must bring swift death to.
Lutra's Holt has not yet gone,
By my bow I swear it so,
I alone will carry on,
Wreaking vengeance where I go.
Run from me, hide from me,
Hear my longbow singing,
Grath of Lutra's family,
Sleep to you is bringing."
Sculrag the searat captain and his steersrat Karvil lay flat on the sand behind the stern of the single-sailed longboat that had once served as ship's dinghy for Sculrag's vessel, Spray raider.
Karvil whined continually. "Lookit, the tide's comin' in, an' we ain't got a crab's chance of gettin' off this shore. Why'd you tell 'em t'pull the boat up beyond the tideline? Why?"
Sculrag hurled a pawful of sand at the steersrat, but the breeze whipped it away before it found his face.
"Because the tide would've drifted it away while we was lookin' fer shellfish on those rocks, block'ead, that's why! Oh, an' while we're talkin' about rocks, who was the witless buffoon that ran me ship onto the rocks an' wrecked 'er. .. You!"
Sculrag kicked out viciously, catching Karvil painfully in his side, and raged on at the hapless steersrat. "A good ship an' two seasons' plunder lost! Huh, steersrat? I wouldn't let you steer a beaker round a bowl of grog! Twenty days in an open longboat, twenty days without vittles, livin' on barnacles an' rainwater! If I ever gets outta this mess I'm goin' to 'ang you upside down over the sea an' let the fishes nibble yore 'ead off, though they'll be out o' luck if they expects to find any brains in there!"
Quite unexpectedly Karvil kicked back, catching Sculrag square in his flabby stomach. The searat captain glared at his attacker as he fought for breath, and croaked, "Yer mutinous toad, 'tis the death penalty fer strikin' a ship's master!"
Sneering, Karvil avoided Sculrag's flailing paw and drew a dagger. The fact that he had hurt the searat made him bolder. "Yore no ship's master, slimeguts, you ain't got a ship no more! I'm sick of takin' orders from yer, see. Jus' try strikin' me once more an' you'll feel this 'ere blade!"
Sculrag kicked swiftly, sending the dagger spinning out onto the sand. Karvil kicked back, but Sculrag grabbed his footpaw and bit it hard. The steersrat screeched in agony as he pulled away, grabbing for the dagger. Breaking free, he scrambled out onto the sand and retrieved his blade.
Sssssthukk!
Karvil fell backward, the green-flighted shaft between his eyes.
Desperately Sculrag looked over his shoulder at the incoming tide. The longboat was fully twice its length away from the tideline. Reaching over the aft end, he groped madly about until his paw encountered the stern rope. It was made fast to the back seat. Sobbing with relief and panting, the searat captain began dragging the longboat backward, toward the sea and freedom. It was tough going. He dug his footpaws into the sand, and still lying flat, he tugged the longboat, inch by painful inch, its flat bottom scraping the shore. For interminable minutes he sweated, puffing, tugging and heaving, spitting sand from his mouth and wiping sweat from his eyes.