His spirit completely broken with terror, the corsair groveled shamelessly at the Emperor's footpaws. "Mighty One, Great Emperor, spare me. I will gather more crew and the help of other captains. Give me a chance and I will go to Redwall and bring back the Tears of all Oceans."
Ublaz stepped hard on the back of Conva's neck, trapping his head against the floor. "Scum of the sea, fool who cannot control his own crew!" the pine marten said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Do you think I would let an idiot like you travel halfway round the world to fight a war against Redwall Abbey? I have heard of that place. The bones of warlords moulder at its gates; more than one has tried to breach those red walls and died miserably. If I am to retrieve the Tears of all Oceans, it needs cunning strategy." Ublaz pointed his dagger at a Trident-rat guard. "You, go and fetch my Monitor General!"
Leaning down, the pine marten nicked Conva's ear with his dagger. "You I will let live, until I know the truth of your story. Take him away and billet him in the Monitor barracks."
Conva knew it was pointless to beg for mercy. He had escaped instant death, but how long would he survive unarmed in the barracks of the strange, flesh-eating lizards? He was led off, stunned, almost speechless with terror.
Lask Frildur the Monitor General stood before the Emperor, flat reptilian eyes unblinking, scales making a dry rustle as his heavy spiked tail swished lazily against the marble floor. Ublaz nodded approvingly. The Monitor General had never let him down; everybeast on Sampetra knew and feared the reputation of Lask Frildur.
"Does all go well with you, my strong right claw?" Ublaz said, as he poured wine for them both.
The Emperor turned his head from Lask's foul breath as the lizard answered, "Yarr, Mightinezz. Lazk Frildur awaitz your orderz!"
The mad-eyed marten took a sip of wine and wiped his mouth fastidiously on a silk kerchief. "Good! I want you to take the ship of Conva and carry out an important mission for me."
The Monitor General's eyes flickered momentarily. "I will go the endz of oceanz if Ublaz commandz!"
He accepted the goblet of wine that was pushed towards him, holding it at throat height. Lask never let his eyes stray from those of Ublaz; his head did not dip to the goblet, instead a long tongue snaked out and lapped at the wine as the Emperor gave his instructions.
"It is a long voyage to where the sun rises in the east, a place called the land of Mossflower. Take the Waveworm and her crew, with Romsca the ferret as captain, and a score of your Monitors. Here is what you must do . . ."
Outside, the surf boomed on the sunwarmed rocks of the escarpment, and ships bobbed at anchor in the harbor. Sampetra shimmered under the midday sun, a once beautiful jewel of the oceans, now tainted by the evil of its ruler.
Chapter 3
Sagitar Sawfang was bigger than most searats, lean and sinewy with a mean disposition. She was second only to Lask Frildur, the Monitor General. Sagitar had fought her way up through the ranks of the Emperor's Trident-rats, until she held the undisputed title of Chief Trident-rat. Whilst the rats under her command patrolled Sampetra's harbor and taverns, keeping order among the sea vermin, Sagitar leaned on a jetty stanchion, watching Waveworm grow small on the eastern horizon, bound for Mossflower. Grasping her trident haft resolutely, she allowed herself a grim smile of satisfaction. Now she alone was the strong right paw of Ublaz, solely responsible for discipline among the wavescum who anchored at Sampetra.
Fate, however, is a cruel trickster. Turning her face west, Sagitar saw her happiness would be short-lived. The Chief Trident-rat knew the identity of the barque sailing in from the western ocean. No other vessel flew streaming red pennants from three mastheadsit had to be the Freebooter. She rapped the three-pronged metal head of her trident against the jetty timbers until a Trident-rat came running to her summons.
"Tell the full squad to muster on this jetty immediately!"
Lifting his trident smartly in salute, the rat hurried off.
Few ships that sailed into Sampetra had a master with a reputation for danger like Barranca, captain of the Freebooter. Scorning pawholds, he balanced perfectly, high on the heaving prow, reckless and daring. Barranca was every inch a real swashbuckler, clad in flame-red silks, with a long sabre thrust into his broad, black, garnet-studded belt. Loose ends of the corsair stoat's headband fluttered in the breeze as he pointed shoreward, calling out to his steersrat, "Haharr, see, Guja, 'tis ole sourpuss Sagitar an' a welcomin' committee awaitin' us, let's not disappoint 'em!"
Swinging nimbly to the deck, Barranca whipped out his sabre and began roaring orders to Freebooter's crew. "All paws on deck, an' arm yerselves to the teeth, mates!"
The vessel's crew were a villainous and motley collection, mainly searats but with a scattering of ferrets, stoats and weasels. They fairly bristled with an array of cutlasses, daggers and axes.
"Barranca drew his weasel mate Blowfly to one side. Don't stand any ole nonsense off'n Mad Eyes' creatures, y'hear?"
Blowfly produced a broad curved knife. Showing his blackened teeth, he licked the blade meaningfully, and said, "Aye aye, Cap'n, we'll show 'em they cain't push Freebooter's buckoes round, just you give the word!"
"Dangerous, matey, we're dangerous!" The corsair tossed his sabre high in the air, catching it skillfully as the blade flashed downward. "Haharr, you watch me tweak Sagitar's tail. I've never liked the cut o' that pompous rat's jib an' she don't like me, so there ain't no love lost atwixt us!"
Twoscore Trident-rats stood to rigid attention on the jetty. Grim-faced, Sagitar watched Freebooter heave starboard side on to the pier and make fast to it. Barranca's loud insulting challenge hailed her.
"Ahoy, miseryguts, where's Frildur an' his lizards today?"
Sagitar pointed her trident menacingly at the grinning corsair. "Lask Frildur is the least of your worries. I'm the one who'll be dealing with you and your rabble if there's any trouble!"
Barranca leapt up, straddling the jetty and ship's rail. "Yer don't say? Where's our ole mate the Monitor General then? Done us all a favor an' died, I 'ope. Haharrharr!"
Sagitar allowed herself a thin malicious smile. "Not at all. Lask is still very much alive, sailing for the Mossflower coast on Waveworm at this very moment."
Barranca turned and winked at Blowfly. "Hoho, is he? I'll wager me brother Conva ain't too pleased about that, eh, mate, 'avin' that scaly ole reptile aboard as a passenger."
Sagitar did not attempt to conceal the pleasure in her voice. "Your brother Conva is no longer captain of the Waveworm. He is now a prisoner of Emperor Ublaz and is kept in the Monitor barracks. I'll give him your best regards when I see him. Right, let's see what you've got on board in the way of tribute."
Barranca blocked the Chief Trident-rat's path aboard, his eyes fierce with challenge. "Put one paw aboard o' my ship, rat, an' I'll gut ye! Crew, stand by to repel boarders!"
Freebooter's crew crowded the starboard rail, weapons ready for use against the Trident-rats. Barranca's gleaming sabretip hovered close to Sagitar's throat.
She gulped visibly. "I warn you, this is the command of Emperor Ublaz you are defying!"
The corsair did not back down a fraction. "No it ain't, this is one of yore fancy ideas. The tribute fer Ublaz will be unloaded onto this jetty by my crewyou can come back tomorrow an' collect it. Now shift yerself, rat!"
Sagitar knew she had lost the argument. Drawing back, she marshaled her command, calling aloud to Barranca as they marched off, "I'll report this to the Emperor. He will hear of your defiance!"