The big otter looked at his shaking paws. "I'm no good at this sort o' thing. I was frightened."
Grath was already creeping downstairs to retrieve some arrows. She turned to her huge honest friend with a grin. "You were frightened? Matey, 'ow d'ye think I felt when I saw those flesh-eatin' monsters chargin' us? I couldn't keep me teeth from chatterin' to each other an' me paws felt like jelly. We 'ad a good right t'be frightened, I can tell yer!"
Clecky and Martin joined them at the stairhead for a council of war. The hare was not overly optimistic.
"Righto, here's the picture, chaps. These stairs are the only way up or down, and we've got to get the jolly old Abbot out o' this palace an' aboard the Wavethingy. Any suggestions?"
Grath passed a bunch of arrows to Inbar. "We don't know 'ow many more of those lizards are waitin' downstairs, an' the pine marten's still commandinem. I can't see 'im lettin' us out o' this place alive."
With a swift wrench, Martin pulled down another velvet wall hanging. "There's one way. If we can get at Ublaz and slay him, I don't think those lizards will have any heart left to fight. There's enough of these velvet wall trappings to make a rope. If I take Clecky with me, we could reach the ground from that window, come back into the palace and attack them from behind. Grath and Inbar could charge down the stairs at them and we'd have 'em both ways. It's a risky plan, I know, we're outnumbered ten to one, but with the element of surprise on our side we could escape from here."
Inbar had a suggestion to make. "Can we not all escape by the window, Martin?"
The Warriormouse shook his head. "Too steep, rocky and dangerous. Besides, there's the Abbot. I still haven't figured how we're going to get him out."
Inbar glanced over to where Durral was lying wrapped in velvet. "I'm the strongest here, leave him to me. We'll carry out your original plan, Martin. When I attack with Grath I'll sling the old mouse in that velvet hanging across my back."
Clecky began knotting the wall hangings together. "Righty ho, crew, let's get movin', wot!"
Aboard the Freebooter, Viola and Welko had pushed off. Once away from the five burning ships, they dropped anchor in a safe position. Viola made a quick search of the vessel and emerged from the galley to announce, "Well, there's plenty of supplies aboard."
Welko silenced her with a wave of his paw. "Quiet, miss, lissen, can y'hear anythin'?"
Yelling madly, the searats and corsairs breasted the covetop and came pouring downhill towards the inlet. They stood in the shallows, their cries dying away into silence, faces registering horror in the ruddy glow of the firelight. Ships' timbers crackled and bellied, sails and rigging sent off black ash smuts like dark bats, to flit about on the breeze. Cascades of sparks and burning pitch shot skyward into the night. The entire scene was mirrored like a fiery portrait in the still-dark waters of the cove.
Gancho bellowed like a wounded beast, "Waaaaaah! They're burnin', our ships're burnin', mates!" Throwing himself down in the shallows, he kicked and beat the water, bawling aloud like a babe in a tantrum.
Buckla stepped out of the firelight as far as he could and peered into the blackness until his eyes became accustomed to it. "Haharr, mates, see! There's Barranca's ole craft, the Freebooter, sittin' out there as fancy as y'please with not a mark on 'er!" Pulling off his seaboots and tossing aside sword and belt, he plunged deeper into the water, shouting, "Let's swim out to 'er! Firstbeast to clap a paw aboard o' Freebooter 'as the right to call 'isself cap'n!"
Ridding themselves of all encumbrances, searats and corsairs flung themselves into the water and began striking out for the ship, which was riding at anchor on the swell.
Viola looked fearfully at Welko as they both crouched together behind the stern rail.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked.
Chapter 53
Ublaz had armed himself with a long curved sabre. He stood in the palace entrance hall, brandishing it at the forty or so Monitors left from his command. Zurgat came hurrying in from the rear courtyard.
"Mightinezz, Razconza and hiz vermin are gone! The rear wall haz collapzed, but nobeazt iz out there!"
Ublaz breathed a silent sigh of relief, then began berating the Monitors who kept trying to edge away from the stairs. "You see, the wavescum probably perished in the flames trying to scale the rear wall. When we have cleared out those intruders from my throne room, the palace will once again be mine. Zurgat, you will head the charge upstairsleave none alive. Now go!"
Zurgat saluted with her long spear, and bulling through the ranks of her subordinates, she mounted the stairs. "Follow me, we will zlay"
Red- and green-flighted arrows struck her simultaneously.
"Ruddariiiiing! Holt Lutraaaaaa!"
The otter archers appeared around the stairwell, Grath slightly in front of Inbar, shielding her friend and the burden he carried. Both of them rained shafts of death at the Monitors.
Ublaz was turning to look for a safer place to command from when he saw Martin and Clecky come thundering through the main doors. There were Monitors blocking his way to the rear door; dodging swiftly to a downward flight of stairs, he sped toward the cellars.
With his scimitar in one paw and a javelin in the other, Clecky pushed Martin towards the cellar stairs. "You get after him, I'll help out here. I say, you chaps ... Eulaliaaaaaaa!"
The perilous hare flung himself at the back ranks of Monitors, flailing his weapons like a windmill in a gale. Attacked at front and rear the lizards fought back savagely. Regardless of wounds, Clecky battled valiantly forward, through spears, teeth and claws, striving to cut a path to his friends on the staircase. A spear tore his ear, and he vanquished its owner with a curving downward stroke of the scimitar.
"Fall back, the foebeast! Cleckstarr Lepus Montisle to the fray! A Montisle am I, 'tis death to stand before me! Particularly in line for dinner, wot! Forward the whites!"
Snatching a lighted walltorch from its bracket, Martin bounded down the cellar stairs. He raced along a short corridor and on to another downward flight of steps. The Warriormouse paused at the bottom and held up his torch. He was in an oblong chamber with a door at its far end. Martin could tell the door was ajar by the shaft of light that streamed out into the chamber. Taking a firm grip on his swordhilt, he moved cautiously up to the door and swung it open slowly. It revealed the eeriest sight he had ever witnessed.
Wearing a crown upon his head, the mad-eyed Emperor was crouching in front of a snake. He was murmuring a singsong chant as both he and the reptile swayed from side to side, their eyes locked in a frenzied stare. The small room shimmered in the golden torchlight. Everything was bathed in a radiance of gold, from the crown and the coils of the reptile to the walls, which swam in weaving patterns, cast by a large stone tank of water at the back of the room. Martin watched in fascination as the snake's eyes filmed over and its head stopped moving, the serpentine body lost its threatening stiffness and it subsided to the floor. Ublaz touched the poisonous reptile's head, stroking it softly as he spoke without turning to look at his pursuer.
"A coral snake is the most deadly killer in the seas. See how my power can render it harmless. Nobeast alive can perform such magic; only I, Ublaz, Emperor of Sampetra, Ruler of all Monitors and wavescum. They call me Mad Eyes, but never to my face. What do they call you?"
Martin stared at Ublaz's back draped in a flowing cloak of gold. "I am Martin, the Warrior of Redwall Abbey!" he said.
"Ah yes, I should have known. You have come to free your Abbot. Did you bring my six pearls, the Tears of all Oceans?"
The Warriormouse's voice rang hard as the steel he held. "I brought only my sword!"
The Emperor's voice took on a cajoling tone. "Swords are dangerous things to bargain with, Martin. Death is the only payment they exact. What if I told you that I am willing to let you and your friends walk free from here?"