Vallug took a few kicks at Gruven also. When he was allowed to carry on slinging stones, Gruven found himself wishing that he had half the backbone of the little harvest mouse.
Vallug fired an arrow over the wall and roared out his ultimatum: "Give us the Taggerung or yer all goin' to die!"
Tagg awoke in his dungeon with thoughts crowding his mind. Was it night or day? How long had he been here in the pitch dark? Who had clubbed him senseless? When were they going to let him out, or were they just going to keep the door locked and leave him imprisoned here? Where was Nimbalo? The otter could not remember ever being anywhere where he could not feel the wind on his face, see the sky or walk freely. Stumbling about in the blackness, he found the door and began battering on it with clenched paws, roaring for all he was worth, "Let me out! Why have you got me locked up in here! You've got no right to imprison me, d'you hear? Let me oooooooouuuuuttt!"
Chapter 29
Mhera stood in the Abbey doorway with Cregga. Redwallers crowded behind them, ordered to stay inside. Brother Hoben uttered what Mhera was thinking.
"Look at those stones. Two vermin couldn't do that alone. I'm afraid Fwirl made a mistake when she said there were only two."
Cregga leaned on the doorpost, stroking her striped muzzle. "So it seems. How many would you guess there were out there?"
The good Brother shrugged. "Who knows, marm? Certainly more than we first thought."
Mhera made her way to the broken window and climbed onto the redstone sill, gazing out to where the slingstones battered down constantly onto the Abbey lawn. She noticed that they followed a certain pattern, all falling around one central area, apart from the odd long throw, or occasional short casts that landed on the gatehouse path. Gundil peeped over her shoulder, his homely face anxious as he guessed her intent.
"You'm bain't a goen owt thurr, mizzy? They'm slingenrocks wudd crack ee skullbones. Stop ee in yurr wi' us'n's, noice'n'safe."
The ottermaid shook her head. Her mind was made up. "I've got to go out and speak to them, Gundil. We must find out what a Taggerung is. This state of affairs cannot continue; it's only a matter of time before some Redwaller is slain. Even vermin must realize that they've got to communicate with us at some point, if only to clear the whole matter up."
Gundil raised his digging claws in despair. "Ho, lackeeday, bain't no use a talken to ee, miz, oi'm bounden to go owt thurr with ee!"
"And so am I. That makes three of us!"
"Beggin' y'pardon, marm, but as jolly old rankin' officer I'm comin' too, so that makes four, wot!"
Mhera had not noticed Cregga and Egburt below on the floor. She climbed down from the windowsill. "There's no need for you to put yourself in danger."
Cregga reared to her full height, which was considerable. "You seem to forget, Mhera, I am acting Abbess in charge. I would be neglecting my duty if I let you go out there alone."
Gundil reared to his full height, which was not much at all. "Hurr, an' oi'd be agglectin' moi dooty to ee. You'm moi friend!"
Mhera patted his velvety head, forestalling Egburt. "Don't tell me. You'd be neglecting your duty as Wallguard Commander if you didn't accompany me. So we'll all go together, my good friends. Thank you for your support."
By now more Redwallers were gathering in Great Hall, and Mhera and Cregga had to fend off their curious inquiries.
"Egburt said you're going out to talk with the vermin?"
The badger nodded. "Yes, Friar, though I wish he'd kept quiet about it."
"D'you need any help out there, Cregga marm?"
"None, thank you. We're going to parley, not to fight."
Broggle, Hoarg and Drogg were holding a whispered meeting.
"You tell her about our prisoner, Drogg, go on."
"Who, me? I'm not much good at explainin'. You tell 'er, Hoarg."
"Tell who, Mhera or Cregga?"
"Either one'll do. Tell Mhera, she ain't as fierce as Cregga, go on!"
"Er, I wouldn't know what t'say. I think young Broggle should do all the talkin'. 'Twas his idea in the first place."
Sister Alkanet was wearing Cregga's patience thin. "That Fwirl, already she wants to get up. Will you come and tell her she must remain in bed until I say!"
Cregga distractedly released a Dibbun who was clinging to her. "Sister, leave Fwirl alone if she feels well enough to get up!"
Friar Bobb sounded a touch officious as he cornered Mhera. "Will you be back for lunch, miz? Shall I serve it in Cregga's room for you both, or will you eat in the dining room?"
Mhera already had her paw on the latch of the Abbey door. She looked pleadingly at the Friar. "Yes. I mean no. We'll be back shortly, I hope. We'll take lunch in the dining room like everybeast; don't go to any trouble on our behalf, Friar. Now we really must go out there!"
Hoarg and Drogg pushed Broggle forward. In the stress of the moment, his old stammer returned. "Er, er, M-Miz M-Mhera..."
She whirled on him rather sharply. "Now what is it?"
Broggle stared guiltily at the floor.
"I... I w-wanted t-to ..."
Mhera's patience was close to the breaking point when she caught Filorn watching her. The ottermum smiled and shook her head. Mhera bit her lip, and patted Broggle's back gently.
"Forgive me, Broggle. I know you've got a lot on your mind too. Yes, you can go up and visit Fwirl whenever you like, tell Sister Alkanet I said so. You two have a nice time. G'bye now." She kissed Broggle's cheek and threw the door open. "Gundil, Egburt, help our Badgermum, come on. We'll go along the walltops; there's no stones falling there. Keep low, though!"
The door slammed and they were gone.
Gruven, Dagrab and Rawback were paw weary, but Eefera and Vallug would not allow them to stop slinging. Eefera flicked at them smartingly with a whippy twig. "Cummon, put yer backs into it! Sling those stones 'arder!"
Vallug cupped both paws around his mouth and bellowed, "Yer under siege! Give us the Taggerung!"
Nimbalo pulled a face of comic despair. "Under siege? Haha, that's a good 'un. They couldn't 'it a pond if they was standin' in it, the picklepawed oafs!"
Eefera slashed at him with the whippy twig. "Shut yer mouth, you, or I'll cut yer tongue out!"
Nimbalo grinned crookedly at Vallug, a long welt on his face causing him to squint. "Ain't yore pal the tough 'un? 'E's very good at beatin' bound up prisoners. Wonder if'n 'e'd like to try it with me paws free, eh?"
Vallug grabbed the harvest mouse and heaved him bodily out of the ditch onto the path in front of the Abbey's main wallgate. "Think yore safe in there, don't ye?" he shouted out to anybeast who was listening inside. "Well, lissen t'this. We've got one of yore mice 'ere, a prisoner. Name o' Nimbalo the Slayer. If'n ye don't give us the Taggerung then Nimbalo's goin' to die, nice an' slow. So make yore minds up!"
Sister Alkanet fixed Broggle with an icy stare. "Well, Broggle, I'm surprised at you. Oh, I heard it all. Sneaking and speaking to Mhera behind my back like that. If you wanted to visit Fwirl, you only had to ask me. I'm just trying to do my best by her so she'll get well soon. It wasn't very nice of you to go over my head like that!"
Broggle was amazed at the Sister's accusation. "I never went behind your back, Sister. I wasn't even talking about Fwirl, it was Mhera's idea for me to visit anytime. I wanted to tell her something entirely different. Honestly I did!"
Alkanet narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me the truth?"
Drogg spoke up in his friend's defense. "Of course he is. Broggle was tryin' to tell Mhera about the prisoner we took, him'n'me an' ole Hoarg."
Alkanet folded her paws, turning the frozen stare on Drogg. "Prisoner, what prisoner? You'd better tell me everything!"
Tagg's paws were throbbing from banging on the door, and he had shouted himself hoarse. He leaned against the big barrel, contemplating turning it on its side and rolling it hard at the door, but he soon realized it was a foolish idea. The room area was too small for rolling a barrel of its size with sufficient speed to damage the stout wood. Then he heard pawsteps. A short silence, followed by voices.