The Taggerung

Ruggan took a pace back, to stay out of sword range. "I want information. Do you have an otter here with his face tattooed in this manner?"

The six guards heaved Gruven out of the ditch. The stoat stared at Deyna, bewildered. The voice was the same, but the face was different from that of the Taggerung. It had not been tattooed.

The strange otter gave Gruven a dismissive glance. He recognized his old adversary immediately, but kept deliberately silent. Fixing his attention on Ruggan Bor, Deyna answered the fox's question levelly. "There is no creature within these walls with vermin tattoos on his face. Why do you ask?"

Ruggan did not like the way his interrogation was going. The otter Deyna was staring him down with cold ruthless eyes. He had an air of confident authority about him. Ruggan decided to turn the tables. His saber was longer than the otter's sword, and he pointed it threateningly in Deyna's face. "Do not lie to me. I have three hundred at my back. We could overwhelm you and search your Abbey!"

Deyna moved like lightning, backward, sideways and forward. Ruggan stood with his saber pointed at nothing, the otter's blade across his throat. Deyna was alongside him, a paw hard on the nape of his neck, so he could move neither forward nor back.

"Nobeast sets paw into Redwall Abbey without my permission. Now take your vermin and begone, or stay here and die!"

Ruggan's expression did not change. "I can only go if I have the information I came for. This otter was called the Taggerung. Was he here? Tell me, Deyna of Redwall."

Deyna nodded. "He was here once, but he is gone now. The Taggerung no longer exists. As far as I'm concerned, he is dead."

Gruven seized the opportunity. Pushing the guards aside, he cried, "I told you he was dead. I slew him right there in that ditch! I am Taggerung now. Gruven Zann Taggerung!"

Nimbalo climbed up onto a battlement, pointing at Gruven and yelling aloud, "Aye, that's the one. I saw 'im slay the big painted vermin!"

Gruven could hardly believe his ears. Here was somebeast, a little mouse, agreeing with his lies. He waved to Nimbalo. "Thank you, my friend, thank you! Hahahaha! Ruggan Bor, did you hear that? Now who d'you believe, crazy Rawback or me? I have a witness, you heard him. I slew the Taggerung!"

Ruggan placed his paw to the blade at his throat. "Put up your sword, otter. We are leaving!"

Ruggan ordered his Juskabeasts across the ditch onto the flatlands. Deyna stood warily, his sword still at the ready. Gruven was jubilant. He grabbed back his sword from the vixen who had taken it and sawed through the rope around his waist, laughing all the time.

"Hahahaha! Gruven Zann Taggerung. Bow before me! Nobeast is mightier than the Taggerung!"

Ruggan stood to one side, holding a hasty whispered conference with his Seer Ermath. Waving his sword and laughing hysterically, Gruven confronted the six Juska who had been his guard.

"Now, you scum, I'll show you what happens to anybeast who treats a Taggerung the way you treated me. Hahahaha! Kneel, all of you, kneel and bow your heads before me. Hahahahaha!"

"Zann Juska Taggerung! He who slays the Taggerung becomes Taggerung himself!"

Gruven half turned as Ruggan Bor swung his saber. And Ruggan Bor kicked Gruven's headless carcass into the ditch.

Ermath the old vixen Seer spread her paws wide to the waiting vermin and called in a reedy trembling voice, "Lord of the Southern Coasts! Chieftain of the Juskabor! Ruggan Zann Taggerung!"

A mighty roar erupted from the three hundred clanbeasts. "Ruggan Zann Taggerung! Taggerung! Taggerung! Juskaaaaaaa!"

Then something happened that nobeast had ever seen before: Ruggan Bor smiled. He grinned from ear to ear and threw back his head, laughing over the spears clattering on shields, over the waving swords and blades of all kinds, over the lances thrust upward at the sky as his laughter mingled with the roar of the Juskabor clan.

Abbess Mhera came to the open gate and wriggled between the ottercrew to her brother's side. "What is it, Deyna? What's going on out here?"

Deyna ushered his sister gently into Skipper's waiting paws. "Go back inside quickly, Mhera. Those vermin are working themselves into a frenzy!"

Deyna was right. Ruggan Bor turned to face him, standing at the ditch edge and whirling his saber. The Juskabor vermin leaned eagerly forward, pointing their spears and blades. Deyna knew that three hundred Juska could not resist the temptation of an Abbey defended by less than a third of their number. He signaled Skipper. "Get everybeast inside and bar the gates, Skip. I think there's going to be trouble!"

Mhera had made her way up to where Boorab was standing on the walltop, balancing between two battlements. "Are the vermin going to attack the Abbey?" she called. "Is Deyna inside?"

Boorab did not answer. Shading his eyes, he peered down to the southern bend of the path at the dustcloud arising betwixt woodland and flatland. He turned back to Mhera with an odd smile on his face.

"Beg pardon, Abbess marm, but best cover your ears. I'm goin' to shout." The hare's narrow chest puffed out to its fullest extent as he sucked in air. Placing both paws around his mouth, he bellowed mightily, "Eulaliiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Nimbalo wiggled a paw in his ear. "Wot's all the yellin' for, matey?"

Boorab pointed to the dustcloud, grinning like a madbeast. "C'mon, laddie buck, and you, Abbess. Filorn, marm, would you be so kind as to oblige me? You too, Hoarg, Drogg, Hoben. In fact everybeast, all shout together, loud as y'can. Eulalia's the word, pronounced yoo lay lee ahh, long on the ah. One, two, shout!"

"Eulaliiiaaaaaa!"

Boorab had them shout another five times. Then he held up his paw.

Down at the main gate the Juska were about to charge at the still half-open doors, the gap packed with otters prepared to take down as many vermin as they could before the gates closed. The whole scene suddenly became a frozen tableau. A colossal roar, like a tidal wave breaking against a cliff, came up from the south.

"Eulaliiiiaaaaaaa!!!"

The roaring continued and the very ground beneath the Juska began to thrum. Through the massive dustcloud emerged a giant Badger Lord at the head of a thousand fighting hares.

Boorab chortled with delight. "I say, you rotters are in for a jolly good pastin', wot," he called down to the vermin. "Here comes the Long Patrol an' a blinkin' Badger Lord t'the rescue."

Redwallers hung over the parapets, cheering. Mhera had never seen a real live Badger Lord before; he was an awesome and frightening sight. Deyna threw open the gates, marching out with Skipper and the ottercrew. Ruggan Bor and his three hundred Juska were completely taken by surprise. They had no option but to put up their weapons and stand still. The hares had split and swirled out in a massive pincer movement, leaving the vermin surrounded, their backs to the open gate, which was blocked by warlike otters. It was all done with startling speed, a smart military example of outflanking the enemy.

Filorn buried her face in her apron. "Mhera, don't look. There's going to be a dreadful slaughter!"

Boorab chuckled reassuringly. "Not at all, marm, those fightin' hares aren't led by some berserkin' Bloodwrath creature. Oh dear me no, that giant beast is none other than the Lord of Salamandastron, Russano the Wise!"

Lord Russano was twice as broad and half as high again as any creature present. He towered over all, like an oak among aspens. He was dressed humbly, in a plain brown cloak and tabard, and his wide woven belt showed no evidence of sword or other blade. In his huge right paw he carried a short length of dark polished hardwood like a scepter. Quiet confidence and immense calm radiated from him. An older hare, with stiff whiskers and a fierce glint in his monocled eye, marched smartly up to the badger and saluted with his lance.

"Position secured, everythin' present an' correct. Sah!"

Russano nodded. "Thank you, Colonel. Who is the Chieftain of these Juska vermin?"

Ruggan Bor was marched into the Badger Lord's presence. Russano looked across to Deyna, who was obviously in charge of the defenders. "Have these Juska harmed or slain any of my Redwall friends?"