He was right, it was exactly the height of two mice.

"Yurr, stan' on moi 'ead an' climb owt naow, Roser. No sense in you'm agettin' all durty. Wot udd yore mama an' dad say if'n oi brought you'm back all mucked up. Hoo urr!"

The mousemaid hopped out, a.s.sisted by Grumm, and began strewing the rubble from the hole around as he dug steps in the side of it.

Blowing sand from his snout, Grumm eyed his work. "Nawthin' fancy, but 'ee'll do, hurr aye."

He went straight to tunnelling through the bottom side of the hole in a direct line, faster than any two moles in the whole of Noonvale.

Skalrag stood at the rear of Badrang's longhut, trying hard to stop his paws shaking after the interview with the Tyrant. A bankvole was idly pulling up weeds that 55.

grew against the side of the building. The fox watched him for a while before calling to him.

"Druwp, over here!"

The bankvole pretended not to hear but worked his way along until he was close to Skalrag. The fox looked this way and that, making sure he was un.o.bserved as he spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"Well, what's happening in the compound, matey?"

"I'm not your matey or anybeast's," Druwp answered without looking up. "There's lots happening in the compound but it'll cost you food and wine to find out."

Skalrag looked at his paws. They had steadied somewhat. "I know that. You'll find a roast fish and some wine here tonight, just under the corner there, where it usually is. Now tell me what's happening."

Druwp's voice was low-keyed and surly. "I'm taking a chance doing this. If they ever found out they'd kill me for sure. So I'd like a proper whole roast fish, none of your table sc.r.a.ps, and some of the dark damson wine the corsairs brought when they paid a visit."

Skalrag's eyes widened. "How d'you know they brought damson wine?"

Druwp sniffed. "You'd be surprised at what I know. Well, do I get proper food?"

"Yes, yes, get on with it." Skalrag chewed impatiently at a hangclaw.

"Right, listen close now. There's three ringleaders, Hillgorse the old hedgehog, Barkjon the squirrel and that young otter called Keyla. These three are urging all the slaves to steal fish, crops and also tools from the quarry, sharp stones, anything they can make into weapons. There's a plan of some sort to free Martin, Felldoh and another mouse from the prison pit. Keyla has been doing something when he takes the food to the prisoners each night."

Skalrag urged his informer on. "What's the plan? What is Keyla doing? Why do they need weapons?" Still keeping his eyes down, Druwp shrugged. "I don't 56.

know how they plan to get them out of the pit and I'm not sure what Keyla's up to. But the general talk is that when they're free they'll be able to help from outside. Meanwhile the others are collecting weapons against the day when they get a chance to strike back at Badrang and all of you. That's all I know. I've got to go now."

Skalrag placed a footpaw swiftly on Druwp's neck, holding him still a moment. "You've done well, Druwp. I'll make sure the fish and wine are the best. But find out more. I need to know more. When will I see you again, my friend?"

The bankvole struggled loose of Skalrag's paw and hurried off.

"I'm not your friend. I'll be in touch."

In the gloom of the prison hole young Brome was getting very depressed after the initial euphoria of contact with the outside had faded. He began to speculate miserably.

"Suppose they get caught outside the fortress, where will we be then?"

Felldoh tried reasoning with him. "Don't be silly, Brome. Your sister and that mole aren't daft, they know what they're doing."

The youngster was silent awhile, then he started again. "They might have the directions wrong. Suppose Grumm tunnels the wrong way. He could have missed this place by a few lengths. Just think of it, poor old Grumm, digging and digging and getting nowhere while we sit down here twiddling our paws."

Martin gave Brome a light thump on the back. "Here now, what's all this gloom an' doom for, young feller? You've already told us that Grumm is the champion digger in all the country. Well, let me tell you, moles are amongst the most sensible beasts over or under land. If your friend Grumm is a champion digger, why, I'd trust him with my life anyday. So would you, eh, Felldoh!"

Before the squirrel had a chance to answer, a spear- 57.

blade clanged on the grating above. The three friends looked up. They could not see clearly but Skalrag's voice was unmistakable.

"They say you've all got the fever down there. How d'you feel? Sick, dizzy, sweating? Not very nice, is it?"

Felldoh laughed scornfully. "It doesn't hurt as much as the rock that I hit you with, mangenose!"

Skalrag banged the grating with his spear angrily. "I've half a mind to come down there and run you through with my spear ..."

"But you won't, will you, because you're terrified of catching fever," Felldoh's answer came back mockingly.

Skalrag thwacked his spear on the grating a few more times. "You're right, squirrel, I won't come down. But then nothing else will, and that means food or water. Hah! We don't feed useless mouths around here, nor do we play nursemaid to sick beasts. So you can all stay down there until you die and rot!"

The fox swaggered off, proud that he had won the argument.

Martin felt a tear from Brome's cheek as it damped his paw. He threw an arm about the youngster. "I don't know about rotting, but pretty soon he'll get a rotten surprise when he finds we're gone from here. Imagine the fox's face!"

Brome managed a sniff and a smile. "Haha, yes, and we'll be safe in Noonvale."

Martin began kicking the side of the pit wall. Felldoh caught on and joined him. Their footpaws thudded away at the packed earth wall.

Brome squinted at them in the darkness. "What are you doing?"

"Giving your mole friend a little help and guidance. He's probably very sensitive to underground noises. Take no notice of us, Brome. Tell us about Noonvale. Where do you live? What sort of a place is it? Are the creatures nice and is the food good? Go on!"

As they listened Martin noticed that Brome's heavy 58.

mood of sadness disappeared when he talked of his home.

"Er, let me see, what sort of place is Noonvale? Well, it's a deep glade far in the forests, a secret place, you might say. At dawn the sunlight comes filtering like golden dust through the oaks and sycamores and elms. It is quiet; you can almost hear the sounds of peace. Light blue smoke drifts up from the cookhouse fires, mingling with the green leaves above. Soft mosses and dark green gra.s.s carpet its slopes, and there are flowers-columbines, foxgloves, bluebells, wood anemones and ground ivy. Ferns grow there too. Sometimes I would lie among them at dawn, catching dew-drops on my tongue ..."

Felldoh blinked back a tear, surprised by the young one's eloquence. "Sounds like my kind of place, Brome. What about the creatures there?"

"Hmm, the creatures. Well, there's my sister Rose and me, our father is Urran Voh, Chieftain of Noonvale, and our mama's name is Aryan. We live with other creatures who have found Noonvale-moles, squirrels, hedgehogs, even some otters. My father rules the vale. He is always very kind, but sometimes he can be stern to naughty ones. You would like my mama, though. She is the best cook anywhere."

Martin almost forgot his aching paws as he thumped away at the wall. "Does she cook anything nice?"

"She cooks everything nice," Brome sighed longingly. "Mushroom and chestnut stew, wild onion and leek soup, spring vegetable pasties, nutbread, oatfarl, wheat-cob, all piping hot from the ovens. She bakes blackberry and apple tarts, plum maple pudding, elderberry pie with yellow summercream, gooseberry preserve scones, hot with b.u.t.tercup spread-"

Felldoh ma.s.saged his shrunken stomach as he wailed aloud. "Stop, stop! I can't stand it. All that beautiful food!"

"Mushroom and chestnut stew, plum maple pudding, 59.

oh my aching teeth!" Martin wiped a paw across his dripping mouth.

Brome gave a loud chuckle as he mischievously continued tormenting his hungry friends. "My father helps the moles and the hedgehogs. They brew all our drinks-dandelion ale, strawberry cordial, chestnut brown beer-"

"Owoooh! Chestnut brown beer. Stop, you little fiend, stop!"

Martin and Felldoh beat their footpaws harder against the wall.

Grumm backed out of the hole, pushing a mound of earth before him. Rose cleared it away, helping the mole out into the late afternoon sun.

"You seem to be making good progress, Grumm."

Rattling his digging claws against the rock to clean off the loose sandy soil, the mole blinked his eyes against the sunlight.

"That oi be, miz, hurr aye. Oi be a-goin' the roight way too, bo urr. They beasts be a-bangen loik two drummers at a winter fayre, guidin oi straight to 'em. Hurr hurr, et woant be long naow, Roser. Afore midnoight, oi'd reckern."

Rose wriggled excitedly. "Midnight! Wonderful. It should be fairly easy to get clear of Marshank under cover of darkness. Oh, Grumm, you're a dear!"

The mole made his way back to the tunnel, murmuring to cover his embarra.s.sment, "Oi bain't no deer, oi be a mole, an' doant 'ee fergit it, mizzy!"

60.

7.

A sliver of moon appeared, like a slice of lemon rind suspended in the soft star-strewn darkness. The tide was at full flood, without a wind to drive it. Small silver-tipped waves lapped shyly on the sh.o.r.e, gradually devouring the coastland up to the tideline. Little sound was heard, save for the muted splash of m.u.f.fled oars and the hoa.r.s.e muttered curses of Cap'n Tramun Clogg as he urged the four longboats through the dark waters.

"C'mon, bend yer backs, ye bottlenosed bandits. Yer might've broken yer mothers' 'earts but ye won't break mine. Pull, me bullies, pull!"

Clogg's ship was beached around a point south of the headland. The wily stoat was planning a surprise attack on Marshank. The corsairs rowed steadily as Clogg kept watch.

"Harr, there 'tis, me buckoes. Badrang's fine castle! May'aps it won't look so fine when I'm done with it. Oilback, Wetpaw, keep those ropes an' grapplin' 'ooks close by. Poison arrers, eh. I'll give that schemin' stoat a night to remember. 'Ere, but wot am I talkin' about? Deadbeasts don't 'ave no memory, an' that's what 'igh 'n' mighty Badrang'll be when I lays sword to 'im. Dead!"

The four boats pressed on through the night waters, 61.

laden with hardened ruffians all armed to the teeth with bows, arrows, pikes, spears, daggers, slings and a variety of swords.

Lumpback and Stiffear were on the walltop keeping guard. The two weasels lounged against the timber posts. Lumpback was not in the best of moods. He prodded Stiffear with his spearb.u.t.t.

"Stop drummin' yer paws. It's gettin' on me nerves!"

Stiffear had been half asleep. He grabbed his spear, bristling. "I'm not drummin' me paws, s...o...b..rchops. Look, they're still!"

"Watch who you're callin' s...o...b..rchops, you. Something's drummin'. Can't yer 'ear it, like a sorta soft tappin noise?"

"No I can't, an' if you prod me once more with that spear I'll shove it up yer snout. Huh, drummin' noises. It's prob'ly yore tiny brain drummin' round in yer thick skull!"

They jabbed their spears at each other and snarled a bit before going back to watching the sea.

"I can 'ear it, drummin' away," Lumpback started muttering again, "only softlike, but I know I can 'ear it. Stiffy, see that rock out there on the sh.o.r.e, that one yonder-I could swear I saw a pile of sand bein' chucked up in the air above it!"

"First drummin', now it's piles o'sand!" Stiffear blew a long sigh of impatience. "Wot's the matter with you, toadbrains? Did you eat some bad fish for yer dinner?"

Lumpback pointed with his spear. "Hah, there! I saw it again, like sand bein' tossed up in the air, right above that rock, see!"

Stiffear stared hard at Lumpback, shaking his head pityingly. "That's the crabs 'avin' a dance. They do it every few nights y'know, kickin' the sand up with their liddle claws an' jiggin' away like billyo."

"Don't talk rubbish!" Lumpback curled his lip in a sneer.

62.

Stiffear lost his temper then. "Yore the one talkin' rubbish, y'fool! Next thing, I suppose you'll be seein' the sh.o.r.e swarmin' with corsairs.... Garrgh!" He fell forward with a long barbed arrow protruding from his neck.

Lumpback screamed as the dark shapes hurried towards the fortress walls.

"Attack! Attaaaaaack!"

Rose had seen the corsairs first. She was about to empty more rubble away when the soft thud of paws on sand reached her ears. Turning towards the sea, the mouse-maid could see the four boats on the tideline and a mob of dark shapes scurrying across the sh.o.r.e towards Marshank. She jumped down into the shaft Grumm had dug and held her breath. Fortunately, n.o.beast saw her. They dashed past swiftly, intent on reaching the fortress.

Anxiously she crouched at the tunnel entrance, murmuring under her breath, "Grumm, where are you? Oh, hurry, Grumm, please!"

Brome had fallen asleep. He lay between Martin and Felldoh as they slapped their feet wearily against the prison pit wall. Exhaustion was overcoming them both, and they grunted with exertion as they tried to continue.

"Can't keep this up any more, Felldoh. How about you?" Martin gasped.

The squirrel nodded droopingly "Me too, mate, the young un could be right. Maybe his mole friend has tunnelled in the wrong direction."

Suddenly Martin's frustration boiled over. With a wild effort he kicked the wall fiercely, shouting between each thud, "We're not going to die down here!"

Without warning both his footpaws shot through the side of the wall and a m.u.f.fled cry rang out from the hole.

"Bo urr, zurrs. 'Old 'ard, tis oi, Grumm!"

Badrang leaped from his bed as Gurrad roused him with a panicked squeak.

"Lord, it's Clogg an' his corsairs. They're attackin'!"

Throwing on a chainmail vest and grabbing his sword, the Tyrant pushed his frightened henchrat to one side.

"Of course he is, addlebrain. I wouldn't expect him to do anything else. Come on. Are the horde positioned on the walls?"

Gurrad scurried along at Badrang's side. "Aye, Lord, they were up as soon as the guard shouted a warning."

"Good. I'll be at the main gate. Send Skalrag to me right away!"

Moments later Skalrag came hurrying down from the walltop. "Sire, they're pressing hard, but we're holding 'em off!"

"Where's Clogg's ship? On the tideline or in the bay?" Badrang yelled to the fox above the clash of battlesound.

"There's no sign of it, sire. They came in longboats."

Badrang pondered a short moment then rapped out orders. "He'll have come in from the south-he sailed off that way. The ship is probably beached or anch.o.r.ed round the other side of the headland. Right, listen hard now, Skalrag. Take ten good archers, get oil, tinder and flints, find Clogg's vessel and burn it to ashes with fire arrows. Leave over the back wall while the thick of the fighting's at the front. Go, and don't fail me!"