Barklad patted him resoundingly. "Look, Martin, it worked. Kotir is flooding!"

"How high is it, matey?" Gonff called up from ground level.

"Oh, it's looking pretty wet, GonflV'

"And still rising?"

"Aye, still rising, all right."

The squirrel Queen signaled her crew to take the warrior mouse back down to earth.

"What now, Martin?" she asked.

"Now the real plan goes into action. IVe never told you about my friend Timballisto, or even how he comes to have a strange name like that. Well, you just wait and see what he has in store for Kotir, he'll help it to sink, all right.

"I'm going to get my sword and armor. Tell the Corim leaders to have every available fighting creature gathered at the edges of the land rise. There's bound to be a final charge."

Whegg the rat and a weasel named Slinkback threw their armored mail tunics and shields over the rooftop battlements. There was a faint splash as they hit the water below.

Brogg faced them, his curved sword at the ready. "Here, what d'you think you're up to? You can't do that."

Slinkback laughed openly in the Captain's face. "Haha.

348.

Listen, Brogg, you'd do better to chuck your stuff over too, or do you want to be drowned in full armor?"

The Captain looked at his Thousand Eye tunic and red velvet cloak. "But what will Milady say?"

Emboldened by his companions' actions, the weasel called Fdulwhisker skimmed his round shield over the battlements. "Don't listen to Brogg, mates. We've heard enough lies. That mad cat will get the lot of us killed to save mis old ruin." The weasel whirled at a sound behind him, but too late.

Tsarmina was standing mere. She dealt him a furious blow, killing him where he stood. Lifting the body effortlessly, she threw it contemptuously over the battlements, then turned upon the rest.

"Who's next?" she challenged mem. "Does anyone want to join him? Come on, step up. Let's see who wants to disobey the Queen of Kotir."

They backed off fearfully; the slightest scowl or mutter now would mean instant death.

Tsarmina s.n.a.t.c.hed up a fallen spear and jabbed it toward one group, then at another. The troops cringed, cowering close to the walls. She laughed insanely as she snapped at Ifae stout weapon with a single fierce movement.

"Look at you! Call yourselves warriors! I could break you as easily as I snapped that spear. But I won't. I'm going to use you to break those woodlanders out there. The time has come for you to act like proper soldiers. You'll fight or die, either victory or death. I'll show you how to make wa-"

Whump!

The whole roof shook. , Terrified, the troops fell flat.

Tsarmina dashed to the edge, in time to see a second boulder come whizzing through the air like some giant shapeless bird.

Whoom!

It struck halfway up the wall. Masonry fell, splashing into the water from the gap left by the striking missile.

As the roof shook under the impact of another boulder, the wildcat Queen grasped the battlement, staring wildly across the deep flooded area.

349.

Skipper patted the rough timber frame. "What do you call this thing again, mate?"

Timballisto was helping squirrels and otters to lay the next boulder in the cradle.

"A ballista, Skip. I built them in the wars up north many a time when I was young. Great idea, isn't it?"

Skipper shook his head admiringly as the system of pulleys and counterweights creaked under the winding handles, a long throwing arm fashioned from three silver birches strained and bent against the brake lever.

"You're a cunning old wardog, Timballisto. Ha, a baby hedgehog could operate this big catapult."

Young Dinny jumped up and down, clapping his paws. "Let oi do et. Oh, please give thiz young mole a shot, zurr."

Timballisto shut one eye, sighting along the line the rock would take when it was fired.

"Aye, why not? Be my guest, Young Din," he agreed.

The mole could hardly release the lever pin for chuckling. He threw himself face down in the gra.s.s as the lever snapped back, the long arm pitched forward as the rock shot away overhead.

"O joy, O arpiness! Whurr'd et go? Wot'd oi 'it?"

The watchers on the sh.o.r.e saw the tower shudder. A hole appeared as the rock hit Kotir with tremendous force. Rubble and masonry showered into the water as another gap was made.

A loud cheer went up from the woodlanders.

350.

Tsarmina turned from the battlements to give an order to her soldiers, but they were gone. The roof was deserted.

Below in the water were foxes and weasels, ferrets, stoats and rats. Some were swimming, others were hanging onto doors they had hacked off with their weapons. Wooden window shutters, tables, benches, anything that could float was being utilized by the fleeing army.

The rooftop shook from yet another a.s.sault by the siege catapult.

Brogg stood faithfully at the head of the stairs.

"You had better come down, Milady. The whole building is starting to crumble inside. Hurry, before the stairways collapse," he advised.

Tsarmina turned left then right. She ran to the battlements, looked over and ran back in agitation.

"You'll see, we'll win yet. It's that traitor brother of mine, Gingivere. He must still be alive. A single mouse couldn't have thought all this up. I should have killed them both and made sure they were dead when I had the chance," she ranted.

Leaping the s.p.a.ces where the stairs had been demolished, the Queen and her Captain made their way to the high chamber. It was still intact. Beneath their paws, Kotir rumbled and crumbled in its death throes. The whole place was be- 351.

ginning to disintegrate into the ma.s.sive, rapidly rising lake which surrounded it.

Brogg lifted a table and slid it out of the window. It did not have far to go before it splashed into the water.

"Hurry, Milady. We can both make it out of here on the table!'*

Helped by Brogg, Tsarmina made an undignified scramble over the window ledge. She lowered herself onto the upturned table. It rocked crazily in the water, but stayed floating.

Brogg climbed up on the window ledge. "Hold it steady, Milady, closer to the wall so that I can get on."

Tsarmina ignored the Captain. She pushed further along the wall until the table was beyond Brogg*s reach.

"Milady, wait forme!"

"Don't be silly, Brogg." Tsarmina sounded almost condescending. "You can see there's only room enough for your Queen on this thing. Two of us would sink it."

The Captain scratched his head dully as if trying to understand.

"But, Your Majesty, what about me?"

Tsarmina pushed further along the wall. "Oh, you'll find something, Brogg. Get ash.o.r.e and regroup the army. I'm going to find that mouse warrior and my brother Gingivere. Don't you worry, I'll make them pay for the loss of Kotir."

Tsarmina floated off round the sinking stronghold, propelling herself along the walls by paw, to the other side, where there were no woodlanders.

Brogg crouched miserably on the window sill, trying to make up his mind which surprised him more-the desertion of Tsarmina his Queen, or the arrival of a huge ballista boulder which put an end to his bafflement forever.

It was a tranquil summer morning far to the east in Moss-flower. On the farm the small creatures were out tending crops with Gingivere and Sandingomm. It had become a second home for the young woodlanders who had made the trip to this peaceful haven of refuge.

.Abbess Germaine and Columbine sat upon the riverbank together. Columbine was busying herself with roots she was drying; it was a good area for medicinal herbs and plants.

352.

Abbess had charcoal and parchments; she was drawing something. Columbine watched from the corner of her eye. 5he remembered Loamhedge. The Abbess used to draw a lot o those far-off days, often translating her thoughts onto parchments which she kept in a journeying satchel-a thing she had not done since their arrival at Brockhall.

Now the old mouse took up a dried reed. Using it as a straight edge, she worked busily with her charcoal sticks, nibbing here, altering there, shading and curving the lines dntil a clear outline of a great building began to emerge. Germaine peered over the top of her spectacles as she worked, Columbine smiled fondly at her.

"That's a fine big house, Abbess."

"I suppose you could call it a house, child. I've had this idea in my mind since we left Loamhedge."

"Ah yes, poor old Loamhedge. I was just thinking about k myself. Perhaps we could have built your big house there, -had we been able to stay," Columbine suggested.

"No, that would not have been possible, Columbine. There was very little local stone around the Loamhedge area."

Columbine put the roots aside and looked at the drawing with renewed interest.

"Then this great house is not just a dream. It could be built if we had the right material and location, plus, of course, die creatures to build it."

Germaine nodded decisively, spreading the plans out be-tween them. "Oh yes, indeed. Let me explain. This would not be a mere house. The building I am planning will be a real Abbey for all our woodland friends who wish to live there, a peaceful place where all would exist in happiness."

"How lovely. Tell me more about your Abbey," Columbine said excitedly.

The old Abbess explained eagerly, pleased to have Columbine showing interest in her brainchild.

"See here, this is the outer wall, with its gatehouse, small wicket gates and big main threshold. Here is the main building-bell tower, Great Hall, kitchens, dormitories, infirmary, store rooms, cellar s.p.a.ces ... I have thought of everything that a proper Abbey needs. These areas around the large building are enclosed within the main walls-they are orchards and fields to grow crops in, a pond, and everything it 353.

would need to be self-supporting. This is a dream that could become reality if Mossflower were freed."

Columbine gazed in wonder at the well-outlined plan. "You say it could become reality?"

"Oh yes." The old Abbess nodded emphatically. "When we first saw Kotir I noticed that though the stones were darkened and slime-covered, it had been built of red sandstone. There are outcrops of it all over the Mossflower area. Yesterday I crossed the River Moss on a log, and there is an old quarry over there. We could hew an endless supply of good stone from it."

"A beautiful dream Abbess, maybe someday-"

"Abbess, Columbine, hurry up, we've made you a lovely cheese and apple salad, but Coggs says he'll eat it all unless you come right away," Spike said breathlessly as he and Posy dashed up. Sandingomm followed, looking mock-seriously at the two mice.

"I think you'd better do as they say, Abbess. I'll go and get Uncle Gingivere. We don't want him to miss his salad because of that fat little Coggs."

Germaine allowed Spike and Posy to help her up.

"Cheese and apple salad-my favorite," she told them. "Lead me to it. I'll show that wretch Coggs a thing or two about putting salad away. Did I ever tell you, when I was a young mouse long ago, I once ate three great bowls of cheese and apple salad at a sitting?"

"Oh, hahaha. Then why aren't you tat like Coggs? He says he's not going to stop eating until he's twice the size of Skipper."

"What d'you mean, twice the size? My goodness, look at you, young Posy. You'll be bursting out of your fur soon."

"Hahaha. Oh, stoppit, Abbess. That tickles. Haha-heeheehee!"

The first Kotir soldiers were hauled dripping to sh.o.r.e by the woodlanders. Dispirited, disarmed and soaking wet, they were made to sit at the water's edge by Skipper and the six hares, who fished them out with fearsome-looking pikes. "Sit down there, you great wet weasel." "Steady on, Trubbs old chap, that's a stoat." "Oh, I say, sorry. Sit there, you soaking stoat."

354.

"Saturated stoat, don't you mean, old bean?"

"Hmm, what about the weasels?"

"Oh, actually they got wringing wet, both begin with W, you see."

"Righto. Sit over there, you wringing wet weasel."

"Oh golly, IVe got a rat now. How d'you address these blighters?"

; "Easy, old thing-rats are rancid." ~ "Rancid? That doesn't mean wet."

"No, but the wretched cove does look pretty rancid."

"So he does. Splendid. Sit here, you rancid rat!"

Skipper patrolled the ranks of defeated troops and eyed them sternly.