Twilight gleamed on the streamwaters. Seated in a large comfortable cavern facing the bank, the three friends related their tale as Alfoh's colony members sat around listening. Hot acorn and chestnut dip was served with arrowroot wafers, a large honeyed plumcake was brought out in their honor, and dandelion wine and redcurrant cordial flowed freely. Spriggat munched away as he longingly watched two dragonflies hovering over the stream outside.

When the friends had finished their narrative Alfoh leaned back in his deep pawchair and nodded. "I saw your sword, it was a most wonderful piece of craft-beastship-badger-made, I'd guess. Now, my friends, what to do about all this? If the fox is a good navigator he will eventually make his way Salanumdostron 225.

down to the sea, though if he's never sailed these waters before you can take it from me he'll be as lost as a fish up a mountain."

Samkim clasped his paws across a full stomach. "Do you think we'll be able to catch him up?"

Alfoh pondered the question for a moment. "Maybe we could, but there are four ways he could go: down to the sea, into the great lake, or up one of the back creeks that leads to a dead end-all of these routes we could follow and catch up with him. The other way leads under the mountains. No creature would be stupid enough to follow anybeast that way."

Arula blinked. "Whoi be that, zurr?"

Alfoh took a sip of wine and explained, ' There are rapids, a giant waterfall and caves. Besides, n.o.beast knows whether you would come out on the other side of the mountain or keep going down into the earth forever."

Racla touched the lump on his head gingerly; his eyes were hot and angry as he glared at Spriggat. "I'm not sorry I killed that rat. First thing in the morning I'm goin' after the others. The fox is mine; he killed my brother."

Alfoh's paw strayed dangerously near his blackthorn stick. "You'll stay where you are until I give the word, young Racla. Tomorrow we'll take the other three boats and all go together. As for revenge upon the fox, I think Samkim has a prior claim to you. He needs to retrieve the sword for his Abbey. Now let's all get some sleep. We've got a full day ahead of us at dawn,"

28.

A light breeze from the sea fanned the flames of a small fire among the rocks on the sh.o.r.e by Salamandastron. Klitch and Ferahgo watched each other in the flickering light. They were arguing again. Klitch had scored several points, and his blue eyes twinkled maliciously at his father's show of temper.

"Yah, what do you know?" Ferahgo spat into the flames derisively. "I was leading a horde before you were born. You wouldn't know the back of an army from its front, you snot-nosed little upstart!"

The young weasel grinned, happy that he had his elder upset. "There's only one way to find out, old grayhair-give command of the horde to me. At least I couldn't make a worse mess of things than you're doing."

Ferahgo's eyes blazed with temper. "Worse mess? What worse mess? I've burned all their crops from the mountainside, poisoned all the food and drink they have. And if they're not already dead inside that mountain, now I've got a team tunneling in so that we can make a secret entrance. Go on, smartmouth, tell me what you'd do that's so brilliant?"

"Tunneling in?" Klitch laughed lightly. "Sometimes you amaze me. Do you realize how thick that mountain is? A b.u.t.terfly would have more chance trying to knock down an 226.

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oak tree. When do you expect them to break through-next week, next season, in ten seasons' time, or twenty?"

The a.s.sa.s.sin stood upright, his gold medal gleaming in the firelight. "Come with me. I'll show you!"

Midnight had long gone. Ferahgo's diggers were well ad-vanced, but the a.s.sa.s.sin's confidence would have wilted had he seen what awaited him inside Salamandastron, Several hares were listening to the banging and pounding from the outside.

Bart Thistledown grinned wryly as he leaned on his lance. "Well, twist my ears. The crafty ol' blue-eyed villain! Who would've thought he could find the old kitchen drain outlet. It was blocked up when I was a leveret."

Big Oxeye took up a heavy spear and held it poised. "Good thing you heard the diggin' an' gruntin', Barty m'lad. What d'you say we dig from this end, give those chaps a bit of help if they're so anxious to come in?"

Sapwood considered this proposition, then shook his head. "Pers'nally Hi'm agin it meself, an' Lord Urthstripe wouldn't be too 'appy about us 'elpin' vermin. Let 'em do their own diggin'. They should be through afore momin'. We'll just wait 'ere nice 'n' quiet. Penny, you stand by. When I tips yer the wink, run an' fetch 'is Lordship."

Pennybright stifled a youthful giggle. "Righto, Sarge. I can't wait to see what happens when the jolly old vermin break through."

The two Captains, Doghead and Dewnose, were working like madbeasts. They had got about two spearlengths into the rock; the tunnel was going to work. Horde soldiers lined the narrow pa.s.sage, pa.s.sing back loose boulders and shields piled high with pebbles and shale. Outside on the moonlit beach, others were disposing of the rubble. Doghead and Dewnose labored hard with iron bars and spearpoints, levering away at the packed ma.s.s of stone that blocked the old kitchen drain. Both stoats knew that their lives depended on completing the tunnel; n.o.beast failed Ferahgo. Together they sweated and Strained to prise out a big slab.

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"Come on, mate. Pull. We've got it!"

"I'm pullin'. Owow! Me paw's jammed-wait a sec!"

"Migroo, get yerself up 'ere. Squeeze in there an' hold that bar while Dog'ead gets 'is paw loose."

"Owen! OK, I'm free. Now get yer spearpoint in right about 'ere, Migroo. I'll take care of the bar. Watch out, or it'll slide down an' trap yer paws!"

Crabeyes came crawling up the tunnel and pulled their tails. "Outside, you three. The Master an' young Klitch wants to see yer."

They crawled backwards out of the tunnel, scratched, bruised and covered in dust. The a.s.sa.s.sin and his son awaited them on the sands. Ferahgo brushed aside their salutes, questioning them anxiously.

"Well, how is it going? Are you nearly through yet?"

Doghead wiped dirt from his eyes and licked his injured paw. "It's just like you said it'd be. Master-all loose rock, none of it solid. We're over two spearlengths in now, shouldn't be too long before we break through."

Ferahgo smiled scornfully, his crinkling blue eyes mocking Klitch. "That sounds like a fine mess, eh, young know-it-all?"

Klitch looked slightly taken aback. "But how did you know it was possible to tunnel at this spot?"

Ferahgo scooped up a pawful of sand and held it under his son's nose. "Kitchen debris, old nutsh.e.l.ls, broken bits of pottery-that's how. Sometime or other this has been an outlet. When I checked I could see it wasn't part of the original rock, only stones packed in there to block it off. I was right, you see, cleverpaws. Now do you think that the old one is making a mess of things?"

"How wise of you, Father, you have found a way in." Klitch put on an expression of respect and kept his tone apologetic. "Now, are you going to stand there sneering at me and patting yourself on the back all night, or are you going to break into Salamandastron?"

Ferahgo's blue eyes smiled back and his tone was equally civil. "Raptail, Bateye, take this ignorant infant to one side, will you. Now guard him carefully and don't let him get hurt. Keep him here while his father goes to do the work of a warrior. Klitch is a bit inexperienced for this sort of thing, you know."

Leaving his son fuming under the eyes of the two guards, Ferahgo drew his daggers and rapped out orders.

"Doghead, Dewnose, bring a single torch. The rest of you, get fully armed and follow us. Keep silent in the tunne! ... or else!"

The flaring light of a brushwood torch threw elongated shadows across the horde members packing up the tunnel behind Ferahgo and his two Captains. Dewnose patted the large slab when they reached the head of the tunnel.

"There's only this big 'un and a bit more behind it, Master, then we should be inside the mountain."

The a.s.sa.s.sin sheathed his dagger and grabbed the spear from Dewnose. "Come out of my way, I'll show you how it's done."

The muscles stood out like whipcords on Ferahgo's lean body as he pitted his strength against the slab. It moved and slid. Angling it across the uneven floor, he struck it hard with the spearb.u.t.t, cracking it in two halves. "Pa.s.s that along and shift it out the way. Move yourselves!"

The a.s.sa.s.sin went to work on the remaining rocks with ? ferocious strength, ripping them out with his bare paws, goug- ; iag with dagger and spearpoint. Hastily the rocks were pa.s.sed back along the lines of hordebeasts jamming the length of the tunnel.

Throwing back a last few small boulders and kicking aside debris, Ferahgo halted abruptly. Licking the edge of his favorite skinning knife, he whispered to Doghead, "We're through! Feel that draft of cold air-that's our first breath of Salamandastron. Keep that torch aside a moment, there's sotttebeast standing with their back to the entrance. Now listen carefully. Whoever it is I'll stab him and drag him through 230.

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for you and Dewnose to finish him off, then we're in. Keep silent now and I'll get him."

With the dagger between his teeth, Ferahgo inched quietly forward, his murderous blue eyes shining with joy as he sighted the unprotected back of the creature at the opening. When it came to silent death Ferahgo the a.s.sa.s.sin was the acknowledged master. Throwing a paw round the creature's throat from behind, he locked off the windpipe and slid the blade expertly between its ribs. Pulling back in one swift movement, he threw the body to his Captains.

"Finish him off quickly, then follow me!"

Doghead pushed forward, spear in one paw, flaming torch in the other. He turned the creature over to stab it-and screamed. Ferahgo turned, he took one look,, gave a strangled sob of horror and shot through the packed ranks for the open beach, kicking and slashing as he went. The body of Parian the Poisoner lay on the tunnel floor, the face a twisted mask of fright, the mouth wedged open wide by the adderskin belt with its poison bags that Urthstripe had forced down the Poisoner's throat. Thus had the badger Lord dealt with the murderer of his two hares.

The poisoned drinking water was standing by the entrance Ferahgo had made, lined up in cauldrons, boiling hot. As they were wheeled by, Urthstripe tipped each one with his spear-b.u.t.t, sending scalding water rushing into the tunnel as he roared at the top of his voice: "Eulaliaaaaaa!"

The hordebeasts packed inside the tunnel fought each other madly in a vain bid to escape the contents of the cauldrons. Spears, swords, pikes and other weaponry hindered them in the darkness as the blistering hot stream gushed out, welling up into a steaming wave. Screams were drowned amid the boiling torrent. Smashed against the rocky walls, the bodies hurtled the length of the narrow aperture to be spewed out on to the beach.

Moonpaw, Starbob, Catkin, Thistle and Seawood climbed back into Salamandastron's east side, throwing the sacks of dandelions, apples, berries and roots ahead of them. Sapwood helped each one in as they clambered through an unblocked window hole. Seawood and Thistle came last, cautioning the Sergeant, "Careful with those two sacks. There's six canteens of fresh water there, Sap."

Sapwood chuckled, patting their backs. "Bless yer ears, mates. Where'd you come by all this lot?"

Thistle nudged him in the ribs and gave a broad wink. "Fancy askin' a Long Patrol Hare a question like that, Sergeant. Did you never have to survive off the land on a long scout?''

Sapwood began blocking the window hole up.

" 'Course I did. Silly ol' me. Hey, Seawood, the diversion worked a treat. You should've seen Urthstripe. 'Is Nibs was like a liddle bunny on 'oliday, roarin' an' ashoutin'. By the fur, the Boss gave those vermints an 'ot old time an' no mistake."

One backpaw, a leg and a large area of Ferahgo's back were painful areas of blistered flesh. He lay stretched on a rock in the dawn light, biting on his knife handle to stop himself crying out. Sickear dabbed seawater gently on the injured weasel, backing off a few paces every time the a.s.sa.s.sin winced.

"Water from the sea is all we've got, Master. It smarts, but it cures. We used it for all injuries when I was searattin'."

Klitch was enjoying the whole thing hugely. He leaned down close to his father's face as he mocked him. "Ah then, did the naughty badger roast your bottom, O ruler of all the Southwest and Leader of the Corpsemakers. Never mind then, you leave it to young wet-behind-the-ears Klitch. I'll take charge for a while."

Ferahgo arched his back in agony as the seawater trickled onto it. Sweat beaded on his lips and nose as he gritted around the dagger blade at his grunting son, "Oh yes? And what's 232.

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your brilliant plan, you little toad?"

Klitch took one of the daggers from his father's discarded belt and tapped the point against his teeth pensively. "Hmmm. Plan? I'm not quite sure yet, but it doesn't involve getting thirty soldiers boiled to death by hot water. But don't you fret your dear old gray head, I'll think of something."

"You bring me the head of that badger, or I'll..." Fer-ahgo struggled to rise but fell back snarling.

"You'll what?" Klitch patted the a.s.sa.s.sin's back, none too gently. "You're not in a position to do anything. Give me until nightfall and I'll guarantee I'll have a foolproof plan, one that will make this horde realize that they've been led by the wrong weasel for many seasons now."

Forgrin the fox emptied a slingbag onto the rocks beside his friend Raptail the rat. "There y'are, mate-whelks, limpets an' a few mussels. They'll taste better'n hard crust an' roots."

Raptail smashed open a mussel with a stone and ate the contents ravenously. "Couldn't yer find no fish?"

Forgrin scooped a limpet out of its sh.e.l.l into his mouth, "You get them sh.e.l.lfish down yer an' thank yer lucky stars we're still alive, Raptail. It's a good job we was only at the entrance t' that tunnel or we'd be layin' scalded dead by now."

"It was a stupid plan, a cracked idea, the 'ole thing!" Rap-tail chewed with difficulty on a rubbery whelk. "Migroo says that young Klitch is takin' over. What d'you think of 'im?"

The fox spat on a rock and began sharpening his sword. "Think? We're not 'ere ter think, mate. Accordin' to 'Is Majesty Ferahgo, we're just 'ere ter take orders. But between you'n me an' the seash.o.r.e, I think the time's ripe for Ferahgo to go."

The rat scratched his nose and stared at the fox. "Go?"

"Aye, go, matey. He's down an' injured. Now's the time to slip a blade across 'is weasely throat, see wot I mean?"

Raptail gouged at a tooth crevice with a grimy claw, realization dawning on him. "Yeh, maybe yore right. Ferahgo couldn't give orders with a slit gizzard, that's fer sure. Say tonight, when it's nice 'n' dark ... he'll be sleepin' deep then eh?" P Forgrin tested the edge of his sword on a whelk he had disgorged. "We'll make sure he sleeps deeper than ever. . . tonight."

BOOK THREE.

Destinies and Homecomers

29.

Thrugg and Dumble had arrived at the mountain stronghold of the Laird Mactalon. They stood shivering among the high rocks, unconscious of the beauties about them.

The Laird Mactalon spread his wings wide at the snowcapped peaks. The setting sun had turned the ice and snow from white to a clear pink.

"Och, 'tis a sight tae gladden yer feathers, laddie!"

Baby Dumble spread his paws, gazing down at his fat little stomach. "I don't avven no fevvers."

"Ach, so ye dinna. Would ye no' like to be a falcon?" Mactalon's wide wing patted him, nearly knocking him over.

The dormouse sniffed as he climbed into Thrugg's haversack, away from the cold. "Sooner be a Dumble!"

Mactalon chuckled fiercely. "Och, awa' wi ye, mousie!" He turned to Thrugg. The otter was stamping his paws to keep warm. "Noo then, mah friend, ye'll be wanting tae get your paws on some Icetor Flow'rs, mah son tells me."

Thrugg swung the haversack to his shoulders. "Yessir, them's the ones-Icetor Flowers. You tell me where they're at an' I'll go an' pick 'em."

"Weel noo, aren't you the bold creature?" Mactalon preened his neck feathers. "Pick them indeed. Yer a braw big 237.

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riverdog, Thrugg, but yer a long ways frae name. Icetors only grow aboot the nest of the wild King MacPhearsome. Och, nae bird or beastie ever goes up there, laddie. Yon eagle's a verra unpredictable creature. I wouldnae fancy makin' requests o' him! But if ye be foolish enough tae try, I'll fly up there on the morrow, but you'll have tae climb, as ye have nae wings tae speak of."

Rocangus showed Thrugg and Dumble to a small cavern where they were to spend the night. There was heather and bracken piled up in a corner, but the place was dreadfully cold. Thrugg put some of the bracken to one side, the rest he placed at the cavern entrance. Digging flint and tinder from the haversack, he soon had a small fire going. Rocangus was wary of flames, but the sight of Baby Dumble seated in front of the fire wanning his paws soon had the young falcon perched between Thrugg and Dumble, enjoying the welcome heat. Rocangus had some words of advice for the otter.

"Mah faither says ye're going up tae see the Wild King in the momin'. Be careful, Thrugg. Auld MacPhearsome is a giant. Mind yer manners, address him as King or Your Majesty. Och, he has a braw temper that one has. He'd as soon eat ye as look at ye."

Thrugg put more of the sweet-smelling bracken on the fire. "Listen, Rocangus me ol* matey, I'll do whatever it takes to get those lector Flowers back to Redwall Abbey. If I've got to pretend to be frightened of some old bird, then so be it." "Ye have man admiration, Thrugg, for I know yer not affrighted of anythinV Rocangus flexed his good wing. "Mind, though, ye'd be well advised tae fear the Wild King. He's the only one who has Icetor Flow'rs an' he doesn't part wi' anythin' lightly. Oh, an' ye'd best leave yer sling wi' me. MacPhearsome won't have any armed bird or beast near his eyrie. That's aboot it, Thrugg. Guid luck to ye. Yer a braw friend an' a bonny riverdog."

Rocangus had conquered his fear of the fire. In fact, he had rather come to like it. The young falcon spent the night feeding the flames with heather and bracken while Thrugg and Baby Dumble slept peacefully in the high snowcapped mountains of the north.

Dawn in the high mountains was a strange sight. Thrugg shivered as he peered into the whiteness. Clouds had descended upon the peaks, turning the whole place into a land of cotton wool. There was no sky, horizon or ground, save for that beneath the otter's paws.