CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

If the rest of the Abbey failed to talk about Vanessa's latest antics over the morning meal, it was not only because nobeast remembered them. Even in this season of upheaval, displacement, dark portents and virtual siege, the previous afternoon's incident with Lady Mina stood out as a remarkable event at Redwall. Both for the injury itself, which had turned out to be as bafflingly benign as its infliction was freakishly bizarre, and for the spreading awareness that the Gawtrybe Queen had in fact been aiming at somebeast within the Abbey's walls, bowstring pulled back and arrow nocked to deliver a fatal shot. And if tails weren't wagging in excitement over this state of things, tongues certainly were.

"Didja hear? Shot by 'er own arrow, she were!"

"Always jolly well knew that bally bushtail couldn't be trusted not t' go against Abbey rules, wot?"

"Bur hurr, oi wunner 'oo she'm be a-shooten at?"

"Must've been one of the lead rats, or so 'tis said."

"If'n that's th' case, matey, mebbe t'wouldn'ta been such a great loss, would it?"

"ey, stow that kinda gab! They're our guests, at Abbot's decree, whether it rubs yore fur th' wrong way or no!"

"Abbot's decree? More like Winokur's. Those rats never would have gotten into Redwall if that otter hadn't forced the issue like he did! Almost acting like he thinks he's Abbot already himself!"

"Yes, but what if it really was the will of Martin that they're here? And Mina tried to slay one of them! What does it all mean?"

"Alex thinks the visiting Gawtrybe had something to do with this, and know who Mina was targeting, but they're refusing to say."

"Abbot Geoff should make 'em say, or else throw 'em out on their brushtails!"

"Throw'em out, throw'em out, makkem eat wormfood!"

"What of Mina? Can she really be allowed to reside here? Even if Captain Matowick did incite her, she was the one who was about to take a life. How can she still call herself a Redwaller after that? How can we?"

"And if she is expelled, will Alex go with her? That'd be a huge blow to our defenses. Nothing against Elmtail, he's a fine second-in-command, but he's no Alexander."

"Well, Alex is up there at her bedside right now, just like he's been all night. He still seems devoted to her, even after what she tried to do. He's the one who pieced it all together, in fact. I'd say he's got a tough decision to make ... "

For his own part, Alexander neither heard any of this debate and speculation, nor would he have cared about it if he had. All through the night and into morning he kept his vigil by his wife's bedside, sometimes napping briefly and fitfully in the bed alongside hers, sometimes sitting up to watch over her with a range of concerns. Arlyn and Metellus stayed in the Infirmary all night as well, making themselves available for frequent checks on Mina's condition when they weren't catching dozes themselves. And the chamber's only other occupants, the new rat mother and her babe, continued to hold down their corner bed with only the occasional gurgling and rustling to call scant attention to their presence.

Mina awoke briefly several times during the night, never long enough to say more than a few words or take a sip of water; she seemed genuinely comforted by Alexander's presence, and did not shrink or flinch when he took her paw in his, even as her eyes and face remained troubled verging on tortured. At these interludes he did not press her, letting his mere attendance assure her that he was there for her, even if an intensity in his own gaze conveyed that they had much to discuss yet. And each time, she would soon close her eyes and drift off again, allowing him to catch whatever small snatches of slumber he could for himself.

Now, with the sun fully risen and many of the Abbeybeasts already having finished their breakfasts, Mina came wide awake for the first time since her injury, sitting up against her pillows as daylight brightened the Infirmary. And there still was Alex, seated attentively at her bedside, willing her to complete recovery even as his impatience shone through as well. After trading a few concerned pleasantries and helping her with a few sips of fruit cordial, he got right to the matter on both their minds.

"Who was it, Mina?"

She thrust the cup back into his paws; Arlyn and Metellus, sensing that the two squirrels desired privacy, withdrew from the chamber altogether after giving Mina her morning examination. Turning her head away from him, she said, "I can't talk about it. Not yet."

"You're going to use that tack again? Even after this season's events have proven time and again that such secrecy only begets strained relations and heightened suspicions when the truth finally comes out? That song is getting pretty old, Mina, and it's lost all melody in my ears."

"If you're not here to support me, please leave."

Even Alexander, long accustomed to his wife's stern manner, was surprised by the coldness in Mina's tired voice. But he quickly saw through her strategy. "I won't be provoked, or put off by calculated rudeness. This is too important. Who were you aiming at? Are they still in danger? Will Matowick's squad try to slay that rat now themselves?"

"Matowick is not here to slay anybeast. On that you have my word."

"So he really is here about negotiating a visit for a searat delegation? Not to assassinate somebeast?"

"You must let him do what he came here to do. The stakes are too high. I didn't fully realize that yesterday, but I do now."

"Mina, what were you thinking? If you'd succeeded in cutting down an unarmed and unsuspecting creature in cold blood, you would have been cast out of Redwall, and never allowed to return."

"If I'd succeeded, I would have been more than willing to live with such a penalty."

Now Alex did feel his gorge rising. "You're as bad as those Gawtrybe out in Mossflower who murdered four rats rather than let them reach Redwall!"

"You don't understand. There's danger here, right inside this Abbey, a threat you can't possibly comprehend."

"Then enlighten me. I'm a big beast now; I can comprehend big things. Don't tell me I can't, and then shut me out for that very reason."

Mina drew in and let out a deep breath. "If it's any consolation, I could never have succeeded in my attempt yesterday. I wouldn't have been allowed. You don't think it's any accident that my bow broke, do you?"

Alexander's eyes widened. "Are you saying it was sabotaged?"

"Not by any mortal beast. The forces at play here are greater, more fundamental and more complex than I'd realized. I have no further place in them. I see that now."

"Are you saying it was ... Martin?"

"It could have been. Or it could have been another, or nobeast at all - just fate, making itself known through a piece of shattered yew. I was right there, and even I cannot say."

"What did Vanessa say to you? She was there with you ... "

"She ... knows more than we realize. Her connection with the ratmaid is real - I know that now."

"Geoff and Wink will be gratified to hear you finally admit that, even if it won't come as any great surprise to them." Alex shook his head. "Mina, after what you did, it will be very hard for you to stay at Redwall. Attempting to take another beast's life without provocation ... that's the kind of thing that gets an Abbey resident declared Outcast, the harshest penalty any Abbot or Abbess can impose. I can try to advocate on your behalf, and I'll vouch for you as best I can, but ... "

"It's all right, my love," she said. "I realize what an untenable position this is, for both of us. That's why, as soon as I am recovered enough to travel, I intend to go to Foxguard, and live there until this entire situation sorts itself out, to the extent that it may. Maybe later this season or next, after things have settled down a bit, the Abbot will see fit to invite me back, and maybe he won't. But for now, I feel it is for the best that I remove myself from Redwall."

Alexander sat dumbfounded. "I've never known you to run away from a problem, Mina."

"Run away? I'm not running away from anything! I'm facing up to what I've done, and what I have to do. The plain truth is, I'm not sorry for what I tried to do yesterday, only sorry that I didn't grasp matters well enough to know how futile my attempt would be. I very much doubt such lack of remorse would win any points with the Abbot, or my fellow Redwallers, but I'll not pretend to be something I'm not. By voluntarily removing myself from the Abbey, it will spare Geoff from having to make a difficult decision - at least for now. Until the worst of what's going on now blows over, my place is at Foxguard, not Redwall."

Alex stared hard into his wife's eyes. "Mina, is Urthblood an enemy of Redwall? If he is, tell me now, so we can start making preparations against him."

"Alex! How could you even contemplate such a notion? Lord Urthblood is both friend and ally to Redwall, as he has proclaimed repeatedly."

"Yes, he has, hasn't he? And so have you, and so have any number of his other creatures. So why then do I remain unconvinced? Actions speak louder than words, Mina - and lately, I'm seeing a whole range of actions which seemingly give lie to his declarations of benevolence. From you, and from others."

"It pains me to hear you say that, Alex. But some things are necessary, however ugly or messy they may be. This campaign is one of those. And I only hope you give Lord Urthblood a chance to prove his good intent toward Redwall, and don't judge him too harshly before then."

"I can only judge by what I see. And I can only give a beast so many chances before I have to draw my own conclusions. And from what I've seen so far this season, I think Urthblood may well have used up all his chances with me."

Mina folded her paws on her lap. "If that's the way you feel, then I can't be off to Foxguard soon enough. And I hope that when I eventually return, both my and Lord Urthblood's true feelings toward Redwall will have been demonstrated clearly enough so that we'll both be welcomed back into this Abbey with open arms."

"Who were you aiming at, Mina? Who did you mean to shoot?"

"Someday, Alex. But not today. Now, I'm feeling tired, and need to rest some more. If you can't refrain from further questions I won't answer, I would ask that you please leave me, and return when I am feeling stronger."

Recognizing his mate's immovable resolve, Alex bit his lip and held his tongue. But he did not leave her bedside.

00000000000

Somehow, it came to pass that morning that Maura was led firmly to believe - although she could not have said by whom - that the four leverets would be looked after by Melanie. The harewife assumed with equal certitude - a certitude whose origins could not have withstood close scrutiny - that Redwall's Badger Mother had the energetic quartet well in paw. Thus did the two guardians concern themselves with other matters, secure in the knowledge that the toddler hares would be well tended.

In a secluded part of the north grounds, far from gardens and orchard and pond and gatehouse and out of view of the walltop lookouts, Percy and the four young hares gathered close around Vanessa ... or Urthnessa the Bold, as they thought of her in her present guise, still sporting her painted badger strips. All knew that today their grand game would reach new heights, and waited eagerly on their instructions.

And so Vanessa issued them, leaning against an upended barrel like a podium - a general issuing orders from her command stanchion.

"You all know what to do now," she concluded. "Let Operation Synchronized Pandemonium commence!"

00000000000

Matowick stood by the gardens, staring across the grounds to where Latura sat amongst scores of her fellow rats, her peach dress prominent amidst the drab garb surrounding her. As he'd feared, word of Mina's possible assassination attempt against the ratmaid - or against Harth, or Truax, for nobeast knew for certain - had rallied the rodents to their savior, eager to protect her from any harm, real or imagined. In the thick of this living cordon, Latura was rendered untouchable to anybeast looking to do her harm - or to physically remove her from the Abbey.

The Gawtrybe squirrel stared down at a stake driven into the ground here for some purpose or other, idly noting how its shadow nearly touched a nearby pebble in the grass. His breakfast sat heavy in his stomach as doubt over his mission assailed him from all sides. He'd been up to visit Lady Mina in the Infirmary, of course, but upon seeing the taciturn stares turned his way by Alex and Mina both, he knew without a word he was not welcome there, and withdrew after the briefest of exchanges to determine her welfare, not even speaking of the joyous news Captain Saugus had brought during the night. Indeed, that news did little to buoy him now; what good was even fatherhood if he returned to Salamandastron without his prize, his mission unfulfilled? How could he remain an officer under Lord Urthblood's command if he failed in this crucial assignment? What standing could he and Perricone and little Elberon ever hope to enjoy amongst their fellow Gawtrybe, even if he resigned from the badger's service - or, more likely, was discharged in disgrace?

Aggravating his dour mood was the incessant ringing in his ears, worse now than ever. Ever since the episode in the belltower, he felt certain the condition had been exacerbated, the malicious aural assault compounding the hearing damage wrought by searat stormpowder. He'd slept little last night, between the excitement of new fatherhood, worry over Mina, concern for his mission, and the distracting, ever-present whine inside his skull. Hardly surprising, he told himself, that his appetite over breakfast had proven paltry, and that the meager fare he'd managed to sample now burned and gurgled in overwrought indigestion.

As if summoned by these troubled thoughts, a movement out of the corner of his eye made Matowick turn his head to behold Vanessa standing there, staring up at him. Bristling, he pushed down the urge to reach out and cuff her for the harm she'd caused him, lest that bring further punishment from Mother Maura, and almost certain expulsion from the Abbey. Settling for a dark scowl instead, he growled, "What infernal torment have you come to heap upon me now?"

Rather than goading him with the expected juvenile taunts, Vanessa raised a knowing paw to her lips. "Shhhh," she said softly, backing away from him with even, measured reverse steps. "Watch. Listen. It's almost time ... "

And then she disappeared. Simply vanished, right before his eyes.

Blinking, Matowick found himself gazing down at the stake once more. The advancing shadow now lay on the other side of the pebble - more than it could possibly have moved in the brief moments of his encounter with the afflicted Abbess.

So it was true. She really could hypnotize creatures, send them into a trance which made it seem as if no time had passed while she made her escape, creating the illusion of disappearing into thin air. If he'd not just experienced the phenomenon firstpaw, he'd scarcely have believed it. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he wondered whether Lord Urthblood had ever mastered such a talent.

A hollow, rattling rumble in the distance made him look up, only to see Vanessa rolling a barrel along the east walltop, forcing the sentries up there to scramble and dodge out of her way. She was up there already? How long had his trance left him standing staring sightlessly at nothing?

Never did he stop to consider that she might have done more to him than merely send him into a time-freezing trance. And so - entirely of his own volition, of course - he decided that he would watch, and listen.

Because it was almost time.