THE CRIMSON BADGER - Chapter Sixty-Four

Winokur, Warnokur and Alexander were all granted places at the meeting. Lady Mina and all the captains were there, except for Halpryn and Klystra, who stayed on the mountaintop. Machus took his customary spot at Urthblood's right paw, with Mina and the three Redwallers past him. The other commanders and the Foremole sat farther along either side of the table. Sixteen beasts all told, clustered around one end of a table that could easily have accommodated thrice that number ... but these sixteen were the ones that really mattered this night within Salamandastron.

"As you can all see," Urthblood began, "Machus and his company have come from Redwall. Before anything else, I would like him and Lady Mina to inform us of everything that has happened to them since we parted ways back at the Abbey."

It took quite some time for Machus, Mina and Alexander to relate all that had occurred with them from the day of Urthblood's departure from Redwall to their arrival here. Machus spared no detail in his account of the near-tragedy with Cyrus, including how he'd ordered the rat Wolfrum put to death; this was the first time Alex had heard the swordfox openly admit that this was what had happened, even though the squirrel had had his suspicions. Machus also explained how Smallert had been given the protection of Redwall, and had been left behind to become a full-time Abbeybeast. The other captains and the two Redwall otters hung on every word as Machus detailed his desperate measures to save the life of the young mouse, and expressions of relief broke out on nearly every face when it was revealed that Cyrus had recovered more quickly and completely than could have been hoped for.

"Such surgery was quite new to us," Alex commented. "Machus proved himself a true friend of Redwall with his heroic actions."

"I would have expected nothing less of him," Urthblood said without compassion. "He was in command of that force, left at Redwall at my request. Had that mouse died, it would have been as much on his head - and mine - as on the beasts who actually did this misdeed." He turned to Machus. "The methods you used to save this child were rather extreme for a creature so young. Are you confident there will be no complications as he heals further?"

"I believe his youth actually worked in his favor, My Lord. He was up and about by the time we left, and appeared to be gaining strength every day. He showed no signs of a relapse."

"Good. Still, you may wish to return to the Abbey when you may, to follow up on your patient. Your skills in such healing techniques surpass those of any Redwaller."

Machus nodded. "I will plan on it, My Lord. When circumstances allow. But I fear my skills with a blade will be needed here before all else." He proceeded to explain the manner of Urthfist's arrival at the Abbey, the hostility with which he and his hares regarded Urthblood, and Vanessa's decision that no forces from either side would be permitted to station themselves inside Redwall. "I know your orders were for us to remain there, but the Abbess made it clear that we would be violating her wishes if we did not leave. I did not mean to disobey you, but I truly felt I had no choice."

"You did the right thing, Machus," Urthblood reassured him. "I did not mean for you to force yourself upon Redwall if you were not welcome there. The desires of its leaders must of course come first. But I hope my brother caused them no trouble after you left."

"I have no way of knowing that, My Lord," Machus said, going on to describe the arrangement that had been worked out with the belligerent badger whereby he and the Long Patrol stood in full view outside the south Abbey wall while Machus led his force away through the north gate and into the safety of the forest, covered from the treetops by Mina, Alex and the Mossflower Patrol. "My main concern at that point was the safety of my soldiers. That, and rejoining you at Salamandastron as quickly as I might, My Lord. I had heard you speak several times of a shortcut over the mountains, and decided to chance that route when I realized we had to leave the Abbey. I remembered you saying that the pass lay almost directly across the Western Plains from Redwall, so I knew roughly where it must be. Unfortunately, our immediate flight from Urthfist caused us to travel half a day north and cross the Plains there, then backtrack to the south again once we reached the range. Redwall was no longer visible at that distance, so we had to search up and down for the better part of a day until we finally managed to pick up the right trail. It was my hope to get over the mountains in a single day, but we met some unexpected travelers coming the other way."

Machus told of meeting Colonel Clewiston's brigade up in the high mountain pass, and how fighting had been narrowly averted along the perilous cliff edge, thanks in large part to Alexander's timely intervention.

Winokur patted Alex on the back. "Well, I'm heartened to hear that at least one Redwaller got to be a peacemaker in all of this."

"Yes," Urthblood nodded, "it would seem I owe you a great debt for helping Machus and his company reach Salamandastron safely."

"It would not have occurred to me to do otherwise," Alex replied. "But there is something I must ask you about, Lord. Urthfist and his Long Patrol at Redwall told us of a hare named Browder, who came to them with tales of horrible deeds you'd committed at Redwall, and asked for their help, supposedly on behalf of all the creatures of Mossflower who were suffering. Colonel Clewiston mentioned Browder to me as well, and verified that Captain Saybrook had admitted to knowing that hare in the Northlands. They are all convinced that you sent Browder to lure your brother out of Salamandastron. I must tell you, the Abbess does not think very highly of such tactics, if that tale is true."

Urthblood's response was unapologetic. "My tactics, which the Abbess might find so disagreeable, saved a great many lives. If Urthfist and all hundred of the Long Patrol had been here to resist me when I arrived, many beasts who are still alive would instead be dead now. My brother, it seems, is incapable of seeing reason, has convinced his hares I am their mortal enemy, and has corrupted the Long Patrol to the point where they will no longer serve the rightful ruler of Salamandastron. I sent Browder so that I might be able to enter my own home without bloodshed, and now that I have done so while my brother has shown his true colors, I would say my methods have been justified. Indeed, my use of Browder has served a double purpose. I instructed him to tell Urthfist things which were not true, abominable things. The mere fact that my brother even considered me capable of such atrocities is in itself a clear indication of how unhinged his mind has become, of how demented he is. It would be dangerous and unacceptable for such a beast to remain in command of this, the only line of defense between Tratton and the inner lands. Yes, good Alexander, I did employ Browder to mislead my brother. And I would say we are all better off for it."

"Well, yes, I suppose. But there is one more thing that bothers me, Lord ... "

"Yes?"

"Well, just when did you send Browder to Salamandastron?"

"When I became concerned that all was not well with my brother," Urthblood answered without hesitation.

"And when would that have been?" Alex pressed.

"I do not know what you're getting at."

"Before, or after you came to Redwall?"

"After," Urthblood said.

Alex worried at his whiskers with one paw. "Well, here's the thing, Lord. As far as we could tell, you yourself didn't seem to realize how bad things were with your brother until Hanchett showed up at Redwall and started spouting off ... after he'd tried to kill you, of course. But, there's no way Urthfist could have gotten to the Abbey when he did unless he'd left Salamandastron around the same time you left Redwall. How do you explain this, Lord?"

A tension had settled over the assembly. The captains were most unaccustomed to hearing their master interrogated in such a manner.

"That is simple," Urthblood responded. "I dispatched Browder the night before my army arrived at Redwall ... which was several days before Hanchett did."

Alex stared blankly at the badger. "I don't understand. If Hanchett was the first time you suspected your brother was a real problem - "

"But it wasn't," said Urthblood. "Hanchett merely confirmed suspicions that were already in my mind."

"You never told us any of this!"

"Just because I did not voice my concerns at the time does not mean that I did not have them."

"So, you knew when you left the Abbey that Urthfist would be coming to Redwall. You had to have known. Lord, you had no right to use our home the way you did, no matter what you were trying to do! You should have told us about Browder, at the very least."

"Ah. And would your Abbess have approved of my tactics any more hearing about them from me, rather than from my brother?"

"It wasn't right to keep this from us, Lord." Alex looked hard at Urthblood. The badger gave no hint of shame or unease, no indication that he considered himself openly caught in a lie. He freely admitted his deceptive methods with unflinching calm. He remained utterly impassive and confident. But even more than that, his attitude toward Alexander's questioning was like a parent painfully explaining the obvious to a child. He was absolutely in the right, his manner declared, and anybeast who disagreed simply did not know any better. Alex was not comfortable being on the receiving end of such imperious dismissiveness, and he decided to let the matter rest for now; he'd said all he had to say.

"Then I shall have to apologize to the Abbess the next time I am at Redwall," Urthblood said, closing the subject from his end as well. "But we have more urgent and immediate concerns before us at the moment. Machus, we have rather strayed from your tale. Please continue."

"There's really not much more to tell, My Lord. The run-in with those hares forced us to spend the night up on the high peaks. Keeping warm was quite a challenge, but we all came out all right. This morning we came down the coastal side of the range, and around noon we linked up with Captain Cermak's foraging expedition. Learning that all had gone well for you here and Salamandastron was safely secured, we helped with the foraging. We all started back together around sunset, and, well, here we are."

"And it is well that you are," said Urthblood. "We will soon need every defender that we have."

"That's true," Mina nodded. "When those twenty hares we met coming over the mountain get to Redwall, Urthfist will have his full complement of Long Patrol with him. Then he will undoubtedly make his way back here with all the speed he can."

"And that speed is not to be underestimated," Urthblood said. "The good news is that he will have only eighty hares with him, not the full hundred."

"But, My Lord," Machus stammered, "those twenty we passed on the mountain ... "

"Are probably crossing the Western Plains as we speak, bound for Redwall. But my brother and the other fourscore hares of the Patrols rounded the south end of the range this morning. They are already on the coastlands. They will be here within the next two days - perhaps tomorrow, if they travel hard."

Everybeast around the table gaped in amazement, but none moreso than Alex, Mina and Machus.

"That can't be, My Lord!" the swordfox exclaimed.

"Halpryn and Klystra both spotted the formation on their survey flights today. It is rather hard to mistake an armored badger and eighty hares for anything else."

"Yes, but ... " Machus shook his head, trying to picture the chain of events in his mind. "I just don't see it, My Lord. We left them behind at Redwall, and we took a short cut. Even with our slight detour to throw off pursuit, we should still have gotten here farther ahead of them than this."

"Perhaps they left Redwall later on the same day that you did," Urthblood suggested.

"Even so ... " Machus again shook his head dubiously.

"Urthfist was pretty intent on getting into the Abbey to inspect it," Alex said, "to see for himself that none of your troops remained there. And the Abbess was going to keep them waiting outside for awhile after we left, until we could get well away. Redwall's a big place. It would take a fair amount of time for even eighty hares to check it from top to bottom and wall to wall. My guess would be that they didn't leave until the day after we did, at the earliest."

"That would make even less sense," Machus argued.

"Then there can be only one possible explanation," said Urthblood. "My brother must be pushing his hares hard, with virtually no stops for rest or eating. That is the only way they could have come so far so fast."

"Those will be some mighty tired hares by the time they get here," said Machus.

"Maybe too tired to fight?" Winokur added hopefully.

"Perhaps," Urthblood said. "But we must also remember that they follow the lead of my brother, and all evidence points to the likelihood that he will be of no mind to talk, no matter what his physical state may be. Therefore, we must be prepared for and expect an assualt from them as soon as they arrive."

"We'll be ready for them," said the mouse captain Abellon. "We've only three entrances to defend, and ammunition stockpiled at every window slit. They won't be able to get in."

"Nor will we be able to get out," Urthblood countered, "if our attackers decide to place Salamandastron under siege. I will not be held a prisoner in my own fortress. We will meet them on the slopes outside, in force."

The captains were visibly dismayed by this announcement. Who wanted to go out and face the Long Patrols in open battle when they could sit safe and snug within this fortified mountain, picking off intruders from the sheltered vantage of windows and tunnel mouths?

Saybrook said as much. "Pardon me, M'Lord, but we could open ourselves to heavy losses that way. Shouldn't our main goal be keepin' those rascals outta here, rather than goin' out an' pickin' a fight with 'em?"

"We could very easily keep them out, Captain, which would leave them no other choice but to keep us in. It has been many generations since Salamandastron last housed an army of our size. The basement spring is running sluggish these days, and you yourself know only too well from going through our storerooms that our food stocks would not last a season without resupply. Our superior numbers which would give us an advantage on the battlefield would doom us in any prolonged siege. No, we will meet them outside. If they are set upon war, we shall give them war. And make them regret it."

"Excuse me, My Lord," Winokur said, raising a paw as if he were in one of Brother Geoff's classes, "but this affects me somewhat, seeing as how I came here to stop what you're about to start. It seems to me that your proposed pose would be provoking to your brother. Have you decided then that talking with him is totally off the table?"

"Not at all. If they arrive in an exhausted state, this show of force might be just the thing to bring them to the negotiating table. The Long Patrol might be made to see this, even if my brother doesn't. In such a case, your services as a mediator might very much be needed."

"Well, let's hope so," Winokur said, mollified.

Urthblood said to the entire assembly, "If they travel by night, as I suspect they might, they should be visible from the crater rim by morning. We will have plenty of time to gauge their approach, and get ourselves in good position before their arrival. We can place the bulk of our forces outside, since only a token guard will be necessary to protect each entrance."

"What about the sleeping gas?" Mattoon asked.

"Any fighting with the hares is likely to be close-quarters style. The Flitchaye oil would not be of any use, since it would affect both sides. It might work in helping to defend the tunnels, however. If a group of hares gets through or around our lines outside and tries to fight its way in, we could flood the passage with the gas. They would pass out if they tried to get through it, deeper into the mountain."

Urthblood turned to face the vermin captains Mattoon, Bandon, Perrett, Lorsch and Cermak. "We will adopt the standard deployment that we use in the Northlands: weasels, stoats and ferrets forming a long-reach line behind the forward rat ranks. Do not despair. Today I opened up a special armory, a secret hoard containing generations' worth of the finest weaponry forged by Badger Lords by bygone ages. These you may distribute among your brigades as you see fit. I would not send you out to stand in the vanguard against the Long Patrol without some advantage. When you face my brother's hares, you and your troops will carry arms which are among the finest ever crafted by any creature in the history of the world. And if that does not bring Urthfist to the bargaining table, then I do not know what will."

00000000000

After the meeting of the captains broke up, Winokur took Alex and Mina on a guided tour through most of Salamandastron. Since the young otter was himself still getting acquainted with the multi-level maze of tunnels, chambers, halls, alcoves, rooms, dead ends and stairways, the experience proved to be more of an adventure that it might have been otherwise.

"Let's see ... that stairwell there leads up to the level where Lord Urthblood is working and asked us not to go ... or was that the last set of stairs we passed? Maybe this is the one that goes all the way up to the roof. Oh, well - one way to find out!"

As they strolled the passages, Winokur regaled the two squirrels with the full tale of the journey from Redwall to Salamandastron, and the successful capture of the mountain fortress. He spent a lot of time on their encounter with Log-a-Log and the Guosim shrews, dwelling upon the discovery of the improbable searat craft, the daring rescue of the slaves, and Urthblood's treatment of the enemy crew.

"A ship that travels underwater ..." Alex shook his head. "Who would have supposed that the lands would be exposed to a danger like that? Looks to me like Tratton's the one who's gonna cause this great crisis of Urthblood's. With a weapon like that, it's gotta be. What did the hares have to say when you told them all of this?"

Winokur opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Would you believe it, Alex, I don't recall that we ever did."

"Well, why in the name of acorns not?"

"Never got around to it," Winokur said. "At first, Colonel Clewiston didn't really want to talk to me at all. I'm not even sure he fully believed I was a Redwaller, so that tells you where he was coming from. And then later, when Urthblood invited him to dinner, well, it wasn't a very cordial scene, as you can imagine. Tempers were flaring, wine was flying ... what it all came down to was two beasts talking at each other and neither one really hearing what the other was saying. No, wait, that's not altogether fair. Urthblood made a valiant effort to keep properly respectful toward the Colonel, even after Clewiston splashed that wine into his face. But still, you had Urthblood over here, and those hares over here," Winokur held his paws wide apart in front of him, "and never the twain did meet."

"Well, Winokur, at least you got to see for yourself that Lord Urthblood's no friend of searats," said Mina. "The very idea! It's utterly preposterous, and only shows how offbase those hares are. And you, Alex," she turned her gaze to her fellow squirrel, "what was all that about earlier? Calling Lord Urthblood into question like an untrustworthy villain, right in front of all his captains! What were you thinking?"

"Well, you have to admit, Mina," Alex responded unapologetically, "it certainly looks as if Urthblood used Redwall for his own ends. By his own admission, he sent Browder to Salamandastron with false stories about a slaughter at the Abbey. Never mind what he said about that being some kind of test; if he was concerned enough about Urthfist's state of mind to send Browder in the first place, then he must have known his own actions would be the very thing to make Urthfist leave here and go to Redwall. He used Browder to draw his brother out of Salamandastron so that he could conquer it more easily, and that's all there is to it!"

"So what if he did?" Mina retorted. "Feeding false reports to the enemy is a perfectly legitimate military strategy. We do it all the time in the Northlands."

"So you're saying Urthblood considered his brother an enemy, even before he came down to Redwall?"

"A potential enemy," Mina suggested.

"Obviously so, since he brought enough of that sleeping gas with him from the Northlands to put all of Salamandastron to sleep. He knew all along he would have to capture this place! Before he even arrived at Redwall, he knew it! So why didn't he tell us, Mina? Until Hanchett came, he made it sound as if everything between him and Urthfist was just fine. He set up events so that Urthfist was almost certain to come to Redwall. Urthblood involved us in a dangerous situation that had nothing to do with us. And those aren't the actions of a friend, or an ally."

"I seem to recall Lord Urthblood warning the Abbess most explicitly that Urthfist might come to Redwall," Mina replied stiffly. "Machus and his company were left behind at the Abbey for precisely that eventuality."

"If Urthfist had come to Redwall of his own accord, that's very different from being lured there by Urthblood," Alex argued. "And if Urthblood knew for a fact that his brother was on his way to Redwall, that's very different from just a suspicion that he 'might' show up."

Mina scoffed. "How could he have known for sure? He was at Redwall, and his brother was all the way out here at Salamandaston."

"Yes ... and Urthblood told us just a short while ago how his bird scouts spied Urthfist two days out from here. One of those birds could probably fly from here to Redwall in less than a day. And an owl of his did come to the Abbey the night before Urthblood announced his intention to leave. I think Urthblood waited until his birds reported to him that his brother had left Salamandastron before he left Redwall himself. That would mean an unreasonable and dangerous beast was on its way to our home by Urthblood's own arrangement, and he knew it, and he didn't tell us!"

"You can't know for a fact that that's what happened," said Mina.

"I doubt he'd tell me if I asked him."

"Alex!" Mina's tail bristled in agitation. "This is a noble and fated Lord you're talking about! You wouldn't say such things if you'd seen for yourself some of what he's accomplished in the Northlands. Lord Urthblood has always done what is best for the goodbeasts of the lands!"

"Maybe so, Mina. But I can only judge him by what I've seen of him in the time that I've known him. And his methods do seem underpawed to me."

"Yet good and decent creatures are alive now who would otherwise not be, thanks to those methods. You yourself called Urthfist dangerous and beyond reason; that much you have seen with your own eyes. If Lord Urthblood resorted to tactics such as he used, you can be sure it was only because he could see no other way to safeguard the best interests of the lands."

"Or to safeguard Salamandastron for himself," Alex said.

"Which might be the same thing," said Mina.

"Ahem!" Winokur cleared his throat behind them, causing the two word-sparring squirrels to glance back at him over their shoulders. "Should we be looking for separate rooms, then? Or is this spat all just for my amusement?"

Alex and Mina looked at each other, then laughed. "Sorry, Wink," chuckled Alex, "didn't mean to give you such an earful! We're just having a difference of opinion - "

"So I noticed."

Mina took Alexander's paw in her own. "Let's not squabble anymore, Alex. We could be facing battle tomorrow. We should enjoy each other's company while we may."

"Agreed," Alex nodded emphatically. "We'll leave this discussion lying right where it was, and maybe pick it up again after we see how things turn out."

"If it even still matters then." Mina turned to the otter. "I notice you stayed out of the conversation, Winokur. What are your views on what we were discussing?"

"Whoa," Wink held up both paws, "I'm the peacemaker here, remember? And I just got to try my paw at making peace between the two of you. Worked out pretty well, so I ought not to go undoing my own best efforts, eh?"

Alex looked at Mina. "We'll take that as a 'no comment' from the otter!"

A clinking and bustling sound came from a side tunnel off ahead of them. Urthblood emerged into the main passage, bearing a sack slung over his shoulder that was so heavily laden with armaments that the badger needed both paws to carry it. He seemed mildly started to find the trio here.

"Oh, sorry, M'Lord!" Winokur quickly offered. "We didn't mean to disturb you. I was just trying to find some beds for these two. We must have strayed up here by mistake. I'm still getting the hang of this place, you know."

"I'm afraid beds are in short supply this night," Urthblood said. "I've ordered all my troops to get a full night's sleep, to be ready for tomorrow. Some of my moles and hedgehogs are sleeping on flour sacks down in the kitchens, and Machus and his foxes have had to make do with spare mats and blankets on the dining hall floor. You will have to join them there, I regret."

"We'll just be happy to get off our footpaws after the march here from Redwall, Lord," Alex said cordially. "A blanket on the floor will still be a big improvement over that freezing mountain pass last night."

"Then to the dining hall we go!" Winokur glanced up and down the corridor, uncertainty on his face. "Um, er, just which way would that be, My Lord?"

"I am on my way there now," Urthblood rumbled. "I'm setting out the better weapons on the main table so the troops can be equipped first thing in the morning. Follow me."

They fell into step behind the badger warrior, the swaying weapons sack over his back hiding almost all of his impressive bulk from their eyes.

"I say, Lord, do you want anybeast to lend a paw with your task?" Alex inquired. "That's an awful lot for one beast to manage, even a beast of your size."

"These weapons come from a vault where only the Lords of the Mountain may set foot. It will only take several trips to bring what is needed down to the dining hall. I will do it myself."

"What about your sleep, My Lord?" Mina asked, concerned. "This will take you all night."

"Look to yourselves, Lady. I will have all the time for sleep that I need after the battle ... if there is to be a battle. Until then, sleep is a luxury I cannot afford."

Alex, Mina and Winokur exchanged glances in the dim tunnel, but said nothing in response as they followed Urthblood down to the dining hall.