Part One: The Army

Chapter Ten: Crows

Swike cheered Swifcut along with the crowd until her voice was hoarse. She wanted very much to run up to him and throw her arms around him in celebration, but Swifcut didn't even know that a stoat named Tyn existed. The smile never left Swike's face as she watched the ferret announcer tie a blue strip of cloth around Swifcut's left paw. Swifcut raised his left arm into the air, basking in the roar of the crowd, the yells of "Cap'n Swifcut!" Everybeast was on an emotional high and would have remained there if not for a certain ferret climbing onto the platform. Swifcut noticed who the beast was immediately and quickly knelt in submission. With his green cape swishing behind him, Lord Koron strode toward his newest captain. A toothy grin stretched across his face.

Swike found herself looking, not at Koron, but at the beast following him. As he strode, his left paw came into view, both a blue and green strip of cloth tied around it. Swike had heard of Jaoto, Koron's second-in-command, but this was the first time she'd seen a hair of him. He was a tall weasel, slim with baggy clothing. He looked almost like … Spirtz.

"Well, we know how somebeast came up for the candidacy for captain," said Riss, stressing the word 'somebeast' knowingly. Swike nodded. Apparently, Jaoto had arranged for his sister to rise in the rankings. He didn't look at all happy right now, his eyes piercing into Swifcut's bowed head.

Koron circled Swifcut. All of a sudden, he drew his sword and brought it crashing down onto the platform, a claw's breadth from Swifcut. The rat captain remained where he was without flinching. Just as quickly as he'd attacked, Koron sheathed his weapon. Then, turning his back on Swifcut, he addressed the crowd. "I give you, your newest captain!"

The cheer that rang out put all previous shouts to shame. Stiffly, Jaoto pulled Swifcut to his feet, and then Koron swept the two of them off to his tent, where the other captains were already grouped. Their planning would continue through the night. Nobeast got sleep after the battle. As soon as Lord Koron was gone, many of them dismantled the platform while others went back to the task of packing up their tents and gear.

Swike lost the archers in the crowd and slowly made her way back to Lord Koron's tent. She felt odd slipping in the back. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to be there tonight, but her satchel with all of her herbs and spare clothes was inside. Sitting waiting for her was Naysta. The vixen quickly brought a paw to her lips, signaling Swike to remain quiet, but she defeated her purpose simply by moving her arm. Swike flinched at the jangle created by Naysta's jewelry. 'Change!' Naysta mouthed. Swike did as she was bid, grateful that Naysta looked away as she destroyed her disguise and changed back into her normal clothes. As she began to pile everything back into her satchel, Naysta turned back around. She grabbed Swike's arm and pulled her into the main area of the tent. Many of the objects were piled on one side of the tent, including Koron's table and chairs. Even without furniture, Koron sat in the center of his tent, a map spread on the floor, and his second-in-command and captains surrounding him. They spoke in hushed voices, some of them pointing at the map from time to time. Jaoto, hearing Naysta's approach, turned around.

"They're here Lord."

Koron looked up from his map. "Ah, Naysta and Swike. There are some things which you should know. Come here."

Swike was not at all comfortable nearing the captains. She hadn't been aware that there were so many. A full score of captains were now looking at her and Naysta as they walked forward. Quickly, Swike found Swifcut. He was right beside Koron. He smiled at her, making her feel much better. Weakly, she tried to return the smile.

"We're here," said Koron, pointed at an area in the northeast portion of the map. Swike took her eyes off of her brother in order to look at the map. Her eyes quickly moved south and west. There it was. A small red square lay beside a road with the words Redwall Abbey beside it. She felt a shiver run down her spine. I don't want to go there!

"Tell everybeast what you've told me," said Koron. Swike looked back at Koron. What's he talking about? I don't have anything important to report.

"Lord Koron is the greatest warlord to have ever existed," said Naysta. Swike breathed a sigh of relief that Koron had been speaking to Naysta and not to herself. "I have Seen him, in the future, sitting upon a field of glory." Many captains began to nod, the idea of Koron being victorious, expected. Naysta's voice began to rise in volume and intensity. "I have Seen him drinking the wine of his conquest!" Naysta's body began to sway. Her words took on the aura of a chant. "He will fight, he will lead, he will kill, he will win, he will…" Naysta paused for effect. A few captains leaned forward, wanting to hear more of this wonderful future. "…make Redwall fall!"

Swike had known that it was coming and had been ready for it, but the captains had not been ready at all. At the name Redwall, many faces fell. A few captains looked ill. Others seemed to be scared. Swike noticed on some of their faces, though, the gleam of excitement, the desire to crush Redwall. Swike scanned the captains' faces. Her fears were realized as she noticed that more seemed inspired and awed than frightened. What was wrong with them? Redwall had been the death of too many vermin to count, and yet these captains were more than ready for the challenge. Even Swifcut looked eager to march to Redwall and wage war on its inhabitants.

Koron let the moment last for a while longer before speaking again. "There is only one thing I lack. One thing from Naysta's vision that I still don't have."

Swike gave Koron all of her attention. This was something she hadn't been counting on. According to Blackgut, all Koron needed was a spy and a large army. Both, he surely had.

"She Saw a large army, greater than any I had ever led. It is here, in this camp, but every beast in it walks on land. She also Saw beasts of the air. I will have crows in my army, and you're going to get their alliance for me." As he said this, Koron pointed at Swike, softly jabbing his claw into her chest as he said 'you're.' Swike stood in shock. She felt as if all of the blood had drained from her face. Her throat became horribly dry and her legs became weak. She was surprised that she remained standing at all.

Swike opened her mouth and then closed it. She swallowed hard and then opened her mouth again. "Me?" she squeaked.

"Yes. You are my spy and you will move among the crows and get to their leader. Then, you will make them join with me and my army."

Swike's eyes began to water, but she'd never let herself cry in front of Koron. Still, she was panicking. She hadn't been a spy before being sold into Koron's army, and yet he always seemed to expect her to do what he'd have any spy do for him. She didn't want to spy on crows and she didn't want to talk to their leader. How was she even supposed to get close to their leader? Finally gaining her voice again, she said the only thing she could think to say. "I can't disguise myself as a crow!"

No emotion showed on Koron's face. "That is not what I told you to do." He sounded calm, level … dangerous. "You will spy on the crows and speak with their leader. Naysta has Seen it." Without another word, he turned back to his map. The captains all followed his lead, and Naysta grabbed a hold of Swike's arm, pulling her away. She led Swike from the tent and back to their own tent. Swike plodded along beside her, but she paid no attention to her surroundings. When she entered their tent, she stopped moving altogether. She stood just inside the entrance, gazing at the cleared out insides of the tent, but not seeing them.

And then the tears came. Before she knew it, she was in Naysta's arms on the floor and Naysta was rocking her back and forth. Swike buried her face in Naysta's arm, letting her body go limp against the seer's body as she cried. She wasn't sure how long she cried, but by the time she was done, she had no more voice to speak with. Naysta noticed this and got her some water. Once she was able to speak, Swike whispered, "I'm going to die." Nothing Naysta said would change Swike's mind.

When the sun finally peaked over the horizon, Swike's eyes were bloodshot. Nobeast noticed though. Everything was moving. Yells could be heard all over the camp. The last few tents had finally come down and been loaded onto carts. Before the sun had completely risen, the army had formed ranks and was marching away from the sun, marching west.

Swike didn't remember much from the day's march. It had been a harsh trek at a fast pace, and she wasn't fit for it. At first, she had been surprised that an army which had lied in one spot for three seasons could keep such a pace, but she figured that the drills which were held every day, and which she had participated in only once, had worked to keep the army in marching condition. They had stopped once, for a short noon break, but she couldn't even remember by the end of the day what she had eaten for lunch. She felt bone weary. She would have collapsed in a heap and fallen straight to sleep, but her nerves were not in the best of shapes. The army had stopped a short ways from a pine grove. Swike had gotten no sleep the night before, and gazing at the pines, she knew she would get no sleep this night either.

Uneasily, she sat down beside a fire which belonged to one of the units. The vermin around it paid her no heed. It wasn't long before Naysta found her.

"Here, eat this." Swike took the bread. It wasn't much, but she didn't care. She shoved it in her mouth and let Naysta guide her to Koron's tent, on the edge of the pine grove.

Koron thrust a bottle at her. "Drink up!" Swike paused, remembering the last time she had accepted food and drink from Lord Koron. "It will keep you awake," he said, sounding irritated. Swike took the bottle and began to drink. She made a face at the taste, but sure enough, she no longer felt like she could fall asleep in a moment's notice. "In there," Koron said, pointing into the darkness beneath the pines. "That's where they are. I expect them on my side by the morning."

This was a dismissal. Swike nodded, set down the near empty bottle and began to walk into the pine grove. She could see no other alternative. If this was how she was going to die, pecked to death by crows, them maybe it was a better fate than going on to Redwall anyway.

Slowly, the noises of the camp were eaten by the stillness under the pines. Swike wanted very much to have light, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to draw attention to herself. Even a small light in this eternal night would shine like a beacon. As she crept through the undergrowth, her mind kept shifting back and forth between I'm not a spy and I'm going to die. After a while though, she calmed down. She had been walking for what seemed like forever, but she hadn't met a single creature. Why hadn't a crow descended upon her bearing death? Didn't they know she was here?

Swike stopped moving and looked up into the pines. She was shocked at how much she could see. She had been in the dark for so long that her eyes had adjusted to it. She could see each tree around her clearly and not just the ones directly in front of her like she'd seen when first entering the grove. As she stood still, she heard a rustle of feathers to her left. She spun around, but she couldn't see a thing except for the trees. Silently, she moved in the direction the sound had come from. Her eyes remained intent on the trees, and as she moved closer, she saw a patch of darkness blacker than the black around it. She got right under the patch of darkness and squinted up at it. It was a crow. The crow still hadn't noticed Swike's presence. I may not be a spy, but I know how to be quiet, Swike thought. She approached the tree and examined its bark. She didn't like what she could see, which wasn't much. Rats are not known for their climbing abilities. For that, you'd need a squirrel, but Swike knew she'd have to deal with what she had, and that was the body and abilities of a rat.

Swike dug her claws into the bark of the pine, concentrating more on being quiet than getting a good grip. With one paw relatively steady, she dug her other paw a little higher up the tree. Holding her breath, Swike began to scale the tree, often looking up at the crow to make sure that it hadn't noticed her. It had its head tucked under a wing, probably sleeping. Luckily for Swike, the crow was perched on one of the lower branches, and she made it to the branch without incident. Now here, she didn't know what to do though. She didn't have much of a plan. She just figured that it would be a good start to get up into the tree. Still not sure of what she planned to do, Swike began to inch along the branch, careful not to cause it to bounce with her movements.

And then, as an even greater surprise, Swike made it to the crow's side. She could hear its raspy breathing and see its body softly rise and fall as it slept. All of a sudden, she thought, It's now or never! Swike shoved her paws under the crow's wings, clamping them on its beak. It awoke in a shower of feathers, nearly tipping both of them off the branch. Deciding that she had a good enough grip on the crow's beak, Swike took one paw away, fished a knife out of her satchel, and held it to the crow's neck, letting the bird feel the pressure of her blade.

"Take me to your leader!" she hissed.