CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

In the observation deck dome atop the tower of Foxguard, the lunch bell rang, signalling the change of shift.

"Bah! Think they're late again, as usual," Weel complained. "Midday's long past!"

"What're you grousin' 'bout, mate?" Monda countered. "Borin' as this duty can be, wouldja really rather have been down there all that time, doin' actshul work?"

"Dunno, Mondy. Sometime, when Tolar keeps us busy, th' day seems t' go faster. Almost think I'd prefer real labor, with some purpose behind it an' results a beast c'n see, over these lookout shifts where y' stand watch dawn t' dusk an' back again, overseein' lands that never change an' where naught ever happens."

Monda elbowed his fellow weasel in the ribs as they ambled over to the elevator winch; the ringing of the bell meant that their relief stood upon the lift platform at the tower's base, waiting to be hauled up to the summit by the retiring rotation. "Well, can't deny sumpthin's happened this shift, Weelsy! Takes a lot t' get Tolar 'imself up 'ere, not t' mention Mona!"

"I s'pose ... " Weel set his paws firmly on the winch handle, and within moments he and Monda fell into the familiar rhythm of exertion which would deliver the mobile platform to this pinnacle of the fox stronghold with all good speed. "Coulda done without that rabbert, tho'. Had all I could do t' keep from droolin' while 'ee was up 'ere. Succulent-lookin' thing, 'ee was."

Monda regarded his partner with alarm. "Weelsy! Don't go sayin' things like that! If'n anybeast heard ye ... "

"Aw, who's gonna hear? Just you 'n' me up here, an' it'll be some good while afore our relief's high enuff t' make out anything we're sayin'. Don't deny you don't sometimes have a hankerin' yerself fer some good, juicy meat y' could sink yer fangs inta."

Monda shook his head. "Ought not think that way, Weels. We gave all that up when we hooked up with Lord Urthblood, an' ain't we better off now than we were then?"

"Hard t' say. Ye're relergated t' soft duty fer th' rest o' yer soldierin' life with them smashed bones in yer footpaw, an' both of us're stuck here takin' orders from brushtails who treat us like second-class beasts."

"Well, t' them, ain't we? They're th' best o' Lord Urthblood's forces, after all, an' servin' here with 'em's s'posed t' be an honor. Face it, wouldn't you ner me've ever become a horde leader up North, an' we ain't exactly officer material neither. If'n Urthblood ain't never come along, we'd prob'ly both be dead now, slain 'fore we'd lived out our prime, like most hordesbeasts are. Much better life we're livin' now than it coulda been."

"Mebbe so. But y' also can't deny what we once was - or ignore what's natural. Might not be polite 'n' decent t' eat other creatures, but we both done lotsa things that weren't polite or decent in our younger days. An' once that taste gets inta ya, y' can't never ferget it. I know we're s'posed ta treat all beasts with respect, but instincts're instincts, an' there's a reason Urthblood mostly kept us weasels 'n' ferrets 'n' stoats away from certain species ... "

"Like rabberts."

"Aye. Like rabberts. Much as we been retrained an' re-educatered as proper soldierbeasts, sometimes y' just shouldn't tempt fate."

"Well, what about mice? A plump juicy mouse is just as succulent as any rabbert, an' you 'n' me both served alongside lotsa mice without any thought of scoffin' 'em."

"Heh. Only mice we ever served alongside were Urthblood's trained soldiermice, an' you jus' try 'n' go scoffin' one o' Cap'n Abellon's brigade! Sumpthin' 'bout a beast carryin' steel that makes ya stop thinkin' of 'em as food, y' know? But Urthblood ain't never had rabberts in his army - too timid an' unwarlike. That's why I've got trouble seein' 'em any other way than how I do."

"Well, you keep seein' 'em however y' like, but I'd keep it to yerself, unless'n you want a one-way ticket back North - or worse."

They soon had the elevator platform raised level with the observation deck floor, and to their surprise they beheld two foxes riding the conveyance: the recently-promoted Roxroy and the seasoned campaigner Haddican. While the masters of Foxguard occasionally deigned to perform towertop sentry duty themselves, these rotations were most commonly taken by the stronghold's weasels, the foxes regarding their training exercises and other pursuits as more important that standing high watch. It seemed Tolar was taking the presence of so many unexpected beasts in this region very seriously indeed.

Haddican stepped off the slightly-swaying boards onto the stone floor, Roxroy following. "Anything to report?"

"Um ... not especially," Weel replied, caught off guard by finding himself face-to-face with a senior swordfox sooner than expected.

Haddican narrowed his eyes at the two weasels. "Well, is there or isn't there?"

"Saw some more activity 'round th' quarry. Couldn't tell whether it was some o' th' beasts who'd been there all along, or new arrivals."

"That should be very easy to distinguish. Which direction did they come from?"

"Outta th' forest just north of us, movin' north toward th' quarry."

Roxroy and Haddican exchanged glances. "That would have been from the same woods Lieutenant Custis passed through on his way here yesterday," the younger fox said. "If there'd been any sizable enemy force there, the Gawtrybe would surely have discovered them."

"Perhaps. But Custis didn't mention that any of the Redwallers had ventured forth from the quarry to accompany him partway to Foxguard. And I can't imagine who else they could be." Haddican looked back to the weasels. "What kind of creatures were they, and how many?"

"Looked t' be well over a hunnerd, sir," Monda answered. "Couldn't tell fer sure what species - coulda been shrews, or mice, or mebbe rats ... "

"Rats?" The senior swordfox's ears pricked up at this.

"Can't really be sure from this distance 'n' height, sir - not even with th' long glass. Them creatures all kinda sorta look th' same, y' know, 'ceptin' fer th' size diff'rence. An' these were all th' same type o' creature, so there was naught else t' compare 'em to."

"Well, have they reached the quarry yet?"

"Aye. Looks like they're campin' out topside, mebbe t' keep outta th' way of the workerbeasts below."

"There was no attack?" Roxroy probed, concerned about this in particular since learning the previous night that his otter friend Winokur was among the Redwallers at the quarry.

"Nay. They just stopped there an' put down stakes, as t'were."

"Then they simply can't be rats," Roxroy declared in relief. "Rats would have attacked right away. And there's no way we and the Gawtrybe both could have missed so many rats on the move on this side of the river."

"Perhaps," Haddican mused. "Let me have the long glass."

Monda surrendered the telescope to Haddican, and the fox went to the outer balcony and trained the spyglass on the quarry. After studying the scene there for many long moments, he passed the device to his eagerly-waiting junior. "Tell me what you see, Rox."

Doing as bidden, Roxroy took his own turn with the long glass, then lowered it. "It's just as Monda and Weel said: these newcomers seem to have just stopped there at the quarry's edge, like they're setting up camp themselves. I can see a number of beasts down in the pit itself, and they look to be woodlanders, but there's no sign of fighting or strife. As to the identity of the strangers, I honestly can't tell from here whether they're mice or rats - although there do seem to be family beasts among them."

"That's what we thought too," Monda quickly put in. "Any group travellin' with family beasts can't be up t' trouble, right?"

Haddican considered this. "Most likely not. Although this situation needs to be watched closely - and reported to Sword Tolar right away."

"Aye," Weel acknowledged, "that's what we'd planned on doin' once we were down. Hadn't figgered on givin' any kinda preliminary report t' anybeast up here first."

"That's right," Monda seconded, "since we just sorta assumed our relief would be more weasels."

"Well, mind that you seek out Tolar straightaway and tell him what you just told us. Roxroy and I will monitor the quarry as our primary focus, and alert everybeast below if we see anything demanding immediate attention."

"Aye, sir, will do!" The two weasels stepped onto the waiting platform as the fox duo took their place at the lowering winch, and within moments Weel and Monda were slowly descending back to earth. They made sure to ring the lift's progress bell every few breaths so that the safety timber crews on duty would know when to pull back the catch beams and allow the elevator to pass unobstructed.

Attaining the bottom of the shaft some time later, Monda and Weel sought out Tolar, finding him at last out on the practice grounds overseeing drills for the most recent recruits. There they informed the Sword and his companion Sappakit of all they'd seen around the quarry, answering anew many of the same probing questions Haddican had put to them.

"Very good. Dismissed." The weasels saluted and scurried off in search of their first hot meal in two days, leaving Tolar and Sappakit to puzzle over and deliberate on this latest news.

"So, are we sending anybeast out to investigate, My Sword?"

"We already did, remember? And our bunny has gone missing in action."

"Perhaps these strangers spotted this morning know something of his fate? Perhaps Tibball walked right into something he wasn't prepared for."

"Or, conversely, he simply ran away, deciding he didn't care to return to Foxguard. I really don't see any point in sending anybeast out so far beyond our walls. These creatures Weel and Monda saw might well not be rats at all. In fact, they almost certainly aren't, if they haven't attacked the Redwallers. And Haddican didn't see fit to raise the alarm over this, even after surveying the scene for himself."

"I might remind you, sir, that it's no longer necessary to think in fox terms when it comes to scouting parties. Lieutenant Custis could have a contingent of his squirrels to the quarry well before evening. Shall we inform him of these developments?"

Tolar's eyes sought out the Gawtrybe commander, and found Custis over near the fortress entrance among the parked wagons, supervising the continued unloading of those carts. "I'd say he's got his paws too full at the moment. Much as I'd relish getting some of these squirrels out from underpaw again, I can't justify having them scramble to go chasing after rats who probably aren't even there. Haddican will keep a close watch on this situation from up above, and let us know if our involvement is warranted. For now, we'll leave it to the Redwallers and their Guosim allies to cope with their affairs at the quarry, and worry about what needs doing here at Foxguard - and with everything that's been laid at our doorstep, that will be quite enough to keep us fully occupied!"

00000000000

Foxguard boasted a far more modest dining hall than either Salamandastron or Redwall, a double-sized chamber which could seat no more than twoscore or so at a time. When Monda and Weel arrived, they found the room all but empty, the main exception being Mona, who sat at one end of the single long table with Trelayne and Kyslith. It seemed the late lunch bell had worked in their favor, getting them to the mess hall well after the midday press would have made seats scarce.

The healer vixen nodded a slight greeting toward the two weasels as they entered the room, then immediately all but forgot about them after they vanished into the adjoining kitchen to fill their plates. Enough light streamed in through the pair of windows along the outer wall to warmly illuminate the area without need of lamps or torches. Turning back to the glassmaker and his assistant as they all picked over the remnants of their own late lunch, she resumed their conversation.

"I am so glad that you've found our facilities here acceptable. Foxguard was never designed with such labors in mind, and when we learned you would be arriving to at last bestow upon us the monument to Machus that both he and Foxguard deserve, Tolar was left scrambling to allocate and clear the appropriate chambers for your work. I just hope you don't mind being banished to the basement!"

"Oh, not at all, my dear!" the marten assured her. "I mean, we'll be sharing the same level now, my workshop and your surgery, so what's good enough for you will surely be good enough for me as well! The space downstairs is quite satisfactory. As you well know, I am accustomed to keeping my work areas in cellars. And when working with such large quantities of the vitriol as I shall require for this project, I really must be at the lowest point within any structure, for safety's sake. An accident or large spill could prove catastrophic if it were to occur above any rooms occupied by other creatures. I just hope any fumes we inadvertently produce don't rise up through the fortress and cause anybeast discomfort."

"I don't think that will be an issue, located where you are. Tolar gave you the chamber directly beneath the tower shaft, which is pretty well sealed off from the upper floors of the fortress. I'm more worried about the two of you, working down there with hardly any ventilation to speak of. Any fumes you create as a result of your processes are more likely to build up in your area. Are you sure it will be safe?"

"I don't see it being a problem. I worked under similar conditions at Salamandastron while crafting the first statue of Machus, and Kyslith and Tolomeo and I were always mindful to wear moistened kerchiefs over our snouts if we thought there was any risk of a harmful buildup of vapors. We even have goggles to keep our eyes from stinging, if things get too bad. Do not fret yourself, Mona; I've worked with the vitriol for many seasons, and I've still got both lungs and both eyes - and all my paws too!" Trelayne's face fell as he detected a hint of distress cross Mona's features. "I'm sorry, I ought not make light of such things, in light of what happened to Sathara." Seeing her expression twist further, he said, "Now I've gone and upset you, haven't I?"

Mona forced a wistful smile. "It's been seasons since I last heard anybeast besides Tolar speak my sister's name aloud. It's reassuring to know she's remembered - even by creatures who barely knew her in life."

"Yes, but I only wish our reasons for remembering her were not quite so tragic. Perhaps, once I am finished with Machus's monument for Foxguard, I can create a more modest statue of your sister for you."

Mona's eyes widened. "You could do that? You remember well enough what she looks like to re-create her likeness? You only met her once, and for such a short time, all those seasons ago ... "

"The searats didn't beat all my memories of that meeting out of my head! She looked much like you, as I recall, if a bit harder. You must be around the age she was then, or perhaps just a little older, so you can provide the perfect model for reference ... even if you have blossomed into a beautiful vixen, whereas the rigors of her rough life up North had left her somewhat calloused, and that sternness showed in her face. But yes, it should be quite possible."

"That would be ... wonderful. Thank you, Trelayne."

"Don't mention it, my dear. But it may be some time before I can deliver on such a promise. The statue of Machus must come first, and that will take quite some doing - although not as much, I daresay, as its companion at Salamandastron, which is destined to forever be the grander of the two, I regret. I was examining the staircases and doorways leading down to my workshop, and I must be mindful that I don't make this monument too big, or else it will never leave Foxguard's cellars! As it is, even at a slightly diminished scale, it will be a challenge to haul it out to its pedestal in the courtyard."

"Just be thankful in that case that Tolar or Lord Urthblood didn't decree that the monument be located up in the observation deck!" Mona teased. "If you deem a single flight of stairs to be a hardship!"

"Oh, heavens! If I had to install it up there, I'd almost surely need to employ ropes and a crane to have it winched up along the outside of the tower ... and my heart would be in my throat with every turn of the handle! My fur would be entirely gray by the time it was emplaced! Although, in a way, that would be an appropriate spot for it: atop the tallest tower ever raised in all the lands, at the center of the fortress built for the swordfox brigade Machus helped to found."

"Indeed," Mona agreed with a plaintive sigh. "I do still miss him sometimes, Trelayne."

"You and nearly everybeast privileged enough to ever know him. And if you are not destined to make it out to the coastlands any season soon to behold his memorial there, I will do my best to replicate its splendor here, for you to gaze upon anytime you wish."

"I have no doubt that your work will be splendid indeed." Mona turned her attention to the marten's assistant. "And what of you, Kyslith? How are you enjoying your time here at Foxguard so far?"

"Oh, very much so, m'lady. I've been here nearly a full day already, and it still almost doesn't seem real. I mean, the sheer magnificence of this fortress - it's almost enough to take the breath away. It's also quite a change for me to be back amongst so many of my fellow foxes. This brigade had already moved out of Salamandastron by the time Master Trelayne and I came down from the North, so it's been seasons since I last shared the regular company of my own kind. It's actually rather daunting in some ways. Almost ... unsettling ... "

Mona showed her genuine surprise. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"Well, all these foxes in Tolar's brigade are warriorbeasts, and that's the last thing I am! I'm an artisan, devoted to creating lasting expressions of beauty, even if my recent seasons have been dedicated to helping Master Trelayne with Lord Urthblood's war efforts. I really don't think these swordfoxes understand me, any more than I understand them. It can be ... somewhat awkward, being with so many of your own species and finding you've got absolutely nothing in common with them, and nothing to talk about. In some ways, I feel no more kinship with the foxes here than with the Gawtrybe I marched here with from Salamandastron." He favored Mona with a grateful smile. "That's why I'm enjoying our present conversation so much. You're one of the few creatures at Foxguard I've felt comfortable being with."

Mona patted his paw. "I'm sure it's not so bad. They all appreciate that you're here to do a job at Lord Urthblood's bidding, I am sure, and that your labors will result in enriching Foxguard to the benefit of all. Just because their occupation differs from yours doesn't mean you can't enjoy their company. Why, look at me: I'm a healer, not an artisan, and yet here the two of us are, chatting like old friends!"

Kyslith forced himself to look cheerier. "Thank you, Mona, although I suspect you are far easier to talk to than professional warriors. In all truth, I imagine I'll be so occupied in the coming days helping Master Trelayne with the statue, I'll likely not have much time for socializing anyway."

"Perhaps. But if you continue to feel out of place here, may I suggest a couple of foxes in the brigade you may wish to seek out? One is a veteran named Mykola, one of the original twenty who served directly under Machus and fought by his side at Salamandastron. He is a good deal more thoughtful and less warlike than most of his comrades, and would I imagine very much enjoy talking about things other than war with an intelligent beast such as yourself. And the other is a younger member of the brigade named Roxroy, who was only recently elevated from cadet status. He has visited Redwall a number of times, and has even struck up a close friendship with the Abbey's current Recorder and historian when that otter was still only a novice himself. I trust that if any foxes of Tolar's brigade can put you at ease and make you feel at home here, it's them!"

"Thank you, Mona, that's very thoughtful of you. Roxroy, you say? And Mykola too? Yes, I think I will seek them both out, when time allows. They sound like just the foxes I need!"

"Roxroy just went up to stand lookout watch atop the tower, but his shift there should be a short one, and he'll probably descend sometime this evening. But Mykola is likely to be up on the walltop on sentry duty there; he has a bit of a limp, so that's the duty he often prefers, when he's not out on the parade grounds helping to train the cadets. Any fox or weasel will be happy to point him out to you."

"That sounds like a fine idea," Trelayne agreed, "although Kyslith is quite correct that our work here will be keeping us both quite busy. It took us all morning to get the large tub moved down into the cellars and put in place in the central chamber, even with some of the Gawtrybe adding their muscle to the task. It's funny, but when the Redwallers were inspecting the carts at the Abbey, they didn't ask about it at all - I almost suspect they just assumed it was part of the cargo bed on one of the carts! I wonder what questions it might have raised had they recognized it for what it was."

"Yes, I saw you all struggling with that earlier. I assume it's coated with beeswax, for working with the vitriol?"

"Not yet, but it will be. We wanted to install it first before treating it. If we'd coated the interior before leaving Salamandastron, the wax layer might easily have cracked or been gouged through rough handling, creating a fissure through which the vitriol could have eaten its way, leading perhaps to the spillage of the entire tub - precisely the kind of catastrophic accident to which I alluded previously."

"Ah. So you're carrying the wax separately? I certainly hope you brought your own supply, because we've none around here!"

"Oh, yes. In fact, we brought with us nearly the entire quantity we had on paw at Salamandastron - more than enough for our purposes here, although fortunately, with the Accord in place, Lord Urthblood foresees no reason to maintain stockpiles of the vitriol for weapons use ... and where there's no vitriol, there's no need for beeswax! That substance is actually what determines how extensively we can work in this area; while the ingredients necessary for formulating the vitriol itself can be found any number of places throughout the lands, beeswax remains a far scarcer commodity, having to be painstakingly coaxed from living hives a little at a time. We've actually been looking into whether some forms of vegetable-based waxes might withstand the vitriol as well, but without any success so far, I regret to say. That would greatly alleviate the situation, being able to rely on something far more readily available. But for now, beeswax it is!"

Monda and Weel reappeared then, plates fully laden as they settled onto the benches at the far end of the table, their entire attention focused on their food and not wanting to encroach upon Mona and her guests. Trelayne made to rise, taking up his own empty dish. "It's been truly lovely catching up with you like this, my dear Mona, and long overdue too, but now I must return to my preparations. I still have much to do before I can even start thinking about commencing work on the statue itself."

"Of course, I understand. But, as you say, we'll be sharing the cellars of Foxguard, so I'll often be just a fewscore paces from where you'll be working, so never hesitate to poke your head in if you need anything from me, or just to say hello if you're in the mood for a little socializing. And if I'm not down in my surgery, Tolar will likely know where I can be found."

"I will certainly keep that in mind. It's been so long since we last dwelt and worked in close proximity to each other, it almost feels like the Northlands all over again! I'll even have metalworks of a sort going on here too, just like back then!"

"I do hope that other endeavor Lord Urthblood has laid upon us doesn't prove too great a distraction. And that reminds me ... " Mona rose from her seat and padded over to the weasel duo, who sat tucking into their late lunch and showed surprise at the vixen's approach. "Monda, Weel, once the two of you are finished here, Tolar wanted to see you. He's got a new assignment for you."

"Funny, we just saw 'im outside, 'fore headin' in here, an' he didn't mention it," Weel said through a half-chewed mouthful.

"Well, I'm mentioning it to you now," Mona said, her amiable tone sharpening somewhat upon sensing that these weasels might be looking to dodge their responsibilities or shirk their duty to Foxguard. "Sword Tolar is a busy beast, with the daily management of this entire fortress to oversee, and much on his mind, especially these days. He can be forgiven a small slip. But trust me, he does wish to see all the weasels down in the east cellars, sometime this afternoon. That's why he sent Haddican and Roxroy up to relieve you instead of two more weasels."

"Ah. Was wond'rin' 'bout that. But, uh, Mondy 'n' me was gonna go turn in after this. We been on duty two days straight, y'know."

"Actually, it was more like a day and a half - and yes, I am well aware, since I was up there with you part of that time, remember? But didn't you catch any naps during your rotation, taking turns spelling each other the way you're supposed to? That's why we always post at least two lookouts to each shift, after all. Surely you didn't both stay awake the entire time? I would find that very hard to credit indeed."

"Aw, we mighta snuck in a snooze here 'n' there, ma'am," Monda admitted, "but nuthin' like a real proper body-enrichin' slumber a beast cries out fer every night."

"You have your orders. Report to the cellars once you're done with your meals. You can re-acquaint yourselves with your beds once your business there is concluded." Mona turned and strode from from the mess hall, her pawsteps now less a soft pad than an assertive stomp of authority. The weasel pair were left staring after her, shaking their heads in her wake.

"Well, that was kinda snippy 'n' snooty o' her, weren't it?"

"Almost frosty, I'd say. Who does that vix think she is? She ain't th' boss of us!"

"Mebbe not, but she shares a bed with our boss, so any guff we give her might as well be told right t' Tolar's face."

"Aye, that's true 'nuff. Plus, y' don't wanna be on 'er bad side, in case y' ever need t' go to her fer any healin'. She could make stitchin' up a wound extra painful, or give you some extra-foul medicine y' don't really need, one that gives ya all kinda nasty side effects too."

"I'd be more worried 'bout really crossin' her, an' endin' up all sliced up with my parts floatin' 'round in some o' them gruesome jars she keeps down there. Wouldn't fancy havin' my bones added to her collection, stood up in a corner fer all t' see an' just gatherin' dust!"

"Aw, she'd never do that to anybeast in Lord Urthblood's service. I mean, she never has before. All her bones 'n' body bits've come from th' woodlander corpses she's traded food fer. To get 'er paws on one o' us, she'd hafta convince Tolar t' have us executed, an' that fox plays by th' rules, say whatever else about 'im you will. We'd hafta commit one walloper of an offense fer him t' sentence us t' death, so I think we're safe on that score, mate."

"Y' reckon so? You don't imagine she'd be able t' twist Tolar 'round her little dainty pinky paw, whisper in 'is ear at night t' get sumpthin' she really wanted? Or cut right to th' jugular an' slip us some potion t' stop our hearts, an' make it look innocent? She could' y' know."

"Aw, she'd never do that! She's our healer, dedercatered t' healin' the sick, not sickenin' th' well!"

"Dunno, mate. I'd not put anything past that one. She don't think like normal creatures think - an' I fer one would hate t' find myself standin' in th' way of sumpthin' she decides she really wants!"

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"Hey, nice job on those lunch bells, Cyr!"

Cyril glanced up from where he sat munching a butterscotch scone out on the east walltop, smirking at his younger sibling's thinly-veiled sarcasm. Flicking flaky crumbs from his whiskers, he retorted, "Yeah, well, now that you're too busy covering Brother Winokur's classes to help me ring the day's tolls, I'm stuck with Maura again - and she's a bit out of practice."

Cyrus propped himself against the battlements alongside Cyril, leaning on the sun-warmed sandstone as he gazed out into the verdant fastness of Mossflower beyond. "Yes, we could tell up in the classroom. I even quizzed everybeast on it, to see if any of them could guess what it most resembled. The closest we could come up with was something halfway between a wedding peal and the evening tolling."

Cyril chuckled. "Well, when Wink's back from the quarry later this season, you can return to the belltower with me. Until then, Maura will just have to try to find her rhythm. At least she didn't accidentally sound a general call to arms! So, how are you finding it, having to oversee the students and conduct the lessons all on your own? Ready to tear all your whiskers out yet?"

"Oh, it hasn't been bad at all, really. Not the debacle I'd feared it might be. Amazingly, it's been our Sparra trio who've proved the greatest help."

"The Sparra?" Cyril echoed in surprise. "I'd have thought they'd be the toughest to keep in line, considering how they love to instigate mischief. Especially after that Pageant!"

"Yes, you'd think so, wouldn't you? Maybe their part as the chorus in an historical play gave them a greater appreciation and respect for Abbey history, but whatever the reason, they've really knuckled down and started taking classes more seriously - or maybe they just relish their newfound, self-appointed authority. All I know is, the moment any student acts up or tries to disrupt the lessons, Harpreet, Skytop and Brybag will jump all over the offender before I can even open my mouth. They've even taken to perching themselves up at the head of the class, facing the rest of the students alongside me, so that they can spot any horseplay and shout it down before it gets out of paw. And believe me, three spirited sparrows trilling loud reprimands in unison is enough to silence anybeast! I must say, their assistance has made my tenure a lot less challenging than I thought it would be."

"Sounds to me like they're getting rather full of themselves - delusions of grandeur, and all that. Better watch out, or soon they'll be running that class themselves!"

"Oh, I'm sure they'd love that, bossing around all us 'groundcrawlers' and lording it over us! But I think there's another reason my students have been conducting themselves so properly."

"Oh?"

"It's the new students - the former slaves. I honestly didn't know what to expect from them, and thought they might be too troubled by their past to sit still and pay attention and not disturb the lessons, but mostly they've just sat and listened, without taking much of an active role. They're a rapt audience, and this is all so new to them, they're just staying quiet and soaking it all in."

"Well, they're former slaves," Cyril pointed out. "Where they've just come from, if they'd cut up, they might have wound up ... well, cut up."

Cyrus grimaced. "Nice way of putting it, Cyr. But I do think their presence has had a calming effect on everybeast overall, even the usual troublemakers like Droge and Budsock. It's like our longtime pupils all realize Redwall's on display for all our new arrivals, and lessons they may have already heard many times from Geoff and Winokur seem fresh again, knowing these lessons are now being heard by ears new to the Abbey. Everybeast is pulling together to put on the best face they can, not only to help the slave youngsters settle in but also to show them the best that Redwall can be. It's really humbling and gratifying to be a part of it."

"Well, that's ... great, Cy. I hope it keeps up for you. Knowing Droge and Buddy, they're already secretly on the lookout for candidates ripe for the recruiting, who they can induct into their little club of misfits, now that their chief accomplice Pirkko is off with the Guosim on their warm-season wanderings, and isn't likely to return until autumn."

"I guess I'm just an optimist, then, 'cos it really feels to me like a new decorum has settled over our pupils. It's not every season that our Abbey population explodes like it just has, and I think the realization that these are extraordinary times has truly sunk in with them. Also, Vanessa's recent antics have driven home just how unseemly such behavior can be, and I think even Droge and Budsock are aghast at her actions. They don't want to be seen as having any part in that, especially now that they're nearing the end of their schooling seasons." Cyrus glanced toward the former Abbess, who stood a short distance away, leaning upon the battlements just as he was. "So, any change in her today?"

"Naw, she's been acting pretty odd. Well, odd for her, which would be kinda normal for almost anybeast else. She's been up here all day, just standing there staring into the forest, like she's waiting for something. She's barely spoken, or eaten either, just nibbling on candied chestnuts and acorn crunch. Arlyn and Metellus have been up to check on her a few times, but she seems out of danger - whatever that means. But it sure has made my job of watching over her easier!"

"Aye, that's true," agreed Smallert, seated on the cozy stone alongside Cyril. "Why, I was even able t' stay here an' watch over her all by my lonesome while Cyr went t' go ring the bells with Maura, an' she t'weren't no trouble t'all. Real calm she's been, all day, jus' like Cyril says."

"Well, that's something, I suppose," Cyrus hazarded. "Let's just hope it's not the calm before the storm!"

0000000000

It didn't take long into Haddican and Roxroy's shift for the alert bells to ring at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Moments later a crumpled ball of parchment bounced onto the empty lift platform, and the young fox Belsis on duty there stepped forward to retrieve it, smooth it out and read it.

Then he raced off to find Tolar.

Foxguard's Sword at that moment held court down in the east cellars with all the fortress's weasels and several of the Gawtrybe. They stood amongst the newest tools to have been installed within the stronghold: hammers and anvils, presses and rollers and stamps, all wrought from the most formidable and unyielding materials. In one corner sat a stone furnace, larger but otherwise not too dissimilar to the one Trelayne had had built on the lawns of Redwall. A heavy clay pipe vented to the outside, so that the hot fires could be stoked in this subterranean chamber without smoking out the workers here.

"Not bad," pronounced a squirrel named Vanacour as he finished his inspection of the arrangement while all the weasels milled around impatiently, uncertain why they'd been called away from their other duties (or, worse yet, their well-earned relaxation) to muster here. "Not a bad job at all, considering you had no moles on paw to assist you with the masonry."

Tolar's lip curled downward at Vanacour's insinuation. "We're not entirely helpless here, you know. The schematics and instructions Klystra delivered were most clear and straightforward - we had no trouble following them. Weasels and foxes labored side-by-side to have this done in time for your arrival. I'm sure you'll find this furnace more than adequate for melting the metals you've brought with you."

"Not melt," the squirrel corrected. "Just soften. The metal won't even need to be red hot for your purposes. As long as it's malleable enough to be shaped and worked, that's all you need. It's not like this is a weapons shop for producing arms - although I suppose it could be used for that in a pinch. The blades would turn out rather crude, I suspect - far inferior to the quality and fineness to which your brigade is accustomed."

Some of the nearer weasels, as yet still uninformed as to the purpose of this new workshop, looked at each other in confusion. If this was not to be a weapons smithy, then what was it for? And what did it have to do with them?

They were about to get their answer - almost. Vanacour stepped up to Tolar's side, and together fox and squirrel turned to address the assemblage. It was at that precise moment that Belsis burst into the room.

"Sword Tolar! Message from the high watch!"

The fox commander's brow furrowed in mild annoyance. "I'm rather in the middle of something here, Belsis. Is it important?"

"Um, I'm not really sure, sir. But I thought you'd want to see it for yourself and make up your own mind."

Tolar curled his lip, then turned to the others. "Excuse me a moment." Stepping into the passage beyond, he took the wrinkled parchment from Belsis and strained to read it in the lamplight there. The words that took shape before his gaze left him puzzled.

"Half the beasts are leaving the quarry? Heading back toward the river, along with all the newcomers who showed up this morning?"

Belsis nodded uncertainly. "That's what it says, My Sword." I gather Haddican wants to know whether you wish to go up to see it for yourself, and awaits your reply."

"Yes, I gather. Not that there's much of anything we can do from here to affect the outcome of this situation, whatever this portends. But why would the Redwallers, so determined to reopen the quarry that they'd commit so large a portion of their resources to the effort, suddenly reverse themselves and withdraw half their expedition?"

"Um ... I don't know, sir. But what if the Abbeybeasts are in trouble?"

"We saw no indication earlier that they were under attack in elsewise in dire straits. Nothing in this note suggests they are in trouble - just that some of them are evacuating the quarry and returning to the river." Tolar stood tapping the parchment against one paw, deep in thought. "Go find Sappakit up on the practice grounds. I trust his judgment. Have him ascend to the observation deck to assess the situation for himself. If he determines that our involvement is called for, we can have Custis send out some of the Gawtrybe to address the matter - they could be on the scene long before any fox or weasel. But I am too busy here to be called away for long. Notify me of any noteworthy developments. That will be all."

"Yes, sir!" Belsis saluted primly and hurried off to find Sappakit.

Tolar stood by himself in the passage for several moments, then spun and returned to the gathering. All faces turned his way expectantly. "Is there any trouble, My Sword?" his fellow fox Dijax inquired of him.

"I don't believe so. Just some comings and goings a bit beyond the usual."

"Anything Lieutenant Custs should know about?" Vanacour asked.

Tolar shook his head. "No, I deem not. It doesn't seem to be urgent, or immediate. Now, where were we?"