Chapter Forty
For the first time in living memory, a Nameday celebration came to an end while the sun still brightened the sky.
The remains of the food and drink sat untouched upon the tables, for what beast could think of eating at a time like this? Indeed, most of the feastgoers who'd already had their fill found themselves with bad cases of indigestion, their meals sitting as heavily in their stomachs as this day's tragedy sat upon their spirits. There would be no more festive merrymaking this Nameday.
While most of the Redwallers and their guests returned to their seats at the tables, wordlessly dwelling upon what had happened or talking to their neighbors in subdued, disbelieving whispers, Vanessa paid a visit to the cellars to make sure Broggen was in no danger.
She found the stoat snoring and dead to the world on the floor of his makeshift cell. Vanessa couldn't tell whether his handlers might have treated him roughly as they'd bustled him down here, but from the way Broggen was crudely sprawled she guessed they hadn't spared him any courtesy.
While Hanchett and Smallert looked on, Vanessa applied poultices to the lumps on the back of Broggen's head. The stuporous stoat stirred slightly and mumbled incoherently, but did not awaken. Her ministrations complete, she waited out in the corridor while the hare and weasel made sure Broggen was safely locked in his cellar room.
"Those are some nice bumps on his scalp," she said to them. "Just how many times did you two hit him?"
"He didn't go down easy, Abbess," Hanchett responded. "Like I said before - thick skull."
"An' he were so stewed," Smallert added, "he wasn't feelin' our blows right aways. We hadta stop 'im 'fore he went after Sister 'relia anymore, or turned on somebeast else. We didn't know then that he'd ... that she was ... well, dead."
"So you both jumped on him at once?"
"I'd say it was a race t' see which one o' us could bring him down first, ma'am," said Hanchett. "When an unruly beast like that starts pushin' 'round creatures half his size, it's time t' swat first an' ask questions later, wot?"
"Yeah," Smallert put in, "Broggs is me best mate here at th' Abbey, but what 'ee did up there's beyond forgivin'. I'd show 'im no mercy, marm, be he my pal or no. Hope you keep that in mind when ye're decidin' what's to be done with 'im."
Vanessa regarded the one-eared weasel with a half-smile. "Strong words from a creature who's still under a death sentence from Lord Urthblood if you step outside our walls, for slaying one of your fellow soldiers and seriously wounding a Redwaller."
Smallert hung his head. "Yessum," he muttered in a very small voice.
"I don't mean to harp on your past misdeeds, Smallert, but you must remember that we here at Redwall are very forgiving. You yourself are living proof of that, I need hardly remind you. You are not the only beast at the Abbey who considers Broggen a friend - many of us have come to see him as a part of our family. What happened today is as much a tragedy for him as for anybeast."
"Ye're bein' a lot bigger toward 'im than I could ever be," said Smallert.
"That's part of being Abbess," Vanessa told him.
"Then that murderin' sod's right lucky it wasn't your head he went an' smashed against those steps," Hanchett growled. "With all due respect, ma'am, a beast proves itself through its actions, an' today that stoat proved 'imself a killer. Broggs might not've been a bad sort for a vermin an' a soldierbeast of Urthblood's, but he's gotta pay fer wot 'ee's done."
"We'll wait until he wakes up before we decide anything like that. Right now he's in no state to answer charges of this magnitude."
"Wot's t' answer?" Hanchett burst out, a tone of exasperation creeping into his voice. "We all saw him kill Sister Aurelia! Only question now is wot 'is punishment's gonna be."
"Exactly," Vanessa emphasized with a sharp nod. "The punishment must always fit the crime, or else it is not justice, but merely vengeance. The Broggen who did this deed is not the same beast who has dwelt among us since last autumn. If he was not responsible for his own actions, then we must take that into account."
"Ma'am, I hope you're not gonna let 'im blame his drinkin' fer this!" the hare protested. "That's an excuse a scoundrel would use, an' only a fool would swallow it!"
"We all knew Broggen's history," Vanessa said sternly. "His drunken ways nearly cost him his life once before, and he lost his best friend as a result of precisely this kind of trouble, and has acted as nothing but a perfect gentlebeast since he came to live with us. He becomes a different creature when he drinks, and I don't think it's anything he can help. He's always made an effort to avoid spirits at our previous celebrations, knowing what might happen. So what was different this time?"
"Dunno," Hanchett shrugged.
"How did Broggen get to drinking today when he never has before?"
"Think it were an accident, marm," Smallert volunteered. "Somebeast put a drink down in front o' Broggs an' he sipped at it, not knowin' it had spirits in it. Once it got inta him, he couldn't stop 'imself, I reckon."
Smallert remembered exactly which beast it had been who'd presented that spiked punch to Broggen, but held his tongue on that score. Sergeant Fryc was a guest of Redwall, and Smallert didn't want to get the shrew in trouble if he didn't have to. After all, it could have been an accident, couldn't it?
"Well, no matter how he got started," Vanessa pressed on, "he didn't get so inebriated after just a drink or two. Surely those around him saw how drunk he was getting. I was over on the other end of the Abbey grounds. Why didn't somebeast step in to stop him before the point where he could cause harm?"
Hanchett didn't even try to defend himself, dropping his gaze away from hers. Smallert offered, "Um, in all fairness to all them hares an' otters an' squirrels an' shrews an' 'hogs, marm, Broggs didn't turn nasty 'til right at th' very last. 'Fore that, 'ee was actin' all jovial 'n' carefree, laughin' an' singin' up a storm. Actin' like th' life o' the party, 'ee were."
The Abbess sighed. "This is as much my fault as anybeast's. I never should have given Balla permission to bring out brandy and wine. If we'd stuck with mild ale, this never would have happened, even if Broggen had downed an entire barrel by himself."
"D' you want us t' stay here an' stand watch over him, ma'am?" Hanchett asked.
Vanessa studied the hare and weasel before her. After the loss of Lord Urthfist at Salamandastron, Hanchett had grown grim and distant from most other creatures, moreso than any of the other Long Patrols. And yet, of all the residents of the Abbey, it was Smallert - a weasel and a former soldier of Urthblood's army - who shared one of the closest bonds with the taciturn hare. Perhaps it was the time they'd shared manacled together the previous summer which had left them no alternative but to get to know each other. It was debatable whether Hanchett truly had a single friend at Redwall outside of his longtime Long Patrol comrades, but Smallert was one beast whose company he often tolerated. It was strange that a vermin-hating fighting hare would seek the companionship of a weasel, but no stranger than any number of other things which had happened in Redwall and Mossflower over the past few seasons.
"Please do," Vanessa assented. "I'm not worried about him causing further trouble, but somebeast should be here when he awakes. Notify me when he does - I'll want to speak with him, as soon as he's coherent."
"Aye, ma'am."
"Perhaps I'll send some of the others down here to relieve you. But now I must go up and see to Sister Aurelia."
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As she topped the stairs and stepped into the second-floor corridor where both her private quarters and the Infirmary were located, Vanessa saw several of Sister Aurelia's regular helpers milling about at the far end of the hallway outside the sickbay door. Curious, the Abbess started toward them. But, passing her study, she noticed that the door was open and heard voices from within. Diverting her pawsteps from the Infirmary, Vanessa turned and entered her chambers.
"Ah, Vanessa," old Arlyn greeted her from the cushioned recesses of a highbacked chair. "We figured you'd make your way up here eventually." Colonel Clewiston and Montybank leaned against Vanessa's desk opposite the retired Abbot. The two defenders straightened to attention upon her entrance.
"What's going on down there?" Vanessa inclined her head in the direction of the Infirmary as she moved to her habitual place behind her desk.
"That bossy brushtail ordered us out as soon as we got poor Aurelia set down on a bed," Clewiston reported. "I'm afraid there's no life left in that mouse, but don't try talkin' sense to that vixen!"
"Yes, she does seem determined, doesn't she?" said Vanessa. "And you two aren't the only ones Mona's banished from the Infirmary, apparently. I just saw a number of Sister Aurelia's assistants waiting out in the hall down there. Mona must be in there alone."
Arlyn gave the young Abbess an imploring gaze. "Vanessa, do you think there might be any hope for Aurelia at all? I mean, Machus was able to save Cyrus last summer after the rest of us had given up all hope ... and Mona's supposed to be even more highly skilled than Machus was ... "
"That's what I was on my way to find out, but in all truthfulness I can't see how, Arlyn. Cyrus never stopped breathing or lost his pulse at any time during that emergency. And even Machus was given a lot of help while he was struggling to save Cyrus. If you ask me, Aurelia was dead the instant her head hit that step, and that's not the kind of injury that can be healed by any means I know of. I fear Mona is deluding herself if she thinks she can bring Aurelia back from beyond the brink she has already passed. But if that fox knows something I don't, I will be only too happy to lend her my paw, just as Aurelia and I did for Machus."
Arlyn pursed his lips, wondering if he should voice the concern that was on his mind. "Maybe Mona shouldn't be left alone with Aurelia," he said at last.
"Why is that, Arlyn?" Vanessa asked, alerted to something in his tone.
"Well, it's just that Mona and I had a rather curious conversation this afternoon ... " He proceeded to tell them all about the macabre revelations the vixen had shared with him in the orchard.
Clewiston's eyes widened in horror. "You don't mean t' say that red-furred butcher might be down there right now, choppin' Sister Aurelia to bits t' see wot makes her tick?"
"She said she'd never do such a thing to a Redwaller ... At least, I think that's what she said ... " Arlyn shook his head. "It's probably nothing ... "
The Colonel started toward the door. "Somethin' or nothin', Abbot, this isn't the kind of thing we can take any bally chances about, wot? We've gotta get down there!"
"Hold on a moment, Colonel," Vanessa said, moving back out from behind her desk again. "I'll handle this myself. Remember, the Infirmary used to be my domain before I became Abbess. Monty, while I'm seeing to Mona, could you please send a couple of your otters down to help Hanchett and Smallert look after Broggen? No offense, Colonel, but I think that grim hare would put his javelin through Broggen if he even imagines that stoat gives him half an excuse. And the way Smallert's feeling toward Broggen right now, I don't think he'd lift a paw to stop it. I'd like to have some beasts with cooler heads on the scene to oversee things."
"I'll see to it, Nessa ... um, what's that I hear?"
They all fell silent, heads and ears cocked. From the hallway beyond came the distant sound of clattering and crashing, together with scattered alarmed voices.
Moments later, one of the sisters appeared at the study's door. "Oh, Abbess, there you are, thank goodness! Come quick - that vixen is throwing a fit!"
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Vanessa insisted on entering the Infirmary alone while the others waited in the corridor outside.
Mona sat at the tiny desk in the far back corner of the room, tear-stained face buried in her paws. She was still, but abundant evidence of her just-passed tantrum lay everywhere Vanessa looked: books thrown from their shelves, clay vessels smashed to shards upon the floor with their contents spilled all over, sheets and blankets torn from their beds, and two of the beds themselves tipped over.
And there, angelic and peaceful amidst the chaos, lay Sister Aurelia. Mercifully, the deceased mouse looked perfectly intact; except for the blood staining the pillow beneath her head, she might have been asleep.
Vanessa made her way to the desk, carefully guiding her unshod footpaws around the sharp fragments littering the floor, and stopped before the stricken vixen. Mona raised her red-rimmed eyes to meet Vanessa's.
"I ... I couldn't save her, Abbess."
"I didn't expect that you would be able to, my child."
"You don't understand. I can save anybeast!"
Vanessa sighed and rested a paw upon Mona's shoulder; the distraught healer accepted the gesture without resistance or complaint.
"You are still young, Mona, and life no doubt has many lessons yet to teach you. This was one of those lessons. Some injuries are beyond the skill of any healer to mend. Sister Aurelia's were such. Nobeast will blame you for failing to do the impossible."
"I can't accept that, Abbess. I can never accept death."
"You must accept it. Death comes to us all someday. For some of us, alas, that time comes long before it should. But that is the way of things."
"Then things must change!" Mona declared defiantly.
Vanessa saw that further argument would be futile. For all her supposed talents as a healerbeast, Mona had the temperament of a recalcitrant child when it came to the subject of death, and losing a patient.
"None of this is any excuse for your outburst," Vanessa said, her voice growing a little firmer. "You've made quite a mess here, and it will take a great deal of work to get it cleaned up. In the meantime, we still have over a dozen youngbeasts outside with upset stomachs. If you'll help me, I should be able to scrape up enough of these ingredients off the floor to whip up a new batch of physic for them, and then we can leave it to the brothers and sisters to straighten up in here and tend to Aurelia. Won't you please lend me your paw? I would truly appreciate it, Mona."
The vixen stared at the Abbess with wide, watery eyes, then nodded. "Yes, I'll help you ... "
Together, the two healers set to the task of scooping up the spilled medicines and concocting a curative potion to soothe the distressed youngbeasts waiting down on the lawns.
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The dancing flicker of many torches illuminated the funeral scene with a solemn glow. A bite of chill sharpened the clear night air, and not even the warmth of so many bodies packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the lawns could completely dispel the cold and lend comfort to the mourners.
With Tolar, Roxroy, Browder and the former slaves on paw, this burial gathering was even more crowded than Broyall's had been. Vanessa had chosen a spot near the Abbey gardens for Sister Aurelia's grave. In recent seasons, a section of the gardens had been set aside for the cultivation of medicinal herbs, so that the healer mice would not have to wander far afield to gather all the ingredients for any remedies they might need. Aurelia had often mentioned that she would be perfectly happy being laid to her final rest within a stone's throw from her beloved gardens. Nobeast had imagined, however, that this sad day would come so soon.
Under Vanessa's urging, Sister Orellana had prepared Aurelia's body for immediate interment. The Abbess wanted to get this sorrowful ceremony behind them as soon as they could, even if it meant a nighttime funeral. The matter of Broggen weighed heavily upon Vanessa's mind, and she wished to devote all her attention to that problem once her friend and protege had received her proper farewell. And, as far as the appropriateness of holding a funeral on a Nameday, everybeast had lost their festive spirit long before now, so it would be no further hardship to press on with what had to be done anyway.
Foremole and Brother Joel had done a marvelous job with the plot. Once Aurelia was laid in the ground and covered with earth, Redwall's chief gardener mouse had supervised the planting of a bed of sanicle in the burial mound, so that hopefully for many growing seasons to come Aurelia's resting place would be marked by a crop of the medicinal herbs she had used so often in her cures, and provide a bounty for her successors to harvest. Foremole's crew had then outlined the plot with decorative red bricks, so that the grave would be marked even after winter's frosts and snows killed off the plants growing upon the mound.
"I'd like to thank you all for staying up so late, and braving this nippy night," Vanessa addressed the assemblage; even Highwing and some of his Sparra hung on the edges of the group, having received their share of healing and mending and tonics from Aurelia during her tenure as Infirmary Keeper. "I'm sure Sister Aurelia would have appreciated it. Or perhaps I should say I'm sure she does appreciate it, for I am confident her spirit is watching over us right now. She dearly loved this Abbey and all of the creatures in it, even if she did sometimes hide that affection behind a mask of sternness, and I have a feeling she will be loathe to leave Redwall behind her for the Dark Forest. Perhaps she will even join Martin the Warrior in watching over this haven henceforth, visiting us in dream and visions to help us when she may in our times of need."
She paused a few moments, allowing this comforting notion to sink into the assembled mourners and have its desired effect. Wistful smiles came to many a face in the wavering torchlight. Brother Geoff shot Vanessa a curious look which the Abbess failed to notice.
"I know a lot of you are tired and well past ready to get to bed," she continued, "especially the children and the oldsters, so I won't make this too long.
"Sister Aurelia was very special to me. I had occasion to work with her closely when I was training her to take my place as the head of the Infirmary, and I daresay I knew her better than anybeast else at Redwall did. It is true that she could sometimes be brusque in her manner, but I believe her impatience was her way of expressing her insistence on performing her duties to the best of her ability. She was a diligent student and a tireless worker, and demanded perfection no less from herself than from those around her. Behind her abrupt facade beat a heart as filled with goodness and caring as any you could ever hope to meet. She gave of herself totally, and was wholly dedicated to helping and healing others. Aurelia was one of the most selfless creatures I have ever had the privilege to know, and her sudden passing at such a young age is truly a tragic loss for Redwall."
Vanessa sighed deeply. "And so, for the second time in three days, we lay to rest a member of our family. That this came to pass on a Nameday only compounds the tragedy, for it is especially traumatic to receive such a blow on our highest occasion of festivity, turning our mood of cheer and celebration to one of horror and sadness as a leaf might turn on the wind. That this blow came at the paws of a beast we all regarded as a friend only makes it all the more shocking, but this is a matter we will not dwell upon tonight. Let this night be for Aurelia, for it is she we honor here now. She had so many talents and good qualities. I want every one of you who knew her, from the oldest to the youngest, to think of one thing about Aurelia that you liked - a recipe from her early mornings in the kitchens that you found especially tasty, an occasion when you benefited from her healing skills, or just some moment when she showed you a kindness or shared a laugh with you or helped you with some chore or endeavor. Summon up in your minds that one picture of Aurelia that showed her as a true Redwaller, and focus upon it with all your concentration. When you go to bed tonight, I want you all to remember her in your dreams. Tonight we will send her spirit on its way with the best and warmest wishes and feelings we can muster, and then we will awake tomorrow to a fresh new day with all our friends around us and the rest of the Spring of Many Wanderers ahead of us and with all the wonderful possibilities of the living world at our pawtips. This day's events drive home to us that life is too short to wallow in sadness. Be sorrowful tonight if you must, but remember to keep Sister Aurelia in your dreams and in your hearts, and tomorrow will come of its own accord, and we might as well embrace it in joy and gladness."
She drew in a deep breath. "Now, I'm sure I'm not the only one here with cold tail and footpaws, so let us all go inside now and warm up while we consign this day to history."
As the somber gathering broke up and the various creatures began to drift back toward the Abbey each at its own pace, Geoff hurried over to Vanessa and took her aside. "What you said about Aurelia's spirit joining Martin's in watching over Redwall," he whispered to her, "that was very moving and inspirational, but after what I found in my search of the archives last summer when I was looking for clues about Lord Urthblood's prophecy, I thought we agreed that the spirit of Martin might well be cut off from us by that badger's own powers of foresight."
She glanced at him sharply. "We never agreed anything of the sort! The verse you uncovered suggests that these times may have been hidden from our founders when they were alive, and even in that regard it was most vague and open to interpretation. I am still confident that Martin the Warrior watches over us, and his guiding spirit will make itself known to us in times of need." She lowered her voice further. "And if I were you, I wouldn't go around shouting that Martin's spirit has deserted us - just imagine the effect that would have on morale around here, especially in light of what happened today. There's a very good reason that I kept our findings and conclusions from last summer's council just to us Abbey leaders, you know."
"I wasn't shouting it," the Recorder mouse said a tad petulantly, then changed the subject. "So, what do you think is to be done about Broggen?"
"That remains to be seen," the Abbess answered. "Before I decide anything about his fate, I shall want to talk to him after he's had a chance to sober up ... which, Monty tells me, probably won't be until tomorrow. Broggen's out like a light, and he'll probably sleep straight through 'til morning."
"Then I guess your advice to all of us to head inside for a warm night's sleep between cozy bedcovers was the best idea after all. My ears and nose were getting every bit as chilled as my tail and - "
"Abbess! Abbess, a moment, if you please!"
The two mice turned to see Mona hastening toward them through the crowd. The vixen stopped before them breathlessly, white puffs clouding out of her muzzle. "Yes, Mona, how can I help you?" Vanessa asked.
"First of all, congratulations on a wonderful eulogy, Abbess. I didn't really have much chance to get to know Sister Aurelia - so many new names and faces for me here! - but after listening to your words just now, I almost feel like I knew her all my life. Truly moving. I don't believe I've ever heard anybeast in the Northlands speak with such eloquence."
"Thank you, Mona. That means a lot to me. I tried to make it the best sendoff for Aurelia that I could. She deserved that much."
Mona nodded. "Abbess, please excuse my behavior in the Infirmary this afternoon. I don't know what came over me. I confess I am not very good at accepting death - in all truth, it is not something I have had to confront very often in my career as a healer, such are my skills. I suppose the idea of a goodbeast like Sister Aurelia dying in such an unnecessary way, and here at Redwall of all places, just got under my fur more than it should have. But I realize there was no call for my egregious actions. Please accept my most abject apologies for causing you so much extra trouble when you least needed it, Abbess."
"I see I'm not the only eloquent beast out here tonight," Vanessa said with a smile. "Apology accepted. You were upset. We all were. You may have overreacted, but your frustration was understandable. You are our guest, and you thought you might be able to save the life of one of your hosts, but she was beyond even your ability to save."
"If you are willing to overlook my dreadful outburst of today," Mona went on, "I have something to ask. As you know, I had planned, with your leave, to dwell at Redwall anyway until Foxguard was ready. Sister Aurelia was your chief healer, and you are now without one. If you will have me, I would be most willing to serve in that post for the remainder of my stay at the Abbey."
"That is most generous of you," said Vanessa. "The tonic you helped me prepare for the children certainly did the trick in settling their poor stomachs. I'll tell you what: I see no need to make anything official, even on a temporary basis. As you say, you'll be staying here with us anyway, so we'll be able to call upon your expertise if we should need it. Feel free to go up to the Infirmary whenever you wish and read through the journals that Aurelia and I kept during our time as Infirmary Keepers. I do appreciate your offer, and I assure you we will make full use of your breadth of knowledge and experience if the need arises."
"Thank you, Abbess. I'll not disappoint you again." Mona nodded her gratitude and wandered off to rejoin Tolar and Roxroy in heading up to their guest rooms.
"Well," Geoff observed, "it looks like we've lost one healer this day and gained another. At least until Mona leaves for Foxguard."
"Yes," Vanessa said, "it is funny how fate often gives with one paw and takes with another, and leaves everything balanced out in the end just as it should be ... even if it's not the way we would have liked it to be."
"Do you think she can be trusted with the health of Redwallers? I mean, after what Abbot Arlyn told you about her this afternoon ... "
"That morbid fascination of hers only seems to apply to deadbeasts," Vanessa responded, "or so Arlyn indicated. As long as no more of us die, we should be fine on that score. And we do need a healer. I'll be too busy performing my duties as Abbess to return to the Infirmary full time, and Arlyn is too old to take over completely as Abbot again. Of course I will have to start training a replacement for Aurelia immediately, and perhaps Mona can help with that too. But as long as that vixen is here at Redwall, I'll gladly accept whatever assistance she is willing to give." Vanessa glanced aside to see Colonel Clewiston marching toward her with purpose. "And speaking of my duties as Abbess ... "
"Wot ho, ma'am," the hare commander called as he flagged her down. "We've got t' decide wot t' do 'bout that sodden stoat we got in cold storage."
"We're all in the cold at the moment, Colonel." Vanessa quickened her pace toward the warm glow spilling out the open Abbey doors. "We'll talk about this after we've all had a chance to sleep on it."
"With all due respect, ma'am ... " Clewiston pressed.
Vanessa waved an inarguable paw of dismissal. "In the morning, Colonel. In the morning!"