A few loose details wrapped up, Toka's immediate plans revealed, and a little bit more is revealed about the mysterious creature (but don't get your hopes up too much) ;)

Chapter 29

"You know?" Mattimeo asked Toka, bewildered.

"Oh yes." Toka replied darkly.

"For how long?"

"It's 'ave to been several days now." Mokeet answered for Mattimeo. "He told me in person that he had read that book twice."

Toka only grinned in response.

"But I don't get it then." Mattimeo said, puzzled. "If you knew that Redwall was your target, and suspected that we were plotting against you, then why did you leave the abbey?"

"Simply because you were plotting against me." Toka replied. "This was the only way I could see to get the lot of you to show your hand. And you did not disappoint me."

"So we fell your plot?" Mattimeo asked, mentally kicking himself for stumbling into so obvious a trap.

"I suppose the trip's over then." Mokeet remarked idly to Toka, watching sadly as Mattimeo bowed his head in dismay.

"Not yet." Toka said. "As you yourself said, Mokeet, we aren't that far from the treasure. Might as well go the full distance and get it."

"Kill two birds with one stone." Mokeet surmised, watching Mattimeo raise his head slightly at this statement, but otherwise did not move.

"My horde is very good at that." Toka answered, "As I've proven time and time again." he shook his head, smirking at his prisoners. "And yet you never learn."

"You'll regret this, Toka." Mattimeo suddenly said, bringing his head up to stare at the ferret, "One way or the other, you'll regret this."

"Feeling a little revengeful, are we, Matti?" Toka asked, enjoying every moment of the conversation. "Now you have an idea how I feel. And trust me, I will vent my feelings fully on your abbey." he stood up and walked over to a nearby table, opening a flask of wine and pouring it into a cup. "Maybe I'll even vent some of it on that mousemaiden you seem to like..."

Mattimeo was up in a flash, and was halfway in the process of lunging himself at the warlord before the guards caught up with him and restrained him.

"If you harm one hair on Tess..." Mattimeo growled, struggling still, despite that all of the guards present in the tent, plus Knottail, were all working to hold the furious mouse back.

"You'll what?" Toka asked, sipping his drink, completely unalarmed. "When will you see that I hold all of the cards in this game, Matti?"

"I've already sworn to kill you for all of the grief you've caused Redwall and for capturing me, don't..."

"You think my horde caught you?" Toka cut Mattimeo short. "Oh right, I suppose you were unconscious, I suppose you must have missed it." he sat back down, setting his drink to one side. "My horde is very well trained, but you are quite a fighter as well, young Matti." he said. "Even you were proving to be too much of a match for the party I sent to capture you. Then this fine beast stepped in."

He motioned to the mysterious and silent creature, new to the horde. Mattimeo turned to face him and immediately frowned. Mokeet wondered why, and followed the mouse's line of vision, and pretty soon, he found himself frowning as well.

"This creature singlehandedly knocked you out, Matti, and scared off your otter friend, so much so, I doubt we'll see him again." Toka continued, ignoring his prisoners, focusing all of his attention on praising the unknown beast. "And then he quite willing cooperated with my beasts when they finally caught up with you, and told them all that had happened." Toka's eyes gleamed, and Mokeet got the eerie feeling that the warlord was feeling pride for the mysterious creature.

"But that's the story of your capture." Toka concluded, turning his attention back to Mattimeo. "So if you want to place any blame on me for it, it will be wasted. I suggest to place it elsewhere."

Mattimeo seemed to have lost all of his fight though, for he allowed his guards kneel him back into position before Toka. His attention was focused, instead, on the mysterious creature, who looked back with a very neutral expression. Mokeet studied the expression, however, and sensed there was something more to it, something that he couldn't see clearly.

Toka picked up the book from where it had been left, and set it in his lap, flipping through it. "We're done for now." he told his guards, waving one paw dismissively. "Take them and put them in the cage."

The guards obliged, dragging Mokeet and Mattimeo away, out of the tent. Mattimeo's eyes watched the mysterious creature the entire time, and Mokeet knew why.

There was something oddly familiar about the creature...


Once the prisoners were gone, Toka motioned Knottail over to him, and they held a quick, whispered conference. Apparently whatever they talked about, Knottail didn't seem thrilled over it, for he frowned. Regardless, he kept it to himself, and went to do Toka's bidding.

Toka then turned to the only other creature in the tent, the mysterious creature, waiting patiently to be dismissed.

"So," Toka addressed him, "Do you have a name?"

"Why do yeh want to know?" the creature replied.

"I try to make it a habit to know the names of every beast I meet." Toka answered.

"Well, nobeast has cared in the past, so I made it a 'abit to not remember me name." the creature answered.

Toka grinned, finding the comment amusing. He looked he cloaked and hooded figure up and down, not having much to go on to identify the creature other than that. The warlord could see the tip of the creature's tail however, and that clued him in as to the creature's species.

"You look to be a weasel." Toka commented idly.

"Sure." the creature replied. Toka got the impression that the beast didn't care if he called him an overgrown bean stalk, one of the many things on Toka's mind at the moment.

He liked that about the creature.

"You know, I like weasels, for they have great military potential." Toka said. "What do you think about that?"

The creature shrugged. "I ain't military." he said.

"Well, I think, you have lots of potential in that field, so much so, I'm surprised your not already in it." Toka said.

"I'm a loner." the creature replied. He seemed to have a simple explanation for everything.

"Currently, I have a position open for a captain." Toka said. "The last creature to fill that post, a weasel named Grim, has been missing for several days now, and I'm starting to believe he ran into a spot of trouble and won't be coming back."

"So yeh want me to fill it in." The creature guessed.

"If it's not too much trouble."

The creature considered it for a few moments. "I ain't that kind of beast." he replied. "I don't think I'm the weasel fer yeh."

"I disagree." Toka replied. "You've already proven yourself to be invaluable. You even achieved something my horde could not. Capturing Mattimeo."

"I was in the right place at the right time." the creature said, justifying the matter.

"Maybe so." Toka admitted. "But even then, it takes skill to know exactly what to do, and you did exactly that."

The creature pondered it some more.

"You have that skill." Toka said. "And I want you in my horde."

The creature still seemed unsure, so Toka began listing the benefits.

"By being captain, you'll have your own unit of creatures to command, your own share of the supplies, the goods, everything the horde has. There's Redwall that we'll be going to capture, you have part of it, and then there's the otter treasure. You'll get a hearty share of that too, but of course, you'll have to share it with Knottail."

"Of course." the creature replied. "An' I must admit, it's quite an offer."

"Then why hesitate?"

"Mostly this revenge thing of yores." the creature explained. "Sounds to me yore only in this fer that sole purpose. Once yeh achieve it, wot'll yeh do then?"

For the first time, Toka hesitated, not having an answer. "I'm...I'm not sure." the warlord admitted.

"An' I find that odd, fer a creature who plans things out so well."

"Redwall is the only fortress for miles." Toka said. "It's quite conceivable that I can use that to turn Mossflower Country into a kingdom to rule."

"An' that's another thing I've got a problem with." the creature said. "The last kingdom that ruled 'ere was Kotir, an' I'm sure you'll note, it ain't standin' no more. The woodlanders took care of 'em quite well."

"You seem to be pretty fluent in Mossflower's history." Toka commented, finding yet another reason to like the beast.

"I've been 'ere fer awhile." the creature replied.

"Yet another thing you, I, and everyone in the horde could use." Toka stated. "With your knowledge of that instance, we can make sure to not make the same mistakes."

"It's temptin'." the creature admitted. "But I ain't never killed a beast before, sumthin' that's obviously required in yore 'orde."

"That's easily fixed." Toka replied. "Take Mokeet and Mattimeo for example. I won't need them forever. Once their purpose is fulfilled, you can take care of them. That should solve your problem."

The creature considered it. "If yeh say so." he replied, finally agreeing.

Toak grinned. "And you'll find that what I say goes." he said.


Once the meeting was over, the horde packed up and began marching again, everyone of them feeling more confident than ever, coming ever closer to their goals...