The next morning, Martin, Jesus, and Gonff were taking a walk around the grounds. "I'm surprised those vermin let all of you in here," Martin said.

"Vermin?" Jesus echoed, turning to look at the Warrior. "What vermin?"

Jesus' disciple, Judas, was standing nearby. He listened in on the conversation intently.

"There's a great horde of vermin camped outside the gates," Martin replied. "I've been keeping an eye on them to make sure they don't attack Redwall. So far, they haven't done much. It's as if they're waiting for something."

Jesus shrugged. "Maybe they didn't notice us come in."

"Impossible, matey," Gonff said, grinning cheekily. "Your creatures were making enough noise to wake the dead. They had to have noticed you."

Now! Judas thought. Sound the call to arms against the vermin! Train us and lead us against them to victory!

But Jesus only laughed at the mousethief and continued talking with his two friends as if it wasn't anything to worry about.

Judas stared after Jesus and his friends. He didn't understand what was happening here. Wasn't Jesus the promised one? Wasn't that promised one supposed to be a great leader and warrior? Why didn't he lead them into battle and defeat this foe?

A memory assaulted him.

(flashback)

One night Jesus and his disciples were sitting around the camp fire. "The son of mice must suffer many things," Jesus was saying, "He will be captured by vermin. He will be killed."

"No, Lord!" Simon Peter exclaimed. "That will never happen to you! Never!"

(end flashback)

The promised one...killed...defeated by the enemy...NO! Judas thought. A false promised one. We'll all...we'll all die!

Judas walked to the side gate of the Abbey. He remembered a snatch of conversation he had heard during the procession into Redwall. A conversation he knew now was between vermin in the horde.

(flashback)

"There's nobeast who can lead us to the white mouse," one voice said.

"Nobeast?" another voice said. Judas was able to identify this one as the voice of a fox. "Oh, there's always somebeast."

(end flashback)

Judas paused with his paw on the latch to go outside. He remembered something else. Something that nobeast knew.

(flashback)

Many seasons ago, young Judas traveled to Noonvale when word of Marshank's destruction reached word of his home. He went to find his older brother, who had been captured by Badrang and had been a slave.

"Excuse me," he asked an otter, "Where do the freed slaves from Marshank live? I heard they came here."

"They have dwellings of their own now," the otter told him. "Who are you looking for?"

"My brother," Judas said, "Druwp."

A strange expression came over the otter's face. "I was a slave with him," he said. "My name's Keyla. What's yours?"

"Judas," Judas said.

"Come with me, Judas," Keyla said. "There's something I need to tell you about your brother."

(end flashback)

That was the day Judas learned that his brother had been a traitor and a spy for Badrang.

If he betrayed Jesus, and if the secret of his being related to Druwp got out, the gossips would never tire of it. They'd say it ran in the family. His parents...his sister...they would be outcast. Labeled as a family that produced traitors and spies.

"Oh, there's always somebeast." The fox's words echoed in his head. If he stayed with Jesus, he would certainly be killed by the vermin horde. Maybe, just maybe, if he decided to lead the vermin to Jesus they would spare his life. It was worth a chance. He lifted the latch and slipped out into Mossflower wood.

He approached the horde. When they spotted him the captured him and brought him before the leader. "What do you want, vole?" the fox asked.

"What would you give me," Judas paused, took a deep breath, and finished, "If I lead you...to Jesus?"