Malkariss was talking to Nadaz and Slagar. "NADAZ, YOU WILL TELL THE MASKED ONE THAT I HAVE MADE MY DECISION. HE IS TO BE GIVEN FOURSCORE RATS AND LEFT TO CARRY OUT MY COMMANDS IN THE TERRITORY ABOVE MY KINGDOM. TELL HIM THAT HE WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY. I HAVE MANY MORE BLACKROBES WAITING TO CARRY OUT MY WORD, MORE THAN LEAVES ON AN AUTUMN WIND. IF THE FOX PLAYS ME FALSE, HE WILL BE SLAIN, BOTH HIM AND HIS FEARSOME FIGHTERS. IF, ON THE OTHER PAW, HE REMAINS LOYAL TO MY BIDDING, BY THE TIME THE SNOW FALLS I WILL INCREASE HIS COMMAND BY TEN TIMES AND SET MY SLAVES TO BUILD HIM A STONE FORTRESS ABOVE GROUND, WHERE HE CAN RULE ALL THE TERRITORY FROM THE CLIFFS TO THE SOUTH HINTERLANDS. MALKARISS HAS SPOKEN. GO!"
Slagar quivered with excitement. His silken mask fluttered in and out as he swelled his narrow chest, reveling in the newfound power he had been given.
He walked up the winding passages toward the lands that awaited him in the sunlight. He emerged from the entrance to Malkariss's lair, only to find himself face to face with Discord!
"Hello, Slagar," Discord said.
Slagar was shocked. "'Ow do you know my name?"
"You kidnapped my grandson."
"Grandson?" Slagar didn't remember ever stealing a child that looked like this creature. "Who the devil ARE you?"
"Not the devil," Discord smiled. "But a good friend of his." He snapped his fingers and a ball of fire appeared, floating above his hand. He hurled the fireball at Slagar but the fox ducked it and ran back down into the kingdom of Malkariss.
Discord called to the others. "I've found the fox! He went down that hole!" Matthias, Twilight, Joshy, and the rest came over.
"Good work, Discord," said Matthias. "Mattimeo and the others must be down there."
"Come on, Warrior. What are we waiting for?" said Twilight. They all started down the tunnel.
They found themselves in a great entrance chamber with corridors, caves, passages, and tunnels, all sloping downward. "Which way do we go?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Before anybeast could answer her, Blackrobe rats appeared from every direction, with Nadaz at their head. The friends found themselves surrounded. They tried to fight the rats, but in the end the foe's strength of numbers brought them down. They were captured and chained up just like the slaves. Except for Discord, who used a magic spell to turn himself invisible before the rats could see him.
Nadaz looked around. "Wasn't there another one?"
"I don't see anybeast," said another rat.
"Okay. Let's take them to Malkariss."
They marched Matthias and his friends down the same path Mattimeo and his friends had been forced to take earlier. Discord followed, still invisible.
They brought them to the throne room with the statue of Malkariss. "WHO ARE THESE CREATURES?" the voice from the idol rang out.
Slagar was standing there. He did a little dance of excitement. "These are the beasts that followed me 'ere! They were trying to rescue their friends, but now it looks like they've been captured themselves!" He leaned over Matthias. "By chasing me, you were 'eading right into my trap. Now I 'ave twice as many slaves for Malkariss."
"GOOD WORK, SLAGAR."
Matthias struggled against his chains. "Slagar, you coward, fight me yourself!"
The fox just laughed. "I'm not Cluny, Matthias. You can't bait me. And anyway, yore in no position to make demands of anybeast! It's time you learned you can't outfox a fox!"
"Give us back our children!" Joshy shouted up at the statue.
"NEVER," scoffed Malkariss. "BUT IF YOU INSIST ON SEEING THEM AGAIN, I'LL BE GLAD TO LET YOU JOIN THEM!"
Nadaz had confiscated Matthias's sword. He held it out to Slagar. "We took this off the mouse. Do you want it?"
Slagar recoiled. "It would be the death of me! Its magic is only for the Redwall mice, there's probably a spell on it!"
"Okay. Then I'll just keep it for myself."
The rats led their new slaves away. Slagar left the room too, leaving the invisible Discord alone with the Malkariss statue.
Can't outfox a fox, huh? Discord thought. Well, this fox is about to find out that he can't out-Discord Discord.