CHAPTER 2

General Bannox Granden deposited his bowl on the table next to the door leading to the kitchen and walked out of the mess hall. Ahead of him were the stairs down into the cavernous entrance hall, where the ten hares had managed to replace the heavy bar which kept the mountain's main point of access secure. A couple of the younger ones, still getting used to the duties, were sitting on the floor panting and trying to rub some feeling back into their sore muscles.

To his left and right, the corridor snaked around the rough circle of the mountain's circumference. Corridors like this of decreasing size existed in a cone all the way up, until the floor just below the quarters of the Badger Ruler of Salamandastron.

They provided the main means of navigating otherwise labyrinth-like hallways, all designed specifically to enable a robust defence of the mountain from within should it fall to an enemy force. Unfortunately, it also made it somewhat awkward for the hares. When Haster Ringmight first came and inherited the mountain, there had been plenty of cave-ins and tunnel blockages, and the few hares who still lived there could barely remember where everything was.

It took Haster and his followers a good while to clear all the debris and unblock all the passages. However, even then it took them time to learn the layout. The story of Umber Stapp was famous, and not just as a bedtime story for the leverets. According to the historic legend, Umber had just joined the Long Patrol and went missing for seven straight days after failing to turn up for drill practise. Believing he had run away, Lord Gordus Ringmight sent the Long Patrol on a search and rescue mission across Mossflower Country, until the hare finally showed up – cold, dishevelled and starving – in the mountain's long-lost dungeons. Whilst the story was told with an air of ironic hilarity today, Granden was sure that Umber Stapp probably never saw the funny side.

It was at that point that Lord Gordus, the son of Haster, decided to start hammering signs into the walls to guide his hares around the mountain. He also converted the dungeons back into their original use.

It was there that Granden was headed, his mind abuzz with the details contained in the report tucked under his arm.

The Salamander Guards had travelled north under his direction along the coastline, crossing the rope bridge over the mouth of the River Moss and continuing along the cliffs until they had reached Luke's Beach and met up with Chief Tombo of the Hogward. They found the burnt wreckage of a pirate galleon beached on the sand, and upon investigation, were able to make out the name of the ship painted on the bow: Red Raider. It was the same ship which had been abandoned by the sea rats discovered by the Honour and Hunt Regiment.

What was curious about the wreckage though was the presence of breach points. There were several large holes punched into the starboard side of the ship, and in some cases, a few holes matched with several on the port side too. Something had managed to pound its way through what was admittedly a very sturdy hull with little to no effort and penetrated the entire width of the ship.

Onboard, they found very little. Either the crew had taken all their loot with them as they made their escape, or it had been pinched by those that had attacked them – presumably the crew of the "fire ship". Major Keller finalised his report by adding that they would be staying with Chief Tombo and his tribe for a couple more days to investigate further, and then they would venture home.

The ten sea rats captured by the Honour and Hunt Regiment had been useless for information. Three refused to talk at all – although one was forgiven, considering he did not possess a tongue. The rest just argued and tried to bait the hares into attacking them, giving them an excuse to start a fight. Luckily, Granden's troops had something that vermin lacked, and that was discipline.

Aside from the words "fire ship", there was nothing else that could be got out of them.

But Granden wasn't done yet. With the report he had received today, he could at least pick the rats' brains on one issue.

Below ground, Salamandastron was divided into five areas. At the very centre was the foundry, whose immense heat helped warm the entire mountain as steam rose through the massive chimney at its heart and emerging at the summit in an endless column.

The north cavern was the larder, crammed full of the finest offerings from the many producers of victuals across Mossflower Country. Wytefield Farm provided the greatest contribution of wheat, rye and all manner of vegetables. It also produced a white wine from a small vineyard kept on the property. Meanwhile, Gingivere Farm provided an array of fruit and vegetables, as well as other ingredients foraged from Mossflower Woods. Elmlow sent Salamandastron drink, from tea leaves and cordials to ale. All thanks for the protection the Long Patrol provided.

The south cavern was a storeroom, and not particularly interesting. It was mostly where the hares kept things which were considered useless, but they had not quite got around to throwing out yet.

The west cavern was flooded. But it was on purpose: it spanned four levels, from one below ground level upward, and therefore served as a perfect hideaway for the Long Navy's three ships. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but a fissure in the rock on the sea side of Salamandastron allowed for a ship to pass inside, and dock along a jetty. A Second Age ruler, Lord Antonus, was the first to properly launch a maritime division of the Long Patrol, but it wasn't until Lord Redstripe Urthlow that the indoor dock was created.

Finally, in the east cavern, the dungeons had been constructed. It was itself quite a large space, the ceiling at least three times as high as a badger at full stretch – though it only really consisted of two levels. The first, the highest, was where one entered, onto a platform which ran right around the perimeter, and looked down onto the second, a pit divided into seven spaces by walls of iron bars and a corridor connecting them. The entire pit was covered with a chain metal net stretched taut over it, with a space only for where the stairs from the platform level descended to the next.

It was a useful design, as it gave the guards a vantage over the prisoners, allowing them to see directly into the individual cells from the pathway which ran around them. However the cells were not small, and instead could hold about fifteen to twenty prisoners, meaning the dungeons had a capacity of over one hundred.

The Salamander Guards had opted to detain all ten sea rats, formerly of the Red Raider, together in the seventh and farthest cell, which was a little larger than the rest. This did mean General Bannox Granden was forced to walk all the way around the perimeter of the cavern on the platform level to observe the goings-on.

Stopping above it, Granden looked down on the untidy band of sea rats which had taken up residence. Of the ten prisoners, three of them were sleeping on the mess of hay provided for a bed; one was licking clean the plates that had once borne the prisoners' food; one was sat quietly in the corner; and the other five were arguing in hushed voices.

'Well, if the cap'n finds us, youse can be the one to tell 'im we lost his loot!'

'If the cap'n finds us…? Lissen, marshbrain, 'e's prob'ly lyin' at the bottom of the sea right now!'

'Tukka's got a point Kinny – 'oo actually saw the cap'n jump ship afore we did?'

'You know the cap! 'E's escaped worse… 'e's got that one-beast boat 'anging from the stern.'

'An' you really fink them lot missed it?'

'Wot difference does it make? 'E'll never find us 'ere anyway, fishbrain!'

'Fishbrain yerself, yer measly…'

'Ahem!'

Granden had had quite enough of the bickering, and made himself known. All the waken heads snapped upwards at the sight of the uniformed hare on the ledge above, who straightened his tunic matter-of-factly.

'Gentlebeasts,' he announced professionally, though he knew the greeting could hardly be applied appropriately. 'I have good news, and I have bad news. Which would you chaps like to hear first?'

None of them answered, so the general continued anyway.

'The good news is that we've found your ship, the Red Raider,' he said, rocking on his heels, his eyes skimming the document in his hand. 'The bad news is we found it on a beach. It was burnt to a cinder and abandoned.'

The five rats who had previously been bickering looked at one another wide-eyed. After a couple of seconds of silence, the one called Tukka found his voice.

'There were no survivors?'

'None that we could see. And no other beasts have washed ashore.'

This drew a short whistle of relief from a couple of the prisoners. Granden tucked his report back underneath his arm.

'So, I would like to know a few things…'

He had barely finished his sentence when the prisoners began hurling retorts.

'Do wot yer like, rabbit, youse ain't gettin' nuffin out of us!'

'Yeah, do yer worst!'

The noise of their fellow inmates immediately awoke the three that had been sleeping, and one, a fairly big, seasoned pirate, flung a small pebble at the nearest of his companions that was awake.

'Shurrup! I'm tryin' to get a bit of shuteye!'

To Granden's surprise, there was immediate silence. He stared at the big rat, who only had to turn his eyes forward from his lying position to see the hare.

'Oh, at last. Listen, yer couldn' put me in a differen' cell, cud yer? These planks are doin' me 'ead in!'

General Granden noted the balance of power in the cell.

'Sorry old bean, we're all out of room,' he told the outspoken rat.

'Wotcha talkin' bout? The place is empty 'part from us!'

Granden smirked, before launching into his interrogation. 'What were you attacked by?'

'Wot?'

'Your ship. Red Raider. Who attacked you?'

The rat had to think about that question. He was going into his second night in the cold mountain dungeon, and his former crewmates were starting to grate on him.

'Gimme a separate cell and a decent meal an' I'll tell yer.'

Granden sniffed, but not at the suggestion – just the temperature. Instead, he adopted a pensive look, considering the proposal. Although his focus was still on the sea rat he was just conversing with, he did notice the dirty looks the others were throwing the way of their perturbed companion.

The general looked up, and across the cell pit to the two hares which had accompanied him down into the dungeons. He gestured with his paw to them, and then pointed down into the cell. The hares marched down the stairs into the corridor, and then to the cell door. One unsheathed his sword whilst the other unlocked the door.

Upon hearing the clunk of the lock, the rat on the bed of hay snapped his head in surprise, and then looked up again at Granden. Realising his offer had been accepted, he happily rose onto his footpaws and marched out of the cell, giving a rather rude gesture with his paw to his former crewmates as he left. Once he was out, the hares locked the cell door again.