Chapter 3
As Fleetfoot slowly awoke, she remembered everything Monofluro had told her, and she grew a little mad. Fancy the flippin' snake to use me to get into Salamandastron! Who did he think he was?! Oh well, she thought no way Mr. 16 Feet Long and Proud of It snake over there is going to leave me alone, so if I leave him alone he'll leave me alone too. Let him get too cocky. Fleetfoot sighed. It wasn't working. Looking around her, she saw that the cabin was completely deserted. Where was that snake! A slithering sound was heard on the stairs. Monofluro was coming... closer...
"Little haressssssss. I have almosssst gotten into your precioussssssssss mountain. Lady Velvetsss issss ready to give up her mountain for youssssssss. Hee hee. Think of that haressss. You're precioussssss enough to do that for."
Fleetfoot was about to do something that would definitely get her killed. But she opened her mouth to speak; a familiar voice sounded on the stairwell.
"Milord Monofluro?"
Fleetfoot, literally, did not know what hit her. She blacked out as soon as the voice stepped out of the stairwell.
"Yesssssssss Dissodeumssss?"
"Milord Monofluro. Lady Velvet is in her council right now. They are sorely missing some...(cough)...one." He looked over at the cage.
"Ah, yessssssssss. There are more than one wayssss to sskin a badger, Dissodeum. Here isssss another waysssss, my trusssted hare." He told him his plan.
Balinger's eyes grew as he listened on the other side of the door to the gory scheme. It was risky being on the boat, but if it could save Fleetfoot and Velvet...
A guard came dashing down the dark stairwell. He crashed strait into Balinger and they both crashed through the door. Balinger leapt up and dashed out. Disodeum had been about to leave anyway. He had heard everything. Dodging guards he jumped over the side and sped back to the mountain on double speed. Monofluro stopped the guards when they had almost jumped the side.
"Nosssss. You'll never catch him nowsss. Disssodeumsss- do exactlysss what he did outsside the forge doorsssss in Ssalamandassstron."
"Milord, I am in the council. Is that better? I can say I was doing some scouting..."
"Evensssss better. Do not fail or..."
Disodeum was already heading back, carefully staying in shadows and clumps of grass.
Balinger arrived in the council panting. Velvet looked at him.
"Where have you been?"
"Risking my life to save yours."
One of the colonels pulled back a seat.
"Here, young'un. You look like you could use some rest. Now, what did you find out."
"He's holding her in his personal cabin, he's planning on doing something terrible to you when you go in forcefully to get her, and," He looked at the doorway to see Disodeum. "...And there's a traitor in Salamandastron."
Velvet was looking at him funny.
"How do you know this?"
"I already told you! I risked my life by going on the ship and eavesdropping on his conversation with...someone."
"That could have backfired terribly, you know. You probably would be fishbait if they had gotten you, Balinger." Disodeum said quietly. Balinger frowned at him.
"Well, I have another plan."
"What is it?" Disodeum asked, excited.
"If there is a traitor in Salamandastron, I would not trust saying it aloud. So you will know soon enough. Disodeum, Balinger, Frieghold, Vessa, Nopenwend, and Sauna come with me. Everyone else, marshal the troops and hold the doors open for us. Come on."
Lady Velvet strode out to the ship with the hares behind her.
"Snake," she called, "It's sunset."
Monofluro slithered up on deck.
"Ah. Now we sshall ssssee, my guardsssss. I can feel it. Tonight we'll be in Ssssalamandasssstron!
He slithered back down to his cabin and came out with the unconscious Fleetfoot.
"Badger, whatssssss did you decidesssssss? But firsst there isss a little problem we musst disscusssss about a sspy that dared comesss on my sssship."
"Yeah, maybe so, maybe not. Now will we discuss what I came out here for."
"Ah yess, the hare. Sshe issss up here on deck. All you have to do issss sssay what I wantsssss and you will recivesssss."
"You can have it." In Monofluro's glee, he missed the smile Velvet had on her face.
"Hee. Okay badger, leave the mountain. Here'ssss you're hare!" That's when he noticed that the shores were deserted and Salamandastron's door was closing. He didn't know that badgers could run so fast.
"Whyssss thatssss tricksssssssster!" He turned to his guards. "Plan Bsssss. Notify Dissodeum." Hissing, he slithered into his cabin.
In the infirmary at Salamandastron, Fleetfoot stirred. She placed her paw on her forehead and moaned.
"OW! Where am I?"
The infirmary hare waddled over to Fleetfoot and smiled.
"Good, you're awake."
"How long have I been out?"
"Four days. And that's from a torn ear, a fractured paw, rope cuts, head injuries, --"
"I have the point. By the way, is there anything to eat?"
"Yes, there is. So sit up."
"If you'll get it."
"Okay. Oh, and Lady Velvet is here to see you. I tried to get her to wait, but once she heard you were awake she was up here trying to break down the door."
"Hi Fleetfoot!"
Fleetfoot sat up.
"Hi!"
"I'm glad you're awake, Fleetfoot. I was worried."
Suddenly the door flew open and Disodeum stalked in.
"M'lady!" He said, "I have very disturbing news!
As Fleetfoot slowly awoke, she remembered everything Monofluro had told her, and she grew a little mad. Fancy the flippin' snake to use me to get into Salamandastron! Who did he think he was?! Oh well, she thought no way Mr. 16 Feet Long and Proud of It snake over there is going to leave me alone, so if I leave him alone he'll leave me alone too. Let him get too cocky. Fleetfoot sighed. It wasn't working. Looking around her, she saw that the cabin was completely deserted. Where was that snake! A slithering sound was heard on the stairs. Monofluro was coming... closer...
"Little haressssssss. I have almosssst gotten into your precioussssssssss mountain. Lady Velvetsss issss ready to give up her mountain for youssssssss. Hee hee. Think of that haressss. You're precioussssss enough to do that for."
Fleetfoot was about to do something that would definitely get her killed. But she opened her mouth to speak; a familiar voice sounded on the stairwell.
"Milord Monofluro?"
Fleetfoot, literally, did not know what hit her. She blacked out as soon as the voice stepped out of the stairwell.
"Yesssssssss Dissodeumssss?"
"Milord Monofluro. Lady Velvet is in her council right now. They are sorely missing some...(cough)...one." He looked over at the cage.
"Ah, yessssssssss. There are more than one wayssss to sskin a badger, Dissodeum. Here isssss another waysssss, my trusssted hare." He told him his plan.
Balinger's eyes grew as he listened on the other side of the door to the gory scheme. It was risky being on the boat, but if it could save Fleetfoot and Velvet...
A guard came dashing down the dark stairwell. He crashed strait into Balinger and they both crashed through the door. Balinger leapt up and dashed out. Disodeum had been about to leave anyway. He had heard everything. Dodging guards he jumped over the side and sped back to the mountain on double speed. Monofluro stopped the guards when they had almost jumped the side.
"Nosssss. You'll never catch him nowsss. Disssodeumsss- do exactlysss what he did outsside the forge doorsssss in Ssalamandassstron."
"Milord, I am in the council. Is that better? I can say I was doing some scouting..."
"Evensssss better. Do not fail or..."
Disodeum was already heading back, carefully staying in shadows and clumps of grass.
Balinger arrived in the council panting. Velvet looked at him.
"Where have you been?"
"Risking my life to save yours."
One of the colonels pulled back a seat.
"Here, young'un. You look like you could use some rest. Now, what did you find out."
"He's holding her in his personal cabin, he's planning on doing something terrible to you when you go in forcefully to get her, and," He looked at the doorway to see Disodeum. "...And there's a traitor in Salamandastron."
Velvet was looking at him funny.
"How do you know this?"
"I already told you! I risked my life by going on the ship and eavesdropping on his conversation with...someone."
"That could have backfired terribly, you know. You probably would be fishbait if they had gotten you, Balinger." Disodeum said quietly. Balinger frowned at him.
"Well, I have another plan."
"What is it?" Disodeum asked, excited.
"If there is a traitor in Salamandastron, I would not trust saying it aloud. So you will know soon enough. Disodeum, Balinger, Frieghold, Vessa, Nopenwend, and Sauna come with me. Everyone else, marshal the troops and hold the doors open for us. Come on."
Lady Velvet strode out to the ship with the hares behind her.
"Snake," she called, "It's sunset."
Monofluro slithered up on deck.
"Ah. Now we sshall ssssee, my guardsssss. I can feel it. Tonight we'll be in Ssssalamandasssstron!
He slithered back down to his cabin and came out with the unconscious Fleetfoot.
"Badger, whatssssss did you decidesssssss? But firsst there isss a little problem we musst disscusssss about a sspy that dared comesss on my sssship."
"Yeah, maybe so, maybe not. Now will we discuss what I came out here for."
"Ah yess, the hare. Sshe issss up here on deck. All you have to do issss sssay what I wantsssss and you will recivesssss."
"You can have it." In Monofluro's glee, he missed the smile Velvet had on her face.
"Hee. Okay badger, leave the mountain. Here'ssss you're hare!" That's when he noticed that the shores were deserted and Salamandastron's door was closing. He didn't know that badgers could run so fast.
"Whyssss thatssss tricksssssssster!" He turned to his guards. "Plan Bsssss. Notify Dissodeum." Hissing, he slithered into his cabin.
In the infirmary at Salamandastron, Fleetfoot stirred. She placed her paw on her forehead and moaned.
"OW! Where am I?"
The infirmary hare waddled over to Fleetfoot and smiled.
"Good, you're awake."
"How long have I been out?"
"Four days. And that's from a torn ear, a fractured paw, rope cuts, head injuries, --"
"I have the point. By the way, is there anything to eat?"
"Yes, there is. So sit up."
"If you'll get it."
"Okay. Oh, and Lady Velvet is here to see you. I tried to get her to wait, but once she heard you were awake she was up here trying to break down the door."
"Hi Fleetfoot!"
Fleetfoot sat up.
"Hi!"
"I'm glad you're awake, Fleetfoot. I was worried."
Suddenly the door flew open and Disodeum stalked in.
"M'lady!" He said, "I have very disturbing news!
