~Theft Of The Sword~
~Chapter Five~
Watching the two beasts that he had caught, both of them vermin scum that he'd spotted at the edges of the camp to which he had tracked the thief, Deyna found himself in a struggle with himself. The bloodlust demanded that he killed them, to find his revenge in their spilt blood, trying to force the otter to kill in a blind rage. The former Taggerung however, fought the urges, knowing that he would have to use them later in order to figure out what was going on and to find out why a vermin horde would be this close to his home. In his haste to avoid discovery by any other horde beasts, the otter had bound and gagged them both with strips of their own clothing, tossing away anything they had that could be used as a weapon before dragging the pair into the deeper words.
"C'mon, scum." Deyna muttered as he leaned against a tree, waiting impatiently for one of them to awaken so he could have his answers. Lucky for him, at those words one of his prisoners stirred, the female coughed as her eyes flickered open and she found herself upon the ground staring up at the armed otter, a rage burning in his eyes as he looked down upon her.
"Mrfle." The pine martin mumbled as she tried to speak around her gag, suddenly finding the otter's spear at her throat, silencing her from any further mumblings.
"I'm going to undo the gag, scream and I swear that this spear shall end you." Deyna spoke in harsh words, pressing the spearhead into the maid's throat to punctuate his threat before tearing off the gag with a single quick movement of the weapon. With a quick glance to make sure that his other prisoner was still out, the otter returned the spear's blade to the maid's throat, motioning with one paw for her to speak.
"So you kill innocents as well. You'd love my husband." She spoke as though she knew the otter, her tone unnerving the otter a bit as he lowered the spear a little, her eyes boring into him as she moved into a more comfortable position leaning against a nearby tree.
"Silence, vermin. You're no innocent. One of your fellow scum murdered my sister an' I want to know why." As he spoke, Deyna leaned closer to the maid, giving her an icy glare, eyes full of mistrust and something else. Confusion and anger, that was what Pearl saw within the otter's soul, it was obvious to her as she chuckled calmly at his inner struggles, only angering him further. "Use your tongue or I shall rid you of it." Deyna growled angrily, stepping back from the maid, gripping his spear tightly in frustration at the pine martin's calmness.
"Did ye murder him?" She asked in a cold tone, testing the otter, jerking her head in the direction of the unconscious weasel guard.
"I'm no murderer, but if he threatens me . . ." Deyna let the threat hang in the air, but the female did not seem to show any worry as though she knew the otter wouldn't, her calm demeanor staying strong.
"No, you're not a murderer are you? But neither is he. Kill him and you'd only be killing a slave." At these words a look of confusion flitted over the otter's face. "Check his wrists if you do not believe me." Deyna did as he was told, bending over the unconscious weasel to check his wrists, there glinting in the rising sun were a pair of manacles minus the binding chains, the same kind Deyna had seen back when he had still been the Taggerung.
"If he's a slave then why is he out here where he could escape?" Deyna asked, not seeing the logic in something so obviously flawed.
"My husband, the master of the camp, has his sister hostage. He defects, he runs, he resists, he disappears and Olin will kill her. Same way with Kyin." Pearl explained, her demeanor calm and collected, almost sounding as though she were explaining things to a child.
"Kyin?" Deyna asked, unsure of whom the maid was talking about, unnerved at how much she seemed to know about everything.
"The thief that you're looking for I believe." Her reply unnerving the otter, the maid simply smiled. "He's a slave as well, he's bound to follow in the same fashion as Hallan. They can do nothing else. They are not who you want."
"Why don't I? The scum murdered my sister!" Deyna cried out, waving his spear in a dangerous fashion, finding the rage building up inside of him once more.
"You don't know then do you?" Pearl asked with a smirk on her face, watching the confusion on the otter's face.
"Know what?" He demanded, pressing the spearhead to her neck once more, his tone going cold again.
"Check him for a dagger." She said, jerking her head in the direction of the weasel that by now had begun to stir. Doing as he was told again, keeping the spear to the maid's throat as a precaution, the otter came up with up with a pair of daggers, one of them with a red stain across its edge.
"Say the scum ain't a murderer, look at this! Tis her blood right here!" He cried, holding the stained dagger up to the maid's face, considering it to be his undeniable proof.
"Smell it. It's not blood." A voice came from behind the otter. Glancing back the otter found that the weasel had awakened just in time to find Pearl with a spear against her throat. Struggling a bit to sit up, the weasel got himself to where he could look up at the otter, his eyes filled a strange sort of anger. "Go on, smell it before ye do something ye will regret." Taking a sniff of the red stain Deyna didn't find the familiar sickly, sweet smell of blood, but a different, earthy smell. "It's only a dye."
"Never saw her die did ye? Never saw an actual wound did ye? She's back at Redwall with nothin' more than I headache I presume." The maid continued for the weasel, a twisted sort of smile on her face as she stared up with a knowing look in her eyes.
"Why would you fake such a thing?"
"Ta get you out here, I would have thought ye would have gotten that by now. Guess it ain't all that obvious to ye." Pearl replied, shaking her head a bit at the otter.
"Why?"
"Because we want to all get out of here. We need you so we can stop Olin." Hallan replied for the pine martin maid as he struggled with his bindings.
"But we don't want to kill him . . .he wasn't always the way he is now, used ta be a great leader, but now he's just a cold-blooded killer. There's a vixen involved. I don't know how, but she has been manipulating him for quite a while now . . .we need both of them alive." Pearl turned away for a moment, trying to collect herself and regain her composure.
"You love him don't you?" Deyna asked, seeing his sister mirrored in the maid.
"Yes, as he used to be. It's being in love with a memory though . . ."The maid trailed off into silence, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Wait, how long have we been away from the camp?" Hallan cut in, a look of fear and worry upon his face.
"Maybe an hour or so." Deyna answered, confused by the identical looks of fear upon both Pearl's and Hallan's faces.
"Oh no . . .you don't think?" Pearl began, a look of horror now gracing her features.
"Wait, maybe we can make this work. Quick, otter, untie us already." Deyna did as he was told, though he didn't like being called 'otter' in such a way.
"It's Deyna." He muttered as he quick slashed at their bonds, immediately both rose to their foot paws.
"An' I'm Hallan an' this is Pearl, but that doesn't matter now. What you have to do now is take her back to Redwall and warm your home. I can go back to camp and say you kidnapped her in retaliation for the theft at your abbey, but first slash me with your spear." Hallan ordered, speaking as quickly as he could.
"What? Slash you? Why?" Deyna stuttered, confused by such a request.
"You have to or else he'll kill my sister, it has to look like you overpowered me. As if I tried at least or else this won't work. Do it." Hallan commanded, giving the otter an open shot at his torso. Deyna struck out with spear, bring the point across the weasel's chest to leave a shallow, vertical slice through Hallan's clothes and skin.
"Okay, now go!" Hallan commanded, gripping his chest with a paw, wincing at the stinging pain of the fresh wound as without further ado, both Deyna and Pearl took off, heading south through to woods towards Redwall Abbey. With a last glance at the retreating pair, Hallan took off running for the camp, hoping that he would not be too late. While this was happening, Nimbalo crossed the River Moss, his battle-axe held high as he followed his friend's paw prints, he too hoping that he would not be too late.
~Chapter Five~
Watching the two beasts that he had caught, both of them vermin scum that he'd spotted at the edges of the camp to which he had tracked the thief, Deyna found himself in a struggle with himself. The bloodlust demanded that he killed them, to find his revenge in their spilt blood, trying to force the otter to kill in a blind rage. The former Taggerung however, fought the urges, knowing that he would have to use them later in order to figure out what was going on and to find out why a vermin horde would be this close to his home. In his haste to avoid discovery by any other horde beasts, the otter had bound and gagged them both with strips of their own clothing, tossing away anything they had that could be used as a weapon before dragging the pair into the deeper words.
"C'mon, scum." Deyna muttered as he leaned against a tree, waiting impatiently for one of them to awaken so he could have his answers. Lucky for him, at those words one of his prisoners stirred, the female coughed as her eyes flickered open and she found herself upon the ground staring up at the armed otter, a rage burning in his eyes as he looked down upon her.
"Mrfle." The pine martin mumbled as she tried to speak around her gag, suddenly finding the otter's spear at her throat, silencing her from any further mumblings.
"I'm going to undo the gag, scream and I swear that this spear shall end you." Deyna spoke in harsh words, pressing the spearhead into the maid's throat to punctuate his threat before tearing off the gag with a single quick movement of the weapon. With a quick glance to make sure that his other prisoner was still out, the otter returned the spear's blade to the maid's throat, motioning with one paw for her to speak.
"So you kill innocents as well. You'd love my husband." She spoke as though she knew the otter, her tone unnerving the otter a bit as he lowered the spear a little, her eyes boring into him as she moved into a more comfortable position leaning against a nearby tree.
"Silence, vermin. You're no innocent. One of your fellow scum murdered my sister an' I want to know why." As he spoke, Deyna leaned closer to the maid, giving her an icy glare, eyes full of mistrust and something else. Confusion and anger, that was what Pearl saw within the otter's soul, it was obvious to her as she chuckled calmly at his inner struggles, only angering him further. "Use your tongue or I shall rid you of it." Deyna growled angrily, stepping back from the maid, gripping his spear tightly in frustration at the pine martin's calmness.
"Did ye murder him?" She asked in a cold tone, testing the otter, jerking her head in the direction of the unconscious weasel guard.
"I'm no murderer, but if he threatens me . . ." Deyna let the threat hang in the air, but the female did not seem to show any worry as though she knew the otter wouldn't, her calm demeanor staying strong.
"No, you're not a murderer are you? But neither is he. Kill him and you'd only be killing a slave." At these words a look of confusion flitted over the otter's face. "Check his wrists if you do not believe me." Deyna did as he was told, bending over the unconscious weasel to check his wrists, there glinting in the rising sun were a pair of manacles minus the binding chains, the same kind Deyna had seen back when he had still been the Taggerung.
"If he's a slave then why is he out here where he could escape?" Deyna asked, not seeing the logic in something so obviously flawed.
"My husband, the master of the camp, has his sister hostage. He defects, he runs, he resists, he disappears and Olin will kill her. Same way with Kyin." Pearl explained, her demeanor calm and collected, almost sounding as though she were explaining things to a child.
"Kyin?" Deyna asked, unsure of whom the maid was talking about, unnerved at how much she seemed to know about everything.
"The thief that you're looking for I believe." Her reply unnerving the otter, the maid simply smiled. "He's a slave as well, he's bound to follow in the same fashion as Hallan. They can do nothing else. They are not who you want."
"Why don't I? The scum murdered my sister!" Deyna cried out, waving his spear in a dangerous fashion, finding the rage building up inside of him once more.
"You don't know then do you?" Pearl asked with a smirk on her face, watching the confusion on the otter's face.
"Know what?" He demanded, pressing the spearhead to her neck once more, his tone going cold again.
"Check him for a dagger." She said, jerking her head in the direction of the weasel that by now had begun to stir. Doing as he was told again, keeping the spear to the maid's throat as a precaution, the otter came up with up with a pair of daggers, one of them with a red stain across its edge.
"Say the scum ain't a murderer, look at this! Tis her blood right here!" He cried, holding the stained dagger up to the maid's face, considering it to be his undeniable proof.
"Smell it. It's not blood." A voice came from behind the otter. Glancing back the otter found that the weasel had awakened just in time to find Pearl with a spear against her throat. Struggling a bit to sit up, the weasel got himself to where he could look up at the otter, his eyes filled a strange sort of anger. "Go on, smell it before ye do something ye will regret." Taking a sniff of the red stain Deyna didn't find the familiar sickly, sweet smell of blood, but a different, earthy smell. "It's only a dye."
"Never saw her die did ye? Never saw an actual wound did ye? She's back at Redwall with nothin' more than I headache I presume." The maid continued for the weasel, a twisted sort of smile on her face as she stared up with a knowing look in her eyes.
"Why would you fake such a thing?"
"Ta get you out here, I would have thought ye would have gotten that by now. Guess it ain't all that obvious to ye." Pearl replied, shaking her head a bit at the otter.
"Why?"
"Because we want to all get out of here. We need you so we can stop Olin." Hallan replied for the pine martin maid as he struggled with his bindings.
"But we don't want to kill him . . .he wasn't always the way he is now, used ta be a great leader, but now he's just a cold-blooded killer. There's a vixen involved. I don't know how, but she has been manipulating him for quite a while now . . .we need both of them alive." Pearl turned away for a moment, trying to collect herself and regain her composure.
"You love him don't you?" Deyna asked, seeing his sister mirrored in the maid.
"Yes, as he used to be. It's being in love with a memory though . . ."The maid trailed off into silence, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Wait, how long have we been away from the camp?" Hallan cut in, a look of fear and worry upon his face.
"Maybe an hour or so." Deyna answered, confused by the identical looks of fear upon both Pearl's and Hallan's faces.
"Oh no . . .you don't think?" Pearl began, a look of horror now gracing her features.
"Wait, maybe we can make this work. Quick, otter, untie us already." Deyna did as he was told, though he didn't like being called 'otter' in such a way.
"It's Deyna." He muttered as he quick slashed at their bonds, immediately both rose to their foot paws.
"An' I'm Hallan an' this is Pearl, but that doesn't matter now. What you have to do now is take her back to Redwall and warm your home. I can go back to camp and say you kidnapped her in retaliation for the theft at your abbey, but first slash me with your spear." Hallan ordered, speaking as quickly as he could.
"What? Slash you? Why?" Deyna stuttered, confused by such a request.
"You have to or else he'll kill my sister, it has to look like you overpowered me. As if I tried at least or else this won't work. Do it." Hallan commanded, giving the otter an open shot at his torso. Deyna struck out with spear, bring the point across the weasel's chest to leave a shallow, vertical slice through Hallan's clothes and skin.
"Okay, now go!" Hallan commanded, gripping his chest with a paw, wincing at the stinging pain of the fresh wound as without further ado, both Deyna and Pearl took off, heading south through to woods towards Redwall Abbey. With a last glance at the retreating pair, Hallan took off running for the camp, hoping that he would not be too late. While this was happening, Nimbalo crossed the River Moss, his battle-axe held high as he followed his friend's paw prints, he too hoping that he would not be too late.