Luc awoke in his dormitory the next morning with no recollection of how he
had come to be there. The last thing he remembered about the previous
night took place after Abbess Elm had declared that she would be receiving
a message from Salamandastron in Cavern Hole. Luc and some other
Redwallers who wanted to be left to their own devices rather than listen to
what they assumed was a boring message from Lord Rocketh went up to Great
Hall. Luc had been asking his friend Ellen what she thought the message
from Lord Rocketh was about when he felt weariness overcome him. The wind
and rain had kept him up this far into the night, but he found that he
couldn't fight it any longer.
The squirrel pulled himself out of his bed and stretched. Outside his window, the sun shone brightly in the sky, just as it had yesterday before the storm began. But at least the storm had stopped, probably the night before or early in the morning. Judging from the position of the sun, it was almost the time that most of Redwall gathered in Great Hall for breakfast.
Luc slipped on some clothing and made his way down to Great Hall. Once he got there, he walked over to where his friend Ellen was sitting. "I see that you're up nice and late in the morning," said Ellen. She was grinning from ear to ear, and whenever she got that expression on her face, she found some way or another to tease Luc. "Most of Redwall was under the impression that you'd sleep until dinnertime. Nobody could rouse you from your sleep, so Skipper had to carry you to your dormitory." Ellen lowered her voice and leaned closer to Luc, who was already blushing underneath his fur. "Personally, I thought you looked cute, being carried by that big otter. Just like a little dibbun. But I'm sure the rest of the Abbey isn't thinking about the cuteness of it. They're probably all laughing behind your back."
"You're kidding!" said Luc, his voice a high-pitched squeak. He was already blushing, but he could feel his entire body grow hotter. "You mean the entire Abbey saw Skipper carry me to my dormitory?"
Ellen laughed out loud, and gave her friend a playful shove on the shoulder. "I was just kidding. Only Skipper, Laura, Skhan, myself, and now you know. None of the others would tell, but I just might be tempted to start a few whispers about it. And everybody who knows, while they might not want to gossip about it, are honest. If they're asked whether it actually happened, they'll tell the truth."
"You're not serious, are you?" asked Luc, a pleading note to his voice. "Come on, Ellen. You might think it was cute, but I don't think anybody else would. It would take me a season to live down the embarrassment, and that's just from what the older beasts would remember. Can you imagine what the dibbuns would say?"
"I won't tell, if you do some things for me," Ellen said. If Luc didn't know Ellen as well as he did, he would've lashed out at her at that moment. But she had done things like this before, blackmailing him and his friend Andrew in order to get their help with tasks that fell to Ellen as an apprentice infirmary keeper, or her normal chores. Andrew had usually been here to help him help Ellen, but he had set off yesterday before the storm had started. Luc was pretty sure that Andrew would be alright, but he still worried about the mouse.
"Alright, Ellen," Luc said. "What do you want me to do?"
"I'd like some protection going into Mossflower Wood today to pick some herbs," said Ellen, smiling sweetly at Luc. "I'd ask somebody else, but they all seem preoccupied with the news that hare from Salamandastron brought. If Andrew was here, I'd try to get help from both of you, but you're the only one that wouldn't be too busy to escort me. Would you? Please?"
Luc was surprised. Even though Ellen was being trained to take over the infirmary when Sister Rain, the current infirmary keeper, stepped down, she had been trained in the use of basic weaponry just as most of the other Abbeybeasts around their age had been. In fact, before a position as infirmary keeper had caught her eye, Ellen had dreamed of becoming a warrior as great as Martin had been. That kind of ambition didn't die easily, especially with somebody as stubborn as Ellen. He doubted that she would ask him for help unless there was a good reason to.
"You didn't have to blackmail me," he said, putting some hurt into his voice. "All you had to do was ask for my help. I wouldn't dare let a delicate squirrelmaid such as yourself roam Mossflower Woods on her own."
His statement had the effect he had thought it would. Ellen's eyes narrowed, and she reached out a paw to grab Luc's arm. "I am not a delicate squirrelmaid," she said, her voice fierce. "Spar with me later. I'll prove it to you!" Her other paw moved up to the back of Luc's head, and dragged his head down so her nose was almost touching his. "Can you honestly say that you would win? I might only train occasionally, but I'm still almost as good as you. Even Andrew has said that I can fight well."
"I know that," answered Luc. The image of Ellen physically threatening Luc drew a few glances from the Redwallers that were beginning to file into Great Hall, but it was really nothing out of the ordinary. Ellen had been known to get into fights from anyone in the Abbey, from the dibbuns to beasts closer to her age. She had even tried to pick a fight with an otter by the name of Kiran after he had jokingly dropped a pawful of hotroot in her strawberry cordial last Nameday. Not only did the mixture taste horrible, her mouth had burned for almost the entire rest of the Nameday feast. In return, she had poured another glass of strawberry cordial over his head. To this day, both Kiran and Ellen were wary of each other.
"Good," said Ellen, and released her hold on Luc. The squirrel pulled back and rubbed his arm when Ellen had grabbed it. "Normally, I wouldn't need your help. I'm not a delicate little squirrelmaid. But I think that Kiran and some of his otter friends will be waiting out in the woods to ambush me. I saw them heading off toward Mossflower this morning, and I think they'll be watching me when I head for the woods. I usually pick herbs in one spot, and I'd rather not change to risk running into vermin. I don't think the otters would hurt me, but I'd rather avoid any sort of embarrassment. So I'd like to have you along to help me out. Will you come?"
Luc nodded. "I'll come along with you. When do we leave?"
"Right after we eat," answered Ellen.
After breakfast was placed on the table, the two squirrels broke off their conversation and turned their attention to the food. Like most Abbey meals, this breakfast had a fine assortment of food placed out on the table. But instead of stuffing themselves, as the two squirrels would normally have been tempted to do, they limited themselves to just enough food to fill their stomachs. After they had eaten, Luc and Ellen stood and walked up to their dormitories.
"Why are we going up here?" asked Ellen. "We could pick up some staffs to defend ourselves from Gormin, and we probably won't need anything else."
"I'm going to get my traveling cloak," answered Luc. "Go talk to Gormin to see if you can get staffs. I'll be down at the gate. Meet me there with or without the staffs."
"But if I come without the staffs, how will we defend ourselves?" asked Ellen.
Luc shook his head. "I don't know. But we have to find some way to get you herb picking. Like you said, none of the adults would be willing to escort you because of that Long Patrol hare. If they did, I doubt that Kiran and his friends would even think of ambushing you. We might run into vermin, but... what could they do to you that is worse that what Sister Rain would do if you didn't manage to find the herbs?" Ellen chuckled and turned around, heading off to find Gormin.
When Luc reached his dormitory, he walked over to his bed and ducked underneath it. The squirrel pried up a loose floorboard that nobody had bothered to repair and took out a small cloth bundle. He let the floorboard move back into place and unwrapped the bundle.
Inside the cloth was a small, sharp dagger. Andrew had given it to Luc so he could defend himself if he ever had the need. At the time, Luc had laughed and said that he never would need to be able to defend himself, but Andrew had insisted that Luc take the dagger and hide it somewhere that no older Redwaller would be likely to look, but in a place that Luc could easily remember and have easy access to. In the end, Luc had agreed to hide it under the loose floorboard under his bed. Just as he and Andrew had hoped, nobeast had found it.
It wouldn't do to tell Ellen of this weapon, thought Luc, examining his dagger closely. She'll either forbid me to take it along or suggest using it against the otters. No matter how good a friend she is, I can't say much for her self control. Luc stayed crouched on the floor for a few moments, and then stood and walked over to get his cloak. He put it on, and paused a moment to consider where he should keep the dagger. Nowhere that Ellen could see it, he thought.
In the end, Luc elected to hide the dagger inside his boot. Though it was uncomfortable, it would be hidden unless he needed it and there was almost no chance that he would manage to injure himself.
Luc climbed downstairs and went to wait at the Abbey gate. After a few minutes, Ellen came to meet him. She had the staffs that Luc had wanted, along with a cloth bundle that Luc suspected had food inside it.
"Let's go," Luc said when Ellen had given him his staff. The squirrelmaid nodded, and Luc and her walked out of one of the wallgates, heading toward Mossflower Wood.
~~~
"Martin help us," muttered Colin, Luc's father. Most of the beasts that had stayed in Cavern Hole after the Abbess had asked the night before for them to hold a meeting to listen to Candice's message had departed to get some sleep, but a few still remained. Among them were Abbess Elm, Skipper, Cain, and himself. Gormin had been present up until a few minutes ago, when Ellen had asked for his attention. Foremole had also left at that time, claiming that he needed to catch up on a night's worth of missed sleep. Jacob had also joined the gathering, and had made an offer to keep a record of what was being said that the remaining beasts gladly accepted.
Candice had left for a guest dormitory after the storm had halted. She had run to Redwall from Salamandastron over the course of a few days, and that sort of journey left even a Long Patrol hare tired. Normally, Colin would have gladly let the hare depart, but the message she had delivered was so dire that it had taken all his self restraint not to ask Candice to stay so the Abbeybeasts would be able to interrogate her.
"I don't believe it," muttered Cain, clutching at the table with his paws. But instead of confident, his voice sounded almost pleading. "Log-a-log, Gormin and I led our troops in pursuit of the vermin back to the Stormrat navy to make sure just this sort of thing didn't happen. And between the three of us, as well as the rest of the woodlanders that rose to pursue the vermin, a Stormrat wouldn't escape our notice."
"But according to Lord Rocketh, it did," said Abbess Elm, her voice strangely calm. "And I doubt he would've sent a runner with such urgency if he believed the situation with only half his heart. And it's possible that Mordrin would've sent another one of the Stormrats back to prepare the crews of his ships to flee just in case some disaster struck his army. As it did. So we must be prepared to fight a Stormrat once again."
"Lord Rocketh offered us no proof that it was a Stormrat who led the force that ambushed his hares! They could have been mistaken. Their leader could have just been an oversized searat. I can't believe that we let a Stormrat escape from us!" said Cain, sounding desparate. "We didn't let so many woodlanders die in the last war just to lose what we won when the Stormrats come for us again!"
"You can't believe it, or don't want to believe it?" asked Skipper, who had been silent for the past half hour. Colin thought he had seen the otter's eyes close for some time, but if he had been sleeping, he wasn't showing it now. "My father raised me to accept the truth unless I have some reason not to. That advice served him well when he was Skipper, and it has worked so far for me. And the truth, as I see it, is that Lord Rocketh believes that a Stormrat is leading a vermin army north. The truth, as Lord Rocketh sees it, is that Salamandastron, all of Mossflower, and eventually Redwall will be in grave danger unless this menace is stopped."
Skipper gave Cain time to absorb his words before continuing. "And I do believe that we can stop it. While it is true that the Stormrat War killed many of our best warriors, much of the vermin army was destroyed as well. I admit that if a Stormrat survived, he or she could raise a strong army and give it the hope of capturing Salamandastron and sweeping across Mossflower. Doubtless Salamandastron would be their first priority, since it is a point that the Stormrats would be able to control the coastline. Then, they would pass over the small dwellings throughout Mossflower Wood and sweep down on a place of power. Here. Redwall."
"Redwall? A place of power?" said Colin incredulously. "We've only used the Abbey to benefit woodlanders! Redwall is a place that benefits Mossflower, not a place that has power over it."
"You forget your histories, Colin," said Jacob, lifting his head from the notes he had been taking. "Before Redwall was built, Lord Verdauga's fortress Kotir stood in its place. If a wildcat was able to rule over Mossflower from a fortress that once stood where this Abbey does now, why couldn't a searat rule Mossflower from Redwall? Especially a Stormrat..."
"Then we must not lose," said Gormin's voice. Colin and the other beasts sitting around one of Cavern Hole's two tables turned their heads toward the stairs. The squirrel Champion returned to Cavern Hole and took a seat next to Jacob. "I do not believe that Redwall and the residents of Mossflower would be able to resist the vermin army without the help of the Long Patrol. Though our Abbey has a standing tradition of training fierce warriors, Lord Rocketh, and Lord Sunforge before him, gave the Long Patrol a sense of discipline that I do not believe our Abbey's defenders can match. We must keep the Stormrats from taking Salamandastron."
"I agree," said Cain. He seemed to have regained control of himself, but Colin had known Cain for seasons, and he could see that the mouse was still worried. Whether his thoughts were of the army of vermin said to be bearing down on Salamandastron or of his son, Colin couldn't tell. "But won't that be a problem? Many of our warriors were slain in the Stormrat War, and Salamandastron came out with half as many defenders as it started the war with. I don't know about the state of the Guosim, though. They didn't take as much casualties as Salamandastron or Redwall, so they might give us an edge in this fight."
"If we can find them," answered Colin. "You and Kelly had to go through hell to find the Guosim and rally the woodlanders. Do you know where the Guosim is now, Cain?"
"No," he answered, "but if you gave me time, I could find them. And there's always the chance that Log-a-log will come to help us fight once he hears that the Stormrats are back."
"So you've finally stopped denying the truth, Cain?" asked Skipper.
The mouse nodded. "Yes... but I don't want to lose anyone else. My son Andrew has grown into a fine mouse, and I can't bear losing what Kelly and I fought so hard for in the Stormrat War. We must win. Do you all understand that? We must."
"I have a son as well," said Colin, "as do most other Abbeybeasts. Believe me, I understand your concerns fully. We have all lost a loved one at one point or another, and though I doubt any of us were as close as you and Kelly, we know how you feel. We know your urgency. Given the chance, every warrior within Redwall will fight the vermin off or die trying."
Cain nodded. "I understand. The danger of the Stormrats... is real. But what do we do about Lord Rocketh's request? The badger wants an army. Can we give him one?"
"I don't know," said Abbess Elm. "Candice says that Lord Rocketh has given us until noon tomorrow to debate whether or not we will help him. We will spend that time debating. All the Redwallers will be invited to discuss our decision, and we will go with the majority. I would, however, like to hear your opinions about this fight ahead of time."
"I think that helping Lord Rocketh is absolutely nessecary," said Colin. "However, there will doubtlessly be Redwallers who feel differently than I do, and I will abide by the decision of the majority."
Skipper answered next. "As I said, I prefer to accept the truth as it appears. And to me, it appears to me that there is at least one Stormrat still alive. I do not think that Lord Rocketh and his Long Patrol can win this war on their own, and I believe that all of Redwall must go to help them. Somebeasts may not agree with me, but I am certain that at least half of my otters will. Regardless of the decision made by the rest of the Abbey, I am leaving at noon tomorrow, with the hare. I can only hope that the rest of the Abbey will come to a similar decision."
"I would like to debate a point that you brought up, Skipper," said Jacob. He still scribbled on a piece of parchment with his quill pen, and ink dripped onto his paws. "While the Long Patrol and ourselves lost a considerable amout of warriors in the war, we have no way of knowing how many beasts this Stormrat has gathered into his horde, nor how well-trained they may be. It took a clan of Stormrats to discipling the horde that was brought against us during the war, and while a single Stormrat may be intimidating on his own, I doubt that he can command as much respect from an army as a group of them would." Jacob paused for a moment, seeming to consider. "But then... it is often best to assume the worst during times of war."
"You raise a strong point, Jacob," said Skipper. "But my analysis of the situation remains the same. I believe that Redwall must help fight the Stormrats. Wrong or right... it is my belief."
Abbess Elm nodded. "I understand. Lord Rocketh can be assured of your help. And what about you, Cain, and you, Gormin? What decision do you think we should make?"
Cain was quick to answer. "I'm with Skipper. Lord Rocketh has my assistance no matter what the other Redwallers think. I know war, and it is horrible. But either we fight, or we let the vermin sweep across Mossflower. And there are too many goodbeasts - and vermin, I suppose - who would suffer because of the Stormrats. I will lay down my life if it will protect protect those beasts. My son is among those beasts, and I will not see him suffer if I can do anything to stop it."
"And you, Gormin?" asked Abbess Elm, gazing at the squirrel. "You have heard the arguments of every other beast. But in the end, it comes to you, as the Abbey's Champion, to decide whether or not Redwall can give its full support to Lord Rocketh. What would you advise?"
"First of all, Abbess, I would argue that it is your decision whether or not Redwall goes to war. But since you wish to hear my opinion, I will give it." Gormin cleared his throat. It was clear to Colin that he had thought out his decision, and he waited anxiously to hear it.
"Normally, I would recommend caution. Under different circumstances, I would say to wait and see how things play out before we decide either way. But I believe that it is Martin's wish that Redwall goes to war. So I will lead the defenders of Redwall to Lord Rocketh's side, if they wish to be led there."
"Thank you, Gormin," said the Abbess, rising to her footpaws. "I will ask the other Redwallers what they think we should do at lunch today. But please do not mention any of the conversation we had in here to any of them. I think that they need to decide on a course of action on their own, without the influence of any of us."
The beasts in Cavern Hole nodded, and the meeting was over.
The squirrel pulled himself out of his bed and stretched. Outside his window, the sun shone brightly in the sky, just as it had yesterday before the storm began. But at least the storm had stopped, probably the night before or early in the morning. Judging from the position of the sun, it was almost the time that most of Redwall gathered in Great Hall for breakfast.
Luc slipped on some clothing and made his way down to Great Hall. Once he got there, he walked over to where his friend Ellen was sitting. "I see that you're up nice and late in the morning," said Ellen. She was grinning from ear to ear, and whenever she got that expression on her face, she found some way or another to tease Luc. "Most of Redwall was under the impression that you'd sleep until dinnertime. Nobody could rouse you from your sleep, so Skipper had to carry you to your dormitory." Ellen lowered her voice and leaned closer to Luc, who was already blushing underneath his fur. "Personally, I thought you looked cute, being carried by that big otter. Just like a little dibbun. But I'm sure the rest of the Abbey isn't thinking about the cuteness of it. They're probably all laughing behind your back."
"You're kidding!" said Luc, his voice a high-pitched squeak. He was already blushing, but he could feel his entire body grow hotter. "You mean the entire Abbey saw Skipper carry me to my dormitory?"
Ellen laughed out loud, and gave her friend a playful shove on the shoulder. "I was just kidding. Only Skipper, Laura, Skhan, myself, and now you know. None of the others would tell, but I just might be tempted to start a few whispers about it. And everybody who knows, while they might not want to gossip about it, are honest. If they're asked whether it actually happened, they'll tell the truth."
"You're not serious, are you?" asked Luc, a pleading note to his voice. "Come on, Ellen. You might think it was cute, but I don't think anybody else would. It would take me a season to live down the embarrassment, and that's just from what the older beasts would remember. Can you imagine what the dibbuns would say?"
"I won't tell, if you do some things for me," Ellen said. If Luc didn't know Ellen as well as he did, he would've lashed out at her at that moment. But she had done things like this before, blackmailing him and his friend Andrew in order to get their help with tasks that fell to Ellen as an apprentice infirmary keeper, or her normal chores. Andrew had usually been here to help him help Ellen, but he had set off yesterday before the storm had started. Luc was pretty sure that Andrew would be alright, but he still worried about the mouse.
"Alright, Ellen," Luc said. "What do you want me to do?"
"I'd like some protection going into Mossflower Wood today to pick some herbs," said Ellen, smiling sweetly at Luc. "I'd ask somebody else, but they all seem preoccupied with the news that hare from Salamandastron brought. If Andrew was here, I'd try to get help from both of you, but you're the only one that wouldn't be too busy to escort me. Would you? Please?"
Luc was surprised. Even though Ellen was being trained to take over the infirmary when Sister Rain, the current infirmary keeper, stepped down, she had been trained in the use of basic weaponry just as most of the other Abbeybeasts around their age had been. In fact, before a position as infirmary keeper had caught her eye, Ellen had dreamed of becoming a warrior as great as Martin had been. That kind of ambition didn't die easily, especially with somebody as stubborn as Ellen. He doubted that she would ask him for help unless there was a good reason to.
"You didn't have to blackmail me," he said, putting some hurt into his voice. "All you had to do was ask for my help. I wouldn't dare let a delicate squirrelmaid such as yourself roam Mossflower Woods on her own."
His statement had the effect he had thought it would. Ellen's eyes narrowed, and she reached out a paw to grab Luc's arm. "I am not a delicate squirrelmaid," she said, her voice fierce. "Spar with me later. I'll prove it to you!" Her other paw moved up to the back of Luc's head, and dragged his head down so her nose was almost touching his. "Can you honestly say that you would win? I might only train occasionally, but I'm still almost as good as you. Even Andrew has said that I can fight well."
"I know that," answered Luc. The image of Ellen physically threatening Luc drew a few glances from the Redwallers that were beginning to file into Great Hall, but it was really nothing out of the ordinary. Ellen had been known to get into fights from anyone in the Abbey, from the dibbuns to beasts closer to her age. She had even tried to pick a fight with an otter by the name of Kiran after he had jokingly dropped a pawful of hotroot in her strawberry cordial last Nameday. Not only did the mixture taste horrible, her mouth had burned for almost the entire rest of the Nameday feast. In return, she had poured another glass of strawberry cordial over his head. To this day, both Kiran and Ellen were wary of each other.
"Good," said Ellen, and released her hold on Luc. The squirrel pulled back and rubbed his arm when Ellen had grabbed it. "Normally, I wouldn't need your help. I'm not a delicate little squirrelmaid. But I think that Kiran and some of his otter friends will be waiting out in the woods to ambush me. I saw them heading off toward Mossflower this morning, and I think they'll be watching me when I head for the woods. I usually pick herbs in one spot, and I'd rather not change to risk running into vermin. I don't think the otters would hurt me, but I'd rather avoid any sort of embarrassment. So I'd like to have you along to help me out. Will you come?"
Luc nodded. "I'll come along with you. When do we leave?"
"Right after we eat," answered Ellen.
After breakfast was placed on the table, the two squirrels broke off their conversation and turned their attention to the food. Like most Abbey meals, this breakfast had a fine assortment of food placed out on the table. But instead of stuffing themselves, as the two squirrels would normally have been tempted to do, they limited themselves to just enough food to fill their stomachs. After they had eaten, Luc and Ellen stood and walked up to their dormitories.
"Why are we going up here?" asked Ellen. "We could pick up some staffs to defend ourselves from Gormin, and we probably won't need anything else."
"I'm going to get my traveling cloak," answered Luc. "Go talk to Gormin to see if you can get staffs. I'll be down at the gate. Meet me there with or without the staffs."
"But if I come without the staffs, how will we defend ourselves?" asked Ellen.
Luc shook his head. "I don't know. But we have to find some way to get you herb picking. Like you said, none of the adults would be willing to escort you because of that Long Patrol hare. If they did, I doubt that Kiran and his friends would even think of ambushing you. We might run into vermin, but... what could they do to you that is worse that what Sister Rain would do if you didn't manage to find the herbs?" Ellen chuckled and turned around, heading off to find Gormin.
When Luc reached his dormitory, he walked over to his bed and ducked underneath it. The squirrel pried up a loose floorboard that nobody had bothered to repair and took out a small cloth bundle. He let the floorboard move back into place and unwrapped the bundle.
Inside the cloth was a small, sharp dagger. Andrew had given it to Luc so he could defend himself if he ever had the need. At the time, Luc had laughed and said that he never would need to be able to defend himself, but Andrew had insisted that Luc take the dagger and hide it somewhere that no older Redwaller would be likely to look, but in a place that Luc could easily remember and have easy access to. In the end, Luc had agreed to hide it under the loose floorboard under his bed. Just as he and Andrew had hoped, nobeast had found it.
It wouldn't do to tell Ellen of this weapon, thought Luc, examining his dagger closely. She'll either forbid me to take it along or suggest using it against the otters. No matter how good a friend she is, I can't say much for her self control. Luc stayed crouched on the floor for a few moments, and then stood and walked over to get his cloak. He put it on, and paused a moment to consider where he should keep the dagger. Nowhere that Ellen could see it, he thought.
In the end, Luc elected to hide the dagger inside his boot. Though it was uncomfortable, it would be hidden unless he needed it and there was almost no chance that he would manage to injure himself.
Luc climbed downstairs and went to wait at the Abbey gate. After a few minutes, Ellen came to meet him. She had the staffs that Luc had wanted, along with a cloth bundle that Luc suspected had food inside it.
"Let's go," Luc said when Ellen had given him his staff. The squirrelmaid nodded, and Luc and her walked out of one of the wallgates, heading toward Mossflower Wood.
~~~
"Martin help us," muttered Colin, Luc's father. Most of the beasts that had stayed in Cavern Hole after the Abbess had asked the night before for them to hold a meeting to listen to Candice's message had departed to get some sleep, but a few still remained. Among them were Abbess Elm, Skipper, Cain, and himself. Gormin had been present up until a few minutes ago, when Ellen had asked for his attention. Foremole had also left at that time, claiming that he needed to catch up on a night's worth of missed sleep. Jacob had also joined the gathering, and had made an offer to keep a record of what was being said that the remaining beasts gladly accepted.
Candice had left for a guest dormitory after the storm had halted. She had run to Redwall from Salamandastron over the course of a few days, and that sort of journey left even a Long Patrol hare tired. Normally, Colin would have gladly let the hare depart, but the message she had delivered was so dire that it had taken all his self restraint not to ask Candice to stay so the Abbeybeasts would be able to interrogate her.
"I don't believe it," muttered Cain, clutching at the table with his paws. But instead of confident, his voice sounded almost pleading. "Log-a-log, Gormin and I led our troops in pursuit of the vermin back to the Stormrat navy to make sure just this sort of thing didn't happen. And between the three of us, as well as the rest of the woodlanders that rose to pursue the vermin, a Stormrat wouldn't escape our notice."
"But according to Lord Rocketh, it did," said Abbess Elm, her voice strangely calm. "And I doubt he would've sent a runner with such urgency if he believed the situation with only half his heart. And it's possible that Mordrin would've sent another one of the Stormrats back to prepare the crews of his ships to flee just in case some disaster struck his army. As it did. So we must be prepared to fight a Stormrat once again."
"Lord Rocketh offered us no proof that it was a Stormrat who led the force that ambushed his hares! They could have been mistaken. Their leader could have just been an oversized searat. I can't believe that we let a Stormrat escape from us!" said Cain, sounding desparate. "We didn't let so many woodlanders die in the last war just to lose what we won when the Stormrats come for us again!"
"You can't believe it, or don't want to believe it?" asked Skipper, who had been silent for the past half hour. Colin thought he had seen the otter's eyes close for some time, but if he had been sleeping, he wasn't showing it now. "My father raised me to accept the truth unless I have some reason not to. That advice served him well when he was Skipper, and it has worked so far for me. And the truth, as I see it, is that Lord Rocketh believes that a Stormrat is leading a vermin army north. The truth, as Lord Rocketh sees it, is that Salamandastron, all of Mossflower, and eventually Redwall will be in grave danger unless this menace is stopped."
Skipper gave Cain time to absorb his words before continuing. "And I do believe that we can stop it. While it is true that the Stormrat War killed many of our best warriors, much of the vermin army was destroyed as well. I admit that if a Stormrat survived, he or she could raise a strong army and give it the hope of capturing Salamandastron and sweeping across Mossflower. Doubtless Salamandastron would be their first priority, since it is a point that the Stormrats would be able to control the coastline. Then, they would pass over the small dwellings throughout Mossflower Wood and sweep down on a place of power. Here. Redwall."
"Redwall? A place of power?" said Colin incredulously. "We've only used the Abbey to benefit woodlanders! Redwall is a place that benefits Mossflower, not a place that has power over it."
"You forget your histories, Colin," said Jacob, lifting his head from the notes he had been taking. "Before Redwall was built, Lord Verdauga's fortress Kotir stood in its place. If a wildcat was able to rule over Mossflower from a fortress that once stood where this Abbey does now, why couldn't a searat rule Mossflower from Redwall? Especially a Stormrat..."
"Then we must not lose," said Gormin's voice. Colin and the other beasts sitting around one of Cavern Hole's two tables turned their heads toward the stairs. The squirrel Champion returned to Cavern Hole and took a seat next to Jacob. "I do not believe that Redwall and the residents of Mossflower would be able to resist the vermin army without the help of the Long Patrol. Though our Abbey has a standing tradition of training fierce warriors, Lord Rocketh, and Lord Sunforge before him, gave the Long Patrol a sense of discipline that I do not believe our Abbey's defenders can match. We must keep the Stormrats from taking Salamandastron."
"I agree," said Cain. He seemed to have regained control of himself, but Colin had known Cain for seasons, and he could see that the mouse was still worried. Whether his thoughts were of the army of vermin said to be bearing down on Salamandastron or of his son, Colin couldn't tell. "But won't that be a problem? Many of our warriors were slain in the Stormrat War, and Salamandastron came out with half as many defenders as it started the war with. I don't know about the state of the Guosim, though. They didn't take as much casualties as Salamandastron or Redwall, so they might give us an edge in this fight."
"If we can find them," answered Colin. "You and Kelly had to go through hell to find the Guosim and rally the woodlanders. Do you know where the Guosim is now, Cain?"
"No," he answered, "but if you gave me time, I could find them. And there's always the chance that Log-a-log will come to help us fight once he hears that the Stormrats are back."
"So you've finally stopped denying the truth, Cain?" asked Skipper.
The mouse nodded. "Yes... but I don't want to lose anyone else. My son Andrew has grown into a fine mouse, and I can't bear losing what Kelly and I fought so hard for in the Stormrat War. We must win. Do you all understand that? We must."
"I have a son as well," said Colin, "as do most other Abbeybeasts. Believe me, I understand your concerns fully. We have all lost a loved one at one point or another, and though I doubt any of us were as close as you and Kelly, we know how you feel. We know your urgency. Given the chance, every warrior within Redwall will fight the vermin off or die trying."
Cain nodded. "I understand. The danger of the Stormrats... is real. But what do we do about Lord Rocketh's request? The badger wants an army. Can we give him one?"
"I don't know," said Abbess Elm. "Candice says that Lord Rocketh has given us until noon tomorrow to debate whether or not we will help him. We will spend that time debating. All the Redwallers will be invited to discuss our decision, and we will go with the majority. I would, however, like to hear your opinions about this fight ahead of time."
"I think that helping Lord Rocketh is absolutely nessecary," said Colin. "However, there will doubtlessly be Redwallers who feel differently than I do, and I will abide by the decision of the majority."
Skipper answered next. "As I said, I prefer to accept the truth as it appears. And to me, it appears to me that there is at least one Stormrat still alive. I do not think that Lord Rocketh and his Long Patrol can win this war on their own, and I believe that all of Redwall must go to help them. Somebeasts may not agree with me, but I am certain that at least half of my otters will. Regardless of the decision made by the rest of the Abbey, I am leaving at noon tomorrow, with the hare. I can only hope that the rest of the Abbey will come to a similar decision."
"I would like to debate a point that you brought up, Skipper," said Jacob. He still scribbled on a piece of parchment with his quill pen, and ink dripped onto his paws. "While the Long Patrol and ourselves lost a considerable amout of warriors in the war, we have no way of knowing how many beasts this Stormrat has gathered into his horde, nor how well-trained they may be. It took a clan of Stormrats to discipling the horde that was brought against us during the war, and while a single Stormrat may be intimidating on his own, I doubt that he can command as much respect from an army as a group of them would." Jacob paused for a moment, seeming to consider. "But then... it is often best to assume the worst during times of war."
"You raise a strong point, Jacob," said Skipper. "But my analysis of the situation remains the same. I believe that Redwall must help fight the Stormrats. Wrong or right... it is my belief."
Abbess Elm nodded. "I understand. Lord Rocketh can be assured of your help. And what about you, Cain, and you, Gormin? What decision do you think we should make?"
Cain was quick to answer. "I'm with Skipper. Lord Rocketh has my assistance no matter what the other Redwallers think. I know war, and it is horrible. But either we fight, or we let the vermin sweep across Mossflower. And there are too many goodbeasts - and vermin, I suppose - who would suffer because of the Stormrats. I will lay down my life if it will protect protect those beasts. My son is among those beasts, and I will not see him suffer if I can do anything to stop it."
"And you, Gormin?" asked Abbess Elm, gazing at the squirrel. "You have heard the arguments of every other beast. But in the end, it comes to you, as the Abbey's Champion, to decide whether or not Redwall can give its full support to Lord Rocketh. What would you advise?"
"First of all, Abbess, I would argue that it is your decision whether or not Redwall goes to war. But since you wish to hear my opinion, I will give it." Gormin cleared his throat. It was clear to Colin that he had thought out his decision, and he waited anxiously to hear it.
"Normally, I would recommend caution. Under different circumstances, I would say to wait and see how things play out before we decide either way. But I believe that it is Martin's wish that Redwall goes to war. So I will lead the defenders of Redwall to Lord Rocketh's side, if they wish to be led there."
"Thank you, Gormin," said the Abbess, rising to her footpaws. "I will ask the other Redwallers what they think we should do at lunch today. But please do not mention any of the conversation we had in here to any of them. I think that they need to decide on a course of action on their own, without the influence of any of us."
The beasts in Cavern Hole nodded, and the meeting was over.