It was almost time for lunch at Redwall. Cain roamed the Abbey grounds,
waiting impatiently for Colin to alert him when the meal started. Lunch
today would be when the Abbess gave Lord Rocketh's request for aid to the
residents of Redwall. He hoped with all his heart that the Redwallers
would choose to send aid to Lord Rocketh, but either way, he would be
traveling to help the Badger Lord. I will see to it that the Stormrats do
not win, the mouse told himself. In his mind, those words were a promise.
The mouse stooped down to gaze at a small flower on the ground. White petals spread out from the center, and it swayed with a faint breeze that brushed through the air. Somehow, it brought an imaged of his deceased wife, Kelly, to his mind. There was no reason for him to think of her, nothing similar between the flower and the sweet mouse that had died five seasons ago, but it still reminded him of her. Almost everything, within the Abbey and outside of it, reminded him of her.
And his son Andrew, the beast that held the most happiness for Cain, reminded him of Kelly the most. No matter how hard he tried, Cain couldn't stop the pain from showing in him. Other beasts didn't seem to see it, but Andrew, the one beast that he made himself live for, knew the pain that he caused his father. As far as Cain could see, Andrew didn't feel any guilt, and rightfully so. He had not been the beast that murdered Kelly. But Cain felt guilt, for letting his son see the pain that his presence caused him.
Cain reached out to take the flower, but stayed his paw before it closed around it. It would be like killing her, he thought, still thinking of Kelly. The mouse withdrew his paw and stood, leaving the flower untouched. He then continued his walk, taking care not to catch any flowers under his feet.
His walk continued uneventfully until he approached the main gate of Redwall. The double doors stood open, and Gormin and Jacob stood in front of two squirrels and a pair of otters. Cain recognized the squirrels as Ellen and Luc, his son's two closest friends. He couldn't fit a name to the otters, but he recognized them as part of a group of four that had left Redwall that morning.
The squirrelmaid, Ellen, had a look of horror on her face, and was doing her best to comfort Luc, who seemed to be far more horrified than the squirrelmaid and had an expression on his face that made Cain think of a lost dibbun. The otters both had similar combinations of anger and grief on their faces, and tears fell like rain from their eyes. Gormin was talking to the otters, while Jacob was helping Ellen comfort Luc. A feeling of dread filled Cain's heart, and he hastened over to the gathering by the gate.
"What happened?" he asked quietly. Cain went over to Gormin, who was listening to one of the otters talk through his tears. The squirrel raised his hand to signal the otter who was talking to stop, and turned to Cain.
"These otters had gone off into Mossflower for a morning away from the Abbey. After walking for a couple hours, they were approached by three ferrets. The vermin seemed friendly, but they killed two of the otters. These two ran, and came across Luc and Ellen. They hid in the bushes, but the ferrets saw that their footprints lead in that direction. Somehow, the otters and the squirrels managed to kill two of the ferrets and chase the other one away into Mossflower. The otters wanted to go and find their friends' bodies, but Luc was so distraught that they decided to come back to Redwall." Gormin sighed and shook his head. There was something in his eyes that told Cain that the squirrel blamed himself, even though there was no rational reason for him to. "That place was supposed to be safe from this sort of thing. We're going to have to do something..."
"Gormin, could the ferrets have been part of the Stormrat horde?" asked Cain. "It could be disastrous for Redwall if they've traveled this far east already. There could be more of those monsters, lurking in Mossflower Wood!"
"I don't believe for a second that those ferrets came from the Stormrat horde," answered Gormin. "In the last war, the vermin that followed the Stormrats were more disciplined than any Redwallers have fought in recent history, and would never have allowed beasts inexperienced in the ways of war to defeat them. Even though we killed off most of the Stormrats, I find it impossible to believe that the quality of the soldiers would change so drastically."
"So that means that our safe areas aren't so safe anymore," said Cain. He felt bitter. The deaths of the two otters should never have happened, especially in an area of Mossflower that was well-known to be free of vermin. But if the Stormrats hadn't been the cause of it, then it could only mean that either the vermin in Mossflower Wood were becoming more aggressive, or they had rallied under some vermin leader. Either conclusion would mean that the Abbey would need to be better defended. "Oh, no..." breathed Cain.
The look in Gormin's eye said quite plainly that Cain's dark thoughts had already occurred to him. The squirrel lead Cain away from the other beasts, and when they had reached a distance from which they were unlikely to be overheard from, he spoke the thoughts that were flashing in a panicked haze through Cain's mind. "There's no way that the Abbey will vote to send help to Lord Rocketh, once they learn of the killings in the safe area. If our own Mossflower Woods aren't safe, why should we care about what's happening on the coast?"
"You don't actually believe that, do you Gormin?" said Cain in a dangerously low voice. "If the Long Patrol is overrun, there's no way this Abbey can defend itself. We must fight the Stormrats together to have any chance at all of keeping our lands safe. A few ferrets acting up in Mossflower is absolutely nothing compared to a horde of vermin led by a Stormrat!" Cain reached out his paw to grab Gormin's shoulder. "The rest of Redwall must not know about the murder! They need to support Lord Rocketh, and there's no way they will if they find out what happened!"
"They would support the Badger Lord if Martin the Warrior told them to," spat Gormin. His voice now held the sound of bitter jealousy. "But no matter what I would say, they'd decide against it. After all, who would trust a Champion that doesn't hold the sword? We were unlucky enough to lose the sword generations ago, and the effects of its loss still exist today! I can't do half of what Martin could, not without his sword!"
Cain didn't know how to respond to this, so he kept the topic of the conversation on the matter at hand. "We need to keep them quiet. Jacob, Ellen, Luc, and the otters. We must act as if nothing is amiss, and then the vote of the Redwallers will probably fall toward helping Lord Rocketh. Only after the Abbey's defenders have set out to help the Long Patrol can we reveal what took place with the ferrets and the otters."
"That's a cold decision," said Gormin, glaring at Cain. "And furthermore, it's my place to make it. I am the Champion of Redwall, and even though I don't hold Martin's sword, I still have more authority than the second best!"
Gormin's words stung, but Cain fought to keep his emotions under control. "We must do this," he said, trying to restrain his emotions and remain as calm as he could. "If we don't, all of Mossflower will be overrun! The lives of two otters may mean much to us now, but there's much more at stake here! Some sacrifices must be made!"
"Would you have said that before you lost Kelly?" asked Gormin, his voice smoldering with anger. "Two lives ended today. Their families will be distraught, and we have no right to send them to war. Even if we somehow managed to conceal the deaths of their children from them, how would they feel upon returning home? I would be removed from my position as Redwall's Champion, and at best, both of us would be exiled! I'm not willing to make that sacrifice!"
"If you cannot do this, you will never live up to the name of Martin the Warrior. He lost the life of the one he loved, and still managed to found the Abbey that we live in today. Gormin, you have no idea how losing someone that you loved more than anything, more than your own soul, can tear up a beast's heart. Martin the Warrior went through all that, and he managed to become the hero that we know him as today. He lost Laterose, and you're afraid of losing a title and a comfortable place to sleep? He would be ashamed of you."
Gormin look at the ground, and Cain felt almost certain that he had convinced the squirrel to prevent the rest of Redwall from learning about the murder. When he looked up, the feeling of certainty was complete. The squirrel's expression had hardened into one of regretful acceptance. "The souls of this Abbey's founders will damn us from beyond the gates of Dark Forest for what we will do."
"I know," answered Cain. "But it must be done. Maybe they'll forgive us for the harm we will cause the residents of this Abbey if the war against the Stormrats succeeds."
"I doubt it," answered Gormin bitterly. "But perhaps the beasts living in Mossflower will thank us, someday. But I know that we will not have their thanks for our actions. You're sure of this, Cain? You want to betray the trust of the beasts in this Abbey?"
"I'm sure." Cain nodded toward Jacob, who was standing away from Luc as Ellen comforted him. "Will he help us? Jacob always seemed to be the type to do the right thing to me, but he's sensible. We could try to make him see it our way. Would he?"
"Yes," answered Gormin after a few moments' pause. "He would conceal our actions until a day or so after Redwall's defenders left for Salamandastron. I think he could keep the squirrels and the otters locked up in the gatehouse, if we had some sort of formula to keep them asleep. Would Sister Rain help us?"
"I don't know. But I'm not willing to risk it. I know a bit about herbology myself, and I think I could come up with a sleeping potion strong enough to keep them inactive for a few days if I had enough lanceroot. I don't think that those four would be missed much during the excitement of having beasts depart Redwall, and if their families do question where they are, I can just claim they went to follow my son to see if he's alright. Jacob could reveal what we did when we had left."
"The squirrelmaid was supposed to go herb gathering. I don't think Sister Rain would accept that she would shirk her tasks like that." Gormin shook his head, and Cain almost laughed when he saw that the squirrel was shaken by the situation he and Cain had put themselves in.
"Ellen is known to shirk her tasks. It would take only a small stretch of mind for Sister Rain to believe that she had left. I - " Cain stopped as he remembered that Colin was supposed to be coming for him. He, Gormin, Jacob, and the younger beasts were out here alone, but if somebody else knew the truth of their return it would be much harder to hide the murder from the Abbey. "I gotta go. Colin could come out here any minute. Tell Jacob what to do with the young ones, and I'll go to Great Hall. Come inside as soon as you're sure Jacob will listen."
~~~
Cain met Colin walking out of the doors of Great Hall, and managed to turn the squirrel around before he could catch a glimpse of what was happening at the main gate. Cain kept silent while he and Colin walked to Great Hall, and though his companion did try to coax him into talking, Cain remained silent and kept his attention focused on what he would say to the Redwallers that would be at lunch.
Even though there were, at most, two hundred fifty Redwallers living with the Abbey, Cain could have sworn that there were at least a thousand when he walked into Great Hall. There were Abbeybeasts situated around all the tables within Great Hall, and their chatter seemed to drown out Cain's thoughts. But he overcame the nervousness that threatened to take control of him and regained a grip on his thoughts. You grew up with these beasts. You know them, and they know you. But even as Cain was trying to convince himself that the Redwallers would listen, another part of his mind carried a different message. You're betraying them. You're lying to them. There's no way they'd help the Long Patrol if they knew what happened in Mossflower today.
Cain took a seat. Colin sat down at his left, and Skipper was already in the seat to his right. The otter was as close to Abbess Elm as he could place himself. Foremole sat on the other side of the Abbess, and there was an empty seat next to him where Gormin would sit. There was no seat left for Jacob, partly because he would rather allow himself to be lost in thought than carry out a conversation at dinner and partly because he rarely ever came to meals.
"Y'ready to convince these beasts to go to war?" asked Skipper, leaving the plate and goblet in front of him empty of any food or drink. Cain nodded, giving the otter a confident smile. Skipper would've known the two who died today... Cain cut of that line of thought before it could lead to anything more than simple words in his mind - such as guilt. There would be time enough for regret later on, after Redwall's warriors had left the Abbey.
The Abbess stood, and the chatter slowly dwindled into a low murmur that she could speak over. After seeing Gormin's empty seat out of the corner of her eye, she sent Cain a questioning glance. The mouse gave a shrug of his shoulders, and Abbess Elm sighed and began to speak.
"I asked that all beasts within these walls attend this lunch because I have dire news to give to you. Last night, Candice, a hare of the Long Patrol, arrived here during the storm bearing dire news from Lord Rocketh. I do not believe that I should be the beast to deliver these tidings to you, so I will ask our guest to give you the news herself." Abbess Elm took her seat, and Candice, who was seated several seats to Cain's right and had escaped his notice when he had entered Great Hall, stood and cleared her throat.
"A couple days ago, a group o' Long Patrol hares was attacked south of Salamandastron by part of a vermin horde. This is actually nothin' unusual. Happens all the time, wot. But the thing that stood out about these vermin was their leader, and their effective fighting style. Y' may think me a liar, but here's the truth. The beast in charge o' those vermin was none other than a flippin' Stormrat."
All the chatter in Great Hall ceased and was replaced by a deathly silence. Redwallers glanced nervously at each other, and fear was plain in their faces. Even though many had heard the news the night before, it was still shocking for some of them, and those who had only stayed for a portion of the discussion of Cavern Hole still seemed suprised to hear the news said in front of the entire population of Redwall.
The silence was finally broken by a young otter, who stood up and glared at Candice. "You're lyin'. I don't believe you."
Candice sighed. "I knew at least one o' you was gonna say somethin' along those lines. I assure you that Lord Rocketh is certain of the threat. He wouldn't' have sent me if he wasn't. One of the Stormrats is back, an' Lord Rocketh wants you Redwallers to help him fight whatever horde the beast may 'ave gathered."
The same otter that had spoken before shook his head vehemently. "I don't see why we should help you. The Long Patrol has been able to handle everything except the Stormrats on their own, and even if one of the Stormrats survived the war, they couldn't gather a horde as strong as the one they had before they attacked Salamandastron and Mossflower."
"We were weakened by the Stormrat War, too," answered Candice. "Alone, we can't fight against the numbers a Stormrat would be likely to rally. Without the help of Redwall, we can't hope to win."
"The hare is right," said Gormin, walking into Great Hall. All eyes turned to the warrior squirrel, who seemed to be unaware that he was late. He knows, he's just hiding it well, thought Cain. "Before she came last night, we were all sure that every one of the Stormrats had been slaughtered five seasons ago. But Lord Rocketh seems certain that we failed to kill them off, and now they're back. And before you ask what they can do to us here in Redwall, I'll ask you if we could realistically fight off a horde if they decimated the Long Patrol and turned on Mossflower. If we're to defeat them, we must fight them on a united front, or not at all."
The otter sat down sullenly, and Gormin made his way over to the seat at Foremole's right. The leader of Redwall's mole population had a grim look on his face, and it struck Cain that he had not been among the beasts gathered in Cavern Hole that morning when the Abbess had asked their personal opinions about going to war. I wonder which way he'll vote, thought Cain, subconsciously reaching out to take his goblet and turning it in his hands.
Abbess Elm stood again. "I wanted you all here so that we could decide through a vote whether or not we'll be sending aid to Lord Rocketh. I've already asked some of the beasts that were with me through the morning what they think of it, but I'd like to hear what the rest of the Abbey thinks we should do. Based on what the majority opinion is, we either will or will not send aid to Lord Rocketh. Do any of you have things that you wish to say before I ask you to decide what we will do?"
Pandemonium broke out in Great Hall. A hundred beasts began talking at once, some whispering to beasts sitting close by them, and others trying to make themselves heard above the loud chatter that had erupted within Great Hall. And even after they realized that they were, for the most part, not being listen to, most beasts didn't have the sense to stop talking and allow the noise in Great Hall to die down. Abbess Elm, instead of trying to project her voice over the noise, waved her hands frantically, but it only restored a few Redwallers to silence.
Cain shook his head in disgust. We're never going to get things done this way, he thought. But unlike the rest of the Redwallers, Cain kept quiet. He hoped that the noise would die down eventually, and kept his seat based on that hope, but the temptation to get up and walk out of Great Hall was almost overwhelmingly strong.
Fortunately, the noise did eventually die down, but it was a lengthy process. Seemingly one by one, each of the Redwallers realized that the noise they were making did not contribute much and in fact added on to the chaos, and fell silent. When the noise died down enough that Gormin could make himself heard, he shouted as loud as he could.
"Stop this racket! If you want to talk, we'll talk one by one! At this rate, we'll get nothing done. Now sit down, and we'll speak one by one. You're worse than dibbuns!"
The Redwallers who were talking stopped, and those that were on their feet slowly sank down to their seats. "Now, we'll take this conversation bit by bit, since it doesn't seem there's any other way to do it civilly. Now, Nurvan," said Gormin, pointing at a mole who had been one of the first to quiet down. "What is it that you wanted to say?"
"Ees Lord Rocketh sure that ee vurmeen are such a threat to us ere?" asked Nurvan.
"Yes, he is quite sure," answered Candice. "If they don't head north for Salamandastron, they'll head east into Mossflower to take over the woodlands, and then your Abbey. And if Salamandastron falls, the only thing standing between that horde and Redwall are the beasts of Mossflower Country and the Guosim. Both of them are unreliable allies, since the beasts throughout Mossflower aren't organized an' the Guosim travel enough that their whereabouts are uncertain. You need t' help Salamandastron, because Redwall won't be able t' stand on its own."
"Is Lord Rocketh sure that this horde is being led by a Stormrat?" asked a mouse sitting at the other end of the table from Cain. "Maybe it's being led be a big rat, or maybe the Long Patrol hares are just wrong about what happened." Cain smiled as he heard this. He had used the same method of denial, and it took only a few choice words from Skipper and himself to bring that beast around to the cause of the war.
Arguments for and against war were tossed back and forth against the table, and Cain was unable to tell which beast would vote which way when the time for their final opinion to be cast came. But one thing was made certain to the mouse - most of the reasons for wanting to deny aid to Lord Rocketh involved the consequences of leaving Redwall and its surrounding lands undefended. A few arguments were made that Redwall should remain peaceful until the Stormrats reached the Abbey gates, but those that had fought in the last war and witnessed the ruthlessness of the vermin knew better. The younger beasts grudgingly admitted the wisdom of their elders, but both the young and the old were divided on one thing - what would happen to Redwall while its warriors were away?
Gormin, Foremole, Skipper, and the Abbey's other leaders attempted to sway the beasts within Great Hall to their line of thinking. To Cain's relief, Foremole gave his wholehearted support toward joining the fight, although he said so reluctantly. But other beasts, such as Sister Rain and some of the other, more peaceful Redwallers, refused to budge in their position against war. Those whose opinions were uncertain were put under pressure from both sides of the argument, and Cain was sure that personal loyalties came into play when those who were uncertain finally made their decision. To his eye, some beasts still looked uncertain, and he wished there was something he could do to convince them that war was the right path.
When Abbess Elm decided that enough time had been given for everybeast to voice his or her opinions, it was nearly dinnertime, and the food was mostly untouched. Poor Friar Paul looked at the untouched plates in dismay; he had gone out of his way to cook something special when the Abbess told him that a very important meeting would be held in Great Hall that day, and it must have been disappointing for him to see his efforts go unappreciated. But despite his wounded pride, the fat mouse wheeled the plates away to the kitchen on his trey, no doubt going to the kitchens to ask for more work out of his devoted cooks.
Once the tables were clear, the Abbess stood and raised her paws for silence. Unlike before, the hubbub died down almost immediately, though a few murmurs and hushed whispers were still audible. Abbess Elm either didn't mind or didn't notice, because she went on to speak over the noise.
"You have heard the opinions of your fellow Abbeybeasts, and most of you have come to a decision. Now it is time to take a vote, either for or against war with this vermin horde. I will keep my opinion on this matter to myself, because it would not do for me to influence the decisions of my fellow beasts. But I will give you one thing to think on while it comes time for you to give your vote: think of what the founders of Redwall would do in your position. Would they keep the peace in Redwall for as long as they could, or would they send off an army to the coast to fight off a tyrant's horde?" Abbess Elm looked around Great Hall, her eyes searching for somebeast. "Where is our recorder? I would like him to count the votes submitted, and make a tally when I give the results you will record to him."
The results you will record? though Cain. And then it came to him that the Abbess was making this vote a private one, thus keeping a beast's opinions to his or her self and making the pressure on a beast to do as a friend was doing considerably less. When he looked at some of the beasts that seemed uncertain or tense about their votes, he found that a great many of them looked relaxed in comparison to how they had appeared before.
"Jacob remained in the gatehouse to organize his records," answered Gormin smoothly. The squirrel lied well, and the Redwallers had no cause to suspect that their Champion was lying to them. "He did, however, give me parchment, and our Abbess has supplied us with quill and ink so that we may write our votes so they may remain private. She herself will collect the ballots, and give them to Jacob so he may tally them."
Then the Abbess told the beasts to stand in a line from one end of the room's three long tables to the other. Six lines of about two score beasts each were formed, and they walked forward to write their vote on parchment, fold it, and give it to the Abbess for safe keeping. Honest and true, the aged mouse did not look at the writing on the ballots that the Redwallers had given her. Cain was one of the first in his line to write down his vote, and after he had given his ballot to the Abbess, he hurried toward Gormin, who was waiting for him.
Redwall's Champion appeared casual to Cain's eye, but the mouse could imagine the turmoil raging inside him. "I think that the vote will be for going to war, but we need to keep those youngbeasts in the gatehouse until several days after the warriors leave. I already had Ellen's mother ask me where she was, and I used your tale about her going after your son with the other squirrel and the otters. She seemed to believe it, but she will spread my lie as truth, and we cannot afford to have it exposed until the warriors are well away. Now's your chance, Cain. Go to the Infirmary to find some lanceroot, and I'll make sure to be the beast that delivers the ballots to Jacob."
Cain nodded and headed for the stairs leading to the Infirmary. Most other beasts were occupied by either the ballots or their companions, but Cain moved quickly to help lessen the risk of being seen. Once he got into the Infirmary, he hurriedly pulled open the cabinet and looked through Sister Rain's supply of roots and herbs. Luckily for him, she had enough lanceroot that she wouldn't take much notice if he snuck some away. He hid the bags in his shirt and hurried back to Great Hall. When he saw that Gormin was still standing with the Abbess, he walked toward the entrance, doing his best to appear calm on the outside even though he felt like he was twisting on the inside.
He found Jacob waiting nervously at the entrance to the gatehouse. "I told them I'd get them some tea from inside the Abbey. I've been out here for five minutes already, and was wondering if you had the lanceroot." Cain nodded and handed the stolen herbs to the recorder. He nodded and went back into the gatehouse, and Cain walked back to the Abbey.
In about ten minutes' time, it was Cain, Skipper, Abbess Elm, and Gormin that delivered the ballots to Jacob. The recorder mouse opened his door calmly and took the ballots inside, leaving the deliverers outside of the gatehouse and giving Skipper and the Abbess no clue of what was going on within. They went off to wait for dinner, and gave Jacob time to tally the results of the vote.
Afterwards, Jacob took the Abbess aside to deliver the results. She announced them after dessert.
"We are going to war," she said solemnly. "I won't reveal how close or far the vote was, but we will be sending warriors to the coast to fight the Stormrats."
Cain sighed with relief and sank into his chair. His deceit had worked so far. He only hoped that it would keep working until the Redwallers departed, and that the Stormrat horde wouldn't render his efforts futile.
The mouse stooped down to gaze at a small flower on the ground. White petals spread out from the center, and it swayed with a faint breeze that brushed through the air. Somehow, it brought an imaged of his deceased wife, Kelly, to his mind. There was no reason for him to think of her, nothing similar between the flower and the sweet mouse that had died five seasons ago, but it still reminded him of her. Almost everything, within the Abbey and outside of it, reminded him of her.
And his son Andrew, the beast that held the most happiness for Cain, reminded him of Kelly the most. No matter how hard he tried, Cain couldn't stop the pain from showing in him. Other beasts didn't seem to see it, but Andrew, the one beast that he made himself live for, knew the pain that he caused his father. As far as Cain could see, Andrew didn't feel any guilt, and rightfully so. He had not been the beast that murdered Kelly. But Cain felt guilt, for letting his son see the pain that his presence caused him.
Cain reached out to take the flower, but stayed his paw before it closed around it. It would be like killing her, he thought, still thinking of Kelly. The mouse withdrew his paw and stood, leaving the flower untouched. He then continued his walk, taking care not to catch any flowers under his feet.
His walk continued uneventfully until he approached the main gate of Redwall. The double doors stood open, and Gormin and Jacob stood in front of two squirrels and a pair of otters. Cain recognized the squirrels as Ellen and Luc, his son's two closest friends. He couldn't fit a name to the otters, but he recognized them as part of a group of four that had left Redwall that morning.
The squirrelmaid, Ellen, had a look of horror on her face, and was doing her best to comfort Luc, who seemed to be far more horrified than the squirrelmaid and had an expression on his face that made Cain think of a lost dibbun. The otters both had similar combinations of anger and grief on their faces, and tears fell like rain from their eyes. Gormin was talking to the otters, while Jacob was helping Ellen comfort Luc. A feeling of dread filled Cain's heart, and he hastened over to the gathering by the gate.
"What happened?" he asked quietly. Cain went over to Gormin, who was listening to one of the otters talk through his tears. The squirrel raised his hand to signal the otter who was talking to stop, and turned to Cain.
"These otters had gone off into Mossflower for a morning away from the Abbey. After walking for a couple hours, they were approached by three ferrets. The vermin seemed friendly, but they killed two of the otters. These two ran, and came across Luc and Ellen. They hid in the bushes, but the ferrets saw that their footprints lead in that direction. Somehow, the otters and the squirrels managed to kill two of the ferrets and chase the other one away into Mossflower. The otters wanted to go and find their friends' bodies, but Luc was so distraught that they decided to come back to Redwall." Gormin sighed and shook his head. There was something in his eyes that told Cain that the squirrel blamed himself, even though there was no rational reason for him to. "That place was supposed to be safe from this sort of thing. We're going to have to do something..."
"Gormin, could the ferrets have been part of the Stormrat horde?" asked Cain. "It could be disastrous for Redwall if they've traveled this far east already. There could be more of those monsters, lurking in Mossflower Wood!"
"I don't believe for a second that those ferrets came from the Stormrat horde," answered Gormin. "In the last war, the vermin that followed the Stormrats were more disciplined than any Redwallers have fought in recent history, and would never have allowed beasts inexperienced in the ways of war to defeat them. Even though we killed off most of the Stormrats, I find it impossible to believe that the quality of the soldiers would change so drastically."
"So that means that our safe areas aren't so safe anymore," said Cain. He felt bitter. The deaths of the two otters should never have happened, especially in an area of Mossflower that was well-known to be free of vermin. But if the Stormrats hadn't been the cause of it, then it could only mean that either the vermin in Mossflower Wood were becoming more aggressive, or they had rallied under some vermin leader. Either conclusion would mean that the Abbey would need to be better defended. "Oh, no..." breathed Cain.
The look in Gormin's eye said quite plainly that Cain's dark thoughts had already occurred to him. The squirrel lead Cain away from the other beasts, and when they had reached a distance from which they were unlikely to be overheard from, he spoke the thoughts that were flashing in a panicked haze through Cain's mind. "There's no way that the Abbey will vote to send help to Lord Rocketh, once they learn of the killings in the safe area. If our own Mossflower Woods aren't safe, why should we care about what's happening on the coast?"
"You don't actually believe that, do you Gormin?" said Cain in a dangerously low voice. "If the Long Patrol is overrun, there's no way this Abbey can defend itself. We must fight the Stormrats together to have any chance at all of keeping our lands safe. A few ferrets acting up in Mossflower is absolutely nothing compared to a horde of vermin led by a Stormrat!" Cain reached out his paw to grab Gormin's shoulder. "The rest of Redwall must not know about the murder! They need to support Lord Rocketh, and there's no way they will if they find out what happened!"
"They would support the Badger Lord if Martin the Warrior told them to," spat Gormin. His voice now held the sound of bitter jealousy. "But no matter what I would say, they'd decide against it. After all, who would trust a Champion that doesn't hold the sword? We were unlucky enough to lose the sword generations ago, and the effects of its loss still exist today! I can't do half of what Martin could, not without his sword!"
Cain didn't know how to respond to this, so he kept the topic of the conversation on the matter at hand. "We need to keep them quiet. Jacob, Ellen, Luc, and the otters. We must act as if nothing is amiss, and then the vote of the Redwallers will probably fall toward helping Lord Rocketh. Only after the Abbey's defenders have set out to help the Long Patrol can we reveal what took place with the ferrets and the otters."
"That's a cold decision," said Gormin, glaring at Cain. "And furthermore, it's my place to make it. I am the Champion of Redwall, and even though I don't hold Martin's sword, I still have more authority than the second best!"
Gormin's words stung, but Cain fought to keep his emotions under control. "We must do this," he said, trying to restrain his emotions and remain as calm as he could. "If we don't, all of Mossflower will be overrun! The lives of two otters may mean much to us now, but there's much more at stake here! Some sacrifices must be made!"
"Would you have said that before you lost Kelly?" asked Gormin, his voice smoldering with anger. "Two lives ended today. Their families will be distraught, and we have no right to send them to war. Even if we somehow managed to conceal the deaths of their children from them, how would they feel upon returning home? I would be removed from my position as Redwall's Champion, and at best, both of us would be exiled! I'm not willing to make that sacrifice!"
"If you cannot do this, you will never live up to the name of Martin the Warrior. He lost the life of the one he loved, and still managed to found the Abbey that we live in today. Gormin, you have no idea how losing someone that you loved more than anything, more than your own soul, can tear up a beast's heart. Martin the Warrior went through all that, and he managed to become the hero that we know him as today. He lost Laterose, and you're afraid of losing a title and a comfortable place to sleep? He would be ashamed of you."
Gormin look at the ground, and Cain felt almost certain that he had convinced the squirrel to prevent the rest of Redwall from learning about the murder. When he looked up, the feeling of certainty was complete. The squirrel's expression had hardened into one of regretful acceptance. "The souls of this Abbey's founders will damn us from beyond the gates of Dark Forest for what we will do."
"I know," answered Cain. "But it must be done. Maybe they'll forgive us for the harm we will cause the residents of this Abbey if the war against the Stormrats succeeds."
"I doubt it," answered Gormin bitterly. "But perhaps the beasts living in Mossflower will thank us, someday. But I know that we will not have their thanks for our actions. You're sure of this, Cain? You want to betray the trust of the beasts in this Abbey?"
"I'm sure." Cain nodded toward Jacob, who was standing away from Luc as Ellen comforted him. "Will he help us? Jacob always seemed to be the type to do the right thing to me, but he's sensible. We could try to make him see it our way. Would he?"
"Yes," answered Gormin after a few moments' pause. "He would conceal our actions until a day or so after Redwall's defenders left for Salamandastron. I think he could keep the squirrels and the otters locked up in the gatehouse, if we had some sort of formula to keep them asleep. Would Sister Rain help us?"
"I don't know. But I'm not willing to risk it. I know a bit about herbology myself, and I think I could come up with a sleeping potion strong enough to keep them inactive for a few days if I had enough lanceroot. I don't think that those four would be missed much during the excitement of having beasts depart Redwall, and if their families do question where they are, I can just claim they went to follow my son to see if he's alright. Jacob could reveal what we did when we had left."
"The squirrelmaid was supposed to go herb gathering. I don't think Sister Rain would accept that she would shirk her tasks like that." Gormin shook his head, and Cain almost laughed when he saw that the squirrel was shaken by the situation he and Cain had put themselves in.
"Ellen is known to shirk her tasks. It would take only a small stretch of mind for Sister Rain to believe that she had left. I - " Cain stopped as he remembered that Colin was supposed to be coming for him. He, Gormin, Jacob, and the younger beasts were out here alone, but if somebody else knew the truth of their return it would be much harder to hide the murder from the Abbey. "I gotta go. Colin could come out here any minute. Tell Jacob what to do with the young ones, and I'll go to Great Hall. Come inside as soon as you're sure Jacob will listen."
~~~
Cain met Colin walking out of the doors of Great Hall, and managed to turn the squirrel around before he could catch a glimpse of what was happening at the main gate. Cain kept silent while he and Colin walked to Great Hall, and though his companion did try to coax him into talking, Cain remained silent and kept his attention focused on what he would say to the Redwallers that would be at lunch.
Even though there were, at most, two hundred fifty Redwallers living with the Abbey, Cain could have sworn that there were at least a thousand when he walked into Great Hall. There were Abbeybeasts situated around all the tables within Great Hall, and their chatter seemed to drown out Cain's thoughts. But he overcame the nervousness that threatened to take control of him and regained a grip on his thoughts. You grew up with these beasts. You know them, and they know you. But even as Cain was trying to convince himself that the Redwallers would listen, another part of his mind carried a different message. You're betraying them. You're lying to them. There's no way they'd help the Long Patrol if they knew what happened in Mossflower today.
Cain took a seat. Colin sat down at his left, and Skipper was already in the seat to his right. The otter was as close to Abbess Elm as he could place himself. Foremole sat on the other side of the Abbess, and there was an empty seat next to him where Gormin would sit. There was no seat left for Jacob, partly because he would rather allow himself to be lost in thought than carry out a conversation at dinner and partly because he rarely ever came to meals.
"Y'ready to convince these beasts to go to war?" asked Skipper, leaving the plate and goblet in front of him empty of any food or drink. Cain nodded, giving the otter a confident smile. Skipper would've known the two who died today... Cain cut of that line of thought before it could lead to anything more than simple words in his mind - such as guilt. There would be time enough for regret later on, after Redwall's warriors had left the Abbey.
The Abbess stood, and the chatter slowly dwindled into a low murmur that she could speak over. After seeing Gormin's empty seat out of the corner of her eye, she sent Cain a questioning glance. The mouse gave a shrug of his shoulders, and Abbess Elm sighed and began to speak.
"I asked that all beasts within these walls attend this lunch because I have dire news to give to you. Last night, Candice, a hare of the Long Patrol, arrived here during the storm bearing dire news from Lord Rocketh. I do not believe that I should be the beast to deliver these tidings to you, so I will ask our guest to give you the news herself." Abbess Elm took her seat, and Candice, who was seated several seats to Cain's right and had escaped his notice when he had entered Great Hall, stood and cleared her throat.
"A couple days ago, a group o' Long Patrol hares was attacked south of Salamandastron by part of a vermin horde. This is actually nothin' unusual. Happens all the time, wot. But the thing that stood out about these vermin was their leader, and their effective fighting style. Y' may think me a liar, but here's the truth. The beast in charge o' those vermin was none other than a flippin' Stormrat."
All the chatter in Great Hall ceased and was replaced by a deathly silence. Redwallers glanced nervously at each other, and fear was plain in their faces. Even though many had heard the news the night before, it was still shocking for some of them, and those who had only stayed for a portion of the discussion of Cavern Hole still seemed suprised to hear the news said in front of the entire population of Redwall.
The silence was finally broken by a young otter, who stood up and glared at Candice. "You're lyin'. I don't believe you."
Candice sighed. "I knew at least one o' you was gonna say somethin' along those lines. I assure you that Lord Rocketh is certain of the threat. He wouldn't' have sent me if he wasn't. One of the Stormrats is back, an' Lord Rocketh wants you Redwallers to help him fight whatever horde the beast may 'ave gathered."
The same otter that had spoken before shook his head vehemently. "I don't see why we should help you. The Long Patrol has been able to handle everything except the Stormrats on their own, and even if one of the Stormrats survived the war, they couldn't gather a horde as strong as the one they had before they attacked Salamandastron and Mossflower."
"We were weakened by the Stormrat War, too," answered Candice. "Alone, we can't fight against the numbers a Stormrat would be likely to rally. Without the help of Redwall, we can't hope to win."
"The hare is right," said Gormin, walking into Great Hall. All eyes turned to the warrior squirrel, who seemed to be unaware that he was late. He knows, he's just hiding it well, thought Cain. "Before she came last night, we were all sure that every one of the Stormrats had been slaughtered five seasons ago. But Lord Rocketh seems certain that we failed to kill them off, and now they're back. And before you ask what they can do to us here in Redwall, I'll ask you if we could realistically fight off a horde if they decimated the Long Patrol and turned on Mossflower. If we're to defeat them, we must fight them on a united front, or not at all."
The otter sat down sullenly, and Gormin made his way over to the seat at Foremole's right. The leader of Redwall's mole population had a grim look on his face, and it struck Cain that he had not been among the beasts gathered in Cavern Hole that morning when the Abbess had asked their personal opinions about going to war. I wonder which way he'll vote, thought Cain, subconsciously reaching out to take his goblet and turning it in his hands.
Abbess Elm stood again. "I wanted you all here so that we could decide through a vote whether or not we'll be sending aid to Lord Rocketh. I've already asked some of the beasts that were with me through the morning what they think of it, but I'd like to hear what the rest of the Abbey thinks we should do. Based on what the majority opinion is, we either will or will not send aid to Lord Rocketh. Do any of you have things that you wish to say before I ask you to decide what we will do?"
Pandemonium broke out in Great Hall. A hundred beasts began talking at once, some whispering to beasts sitting close by them, and others trying to make themselves heard above the loud chatter that had erupted within Great Hall. And even after they realized that they were, for the most part, not being listen to, most beasts didn't have the sense to stop talking and allow the noise in Great Hall to die down. Abbess Elm, instead of trying to project her voice over the noise, waved her hands frantically, but it only restored a few Redwallers to silence.
Cain shook his head in disgust. We're never going to get things done this way, he thought. But unlike the rest of the Redwallers, Cain kept quiet. He hoped that the noise would die down eventually, and kept his seat based on that hope, but the temptation to get up and walk out of Great Hall was almost overwhelmingly strong.
Fortunately, the noise did eventually die down, but it was a lengthy process. Seemingly one by one, each of the Redwallers realized that the noise they were making did not contribute much and in fact added on to the chaos, and fell silent. When the noise died down enough that Gormin could make himself heard, he shouted as loud as he could.
"Stop this racket! If you want to talk, we'll talk one by one! At this rate, we'll get nothing done. Now sit down, and we'll speak one by one. You're worse than dibbuns!"
The Redwallers who were talking stopped, and those that were on their feet slowly sank down to their seats. "Now, we'll take this conversation bit by bit, since it doesn't seem there's any other way to do it civilly. Now, Nurvan," said Gormin, pointing at a mole who had been one of the first to quiet down. "What is it that you wanted to say?"
"Ees Lord Rocketh sure that ee vurmeen are such a threat to us ere?" asked Nurvan.
"Yes, he is quite sure," answered Candice. "If they don't head north for Salamandastron, they'll head east into Mossflower to take over the woodlands, and then your Abbey. And if Salamandastron falls, the only thing standing between that horde and Redwall are the beasts of Mossflower Country and the Guosim. Both of them are unreliable allies, since the beasts throughout Mossflower aren't organized an' the Guosim travel enough that their whereabouts are uncertain. You need t' help Salamandastron, because Redwall won't be able t' stand on its own."
"Is Lord Rocketh sure that this horde is being led by a Stormrat?" asked a mouse sitting at the other end of the table from Cain. "Maybe it's being led be a big rat, or maybe the Long Patrol hares are just wrong about what happened." Cain smiled as he heard this. He had used the same method of denial, and it took only a few choice words from Skipper and himself to bring that beast around to the cause of the war.
Arguments for and against war were tossed back and forth against the table, and Cain was unable to tell which beast would vote which way when the time for their final opinion to be cast came. But one thing was made certain to the mouse - most of the reasons for wanting to deny aid to Lord Rocketh involved the consequences of leaving Redwall and its surrounding lands undefended. A few arguments were made that Redwall should remain peaceful until the Stormrats reached the Abbey gates, but those that had fought in the last war and witnessed the ruthlessness of the vermin knew better. The younger beasts grudgingly admitted the wisdom of their elders, but both the young and the old were divided on one thing - what would happen to Redwall while its warriors were away?
Gormin, Foremole, Skipper, and the Abbey's other leaders attempted to sway the beasts within Great Hall to their line of thinking. To Cain's relief, Foremole gave his wholehearted support toward joining the fight, although he said so reluctantly. But other beasts, such as Sister Rain and some of the other, more peaceful Redwallers, refused to budge in their position against war. Those whose opinions were uncertain were put under pressure from both sides of the argument, and Cain was sure that personal loyalties came into play when those who were uncertain finally made their decision. To his eye, some beasts still looked uncertain, and he wished there was something he could do to convince them that war was the right path.
When Abbess Elm decided that enough time had been given for everybeast to voice his or her opinions, it was nearly dinnertime, and the food was mostly untouched. Poor Friar Paul looked at the untouched plates in dismay; he had gone out of his way to cook something special when the Abbess told him that a very important meeting would be held in Great Hall that day, and it must have been disappointing for him to see his efforts go unappreciated. But despite his wounded pride, the fat mouse wheeled the plates away to the kitchen on his trey, no doubt going to the kitchens to ask for more work out of his devoted cooks.
Once the tables were clear, the Abbess stood and raised her paws for silence. Unlike before, the hubbub died down almost immediately, though a few murmurs and hushed whispers were still audible. Abbess Elm either didn't mind or didn't notice, because she went on to speak over the noise.
"You have heard the opinions of your fellow Abbeybeasts, and most of you have come to a decision. Now it is time to take a vote, either for or against war with this vermin horde. I will keep my opinion on this matter to myself, because it would not do for me to influence the decisions of my fellow beasts. But I will give you one thing to think on while it comes time for you to give your vote: think of what the founders of Redwall would do in your position. Would they keep the peace in Redwall for as long as they could, or would they send off an army to the coast to fight off a tyrant's horde?" Abbess Elm looked around Great Hall, her eyes searching for somebeast. "Where is our recorder? I would like him to count the votes submitted, and make a tally when I give the results you will record to him."
The results you will record? though Cain. And then it came to him that the Abbess was making this vote a private one, thus keeping a beast's opinions to his or her self and making the pressure on a beast to do as a friend was doing considerably less. When he looked at some of the beasts that seemed uncertain or tense about their votes, he found that a great many of them looked relaxed in comparison to how they had appeared before.
"Jacob remained in the gatehouse to organize his records," answered Gormin smoothly. The squirrel lied well, and the Redwallers had no cause to suspect that their Champion was lying to them. "He did, however, give me parchment, and our Abbess has supplied us with quill and ink so that we may write our votes so they may remain private. She herself will collect the ballots, and give them to Jacob so he may tally them."
Then the Abbess told the beasts to stand in a line from one end of the room's three long tables to the other. Six lines of about two score beasts each were formed, and they walked forward to write their vote on parchment, fold it, and give it to the Abbess for safe keeping. Honest and true, the aged mouse did not look at the writing on the ballots that the Redwallers had given her. Cain was one of the first in his line to write down his vote, and after he had given his ballot to the Abbess, he hurried toward Gormin, who was waiting for him.
Redwall's Champion appeared casual to Cain's eye, but the mouse could imagine the turmoil raging inside him. "I think that the vote will be for going to war, but we need to keep those youngbeasts in the gatehouse until several days after the warriors leave. I already had Ellen's mother ask me where she was, and I used your tale about her going after your son with the other squirrel and the otters. She seemed to believe it, but she will spread my lie as truth, and we cannot afford to have it exposed until the warriors are well away. Now's your chance, Cain. Go to the Infirmary to find some lanceroot, and I'll make sure to be the beast that delivers the ballots to Jacob."
Cain nodded and headed for the stairs leading to the Infirmary. Most other beasts were occupied by either the ballots or their companions, but Cain moved quickly to help lessen the risk of being seen. Once he got into the Infirmary, he hurriedly pulled open the cabinet and looked through Sister Rain's supply of roots and herbs. Luckily for him, she had enough lanceroot that she wouldn't take much notice if he snuck some away. He hid the bags in his shirt and hurried back to Great Hall. When he saw that Gormin was still standing with the Abbess, he walked toward the entrance, doing his best to appear calm on the outside even though he felt like he was twisting on the inside.
He found Jacob waiting nervously at the entrance to the gatehouse. "I told them I'd get them some tea from inside the Abbey. I've been out here for five minutes already, and was wondering if you had the lanceroot." Cain nodded and handed the stolen herbs to the recorder. He nodded and went back into the gatehouse, and Cain walked back to the Abbey.
In about ten minutes' time, it was Cain, Skipper, Abbess Elm, and Gormin that delivered the ballots to Jacob. The recorder mouse opened his door calmly and took the ballots inside, leaving the deliverers outside of the gatehouse and giving Skipper and the Abbess no clue of what was going on within. They went off to wait for dinner, and gave Jacob time to tally the results of the vote.
Afterwards, Jacob took the Abbess aside to deliver the results. She announced them after dessert.
"We are going to war," she said solemnly. "I won't reveal how close or far the vote was, but we will be sending warriors to the coast to fight the Stormrats."
Cain sighed with relief and sank into his chair. His deceit had worked so far. He only hoped that it would keep working until the Redwallers departed, and that the Stormrat horde wouldn't render his efforts futile.