The attack came before dawn. A searat who was on sentry duty shouted a
warning, and in an instant, Sunai was up on his footpaws. Danni, who had
been sleeping beside him, was up a second later, with a dagger in her paw.
"Where?" she asked, looking around the camp, trying to find the place where
the shout was coming from. Sunai pointed toward the place where his
warriors and the Long Patrol were beginning to fight, and picked up
Stormbringer with his other paw.
It only took a few seconds for the Stormrat and his mate to make their way over to the fight. Sunai let out a howl and lunged at a hare, bringing Stormbringer down on him with both paws. His foe brought up his javelin to block the blow, but there was enough force behind Sunai's blow that the hare's weapon didn't stop it. Stormbringer cleaved though the javelin and sliced through the hare. The beast dropped to the ground, its eyes wide in shock.
By this time, most of the vermin in the camp were getting their bearings. Weapons in paw, they were making their way over to where their comrades were fighting off the hares.
"Attack!" yelled Sunai, seeing that the hares were getting ready to withdraw. The hare that he assumed was their leader was shouting. Sunai couldn't hear what he was saying over the din of battle, but whenever he had done that in his previous attacks, the hares had retreated soon afterward. "Don't hold back! Kill as many of them as you can before they escape!"
Those of his beasts that heard him charged into the fray, trying their best to slay the retreating hares. A few fell to the blades of Sunai's soldiers, but most were able to draw back. Sunai clenched his jaw; he wasn't going to let those hares escape without a fight. He shoved forward through the vermin around him, intent on killing at least a few of the hares before they managed to get away. His troops, seeing their leader making his way forward, cleared a path for him so he would be able to reach the retreating hares.
Sunai leaped out at the nearest Long Patroller, swinging Stormbringer in an arc toward the hare's neck. Her eyes widened in fear, and she lifted up her paws feebly in a futile attempt to ward off the blow. But there was nothing she could do. Stormbringer severed her head from her shoulders, and Sunai and his sword flew on toward his next victim.
"There's another Stormrat!" yelled one of the hares, stopping his retreat and pointing at Sunai. "It ain't the brute, it's another one!" The hare hefted his spear in his paw, and lunged toward Sunai. He brought Stormbringer up to block the blow, and swept his sword toward the hare. The beast leaped back, and kicked out at Sunai with one of his footpaws. This one's good, thought Sunai admiringly. A pity I'm better than he is.
But before Sunai's fight could continue his fight with the hare, another hare leaped between the combatants. Sunai recognized him as the leader of the hares that had been harassing his horde as they made their way to Salamandastron. "Run!" the hare leader yelled to the beast he had just rescued. "Get everybeast back to Salamandastron, and tell Lord Rocketh about this! He needs to know that there's another Stormrat!"
The hare looked as if he were about to object, but the hare leader shoved him away. Then, he turned to face Sunai, gripping a dirk tightly in his paw. "It was you who ambushed me an' th' rest o' my patrol," he said, his voice filled with anger. "I'll send y' to Dark Forest for that, y' stinkin' vermin. An' if y' manage t' kill me, Lord Rocketh'll see you dead."
Sunai laughed viciously. He thought of his father, who had died to hares, and the rest of the Stormrats, who were dead because of Salamandastron. If that mountain wasn't there, the Stormrat War would've been won easily. But the hares of the Long Patrol and Lord Sunforge had forced the Stormrats to take their attention away from Mossflower and focus on this stronger threat. He had a reason to hate hares, and no matter what this hare here said, only the death of all those hares in Salamandastron would satisfy Sunai's desire for vengeance.
"I don't plan to die by your paw, nor that of your lord. Salamandastron will fall to my horde, and you'll see my triumph from Dark Forest." Sunai laughed again, and raised Stormbringer above his head. "Don't worry about your comrades. I'll give them quick deaths, and send them to join you!"
The hare leader looked behind him at his retreating troops. Sunai saw his gaze and grinned. "Danni! Take two score beasts and chase after those hares! Kill any stragglers, but don't risk anyone in open battle!" The Stormrat smirked at the Long Patrol hare. "You can't save them. So try to kill me!"
"You'll pay for that, vermin!" said the hare, lunging forward and swinging his dirk at Sunai. The Stormrat leaped away from the hare's blow, and swung Stormbringer up from the ground toward him. The hare leaped away, and howled in rage.
Behind Sunai, Danni and a group of vermin surged forward, chasing after the retreating hares. They went around Sunai and the hare, knowing better than to interrupt their leader while he was fighting. Sunai could hear his brother growling in the group that was going forward, but didn't bother to look. Meist knew that Sunai liked to fight some battles alone, and while he may have had a taste combat, he knew better than to cross his brother.
The hare charged forward again, dodging Stormbringer as Sunai swept it toward him. Holding the sword was beginning to strain his muscles, but he didn't let it show. Ever since he had forged his sword, he had been aware of its weight, and had trained himself to keep fighting with it even when doing so became straining. Sunai lifted the sword and brought it between himself and the hare to deflect a blow from the hare's dirk. The hare dropped his dirk and landed on the ground, and launched himself forward with his paws, aiming a swift kick toward Sunai's stomach.
Sunai dropped Stormbringer to the ground and let the hare's footpaws hit him in the stomach and carry him to the ground. The hare and Stormrat both struggled to stand. Sunai was the first up on his footpaws, and he lunged at the hare and brought him down to the ground. The hare struggled underneath him, but couldn't break free of the Stormrat's grasp. "I'll kill you!" bit our Sunai in anger. He wrapped his paws around the hare's neck and squeezed. The hare writhed frantically, but couldn't manage to break free. "I'll kill all of you damn hares... you'll be in Dark Forest long before I."
The Stormrat stood, dragging the hare up with him. He started to kick out viciously at Sunai, but the Stormrat didn't seem to notice. With a display of strength that shocked the vermin who were watching him, he twisted the hare's neck and cracked his spine. Then, he let him fall to the ground, where the hare went limp. Sunai stood panting over the body for a few moments, and then turned to the beasts in his horde. He looked at the beasts gathered around him, searching for one of his captains.
Mark was the one he saw first. "Mark!" he barked out hoarsely. "Wake anybeast who managed to sleep through this and whip them into shape. I won't have any undisciplined beasts in my horde!" The ferret nodded, and moved off through the gathered beasts to do as Sunai had asked.
After his captain had departed, Sunai turned in the direction that Danni had departed in. Toward Salamandastron. The hares were finally retreating, and there was no reason that Sunai shouldn't take his horde and follow them. We'll get moving , then, thought Sunai. After Mark beats the beasts that managed to sleep through this commotion into shape.
It didn't take long for Mark to do so. Within ten minutes, everybeast that did not wake when the alarm was sounded was begging Mark and the beasts helping him for mercy. Mark grudgingly ended their whipping, but only because he saw Sunai's impatience when he looked at the Stormrat. Sunai ordered his troops to move shortly after that, and move they did.
Sunai marched up front as he usually did, but this time, Danni was not there with him. He worried about her, and hoped that she had not chased the hares farther than she should've. She isn't a stupid beast, thought Sunai, trying to reassure himself. She wouldn't have done anything like that. But every minute that Danni was not with him made Sunai more tense, and after only a little bit, he felt like he was going to snap.
Ryslia was the unfortunate beast who sought him out, and ended up provoking his wrath. "When's your vixen gonna be back, Stormbringer?" asked the eagle. "She promised that she'd mend my wing after this war was over. If she isn't here, I'm not keeping my end of the bargain!"
"You will keep your bargain!" snapped Sunai, spinning on his heel and shoving Ryslia down to the ground. "If you don't keep the gulls away, I'll break your other wing, too. Even the healers at Redwall would have a rough time mending that sort of wound."
The eagle nodded quickly. "I'm sorry, Stormbringer. But what is this you say about healers at Redwall? Why did you not tell me of this before, when you first offered me a beast to heal my wing in exchange for my service?"
"Because I needed you, that's why," answered Sunai. "You're clever enough to figure that out on your own. Do you think I would willingly associate with a bird? Even an eagle, as majestic as it may be, is still nothing compared to a Stormrat!"
Ryslia tried to get to her legs, and even when she couldn't manage, she kept her pride. "I should have known better than to trust you, vermin," she spat. "But I don't have any other choice, now. I'll let you keep me around to scare the gulls off as long as you keep your end of the bargain. Now, help me up!"
"We're close enough to Salamandastron that we don't have to worry about gulls!" exclaimed Sunai, laughing harshly. "I don't need you anymore." Sunai stepped on the eagle's wing. The sound of her desperate cries seemed to relieve the worry he was feeling for Danni, but he wasn't finished. He felt the ghastly rage that had possessed him when he murdered the hare fill him again, and in a moment, Stormbringer was in his paws. "You should have never treated me as if you were an equal," he said, his voice deathly low. "No bird is equal to a true warrior!"
Sunai brought Stormbringer up above his head, and brought it down into Ryslia's heart. The eagle's cries of pain died down from fierce to nothing. When he withdrew his sword, he began to tremble. He turned and looked at his horde, who had stopped what they were doing to stare at him. "What are you looking at?" he said threateningly. "March."
Scared into submission by the death of a captain, the horde did as they were told. At that moment, it became apparent to even the most dense vermin that Sunai was more dangerous than his brother Meist. To both his own horde, and the enemy. While Meist would only kill when in a blind rage, this Stormrat was subject to more dangerous motivations: vengeance, worry, a desire for power, and love.
When Danni finally returned to the horde, Sunai opened his arms and embraced her tightly. Somehow, she seemed to know what he had done before he told her, but it didn't stop her affection for him in the least. "I was worried," said Sunai, quietly, aware that many of the beasts in his horde were staring at him, surprised by his sudden change of feelings. "Let's go on to Salamandastron. After the hares are dead... I'll be free. I won't need vengeance any more."
~~~
Once again, Lord Rocketh labored in the forge room. Hares that had escaped the fate that had befallen Sergeant Polwyn had come an hour ago, telling of another, more clever Stormrat that was just as dangerous as the one that Merlin had reported, as well as notifying him of the approaching horde. He had prepared his hares to defend the mountain, and had meant to stand at the entrance until the vermin army drew near.
But something had drawn him to the forge room. An inner desire to forge as his ancestors had, perhaps. That's what Lord Rocketh had thought at first, and he had battled within himself, trying to convince himself that it would be better to stand and await the vermin. He should have been down there, helping Colonel Jeffrey, Merlin, and the other Long Patrol hares prepare the mountain for combat. At the very least, he could have been watching the east, waiting for some sign of the Redwallers that he fervently hoped would come to his aid.
But he was here, in the forge room, hammering at a piece of heated steel, trying to make a weapon that a beast would be proud to wield. He knew better than to be here, but something other than himself had driven him to come. He forged using his instincts, not trying to guess what every stroke of his hammer would do. He let fate guide his blows, and prayed that some deceased Badger Lord was watching over his actions.
Rocketh had no idea how much time had passed before he decided to stop. Without even looking at what he had forged, he dropped the hammer and used the tongs, which he had put on the floor right beside his feet, to pick up the metal from the anvil and carry it over to the water tank. He still didn't look at what he had forged. To his mind, there was no reason to suffer disappointment before he had to.
He dipped the metal into the forge, and listened to the water hiss and bubble. When it had finally stopped, and he was sure that the metal had cooled, he withdrew the blade he had forged from the water tank.
Its magnificence almost made him drop the tongs and the blade he had forged. While he would be able to hold it in a single paw, a smaller beast would use it as a broadsword. He ran his paw along the finely forged edge, watching in pride as the blade he had forged drew blood. "I did this," he muttered, feeling pride fill him. "No," he muttered after a moment, "I didn't. Badger Lords from the past guided my paw, and helped me to forge this blade. But it was my paw that made this, so I am worthy of this sword."
The sword isn't to be yours. Lord Rocketh started, thinking that somebeast was speaking to him from beyond the grave, but he realized that the thought had been his own. I will use the sword Lord Sunforge gave to me. My blade, this magnificent piece of work, will go to another beast. That much, Lord Rocketh knew, but he didn't know who to give the sword to. None of his hares seemed quite right for it. Even Merlin, who had found a special place in Lord Rocketh's heart, didn't seem quite right for the sword. I'll keep it until I find a beast that's right for it, he decided, wrapping the blade in a nearby cloth. He kept the blade with him when he walked out of the forge room.
Colonel Jeffrey was waiting outside, and wasn't looking at all happy. "Th' vermin horde is within sight, sire, and we need your direction. If y' spent any longer in there, I would've come in and gotten you. We need you right now, an' there's no excuse for stayin' in that forge room at a time like this! I thought y' understood what I told you!"
Rocketh lifted the blade and removed the cloth that covered it. He was pleased to see the awe and surprise that flickered across the colonel's face as he beheld the blade. "It's... magnificent," said Jeffrey, reaching his paw out to touch it. Rocketh let him touch the blade, and allowed himself a proud grin. Apparently, it was a success even to eyes other than his own.
"Let's get down t' th' dinin' hall, sah," said Colonel Jeffrey, gazing up at Lord Rocketh's face and smiling. "That's quite an accomplishment, an' if we didn't have a war t' fight, I'd show y' how impressed I am. But my hares are waitin' for us in th' dinin' hall, so we best both get down there with 'em."
"Let me get my sword first, Colonel," said Lord Rocketh. Jeffrey's face quickly became confused, and Lord Rocketh bit back a smile. "This blade I forged isn't mine, and it isn't meant for anybeast within Salamandastron, either. Perhaps the beast that is meant to bear it will come with the Redwallers. But it isn't mine. My blade was made for me by Lord Sunforge."
The colonel nodded, and he and Lord Rocketh walked down the stairs to Salamandastron's third floor. There, Lord Rocketh went to his chambers while the colonel went down to the dining hall.
Rocketh slid open the door to his chambers carefully. His sword lay near his bed, and he walked over to it, picking it up and gazing admiringly at it. I wonder which is better? he thought, looking back and forth between his sword and the one he had forged. It doesn't matter. Either way, the one I'm carrying to battle is the one Lord Sunforge made for me.
He left the sword he had forged on his bed, and left his chambers with his own sword in paw. It took him several minutes to make his way down to the dining hall, but when he got there, every hare within Salamandastron was present. Cook, cleaner, healer, warrior, runner - all were gathered in the dining hall. All of the hares gazed at Lord Rocketh when he stepped in, and he felt himself gripped by something he had never felt before - a weight of responsibility that could crush the strongest beast alive into the ground. But Lord Rocketh could bear it - he was a Badger Lord, and war was his destiny.
Lord Rocketh took a seat in the Badger Lord's chair positioned at the head of one of the dining hall's tables, and put his sword on the table in front of him. "We are gathered here to plan for war. I have never fought before, but I feel that I will be able to lead you as well as any other beast. I am a Badger Lord, and I was born to protect this coast. I swear that whether or not the Redwallers come, I will lead you in a valiant stand against this horde. We may or may not win, but the Stormrat who leads the horde will not forget us!
"I don't know how much of our present situation you hares know, so I'll inform you of what information has developed. There is not one, but two Stormrats that lead the horde that is coming from the south. One is a brute, as strong as a badger, with untold ferocity. The other is more sly and cunning than that, and is the horde's true leader, as the hares that escaped Sergeant Polwyn's fate will tell you." Lord Rocketh paused, looking up and down his table and the others. "Is there any hare who wishes to ask a question of me, or any other beast?"
When nobeast spoke, Lord Rocketh continued. Previously, he had only the barest idea of what it would be like to be caught in a war, but now he felt as if he knew exactly what he must do. "I will need ten hares to stand around the mountain, to keep watch on the vermin horde. Those that are facing the horde must inform me of whatever the vermin do that may be significant. The others will be watching for any vermin that tries to sneak around Salamandastron, for whatever purpose. And the sentries on the east side of the mountain will also keep watch for reinforcements from Redwall.
"It has also been pointed out to me that we will need to guard our gardens well. Another ten hares will wait in the gardens, ready to burn them down if the Stormrats begin to advance up the mountain side, or if we are forced to leave the mountain." Several murmurs of protest were audible throughout the dining hall, but Lord Rocketh silenced them with a wave of his paw. "I know that the gardeners in this fortress put a lot of effort into tending to those crops, and I would hate to see their work destroyed. But if it seems that our enemy may benefit from them, we must do our best to stop them - even if it means destroying the crops."
"The bulk of our remaining hares will be positioned above the entrances facing toward the vermin horde. Threescore archers will be first in line on the mountainside, ready to cut down any vermin who begins to climb Salamandastron's rocky face. The rest of the hares will be gathered above the archers, ready to sweep down and attack if the vermin push becomes too much.
"The entrances into the mountain will be sealed shut with boulders, but we must be prepared to defend those entrances if need be. A score of hares each will be positioned in the entrances facing south, but the other entrances will be left undefended, save for one facing east. It is through there that we will permit the Redwallers entrance into our fortress, if they should arrive. Are there any questions that I cannot answer later, after the battle has begun?" Once again, nobeast spoke. "Then I will ask Colonel Jeffrey and Sergeant Maxwell to chose the beasts best suited for every defensive position. Cooks will remain in the kitchens, and healers will wait in the infirmary should anybeast need medical assistance. Beasts that have never fought before will guard the entrances that have been sealed. Get to work!"
Salamandastron's dining hall erupted into a frenzy of activity as beast stood and were assigned positions. The chaos was organized though, as the Long Patrol had a discipline forged by every veteran hare who served at the mountain. Even after Lord Sunforge had died, the hares that were in positions of authority had kept the Long Patrol disciplined, knowing that the end of the Stormrat War did not signal an end to the mountain's troubles. This frenzy of activity would appear chaotic and disorganized to a viewer from outside of Salamandastron, but Lord Rocketh could see that hares waited patiently to be assigned to their positions, even as they milled about. The chatter was divided into many different conversations, most of which, Lord Rocketh guessed, concerned the upcoming battle. And almost all of the movement in the dining hall consisted of beasts clearing the way for cooks and healers to get to the kitchens and infirmary.
Lord Rocketh left the dining hall and made his way to the entrances. It was his job to seal them with boulders; there weren't enough hares available to roll them all into position. But a boulder that needed an entire group of hares to budge could be rolled along by a single Badger Lord. It wouldn't be easy for Lord Rocketh, being young for a Badger Lord, but he was sure that he would be able to seal the entrances with some effort.
But the Badger Lord's mind was taken away from sealing Salamandastron's entrances in an instant, once he had stepped outside of the mountain. He could see the vermin horde setting up camp in the distance, some already making campfires. About a score of vermin stole off toward the east, but Lord Rocketh couldn't guess why. He turned his gaze back to the bulk of the horde, and realized how outnumbered his hares were. We have Salamandastron, he reminded himself. That gives us something. And hopefully, we have allies in the east.
Turning his thoughts away from the vermin horde, Lord Rocketh turned his gaze to the boulders that he would use to seal Salamandastron's ground entrances. He let out a dismayed sigh when he realized how big they were, but he knew they could still be moved. Rocketh stepped toward the first one, flexing his muscles and preparing to exert himself in a manner that he never had before.
It only took a few seconds for the Stormrat and his mate to make their way over to the fight. Sunai let out a howl and lunged at a hare, bringing Stormbringer down on him with both paws. His foe brought up his javelin to block the blow, but there was enough force behind Sunai's blow that the hare's weapon didn't stop it. Stormbringer cleaved though the javelin and sliced through the hare. The beast dropped to the ground, its eyes wide in shock.
By this time, most of the vermin in the camp were getting their bearings. Weapons in paw, they were making their way over to where their comrades were fighting off the hares.
"Attack!" yelled Sunai, seeing that the hares were getting ready to withdraw. The hare that he assumed was their leader was shouting. Sunai couldn't hear what he was saying over the din of battle, but whenever he had done that in his previous attacks, the hares had retreated soon afterward. "Don't hold back! Kill as many of them as you can before they escape!"
Those of his beasts that heard him charged into the fray, trying their best to slay the retreating hares. A few fell to the blades of Sunai's soldiers, but most were able to draw back. Sunai clenched his jaw; he wasn't going to let those hares escape without a fight. He shoved forward through the vermin around him, intent on killing at least a few of the hares before they managed to get away. His troops, seeing their leader making his way forward, cleared a path for him so he would be able to reach the retreating hares.
Sunai leaped out at the nearest Long Patroller, swinging Stormbringer in an arc toward the hare's neck. Her eyes widened in fear, and she lifted up her paws feebly in a futile attempt to ward off the blow. But there was nothing she could do. Stormbringer severed her head from her shoulders, and Sunai and his sword flew on toward his next victim.
"There's another Stormrat!" yelled one of the hares, stopping his retreat and pointing at Sunai. "It ain't the brute, it's another one!" The hare hefted his spear in his paw, and lunged toward Sunai. He brought Stormbringer up to block the blow, and swept his sword toward the hare. The beast leaped back, and kicked out at Sunai with one of his footpaws. This one's good, thought Sunai admiringly. A pity I'm better than he is.
But before Sunai's fight could continue his fight with the hare, another hare leaped between the combatants. Sunai recognized him as the leader of the hares that had been harassing his horde as they made their way to Salamandastron. "Run!" the hare leader yelled to the beast he had just rescued. "Get everybeast back to Salamandastron, and tell Lord Rocketh about this! He needs to know that there's another Stormrat!"
The hare looked as if he were about to object, but the hare leader shoved him away. Then, he turned to face Sunai, gripping a dirk tightly in his paw. "It was you who ambushed me an' th' rest o' my patrol," he said, his voice filled with anger. "I'll send y' to Dark Forest for that, y' stinkin' vermin. An' if y' manage t' kill me, Lord Rocketh'll see you dead."
Sunai laughed viciously. He thought of his father, who had died to hares, and the rest of the Stormrats, who were dead because of Salamandastron. If that mountain wasn't there, the Stormrat War would've been won easily. But the hares of the Long Patrol and Lord Sunforge had forced the Stormrats to take their attention away from Mossflower and focus on this stronger threat. He had a reason to hate hares, and no matter what this hare here said, only the death of all those hares in Salamandastron would satisfy Sunai's desire for vengeance.
"I don't plan to die by your paw, nor that of your lord. Salamandastron will fall to my horde, and you'll see my triumph from Dark Forest." Sunai laughed again, and raised Stormbringer above his head. "Don't worry about your comrades. I'll give them quick deaths, and send them to join you!"
The hare leader looked behind him at his retreating troops. Sunai saw his gaze and grinned. "Danni! Take two score beasts and chase after those hares! Kill any stragglers, but don't risk anyone in open battle!" The Stormrat smirked at the Long Patrol hare. "You can't save them. So try to kill me!"
"You'll pay for that, vermin!" said the hare, lunging forward and swinging his dirk at Sunai. The Stormrat leaped away from the hare's blow, and swung Stormbringer up from the ground toward him. The hare leaped away, and howled in rage.
Behind Sunai, Danni and a group of vermin surged forward, chasing after the retreating hares. They went around Sunai and the hare, knowing better than to interrupt their leader while he was fighting. Sunai could hear his brother growling in the group that was going forward, but didn't bother to look. Meist knew that Sunai liked to fight some battles alone, and while he may have had a taste combat, he knew better than to cross his brother.
The hare charged forward again, dodging Stormbringer as Sunai swept it toward him. Holding the sword was beginning to strain his muscles, but he didn't let it show. Ever since he had forged his sword, he had been aware of its weight, and had trained himself to keep fighting with it even when doing so became straining. Sunai lifted the sword and brought it between himself and the hare to deflect a blow from the hare's dirk. The hare dropped his dirk and landed on the ground, and launched himself forward with his paws, aiming a swift kick toward Sunai's stomach.
Sunai dropped Stormbringer to the ground and let the hare's footpaws hit him in the stomach and carry him to the ground. The hare and Stormrat both struggled to stand. Sunai was the first up on his footpaws, and he lunged at the hare and brought him down to the ground. The hare struggled underneath him, but couldn't break free of the Stormrat's grasp. "I'll kill you!" bit our Sunai in anger. He wrapped his paws around the hare's neck and squeezed. The hare writhed frantically, but couldn't manage to break free. "I'll kill all of you damn hares... you'll be in Dark Forest long before I."
The Stormrat stood, dragging the hare up with him. He started to kick out viciously at Sunai, but the Stormrat didn't seem to notice. With a display of strength that shocked the vermin who were watching him, he twisted the hare's neck and cracked his spine. Then, he let him fall to the ground, where the hare went limp. Sunai stood panting over the body for a few moments, and then turned to the beasts in his horde. He looked at the beasts gathered around him, searching for one of his captains.
Mark was the one he saw first. "Mark!" he barked out hoarsely. "Wake anybeast who managed to sleep through this and whip them into shape. I won't have any undisciplined beasts in my horde!" The ferret nodded, and moved off through the gathered beasts to do as Sunai had asked.
After his captain had departed, Sunai turned in the direction that Danni had departed in. Toward Salamandastron. The hares were finally retreating, and there was no reason that Sunai shouldn't take his horde and follow them. We'll get moving , then, thought Sunai. After Mark beats the beasts that managed to sleep through this commotion into shape.
It didn't take long for Mark to do so. Within ten minutes, everybeast that did not wake when the alarm was sounded was begging Mark and the beasts helping him for mercy. Mark grudgingly ended their whipping, but only because he saw Sunai's impatience when he looked at the Stormrat. Sunai ordered his troops to move shortly after that, and move they did.
Sunai marched up front as he usually did, but this time, Danni was not there with him. He worried about her, and hoped that she had not chased the hares farther than she should've. She isn't a stupid beast, thought Sunai, trying to reassure himself. She wouldn't have done anything like that. But every minute that Danni was not with him made Sunai more tense, and after only a little bit, he felt like he was going to snap.
Ryslia was the unfortunate beast who sought him out, and ended up provoking his wrath. "When's your vixen gonna be back, Stormbringer?" asked the eagle. "She promised that she'd mend my wing after this war was over. If she isn't here, I'm not keeping my end of the bargain!"
"You will keep your bargain!" snapped Sunai, spinning on his heel and shoving Ryslia down to the ground. "If you don't keep the gulls away, I'll break your other wing, too. Even the healers at Redwall would have a rough time mending that sort of wound."
The eagle nodded quickly. "I'm sorry, Stormbringer. But what is this you say about healers at Redwall? Why did you not tell me of this before, when you first offered me a beast to heal my wing in exchange for my service?"
"Because I needed you, that's why," answered Sunai. "You're clever enough to figure that out on your own. Do you think I would willingly associate with a bird? Even an eagle, as majestic as it may be, is still nothing compared to a Stormrat!"
Ryslia tried to get to her legs, and even when she couldn't manage, she kept her pride. "I should have known better than to trust you, vermin," she spat. "But I don't have any other choice, now. I'll let you keep me around to scare the gulls off as long as you keep your end of the bargain. Now, help me up!"
"We're close enough to Salamandastron that we don't have to worry about gulls!" exclaimed Sunai, laughing harshly. "I don't need you anymore." Sunai stepped on the eagle's wing. The sound of her desperate cries seemed to relieve the worry he was feeling for Danni, but he wasn't finished. He felt the ghastly rage that had possessed him when he murdered the hare fill him again, and in a moment, Stormbringer was in his paws. "You should have never treated me as if you were an equal," he said, his voice deathly low. "No bird is equal to a true warrior!"
Sunai brought Stormbringer up above his head, and brought it down into Ryslia's heart. The eagle's cries of pain died down from fierce to nothing. When he withdrew his sword, he began to tremble. He turned and looked at his horde, who had stopped what they were doing to stare at him. "What are you looking at?" he said threateningly. "March."
Scared into submission by the death of a captain, the horde did as they were told. At that moment, it became apparent to even the most dense vermin that Sunai was more dangerous than his brother Meist. To both his own horde, and the enemy. While Meist would only kill when in a blind rage, this Stormrat was subject to more dangerous motivations: vengeance, worry, a desire for power, and love.
When Danni finally returned to the horde, Sunai opened his arms and embraced her tightly. Somehow, she seemed to know what he had done before he told her, but it didn't stop her affection for him in the least. "I was worried," said Sunai, quietly, aware that many of the beasts in his horde were staring at him, surprised by his sudden change of feelings. "Let's go on to Salamandastron. After the hares are dead... I'll be free. I won't need vengeance any more."
~~~
Once again, Lord Rocketh labored in the forge room. Hares that had escaped the fate that had befallen Sergeant Polwyn had come an hour ago, telling of another, more clever Stormrat that was just as dangerous as the one that Merlin had reported, as well as notifying him of the approaching horde. He had prepared his hares to defend the mountain, and had meant to stand at the entrance until the vermin army drew near.
But something had drawn him to the forge room. An inner desire to forge as his ancestors had, perhaps. That's what Lord Rocketh had thought at first, and he had battled within himself, trying to convince himself that it would be better to stand and await the vermin. He should have been down there, helping Colonel Jeffrey, Merlin, and the other Long Patrol hares prepare the mountain for combat. At the very least, he could have been watching the east, waiting for some sign of the Redwallers that he fervently hoped would come to his aid.
But he was here, in the forge room, hammering at a piece of heated steel, trying to make a weapon that a beast would be proud to wield. He knew better than to be here, but something other than himself had driven him to come. He forged using his instincts, not trying to guess what every stroke of his hammer would do. He let fate guide his blows, and prayed that some deceased Badger Lord was watching over his actions.
Rocketh had no idea how much time had passed before he decided to stop. Without even looking at what he had forged, he dropped the hammer and used the tongs, which he had put on the floor right beside his feet, to pick up the metal from the anvil and carry it over to the water tank. He still didn't look at what he had forged. To his mind, there was no reason to suffer disappointment before he had to.
He dipped the metal into the forge, and listened to the water hiss and bubble. When it had finally stopped, and he was sure that the metal had cooled, he withdrew the blade he had forged from the water tank.
Its magnificence almost made him drop the tongs and the blade he had forged. While he would be able to hold it in a single paw, a smaller beast would use it as a broadsword. He ran his paw along the finely forged edge, watching in pride as the blade he had forged drew blood. "I did this," he muttered, feeling pride fill him. "No," he muttered after a moment, "I didn't. Badger Lords from the past guided my paw, and helped me to forge this blade. But it was my paw that made this, so I am worthy of this sword."
The sword isn't to be yours. Lord Rocketh started, thinking that somebeast was speaking to him from beyond the grave, but he realized that the thought had been his own. I will use the sword Lord Sunforge gave to me. My blade, this magnificent piece of work, will go to another beast. That much, Lord Rocketh knew, but he didn't know who to give the sword to. None of his hares seemed quite right for it. Even Merlin, who had found a special place in Lord Rocketh's heart, didn't seem quite right for the sword. I'll keep it until I find a beast that's right for it, he decided, wrapping the blade in a nearby cloth. He kept the blade with him when he walked out of the forge room.
Colonel Jeffrey was waiting outside, and wasn't looking at all happy. "Th' vermin horde is within sight, sire, and we need your direction. If y' spent any longer in there, I would've come in and gotten you. We need you right now, an' there's no excuse for stayin' in that forge room at a time like this! I thought y' understood what I told you!"
Rocketh lifted the blade and removed the cloth that covered it. He was pleased to see the awe and surprise that flickered across the colonel's face as he beheld the blade. "It's... magnificent," said Jeffrey, reaching his paw out to touch it. Rocketh let him touch the blade, and allowed himself a proud grin. Apparently, it was a success even to eyes other than his own.
"Let's get down t' th' dinin' hall, sah," said Colonel Jeffrey, gazing up at Lord Rocketh's face and smiling. "That's quite an accomplishment, an' if we didn't have a war t' fight, I'd show y' how impressed I am. But my hares are waitin' for us in th' dinin' hall, so we best both get down there with 'em."
"Let me get my sword first, Colonel," said Lord Rocketh. Jeffrey's face quickly became confused, and Lord Rocketh bit back a smile. "This blade I forged isn't mine, and it isn't meant for anybeast within Salamandastron, either. Perhaps the beast that is meant to bear it will come with the Redwallers. But it isn't mine. My blade was made for me by Lord Sunforge."
The colonel nodded, and he and Lord Rocketh walked down the stairs to Salamandastron's third floor. There, Lord Rocketh went to his chambers while the colonel went down to the dining hall.
Rocketh slid open the door to his chambers carefully. His sword lay near his bed, and he walked over to it, picking it up and gazing admiringly at it. I wonder which is better? he thought, looking back and forth between his sword and the one he had forged. It doesn't matter. Either way, the one I'm carrying to battle is the one Lord Sunforge made for me.
He left the sword he had forged on his bed, and left his chambers with his own sword in paw. It took him several minutes to make his way down to the dining hall, but when he got there, every hare within Salamandastron was present. Cook, cleaner, healer, warrior, runner - all were gathered in the dining hall. All of the hares gazed at Lord Rocketh when he stepped in, and he felt himself gripped by something he had never felt before - a weight of responsibility that could crush the strongest beast alive into the ground. But Lord Rocketh could bear it - he was a Badger Lord, and war was his destiny.
Lord Rocketh took a seat in the Badger Lord's chair positioned at the head of one of the dining hall's tables, and put his sword on the table in front of him. "We are gathered here to plan for war. I have never fought before, but I feel that I will be able to lead you as well as any other beast. I am a Badger Lord, and I was born to protect this coast. I swear that whether or not the Redwallers come, I will lead you in a valiant stand against this horde. We may or may not win, but the Stormrat who leads the horde will not forget us!
"I don't know how much of our present situation you hares know, so I'll inform you of what information has developed. There is not one, but two Stormrats that lead the horde that is coming from the south. One is a brute, as strong as a badger, with untold ferocity. The other is more sly and cunning than that, and is the horde's true leader, as the hares that escaped Sergeant Polwyn's fate will tell you." Lord Rocketh paused, looking up and down his table and the others. "Is there any hare who wishes to ask a question of me, or any other beast?"
When nobeast spoke, Lord Rocketh continued. Previously, he had only the barest idea of what it would be like to be caught in a war, but now he felt as if he knew exactly what he must do. "I will need ten hares to stand around the mountain, to keep watch on the vermin horde. Those that are facing the horde must inform me of whatever the vermin do that may be significant. The others will be watching for any vermin that tries to sneak around Salamandastron, for whatever purpose. And the sentries on the east side of the mountain will also keep watch for reinforcements from Redwall.
"It has also been pointed out to me that we will need to guard our gardens well. Another ten hares will wait in the gardens, ready to burn them down if the Stormrats begin to advance up the mountain side, or if we are forced to leave the mountain." Several murmurs of protest were audible throughout the dining hall, but Lord Rocketh silenced them with a wave of his paw. "I know that the gardeners in this fortress put a lot of effort into tending to those crops, and I would hate to see their work destroyed. But if it seems that our enemy may benefit from them, we must do our best to stop them - even if it means destroying the crops."
"The bulk of our remaining hares will be positioned above the entrances facing toward the vermin horde. Threescore archers will be first in line on the mountainside, ready to cut down any vermin who begins to climb Salamandastron's rocky face. The rest of the hares will be gathered above the archers, ready to sweep down and attack if the vermin push becomes too much.
"The entrances into the mountain will be sealed shut with boulders, but we must be prepared to defend those entrances if need be. A score of hares each will be positioned in the entrances facing south, but the other entrances will be left undefended, save for one facing east. It is through there that we will permit the Redwallers entrance into our fortress, if they should arrive. Are there any questions that I cannot answer later, after the battle has begun?" Once again, nobeast spoke. "Then I will ask Colonel Jeffrey and Sergeant Maxwell to chose the beasts best suited for every defensive position. Cooks will remain in the kitchens, and healers will wait in the infirmary should anybeast need medical assistance. Beasts that have never fought before will guard the entrances that have been sealed. Get to work!"
Salamandastron's dining hall erupted into a frenzy of activity as beast stood and were assigned positions. The chaos was organized though, as the Long Patrol had a discipline forged by every veteran hare who served at the mountain. Even after Lord Sunforge had died, the hares that were in positions of authority had kept the Long Patrol disciplined, knowing that the end of the Stormrat War did not signal an end to the mountain's troubles. This frenzy of activity would appear chaotic and disorganized to a viewer from outside of Salamandastron, but Lord Rocketh could see that hares waited patiently to be assigned to their positions, even as they milled about. The chatter was divided into many different conversations, most of which, Lord Rocketh guessed, concerned the upcoming battle. And almost all of the movement in the dining hall consisted of beasts clearing the way for cooks and healers to get to the kitchens and infirmary.
Lord Rocketh left the dining hall and made his way to the entrances. It was his job to seal them with boulders; there weren't enough hares available to roll them all into position. But a boulder that needed an entire group of hares to budge could be rolled along by a single Badger Lord. It wouldn't be easy for Lord Rocketh, being young for a Badger Lord, but he was sure that he would be able to seal the entrances with some effort.
But the Badger Lord's mind was taken away from sealing Salamandastron's entrances in an instant, once he had stepped outside of the mountain. He could see the vermin horde setting up camp in the distance, some already making campfires. About a score of vermin stole off toward the east, but Lord Rocketh couldn't guess why. He turned his gaze back to the bulk of the horde, and realized how outnumbered his hares were. We have Salamandastron, he reminded himself. That gives us something. And hopefully, we have allies in the east.
Turning his thoughts away from the vermin horde, Lord Rocketh turned his gaze to the boulders that he would use to seal Salamandastron's ground entrances. He let out a dismayed sigh when he realized how big they were, but he knew they could still be moved. Rocketh stepped toward the first one, flexing his muscles and preparing to exert himself in a manner that he never had before.