To Merlin's eyes, it seemed that the vermin horde gathered south of
Salamandastron was growing steadily smaller. Dark clouds covered the moon,
so the only light by which he could see was the campfire, and he couldn't
make out the shapes of the vermin in the horde clearly. In truth, it was
more of a feeling of dread than anything else that made him think something
was amiss, but he was so sure that the threat was real that he sought out
Lord Rocketh.
"You think that beasts are leaving the Stormrat camp?" asked Lord Rocketh, who was busy listening to Long Patrollers who were stationed on both the outside and inside of the mountain. Even after he had told them where to go and what to do, many things were unclear to the defenders. Lord Rocketh had finally settled on moving a group of expert fighting beasts to the eastern entrance that he had decided to keep open, and less experienced fighters in the entrances in the south that were blocked by boulders. But he had been adamant about keeping as many troops as possible on the south face of Salamandastron. Excluding the hares standing guard in the entrances around the mountain and the beasts that were working in the kitchen and tunnels, along with the sentries on Salamandastron's other faces, only about one hundred hares stood guard on the mountain. And though almost half of them were archers, the Stormrats' horde would be able to climb the mountain fairly quickly, and when they drew close, the archers would be unable to fire for fear of hitting their own beasts.
Merlin nodded. "Yes, sah. I don't have any concrete proof, but there's somethin' I don't trust about those shadows I see 'round their campfires. I don't know why, but I think they're movin'... I can't see where, though. I can't see anythin' beyond the light o' the campfires. Maybe that's why the Stormrat in charge positioned themselves so?"
Lord Rocketh frowned. "If I could spare the troops, I'd send more to guard the east side of Salamandastron. I'm wary of leaving it as lightly defended as it is at the moment, but the truth is that they have us outnumbered. I could draw guards from the southern entrances I sealed... yes, I think that's what I'll do. Thank you, Merlin. You are dismissed."
The Badger Lord turned to the next hare who came to him. After speaking with him, he sent the hare off with a message to the hares in the passages below telling them to move to the east. Satisfied that his worries were taken care of, Merlin returned to where he had been standing.
Archers stood below and around Merlin. Lord Rocketh had decided several hours ago that everybeast on the southern face of Salamandastron would have a longbow close at paw, since it would be more costly to the vermin if the Long Patrollers shot at them from above and then moved to paw to paw combat. The Badger Lord knew that the Stormrat would find some way to avoid most of the damage that the arrows would normally do; in the Stormrat War, the vermin attacking Salamandastron had made a turtle-like formation using wooden shields that rendered them nearly invincible to arrows from the top and sides. Only a few well placed falling boulders broke the formation and prevented the vermin from climbing the mountains. They would be able to do the same thing this time, but Lord Rocketh suspected that the Stormrat in command of the current invaders knew of the tactics Lord Sunforge had employed five seasons ago and would have thought of ways to fight them.
Oblivious to the voices of the hares around him, Merlin stared out at the campfires and the shadowy shapes of the vermin moving around them. There seemed to have been more shadows earlier in the night. Perhaps Merlin was being paranoid, and the lack of shadows was caused by vermin going to sleep or the eventual burning out of the campfires. But his heart told him otherwise, and Merlin continued to watch the Stormrat campfires.
After only a couple minutes, Merlin turned around and saw Lord Rocketh coming up from behind him. Merlin offered his Badger Lord a small grin, putting as much confidence into it as he could muster. "Jolly fine night out here, sah," said Merlin, as if he had not just warned Lord Rocketh of a vermin movement that he was not entirely sure of. "If there wasn't a flippin' horde waitin' out there, I'd gladly go for a walk under th' stars."
"That would be nice," said the Badger Lord, chuckling. "Especially if you had a haremaid to share the journey with." Merlin didn't blush at Lord Rocketh's statement, even though that was probably the badger's goal, but he did feel some embarrassment. There were some haremaids in the Long Patrol he wouldn't hesitate to ask for company on a walk in the dark, and he couldn't help but wonder if Lord Rocketh knew what he was thinking. Merlin shifted uncomfortably and gazed down at the ground.
"But that's not what I'm here for, Merlin," said Lord Rocketh quietly. He withdrew a sword from his belt. In the badger's paws, the sword seemed average-sized, but most other beasts would find it large. It was one of the most dazzling weapons Merlin had ever seen, even more so than most of the weapons he had caught sight of on his infrequent trips into the armory.
Lord Rocketh handed it to Merlin. Even though the had held it easily in one paw, Merlin needed to hold it with two paws.. Even so, one could probably grow used to carrying it after carrying it and fighting with it for some time.
But what Merlin found to be the most fascinating thing about the blade was its color. Even though it was colored like other swords, there seemed to be a reddish hue to it that Merlin couldn't explain. The red seemed to move as Merlin turned the sword in his paws, and he got the impression that the color came from something inside the sword.
"You see the red, too?" asked Lord Rocketh. "I thought I was imagining things, but since you can see it I guess I wasn't. I'll call this sword Salamander, then."
Merlin extended the sword back toward Lord Rocketh, but the Badger Lord shook his head. "This blade is not meant for me. Nor you, or any hare of the Long Patrol. If you should survive the coming battle, I want you to find the beast this sword is destined for, regardless of what happens here at Salamandastron."
"I understand, sah," said Merlin, taking back the sword and holding it in paw. "I'll find a beast worthy o' Salamander. Does this sword have a sheath?"
Lord Rocketh nodded. "Wait here. I'll get you the sheath." Merlin watched the departing badger's back for a few moments, and then turned his attention back to the slowly dying campfires on the beach. Somehow, Merlin didn't find the sight quite so unnerving with Salamander clutched in his paws.
~~~
Danni marched away from Sunai's camp with two stoats, hoping that the darkness would conceal them from the eyes of the Long Patrol hares that were undoubtedly watching the horde for any sign of activity. Laskit had seemed confident that the beasts walking out the back of the camp would be unnoticed if they crept out in small groups, but Danni couldn't help having doubts. But she couldn't show them to any of the beasts that would be with her. Sunai was staying behind at camp, and there was nobeast else she would trust with her doubts. And because Sunai and his other advisors were staying behind, she was in charge of the attacking group.
She had only the vaguest idea of which beasts from Sunai's horde would be going with her. She knew that Meist would be there, and that she was the only one of Sunai's advisors that would be taking part in this plan. Other than that, she knew that about half of the beasts that made up Sunai's horde would be assisting her.
Compared to her stoat companions, Danni's footpaws swept across the ground without making a sound. She let the two brutish stoats move in front of her, and stayed behind them, making a game out of setting her footpaws on the ground so as to make the smallest amount of noise as possible.
When she finally reached the beasts that had assembled as a part of Laskit's plan, the sentry that had been waiting for new arrivals looked up at her in surprise. The sentry was another fox, one that she would have thought a fit choice for a mate if she did not already have Sunai. A grin spread across Danni's face at the fox's scowl, and she moved past him to the rest of the assembled vermin once he had approved her movements. Apparently, several weeks of sea travel and marching hadn't dulled her edge when it came to stealth. Whether she remained as fast as she had been before boarding the Stormbringer's ships remained to be seen.
Moving quietly away from the other vermin, Danni moved into the shadows again. She jogged forward, and then began sprinting. Soon, the sound of Danni's controlled breathing was accompanied only by the crashing of waves along the shore.
After sprinting for several hundred meters, Danni turned around and began moving back toward the other vermin. When she reached the halfway point, her sprinted tapered off into a jog, and when she returned to the gathered beasts she had slowed to a slow run.
I'm not as good as I used to be, thought Danni as she drew to a halt. She was more winded that she would have wished, and lamented not being able to keep in shape aboard the ship. Still, she reminded herself, I can sprint faster and longer than any of the other beasts here.
Once all the beasts from Sunai's camp had gathered, Danni stepped forward and waved her paws in the air. Several beasts quieted at her gesture, but she was forced to raise her voice and call for silence to attract the attention of the others. When all the beasts gathered around her had fallen silent, she raised her voice again to give them their orders.
"I'm sure everybeast here has some idea of what we are attempting, but I want each of you to be fully informed." The vixen spoke loudly; there was no chance that the beasts at Salamandastron would be able to hear her over the waves from this distance. "The Stormbringer wishes us to sneak through the night and make our way to Salamandastron's eastern side, and attack the mountain from there. Salamandastron's southern entrances have been blocked with boulders, but we hope to find the eastern entrances open and undefended. If we find no way to enter Salamandastron through the eastern entrances, we are to climb the mountain's east face and attack the Long Patrol from there. If the Stormbringer sees the hares come under attack, he will charge to our aid.
"Kill any hare you see. We do not want to risk the Long Patrol finding out about our presence before we've secured a position on the mountain. Try to take the enemy by surprise, and try to keep the fighting as quiet as possible." Danni looked at the ground, trying to discern whether there would be any beast that would be likely to disregard those orders and look for the most violent and bloody fight that they could find.
A rumbling chuckle came from the shadows, and Danni fixed her gaze on its source. The hulking figure of Meist moved closer to her, and grinned darkly at her. "You think you can stop me from killing, little vixen?"
Danni fought the urge to shrink back from the beast. His size intimidated her; it would do the same to almost anybeast, and she knew that the Stormrat's temper was not held on any sort of leash. But even so, she would speak her mind. "You may be the strongest beast among us, Meist, but you will follow your brother's orders like any other."
"I will do what Sunai says," hissed Meist, "but nobeast will stop me from slaying who I please."
"As you wish," said Danni reluctantly, not willing to pursue the matter any further. The brute could tear her limb from limb if he wanted to, and she did not want to provoke him into doing anything like that. But if Meist spoiled the Stormbringer's plans, she would see him dead. Sunai could handle him if he were here, she thought. He always managed to hold some power over his brother.
"Now we march," said Danni to the vermin gathered around her. We will travel from here to the eastern side of Salamandastron. If we stay far enough away, the darkness should conceal our movements from the eyes of any of the hares. Our voices should not reach the mountainside, but I still ask that you remain cautious and speak quietly. And when the time comes to attack the mountain, anybeast who speaks in more than a whisper will be punished by the Stormbringer."
One of the soldiers in front of her, a rat, shifted uncertainly on his footpaws. They don't like those orders, she thought. And in truth, she knew that they were extreme. But she, and almost all of the vermin around her, understood their necessity. Sunai intended to win Salamandastron with this assault, and Danni knew that the beasts around her were certain of the torture they would face at the Stormbringer's paws if they did not succeed.
The gathered vermin set off, keeping a large distance between themselves and the mountain fortress they were to attack. Glares from Danni and other beasts silenced those who spoke loudly, and eventually the group lapsed into a sullen, yet determined, march.
Danni didn't bother keeping track of how long it took the vermin to march into position, but her instincts told her that there were only a few hours remaining before dawn when the group arrived at their planned position. Salamandastron loomed to the east, and Danni felt her breath catch in her throat. If all went well, they would have the element of surprise on their side, but could they hold any entrance they claimed from the fury of a Badger Lord and his Long Patrol?
As if he knew the vixen's thoughts, Meist stepped forward and grinned. "Time for me to kill," he said viciously, clenching one of his paws into a fist. Though she couldn't see it clearly in the dark, Danni's imagination told her what the Stormrat's face looked like. An image of a wicked grin and blood-red eyes came unbidden to the vixen's mind, and she couldn't keep herself from shuddering.
Meist let out a harsh laugh, and turned to walk away into the darkness. Danni stared at the Stormrat's back as he left, and she shivered violently. If Sunai had not found him a mate to keep him under control, I believe many of us would not be alive.
"We attack now," Danni told the vermin assembled around her several minutes later. "We will follow our original plan to the letter. Remember to speak only if you have to, and even then, keep your voice as quiet as the wind."
And then the vermin were off, marching toward the mountain where their leader desired to have his vengeance.
~~~
Captain Holdrin grit his teeth. In truth, he was more than a bit put off at being sent to Salamandastron's east side and ordered to watch for reinforcements from Redwall. He would much rather be at Lord Rocketh's side, ready to advise him and help defend the mountain when it came under attack. To his mind, it was a waste to keep this entrance open, defending it with more than a score of hares that could have lent their much-needed paws to the defense of the mountain's southern face.
Lord Rocketh might have even been clinging to a false hope. It was entirely possible that Redwall's Abbess had refused Lord Rocketh's plea for help. The hare that the Badger Lord had sent as a messenger, Candice, might not even have made it to the Abbey's walls. But Lord Rocketh seemed to think that sparing Captain Holdrin and twenty eight other hares was an acceptable risk, and Holdrin was not willing to challenge a Badger Lord, even one as inexperienced as Lord Rocketh was.
Holdrin glanced at one of his fellow Long Patrol hares, and was pleased to see that if she, too, was longing to be where the action would be, she hid it well. The hare held her scimitar close at paw, and her eyes were trained intently on the outside of the mountain despite the fact that almost nothing was visible in the darkness. The captain let a small smile cross his face. With loyal beasts like this defending Salamandastron, the vermin would need a miracle to win.
A loud thump came from outside the entrance, and Holdrin stood up, clutching his rapier in his paw. He raised a paw in the air, and three other hares stood up and went to his side. The small group stepped outside, looking around for the source of the noise.
It was another one of the hares who saw the body first. He ran over to the side of the dead hare, and felt his neck for a pulse. "He's dead, sah," said the hare. "It's young Grissom, one o' th' hares you sent up to watch for vermin."
Holdrin gazed into the darkness. The faint sound of wind was all he could hear. Then, in the distance, he heard the pounding of footpaws, as if an army was approaching. "Get inside!" the captain shouted. His three companions were quick to obey, and sprinted toward the mountain stronghold's entrance.
A pair of weasels leaped down from the rocks above the hares to block their path. A quick lunge and slash from one of them dropped one of Holdrin's companions, and then the beast leaped back. Holdrin wondered briefly whether the other sentry he had sent up the mountainside had been killed too, and then leaped at one of the stoats, thrusting his rapier out at the vermin.
The weasel blocked the blow with his short sword, but made no move to attack on his own. They're waiting for something, Holdrin realized after thrusting several more times with his rapier and having his blows turned away each time. His companions were faring slightly better against the weasel they were fighting, but to the captain's surprise, the vermin was holding its ground.
The pounding behind him became more pronounced, and despite his seasons of training, he began to panic. There was no way these weasels could be beaten back in time to escape the approaching army, however big it was. The pair of vermin fought grimly, as if they had been prepared for this fight for a long time. Amazing that these foul beasts can stand up to the Long Patrol, he thought.
Holdrin's opponent blocked another thrust, and drew back toward the entrance. A loud crack split the night air, and the weasel's eyes rolled up into its head. Another crack came almost immediately after, and the other weasel fell to the ground. The captain looked toward the entrance, and saw a pair of hares reloading their slings. He ran forward, followed closely by two of the three hares that came outside with him. Holdrin thought briefly of the bodies of the sentry and the hare, but those thoughts were banished from his mind once he entered the mountain.
"We're under attack by a pack o' vermin," he said, bringing himself to halt. The hares inside were already on their footpaws and standing at attention. "We're going t' need t' hold 'em as long as we can, but I expect we'll need t' surrender this entrance to 'em." Holdrin pointed his paw at a random hare. "You, go tell Lord Rocketh that we're under attack, an' that we need some bally help." Without pausing to see the hare leave, he whirled around. "For Salamandastron! Eulalia!"
The two hares that had stayed outside to sling stones at the approaching vermin backed inside of Salamandastron, giving ground reluctantly. The pair loaded their slings again as they backed up, and drew to a halt. They whirled the slings above their head, letting them gather momentum. And when the vermin finally charged into the mountain, they let the slingstones fly.
Two searats dropped dead from the slingstones, and about ten more stones flew from the hares gathered further in the mountain. The three other beasts that had accompanied the first two vermin into the mountain dropped to the floor. Whether they were injured or dead, Holdrin couldn't tell. Then another group of five charged through the entrance, followed closely by another. Again, the hares rained slingstones on the vermin, but those in front took the brunt of the assault. As the vermin closed in on him and the other gathered hares, the captain lifted his rapier in front of him and braced himself.
Holdrin lashed out at the beast in front of him, a stoat. His blade was turned away by the vermin's, but the hare captain pressed his attack. Keeping on the offensive, Holdrin pushed the stoat back, attacking with a flurry of slashes and thrusts that his opponent only barely managed to parry. He thrust his rapier at the stoat's face, and when the vermin brought his scimitar up to block the attack, he swept the stoat's footpaws out from under him with his legs. The vermin's breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground, and Holdrin finished him with a quick slice to the throat.
He only had time to bring his rapier back to his body before more foes were upon him. Two vermin, a searat and a ferret, stood in front of him. Holdrin grimly lashed out at the ferret with his rapier. The blow was parried easily, and the searat swung his scimitar down at Holdrin.
The hare dodged away, and then leaped back forward, lashing out at the searat with one of his footpaws. The vermin flew back, stunned, and Holdrin turned his attention to the ferret.
Before Holdrin had a chance to attack, the vermin leaped forward, swinging his saber at Holdrin. The hare brought up his rapier to ward off the blow, but before he had a chance to retaliate, the ferret pressed his attack, keeping Holdrin on the defensive as the hare had done with the stoat not even half a minute ago.
Seeing that he would be slain if he did not take the offensive, Holdrin let his hare instincts take over. He charged forward, heedless of the ferret's saber swinging at him. A swift punch to the ferret's stomach, sent the beast staggering backwards, but before he could bring up his saber in defense, Holdrin shoved his rapier through the vermin's heart.
Holdrin withdrew the rapier from the ferret's body and let it drop to the ground. He whirled around to face the next vermin who approached him. Before he even saw his opponent, he thrust his rapier forward.
A blow to his skull was enough to send Holdrin reeling backward, and the rapier slipped from his paws. With a shake of his head, the hare cleared his vision, and in less than a second he had already launched himself at the beast who had struck him. But this beast launched himself toward Holdrin, swinging one of his paws at the hare's head. This time, Holdrin's body fell limply to the ground.
Feebly, the hare rolled himself over. But any resistance he might have offered faded as he finally glimpsed the beast he had been fighting in his last seconds of life. As muscular as a Badger Lord, and with eyes that glowed red with a lust for death, a Stormrat stepped on his throat and crushed his windpipe.
~~~
Andrew woke with a gasp and rolled out of his bed. He fought his way free of the sheet he had been sleeping under, and reached under his bed for his sword. Without quite knowing why, he slid the sword free of its sheath and made his way toward the door to Hake's hut.
Outside, he came across the older mouse staring up at the sky. He turned his head at Andrew's approach. "What brings you out here this late?" Although there was no smile present on his face, there was in his voice.
"I... need to go back to Redwall," Andrew blurted out. The events of his dream - the ghostly mouse beckoning to him, the strange hare who was trying to place fire in his paws, and the warrior mouse arguing with Abbess Elm - flooded back to him. He couldn't make sense of the visions, but he knew that he needed to return to the Abbey.
Hake nodded, not seeming at all surprised. "I don't suppose you could wait until morning to depart?"
"I could wait, but I don't think I could get back to sleep. And any more time spent here is time not spent getting back home." Andrew looked into the depths of Mossflower. He could handle most of what was out there, and he was not afraid of the dark.
"Then travel safely, Andrew," said Hake. The older mouse reached out and grabbed Andrew's shoulder before he could vanish into Mossflower. "Don't forget your sheath," he hissed.
A couple minutes later, Andrew departed from his mentor, his sword sheathed at his side. Now, he would make his way home.
~~~
Danni allowed herself a smile of satisfaction as she looked at the dead bodies around her. While there were more vermin slain than hares, this entrance was theirs. The Badger Lord of Salamandastron could not hope to reclaim it while keeping a strong enough force on the mountain's south face to repel an attack from Sunai. At least, that was what Danni hoped.
The battle is not done yet, the vixen reminded herself, taking her dagger from its sheath. There will be more hares coming for us. Not enough to defeat us if we fight well, but we must be ready.
It was Danni's lightning reflexes that saved her life. She leaped away from where she stood as soon as she heard the beast behind her launch herself at her. Danni sprung at the beast before it had a chance to recover and forced it to the ground, bringing the blade of her dagger up to its throat.
"Bitch," Christopher hissed as Danni glared at him. "I could've had you dead. You - " The vermin's words were cut off when Danni slit his throat.
Danni got to her feet, pointedly ignoring the dying Christopher and the stares other vermin were giving her. "Be ready for an attack," she said loudly. "Now that we've got this entrance, we want to hold it." Seeing that the vermin were listening to her, she glanced down at Christopher. "I should have killed him when I had the chance." Knowing that the mistake of letting that wretched beast live almost cost Danni her life, she swore not to make the same mistake again.
"You think that beasts are leaving the Stormrat camp?" asked Lord Rocketh, who was busy listening to Long Patrollers who were stationed on both the outside and inside of the mountain. Even after he had told them where to go and what to do, many things were unclear to the defenders. Lord Rocketh had finally settled on moving a group of expert fighting beasts to the eastern entrance that he had decided to keep open, and less experienced fighters in the entrances in the south that were blocked by boulders. But he had been adamant about keeping as many troops as possible on the south face of Salamandastron. Excluding the hares standing guard in the entrances around the mountain and the beasts that were working in the kitchen and tunnels, along with the sentries on Salamandastron's other faces, only about one hundred hares stood guard on the mountain. And though almost half of them were archers, the Stormrats' horde would be able to climb the mountain fairly quickly, and when they drew close, the archers would be unable to fire for fear of hitting their own beasts.
Merlin nodded. "Yes, sah. I don't have any concrete proof, but there's somethin' I don't trust about those shadows I see 'round their campfires. I don't know why, but I think they're movin'... I can't see where, though. I can't see anythin' beyond the light o' the campfires. Maybe that's why the Stormrat in charge positioned themselves so?"
Lord Rocketh frowned. "If I could spare the troops, I'd send more to guard the east side of Salamandastron. I'm wary of leaving it as lightly defended as it is at the moment, but the truth is that they have us outnumbered. I could draw guards from the southern entrances I sealed... yes, I think that's what I'll do. Thank you, Merlin. You are dismissed."
The Badger Lord turned to the next hare who came to him. After speaking with him, he sent the hare off with a message to the hares in the passages below telling them to move to the east. Satisfied that his worries were taken care of, Merlin returned to where he had been standing.
Archers stood below and around Merlin. Lord Rocketh had decided several hours ago that everybeast on the southern face of Salamandastron would have a longbow close at paw, since it would be more costly to the vermin if the Long Patrollers shot at them from above and then moved to paw to paw combat. The Badger Lord knew that the Stormrat would find some way to avoid most of the damage that the arrows would normally do; in the Stormrat War, the vermin attacking Salamandastron had made a turtle-like formation using wooden shields that rendered them nearly invincible to arrows from the top and sides. Only a few well placed falling boulders broke the formation and prevented the vermin from climbing the mountains. They would be able to do the same thing this time, but Lord Rocketh suspected that the Stormrat in command of the current invaders knew of the tactics Lord Sunforge had employed five seasons ago and would have thought of ways to fight them.
Oblivious to the voices of the hares around him, Merlin stared out at the campfires and the shadowy shapes of the vermin moving around them. There seemed to have been more shadows earlier in the night. Perhaps Merlin was being paranoid, and the lack of shadows was caused by vermin going to sleep or the eventual burning out of the campfires. But his heart told him otherwise, and Merlin continued to watch the Stormrat campfires.
After only a couple minutes, Merlin turned around and saw Lord Rocketh coming up from behind him. Merlin offered his Badger Lord a small grin, putting as much confidence into it as he could muster. "Jolly fine night out here, sah," said Merlin, as if he had not just warned Lord Rocketh of a vermin movement that he was not entirely sure of. "If there wasn't a flippin' horde waitin' out there, I'd gladly go for a walk under th' stars."
"That would be nice," said the Badger Lord, chuckling. "Especially if you had a haremaid to share the journey with." Merlin didn't blush at Lord Rocketh's statement, even though that was probably the badger's goal, but he did feel some embarrassment. There were some haremaids in the Long Patrol he wouldn't hesitate to ask for company on a walk in the dark, and he couldn't help but wonder if Lord Rocketh knew what he was thinking. Merlin shifted uncomfortably and gazed down at the ground.
"But that's not what I'm here for, Merlin," said Lord Rocketh quietly. He withdrew a sword from his belt. In the badger's paws, the sword seemed average-sized, but most other beasts would find it large. It was one of the most dazzling weapons Merlin had ever seen, even more so than most of the weapons he had caught sight of on his infrequent trips into the armory.
Lord Rocketh handed it to Merlin. Even though the had held it easily in one paw, Merlin needed to hold it with two paws.. Even so, one could probably grow used to carrying it after carrying it and fighting with it for some time.
But what Merlin found to be the most fascinating thing about the blade was its color. Even though it was colored like other swords, there seemed to be a reddish hue to it that Merlin couldn't explain. The red seemed to move as Merlin turned the sword in his paws, and he got the impression that the color came from something inside the sword.
"You see the red, too?" asked Lord Rocketh. "I thought I was imagining things, but since you can see it I guess I wasn't. I'll call this sword Salamander, then."
Merlin extended the sword back toward Lord Rocketh, but the Badger Lord shook his head. "This blade is not meant for me. Nor you, or any hare of the Long Patrol. If you should survive the coming battle, I want you to find the beast this sword is destined for, regardless of what happens here at Salamandastron."
"I understand, sah," said Merlin, taking back the sword and holding it in paw. "I'll find a beast worthy o' Salamander. Does this sword have a sheath?"
Lord Rocketh nodded. "Wait here. I'll get you the sheath." Merlin watched the departing badger's back for a few moments, and then turned his attention back to the slowly dying campfires on the beach. Somehow, Merlin didn't find the sight quite so unnerving with Salamander clutched in his paws.
~~~
Danni marched away from Sunai's camp with two stoats, hoping that the darkness would conceal them from the eyes of the Long Patrol hares that were undoubtedly watching the horde for any sign of activity. Laskit had seemed confident that the beasts walking out the back of the camp would be unnoticed if they crept out in small groups, but Danni couldn't help having doubts. But she couldn't show them to any of the beasts that would be with her. Sunai was staying behind at camp, and there was nobeast else she would trust with her doubts. And because Sunai and his other advisors were staying behind, she was in charge of the attacking group.
She had only the vaguest idea of which beasts from Sunai's horde would be going with her. She knew that Meist would be there, and that she was the only one of Sunai's advisors that would be taking part in this plan. Other than that, she knew that about half of the beasts that made up Sunai's horde would be assisting her.
Compared to her stoat companions, Danni's footpaws swept across the ground without making a sound. She let the two brutish stoats move in front of her, and stayed behind them, making a game out of setting her footpaws on the ground so as to make the smallest amount of noise as possible.
When she finally reached the beasts that had assembled as a part of Laskit's plan, the sentry that had been waiting for new arrivals looked up at her in surprise. The sentry was another fox, one that she would have thought a fit choice for a mate if she did not already have Sunai. A grin spread across Danni's face at the fox's scowl, and she moved past him to the rest of the assembled vermin once he had approved her movements. Apparently, several weeks of sea travel and marching hadn't dulled her edge when it came to stealth. Whether she remained as fast as she had been before boarding the Stormbringer's ships remained to be seen.
Moving quietly away from the other vermin, Danni moved into the shadows again. She jogged forward, and then began sprinting. Soon, the sound of Danni's controlled breathing was accompanied only by the crashing of waves along the shore.
After sprinting for several hundred meters, Danni turned around and began moving back toward the other vermin. When she reached the halfway point, her sprinted tapered off into a jog, and when she returned to the gathered beasts she had slowed to a slow run.
I'm not as good as I used to be, thought Danni as she drew to a halt. She was more winded that she would have wished, and lamented not being able to keep in shape aboard the ship. Still, she reminded herself, I can sprint faster and longer than any of the other beasts here.
Once all the beasts from Sunai's camp had gathered, Danni stepped forward and waved her paws in the air. Several beasts quieted at her gesture, but she was forced to raise her voice and call for silence to attract the attention of the others. When all the beasts gathered around her had fallen silent, she raised her voice again to give them their orders.
"I'm sure everybeast here has some idea of what we are attempting, but I want each of you to be fully informed." The vixen spoke loudly; there was no chance that the beasts at Salamandastron would be able to hear her over the waves from this distance. "The Stormbringer wishes us to sneak through the night and make our way to Salamandastron's eastern side, and attack the mountain from there. Salamandastron's southern entrances have been blocked with boulders, but we hope to find the eastern entrances open and undefended. If we find no way to enter Salamandastron through the eastern entrances, we are to climb the mountain's east face and attack the Long Patrol from there. If the Stormbringer sees the hares come under attack, he will charge to our aid.
"Kill any hare you see. We do not want to risk the Long Patrol finding out about our presence before we've secured a position on the mountain. Try to take the enemy by surprise, and try to keep the fighting as quiet as possible." Danni looked at the ground, trying to discern whether there would be any beast that would be likely to disregard those orders and look for the most violent and bloody fight that they could find.
A rumbling chuckle came from the shadows, and Danni fixed her gaze on its source. The hulking figure of Meist moved closer to her, and grinned darkly at her. "You think you can stop me from killing, little vixen?"
Danni fought the urge to shrink back from the beast. His size intimidated her; it would do the same to almost anybeast, and she knew that the Stormrat's temper was not held on any sort of leash. But even so, she would speak her mind. "You may be the strongest beast among us, Meist, but you will follow your brother's orders like any other."
"I will do what Sunai says," hissed Meist, "but nobeast will stop me from slaying who I please."
"As you wish," said Danni reluctantly, not willing to pursue the matter any further. The brute could tear her limb from limb if he wanted to, and she did not want to provoke him into doing anything like that. But if Meist spoiled the Stormbringer's plans, she would see him dead. Sunai could handle him if he were here, she thought. He always managed to hold some power over his brother.
"Now we march," said Danni to the vermin gathered around her. We will travel from here to the eastern side of Salamandastron. If we stay far enough away, the darkness should conceal our movements from the eyes of any of the hares. Our voices should not reach the mountainside, but I still ask that you remain cautious and speak quietly. And when the time comes to attack the mountain, anybeast who speaks in more than a whisper will be punished by the Stormbringer."
One of the soldiers in front of her, a rat, shifted uncertainly on his footpaws. They don't like those orders, she thought. And in truth, she knew that they were extreme. But she, and almost all of the vermin around her, understood their necessity. Sunai intended to win Salamandastron with this assault, and Danni knew that the beasts around her were certain of the torture they would face at the Stormbringer's paws if they did not succeed.
The gathered vermin set off, keeping a large distance between themselves and the mountain fortress they were to attack. Glares from Danni and other beasts silenced those who spoke loudly, and eventually the group lapsed into a sullen, yet determined, march.
Danni didn't bother keeping track of how long it took the vermin to march into position, but her instincts told her that there were only a few hours remaining before dawn when the group arrived at their planned position. Salamandastron loomed to the east, and Danni felt her breath catch in her throat. If all went well, they would have the element of surprise on their side, but could they hold any entrance they claimed from the fury of a Badger Lord and his Long Patrol?
As if he knew the vixen's thoughts, Meist stepped forward and grinned. "Time for me to kill," he said viciously, clenching one of his paws into a fist. Though she couldn't see it clearly in the dark, Danni's imagination told her what the Stormrat's face looked like. An image of a wicked grin and blood-red eyes came unbidden to the vixen's mind, and she couldn't keep herself from shuddering.
Meist let out a harsh laugh, and turned to walk away into the darkness. Danni stared at the Stormrat's back as he left, and she shivered violently. If Sunai had not found him a mate to keep him under control, I believe many of us would not be alive.
"We attack now," Danni told the vermin assembled around her several minutes later. "We will follow our original plan to the letter. Remember to speak only if you have to, and even then, keep your voice as quiet as the wind."
And then the vermin were off, marching toward the mountain where their leader desired to have his vengeance.
~~~
Captain Holdrin grit his teeth. In truth, he was more than a bit put off at being sent to Salamandastron's east side and ordered to watch for reinforcements from Redwall. He would much rather be at Lord Rocketh's side, ready to advise him and help defend the mountain when it came under attack. To his mind, it was a waste to keep this entrance open, defending it with more than a score of hares that could have lent their much-needed paws to the defense of the mountain's southern face.
Lord Rocketh might have even been clinging to a false hope. It was entirely possible that Redwall's Abbess had refused Lord Rocketh's plea for help. The hare that the Badger Lord had sent as a messenger, Candice, might not even have made it to the Abbey's walls. But Lord Rocketh seemed to think that sparing Captain Holdrin and twenty eight other hares was an acceptable risk, and Holdrin was not willing to challenge a Badger Lord, even one as inexperienced as Lord Rocketh was.
Holdrin glanced at one of his fellow Long Patrol hares, and was pleased to see that if she, too, was longing to be where the action would be, she hid it well. The hare held her scimitar close at paw, and her eyes were trained intently on the outside of the mountain despite the fact that almost nothing was visible in the darkness. The captain let a small smile cross his face. With loyal beasts like this defending Salamandastron, the vermin would need a miracle to win.
A loud thump came from outside the entrance, and Holdrin stood up, clutching his rapier in his paw. He raised a paw in the air, and three other hares stood up and went to his side. The small group stepped outside, looking around for the source of the noise.
It was another one of the hares who saw the body first. He ran over to the side of the dead hare, and felt his neck for a pulse. "He's dead, sah," said the hare. "It's young Grissom, one o' th' hares you sent up to watch for vermin."
Holdrin gazed into the darkness. The faint sound of wind was all he could hear. Then, in the distance, he heard the pounding of footpaws, as if an army was approaching. "Get inside!" the captain shouted. His three companions were quick to obey, and sprinted toward the mountain stronghold's entrance.
A pair of weasels leaped down from the rocks above the hares to block their path. A quick lunge and slash from one of them dropped one of Holdrin's companions, and then the beast leaped back. Holdrin wondered briefly whether the other sentry he had sent up the mountainside had been killed too, and then leaped at one of the stoats, thrusting his rapier out at the vermin.
The weasel blocked the blow with his short sword, but made no move to attack on his own. They're waiting for something, Holdrin realized after thrusting several more times with his rapier and having his blows turned away each time. His companions were faring slightly better against the weasel they were fighting, but to the captain's surprise, the vermin was holding its ground.
The pounding behind him became more pronounced, and despite his seasons of training, he began to panic. There was no way these weasels could be beaten back in time to escape the approaching army, however big it was. The pair of vermin fought grimly, as if they had been prepared for this fight for a long time. Amazing that these foul beasts can stand up to the Long Patrol, he thought.
Holdrin's opponent blocked another thrust, and drew back toward the entrance. A loud crack split the night air, and the weasel's eyes rolled up into its head. Another crack came almost immediately after, and the other weasel fell to the ground. The captain looked toward the entrance, and saw a pair of hares reloading their slings. He ran forward, followed closely by two of the three hares that came outside with him. Holdrin thought briefly of the bodies of the sentry and the hare, but those thoughts were banished from his mind once he entered the mountain.
"We're under attack by a pack o' vermin," he said, bringing himself to halt. The hares inside were already on their footpaws and standing at attention. "We're going t' need t' hold 'em as long as we can, but I expect we'll need t' surrender this entrance to 'em." Holdrin pointed his paw at a random hare. "You, go tell Lord Rocketh that we're under attack, an' that we need some bally help." Without pausing to see the hare leave, he whirled around. "For Salamandastron! Eulalia!"
The two hares that had stayed outside to sling stones at the approaching vermin backed inside of Salamandastron, giving ground reluctantly. The pair loaded their slings again as they backed up, and drew to a halt. They whirled the slings above their head, letting them gather momentum. And when the vermin finally charged into the mountain, they let the slingstones fly.
Two searats dropped dead from the slingstones, and about ten more stones flew from the hares gathered further in the mountain. The three other beasts that had accompanied the first two vermin into the mountain dropped to the floor. Whether they were injured or dead, Holdrin couldn't tell. Then another group of five charged through the entrance, followed closely by another. Again, the hares rained slingstones on the vermin, but those in front took the brunt of the assault. As the vermin closed in on him and the other gathered hares, the captain lifted his rapier in front of him and braced himself.
Holdrin lashed out at the beast in front of him, a stoat. His blade was turned away by the vermin's, but the hare captain pressed his attack. Keeping on the offensive, Holdrin pushed the stoat back, attacking with a flurry of slashes and thrusts that his opponent only barely managed to parry. He thrust his rapier at the stoat's face, and when the vermin brought his scimitar up to block the attack, he swept the stoat's footpaws out from under him with his legs. The vermin's breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground, and Holdrin finished him with a quick slice to the throat.
He only had time to bring his rapier back to his body before more foes were upon him. Two vermin, a searat and a ferret, stood in front of him. Holdrin grimly lashed out at the ferret with his rapier. The blow was parried easily, and the searat swung his scimitar down at Holdrin.
The hare dodged away, and then leaped back forward, lashing out at the searat with one of his footpaws. The vermin flew back, stunned, and Holdrin turned his attention to the ferret.
Before Holdrin had a chance to attack, the vermin leaped forward, swinging his saber at Holdrin. The hare brought up his rapier to ward off the blow, but before he had a chance to retaliate, the ferret pressed his attack, keeping Holdrin on the defensive as the hare had done with the stoat not even half a minute ago.
Seeing that he would be slain if he did not take the offensive, Holdrin let his hare instincts take over. He charged forward, heedless of the ferret's saber swinging at him. A swift punch to the ferret's stomach, sent the beast staggering backwards, but before he could bring up his saber in defense, Holdrin shoved his rapier through the vermin's heart.
Holdrin withdrew the rapier from the ferret's body and let it drop to the ground. He whirled around to face the next vermin who approached him. Before he even saw his opponent, he thrust his rapier forward.
A blow to his skull was enough to send Holdrin reeling backward, and the rapier slipped from his paws. With a shake of his head, the hare cleared his vision, and in less than a second he had already launched himself at the beast who had struck him. But this beast launched himself toward Holdrin, swinging one of his paws at the hare's head. This time, Holdrin's body fell limply to the ground.
Feebly, the hare rolled himself over. But any resistance he might have offered faded as he finally glimpsed the beast he had been fighting in his last seconds of life. As muscular as a Badger Lord, and with eyes that glowed red with a lust for death, a Stormrat stepped on his throat and crushed his windpipe.
~~~
Andrew woke with a gasp and rolled out of his bed. He fought his way free of the sheet he had been sleeping under, and reached under his bed for his sword. Without quite knowing why, he slid the sword free of its sheath and made his way toward the door to Hake's hut.
Outside, he came across the older mouse staring up at the sky. He turned his head at Andrew's approach. "What brings you out here this late?" Although there was no smile present on his face, there was in his voice.
"I... need to go back to Redwall," Andrew blurted out. The events of his dream - the ghostly mouse beckoning to him, the strange hare who was trying to place fire in his paws, and the warrior mouse arguing with Abbess Elm - flooded back to him. He couldn't make sense of the visions, but he knew that he needed to return to the Abbey.
Hake nodded, not seeming at all surprised. "I don't suppose you could wait until morning to depart?"
"I could wait, but I don't think I could get back to sleep. And any more time spent here is time not spent getting back home." Andrew looked into the depths of Mossflower. He could handle most of what was out there, and he was not afraid of the dark.
"Then travel safely, Andrew," said Hake. The older mouse reached out and grabbed Andrew's shoulder before he could vanish into Mossflower. "Don't forget your sheath," he hissed.
A couple minutes later, Andrew departed from his mentor, his sword sheathed at his side. Now, he would make his way home.
~~~
Danni allowed herself a smile of satisfaction as she looked at the dead bodies around her. While there were more vermin slain than hares, this entrance was theirs. The Badger Lord of Salamandastron could not hope to reclaim it while keeping a strong enough force on the mountain's south face to repel an attack from Sunai. At least, that was what Danni hoped.
The battle is not done yet, the vixen reminded herself, taking her dagger from its sheath. There will be more hares coming for us. Not enough to defeat us if we fight well, but we must be ready.
It was Danni's lightning reflexes that saved her life. She leaped away from where she stood as soon as she heard the beast behind her launch herself at her. Danni sprung at the beast before it had a chance to recover and forced it to the ground, bringing the blade of her dagger up to its throat.
"Bitch," Christopher hissed as Danni glared at him. "I could've had you dead. You - " The vermin's words were cut off when Danni slit his throat.
Danni got to her feet, pointedly ignoring the dying Christopher and the stares other vermin were giving her. "Be ready for an attack," she said loudly. "Now that we've got this entrance, we want to hold it." Seeing that the vermin were listening to her, she glanced down at Christopher. "I should have killed him when I had the chance." Knowing that the mistake of letting that wretched beast live almost cost Danni her life, she swore not to make the same mistake again.