The Straight Escape
As a lightly scuffed-up Jade follows Campion towards Efrafa, she can't help but get some info from him now, whilst other Efrafans are at a distance.
"What did you mean by 'white sticks'?" She asks him, he turns to her in a serious manner.
"I thought you knew;" He replies, "Those white sticks some humans burn in their mouths!" Jade immediately realises what they are.
"You mean cigarettes?" She rhetorically asks, Campion thinks for a while before replying.
"If that's what you call them, yes!" Then they continue somewhat further; crossing the bridge and on to Efrafa. As they come within sight of some rabbits Jade braces herself for some serious thrashing, both physically and verbally.
"Remember," Campion whispers to her, "Only give your name, age and favourite colour!" Jade acknowledges this as being relatively useless information for the Efrafans. They enter a fairly large burrow, but not Honeycomb level, Jade then sees who must be Woundwort; she finds him to be a cross between Hak Foo and a Shadowkhan.
"Any luck, Campion?" Woundwort inquires; Campion already has a set of lies for the reply.
"A curious captive, sir," He replies, "A very short man kitten who we can understand; I just caught her chasing that bird of Hazel's." Woundwort now spotted Jade, believing her to be the one.
"Was she any trouble?" He asks Campion who replies.
"Not too much, she moved rather bizarrely in defence; it took quick wits and moves for me to get her to submit!" Woundwort now moved to Jade.
"I require some information from you!" He tells her, Jade commences to give him some in an uncomfortable tone.
"Right," She gasps (fake), "My name is Jade Chan, I'm eleven years old and my favourite colour is dusky red!" Woundwort looks at her and gives Campion another order.
"Take her away, your sentries will give her a bit of softening; I know you know when the time is right for asking, so you'll tell them when to stop! You'll ask her the questions then!" Campion acknowledges this and, seemingly, hauls Jade away to a prison burrow.
Back at the down Hazel-rah and Fiver are relaying the idea to the others; every single one of them is listening to them.
"You must be careful, Fiver," Jackie tells him, "The talismans are only to be used when it is wise and necessary to do so!" Fiver nods to this, but Hawkbit was thinking of another idea.
"Surely that Snake talisman will enable us to penetrate Efrafa unnoticed!" He suggests, this is replied to by Uncle as he salutes the sarcastic buck. "Oowwww!" Hawkbit cries out at the impact of the goat.
"Never use magic unless really important!" Uncle tells him, with a scornful look. It is now accepted that the original plan would be best; although Jackie is frightfully concerned for Jade, and hopes she'll listen to him in future.
It the prison burrow Jade is holding up very well to the brutality of the sentries; just as she's about to crack at the ferocity Campion announces to his sentries.
"Enough, she's ready to talk!" The sentries then through Jade to the floor. "I'll deal with her alone; guard the entrance!" They respond to the command and go out of the burrow, Campion lifts Jade carefully off the floor; she reaches into her pocket and clutches the Horse talisman, is a matter of seconds she looks as good as new, Campion gasps, but covers up by calling out. "How dare you insult me?" Followed by a wink at Jade, who nods in understanding. "Okay," He whispers to her, "Security around here is highly disciplined and will follow orders, however if the order is extreme they'll fall asleep on guard. If they believe they've been given an order via a messenger they will immediately do it, even if it's not the case. Now I'm on Hazel's side they've lost most of their cunning advantages!" Jade soon knows exactly how to break out now and says.
"I shall require some turmeric, rape seed, daisy petals and a basil leaf!" Campion nods and they commence with the mock interrogation.
"Not talking, eh?" Campion speaks slyly and gives Jade a light cuff, which she makes a mountain out of to convince the guards; this is followed by a kick that doesn't encounter Jade, but she makes the exaggeration and really does insult Campion in a loud voice.
"You £ £#¬!" And Campion makes sounds with his paws against the floor and walls of the burrow whilst Jade pretends to cry out in pain at each impact, until Campion says.
"Very well, we'll see how you like to live on nothing but herbs and spices!" Campion winks at Jade and seemingly storms out of the burrow. "That's a very stubborn man-kitten," He tells the sentries, "Keep guard on this burrow and don't let anyone equal or inferior to you in and don't let her out!" They take this order instantly and stand guard, whilst Campion goes to Woundwort and file his report.
"Well?" Woundwort asks him.
"She's very stubborn," Campion replies, "She was so terribly beaten and she didn't crack, I even gave her some hard cuffing and still nothing came out!" Woundwort is surprised at this before asking.
"What do you think will make this fiend talk?" Campion is quick to reply.
"A diet of herbs and spices only; they will be so uncomfortable on her tongue she's bound to give in sooner or later!" Woundwort praises Campion for his cunning idea; totally unaware of Campion's true intentions. "Tomorrow," Campion tells Woundwort, "I shall deliver her new food personally; perhaps a few cuffs might make it just as unpleasant, sir!" Woundwort accepts this before replying.
"You take care of the man kitten; I'll deal with the warren!" Campion is happy for this and leaves to do what he usually does on a regular Efrafan day.
During the night, Campion carefully gathers the required plants for Jade; he has a bit of trouble getting a basil leaf, until one breaks from a basil tree and falls right in front of his nose; happy he takes the stuff back to his burrow to give to Jade by morning. Meanwhile, Fiver slips into the Honeycomb, determined to avoid losing time he takes the Rabbit talisman from the pile and returns to his burrow with it.
By morning Campion is given a wake-up call by Woundwort himself.
"I see you've got her food, then." He tells Campion seeing the pile.
"I thought it'd be most efficient if I got it during the night!" He replies, Woundwort acknowledges this as the sort of thing he'd do, but Campion knows Woundwort wouldn't really do it; he's just a pompous show-off. Campion gathers up the substances and goes to the prison burrow.
Outside the burrow Campion notices that the guards are half-awake, probably from having a quick kip during the night; they soon stand to attention as they see him approach.
"I've got her food!" He tells them, so they let him pass; Jade is even more alert then they are, Campion found her to be wide awake brushing the dust off her. "Here's the stuff you required!" He whispers to her.
"Nice work, Camp!" She whispers back, Campion hesitates for a while to understand that 'Camp' is an abbreviation of Campion; he puts the stuff down on the floor.
"One thing," Campion asks her in a whisper, "What's it all for?" Jade is quick to reply.
"It's so I can mix up a sleeping spell! The effect lasts for about three hours, longer if the one whom it's being cast upon is feeling sleepy!" Campion is now puzzled.
"How can you ensure that enough sentries will fall asleep?" He asks her.
"It's gonna be in a powder," Jade replies, "Whenever I spot a sentry, I'll just blow some of the powder their way and they'll be in the land of nod for at least three hours!" Campion is really puzzled now.
"Land of nod?" He asks her, she is quick to answer.
"In a deep sleep" Campion nods and makes a mock beat up.
"You little!" He growls and bangs his forepaw a few times against the ground; each time Jade cries out in pain that wasn't being inflicted upon her. He then leaves with a deceptively fake look of annoyance on his face. "Keep alert," He tells the sentries, "If she steps out of the burrow thrust her back in!" They nod, hoping that the pain inflicted upon the man kitten will stop herself from escaping whilst they take a bit of a rest. Campion knows they're tired and thinks they won't wake up after the spell is cast until sunset; he goes about some other business.
On the down the other Watership rabbits and Jackie and Uncle awake to find Fiver's already left; unaware that Fiver intends to hide in the woods next to the river until he sees Jade approaching and goes to the bridge. He is mainly taking his time, but after about twenty minutes Fiver decides to go at a speed to the minimum the Rabbit talisman will allow (intending to go at the speed of sound exactly); and shoots of to his destination.
Back in the prison burrow Jade is now commencing with the mixing of the sleep spell with all of Campion's ingredients mixed together in the right way and she finally completes the mixture with one ingredient Campion could not provide, a grain of sleep from her eye. Carefully taking up the sleeping powder she slips it into an empty pepper pot she is carrying. She walks to the entrance where the sentries are in a dull state of mind.
"Pardon me!" She says as she steps out of the burrow; one of the sentries blocks her path.
"Get back in there," He tells her, "Or we shall have to throw…" He practically yawns, "…You back!" Jade immediately realises the sentries are going to be sleeping for many hours; she pulls out her pepper pot, sprinkles a bit of sleeping powder into the palm of her hand and says to the sentry.
"Sweet dreams, soldier!" She blows the powder into his face; the other sentry looks on as his friend suddenly slips into a deep sleep. Jade turns to him and gives him another helping, just as the powder swirls around he says sleepily.
"Oh, no!" And then he drops off; Jade now swiftly and stealthily slips through the runs and holes of the warren. She encounters a couple of sentries standing outside a hole leading to the surface; fortunately she sees their silhouettes from inside and blows some powder for them just before she leaves. Outside another sentry is about to shout 'Alarm!' when the sleeping powder swirls around his head and all he can say is.
"Or-Lurm." As he drifts off into a deep sleep; Campion signals to her, she goes to him to commence with the escape.
"You must hurry," He tells an enthusiastic Jade, "They might have noticed your absence, and that sleeping stuff won't last forever, will it!" Jade nods in response, now Campion gives her a suggestion. "You seem a lightweight human; you could ride on my back to the bridge! What do you say?" Jade thinks about this; of all things she's encountered, a rabbit that'll let her ride on his back.
"So," Comes a voice from behind Campion, "You are in league with this man kitten!" Jade spots a dark furred rabbit behind Campion.
"Someone you know?" She asks him, Campion turns round to see Vervain.
"Yes," He replies, "Give it to him!" Vervain mocks this remark.
"What's a puny man like that gonna do?" He asks Campion as Jade sprinkles some powder into her palm. "Knock me out?" Campion is quick to respond.
"Something like that, Vervain!" Jade now blows the powder into Vervain's face and he drops off to sleep. "Now I can show him up easily; Woundwort won't believe a word he says about my true nature, when he finds him asleep on duty!" He turns to Jade. "Nice work, err, what's your name again?" Jade is quick to respond.
"Jade Chan!"
"Shall we get going, Jude Can?" Campion asks her, Jade corrects him and answers.
"Jade Chan! And yes we'll set off!" She then puts the pepper pot back in her pocket and lets Campion give her a piggy-back to the bridge. She's never felt the wind in her hair rush this way before; she's felt a regular human-running rush and a supersonic boom; but never a 34mph rush.
Through the trees Fiver keeps his visual; then he decides to head for the bridge anyway at regular speed. Just as he reaches the middle of the bridge he spots Campion approaching and can just make out Jade on his back; he runs to the other side of the bridge to meet them at a normal rabbit running speed; upon the encounter Jade gets off Campion's back and check her pockets, the Horse talisman and pepper pot are still there.
"How was her weight?" Fiver asks Campion, Jade sighs at this concern but is still surprised by Campion's reply.
"Lighter even than I expected!" Fiver nods to this and motions for Campion to go back to Efrafa and make the bluff of the month; Campion moves in that direction.
"Are you ready to go faster than thunder?" Fiver asks Jade, who eagerly replies.
"Well I've done it before, so yes!" Fiver keeps a tight hold of Jade's hand with his forepaw, clutching the talisman in his other forepaw he amazingly takes off on his hind legs ONLY!
Campion hurries into Efrafa with a look of shock on his face; he is creating a set up that'll make Woundwort think he was not in league with the prisoner all along.
"Sir," He cries out, "Sir, the prisoner has escaped! She's made it off with one of the Outsiders!" Woundwort turns to him in puzzlement.
"How come you didn't catch them?" He asks Campion, who replies.
"I was just about to ambush them when they ran away so fast that even I could not catch them! You won't believe this sir but they were so fast I doubt if even a fire stick could stop them!" Woundwort tries to comprehend this; if the Watership rabbits weren't capable of running so fast before, that must mean something must've assisted that burst of speed.
"Such speed can't be from the man kitten," He announces aloud, "Or we wouldn't have been able to capture her." Campion thought 'Who's we?' at that comment, but nothing on his face said such a thing. "How could she get out without the sentries spotting her?" Campion makes as though he's surprised at the event.
"I told them to guard her so she wouldn't be able to get out!" Campion announced, and then Woundwort caught an idea in his head.
"Let's see if they're still at the burrow." He tells Campion, and then they both go to the prison burrow. Woundwort is soon to spot the sleeping sentries; he is very annoyed. "Wake up you lazy, useless !" He growls at them; they don't even twitch, Woundwort is shouting at them to wake up so loud that the whole warren can hear, except for those who are in a similar state.
"You heard the general," Campion shouts into one of their ears, "On your hind paws NOW!" Still nothing, Campion stands up. "How can any rabbit sleep like that?" He asks the world in general; Woundwort thinks for a while before replying.
"Perhaps if you did catch her and the rabbit, Campion; you might be in a similar state." Campion looks at him in easily deceptive shock, before replying.
"That could explain Vervain!" He suggests, Woundwort looks at him.
"Vervain's asleep?" Woundwort inquires, Campion nods his head. "I don't think it could; he was supposed to be monitoring his mark at silflay, not sneaking about like a hlessi!" He looks at Campion more firmly than before and indicates to him to go about his business; Campion does so whilst Woundwort hauls the sentries away.
Fiver keeps a tight hold on Jade as he speeds through the countryside; he is particularly concerned by the rough tumbling she'd get if he lets go. Jade isn't too fussed about the ordeal, but without the Rabbit talisman in her possession she finds herself going horizontal rather than vertical. Eventually Fiver comes to a stop and Jade's back on her feet; she looks around.
"This isn't Watership Down," She tells Fiver, "Even I can tell that and geography isn't my strong point!" Fiver looks at her before replying.
"I don't know what 'geography' is, but I have to agree we're not at Watership Down!" Jade cannot believe Fiver could lose his way between Efrafa and Watership Down; he should know the surface way as well as the secret way since it is obvious to her that they had to discover the passageway after they encountered Efrafa.
"Well," She asks him, "Have you any idea where we are?" Fiver sighs and replies whilst looking around.
"I must admit I don't know where we a…" He stops and realises his location, "Yes I do know where we are!" Jade is surprised at this, but commences to ask him.
"Well, is it good or bad?" Fiver thinks about this before replying.
"It is good, but there is an ally of ours who lives here, whom I think you'd be shocked to know what she is!" Jade thinks about this before replying.
"I've seen terrifying beasts ripping the world apart; I've seen a world where such beasts rule, and I've even seen a fierce beast not as extreme as the others but it would've been very dangerous if everything else was normal! I doubt if it's going to be too shocking!" Fiver acknowledges this but warns.
"Well just brace yourself; it can be terribly shocking even for someone with such experience!" Jade prepares herself just in case and Fiver tells her. "This ally is a lendri!" Jade just gets puzzled.
"What in the world is a lendri?" She asks him, Fiver is quite shocked that she's never heard of a lendri.
"You've never seen a lendri?" He rhetorically asks her; Jade decides to take a more philosophical tone to this.
"The word lendri might be your name for something I'm quite familiar with." She suggests, Fiver decides to introduce her to this ally.
"If you saw her," He tells Jade, "You might recognise her species!" He gives her the Rabbit talisman for safe-keeping and goes towards a dense area of trees. Jade now realises she's in an apple orchard.