CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

"I'm going out."

Nobeast at Foxguard had paid much attention when, during the dinner hour, Mykola had periodically stepped aside from assisting with the meal preparations in the kitchens to assemble a provisions pack from the larders. Nor had his departure from the tower-base fortress after the evening meal attracted any undue notice, allowing him to cross the wide courtyard with his measured, uneven, stumping gait unchallenged, his laden haversack slung over one shoulder and bobbing against his back as he walked. Deep twilight drained the departed day of all color and most shape and clarity as well, imminent prelude to the falling curtain of total, star-bedecked blackness, and most of Foxguard's inhabitants had already turned in or were making ready to do so, in eager anticipation of a rejuvenating night's slumbers, their deserved reward for another hard day of drills, exercises and labors.

A pawful of foxes, mostly juniors and cadets, stood evening watch on the curving outer walltop, while a pair of weasels held their sentry post by the stronghold's single egress to the woodlands beyond. Normally they might have chafed and grumbled at being assigned such overnight duty, but knowing that this relatively easy detail would win them a reprieve from the much more draining project their fellow weasels had been force into lately, they'd not complained overmuch at their present assignment.

It was these two guards - Jatin and Biccum by name - who now faced Mykola sauntering up to them with all the authority of a senior fox of the brigade, stating his intent as a plain matter of fact. The weasels traded uncertain glances, and Jatin said, "Goin' out, sir? At this hour?"

"Captain Klystra brought news of the Gawtybe's return this very night. Somebeast ought to be out to greet them."

"Um, ye're goin' alone?" Biccum asked.

"Everybeast at Foxguard is being kept quite busy these days. Few can be spared for any such extraneous duties."

"But, it's almost full dark," Jatin pointed out, quite unnecessarily.

"The Gawtrybe travel according to their own schedule. Fortunately, we foxes possess the best night vision of any creature this side of an owl."

The weasel pair nodded sagely; both the Gawtrybe's willfulness in all matters as well as the keenness of vulpine night sight were widely known. "Sure ye'll be alright, sir? Mebbe we c'n spare a cadet or two off th' walltop t' go with ye?"

Mykola dismissed their concerns with the wave of a paw. "I served under Machus and Andrus before Tolar, and am a veteran of Salamandastron. I think I'll be able to look after myself."

"Uh, yessir!" Mykola strode between the two weasels, returning their sharp and formal salutes with a looser one of his own as he descended into the narrow stone tunnel under the perimeter wall, past the currently-unstaffed murder holes and back up the enclosed incline that led him out of Foxguard altogether. Once the smooth sandstone yielded to bare earth under his pawpads, Mykola turned and struck out for the nearer woodlands.

But he did not turn to his right and and make for the forest to the north through which the Gawtrybe were expected to come. Instead he turned to his left, to the south, away from where the Northland squirrels were likely to appear. Hugging the base of the curving wall, where he would not be easily spotted by any fox on the ramparts, Mykola followed the structure around to its southernmost point, then broke from its obscuring shelter, trusting the mantle of night to shield him from the watchful gazes of his compatriots.

However, the night's gloom was not yet deep enough to hide his retreating form from the sharp eyes of that evening's walltop lookouts, which happened to include Roxroy. The young swordfox straightened at the sudden, unexpected appearance of the withdrawing figure down below. "Hey, who's that?"

One of the cadets standing with Roxroy strained through the night's early shades. "Whoever it is has got a telling limp. Must be either Mykola or Dalkeith ... "

"Yes, our resident 'Mister Limpy's,' as the Redwall youngsters refer to them," Roxroy said with a smile, but he quickly turned serious again. "What would either of them be doing out alone at this hour?"

"Um ... ask him?"

"Oh. Good idea." Roxroy cupped his paws to his mouth, calling out, "Hullo, hullo, who goes there?"

The diminishing figure neither slackened its slightly-wobbling pace nor turned to look back, acknowledging the hail with only the casual wave of one upraised paw as if to say all was well and there was naught to worry about. And then, as the lookouts watched, the solitary walker merged into the darker black of the forest and vanished from even their penetrating gazes.

"If that wasn't the strangest ... " Roxroy shook his head in befuddlement. "Sword Tolar must have ordered him out for some reason, but then why didn't he tell us?" He turned to the others. "You two stay here, and keep your eyes open in case he comes back again. I'm going to go look into this ... "

Moments later Roxroy was down the wall stairs and jogging across the parade grounds towards Foxguard's entryway. Coming upon Jatin and Biccum, he was greeted with a twin salute and the query, "You goin' out too, sir?"

"Wasn't planning on it. Who was that who just went out?"

"Uh, Mykola, sir."

"That's what it looked like. Where's he going?"

"Out to greet the Gawtrybe, 'tis what 'ee said," replied Biccum.

"The Gawtrybe?"

"Aye, sir," Jatin affirmed. "We both 'eard 'im say so."

Roxroy found himself shaking his head in puzzlement a second time; not only was Mykola about the last fox anybeast would expect to go out to meet the antagonistic squirrels, but the logistics didn't fit either. "If he was going out to greet the Gawtrybe, why did he head south instead of north, where they'll be coming from?"

"Is that what 'ee did? We couldn't see from in here." Biccum scratched at his jaw, joining Roxroy in mystification. "Mebbe those treejumpers're takin' a different way back?"

"Nay, they'd have to cross where all the ferry rafts are. And besides, they were spotted nearing the Moss late this afternoon. They'll definitely be coming from the north. Did Mykola say Sword Tolar had ordered him out?"

"Aye, he ... um ... well, I don't ... not exactly. Uh, I dunno, sir. We though he did, but now that y' mention it ... "

Roxroy turned. "I'll go check with Tolar about this. It's probably nothing, but I just want to make sure."

00000000000

Tolar stepped into the barracks chamber where Mykola slept and kept his few personal belongings. Sappakit and Roxroy followed close behind their Sword, anxious to see for themselves what this might all portend. None failed to notice the conspicuous absence of the lame fox's sword and scabbard - which didn't really surprise them, for no fox of the brigade would contemplate venturing abroad in the lands, especially at night, without the blade they were conditioned to regard as practically a part of them.

Also missing was Mykola's healer's satchel - although, again, there was nothing overly strange about that in and of itself, since any fox would know to take it along for woodland forays as a matter of common sense.

Being one of the seniormost fighters at Foxguard, Mykola enjoyed the luxury of sharing his semi-private bedchamber with only one of his comrades. Now Haddican, recently turned in for the night, sat up on his mattress, pawing at his eyes and squinting at the sudden intrusion of lamplight into his spartan shared quarters.

"Did Mykola tell you he intended to go outside tonight?" Tolar asked his drowsy, blinking subordinate.

"Mikky? Outside?" Haddican scratched at his ear as he struggled to bring himself fully awake again. "I've not seen him since the evening meal, Sword." He glanced over toward the empty bunk of his chambermate. "He wasn't here when I went to bed, so I just assumed he was taking an evening stroll around the grounds to clear his head. He mentioned nothing to me of going outside."

Tolar stepped over to Mykola's bed, the covers crisply made and properly turned down, the squarely-plumped pillow perfectly centered at the head. Seeing naught lying up the bed itself, Tolar lifted the pillow and discovered what he'd half-expected to find. Plucking up the small folded-double parchment, he opened it and read the message within. The others drew close around him to view it for themselves, even the unclothed Haddican now risen from his interrupted slumbers. They glimpsed no more than an indistinct one-line note before Tolar snapped the parchment closed again and slipped it into his tunic.

"Uh, what did it say, sir?" Sappakit inquired.

Tolar was silent for a long time before replying. "It appears Mykola has resigned."

"He's ... deserted?" Haddican breathed. "Mikky's deserted?"

The Sword pierced Haddican with a pointed stare. "Careful what words you use in regard to an honored member of this brigade who's served Lord Urthblood nearly as long as you - or me, for that matter. And be especially mindful of your wording once the Gawtrybe return. They will be even hastier to jump to conclusions than you just were."

"Are we going after him, sir?" Sappakit asked, his tone suggesting that not doing so would be almost unthinkable.

"No, we're not. He's earned this, and I will not deny him."

"The Gawtrybe might beg to differ. In the midst of all that's going on now, they might not see it as merely a ... resignation."

"No swordfox of the brigade has ever resigned before," Haddican added.

"Well, now one has. And as Sword, it falls to me to accept his resignation - which I do. If Lieutenant Custis has a problem with this, he can take it up with me - and I will promptly and firmly remind him of his place here at Foxguard."

"I wasn't just thinking of going after Mikky for punitive reasons," Sappakit said. "If we don't go after him, the Gawtrybe still might. And it would be better for him to be here among his comrades than abroad in Mossflower on his own."

"I'm sure that occurred to him when he was deciding all of this. He's made his choice. We will not pursue him - neither for his benefit, or for ours."

Sappakit's posture loosened, his body falling into an at-ease stance. "As you say, My Sword."

Tolar turned to go, lamp in paw. "Get your rest, Haddican. Roxroy, return to your post - and keep this to yourself, for now. I do not wish to make an official announcement until the morning."

The junior swordfox saluted smartly. "Yes, My Sword!"

Sappakit, having not been directly dismissed, fell into step alongside his commander as Tolar stalked back up the curving corridor toward his own quarters. "Did you wish to discuss this further in private, sir?"

"Not particularly."

"What did he say in his note anyway? It seemed awfully brief."

"He said enough, Sapp. Just enough, and no more."

"Ah. Eyes-only, then?"

"He gave his reasons, and I accept them. I see nothing to be gained by sharing them, since you can probably deduce them well enough on your own."

Sappakit nodded. "Yes ... yes, I guess I probably can."

"Go turn in, Sapp. Or stand a watch, if you prefer. Nothing more is to be done about this now."

"I suspect it'll be the watch, sir. I don't think sleep will be coming easily to me this night. And I'll not be surprised if Haddican joins me. He and Mikky have been quartermates for three seasons, and if he really did have no idea Mykola was planning to leave, this must've thrown him for quite a loss."

"Yes, I imagine. See you in the morning, Sapp."

"Goodnight, sir."

A short time later, Tolar sat alone at the Redwall-made conference table in his office, somberly regarding Mykola's resignation note by candlelight. So few words, conveying so much.

"Liam would not have accepted this, and neither can I."

Liam. The rat sergeant who, before perishing at Salamandastron, had stood as one of the lame fox's closest confidants, and one of Mykola's most steadfast allies in trying to help the more troubled recruits find their place in Lord Urthblood's army. Mikky had taken Liam's death especially hard, and had never been quite the same after that rat's loss - not that anybeast who'd survived that terrible battle had emerged from it quite the same. But for Mykola, already something of a misfit himself between his limp and his compassionate empathy for the would-be outcasts whose cause he unflaggingly championed, the loss of the sympathetic and like-minded Liam represented a particularly crushing blow.

And now, even had Liam managed to survive Salamandastron, the rat sergeant would find his reward being led away in chains and subjected to the cruel whims of their tyrannical former enemy. Perhaps it was for the best that Liam had fallen honorably in battle rather than live to see such ignominy. Of course Liam could never have accepted this Purge of his kind - and, in retrospect, there was no way Mykola could have been expected to do likewise.

The door to the adjoining bedchamber creaked open, and the Sword glanced up to see Mona standing at the threshold in her nightgown. "Tolar, what is it?"

"Mykola has left us."

"Left us? You mean ... for good?"

Tolar gave an empty chuckle. "I am not sure how good it is, but I do not expect him to return."

She eyed the parchment clutched in his paws. "He left you a note?"

"He did. And it leaves very little doubt as to his intentions - at least for those of us who knew him. And knew Liam."

"Ah." Mona digested this in sudden enlightenment at the mention of the rat sergeant's name. "Mykola always was something of a ... special case among you swordfoxes. A lame fighter who could hold his own alongside the best of you in any battle, but who also tried to fit the whole world inside his heart, and give of himself as much as any Abbeybeast. I heard it said only just this afternoon that he'd have made a good Redwaller. In retrospect, it's hardly surprising that we've lost him over this."

"Exactly what I was just thinking."

"Do you suppose that's where he'll try to go? To Redwall?"

"Perhaps. If he does, he'd better take a different route than the Gawtrybe, because he'll not wish to run into them."

"Will they cause trouble over this, with us, when they get back?"

"They may try. How far they push it will depend entirely upon their mood over how things went for them at the Abbey. I suppose we'll find out when we find out. Until then ... " Tolar held Mykola's note edge-down over the flickering candle, the flame catching and spreading to consume the entire parchment. He cast it into a ceramic tray on the table before it could singe his pawtips, then sat stoic as the tiny conflagration flared and died, leaving only flutters of ash.

"Was that wise?" the vixen asked. "Lieutenant Custis might have wanted to see verification of Mykola's departure. Or aren't you planning to tell him?"

"He's welcome to count heads to figure out whether one of us is missing. I don't intend to bring the matter up."

"Custis is no idiot. If he were, Lord Urthblood would never have placed him in charge of this campaign. Things could get ... awkward when he returns."

"Yes, I know," Tolar said with a sigh, and added. "Mikky, my old companion, have you just solved a problem for us, or given us a whole raft of new ones?"

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Custis wanted to push on through the night to Foxguard after crossing the Moss, but Mina provided the overriding voice of reason.

"Lieutenant, your squirrels have had hardly any real rest since answering my summons. How many of you have gotten anything close to a full night's sleep in the past two days? Foxguard isn't going anywhere, and Tolar will still be there in the morning. If you truly suspect a confrontation with him may lie ahead, you'll want to face him with the freshest body and clearest mind you can muster. And that means not bursting into Foxguard in the predawn hours dead on your paws, when neither you nor Tolar will be in any shape for the conversation you may need to have."

"I don't know, Lady. We fighters are accustomed to odd hours and limited rest when the situation calls for such, and I for one would relish a crack at Tolar when his mind might not be at its sharpest. Might be the only time we'd be likely to get anything like the truth out of him."

"That's assuming he's been dishonest with you in the first place. I'm still willing to grant him the benefit of the doubt, at least until I've had the chance to question him directly myself. He may have a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

"Or, conversely, any delay on our part might provide him the time he needs to fabricate a perfectly good explanation."

"With suspicious thinking like that, Lieutenant, I'm almost ready to conclude you've become part fox yourself. I still think it would be better to stop here for the night, with the river at our backs and only three landward sides to guard against. Then we can depart at dawn and hit Foxguard around midmorning with our full measure of energy and wits about us."

In the end, Custis deferred to his High Lady, and an impromptu camp was set there on the east banks of the Moss, with only minimal watches posted and no fires lit. But the entire brigade was up and breaking their fast with the first faint traces of the sky's brightening, and ready to be on their way again long before sunrise. Custis gave a departing backward glance at the small fleet now beached on the quarry side of the river. "At least our Redwall friends can't complain that we're leaving them stranded at their work site without vessels."

"Unless somebeast else wants to cross going to the quarry, or Foxguard. We didn't leave any rafts on the Abbey side of the Moss."

"Then they can bring along an otter or two to swim across and row one back. Come on, let's get going."

Sunrise saw them nearly across the riverside meadows to the forest edge again, and soon after that the Gawtrybe had taken to the treetops once more, speeding their way through the canopy toward Foxguard. Long before midmorning, the tree cover broke to reveal the sandstone fox fortress immediately ahead, and the squirrels abandoned their arboreal highway to descend into the clearing and march the rest of the short way to Foxguard's entrance.

The foxes had known roughly when to expect the Gawtrybe, having spotted them on their side of the river from the tower. And when the returning Northlanders spilled out of the trees into the clearing around the fortress, a full reception detail of the swordsbeasts assembled on the walltop directly above the portal tunnel to see the squirrels in, their drilling and exercises put on hold for the moment. Mina and Custis tried to read the vulpine faces as they drew up to the entryway, but found the mood hard to gauge.

"Well," Mina remarked to the lieutenant, "either they've turned out an honor guard to welcome us, or else they're presenting a show of force to let us know where things stand."

"Or both. I guess we go on in, and if we don't find the way barricaded, we assume they're willing to have us back."

The Gawtrybe brigade realigned itself into a narrow column two beasts wide as it filed down through the entry tunnel, with a grouping of lower-ranked squirrels at its head. Only after a score or so of their company were up onto the parade grounds without meeting any resistance did Mina and Custis enter, to find Tolar and several of the other senior swordfoxes standing there to greet them under the morning sun.

The fox chieftain was as surprised as his fellows to find Lady Mina among the returnees. "Lady, what are you doing here? We did not expect you."

"These are strange days indeed, Tolar, with all manner of unanticipated events transpiring - like a hundred and a half rats showing up at Redwall without warning to seek sanctuary there."

Tolar kept his professional composure. "Yes, Klystra informed us of all that unfolded there. I was gratified and relieved to hear that no lives were lost. It seems a larger crisis has been averted - " his gaze went to Custis, " - in spite of the best efforts of some here."

Mina held out a paw to head off the lieutenant's incipient outburst of outrage at the fox's accusation. "And yet questions still abound, both about what is to be done now, and how this state of affairs came to be in the first place. The Lieutenant and I would like to discuss this with you - in private, if you'd be so kind."

Tolar mulled this over, then nodded. "Of course. Come with me to my chambers, and we can talk there."

"And I'd like Mykola to join us too. Please have him summoned - I do not see him here."

Tolar stopped in mid-turn to look back at Mina in puzzlement. "Mykola? What for?"

"I'm just curious as to whether he might have any light to shed on this matter, from his perhaps unique perspective."

"Very well." Tolar leaned over to Sappakit and murmured something the squirrels couldn't hear, then resumed leading the way toward the tower. Mina and Custis stood their ground for a moment, confused.

"Hold on - aren't we going to await him here?" Mina asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Mykola is not immediately available. We may wait in my rooms, where you will be more comfortable."

"Not satisfactory. If he's sleeping, wake him. If he's eating, call him from his meal. And if he's on guard duty, call him down from wherever he is so that he can join us."

Tolar turned completely around and stepped back toward Mina. She'd fully taken charge here, Custis deferring to his tribe's High Lady in this. The Sword didn't wish to delve into the desertion of a senior member of his brigade any more than his would-be inquisitors desired to interrogate him right here in front of everybeast. They both had reason to want to take this behind closed doors, so Tolar decided to play a gambit to forestall further public display. Pointing up to the summit of the tower, he said, "Not all places within Foxguard are equally accessible, My Lady."

"He's ... up there? On lookout duty?"

Withholding both an affirmation and a denial, Tolar replied, "Let's just say it might be quite some time before he can join us. Sappakit will see to Mykola while we get settled inside. Now, did you wish to speak with me in private, or not? Either is fine with me."

It worked. After trading uncertain glances with Custis, Mina motioned for Tolar to proceed. "Lead the way, then."

As the three of them disappeared into the fortress proper, Roxroy stepped over to Sappakit. The junior swordfox had stood near enough to hear the exchange between Tolar and the Gawtrybe, and now worry knit his brow. "They want to speak with Mykola!" he hissed at the older fox in alarm. "What's Sword Tolar going to do?"

Sappakit showed the calm of the seasoned campaigner he was. "He's going to take care of it," he replied simply. "That's why he's Sword."