If any of you are wondering what the message Matti left for Tess said, don't get you're hopes up, because I don't plan on writing it out in full (some things are just meant to be vauge) but I did leave hints, some very obvious, but, yeah. Anyway, sorry I haven't posted as often as I have in the past. With the school year starting, my schedules gone AWOL. But I'll post as often as I can. :)

Chapter 12

Cornflower had her breakfast in the Great Hall, where she could take a turn being on guard for anything that Toka's horde might do. Abbot Mordalfus joined her.

"So what did young Mattimeo's message to Tess say?" he asked.

Cornflower frowned. "I do not know." she stated. "Matti apparently left instructions in the message that it was for Tess and Tess only. So Tess is the only one who knows what it says, and she hasn't told anyone else what was in it."

"Well, whatever it said, it's put her in a curious mood." Mordalfus said, helping himself to Cornflower's breakfast. "She's locked herself in her room and won't come out."

Cornflower seemed surprised at this news. "What for?" she asked.

"Hard to say, she won't tell anybody either, but it's safe to say that Matti's message plays a part in it." Mordalfus answered, then leaned forward and whispered. "Sister May said it sounded like she had been crying. I personally think Tess knows more about Mattimeo and Weylan leaving than we do."

"But then why won't she tell us?" Cornflower asked, sounding frustrated.

"Perhaps Mattimeo requested that she keep it secret, like the message he left her."

They both sat pondering the matter until Cheek came running in.

"Basil asked me to check up on all of the guards." he explained. "Wants to be kept updated on wot all the vermin outside are doing."

"Well, for the moment, they aren't doing anything to threaten us." Mordalus answered, while Cornflower turned and peered out a space in the barricade.

"Actually, that's not entirely accurate, Father Abbot." Cornflower said, while the abbot and Cheek gathered around to peer through the space. "Look, their loading what looks like boulders into their contraption there."

"Looks like it might be a catapult." Cheek said. "Basil told me about 'em. They're things used to throw large objects far distances." he watched Toka's forces work for a moment. "If I were to hazard a guess as to wot they're doing out there, I'd say they're going to try and break down our barriers with that thing."

"We better set about reenforcing the barriers right away." Mordalfus said, alarmed, standing up.

"Too late." Cornflower announced, as the vermin suddenly cleared the area around the contraption they had built. One took out a knife and began slicing a rope on the wooden device.

"Duck!" Cheek exclaimed, pushing both Cornflower and the abbot down onto the stone floor.

A loud crash was heard from outside, followed by a twanging sound, but nothing struck the abbey itself. After several moments of lying on the floor, the three slowly picked themselves up and peered out the space in the barricade.

The catapult apparently backfired, for the stone had gotten thrown backwards into the ranks of the horde. The contraption then had collapsed in upon itself. Shouting could be heard from the horde, probably from angry minority leaders, or possibly the wounded. Whatever the case, Cornflower, Cheek, and the abbot, all heaved a sigh of relief.

"We're safe." Conrflower announced, relieved.

"Fer now." Cheek stated. "They'll rebuild it and try it again. But it was a close 'un. Lucky it broke."

"Wonder why it did." Mordalfus thought out loud.

Cornflower looked around the Great Hall. "I think he knows." she suddenly spoke, pointing at Knottail, still tied to the stone column. He looked as if he was dozing, but Cornflower caught sight of the weasel looking their way when he thought they weren't looking. Cornflower marched up to him.

"Well?" she asked aloud. "Was it an accident that the catapult broke?"

Knottail did nothing for a moment, then shook his head. Without opening his eyes, he said, "Toka has trained the horde to be experts at warfare, and this includes the art of building catapults. The horde has been trained so well that the odds of it making a mistake are slim."

"So if it wasn't their fault," Cheek began, he and the abbot joining Cornflower, "then wot caused the bloomin' thing to break?"

Knottail shrugged. "I can only guess."

"Then guess." Cornflower demanded.

Knottail leaned his head up against the stone column and uttered one word.

"Sabotage."

The others stood straighter suddenly, as comprehension struck them.

"Matti." Cornflower whispered, understanding what had happened.

Mossflower was quiet. Almost too quiet, and that worried Marigold. Nimbly jumping from limb to limb in the towering deciduous trees, the squirrel searched for signs of life. The search was turning up empty.

Marigold didn't like it. It felt like something had gone wrong. Very wrong. But what?

She had met a very old, very wise, squirrel once that had told her of times past, when a rat named Cluny, or something along those lines, had tried to take Redwall. Mossflower was a dangerous place to be in during those times. Those that couldn't take shelter in Redwall went into hiding, not daring to leave their homes for anything.

As a result, Mossflower fell silent. Like now.

Marigold decided then to go to Redwall. The abbey was the very soul of Mossflower. Whatever happened to it affected Mossflower as well. Seemed well within reason to go see if everything was running smoothly there.

She had never been in the great abbey, but had passed by it several times to be well familiar with it. As she approached the building, she immediately sensed something wrong. And upon scaling a nearby tree, she quickly saw why. It was not woodlanders that were wandering around the grounds within, but vermin, and a great number of them.

Marigold for a brief moment that Redwall had fallen, but then saw that all the windows on the main abbey building had been boarded up, indicating that there were woodlanders inside. Surveying the vermin horde once more though, she saw that the abbey was at a great disadvantage. They were going to need outside help.

She remembered hearing word that the Guosim was on the lookout for a vermin horde, responsible for slaughtering a scouting party. Maybe this was that horde. If so, then the Guosim would be more than willing to help reclaim Redwall. And if not, well, they'd help anyway. The Guosim weren't ones to miss out on a good battle. Plus, they were friends with Redwall, so that was added incentive to help.

Marigold was about to leave in search of a Guosim camp, but then another though crossed her mind. She better make sure that everyone in the abbey was all right, and make sure that they could hold out long enough for help to come. And the only way she could do that was to get into the abbey itself.

Quickly tracing out a path in her mind, she backed up a bit on the branch she sat upon, then jumped the space between it at the west wall's battlements. Scampering over it, she ducked into it's shadow, planning her next move. Picturing it clearly, she started forward again...

...only to come face to face with a vermin guard.

Toka was quick to catch on that someone had snuck out of the abbey in the night, and was quick to react. Make sure his guards adjusted their patrols so that the blind spot was better covered, he sent Grim out with five others to go searching for whoever had escaped.

Knowing all of this, Mattimeo and Weylan were sure to cover their tracks, sticking to the wide and open path until they reached a stream, one that Weylan happened to know well. The otter quickly suggested that they continue forward in the stream, where it would be much harder to track anybody. The water was very cold in the cool morning air, but they marched onward, ignoring the chill.

"So where are we going first?" Mattimeo asked once he had made sure they were out of hearing range of the pursuing vermin.

"Me dwellin'." Weylan answered numbly. "Father's old dagger should be there."

Mattimeo fell silent for a moment, knowing how touchy a subject Weylan's father was at the moment. He wanted to pursue it, but didn't want to force his friend to discuss something he didn't want to. Eventually, it was Weylan that began though.

"The otter in me dreams." Weylan began suddenly. "He's my dad."

Mattimeo already had this impression, and was not surprised. "How do you know?" he asked, regardless.

"He told me in this last dream I 'ad." Weylan answered. "An' now that I know, I can see the resemblance."

"Yes." Mattimeo said. "He has your nose."

Weylan looked slightly taken aback. "You think so?"

Mattimeo nodded. "But there's something bothering you about it, isn't there?"

"A little bit, yes." Weylan admitted. "I'm wonderin' that if him appearing in me dreams means he might still be alive somewhere."

Mattimeo didn't answer in fear that he might say the wrong thing.

"Matti, 'cuse me fer bein' blunt, but I can't put this any other way." Weylan said, changing the subject. "You really like Tess, don't you?"

Now it was Mattimeo's turn to be taken aback. "Whatever gave you that idea?" he blurted out, embarrassed.

"Well, that message you wrote fer her said that..."

"You read that?"

"A little bit over yer shoulder, yes."

"That was private, Weylan."

"I realized that about 'alfway through, an' stopped readin' after that, so..."

"You read that much?"

"Well, I was curious wot the message was fer."

"That was none of your business to read!"

"I know, an' I'm sorry mate! It's not like yore relationship with 'er isn't plainer than the sun in the sky anyway..."

"Why you little..."

"Uh-oh." Weylan suddenly interrupted, halting dead in his tracks. "The stream's gettin' deeper."

"Don't go changing the subject! I...oh." Mattimeo stopped arguing when he realized what it was Weylan had just said.

The stream was in fact getting deeper, so much so, it would be impossible to continue through it on foot.

"This could be a problem." Weylan said. "Water level's gone up. Somethin' must 'ave dammed it up somewheres upstream. We'll probably'll have to swim fer it."

Mattimeo heard voices from behind and turned to see that vermin group coming towards them. "We've got another problem." he announced, urgently.

"Uh-oh." Weylan said again, turning. He grabbed Mattimeo's arm. "Better 'old yore breath mate."

"What?"

But before another word could be spoken, Weylan dove into the water, dragging Mattimeo behind him.