wOOt! Twenty chapters! And we're starting it off with a bang! ;)
Chapter 20
Sister May was worried. She worried about the fact that the threat of attack and maybe even take over from Toka was greater than ever. She was worried about the fact that inventory of the supplies had been taken, and it was discovered that while the supplies would hold out for a while still, they would not last through a long siege. And she was especially worried about Matthias.
The warrior mouse had held out well enough for this long quite well, so much so that Sister May allowed herself to think he would actually survive the disease that plagued him. But then things turned for the worse. Matthias began to suffer from a massive fever, was weaker than ever before, and was so delirious, that Sister May was sure that Matthias wasn't seeing anything real anymore.
Not that it mattered at this point, because the poor creature was hardly ever awake.
Soaking a rag in a basin of cold water, she dabbed at Matthias's forehead, wishing there was something more she could do, listening to Matthias's worrisome breathing, which was very shallow and strained. Wiping the sweat from the warrior's brow, she turned to ring out the rag in preparation to wet it again, when Matthias's eyes suddenly sprang open.
"Matti..." he muttered weakly. "Matti..."
"Shush." Sister May cooed, bringing the cold rag back to his brow again.
"Danger..." Matthias rambled on, "Matti..."
"Shush." Sister May repeated. "You need to rest."
The combination of the cool rag against Matthias's forehead and Sister May's soothing voice seemed to have the needed effect, and Matthias drifted back asleep once more. Sister May shook her head, wondering if Matthias some how knew more about Redwall's situation than she thought...
Elsewhere in the abbey, Cornflower and Tess were making some final preparations to two simple trays of food. Ready to carry them out, Cornflower picked up one tray of food while Tess picked up the other and they both walked quietly out of the kitchens.
Tess stared at the food on her tray. "Wouldn't this be a bit much food for a prisoner of war?" she asked.
"Knottail may be our prisoner," Cornflower said, "But he will get just as much food and drink as the rest of us. He should get no less just because he is our enemy. Besides, one tray is for us."
"Oh." Tess said, looking up as they crossed the mostly empty expanse of Cavern Hole. The abbot had declared that all creatures to try and remain in their quarters after hearing that the Great Hall and it's adjacent rooms would probably Toka's most likely target for his planned invasion.
"How are you doing, Tess?" Cornflower asked. "You seem more depressed than usual."
"Aren't you?" Tess asked. "We're facing the threat of invasion, one we have no chance of avoiding. How can a creature not feel depressed?"
"I see your point." Cornflower admitted reluctantly, as they climbed the stairs that lead into the Great Hall. "But I sense it's something more than that."
Tess sighed, and didn't answer right away. "Alright, I'm worried about Mattimeo." she finally admitted. "It's been three days since Mattimeo and Weylan left, and we've haven't heard word of them at all. I'm worried something happened to them, or worse, they come back to find that they're too late."
Cornflower bowed her head, stopping for a moment. "I know how you feel Tess." she said, turning to the younger mousemaid. "Back when Cluny the Scourge held Redwall under siege, Matthias was gone for several days at a time in his quest for Martin's sword at multiple occasions. And each time I felt the same as you do now, fearing for his life, fearing that Matthias would return unsuccessful or too late to save Redwall..." she paused, then added, "...fearing that I would never see him again."
"What did you do?" Tess asked.
"Nothing." Cornflower replied simply. "There was nothing I could do, but wait and hope for the best. The same applies now for both of us. Both of us fear for Matti's well-being, hoping and praying that he will return in time, victorious." she paused, then placed one paw of Tess's shoulder. "These are undoubtably hard times, and we all are very, very, scared about what might happen. But we must be strong and not give in Tess, otherwise the battles we must face are already lost."
Cornflower gave Tess a comforting grin, which Tess likewise returned, and they continued onward again.
"Lunchtime, Knottail." Cornflower announced as they approached the tied up ferret.
"The usual salad and vegetable soup as always, I presume?" Knottail said.
"I take it that you don't like it." Tess remarked as the maidens freed Knottail's arms just enough for him to eat.
"I much rather have a good, roasted, woodpigeon than to eat this stuff you call food." Knottail sneered, but was eating the food anyway.
"It's all you're going to get here in Redwall." Cornflower said. "We do not believe in eating the flesh of other animals such as birds."
"And the only exceptions to that are the otters and Basil." Tess added. "And the closest to that they've eaten is watershrimp."
"Yes, you've both told me this for the past four days." Knottail said wearily, as the mousemaidens turned to leave. "Fortunately for me, it won't have to suffer it another day longer."
Cornflower paused, holding up one paw to indicate to Tess to do the same. "What do you mean, you won't have to suffer one more day of it?" she asked.
"I mean exactly that." Knottail said. "And if you step over to one side, you'll see what I mean."
Cornflower stared at the weasel oddly, then stepped towards Knottail. For what reasons, though, no one ever found out, because no sooner than had Cornflower taken two steps, an arrow whisked past, going between her and Tess, making both jump. Cornflower glanced back at Tess, at the small gap in the nearby barricade the arrow had been shot through, then at Knottail, then stepped forward and retrieved the arrow, which had, oddly enough, struck dead center on a smaller reproduction of Martin the warrior on the tapestry.
Tied to the arrow was a single strip of parchment. Pulling it off, Cornflower unraveled it and read the message written on it. Her eyes widened. Tess came up, and looked at the message, her own eyes growing from fright.
Written on the parchment was merely two words: "Time's up."
Shortly there afterward, Toka's catapult fired, launching it's contents through one of Great Hall's stained glass windows, taking it's barricade with it...
The Guosim shrews quickly tied up their logboats and gathered into a group as Flugg got his bearings.
"This way to Redwall mates!" he finally exclaimed, pointing in the direction they needed to go. "March as quickly as possible, we need to get there fast!"
The group started off at a run, Mattimeo and Weylan struggling to keep up.
"These creatures know wot their doing." Weylan remarked. "I 'ope we can do the same."
"All I hope is that we're not too late." Mattimeo answered, with a determined expression...
"Attack!" Cornflower exclaimed, ducking as the boulder the catapult had launched plowed through a stained glass depiction of Abbess Germaine, knocking the barricade that had covered the said window to the floor. "Warriors to the Great Hall! Somebody ring the Matthias and Methuselah bells! Attack!"
She ran for the shelter of Cavern Hole, Tess following quickly behind her, only to be cut off as the next boulder the catapult outside launched smashed through another barricade and crashed to the floor in front of them, taking the window's depiction of Bella the badgerlady with it.
War cries began to ring out all around the mousemaidens as Toka's forces surged forward to climb in through the broken windows, and Redwall's defenders rushing forward to hold them back. Forgotten, Cornflower and Tess were pushed to one side as the battle raged onward. The catapult fired again, it's payload crashing through the window portraying Gonff the mousetheif and shooting straight across the hall, going through the window on the other side, which sported yet another depiction of Martin the warrior.
Chaos reigned in Redwall...
When the battle began, Toka did not hesitate to join in, grabbing his sword and climbing through one of the now many broken windows in the Great Hall and joining the fray. He slew three creatures before spying Knottail, still tied to the column. The warlord worked his way towards Knottail, slaying another creature and at least injuring two more before finally reaching his destination.
With one swing of his sword, Toka sliced open the ropes that held Knottail.
"Thanks." Knottail said, untangling himself from the ropes, experimentally bending his unused joints before accepting a fallen weapon from Toka and joining in the fray.
Toka watched as the battle rapidly moved to his advantage, as the Redwallers realized they were overwhelmed and began to retreat into Cavern Hole. Archers were called to guard the rooms entrance as the retreat chaotically took place, but hesitated to fire, fearing they would hit the wrong targets in the midst of battle.
Letting out a roar of pleasure and issuing orders to urge his horde onward, they advanced upon the Redwallers. For once, everything was going right for Toka...
Outside, Mokeet watched with terror from his cage, completely unable to provide aide of any sort to the endangered abbey beasts.
"So." he said to himself. "The battle for Redwall has begun..."