Mokeet and Marigold talk again, and the Redwallers make a revelation... ;)

Chapter 22

The night was a cold one, peculiar for the time of season. Mokeet shivered in his cage, and was very hungry and thirsty, not having anything to eat or drink for more than an entire day. But he was somewhat happy, for he enjoyed watching Toka's horde limp around in pain in light of their recent loss.

He knew he'd feel happier though, if it wasn't for the fact that the victory that day had been a small one for Redwall, and only happened out of the element of surprise. Toka would make sure it wouldn't happen again, which only made the war loving ferret all that more confident that he could win. They all knew that Redwall could not successfully keep up it's counterattacks for long.

At this point in time, it seemed like there was no way Redwall could win the war.

Mokeet's musings were interrupted when two guards arrived, dragging a limp form towards his cage. Mokeets squinted at it, trying to identify it, but it was too dark to tell. The guards stopped a short distance from the cage, and then Toka stepped out from behind them, scowling slightly. His shoulder was heavily bandaged, and the adjoining arm was in a sling. It pleased Mokeet to see that the warlord hadn't gone through the battle without receiving some injuries of his own.

"How are you doing, Mokeet?" Toka asked politely, in a mocking manner.

"Better than yore doin', I see." Mokeet answered.

"Yes, it's a minor setback." Toka agreed, rubbing the injured limb. "But it won't stop me from doing what I will."

"I know that." Mokeet said impatiently. "Wot are ye doin' 'ere though?"

"To give you some company."

"I don't particularly care fer yore company, so I think I'll pass, thank ye." Mokeet said hotly.

"I didn't mean me." Toka answered annoyed, then turned to the two guards, making a motion with his good paw at them.

The guards stepped forward, opened the cage, then dropped their cargo within. The limb form sprawled out on top of Mokeet. The otter grasped the unconscious form and gently lowered it to the floor of the small cage, not really big enough for the both of them, getting a good look at the figure for the first time.

It was Marigold, and she had been treated brutally, tortured to the point that Mokeet feared she wouldn't live in these conditions. The otter looked up and scowled at Toka.

"Wot did ye do?" he demanded angrily.

"That," Toka began, "is what I do to traitors."

He waved the two guards that had brought Marigold here away, while watching Mokeet examine Marigold's many wounds.

"Might as well give up Mokeet, there is little you can do for her." Toka said.

And Mokeet knew it too, but he wasn't about to admit it. He went on examining the squirrel's wounds, starting to rip what remained of his tunic and Marigold's to make bandages.

"I thought you didn't particularly care for this squirrel, Mokeet." Toka said next.

That thought had crossed Mokeet's mind as well, but it was quickly pushed aside as the seriousness of Marigold's wounds set in. No matter what he thought of the squirrel, he couldn't deny helping the poor creature, regardless of what she might have done.

"She's not your type, Mokeet." Toka taunted, noting how carefully he treated Marigold's wounds.

"Are ye just standin' there simply to antagonize me?" Mokeet asked, angrily, trying to ignore the offending ferret.

"Partly." Toka admitted. "But that's part of the plan."

Mokeet suddenly caught on. "Yore tryin' to make it all seem hopeless to me, aren't ye?" Mokeet asked. "Tryin' to 'dampen my spirits' as you'd say it."

"Your spirit has become a nuisance." Toka said, neither actually confirming or denying Mokeet's theory.

"You..." Mokeet began, but Toka cut him off.

"Be careful what you say, Mokeet, or you might end up looking like her, and then what would you do?" Toka said.

Mokeet saw he was right and quickly bit down on the insult he was about to utter. "I ain't callin' ye lord anymore though." he said.

"Suit yourself." Toka said, turning and walking off. As he left, the cage's perpetual guards poked the butt ends of their spears into the cage and buffeted Mokeet around for a few moments. The otter heard Toka laughing as he left.

Mokeet felt a renewed wave of anger at the ferret wash over him. "Cage or no cage," he muttered to himself, so that the guards could not hear. "Yore days are numbered, Toka."

As the night wore on, Mokeet treated Marigold's many wounds, saving bandages for the more serious ones, treating the others with merely dabbing at them with a makeshift rag every time they started bleeding freely. He knew that it was fruitless unless Marigold could be taken to some experienced healers, and he knew that Toka knew it otherwise the warlord would've ordered that Mokeet be kept away from Marigold.

Finally, as dawn began to break, Toka saw that he had made progress when Marigold wearily regained consciousness, her eyes fluttering as they tried to stay open.

"Pain." she muttered weakly. "Don't think I've ever gotten it quite like this."

"I'd believe it." Mokeet said, wishing he had some water to soak his makeshift rag in.

Marigold looked upward at Mokeet briefly, just long enough to register who it was. "Oh." she said. "It's you."

"Yeah, it's me." Mokeet confirmed, feeling guilty.

"Where's Toka?" she asked, closing her eyes to rest slightly.

"He left fer the gatehouse some time ago." Mokeet explained. "Ye've been out fer most of the night now."

"Is it night now?" Marigold asked softly.

"Tis dawn now, actually." Mokeet responded.

"Oh." Marigold tried to roll over, but recoiled in pain, and decided against it.

"Sorry it came to this fer ye." Mokeet offered, feeling sorry for the squirrel, wishing there was something he could do for Marigold's pain, among other things.

"I suppose I had it coming to me, though." Marigold said, trying to draw a deep breath. "What with trying to double-cross Toka and all..."

"Wait, double-cross?" Mokeet asked.

"Toka didn't tell you why I'm here?" Marigold asked.

"No, he didn't."

"Well, that's why."

"Ye mean you where workin' against that dirty excuse of a ferret all along?" Mokeet asked loudly. A little too loud, for one of the guards knocked him over the head with his spear.

"Mostly." Marigold replied, too weak to notice the incident.

"Marigold, I'm sorry, I misjudged ye." Mokeet apologized. "I must admit, I haven't thought too kindly of ye as of late."

"It's okay, it was to be expected." Marigold replied. "To be honest, that was how I felt of myself by that point anyway, regardless of the fact I was on Redwall's side."

"I know that feelin'." Mokeet admitted.

"Oh?" Marigold asked after a pause, only having the energy to say that much.

"Yes, there used to be two prisoners in Toka's 'orde, long before we arrived 'ere." Mokeet explained. "Me an' another otter, who was a very good friend of mine. Toka wanted to learn everythin' we knew, an', fearing for me life, I told 'im everythin'. But me friend refused an'...was killed...fer it."

There was silence for a moment, broken by a soft sob from Mokeet.

"I'm sorry." Marigold said apologetically, trying to reach out to comfort the otter with one paw.

"Tis alright, tis alright." Mokeet said quickly, promptly pushing Marigold's paw away.

"No, it isn't." Marigold insisted. "We make mistakes, but that doesn't mean that they're alright." She swallowed suddenly, but flinched at the pain that inflicted upon her. "Throat's dry." she said, changing the subject.

"Sorry, no water." Mokeet said. "We're near the pond, but..."

"We're near the pond?" Marigold asked.

"Yeah, but it's just out of reach though. They do it on purpose to antagonize their prisoners, which is currently us."

"Huh." Marigold said softly, "Interesting." she either fell asleep after that or passed out, leaving Mokeet wondering what she meant by interesting...

Inside Redwall, a early breakfast was called while Mattimeo and Weylan recounted what they did while they were away, and explaining what they hoped to do next.

"It's a sound plan." Mordalfus said upon hearing what the two proposed, "But how do you plan to get Toka's horde into the treasure cave?"

"We haven't thought it out that far." Mattimeo admitted.

"Well, you jolly well can't do it if yeh haven't got that figured out." Basil pointed out, spreading jelly on a roll and eating it.

"We were hopin' to learn more about Toka from wot ye might 'ave learned 'ere while we were gone." Weylan said. "Maybe we could figure somethin' out from that."

"Well, we haven't learned much." Cornflower said, poking at her food uninterested. "We just now he's vile, but clever. Witty, but dangerous. And will not stop at anything unless he's convinced Redwall is his."

Mattimeo blinked at that final statement. "Maybe we could use that to our advantage." he thought aloud.

"How?" Constance grunted.

"I'm not sure." Mattimeo admitted. "I'll have to give it some thought."

"Well, while we wait, maybe those riddles Weylan got in his dreams would give us a clue." Tess offered, who had been serving breakfast.

"Yes, tell us what they are." Mordalfus encouraged. "Start from the beginning."

"I suppose." Weylan said, pausing to gather his thoughts. "The first one said: 'He who seeks the award, and claim it as 'is, an abbey he must face towards. There, seek I am that is. 'is son will guide the way.'"

"Nothing in there we can use." Mattimeo said, staring at the floor. "Basically all it says is what to do once Weylan got here."

"Which he has already done." Cornflower added. "Continue Weylan."

"Well, the second riddle said," Weylan said, "'Heed my warning, trouble is coming. To the north, the heir will be disruptive. To the south, a friend will be captive. Both must be resolved, for...'"

"Wait, friend?" Mattimeo asked, looking up.

"That wot it said, yes." Cheek said, "'To the south, a friend will be captive.'"

"But what does it mean?" Mattimeo asked, scratching the fur in-between his ears.

"Wot does it matter?" Weylan asked, "That riddle's been resolved as well."

"No, Mattimeo has a point." Cornflower said, "That phrase is indicating to the coming of Toka, but as we all very well know, none of them are our friends."

"Except one." Mattimeo said, remembering something. "Toka's prisoner, the one he had when he arrived here."

"Aye, that's right." Weylan said. "That must be wot the riddle's referrin' to."

"But we didn't know the poor beast until Toka got here." Mordalfus said. "How can he be Redwall's friend if we've never met him?"

"Maybe it means that he's a friend because he's Toka's enemy as well as ours." Constance provided.

"Or maybe it's not referring to Redwall per say, but Weylan himself." Mattimeo said, looking like lightning just struck him. "Weylan, I just got a really odd idea."

"You think I know 'im?" Weylan asked, bewildered. "I thought I already told ye, that I didn't know 'im."

"Not you per say, but rather you're family." Mattimeo clarified.

"But me and Ma don't know anybody else except fer..." Weylan began, but suddenly trailed off, getting the same expression Mattimeo had. "Ye don't think..."

"That's exactly what I think." Mattimeo answered.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Enough with the bally 'reallys' and tell us wot you're thinkin' wot?" Basil asked in-between bites.

But Weylan and Mattimeo had already left the table and were racing out of the room, running up the spiral staircase leading to the upper floor dormitories two steps at a time, zipping, down the hall, and swinging open a door leading into a small room.

Kesmin looked up from the piece of wood she was carving as they rudely barged in. "Weylan?" she asked, "Wot's..."

"Ma, wot was the name of the otter that Dad was friends with, the one that lived by the seashore?" her son asked rapidly.

"Wot..."

"What was it?" Mattimeo repeated, pressing the urgency.

Kesmin stared at them, puzzled, for a few moments before answering. "Mokeet. Why?"