Toka's horde departs, Redwall takes it's first steps to beat Toka, and some chatting all throughout. I expand some more on the Mattimeo/Tess relationship (although not much. In an eariler version, I had the two kissing, but I thought that was going too far and cut it out) expand some more to the Swayner/Marigold relationship I've hinted to, and reveal a little more about that mysterious book Toka carries around alot. ;)

Chapter 26

At that moment, Constance and the abbot strode into the room, Constance still carrying Marigold. Mattimeo and Tess quickly broke apart, embarrassed, but no one noticed. Sister May suddenly arrived in the room.

"May, is it safe to bring Marigold up into the infirmary?" Abbot Mortimer inquired.

"Probably." the good sister said, following along with Constance while examining Marigold's wounds at the same time. "Matthias has shown signs that the illness is starting to depart from him, but I want to wait a few more days just to be safe."

"Very well, we'll put her in here." Constance said, gesturing to Cavern Hole. "This is were most of the supplies have been getting put anyway, for our 'surrender'."

They quickly laid out a cot to lay marigold on, and Sister May promptly began treating the squirrel while Mattimeo and Tess watched.

Weylan returned with two sacks of food from the kitchens. "I just got word." he said to Mattimeo while placing one sack into the mouse's paw. "Toka's forces are preparin' to leave. Now's the time to go."

The abbot overheard, and turned to face the two young warriors. "You two be careful." he said. "The fate of this abbey rests in your paws. Should you fail..."

"We won't fail Father Abbot." Mattimeo promised, picking up his traveler's cloak. "On this you have my word."

The abbot bowed his head respectively. "Then good luck Matti, Weylan. Return to our abbey safely."

"Please." Tess added softly, almost pleadingly.

Mattimeo turned to the mousemaiden. "We will." he vowed, then added, "Make sure this abbey is still here when we come back."

"On that you have our word." Constance promised, then patted Mattimeo on the back. "Good luck, to the both of you."

Both nodded, and then turned to leave, not through the main doors, but through a tunnel entrance that had been opened earlier that day, leading into the network of underground tunnels that had been dug in the time of General Ironbeak's siege upon Redwall. The other Redwallers watched the mouse and otter leave, hoping it wouldn't be for the last time for any of them...

"The horde is ready milord." Knottail reported to Toka, who was likewise ready to depart.

"The twenty chosen to stay behind are ready then?" Toka asked, shouldering a sack containing his belongings.

"Yes." Knottail replied. "They will be on the lookout for any trouble, and will send word immediately if the Redwallers do anything beyond the terms of the agreement."

"Whiptail in that tree yet?" Toka asked.

"See for yourself." Knottail replied, pointing at the tree in question.

Toka looked, and saw the rat waving enthusiastically at him from the tree. He did not return the gesture. "We depart then." he said bluntly, and held his sword high into the air with his good arm, indicating to his horde that he was about to speak.

"My good friends and warriors." he began. "We are ready to embark to retrieve the otter treasure we originally sought to collect when we first entered Mossflower."

The horde cheered at this announcement. Toka quickly motioned for silence.

"It will be a quick journey." Toka continued. "We will go the location of the treasure, collect it, then return here, hopefully to find an empty abbey, ready for our use. It will be a double victory for our horde, and may it be remembered for all time in the seasons to come of that double victory!"

The horde began cheering louder, chanting Toka's name as they were spurred onward, ever more anxious to disembark on the journey.

"Now my horde," Toka said, pointing in the direction they would journey as two beasts opened the front gates, "Let's march!"

The horde needed no second bidding, and they were quickly on their way, Toka in the lead. As they began to leave the abbey behind them, Knottail stepped up next to his leader with a question to ask.

"I thought you didn't believe that Redwall was going to surrender." the weasel said innocently.

"And I don't." Toka said, pulling out his book to read while they marched, "But Redwall doesn't know that."

It was eerily silent back at the abbey. Sister May had been left alone in Cavern Hole with Marigold, and was preoccupied with treating the squirrel's many wounds, trying not to think about what would happen next, outside on the grounds.

"Will she be alright?"

Sister May jumped, startled, but turned to find it was only Swayner, looking at Marigold, worried.

"Will she be alright?" Swayner repeated politely.

Sister May relaxed, and grinned. "Bless your heart, Swayner, of course she will." she said. "True, she took quite a beating, but I'm confident she'll make a full recovery." she looked at the resting squirrel, and then chuckled. "If it wasn't for the fact that she is a squirrel, I'd wonder if she related in some way to Matthias." she added jokingly. "They both seem equally as indestructible."

She looked at Swayner, expecting a laugh for her joke, but Swayner remained quiet, studying Marigold's sleeping form. Shrugging, Sister may returned to treating Marigold's wounds.

"How is Mister Matthias?" Swayner asked after a moment of silence.

"He's doing better." Sister May replied. "His fever has dropped, and he has been sleeping more peacefully. I believe he will recover as well, thank the seasons."

"That's good." Swayner said, sounding distracted.

The healer looked from Swayner to her patient, adding two with two.

"You care a lot for her, don't you?" she asked bluntly.

Swayner looked surprised. "Whatever gave you that idea?" he asked.

"Trust me, I have experience in this field." Sister May explained, thinking of two young mice that she knew of.

Swayner was quiet for a moment. "I'm afraid she doesn't feel the same way for me, though." he finally said, sounding very worried.

"You've hardly had the time to really get to know each other though." Sister May pointed out. "These kind of things don't happen overnight, and you shouldn't rush them. Be patient, and then you'll have you answers."

Swayner grinned, feeling better. "Thank you, Sister May." he said, and then turned and left.

Whiptail was trying very hard to hold still, but was failing poorly. He was too excited, very pleased to be given such and important job. Granted, it was simply, but it was very much important.

All he had to do was sit in this tree and watch the goings on in the abbey and it's grounds all day. Every now and then, a beast who had likewise been placed in a tree about ten feet from here along the horde's path as it journeyed to obtain the otter treasure would call out for an update on the abbey's status. Whiptail would call back what was going on in brief, and the word would be passed on from that beast to the next one who had been left along the path and so until word reached the horde itself.

If anything went wrong within the abbey, Whiptail would call out the alarm, and it would also be sent along the chain of beasts to carry the message back to the horde. In the meantime, Whiptail was simply sunning himself on the branch he had seated himself upon, munching on his supplies, which were plentiful.

He quickly learned he should've been more on his guard however, for he failed to notice Cheek almost clumsily climb up the tree to Whiptail's branch, and then tackle the rat to the branch.

"Wot's yore name, vermin?" Cheek asked, holding a kitchen knife to the rat's throat.

"Whiptail, me name's Whiptail, please don't kill me!" he said rapidly, scared witless.

Cheek, however, wrapped a cloth over the rat's mouth, then pushed off the branch, where he silently fell into the waiting paws of a part of shrews, who knew what to do with the rat.

Thankful he didn't have to kill the rat himself, Cheek settled himself uncomfortably on the branch, practicing imitating Whiptail's voice until he was pleased with the result. Done with that, he waved to a creature standing in the abbey belfry, who likewise raised a small red flag.

A signal.

At that moment, a multitude of shrews leapt from their hiding places all over the abbey grounds and attacked the score of vermin Toka had left behind at the abbey. After several minutes of intense and bloody battling, only the shrews were left standing...

Mokeet rode peacefully in his cage, not resisting in the least bit, not making a single sound, and most of all, seeming quite content with himself.

Toka didn't like it.

"You seem quite happy with yourself." he noted, falling back to walk along side the rolling cage.

"Ye did wot I asked yer to do." Mokeet replied, leaning his head against the back of the cage. "I'd thank ye fer it, but I somehow doubt ye'd accept it."

"Got that right." Toka muttered, turning his attention back to his book.

Mokeet noted it was that same book that Toka never went without anymore. It annoyed him for some reason.

"Wot's so interestin' about that book?" he asked finally, the curiosity finally taking it's toll.

"This is a record book dating back to a few seasons ago at Redwall." Toka replied. "It's a very interesting read."

"Ye must be a slow reader then, 'cause I 'aven't seen ye go anywhere without it." Mokeet said.

"Actually I've read it twice now." Toka said absent-mindedly.

"That good, eh?" Mokeet asked.

"Since when were we on such civil terms, Mokeet?" Toka asked almost innocently.

"Dunno." Mokeet replied. "I can change that if ye wish."

"Please do." Toka replied, moving back to the lead.

"Alright ye overweight fleabag." Mokeet said, leaning back again, only to be forced back by a guard knocking him on the head with his spear for the remark.

Mokeet ignored though, because he had seen something Toka, or any other creature in the horde, hadn't.

Two shadowy figures trailing alongside the horde, almost completely hidden from sight in the thick woods...