Some important things happen in this chapt, don't miss it:p
Chapter 28
Toka's horde marched for most of the morning. They did not stop until they came to a small pond around noon, and Toka decided now would be a good time to stop and rest, allow his horde to eat, drink, and get ready to march again. A short distance from the horde's camp, hidden out of their immediate line of sight, Mattimeo and Weylan made their own camp.
Weylan stared at the lump of cheese he had pulled out of his provisions bag, and at the loaf of bread still within the bag. "Too bad we can't light a fire." he remarked. "This would taste great melted on this bread."
Mattimeo nibbled on his own lump of cheese. "Aye." he agreed, "But with the horde being so close by, lighting a fire would be a very fatal mistake."
Weylan made do with what he had though. "'ow much farther do we need to travel till we reach the treasure?" he asked in-between bites of his lunch.
"I'm not sure." Mattimeo admitted. "The horde has made good progress, I'd think we'd arrive within the next day or so."
Weylan took his dagger and made another slice of cheese, balancing it on a slice of bread. "Now would probably be a grand time to chat with Mokeet again." he said.
"We can't, he's been taken into Toka's tent, probably so that Toka can ask how much further they need to travel to reach the treasure." Mattimeo replied.
Weylan took a bite of the cheese on bread, chewed on it for a moment, and swallowed. Frowning at the slice, he returned it to his sack, and stretched. "Well, I suppose that if yonder horde gets to rest, we should too." he remarked, and laid down, using his paws as a pillow, curling his rudder around him. "Wake me when it's time to leave again." he requested.
Mattimeo looked around their small camp for a moment, then laid down as well, staring up at the leafy foliage above him. They hadn't been there long when Weylan suddenly yawned loudly, drawing Mattimeo's attention. Mattimeo looked at his otter friend to see that he was mouthing something out t him urgently.
Mattimeo squinted his eyes as he tried to make out what it was Weylan was saying, quietly repeating it to himself. "V...vermin...ri..right...be...hind..."
With lightning quick reflexes, Mattimeo grabbed Martin's sword from where it lay next to him and swung it around behind him, stopping the blow from the sword the vermin standing directly behind him was about to deliver on Mattimeo's head with such speed that it surprised everyone, including Mattimeo.
Without needing to think, Mattimeo used the movement as leverage, and knocked the vermin over, standing and grabbing their provisions, and upon seeing that more vermin were storming into their camp, grabbed Weylan's paw as the otter stood and ran for it.
"The horde must have found out we're following them!" Mattimeo exclaimed as they ran blindly through the woods, a vermin storming party numbering about ten in hot pursuit.
"We don't stand a chance against 'em!" Weylan declared, "either they'll kill us in the fight, or they'll capture us an' 'old us prisoner!"
"And then what?" Mattimeo exclaimed. "We need some way to escape and hide until they stop looking for us!"
Weylan racked his brain for any ideas, ducking as an arrow whizzed over their heads. He was coming up empty.
They ran for what seemed like an eternity, zig-zagging around obstacles, trying to put as much distance and objects between them and the pursuing vermin as possible. Finally, they stopped for a moment and listened. They heard nothing but silence.
"I think we've lost them for the moment." Mattimeo remarked, panting heavily.
Weylan breathed deeply, trying to re-catch his breath again. "We can't stay 'ere though." he said. "We need a plan."
"I'm drawing a blank." Mattimeo admitted, wiping his brow.
Suddenly, Weylan straightened, sniffing the air. "I think I have an idea!" he exclaimed.
"Really? What?" Mattimeo asked hopefully.
Weylan turned to face him, his expression changing. "Matti, look out!"
Mattimeo turned but before he could even get a chance to see what it was Weylan was referring to, something heavy struck the his head, and everything went dark.
When the vermin finally caught up with their prey, they found that the otter had vanished, and the mouse lying on the ground, unconscious. Looming over the mouse, examining him to make sure he was still alive, it seemed, was a creature wearing a cloak, a hood drawn over his head to hide his face.
The vermin, being the trained fighters they were, immediately went on the defensive when they saw the unfamiliar beast.
"Identify yoreself!" one of the vermin demanded.
"I ain't nothin' but a lowly wanderer." the newcomer said idly, straightening to his full height. He was fairly tall. "I ain't worth killin'."
The vermin relaxed slightly, but did not lower their weapons.
"Wot happened?" the spokesvermin asked next.
"Saw you lot chasin' after these two woodlanders." the creature replied. "Curious, I followed. Saw that ye all 'ad lost sight of yer prey 'ere, so I took care of the mouse, layin' him out with a well placed sling stone." the creature raised the culprit stone as proof. "I was gonna get the otter next, but he didn't wait to find out wot would 'appen and ran fer it. Dunno if he was just bein' a coward or that he knew that he had to run if he wanted to live, but I 'ighly doubt youse'll see 'im again."
"He may have just ran fer help." One of the vermin spoke up.
The creature shrugged. "Mebbe he did." he admitted. "But like I said before, I'm nuttin' more than a lowly wanderer. Tis not me place to speculate."
The vermin deliberated amongst themselves for several moments. Finally, they broke apart, seeming to accept the creature's story, for they lowered their weapons.
"Is the mouse still alive?" one of the vermin asked as they gathered around the unconscious form of Mattimeo.
The creature nodded. "Didn't hit him that 'ard. Figured you'd want 'im alive."
"We do." the vermin party's apparent leader confirmed. "I suppose we oughta thank ye fer yore 'elp."
"Glad to be of service." the creature replied politely, turning to leave.
He was stopped by two of the vermin.
"Lord Toka will want a word with ye." they explained.
"Ah." the creature said, understanding. "I suppose he would. Let's not keep 'im waitin'."
He turned to start heading in the other direction, towards the horde's camp, but then one of the vermin noticed something.
"The mouse had a sword with him." he said. "I know because he attacked me with it. Fine sword it twas. But it's not here."
The group looked around the immediate area and realized that he was right, and they turned to the mysterious creature for an explanation.
"Aye, that he did." the creature replied, confirming the existence of the sword. "But the otter took it when he left, as well as their provisions. Guess he liked it too."
The leader of the group wasn't so ready to believe the creature this time. "Search 'im." he ordered.
The group gathered around and searched the mysterious creature for anything incriminating to his story, to which the creature provided no resistence to. The vermin found nothing on him, though save for a sling, a pouch of sling stones, a chunk of cheese, and a dagger with a blue sapphire for it's pommel stone.
"Believe me now?" the creature asked the leader, as the items were returned to him.
The leader nodded. "We'll take ye to camp, then unless Lord Toka says otherwise, yer free to go." he explained, then turned to the nearest two of his group. "Get the mouse." he told them.
They promptly obeyed, and carrying the mouse between them, they all left for the horde's camp.
Toka looked up from the book he was reading as Mokeet was brought into his tent. "Ah, Mokeet, you're just in time." the warlord remarked, setting the book aside while leaning back in his chair.
"In time fer wot?" Mokeet asked curiously, despite himself.
"Lots of things." Toka said. "But first things first. How much closer are we to the treasure?"
"Can't really say, to be 'onest." Mokeet admitted. "Not too terribly far though. I'll know when I see the location."
"That's not a whole lot to go off of." Toka remarked, frowning at the poor direction giving.
"Best I can give ye." Mokeet answered rebelliously. "So you'll 'ave to live with it."
Toka shrugged. "Fair enough." he said to Mokeet's minor surprise. The ferret stood and started the traditional circling of his prisoner. "Tell me this, though. Who were you talking with last night?"
Mokeet looked up slightly, his face betraying his surprise. "Who said I was talkin' with anybeast?" he asked.
"Oh, don't give me that, Mokeet, Knottail can prove that you did." Toka said, glancing at his weasel captain who stood nearby. "So who was it?"
"I don't know wot yore talkin' about." Mokeet insisted, being persistently defiant.
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter." Toka said, still circling his prisoner. "I already know the answer to that question."
This only alarmed Mokeet more, but he said nothing to betray himself. "If ye knew the answer, why'd ye ask the question?" he remarked.
"Can't a warlord have a little fun?" Toka asked, obviously enjoying Mokeet's discomfort. But then he grew very serious. "What were you talking about last night?" he asked.
"I don't know wot yore talkin' about." Mokeet repeated.
"What are Redwall's plans?"
"I don't know."
"Why is my horde being followed?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"Maybe I am!" Mokeet exclaimed, his temper snapping. "But there isn't much you can do about it!"
Toka shrugged, pausing at the tent's door. "Maybe not to you." he admitted calmly. He stuck one paw out the tent door, a signal for somebeast, or beasts, to come in. "But what about him?"
Two guards and another creature Mokeet had never seen in the horde before walked in and threw their escort onto the floor next to Mokeet. The otter gasped as he saw that it was Mattimeo, who was only just now coming to and realizing what had happened.
"Like my latest possession, Mokeet?" Toka asked as he returned to his seat. "Looks like you're going to have some company for a while now."
Mokeet scowled at the evil ferret.
Mattimeo was picking himself up, and was mentally putting things together to catch up on what he had missed. "Why am I here, Toka?" the mouse finally asked, figuring enough out to go off of. "I would've thought that you'd have killed me, rather than letting me live."
"You, Mattimeo, are my liability." Toka said, pointing a claw at his new prisoner. "With you in my hands, I can almost guarantee nothing bad will happen to me or my horde. And as for you, Mokeet," he said, whirling onto his other prisoner. "I hope you realize just how pointless it is to plot behind my back. This incident here today is proof of that!"
He leaned back in his chair, steepling his claws together. "You probably think you're very clever for even getting this far in your little schemes, but you are terribly wrong. I found out that there were creatures following my horde, knowing that one of them was communicating in secret with my prisoner. I caught one of the creatures following me, and the other ran off, no doubt to flee back to the abbey I still control looking for help. But by then, it'll be too late, and whatever plans you've cooked up against me will all be in vain."
"That won't stop us, Toka, and you know it." Mattimeo said. "You know how determined Redwall is, and it will stop at nothing to make sure that you ultimately fail."
"Yes, but you know how vain it is for them to even try to do so." Toka replied. "You know why I'm here in Mossflower, what my goals are, and by the fur, an abbey will NOT be the thing that stops me!"
"Redwall has gone up against vermin ten times more powerful than your own, Toka, what makes you think that you can defeat us?" Mattimeo asked darkly.
"Because, your abbey doesn't deserve to live!" Toka said, pointing an accusing claw at Mattimeo. "You claim your all peaceful creatures, there only to help others, that you're not advocates of war, but there is one thing that stains that record!" he spun around and picked up his book. "And this book proves it!"
Beyond outraged, the warlord whipped through the book's pages, stopping at one in particular, and threw it down in front of Mattimeo. Mattimeo skimmed through the text written upon the pages, his eyes widening.
"No..." he said.
"That's right." Toka said, returning once more to his seat. "I know who defeated Malkariss." he grinned darkly, taking joy in his prisoners stunned expressions. "Redwall."