THE CRIMSON BADGER - Chapter Forty-Seven

Vanessa found herself roused at dawn's first light and summoned to the west walltop with some urgency.

Urthfist had arrived.

Machus met her at the top of the wall steps. "I'm sorry, Abbess. I had intended to move all my troops down from the wall before sunrise so that he wouldn't see foxes right away, but they came upon us too quickly. They must have travelled through the night. I'm afraid they got a good look at us, and know we're in here."

"Don't worry overmuch, Machus. They would have learned that eventually, unless they plan on standing out in the road forever."

"So far, that seems to be the strategy," Machus said sardonically.

"Oh? Well, let's have a peek ... " Vanessa went to the outward battlements to get a good view down at the road. Her breath momentarily caught in her throat at her first glimpse of the force from Salamandastron. "Oh ... oh, my. That is an impressive display, in an almost frightening sort of way."

The gray morning mists added an otherworldly aura to the scene below. Lord Urthfist, in full battle armor of silver, gray and black, stood like a colossus in the road opposite Redwall's main gate. Behind him in a huge crescent were the hares of the Long Patrol, scores of them, their every gaze directed up toward the ramparts. They were not standing at formal attention, but there was readiness in their stances and alertness in their eyes, as if they were primed to react instantly to the unexpected. Nobeast spoke, and there was no trace of a smile or levity upon any of their faces.

Alexander stood at Vanessa's other paw. "I'm surprised they're all standing in the open like that," he commented. "If they think they have enemies in this Abbey, wouldn't they be afraid of getting shot at?"

"You'd be surprised at how quickly hares can move when they have to," Machus said. "I'd wager they'd even have a good chance at dodging archery fire. As for Urthfist, that armor of his will stop a lot. But they've taken other precautions as well." The swordfox pointed to the plains beyond the drainage ditch, across the road from the Abbey; Vanessa saw that there were about ten additional hares there, arranged in an even wider arc. "See how they're dispersed? They're back far enough so they can see around the sides of the Abbey walls. If an enemy force were to attack them from behind Redwall, they could give warning to the main formation in the road."

"It's a show of force, all right," Alex gritted his teeth, "and I can't say I care for it. Not one bit."

"Now, Alex," Vanessa said, "it's not so bad. We could have expected this. If this show of bravura is the worst they give us, we shall be very lucky indeed." She looked to the others; Montybank, Arlyn and Lady Mina were there as well. "Has anybeast tried to hail them?"

"I didn't think there'd be much point, Abbess," Machus answered. "Once they got a clear look at me, they didn't seem like they were in much of a mood to chat."

"If Urthfist truly hates vermin and foxes as much as Urthblood has led us to believe, then that's hardly surprising. But now that there are some woodland creatures up here as well, it would be very stubborn of him not to speak with us. After all, if he won't talk to a female mouse, then I don't suppose there's anybeast in this Abbey he'd be willing to converse with."

Vanessa leaned forward over the battlements and called down to Urthfist, "Good morning, Lord, and greetings! What brings you and your good hares to Redwall?"

The badger glared up at her. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Abbess Vanessa, and - "

He interrupted her before she could go on. "I highly doubt that."

Vanessa was so taken aback she could not speak. Machus glanced aside at Lady Mina, Alexander and Arlyn and murmured, "Totally beyond reason, as we feared."

The Abbess finally recovered her voice. "Why do you say that, Lord?"

"Because I was told that the leaders of Redwall were all slain by my brother."

Vanessa forced herself to laugh; the sound was cheerless. "Then I am very happy to tell you that you've gotten some bad information. No Redwaller has been slain here. We are all well, and hope to stay that way."

Urthfist's baleful stare moved to Machus. "No Abbess of Redwall would share her home with such creatures as I see now upon your battlements. Tell me who you are, and no more lies, or I shall answer your deceit with more than mere words."

Several of the hares behind him carried longbows, nearly as tall as they were. They stood with weapons lowered, but arrows were notched to their bowstrings. Vanessa did not doubt that they could have their shafts loosed in the space of a heartbeat, and with deadly accuracy.

"I have introduced myself," Vanessa said with authority, "which is more than you have had the courtesy to do."

"You know who I am, and you have been preparing for my arrival. I am Lord Urthfist of Salamandastron, and these are the hares of my Long Patrol. We have come to rid Redwall of such vileness as stands beside you now." Again, his gaze went to the swordfox. "Tell me, and this time speak the truth if you are able, is my brother hiding in there amongst you? Or has he left Redwall in the charge of his murderers and liars, and moved on to spread his evil elsewhere?"

"Lord Urthlood and most of his troops left us some days ago. He ordered some of his forces to remain here to help us defend this Abbey."

"Defend it from what?"

"From you, Lord. He was afraid that you might come here and cause trouble. He was uncertain of your current state of mind. He seemed concerned that your hatred of vermin might have made you ... unreasonable."

Urthfist gaped at her, as if Vanessa had uttered something incomprehensible. Then, he threw back his head and roared with laughter. But his thunderous gales were even more mirthless than her own laugh had been. The sound was chilling, given the circumstances.

He stopped abruptly, his glare on Vanessa once more. "No, Abbess - if that's who you really are - I am not reasonable with creatures that cannot be reasoned with. Or with the lying spies we met on the Western Plains, the mice and moles and hedgehogs who claimed to be residents of Mossflower, fleeing my brother's terror after he conquered Redwall, slew its leaders, and unleashed horror upon these woodlands. I see no signs of such terror in this forest, and yet I see vermin standing guard upon your Abbey walls. You say my brother has been here, but has slain nobeast. I have been deceived by those woodlanders we met on the Plains, or else I am being deceived now. You can see my dilemma, Abbess. What am I to think? What am I to think?"

"I don't know what to think myself," Vanessa answered. "I do not know what is going on between you and your brother, and I do not know anything about mice and moles and hedgehogs who would claim that Urthblood terrorized Redwall. But I do know that my throat will be raw if I have to keep calling down to you from up here. Let us meet and talk like honest creatures. I will invite you inside, if you promise not to harm anybeast within Redwall."

Machus said to her, "Abbess, I must strongly advise against that!"

"Your pet fox does not seem overly fond of that idea," Urthfist called up from the road. "And he has good reason. If I enter Redwall, it will be with all my hares, and we will not leave any of his ilk alive."

"Then you shall not enter Redwall," Vanessa retorted.

"But I must, if I am to believe you are who you claim to be. If you refuse me entry, I can only assume it is because you are an imposter, hiding my brother's wrongs behind these walls. And in that case, though I may not enter this Abbey, nobeast inside may leave. I will slay any who try."

Vanessa stepped back from the battlements. "That does it. Machus, please remove all of your troops from the walltop. Alex, I want you to go tell all the brothers and sisters to come up to the west wall. I want every mouse, mole, hedgehog and squirrel up here for Urthfist to see, or at least as many as can fit. If any of the children are up and about at this early hour, have Maura bring them up here too. We'll show this stubborn badger what kind of beasts are truly in charge of Redwall!"

Alexander and Machus hastened to do her bidding. In very short order, every one of Urthblood's Northlanders was brought down from the ramparts. In the minutes that followed, their places were taken by over a hundred woodlanders, mostly mice dressed in the habits of the Redwall order. Young Droge was there too, along with a few of his early-risen playmates; the irrepressible hedgehog child was not about to miss this spectacle. Maura was there to keep the little ones in line, and even Friar Hugh had left his ovens to answer the summons of his Abbess. It wasn't the total population of the Abbey by any stretch - Sister Aurelia and Cyril and Cyrus and most of the otters and many others were absent - but it was enough to get the point across to Urthfist.

Vanessa leaned over the battlements to address the badger warrior once more. "Now you see what hides behind these walls. Look at these faces, Lord. Are we all imposters? Or will you now believe that Redwall and its creatures have suffered no harm at your brother's paw?"

Urthfist scanned the line of woodlanders peering down at him. "Quite an assemblage. You even have your own badger."

"I am the mother to Redwall's children," Maura said, "but make no mistake, I would fight to the death with my bare claws anybeast who sought to harm any youngster under my care."

"I have not come here to threaten infants or slay goodbeasts," Urthfist said. "My purpose is to liberate Redwall from my brother's influence. If you are not imposters, left here by him to deceive me, then I fear you yourselves have been horribly deceived, perhaps to your very doom."

"I do not know what would lead you to say such a thing," Vanessa called down, "but we may discuss these matters like civilized folk. You may enter Redwall, but only if you swear you will harm nobeast, not even the foxes and vermin of Urthblood's forces."

"I can make no such promise," Urthfist answered. "I will not be responsible for my actions if any enemy of mine comes with reach of my sword, or my claws."

Lady Mina, who had remained on the walltop, whispered to Vanessa, "That's true, Abbess. Even if he comes inside alone and agrees to surrender his weapons, a badger in the grip of the Bloodwrath would be almost unstoppable. He could kill many creatures with just tooth and claw before we'd be able to slay him. Lord Urthblood was right: Urthfist is not acting like a reasonable beast. We dare not risk letting him into the Abbey."

Vanessa shook her head. "I just can't escape the feeling, Mina, that this is all some tremendous misunderstanding. Urthfist is acting stubbornly, but not irrationally ... not if he really came here expecting to find all of Redwall's leaders slain. And his hares ... they seem to be calm and professional soldierbeasts. I cannot believe they would follow him so faithfully if he were truly mad." A light came on in her eyes. "And speaking of hares, that gives me an idea. I think we really do need to speak with Urthfist face-to-face, and I think I know how I can convince him to agree to that."

Once again she called down to Urthfist. "Lord, do you know of a hare named Hanchett?"

The badger stiffened. "What of him?"

"He is staying with us. Lord Urthblood asked that we keep him here, so that he would cause no trouble. As a gesture of good faith, I am prepared to release him to you, this very morning."

Two of the older hares stepped over to their master in the road, holding a hushed and hurried consultation with Urthfist. It was over almost before it began. Urthfist straightened from their huddle and said, "We would welcome that, Abbess."

"As would we. Send two of your hares around to the north side of the Abbey. We will let him out through the small wallgate there ... in an hour's time," Vanessa added, remembering that Hanchett's manacle would have to be filed off first. "Once you have heard what he has to tell you, I hope you will be in a better frame of mind to sit down for a talk with us."

"That will be seen ... Abbess. That will be seen."

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The midmorning sun dappled the forest floor around Redwall with a bright carpet of ever-changing patterns that shifted and shimmered with every vagrant breath of breeze.

Just north of the Abbey, a fewscore paces from the wallgate, three weather-worn and moss-covered logs placed in a triangle by somebeast or other of an earlier generation now hosted a council of war.

Hanchett had one of the log benches to himself. Across from him on the other two sat Urthfist, Traveller, Major Safford and Captains Polifly, Taywood and Longmeadow. Hanchett had been released through the Abbey's north wallgate, as promised, right after sunrise. Seeing that the Redwallers were as good as their word, and that the area beyond the north gate seemed safe and secure, Urthfist brought his senior hares to this spot for Hanchett's debriefing. All morning they sat listening to their liberated comrade and pumping him for details. They also told Hanchett about everything that had happened from the time of Browder's arrival at Salamandastron up to the present, since Hanchett was utterly mystified by the presence of Urthfist and the Long Patrol in Mossflower.

Hanchett shook his head as Traveller and Safford finished filling him in on their march to Redwall. "Wouldn't have believed any hare could be such a rotter," he lamented of Browder's deception. "Sayin' such terrible thing about Redwall, all lies to lure you away from Salamandastron ... that's one flopped-eared louse, an' no mistake. But then again, after wot I seen here, I can believe better beasts than that fink Browder have been taken in by His Bloodiness an' convinced to serve him."

"So you are sure," Urthfist asked Hanchett, "absolutely sure, that this Vanessa who calls herself Abbess really is what she appears?"

"Yes, I am, M'Lord. For the past two days I've had free run of this Abbey. Well, free as a chap can, with a bally weasel chained to me. No place in it that was off-limits to me. There's been no massacre here. Urthblood's only got about twoscore of his vermin or so in Redwall now, along with a few shrews who are also loyal to him. All the others seem t' be longtime Redwallers. There's no way to fake the sense of community I felt inside there. Every creature has its place an' responsibilities in the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and everybeast knows everybeast else. These are goodbeasts, who love their children and each other. The way they responded to that mousechild who was wounded ... like I said, you just can't fake something like that."

"Well, that's something, at least," Major Safford sighed. "We thought Redwall might have been routed. Now we know it's safe. That's some consolation."

"Scant consolation, if Salamandastron is lost," Urthfist muttered. "My brother must have reached the coast by now. We could never overtake him in time. And I doubt Colonel Clewiston will be able to hold off an assault of that size until we could come to his assistance. My brother knows that mountain, and practices way of war waged by no other creature. He wanted Salamandastron, and it now appears he will have it."

"Poor Clewiston," Safford lamented. "Hope your brother's merciful, but I can't see any hare of the Patrols yielding Salamandastron to him while there's any life left in its body. But, we can hope."

"We will do more than that," Urthfist declared. "We cannot be there, but we are here, and there are still villainous creatures within Redwall. Perhaps we can do nothing to prevent Salamandastron from falling. But we can at least wipe all traces of evil from this good place, so that the decent creatures of the lands will have one sanctuary and refuge untainted by my brother's unsavory influence."

"Wot do you plan t' do, M'Lord?" asked Captain Longmeadow.

"We will hold Redwall under siege until we can make the Abbess see the error of her ways. I will make it clear to her that we will not leave until those beasts of my brother's are properly slain. Whether she invites us in to do the job or turns them out to us here is her choice."

Hanchett grew increasingly antsy as Urthfist spoke his intentions. Traveller noticed the younger hare's discomfort. "I say, Hanch ol' chum. Something wrong?"

"Um, don't mean t' be speakin' outta turn, but, I don't think that strategy would be a very good idea, sir."

Urthfist looked to Hanchett. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, M'Lord, these folks don't see your brother's troops th' way we do. They almost seem t' think of 'em as fellow goodbeasts. They're actually fond of that fox chief who saved the life o' that mouse lad. T'was him who saved the child, after all - "

Urthfist exploded, "After that same mousechild was nearly slain by two of those other wicked beasts!" Hanchett had earlier told the story of Smallert, Wolfrum and Cyrus.

"Well, yes, but the Abbess and the others have already forgiven that weasel who was partly to blame. I spent a good long while chained to that mucker, and I hafta confess he didn't strike me as an altogether badhearted sort. He really is very sorry fer wot he did, an' not just 'cos he's probably gonna get killed fer it - "

"Still can't believe you spent days chained to a blinkin' weasel," Safford murmured. "Don't know how you stood it ... "

"An' the rat who was mostly to blame seems to've run off," Hanchett went on, "tho' a lot o' the beasts I talked to later seemed t' think the wretch was done in by his fellow vermin - "

"They're barbarians!" Urthfist erupted anew. "Bad as any searats! Can't the Abbess see that?"

"But that's just it!" Hanchett protested. "They're not! Now, I never met that rat, but from everything I heard, he prob'ly deserved death. But the rest aren't so bad. The foxes carry themselves like proper soldiers, and honor all the customs of Redwall. Urthblood's shrews were actually the worst o' the bunch, carryin' on 'n' arguin' the way shrews always do. Now, I'm not sayin' these aren't evil beasts who've done terrible things for your brother up in the Northlands, they could be the vilest villains who've ever lived ... but they don't ACT like it. And the Redwall folk can only judge 'em by how they've behaved here at the Abbey. I tell you, M'Lord, the Redwallers do not see them as evil beasts. An' you won't win Redwall over to your cause by threatenin' harm to creatures they see as guests and allies."

Urthfist narrowed his eyes at Hanchett. "Surely you are not suggesting that they would actually fight against us, on the side of my brother's forces?"

"I believe they would, M'Lord. Right now, they're more scared of what you're gonna do than they are of any of your brother's soldiers. They've got otters in there who, beast for beast, are prob'ly a match fer any hare among us, and squirrels who're some o' the best archers you'll find anywhere. If we force 'em into a fight, a lot of us could die ... and there'd be no way fer us to win without spillin' some o' their blood. That would be giving your brother a greater victory than if we did nothing."

The Badger Lord ground his teeth. "How could this have come to pass?" he agonized. "I know that my brother has seduced goodbeasts of the Northlands to his cause, but the creatures of Mossflower should not have been as easily misled. Never did I imagine that Redwall might succumb to his lies. I felt certain they would deny him, as Noonvale did in the north. Has Redwall already been lost beyond all hope of recovery?"

Urthfist bent over and buried his striped face in mailed paws, a picture of despair.

Hanchett stood and walked slowly over to his master. "Sir," he said softly, "the Abbess wants very much to talk with you. You have to forget your crusade against these foxes and vermin for now, and talk to these goodbeasts. They must hear wot you've got to say ... your side of the story, M'Lord. So far, they've only heard your brother's. They're decent folk, and open-minded. They'll hear you out, long as you don't threaten anybeast or go against their laws. Please, sir ... it's wot you have to do."

Urthfist raised his head from his paws and looked at the young scout hare. "What could I possibly say to them that would undo what has been done?"

"Why, the only thing that you can, sir," Hanchett said with determination. "You've got to tell them about your brother's prophecy."

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The sun stood at its noontide zenith directly over the Abbey. The shadow along the outside base of the north wall was barely wide enough to shade one creature.

Just beyond the shadow line, two badgers stood nose to nose.

"We don't want any trouble here," Maura said to Urthfist, "so don't get any ideas. I may be an unarmored female, but if you threaten our Abbess, you'll quickly discover I'm no weakling. You'll have to get through me to get to her."

"Put aside your fears," the Badger Lord assured her. "I am here only to talk now."

Traveller and Major Safford stood behind Urthfist. Alertly they kept watch over their surroundings. "I say, ma'am," Safford regarded the walltop above, paw to brow. "Wot's with those beasts up yonder?"

"Just a score or so of Redwall's finest squirrel archers," Maura replied. "Don't worry, they're only watching ... as long as this meeting remains peaceful."

"That was the agreement," Urthfist intoned. "I do not break my word."

Maura's gaze strayed to his scabbard. "Nor do you surrender your weapon. That would have been a helpful gesture."

Urthfist waved a paw toward the battlements above. "You take your precautions, I'll take mine. As long as there remain forces of my brother's in this part of Mossflower, I would be foolish indeed to render myself helpless."

"If you say so." Maura turned and motioned behind her. From out of the deeply-shadowed recess of the north wallgate strode a mouse and two squirrels. Maura stepped aside so that they could approach Urthfist, but she did not drop her guard. The Abbess was counting upon her for protection, should the badger warrior go back on his word.

Urthfist bowed his head. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Abbess. It is vital that we talk."

"I would say so," Vanessa concurred. "So, you're finally convinced I really am the Abbess here?"

"I have spoken at length with Hanchett," Urthfist nodded, "and he has told me of all that has happened here during his time at Redwall. I no longer doubt you. I had feared the worst for Hanchett. He is a good scout, but younger and less experienced than many of my Patrols. I am glad to have him back."

"And we were relieved to finally be able to release him to you," Vanessa said. "It is not our way to deny anybeast its freedom."

"Ah," Urthfist nodded. "My brother was only among you for such a short time, and still he had you breaking your own customs for his benefit. That is his way with decent folk who do not guard carefully against his lies. You can imagine what he might have achieved had he dwelt at Redwall for seasons, as he has in the north."

One of the squirrels ground its teeth at this remark.

"Um, yes, well ... " Vanessa turned to her two companions. "This is Alexander, and Lady Mina. Alexander is one our chief defenders, and the present leader of the Mossflower Patrol."

Alex gave a cautious half-bow; Mina merely regarded the badger coolly.

"And you've already met Maura, our Abbey matriarch." Vanessa faced Urthfist. "Ordinarily I would invite you and your hares inside to enjoy the full hospitality of Redwall, but this is rather an awkward situation. Tell us, Lord, why have you come here threatening harm to creatures we have staying with us as our guests?"

"I am here," Urthfist replied, "because a hare named Browder came to us at Salamandastron with reports of dreadful events that had befallen Redwall and Mossflower. He implored that we come to the aid of all the goodbeasts who were in distress in these lands, that I was their only hope. Obviously, he was a spy of my brother's, sent to deliver the only imaginable lie that might convince me to leave Salamandastron. I came to liberate Redwall from the evil creatures who had slain its leaders and enslaved the other decent folk who dwell here." Urthfist glanced up at the walltop, then back to the Redwallers standing before him. "Plainly, no such thing ever happened. I was drawn out by a falsehood, carefully planned by a soulless monster who knew that my concern for the safety of Mossflower's residents could be used as a weapon against me. He realized I would be compelled to act upon his lies. So here I am, Abbess, come to avenge your murder and deliver your brothers and sisters from their oppressor. A wasted quest, while my brother claims the prize I'd sworn to deny him."

"That would be the throne of Salamandastron?" Alex guessed.

Urthfist nodded. "Many times throughout history, searat pirate kings and other warlords have descended upon Salamandastron with their terrible hordes, seeking to capture the mountain for their own. My brother has bested them all. He has defeated me without even having to face me on the field of battle. He triumphed with the deceitful way of the coward, because I am a warrior of honor and he has none."

Alex looked confused. "But, those other creatures you mentioned were all enemies of Salamandastron. Your brother is a Badger Lord, the same as you. In fact, he told us he is the older sibling, entitled to the Lordship of the mountain anytime he cared to claim it. Is this not true?"

Urthfist's face twisted into an expression of sheer hatred. "He gave up the right to that claim twenty seasons ago!" he roared. "When he abandoned his responsibilities and ran off to pursue the ways of evil!"

His explosive outburst was frightful. Vanessa stepped back into the protective arms of the two squirrels, while Maura tensed and leaned forward, lips quivering on the verge of a tooth-bared snarl. The hare duo flanking their badger master laid restraining paws on Urthfist's shoulders; this seemed to restore his temper.

"Forgive me," he said, "I bear you good folk no malice, and mean no disrespect to you, Abbess. But you cannot possibly comprehend what I am feeling right now. To help you better understand, I must tell you of the Prophecy."

"You mean your brother's prophecy?" Vanessa asked.

Urthfist's eyes widened in surprise. "He told you of it?"

"Why, that was the very first thing he spoke of when he came to Redwall," said Vanessa. "He called a council of all the Abbey leaders, and explained it to us."

"What did he tell you?"

"That one day twenty seasons ago, he was gripped by the trance that sometimes overcomes the Badger Lords of Salamandastron, and in that state he carved into the rock walls a prophecy of great doom. He told us that a time of great upheaval and crisis was coming, and may soon be upon us. He wished to strengthen the ties between Redwall and Salamandastron, to form an alliance that would help both of us meet and survive the challenges of the times ahead. He told us a little of his travels these past many seasons, that he has been working to prepare for this period of crisis, and thought that perhaps he could prevent it altogether. Later we learned of his efforts to unite all creatures to the common cause of peaceful cooperation, and spoke with many of his followers who seem to believe he could actually succeed at such a goal. He did not know the exact shape of the threat to the lands which his prophecy predicts, but he does believe that his present course of action holds the greatest hope for survival by the greatest number of creatures."

Urthfist laughed without smiling, a humorless bark. "Is that what he told you? He mixes just enough truth with his lies to make them all the more convincing! Yes, Abbess, there is a prophecy upon the throne room wall of Salamandastron, carved there by my brother's paw. For twenty seasons I have looked upon it, the only beast to set eyes upon its accursed runes, and the sight of it has driven me almost to despair more than once. The prophecy does indeed foretell a time such as the one he described to you ... but it is not vague about the identity of the enemy who shall bring it about. My brother sees it everytime he looks into a mirror, so it is hardly surprising that he neglected to mention this particular detail to you. His own prophecy condemns him as the very creature who will cause these terrible things to pass!"

The Redwallers gaped at him. "Can this be?" the Abbess uttered. "Are you sure of this, Lord?"

"As sure as I am standing here," Urthfist said. "I remember the day this doom was laid upon us, as clearly as if it were yesterday. My brother had disappeared up into the throne room for the better part of a day. That was nothing unusual in itself; Salamandastron is a big place, and I would often go an entire day without seeing him, since we would be occupied in different parts of the fortress, or out upon the mountain's slopes. Those were light and carefree days back then. We were both young Lords, and many generations had passed since any foe had seriously tested Salamandastron. We had no readily apparent enemy, the stronghold was in good repair, and we had scores of faithful, fearless hares to pass the time with. It was as common for us to lend our paws in the gardens and the kitchens, or to engage ourselves upon some task of construction or refurbishment, as to send out patrols or turn our attention to matters of war or defense. It was an era of peace, and we enjoyed it with glad hearts and untroubled minds.

"But on this day ... " The badger's face clouded with the troubled memory. "His scream was heard throughout every part of the mountain, echoing in every chamber and down every corridor. It was not the cry of a sane beast - neither pain nor anger, surprise nor grief, but rather an incoherent roar of madness. I knew it must be Urthblood, for no other creature could have produced such a sound. My first thought was that some unknown enemy had secretly invaded our home and attacked my brother, or else some terrible accident had befallen him, producing such a state of mind that he could only unleash that unreasoning bellow. My hares and I immediately rushed toward the source of the sound, to see what had happened.

"Urthblood was stumbling out of the throne room by the time we got to him, blundering like a beast stunned and half-blind. His face was terrible to behold. It was as if he'd been possessed by demons. I hailed him, tried to calm him and ask what was the matter, but my words could not reach him. He threw me aside with such force that it would surely have killed any lesser creature. By the time I fully recovered, he had fled down past all of our dumbstruck hares, who thankfully had enough sense to stay out of his way, and out onto the mountain slopes. My last sight of him was out on the coastal plains, running north like an animal pursued by the dark host of Hellsgates itself."

Urthfist paused, breathing heavily as if the mere telling of this tale had taken a lot out of him. The Redwallers realized then that this may well have been the very first time he'd ever had to tell it. After all, he'd dwelt alone at Salamandastron ever since these events, with the hares of the Long Patrol as his only companions, and many of them had witnessed this episode firstpaw. Who else would he have had to tell?

Urthfist returned to the tale. "At first I could not guess what his affliction might be; I was mystified, and worried to my heart, for we were close. But at length it occurred to me to go up to the throne room where he'd been when this mania first gripped him. It was then and there that I discovered the hammer and chisel, lying discarded upon the floor, and my eye was drawn to the wall, to see the carvings that had not been there before. I read my brother's prophecy many times in the following days, not wanting to believe it could be true. For half a season I went back and forth in my mind, utterly at a loss as to what I should do. But, finally, I was forced to do the only thing I could. Since my brother showed no sign of returning - indeed, his own prophecy stated that his return would bring disaster - I assumed sole Lordship of the Mountain, and issued orders to my Long Patrol hares that, should Urthblood ever attempt to approach Salamandastron again, he was to be slain without hesitation."

"But, what did the prophecy say, exactly?" Vanessa asked.

"That Urthblood would unleash horrors upon the lands unlike any seen before. He would become a master of war, but he would invent new ways of war, terrible ways that had nothing to do with the defense of decent creatures. He would become a Warlord, not like the vermin horde leaders who have always troubled goodbeasts, but a force of enmity that would attack gullible folk at the level of their very souls. He is the corruptor, who would turn the light of day to eternal night, green forest and pasture to desert sands, the rivers to fire and blood, and forever pervert truth and honesty and decency into tools to further his own lies. He is the enemy of everybeast alive, for he destroys his allies as certainly as he annihilates his foes. And only stupid fools think his friendship will spare them."

Lady Mina spoke up the moment Urthfist had finished speaking. "Is it not possible that you have misinterpreted the prophecy, and that Lord Urthblood is not the evil creature you assume he is?"

Urthfist levelled a gaze at the Gawtrybe squirrel. "It is not."

Mina was not intimidated by the badger's dire manner. "Perhaps we would like to draw our own conclusions, Lord. Please recite the prophecy for us now, word for word, leaving out no part and changing nothing, and we will interpret it our own way."

Urthfist shook his head. "That accursed prophecy was carved in the ancient script of the Badger Lords. No other may read its runes, or hear those words spoken aloud. No other beast may be privy to it. I have not even shared it with my own hares, to whom I would entrust my very life. It cannot be."

"How, then, are we to know you speak the truth?" Mina pressed. "Perhaps to you, the prophecy means something different than it does to your brother, or would to us. If you cannot share it with us openly, then what are we to think?"

"You are to think that I have been forced to live with this prophecy for twenty seasons," Urthfist stated flatly. "If anybeast knows its meaning, it would be me!"

"Lord Urthblood has also lived with it for twenty seasons," said Mina. "I think you are wrong about him. He is the enemy of slavers and vile beasts, and has worked hard to strengthen the lands against the coming crisis."

Urthfist narrowed eyes at Mina that were red-flecked with exasperation and latent rage. "What would any Redwaller know of the things my brother has been doing in seasons past?"

"I am no Redwaller, Lord," Mina declared proudly. "I am Lady Mina of the Gawtrybe, who have sworn allegiance to Lord Urthblood. We do not give our fealty lightly, but we have seen for ourselves what he stands for, and I do not need you or anybeast else to tell me what I must think of him. I came down from the Northlands with Lord Urthblood to aid his cause in Mossflower, and I will make no apologies for it!"

Urthfist's paw was on the hilt of his mighty broadsword, and his posture had subtly shifted to a battle stance. "Then you are my enemy, and I will speak with you no more!"

"I am only your enemy if you make it that way. I bear you no malice, Lord, and I do not believe your brother does either. In the seasons I have known him, he has only spoken well of you. He simply wishes for Salamandastron to be ruled as best it may. Before your hare Hanchett came to us, Lord Urthblood was on his way there only to see if the wisest course was to leave you in command there, not to make war on his own flesh and blood. I assure you, he has left much unfinished business in the Northlands, and I have no doubt he would prefer to return there and leave it to you to oversee the strengthening of ties between Salamandastron and Redwall. But if he sees that he is needed here, then here he will stay. And judging by what I have seen and heard from you, I would say that he is needed here very badly."

Urthfist was actually trembling by the time she'd finished. His two hares had moved close alongside him, whether to assist him in an attack on Mina or try to restrain him the Redwallers could only guess.

"Abbess, remove this corrupted servant of evil from my presence, quickly, before I slay her! If she remains, I will not be responsible for my actions, be she your guest or no!"

Alexander stepped in front of Mina. "You promised no violence! Remember, you are in the sights of a score of squirrel archers who seldom miss their target."

"If you think that would be enough to save this witch of lies, you are very much mistaken," Urthfist growled. "I agreed to meet with Redwallers. My promise of no violence did not extend to the treacherous beasts in my brother's service. Now, take her away! Or she will receive the death she deserves!"

Vanessa said, "I invited Lady Mina to take part in this meeting, My Lord. I deemed that there should be at least one representative of Lord Urthblood's forces here, for the sake of fairness and balance. She seems most willing to talk to you. Lady Mina is no fox, or vermin. In fact, she is directly descended from a Redwall squirrel who journeyed north many, many generations ago, and she has a proud and noble heritage. If you cannot be reasonable and state your case before her, then perhaps we should not be talking to you either. But I will not have you threatening bloodshed in the shadow of my Abbey. Shall I call this off and go back inside, or will you behave as a civilized Badger Lord should?"

Urthfist ground his teeth and worked his jaw, eyes bulging with surpressed rage. He spun and stalked away toward the trees at the forest's edge, nearly bowling over the two hares in the process. There, at a distance from the others, he marched back and forth, shaking his head and muttering to himself. It was almost torturous to watch.

Vanessa asked the hares, "Should I take it that he's finished talking with us for now?"

"Not so fast, ma'am," one replied. "He's still got more to say. Come t' think of it, we've got more t' say too. Just hold there a moment, folks, while I go have a word with His Lord. Let's see if we can't get him back to the bally table, wot?" And that said, the hare sprinted over to the distraught badger and began a hushed but animated conversation with him. Clearly he was trying to calm Urthfist and persuade him to resume the meeting. It didn't look like he was having much success.

Alexander sidled closer to the Abbess. "Well, Vanessa, that could have gone better. Do you think Urthfist can be reasoned with at all?"

"That remains to be seen," Vanessa answered hopefully. "But I'm not ready to put Redwall on a siege footing just yet."