Two As One: Chapter 9
Ebonia trudged up to the dormitories to rest, her mind lost and disoriented after meeting with Stelumos. How could she do it, how could she betray these creatures that had been kinder to her than she could ever remember? It wasn't right and she knew it, but she had to do it, she didn't have a choice. Her thoughts fogged her mind as she lie down on the soft dormitory bed near Malya. She watched the otter sleep peacefully for a moment before sighing and closing her eyes to the darkness that engulfed the room.
"I have to figure something out." She whispered to herself tiredly, and then was lost in her dreams.
Crim wandered around the halls of the abbey, his paws folded behind his back and his eyes roving around thoughtfully. Ever since Ebonia had come to the abbey, he had felt strange, like there was something familiar about the squirrel. He couldn't quiet put his claw on how he felt but a word kept popping into his mind that made him stop and think; kin. Could she be his long lost sister or was she just another ordinary squirrel, he didn't know.
His footpaws padded softly on the cool stone floor as he walked towards the Great Hall. Whenever he was thoughtful or confused, he always found comfort at looking up to his hero Martin. Though he knew he could never be like the great warrior, he still couldn't help but feel awed to be in the same area as him.
Just as he rounded the corner to the tapestry, he saw two figures standing beneath it. Crim jerked back a bit surprised, who would be up this late besides a nosey squirrel? As he neared the two, he could make out the shinning spectacles of Abbot Welkum and the gleaming blade that belonged to Kenyo. They spoke quietly in the late night, their voices so soft that Crim had to move closer so that he could actually make out what they were talking about.
"It's not distrust father Abbot, I just believe we should be safe and keep an eye on every beast here to make sure we know where they are going. We don't want any more creatures to be captured."
"I know Kenyo but it's such an inconvenience for the creatures here. We want to maintain an air of calm so no beast panics." Kenyo sighed and threw his paws in the air as he began to pace aback and forth in front of the abbot, a tired and angry look in his eyes. His sable fur flashed gently in the moonlight that filtered through one of the windows as he brushed some fur out of his eyes.
"The Abbey is already in a panic because Tellio has been captured and Katal's dead. What are we suppose to do? We can't just sit here and let this happen, we need to take more precautions." Welkum watched the warrior pace with tired eyes and raised an eyebrow slowly as Kenyo looked towards the dormitories.
"You don't trust the squirrel, do you?" The mouse was visibly startled by the abbot's words and the peculiar expression on his face showed it.
"I…no….I …I don't know. It's….it's just that I saw her go over the ramparts earlier tonight and then she came back and headed towards the abbey with this like….this strange look on her face." There was a brief silence as Abbot Welkum looked up to the tapestry and thought about what Kenyo had just said. Crim crouched closer to the ground, a worried look on his young face.
"They think Ivy's doing this?" He whispered to himself and ducked lower as Kenyo paced by his hiding spot.
"Father Abbot, to be honest, I don't know what to think. I really don't want to think that Ivy is in league with the vermin, but, who knows." The old abbot sighed forlornly at Kenyo's words but he couldn't reject the advice of the warrior. With a heavy heart the abbot nodded.
"Alright, fine, check each beast if they are going to leave, I don't want any beast to get hurt because of carelessness. And Kenyo….keep an eye on Ivy, I hate to say that but just in case. Now I'm going to go and get some rest, you should too, Kenyo, you look exhausted." The warrior chuckled dryly as he tapped a paw against Martin's hilt.
"I'll be fine, good night Father Abbot."
"Good night, my son." With a shuffling of his footpaws, the abbot turned and walked towards his room quietly. Crim had sat and listened the whole time and he just couldn't believe what he heard. They think Ivy is guilty?! How dare they?! He thought furiously and watched as Kenyo gave a sigh and headed outside. The young squirrel stood and walked to the tapestry, looking at it closely before pulling out his strip from the scroll. Setting it beneath the magnificent piece of work, he looked at the small picture before him and elapsed into a deep thought. Ivy can't be involved with the vermin, I know it, she's too kind. No, I won't believe it. The scroll says the one shrouded in darkness will betray us. Ivy's not black and she's not dark, they're wrong.
"At least, I hope they're wrong." He muttered beneath his breath and sat down beneath the tapestry, thinking deeply to himself.
The sky began to lighten as the sun rose behind the clouds the next morning. Ebonia stirred from her night of fitful sleep and she glanced out one of the windows, only to shiver as a cold breeze racked her body. It was going to snow again, she could just feel it and it was going to be a big storm. Great, she thought, I have to meet him again tonight and I'll have to crawl through a storm to get to him, just how I want to spend my night.
The squirrel sat up bad temperedly and looked around the room. Many of the beasts were already up and about, including Sprypaw, Malya and Crim. Ebonia rolled her eyes slightly and knew what was coming. With an exasperated sigh she began to count.
"5....4.…3.…2.…1"
"What ho me jolly, bally nice morning isn't it wot wot! Ready for some bally tucker?" The moment Ebonia hit zero, Sprypaw came bounding through the room, his normal cheerful self. Ebonia wanted to laugh at the hare's antics but she didn't feel like it, not after what happened last night. She knew very well that any of those days, the hare that stood before her could be under the ground because of the swipe of a sword. Ebonia shuddered at the thought and stood up without a word. Sprypaw gave her an odd look as she passed him and he shrugged.
"First time I've met a jolly ol gel that wasn't excited about tucker. Oh well, more for me then wot." The hare performed an about face and followed Ebonia down to the Cavern Hole, licking his lips the whole way.
Ebonia sat at the table with the three other creatures, idly stirring the porridge that was in front of her, with a large wooden spoon. Her mind raced constantly as she listened to her three 'friends' talk amiably.
"So anyways when I was down in the cellars helping Friar Melard carry up some strawberry cordial I saw Skipper hiding behind the strawberry fizz. Hehe, he's still green. I asked him what he was doin down there and he said he was still hiding from sister Shlamele. I guess she figured out how to wash away the green dye but Skipper said that he would rather have green fur then turn up dead from another one of her odd concoctions. The Friar laughed so hard that he lost hold of his side of the barrel and it fell to the ground and exploded all over Skipper so now he's red and green. Hahaha" Malya laughed gleefully at remembering the expression on Skipper's face. Both Crim and Sprypaw were in a fit of giggles as Malya told them the tale.
"Whahahah poor jolly ol Skipper wot! I'd pay to see the bloomin on his face right now, wot wot!" The three laughed long and hard for awhile before they noticed that Ebonia wasn't joining in; she was still stirring her now soup-like porridge.
Sprypaw looked at Ebonia's breakfast longingly, his tongue licking his lips. He had already finished his bowl as well as half of Malya's, some of Crim's, and about four other bowls that creatures hadn't claimed. With a tapping of his claws he slid over to the squirrel and whispered in her ear.
"Erm..if you're jolly well not going to finish that I'll bally well finish for you wot, best not to let food go to waste I always say, wot wot!" Ebonia jumped as the hare spoke to her. She hadn't even noticed he had come near her. As she moved, her paw accidentally snapped down on the bowl, sending it flying into the air and landing with a squish on top of Sprypaw's head.
"Oh…uh…erm…s..sorry bout that Sprypaw, ah hehe." Ebonia's cheeks began to grow a rosy color as the hare wiped the porridge out of his eyes with the back of his paw. He turned and glared at the squirrel before breaking down laughing and throwing a paw over her shoulders.
"Whahah, nice jolly shot, wot!" Ebonia looked at him confused then turned her head as Crim and Malya began to laugh hysterically. All the squirrel could do was put a paw to her head and sigh before standing.
"Erm...listen, I'm gonna get some fresh air." She muttered and before any of the three beasts could reply she walked out of Cavern Hole and moved towards the doors at the end of the Great Hall.
The female squirrel walked through the Great Hall, her ears laid back flat against her skull and her tail drooped to the ground. I can't do this, I just can't, but what am I suppose to do? She thought to herself as her eyes closed for a moment. Ebonia kept walking and was about to open the doors when she heard a voice.
"You know what you must do is wrong
But you will know where you belong
You must do what you feel's right
When you see the mink tonight."
The squirrel stopped in her tracks and whirled as the voice echoed in her ears. Her heart pounded in her chest and her eyes darted wildly around at everything in the hall.
"J..just my imagination, just my imagination." She muttered to herself over and over again, as if trying to convince some other beast besides herself. Her paw reached for the Abbey door, her shoulders still shaking slightly. As she opened it, she was immediately bombarded by the freezing winds as the snow storm unleashed its fury. The squirrel was thrown back and struck her head as she hit the ground, putting her in a daze.
Flash! Vermin, she could see vermin all around her, all of them with swords. Bemal was there, standing next to the mink. She was holding something, a bundle of some sort, but what could it be. A village, she saw a village behind the vermin going up in…in flames! Creatures screaming, she could hear them as the cry of death filled the air. What was going on? What was-
"Ivy, Ivy are you alright?" Ebonia snapped open her eyes as the dream fell away from her senses. She peered up and saw Crim next to her, holding her head on his lap. The squirrel maiden groaned as she felt a lump rise on the back of her head and she slowly sat up to rub it. "Ivy? Are you ok?"
"Wh? Oh, oh, yes I'm fine, just hit my head is all." Ebonia hurriedly got to her footpaws and brushed away the snow that had encrusted her tunic when she fell. Crim stood up also, a worried look on his face for the maiden.
"You sure you're alright?"
"Er..um..y..yes why do you ask?" The sun squirrel raised an eye slowly. Ebonia was really acting strange to him, she never had seemed to have problems speaking to him until now. Crim folded his paws across his chest and tilted his head to the squirrel.
"Ivy, um..do you want to go for a walk around the abbey? Might get your mind off things." Ebonia shook her head and was about to decline the offer when she remembered she had to dig up something about what the defenses were like. If she didn't, Stelumos would in no doubt kill a slave or even Bemal as punishment. It was a horrible thing to think about but she had no choice, she had to deal with reality and death was reality.
"Sure Crim, I'll take a walk with you. Would you mind if I asked you a bit about the abbey as we walk though?" Ebonia looked up to him and fluttered her eye lashes innocently. Crim merely shrugged his shoulders and began to walk down one of the hallways of the abbey.
"Of course I'll answer them, no harm could come by that right?" Ebonia stared at his back as he began to walk and she muttered dejectedly beneath her breath.
"You have no idea."
"What?"
"Oh..oh nothing, shall we?" Ebonia began to walk and after giving her a strange look, Crim followed while answering her questions.
As the snow storm ragged, six creatures took shelter in an abandoned cave that looked to have once belonged to a few woodlanders. Valena ducked inside the burrow and leaned against a wall, her leg pounding horribly from moving so much in the last day. She and the hares had not rested for hours and the elder squirrel just couldn't keep up, course nor could any beast in the storm that forced them to take shelter. PeriNickel and SkyBreeze entered right after the squirrel and plopped down on the ground further in the back of the cave. Both hares still looked as brisk as the cold air outside as they chattered amiably, just like they had done for the last five hours.
"I say SkyBreeze, it's bally well rude that the sky decided to jolly well snow right now, wot. Doesn't the sky know we're on a bally mission?" SkyBreeze was busy pulling a thorn out of her footpaw as she replied.
"Aye, dashed rude if you jolly well ask me wot wot!"
"I agree with you there me gel, why I remember when-"
"Oh will ya two bally well give it a rest!" Weave grumbled as she walked into the cave and sat down on the opposite side of Valena. The hare's ears were completely drooped to the side, heavily laden with snow. She tilted her head forward and began to scoop the snow off, grumbling beneath her breath.
"Flippen rude, wot. If either of ya two ever throw a dashed snow ball at me again, you'll be doin bally laps for a month." Ballard chuckled as he walked into the cave with a bunch of wood in his strong arms.
"Now, now me gel, you were the bally one that challenged them to a snow ball fight, wot. It's your own bloomin fault." Weave rolled her eyes and folded her legs as she watched Fleetfoot come in. The black hare sat down near the entrance to the cave and called back to the others.
"I'll take first watch, wot. Thought I saw a flippen hawk flyin round in that storm, wot." Weave snorted
"A hawk? Them bloomin birds would be flyin away from this storm, not stayin in it wot!" Fleetfoot glared back at her with a deadly look in his eyes and growled beneath his breath.
"Well who's to say what goes on in their flippen minds, wot." He replied then noticed Valena slump to the ground. "Ballard, give Valena a paw with her bally leg would ya." The squirrel rolled her eyes and set her staff on the ground with a quiet thump.
"Honestly, ya treat me like a dibbun. I'll ask for help when I need it." Ballard shook his head and set the wood in a circle on the ground. He took tinder and flint from his tunic and before any beast could say Salamandastron, he had a fire lit and burning. The sudden heat hit Valena's leg like a jackhammer and she couldn't help but let off a groan. Ballard looked over at her and raised an eye. The squirrel stared back and after many mumbles, grumbles and a rolling of the eyes she stuck out her leg to him. The large hare chuckled and set about tending to her leg as Weave spoke over to the arguing twins.
"Hey SkyBreeze, why don't you jolly well sing us a song to take our minds off of the snow and cold, wot." PeriNickel snorted and gave his sister a shove.
"She can't bally well sing for anything, wot. A mangy ferret could bally well sing better then her." SkyBreeze stood up defensively and gave her brother a swift bop on the side of the head.
"That ain't jolly well true, momma always said I could sing the bloomin birds out o the trees and-"
"SkyBreeze, why don't you just bally well sing and we'll be the judge of that, wot." Weave said with a sly grin to PeriNickel. "Why don't you jolly well sing the song you made up the other day, you know, Silly Singing Silver Hare?" SkyBreeze couldn't help but laugh as she looked at the expression on her brother's face. The young hare maiden stood beside the fire and after tapping her footpaws a couple times she began to sing in a clear, crisp voice.
"I was walking through the forest
Without much to care
When along came a silly, singing
Silver young hare.
He stopped me in my tracks
And I heard him proclaim
"Major CockerPeriNickel
Would be my name"
I bowed to the hare
And replied "How do you do"
When he hopped to attention
And said "Glad to meet you.
I'm a boxing hare
As plain as you can see"
I said "You sound like a silly
Singing, silver hare to me"
He snorted and he took a pose
As if to prove me wrong
But instead of boxing, kicking , punching,
He sang this silly song.
"Jump to the middle
Attention at the front
If you bally say I'm not a boxing hare
I'll kick you in the rump.
A major as fine as me
Would never tell a lie
If I told a fib `ol gel
I hope you'd pass on by.
A jolly young hare, I am
And none could beat my butt,
But I love to dance and play `ol gel
And I love to sing. Wot! Wot!"
With that the hare smiled broadly
He jumped and he took a pose
Before he left he took a fist
And bopped me on the nose.
"Now you know `ol gel
A boxing hare I be
I'll protect and guard and sing a song
If you come and jolly follow me"
I took his paw and hid a grin
And together we walked in tow
I looked him in the eye and said
"You're still a silly, singing, silver hare to me you know"
As SkyBreeze finished her song, the whole cave was in a fit of giggles at the look on PeriNickel's face. The young hare's silver fur had switched to the color of rosy pink as he listened to the song. Even Valena couldn't help but laugh at the young hares.
"Oh my SkyBreeze, hahaha, that was a good one." The squirrel laughed then yelped out as Ballard pulled something from her footpaw. The hare held up a long piece of oak wood and grinned.
"Found out what was hurting your footpaw." Valena growled and swiped the bloody wood away before tossing it into the fire with a crack.
"Next time warn me when yer gonna do that." Ballard chuckled and lied down on the ground as Weave continued to laugh uproariously.
"Whahahah, bally good show, wot wot, hehe, SkyBreeze, you're brother was flippen right, a mangy ferret could sound better then you hahah- uck." SkyBreeze stood with one paw on her hip while the other held another snow ball.
"You were saying?" Weave spat the snow out of her mouth and remained quiet, trying not to laugh again. She glanced at the entrance where Fleetfoot sat and sighed. The black hare seemed to be the sternest one of the group, which set him apart from all the fun the other hares had. She almost felt sorry for him. Weave shook her head slowly with pity and lied down near the fire as Valena followed suit.
"Might as well get some jolly sleep, don't think we'll bally well make it to Redwall till tomorrow night, if not the bally day later." The others agreed quietly and in a short time, all of them were asleep except for Fleetfoot and Valena. The squirrel stared into the flames of the fire, her brow creased in worry and uncertainty. Fleetfoot walked back in a little more and sat beside the squirrel. Both remained silent, only acknowledging one another with a flick of the tail or nod of the head. Fleetfoot looked at Weave sleeping and finally spoke.
"Something on your bally mind, me gel?" Valena glanced up at him, her tired eyes closing slowly.
"Just a bit worried I suppose about not getting there on time if something happens." Fleetfoot chuckled quietly and gave the squirrel a gentle pat on the back.
"Aww, don't you worry your jolly head over it, we'll get there in time, don't worry, wot." Valena sighed as she rested her head upon her forepaws, exhaustion starting to creep over her aging body.
"Wish I was as confident as you." She remarked softly then yawned and fell asleep. Fleetfoot looked at the squirrel and smiled gently before giving off a quiet breath of air and resting his head against the wall in deep thought while the storm ragged on all day and through the night.
While the storm continued in Mossflower, Ebonia and Crim walked quietly back towards the Great Hall. Both had been together all day, going over Redwall, from the structure, to the armory, to how many warriors they had and what the order of the abbey was. Ebonia tried to keep a mental note of what he was telling her, but she couldn't keep herself totally focused. Her thoughts were too disoriented because of everything that was happening so quickly. Her mind just couldn't register it all at once.
"Well here we are, back where we began." Crim said suddenly as they stopped before the great tapestry. Ebonia looked up at him as she stopped and sighed deeply. She didn't want their talk to end , she had had such a nice day with the squirrel though she knew that it was just a matter of time before she had to go to Stelumos. The wind pounded against one of the abbey windows and startled the squirrel. She looked over and her eyes opened wide with shock as she realized just how late it was. Stelumos would surely be there by now, storm or no storm.
The squirrel began to bite her claws worriedly and glanced at Crim who was looking up to Martin in silence and awe. Oh, how he wanted to be a great warrior like Martin so that he could defend the weak, defeat the vermin, and help get Tellio back. He could do so many things if he was like Martin, but in his heart he knew that wasn't going to be possible. He was strong, yes, but he didn't want to hurt any creature. He had too much of a caring nature to cause harm to any beast.
He stared at the tapestry for a moment longer when Ebonia gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. The squirrel looked over at the female and she smiled slightly.
"Listen, why don't you go and get some rest. I'll be along shortly, just need some time to myself again." Crim looked over Ebonia as the squirrel looked out the window, her eyes seeming to be filled with anxiety and something else. Fear. The wind outside howled loudly, echoing eerily in the silence between the two squirrels. The silence prolonged for a few more moments before Crim finally nodded and headed for the stairs.
"Alright Ivy, I'll see you in a bit. If you need to talk or anything, you can talk to me." The squirrel looked down at her for a moment longer before disappearing like a shadow up the stairs. Ebonia put her head in her paws, she did not want to have to do this.
When she was able to compose herself again, the squirrel slowly walked over to the abbey door and cracked it open, closing her eyes quickly against the freezing cold snow that stabbed her face. Without a word she slipped out the door and headed toward the battlements, the snow beating her body savagely the whole way.
It didn't take long for her to sneak past the guards on the wall. The snow provided an excellent cover for her and although there were more guards on the wall because of Kenyo's worry, she was able to leap into a tree near the abbey and run towards the woods where she knew Stelumos was waiting.
The mink stood in a grove of trees, his paws wrapping his blood red cloak around his freezing body. He hated the snow, he hated it more then good beasts, he hated it more than the squirrel. The only other thing that he hated more than snow was big birds, he despised them most of all.
Stelumos shuttered as the snow battered against his body and he had to hamper down a bit so he wouldn't be blown painfully about. His teeth clattered together quietly as he tried to shield his eyes from the snow with his paw. A soft crunching came from his right and he quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword, prepared to skewer any creature that might betray his position, be it friend or foe. The mink wasn't going to take any chances, not when he was this close to taking the abbey.
He was about to lunge forward with 'Doomsfate' when Ebonia came into the clearing and jumped back, startled to see him. The mink growled irritably and sheathed his blade, his breath coming out in white gusts as he tried to breath against the cold threatening to take over his body.
"What took ya so long squirrel?"
"I had to get past the guards and the others there." She muttered in reply. Stelumos eyed her closely as she looked down at the ground. The squirrel looked as if she was ready to just crawl into a hole and die. The mink watched her suspiciously, but since he was to anxious to get out of the cold to question her, he barked out instead.
"Well?! What did ya find squirrel?" Ebonia crouched down in the snow and leaned her back against a tree so that she wouldn't be blown away. Tired and angry eyes looked up to the mink but she told him of what she knew.
"They don't have many warriors except for an otter and his group. They have one main warrior who seems to be a real softy. There is a large badger there that could be of some trouble to you."
"Yes yes, now will ya tell me bout da defenses?" He growled, cutting the squirrel off. Ebonia glared at him with hate and continued.
"There looks to be about five guards on each side of the wall. They change every four hours or so, so if you attacked at night I think about midnight would be the best. There wouldn't be many guards on the wall. Umm….the weapons they have are arrows, spears, some swords, not much to go by." The squirrel silenced herself and held her head lower. Every word she spoke was like a dagger being lodged into her chest because she knew she was betraying the abbey beasts by telling the mink. Oh how she hated him, how she just wanted to kill him now and end it so he couldn't hurt any beast, but she knew he'd merely cut her down to size if she attacked him.
Stelumos glared at the squirrel coldly. He could feel there was something wrong with her, she wasn't being her normal uppity self and it unnerved him a bit. The mink knew that Ebonia was his key to defeating Redwall and he couldn't lose her now, not while he was so close to taking the abbey that no beast could. So he tried negotiating with her, the vermin way.
Ebonia sat absorbed in thoughts of anger and confusion and wasn't aware of the mink drawing his sword until it suddenly struck her across the head and sent her sprawling to the ground with a groan.
Flash! A creature stood in front of her holding a gleaming sword. It raised it into the air and then gently tapped on her shoulder, chilling her body to the bone. She looked at the bearer of the sword and saw Martin standing there, staring down at her. Suddenly, another creature stood beside the warrior mouse. By the shape, it was a squirrel though Ebonia couldn't make out what he or she looked like. Martin looked at the ghost squirrel and nodded before he pressed the cool blade a little harder on Ebonia's shoulder and spoke in a soft and almost comforting voice.
"Seek the answers in the lie
Don't let the captives ever die
Seek the answers in your heart
Then you'll play your given part
You know what you must do is wrong
But you will know where you belong
You must do what you feel's right
When you see the mink tonight
Remember this riddle and this rhyme
Twill help you in your given time
Seek the answers in your heart
Then you'll play your given part."
Flash! Suddenly the mouse disappeared and pain cascaded over Ebonia's head as the force of the blow set in. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked up at the mink as he held the blade beneath her throat. Stelumos growled as he stared into her petrified eyes. He remembered those eyes, they were the same eyes that had looked at him when he had taken Ebonia from her mother's arms. This just put him into more of a rage and he pressed the blade deeper and hissed.
"Ya do what I say squirrel or those slaves will die, Bemal will die and so will any creature that gets in my way, including you. If you betray me, you will die, as will the others, I swear it. Ya understand?" Ebonia swallowed lightly and nodded her head, her bewildered eyes watching him in shock.
The mink held his sword at her neck a moment longer before pulling it back and growling heatedly.
"Good, I'm glad we come to an understandin. Now, tomorrow night at midnight ya will come down to the doors and let me and me troops in. If da Redwaller's are changing guards they won't notice us that much. Get any guards by da door out o da way and den let us in and we'll attack. If you double cross me, I'll still attack and kill every beast there. If you let me in, then I wont' kill them, I'll make use fer them. Ya understand squirrel?" With pain in her eyes, the squirrel nodded slowly and watched as the mink kicked snow at her and began to stroll off. "Don't double cross me Ebonia, I'm warnin ya. I'll make their deaths long and painful, you know I will. You don have a choice." With that, the mink disappeared into the snow storm and headed back to his troops.
Ebonia sat in the cold snow, her cheek burning, her paws freezing and her heart broken. What was she suppose to do? All she wanted was to lie down in that snow and die but then the mink might think of that as double crossing him. Her heart was heavy and painful as she stood up and went back towards the abbey. She couldn't betray them, she just couldn't but like the mink said, she really didn't have much of a choice.
Stelumos made it back to his troops just as the storm began to blow even worse. He was still rightfully angry about the meeting with the squirrel, he just knew that she was losing her edge and that was dangerous for both of them. If she double crossed him and told the abbey, it would make it a lot harder for him to get inside but he swore that if she did that, she'd die a nice, slow death, just like the rest of the abbey beasts.
The moment he walked into his camp area, his temper turned from bad to worse. His troops were nowhere in sight, all huddled up inside their tents instead. The fires had long since been blown out and the only creatures that seemed to be outside were the slaves. The mink glared over at Tellio and Log a Log, both looking very roughed up because of the night before. He had made sure that the pair had received a sound whipping for trying to escape.
Bemal walked outside one of the tents and bowed slightly to the mink as he stormed towards the middle of the clearing.
"Any news my lord?" She asked, more anxious to find out if Ebonia was still alive then to care about any news she might have brought. Stelumos snarled at her then roared out loudly against the storm.
"Alright ya yellow livered scum! Get yer rears out here afore I kill da whole lot o ya!" The vermin needed no second bidding and they hurriedly stepped out of the tent, Hensfloral accidentally tripping over Deathfang and sprawling at the mink's footpaws. Stelumos growled and gave the rat a swift kick before turning to the vermin and relating his plan of attack that he had told Ebonia.
Ebonia stood in the dormitories of Redwall again, having made it easily back through the storm. Her paws were still frozen and her eyes were dark with sadness and anger. What could she do, what could she do? The question hounded her mind endlessly, threatening to make her go crazy.
She sat down on the window sill and looked out over Mossflower, staring at the area where she knew the vermin were camped. She could see Bemal standing with the vermin, watching the mink and listening closely. She could see the slaves lying helplessly on the ground, trying to warm their frozen bodies. She could see Stelumos yelling at the horde and telling them of his barbaric plan.
Ebonia opened her eyes again and looked down at her footpaws. She sat absorbed in her thoughts and slowly began to wag her tail about. Suddenly, something caught her attention and she looked down at her tail. It was still brownish red like the rest of her body but the black was creeping through now, the dye Bemal had used on her fur, wearing off thanks to the storm.
The squirrel swallowed and looked around the room. There was nothing she could do to change her tail a different color so she ruffled the fur on her tail a bit so it melted together and didn't look like a different color. She growled to herself as she leaned her head back against the wall. She didn't want to have to worry about her disguise coming off, she had enough to worry about is it was.
The squirrel closed her eyes sadly and her thoughts switched from her horrible predicament to Martin and his words. What in the world did he mean? How could she seek answers in a lie when she didn't even know what a lie was? And what did he mean to use her heart? The frustration grew and she decided that she'd ask Crim in the morning but until then, she would sleep and pray that an answer to all her problems would arise.
The night faded on, the abbey sleeping peaceful while the vermin planned their take over. Ebonia slept on the window sill throughout the storm, knowing that all her questions would be answered the next night.