Disclaimer: You know the usual, I don't own Redwall
Claimer: Crim, Ebonia etc. belong to me
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Two As One: Chapter 12
The abbey was deathly silent as the moon rose in the sky. All that could be heard was the light tap, tap, tap of a creature's paw striking the stones over and over again. Kenyo the warrior strolled down the walkways of the Abbey, his head lowered in thought and his paws held behind his back. Something was nagging him and he felt as if he needed to be up and about. As he walked down The Great Hall, he glanced over at the tapestry of Martin and looked to where the piece of the sacred cloth was missing. The mouse warrior slowly ambled over to it and placed his warm paw on the cold stone where the other part of fabric should be. A sad smile came across his face and he stood there quietly, his eyes just gazing up at the great tapestry.
"RRREEEDDDWW!!!" Kenyo whirled around as the sound bounced off of the walls of the Abbey and rang in his ears. With a start, the warrior pulled out the grand sword of Martin and started to walk towards the doors that lead to the Abbey lawn.
"By the claw, what was that?" He asked to himself and stretched out his paw to open the door. All of a sudden his warrior intuition kicked in and he jumped back just as the Abbey door flew open, striking the wall with a thud and revealing the faces of ten hideous vermin. The warrior stood in shock for a moment as he stared at the vermin and the vermin gaped in surprise as they saw the single warrior in front of them. Kenyo, though was the first to regain his senses and as he lashed out at the first vermin he bellowed out in a huge voice.
"VERMIN IN THE ABBEY!! SOUND THE JOSEPH BELL!" As he shouted a weasel stepped forth and swung a cutlass down at the mouse's left flank. Kenyo wielded Martin's blade expertly and parried the blow, driving the weasel back towards the open doors where the other foe were crowding to get inside. While the warrior and weasel were engaged in their combat, the other vermin shoved past and ran in with weapons drawn.
The Joseph bell sounded across the Abbey as one of the otters pulled hard on the rope, almost lifting him in the air with the force of the pull. The moment the bell rang the Abbey beasts woke up and grabbed the nearest thing that they could use for protection.
SilverStreak and Jenkins came running down from the stairs and met the vermin head on, a sling, rapier and javelin being their only weapons. Jenkins pulled out his sling and tossed it over to his sister with a grim smile.
"Never a dull day eh mate?" He asked and swung his rapier at a rat that was heading towards the stairs. SilverStreak ducked from a thrown spear and whirled the sling in her paw. A ferret dashed towards her with a sword raised by she released the stone and it clacked off of the ferret's helmet, forcing him to collapse in a senseless heap on the ground.
"Guess not mate! Where the heck is Skip?! He's missing all the fun!" Jenkins shook his head and winced as a stone struck him across the arm.
"Don't know mate but he better get his flippen rudder down here soon!" With that the two otters leapt into battle against the vermin.
Skipper dashed up the stairs from the cellars, his sling shot fully loaded in his paws. A cool breeze flew past him as he ran, ruffling his brown, red and green fur comically. The otter almost groaned and muttered to himself as he darted towards the Great Hall.
"Sure, going into battle against vermin and I have to be all these colors. Probably make em all laugh to death." His rudder swung to and fro and as he ran into the hall way, he spun and struck a rat in the back which sent the vermin flying into a nearby wall. Skipper chuckled and made his way over towards Kenyo who was bogged down by a weasel and two ferrets. "Looks like you could use some help mate!" Skipper yelled and released a stone at one of the ferrets. The vermin dived to the ground and grabbed a spear, growling at the otter. Kenyo grunted as he swung the sword in a sideways slash towards the weasel's right flank.
"Much obliged, friend!" He managed to rasp out before he was forced to turn all his attention to the battle at paw. Skipper reached inside his black vest for his pouch of stones and tossed a rather large one into his sling. As he looked up to fire, fifteen more vermin suddenly filed into the entrance which forced him and Kenyo to back up.
"Where are they all coming from?" The otter growled and started to whirl the sling. Four vermin ran towards the otter to bring him down. Suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks with their mouths hanging wide open. Skipper raised an eye then realized they were staring at his strange fur. The otter rolled his eyes and he growled heatedly. "Alright, go on laugh it up!" But the vermin did exactly the opposite. The four that were going to attack him suddenly dropped their weapons and went running down the hall.
"Ahhhhh!!! Demon otter!!!" They screamed at the top of their lungs in fear. Skipper blinked several times before snickering and picking up a fallen spear. With an evil grin on his face he hefted the weapon and went running after the vermin, yelling.
"Fear me for I am the demon otter! Muahaha!"
With a cry the vermin raced past their fellow horde members and ran towards the open door. Kenyo was just about to cut down a vermin when he saw the four run out of the Abbey screaming.
"What in the name of claw?" He muttered then turned back to the battle at hand. Skipper went running after the vermin until they were out of the Abbey. He watched them go then strolled back in, snickering the whole way.
Stelumos stood on the abbey lawn watching as his vermin invaded the Abbey. Everything seemed to be going well, that was, until four of his troops came darting out as if a pike were biting at their heels. The mink growled and stepped in their path, 'Doomsfate leaving the sheath at the same time and swinging threateningly in the air.
"Where do you think you scum are goin?"
"Sire there be a demon otter in der, he's green and red and and-"
"There ain't no such things as demon otters now get yer scurvy tails back in there afore I cut em off!" Stelumos yelled and raised the sword above their heads. The vermin gave off a shriek and dashed back towards the Abbey, more afraid to face their leader then a 'demon otter'. Stelumos rolled his eyes irritably and looked at his next batch of vermin who would charge in. "Incompetent fools. Alright! Ya next lot! Get yer tails in gear and attack that Abbey! Go! Go!"
The group of vermin marched at a fast pace into the abbey without a word. To them, facing the abbey members was less dangerous then being a victim of their leader. Stelumos snarled as the vermin dashed into the abbey. His plan was going fine but there was still the matter of the badger Ebonia had spoken about. It was going to be hard to over come such a strong beast without killing her.
"Wraith!" He shouted. The ferret crept towards his leader and nodded his head quickly.
"What is it me lawd?"
"You have what we need to stop the badger right?" Wraith grinned mischievously and pulled out a hollow reed which was just right for shooting darts.
"Aye me lawd, shall I deal wit the stripe dog now?"
"Yeah, get on wit it." Stelumos replied with a snarl. The ferret bowed to his leader and stuffed a dart within the reed before running behind the vermin going towards the abbey.
Kenyo grunted as he was dealt a sharp blow to the side. The vermin were starting to pour in and there was no way that even he could guard the front doors without being killed in the process. His paw held onto his side where blood trickled out and stained the tunic he wore. The odds were turning horribly against the abbey and on top of it, he was wearing out from trying to fight off so many at once. Before he could so much as raise Martin's sword again, ten vermin surrounded him with spears in their paws that were pointed towards his neck. The mouse growled in anger but still fought on, he wouldn't allow the abbey to fall.
SilverStreak and Jenkins were hard pressed also. The two otters had been maneuvered to a corner of the room, their slings still whirling dangerously through the air.
"This isn't working mate" SilverStreak hissed as she was forced to throw herself to the ground from a soaring javelin. A low growl issued from Jenkins throat as he was shoved against the wall by a weasel and rat holding a spear shaft horizontally. The shaft struck against his neck and pinned him to the wall while other vermin ran forward to disarm his paws from his sling and javelin. SilverStreak rose to help her brother but didn't get very far as she felt a noose suddenly tightened around her neck and yanked backwards. The otter maid went down to one knee and saw Skipper hit the ground just before a spear butt came crashing to the back of her head and darkness filled her senses.
Kenyo was finally brought down with a slash to the legs and a hefty blow to the back of the head. He dropped to his knees and was shoved to the ground by the cruel kick of a weasel's footpaw. As he fell he saw more vermin running in and heading towards the stairway and dormitories. A burning anger filled his heart and although he was restrained from fighting, he still shouted with all his might, hoping to at least alert the other members in the dormitories.
"Skipper! Jenkins! SilverStreak! They're going for the stairs!!" Little did he know that the three otters had already fallen under the mass numbers that seemed to fill the abbey more and more. Kenyo peered through the legs of the vermin and saw the three otters lying unconscious on the ground. A lump of anger and fear for the abbey that he was suppose to protect arose in his throat, threatening to choke him. With a new found strength, his paws scratched across the ground and gripped the sword of Martin again. If he was going to go down, he was going to bring the other vermin with him. With a cry, he shoved off of the ground and swung the weapon at any vermin in view, knowing that although his heart would last long, his body wouldn't.
The loud cry of the warrior mouse reverberated up the stair well and woke the creatures in the dormitories. Before a word of calm could be issued the dormitories went up into an uproar of fear. Mice, moles, squirrels all sorts jumped out of their beds and grabbed the nearest thing that they could use as weapon though their paws trembled so much it wouldn't do much good to try and use them. The good beasts that had been trained in such situations grabbed anything sharp and moved to the door to protect the others.
Right next to the room Renla came bounding out, a growl rising in the great badger's throat and her eyes shining an unholy red. How had she not noticed the slimy vermin entering the abbey? She asked herself furiously How had they gotten in without the guards sending up an alarm?
She growled angrily but her thoughts were disrupted as the first flea bitten vermin made it to the top of the stairs. A stoat looked up at the badger before him, his mouth dropped wide in shock at the great beast. The javelin in his paws trembled but he never the less shoved forward to try and skewer the creature. With a fast swipe of Renla's paw though, the stoat fall backwards to the ground, never to rise again. The rat behind him gulped and hurled a spear at the badger but again all she did was catch it in mid air and fling it back. With a shriek, the rat dived to the ground, allowing a weasel behind him to be skewered by the deadly shaft. Renla dropped to four paws, growling venomously at the hideous creatures before her.
"If you want to live, you'll leave this Abbey now!" As she shouted she barreled forward knocking vermin left and right with her head and her paws. It was an awesome sight that would make any badger lord proud. Wraith dashed up the stairs and pressed his body to the wall just as another ferret went tumbling backwards down the stairs. He cringed as he heard the other hit the ground with a sickening thud then moved closer up towards the dormitories. The badger was coming fast, much faster then the sly ferret could have imagined. Another rat struck the wall beside and just as the badger almost set upon Wraith himself, he put the reed to his lips and blew out a long dart. The shaft flew and struck Renla in the side her neck, making her growl in fury. She continued to charge but three more darts followed the first and strangely enough the badger slowed and swayed wearily on her footpaws.
A cowardly fox jumped and hid behind the ferret as he shot another dart at the badger's flank. Renla growled and walked slower and slower until her footpaws dragged across the slain vermin strewn around the floor. She stopped an inch from Wraith's nose before releasing a breath and collapsing to the ground in a daze. The ferret snickered and looked over the quietly sleeping badger, his darts had worked like a charm.
The fox behind him gulped and picked up a spear to finish the badger off, but Wraith shoved him hard against the wall and growled.
"Ya fool! He don't want da badger dead nor da others! He needs them now get yer troops and get them beasts out o them dormitories! With the badger subdued ya got nothing to stop ya! Now move!" The fox trembled under the ferret's grasp, he was obviously scared of the other vermin. Wraith snarled at him and shoved him harshly towards the room. "Idiots, the whole lot o em." He growled.
With a rolling of his eyes, the ferret raced back down the stairs to find several more abbey members being over taken by his fellow vermin. Other otters that had followed Skipper were being pushed back by the vermin. Several of the foe beasts had fallen to the brave otters but there were to many for them to handle. Foremole and his moles were already brought down by the other vermin and the only creatures that still seemed to be fighting were the mouse warrior and one of the otters who was protecting the Abbot.
Wraith chuckled quietly as he looked at the abbey beasts. It only appeared that a couple had been slain by his fellow vermin but they just couldn't seem to bring the warrior mouse down. The ferret shook his head and placed another dart within his reed. Though Kenyo kept moving around like a mad beast with his sword, he would still make an easy target for the tracker ferret. Wraith placed the reed in his mouth again and as Kenyo turned to deliver another fox to the dark forest, he blew the dart and struck the warrior on the side of the neck. Kenyo gasped and stumbled as he felt the herbs on the dart flow through his body. The paws that gripped his sword began to weaken and his eyes slowly closed with exhaustion. All the vermin had to do was swing the flat of a blade at the warrior's head and the battle was finished.
Wraith snorted then turned his attention to the vermin that subdued the otter protecting the abbot. They surrounded the two creatures and before much longer the abbot was taken captive. The ferret chuckled and walked through the Great Hall, his eyes looking over the strong walls that would soon become a fortress of power. The Abbey was theirs.
Ebonia darted through the main gates of the Abbey and raced towards where Stelumos stood with a delighted grin on his face. The squirrel's heart skipped a beat knowing that the abbey had fallen to the vermin. Tears of anger sprang to her eyes unbidden but she dismissed them quickly and moved to the mink, her paws still holding on tightly to the tails. She had to fool him, make him think the others were dead, if she didn't he'd have her head as well as the others.
Stelumos smiled for once as Wraith strolled up to him and relayed the events. The mink couldn't be happier, the Abbey was his fortress and the dwellers were his slaves. His name would go down in history as the only warlord to capture Redwall Abbey and actually keep a hold on it.
The mink was about to laugh with glee when, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the squirrel running up behind him. His paw went to his sword, just in case she had any intentions of betraying him but when he saw the tails, he relaxed. With a wicked smile he turned to face the young black squirrel, the one responsible for Redwall's fall.
"Well well, she's returned. I take it ya did me biddin fer once?" He asked and nodded to the tails in her paw. The black squirrel growled quietly as she held the tails high in the air and replied in a tight voice.
"Aye my lord," Stelumos smirked and began to stalk around her, his maroon eyes shining darkly. His tail brushed past her body as he walked in circles as if observing her. Beads of sweat began to drip from Ebonia's fur as he moved closer and closer to her. The squirrel maiden's paw shifted towards her faithful dagger slowly, afraid that he might attack but instead Stelumos gave her a hearty pat on the back and laugh.
"Har har har, never thought ya had it in ya! Ha! I knew ya'd pull through my little spy, my warrior!" As he laughed the mink threw a paw around Ebonia's shoulders and led her towards the Abbey. Her heart practically shattered as they moved, she knew the abbey beasts would see her and know what she had done. The thought of it pained her even more then a dagger to the heart.
The mink and squirrel walked within the Great Hall and Ebonia immediately put her paws to her mouth in shock as she saw the abbey beasts herded together like a pack of slaves. Her eyes strayed to Renla in the corner. The badger was chained and shackled so much that she could barely make any movements.
The squirrel looked around some more and bit her lip at the sight. The creatures that she had known huddled close to one another, their paws bound or chained together. They whispered quietly to one another, trying to keep each others hopes up. Ebonia shook her head sadly and her eyes roved around until she found Skipper with Jenkins and SilverStreak over on one side of the room. All three were still unconscious but they weren't too badly hurt, well, not as bad as they could of been. Next she saw Kenyo on the ground, wounded rather badly and displaying no movements. She could still tell he was alive by his steady breathing but just seeing him lying helplessly on the ground made her want to cry.
The last creature her eyes met with was the very beast she didn't want to see this happen to; Abbot Welkum. The old otter sat against a wall with a few of the little dibbuns huddled up next to him. They whimpered in fearful voices, and despite his situation, the old Abbot placed his paws around their shoulders and spoke quietly to reassure them. Ebonia's face burned with shame as she saw him and the dibbuns together. What have I done? What have I done? She asked herself over and over again. Stelumos gripped her arms tightly and led her over to where Welkum sat. The otter kept his head lowered to the vermin as he spoke with the dibbuns but when he saw the footpaws of a squirrel, he looked up and furrowed his brow as he recognized the familiar eyes.
"Ivy?" He asked which only made Stelumos chortle wickedly.
"Ivy? Haha so that's what ya went by eh? Sorry, but this little missy here is called Ebonia but I guess ya know her as Ivy." The Abbot peered up at the squirrel and released a shuttered sigh.
"I see that Kenyo was right." Was all he said and turned his face away. Ebonia stared down at him, her heart breaking into a million pieces at once. Stelumos couldn't help but smile evilly, he was enjoying making the squirrel live through his mental torture. Just to make it worse he grabbed Ebonia's paw, the same paw that held the tails and lifted it in the air.
"Hehe, she did a good job foolin ya, even finished off a couple o yer young beasts. Got a red squirrel, an otter maid and a hare." As he waved Ebonia's paw in the air every single eye turned to stare at her in shock and fury. A male otter that was bound next to Jenkins yelled in hate at the squirrel as he tried to rise.
"You double crossin murderer! Why would ya do it to them?! All three were kind to ya! They became yer friends! How could you-" His rants were silenced as a rat swung a sword to his throat and held it there. The otter looked down at it then slowly kneeled back to the ground, his eyes burning with anger. Ebonia looked over at him than down at Abbot Welkum as the otter shut his eyes tight as if he were in excruciating pain.
That had done it for Ebonia. With a growl she pulled away from Stelumos and ran past the Redwallers and vermin. Her eyes threatened to release the tears that were building up behind the fury and as she ran she felt a warm liquid trickle down her cheeks. The mink watched her leave and shook his head with amusement.
"Foolish creature, she did good though." Welkum looked up again as Stelumos spoke but he still said nothing, all he did was go back to talking with the dibbuns. The mink smirked and walked past the captured beasts.
"Wraith! Come here." The ferret was at Stelumos' side in a trice.
"Aye? What is it me lawd?"
"Send one o the troops out to get Hensfloral, Deathfang and the slaves. Might as well have them all together. We'll have more slaves to build up me new fortress!" Wraith snickered quietly and bowed to Stelumos in an elegant fashion.
"As ya wish me lawd! Luma!" A red vixen stepped out from the vermin horde silently. She was a bit larger then Bemal but more agile then the old vixen could ever be. The younger vixen's eyes flashed as she tapped a whip at her side, which rested firmly next to a long curved cutlass. With a light bow to Stelumos, she turned on her heel and strolled out of the abbey to get the slaves.
The mink snickered and began to walk towards the doors to watch her go when his footpaw struck against something sharp on the ground. Stelumos looked down quickly and almost danced with glee as he saw a fabulous sword lying right at his footpaws. It was a keen blade and had a long blood channel that traced on down to a red pummel stone, a perfect sword for a warrior. The mink bent down and scooped up the sword in one paw, the blade flashing astoundingly as it was lifted from the ground. When he brought it to his face, the mink smiled in a conniving way as he looked at his devilish reflection in the cool steel.
As he admired himself in the blade, Kenyo stirred on the ground and looked up to find the sword of Martin in the horrid mink's paws. The warrior mouse shoved against the ground to stand but only managed to move about an inch before collapsing again in exhaustion. His eyes burned with fury as he realized what had happened. The abbey had been lost and now the sword was gone as well.
Ebonia dashed out of the Abbey, anger brimming her senses and sadness taking over her heart. How could she have done that to all of them? How could she have betrayed them? She put a paw to her face as she ran, an angered growl rising in her throat. As she moved though, she didn't even notice Bemal walking back through the gates until the young squirrel accidentally bashed right into her. Ebonia was completely thrown off balance from the impact and she tumbled to the snow with a light thump. Bemal grasped a fallen spear to keep herself from falling and looked down with rather surprised.
"Ebonia, are you alright?" The silvery vixen knelt beside the young squirrel as Ebonia pushed herself from the snow. Tears were still streaming down her eyes as she looked up to the vixen and whispered.
"I can't believe I did this, I'm…I'm evil I don't believe it…I…I have to set things right." The squirrel shoved herself to her footpaws but before she could get far Bemal grabbed her shoulders and embraced her.
"NO! No, you are not evil Ebonia, all…all things are done for a reason you remember me telling you that. Now just listen please, just listen to me. Stay here, the time will come when you'll understand, just please stay here, bide your time, everything will work out Ebonia, in the end it will work out I promise you." Ebonia shook in Bemal's grasp but her head nodded up and down as she spoke in a strained voice.
"I trust you Bemal, just please, don't leave me, I don't know what I'd do if you died, I have no one." The vixen slowly looked down at Ebonia and shook her head.
"Ebonia, a time will come when I will no longer be with you, that may be soon or in the far future, I do not know but when I do go, there will be another. You will know who it is young one, you will know." Vixen and squirrel stood next to one another quietly, Bemal trying to calm her young charge while Ebonia tried to decide what on earth she was going to do. Two vermin near the gates watched them and snickered to one another.
"Well ain't dat cute? Tah! Makes me wonder how dat squirrel was able to pull it off." A rat muttered quietly under her breath. The stoat beside her snorted and put his paws behind his head.
"She's Stelumos' pawn, he has her in da palm o his paw, all he has to do is threaten da vixen and da lives of others and she's his. Hehe, stupid squirrel, don't understand why she's so jumpy bout others getting killed." The rat shrugged her shoulders and toyed with her dagger as she looked across the land.
"Ahh, who knows. Hey, there goes Luma, now there's a true vixen, nothing like ol Bemal." The stoat grumbled as he watched the vixen run then turned his attention on Bemal.
"Bemal's a seer, all seer's are odd. Now shut yer yap and let me get some sleep." He muttered. The rat rolled her eyes and remained quiet once again as she watched the moon begin to lower in the sky, signaling that dawn was approaching.
Night slowly turned into day as the sun quietly rose into the rather dark sky. The snow that was held by the branches of the trees in Mossflower began to drip as the warm light shone upon it. A water drop from an overhanging tree hung limply on the branch then slowly dripped and landed right on Crim's snout. The red squirrel groaned quietly and turned over in the snow where he had laid unconscious all night. With a hiss of breath, his paw slowly moved up to his head where Stelumos had struck him. He could feel his fur matted with blood from the blow and as he remembered what had happened, his eyes snapped open in shock.
"No!! Sprypaw! Malya no! The Abbey!"
"Uhnnn, mate do ya have to yell so loud?" A muffled voice came behind him. Crim turned around quickly and watched as Malya slowly sat up out of the freezing snow. Her shoulders shuddered with a chill as she looked at Crim with a frightened expression on her face. "Wh…where are we, mate?"
"Malya?! You're alive!" Crim rolled onto his knees and clasped the otter's paws in his own, not quite believing that she was sitting there with him. The otter maiden raised an eye and pulled her paws back slightly, still a bit bewildered.
"O course I'm alive mate, what's gotten into you?"
"Stelumos must of knocked you out and-"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on a tic, Crim what are you talking about mate?"
"A mink got into the abbey with vermin and attacked you and Sprypaw, they must have knocked you out because you weren't moving when I saw you." Malya rubbed her head slowly, frowning at the same time.
"So…you mean vermin attacked the Abbey? How did they get in?" As she asked the question Crim's face contorted with a fury that made the otter maiden back up in fear.
"Ivy opened the main gates, or should I say Ebonia."
"Ivy?! But why would she-?"
"The poem Malya think! It said the one shrouded in darkness is the key to Redwall's fall. She's really black, her fur was dyed a different color though. She's a vermin Malya. She opened the gates and she let the vermin in. Her body is shrouded in darkness and so is her heart. I don't know what happened, I don't know why we're alive but…."
"Dash it! What in the flippen world happened?" Crim turned his head as Sprypaw aroused. The hare grumbled and he felt the bump on his head which only put him in a worse mood. Both Malya and Crim moved over beside the hare to make sure that he was alright. The young otter maiden opened a pouch at her side and began to apply herbs to Sprypaw's head to try and stop the swelling from getting any larger. The hare glanced at her then at Crim. "Er…what in the flippen world happened?" Crim sighed.
"Long story short, Ivy betrayed the Abbey and now we're stuck out here. I can only hope that the Redwallers were able to hold off those scum." Malya glanced at the squirrel as he growled and for a moment she thought she was looking at another beast. The maiden sighed and began to apply herbs to Crim's head next.
"Well there's only one way to find out mate, we have to go and look." Crim nodded slowly, which only made him wince.
"You're right, come on, let's get going then." Sprypaw stood up quickly and, despite the situation they were in he gave Crim a salute.
"Yes sah! Crim sah!" The squirrel rolled his eyes and leapt into the trees with an irritated sigh. Malya shoved Sprypaw as she walked past him, her bracelet still jingling on her wrist.
"Must you always make jokes mate? Now's not really the time." But Sprypaw merely waved a paw dismissively and followed behind Crim.
"There's always time to tell a jolly joke Malya me naggy ol water dog." Malya's ears shot up and she gave the hare a sharp smack on the bottom with her rudder.
"Call me a water dog again and I'll make sure you can't sit for a week." Sprypaw rubbed his rear end vigorously and nodded as he hobbled off after Crim.
"Erm…point well taken me gel hehe." Without a word Malya rolled her eyes and the three beasts disappeared into the trees.
Crim was the first to spot the Abbey from the trees. His eyes flashed and he prayed quietly that all the beasts were alright. With a burst of speed, the squirrel ran off leaving Malya and Sprypaw behind in the trees. He had gone but a few feet when his footpaws stumbled with shock at what he saw. A whole crowd of creatures in chains, many shrews, were being led into the Abbey by a red vixen. Crim's mouth dropped open and he ducked low in the tree so he wouldn't be spotted. NO! Please don't say it's true, please don't let the Abbey be taken he thought frantically to himself.
The young squirrel's eyes roved around the great walls and remained riveted to one particular spot. There upon the ramparts, where just nights ago he and Ebonia had been talking, stood several assorted vermin, each one brandishing a bow or javelin and spear. Crim's heart thumped in fear and fury and before he knew what he was doing he leapt to the ground and started to run towards the Abbey.
That's when he saw her, a black squirrel walking along the battlements. Crim froze where he was and watched as she spoke with a silvery vixen then leaned against the ramparts and looked to the sky as she had done before. Crim's fierceness began to rise and something almost seemed to snap. He was about to run at the walls, hoping to get up and over to the squirrel but before he could move, the mink that had struck him the night before walked over to the black one. Crim furrowed his brow and crouched down so he could watch, figuring the mink was going to congratulate Ebonia on a job well done.
But what he saw next surprised him even more. Stelumos lowered his paw out of sight and as he raised it again, a sword that he knew well rested in the mink's paw.
"Martin's sword? No, what about Kenyo?" He whispered to himself then watched in silence again. The mink waved the sword in front of the squirrel who seemed to growl and back up. Crim could just make out the fury on her face, the same fury that he felt in his heart. She moved to where the silvery vixen stood and appeared to argue with the mink but her arguments were silenced as Stelumos grabbed her paw and yanked her forward sharply. Crim's eyes narrowed and he could just make out the words from where he stood.
"Yer getting soft squirrel, you've been strange ever since ya came here." He heard Stelumos say. Ebonia yanked against the mink's paw but didn't get very far because of his strong grasp.
"So what if I have, what's that to you? You have your fortress now be happy about it and leave me be!" Crim jerked back at the words then looked over at the mink as he squeezed Ebonia's wrist harder, making the squirrel cringe in pain.
"Ya cheeky squirrel. I oughta kill yer little vixen friend there jus-"
"You can't! You swore that if I helped you you wouldn't harm her or the other slaves! You can't go back on your word!" At that point, Crim's mouth dropped open in shock. She was trying to save slaves? He thought to himself quietly. The red squirrel shook his head in disbelief and raised an ear to hear what would happen.
"Crim, what's jolly well going on?" The squirrel's attention was pulled away as Sprypaw and Malya came barreling through the trees towards him. Crim looked at them and heard a strange noise. As he glanced back up he saw Ebonia kneeling on the ramparts, holding the side of her head while Stelumos turned and stomped away. The sun squirrel sighed quietly and looked back at his friends.
"The Abbey's captured." Was all he had to say. The moment the words left Crim's mouth though, Malya's eyes began to water with fear.
"Cap…captured? Bu..but what about me papa and auntie? Wh..what about Abbot Welkum and Kenyo and and." As she spoke her voice rose higher and higher with hysterics which forced Sprypaw to take her in his arms to try and quiet her down.
"Me gel, take it easy, I'm sure they're jolly well alright, don't worry wot." He said quietly but his own eyes were brimming with tears as well. His home for so many seasons was gone, all because of vermin. Crim looked down from the trees at his two friends and slowly sat down.
"It looks like they have the whole GUOSIM with the slaves but I don't see Tellio nor Log a Log." Malya sniffled and looked up at him with watery eyes.
"You…you don't think they killed them do you mate?" Crim sighed. If the two weren't there then most likely they had been slain but something told him to speak differently.
"No, Log a Log's tough and I'm sure he's looking out for Tellio. Don't you worry Malya, I'm sure they're fine. Now, we have to figure out what to do next."
"What..what do you mean?" Malya asked as she wiped the tears from her soft eyes. Crim stared at the Abbey, his eyes narrowing in a strange way.
"Well it's obvious isn't it? We have to get the Abbey back and rescue our family and friends." Sprypaw and Malya looked at one another for a moment then back up at Crim with surprise.
"Er…mate how do you suggest we do that? We're only three beasts, we can't jolly well stop an army."
"No, but we can make one." Sprypaw's ears shot up in complete bafflement. Crim never was the type that wanted war, only peace. Now it was as if another beast was speaking through him.
"Crim…don't you think we're just a jolly bit young for this?" The sun squirrel flicked his tail about in the trees then slowly turned to face the hare.
"What about Martin? He was young wasn't he? And he freed Marshank from Badrang, so why can't we free Redwall from Stelumos? What's the difference?"
"Crim we aren't warriors, mate. We're just kids without the knowledge o war." Crim shook his head vigorously and leapt down from the trees.
"You're wrong Malya. What about all the stories our elders have told us about the battles that waged at Redwall. Like…like with Cluny and Matthias, or the battles with the Marlfoxes? What about Martin and Tsarmina? Think! There were children that fought to protect the Abbey and they won! We know what they did and how they won the battle, we can do the same!" The hare and otter maiden looked at one another then at Crim as he stood before them, his paws held out pleadingly towards the pair. Sprypaw frowned deeply and placed his paws on his hips.
"What's next in the bally poem?" Crim jerked back in surprise for he hadn't even thought of the scroll. He looked down to his belt and sighed in relief to see that the parchment was still there. With a light tug, he grasped the scroll in his paws and began to open it. As he unrolled it though, something dropped out and he stooped down to pick up the piece of tapestry that he had gotten along with his letter. He looked over the red squirrel then the black squirrel and snorted quietly.
"Well now it makes sense. The black one must be Ebonia then I'm the red one then the mink is Stelumos. Strange. Hmm, anyways let's see what this thing says. We already know that she's the one shrouded in darkness and that she betrays the Abbey so lets see." He read slowly through the scroll and pointed to one of the verses.
"You must find this lost one
And bring the lost one home
Redwall will be betrayed
And then you two must roam
Look for new protection
From across the sea
Defeat the sword of Doomsfate
And set Mossflower free"
Crim looked up from the scroll and sighed quietly. "Any ideas?" Malya bit her lip quietly and mulled over the poem in her head before answering.
"Well mate, it um…it sounds as if you and Ebonia, that's her name, right? It sounds like you two have to work together. I mean, I assume she's the lost one and it says you two must roam so maybe she's not as bad as she seems."
Crim stared at the otter for a moment and thought about what he had heard on the ramparts about Ebonia and the slaves. It confused him but he nodded then pointed to the second part.
"Then what could this mean? I mean, what in the world is Doomsfate and then there's the seek new protection. I just don't understand." Sprypaw looked at the poem also then suddenly snapped his claws together.
"Wait a dashed minute! Look for bally new protection means to jolly well get some beasts to help ya! Then it says from across the bloomin sea. Well, what mountain is near the jolly sea?" Crim and Malya thought for a moment then suddenly answered as one.
"Salamandastron!"
"Shh!!!" He replied quickly as several of the vermin glanced over towards their hiding place. He shoved his two friends to the ground then spoke. "Right. So we must jolly well get help from bally ol Salamandastron to help free the Abbey wot. We don't know what this dashed Doomsfate thing is but we bally well got most of it." Crim nodded immediately as he put his paws under his chest.
"Ok, good, now the question is, how do we get there?" At that point, Sprypaw's face paled slightly and he shook his head.
"I don't know chap, it's been jolly well to many seasons since I was there. We'll have to figure out something else." Crim sighed quietly as he stood up and stared at Ebonia. The black squirrel was leaning against the ramparts as the vixen put something on the side of her face. Crim shook his head and began to walk away from his two friends with a strange look on his face.
"Well, we'll have to figure something out, until then, let's find some place to hide so they can't find us." Malya and Sprypaw nodded instantly and followed behind, both of their hopes raised, though diminished at the same time because of the fate of the Abbey. The otter maiden glanced back at Redwall one last time before moving ahead with the other two and disappearing into Mossflower woods beside them.