And another chapter. In the spur of the moment, I am actually taking the story in ever so slightly a different direction than planned, but it looks like everything will still turn out fine, so...:) It did drag things on longer for another chapter still, but next chapter, I promise, will have some well-deserved action. ;)

Chapter 55

It was actually Mathoni's idea, brought up suddenly, in the spur of the moment.

Kani didn't like the idea.

But everyone else did, so he was outvoted.

Besides, it was, admittedly, the best idea they had. When they arrived at the site of the sanctuary, a structure that was built directly into the side of a cliff, and looked it over from where they were still hidden in the surrounding woodlands and a smattering of large boulders with a path running between them leading up to the building itself, acting like a gate, they saw that the sanctuary had all the advantages of the battle that would happen on the side of the followers. They needed an edge.

So, Mathoni presented his idea.

Kani objected.

But everyone else voiced their support for the idea, so they decided to go for it.

So the Redwallers watched from their hiding spot as the Quorum of Warriors, acting like they were returning victorious from a long battle, there to accept a warm welcome from the followers and resume life with them like before and not to cause trouble, marched up to the sanctuary in formation. They were playing their part well, acting like they were looking forward to returning to the peaceful life of a Follower of Gemini.

Mathoni forced a grin as he and the others watched from behind the boulder. "Here's 'opin' mates." he remarked aloud.

"Don't worry, Mathoni, your idea is a good one." Charles assured the otter. "It will work."

"Kani really protested it, though." Mathoni pointed out, nibbling nervously on one claw.

"Yes, well, that's because it affected him the most." Charles reasoned. "Really, he was the only creature who could do it, having the skill, and the such. Besides, he's a fox, just like one of our captured teachers happened to be."

He glanced back at the captured teacher in question where he sat with the other captured followers, bound, gagged (because he wouldn't shut up), and stripped of his robes and staff, leaving nothing on the perturbed fox but his undergarments. It probably insulted the fox teacher to no end, but nobody really cared about that. Besides, they needed the teacher's garments...


...because now Kani was wearing them.

While still wearing his usual clothes and the sword of Martin under it, Kani had reluctantly donned the fox teacher's robes, with the plan of impersonating the teacher long enough to get himself and the Quorum of Warriors into the sanctuary and begin the attack from within. He also carried the teacher's sapphire-topped staff, and using a mixture of ash and charcoal, had the fox teacher's tattoos drawn upon his forehead and right cheek, and were exact replicas of the real tattoos. Unless someone looked too closely, it would be hard to tell Kani apart from the real fox teacher.

The plan hinged on this. Melody had commented that it would seem suspicious if the Quorum of Warriors returned without the teacher that had gone with them, the late weasel teacher. Questions would be asked of them. Under normal circumstances, it would have been mere inconvenience, and wouldn't likely had ended with any serious problems for anyone, but Melody was quick to a point out this wasn't normal circumstances. Lies would have to be told to explain away the weasel teacher's absence, and Melody wasn't confident that the word of the Quorum of Warriors would be fully trusted. It would make everything go much smoother if a teacher could back up their word.

And as they didn't have a true teacher of Gemini on their side, Kani was selected to play the role of one.

And he didn't like it.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Kani whispered to the otter commander as he and she led the quorum into the sanctuary.

"Shh, just agree to everything I say, and be very...proper...about it." Melody advised back.

Together, they lead the way through the main doors of the building, having been opened for their entrance. Their arrival was apparently awaited, as they were more or less welcomed by a group of followers. Three of them looked like teachers, but lacked the trademark staves, and tattoo on their cheek. The Quorum of Warriors filtered in, then stopped before them, and bowed. Kani started to follow their example, but as she bowed down, Melody tugged on the back of Kani's robe to signal not to, so Kani quickly straightened again, thankfully having not gotten far enough in the bow for their greeters to notice. The first three of the group bowed their heads in response, and the quorum arose again.

"Welcome, Quorum of Warriors." one of the three announced politely, then addressed the otter commander. "I trust your mission was a success, commander?"

"A complete success, hallowed priest." Melody replied sternly. "Redwall Abbey is no more."

Inwardly, Kani cringed. Even though he knew it wasn't true, the idea of a place of peace and happiness such as Redwall Abbey being wiped out made his heart grieve.

"I see that the teacher who went with you is no longer here." another one of the three, which Kani was starting to realize were priests, remarked, looking curiously around at the group. "Did he not return with you?"

At this, Melody hung her head, and actually looked grieved. "I am afraid not, hallowed priest." she replied. "The Redwallers proved to be stronger than anticipated, and many lives were lost, as you no doubt can see. The teacher's was among them. Unfortunately, we were not able to return with his body."

This news caused a stir among those than had gathered to greet the returning warriors.

"That cannot be." the third priest remarked. "Only Gemini will decide when and where one of his teachers will die. Surely you are mistaken, commander."

"With all due respect, hallowed priest, there can be no mistake." Melody patiently replied. "I saw his body myself. He had been brutally killed in a surprise attack, as I had explained to the teacher here."

She motioned to Kani. All eyes fell upon the fox.

"Can you confirm this, teacher?" one of the priests asked.

Kani nodded. "I can." he said. "I have listened to the commander's tale, and can find no fault with it. I can only assume that the teacher was not as faithful as we had all been led to believe, and was punished for it. Further meditating and discoursing with holy Gemini will be required before the true answer is given, and we know for certain."

If any of the priests found something about Kani suspicious, they didn't show it, and seemed to accept Kani's explanation.

"Teacher, were you not out with some fellow brethren in search of the missing Silverpaw?" one priest inquired suddenly.

Anticipating this question, Kani nodded again. "Indeed I was, priest." he replied. "We were still searching, having found no trace of her when our paths managed to cross with that of the Quorum of Warriors, thanks to Gemini's guidance. The commander explained to me the situation, and I chose to return with them to the sanctuary to sort out the matter of their return. My fellow brethren are still outside searching, under the guidance of a teacher, and will remain doing so, Gemini permitting, until dusk, or they uncover something to report."

The priests all bowed their heads in understanding, not doubting Kani's word at all, it seemed. "Very well, teacher." one said. "We understand your purposes."

"Hallowed priests," Melody began, addressing the three priests suddenly, "if I may request that I and my warriors be excused at this time. We have fought long and hard for many days in the name of Gemini, and have had a long march to return. We are tired, and require rest and victuals."

"Of course." a priest remarked as they all bowed their heads once again in understanding. The three motioned to the others that were present, Kani realizing for the first time that they seemed to be helpers of some sort. "The Quorum of Servants will help disarm you and your warriors, remove your armor, and see to it that you are properly cleaned and rested. Afterwards, there shall be a glorious feast, held in Gemini's holy name, to celebrate your victory."

Melody, however, motioned with one paw for them to wait a moment. "With all due respect, hallowed priest, I wish to ask for your permission for my warriors to retire to their quarters first, and to privately give thanks to Gemini."

The three priests gave her curious looks. "This is rather irregular, commander." one remarked, firmly, but politely. "What is your reasoning for this?"

"As I have already stated, hallowed priest, the Redwallers proved to be a greater threat than anticipated, and fighting and defeating them was a noble, but demanding work. I will be the first to admit that our faith was questioned by us during the conflict. But it was foolish of us to think as such, for hallowed Gemini looked favorably upon us, and blessed us with victory, as he always does with the truly righteous. Therefore, spiritually inclined as we are, we wish to go and give our thanks to Gemini properly, now while we have the chance. Presuming that you will permit us to do this, hallowed priest."

The priests looked amongst themselves for a moment, as if silently conversing about the matter, but they didn't seem to find any problems with that. They nodded, and motioned with their paws for the Quorum of Servants to depart.

"Very well." one of them remarked. "We will grant you this request, commander, and allow your warriors to give their thanks to Gemini...assuming that you will report your success to Gemini first, commander. In the meantime, we will make preparations for the feast, as well as the necessary sacrifices of victuals for Gemini, to be given after your report."

Melody and her troops respectfully bowed. "My thanks, hallowed priests." she said. "We will do as you request. The teacher and I shall now depart to report to Gemini."

The priests then departed to carry out their chores, considering the discussion over. Melody promptly spun about on her footpaws, and with her claws gave a single signal to her warriors. They then departed, to carry out Melody's silent orders. The otter commander then turned back, and started off, heading deeper into the sanctuary. Kani, remembering what they had promised the priests, hurried to follow.

"Good work, Kani." Melody whispered to the fox once he had caught up with her. "You had me even fooled."

Kani managed a weak grin. "Thank you." he replied. "Now, where are we off to now?"

"To the catacombs." Melody replied. "There, we will meet with Gemini."

Kani blinked. "Gemini?" he repeated. "Really?"

"Yes."

"But I thought we had agreed that Gemini didn't exist."

"Not as a deity, no. But there is something down in those tunnels that claims to be Gemini. It is him that we will speak to."

"Oh." Kani felt his stomach sink. "Plagues and pestilence. This should be...to say the least...interesting."


What had seemed like days of torture for Alexander had only been a half-hour of frustration for the mouse teacher.

"Answer me, Alexander." the mouse teacher remarked, not for the first time, as he paced back and forth beside Alexander's limp body. "Do you believe in Gemini?"

Alexander wasn't in much of a condition to respond. He was barely conscious, the drug he had been forced to partake working quite effectively on the squirrel's bodily systems. Shivering violently, the youth had curled his bushy tail around him to try and conserve body heat, even though that heat was already very high. Even in this state, though, Alexander was speaking, although it was not in response to the teacher's question.

"Who?" he asked again and again in a harsh whisper. "Who? Who's coming? Martin, who is coming? Martin...Martin...who..."

He continued on like that. The mouse teacher narrowed his eyes slightly, but strove to keep his temper in check.

The other teacher who had been present to help oversee this process stood one side, and seemed disinterested.

"I do not think he is listening to you anymore." he remarked.

"No." the mouse teacher reluctantly agreed, peering down at Alexander. "I do not believe he is."

"Maybe we gave him too much?"

"Impossible. We always start small. Had I gone any smaller, and the drink would not have worked properly."

"Well, it is not working properly."

"I can see that."

A moment of silence fell, broken only by Alexander's mumbling.

"Perhaps it is a sign." the other teacher remarked. "From Gemini."

The mouse teacher grew annoyed at this idea. "If it is, I am failing to understand it."

"Martin..." Alexander mumbled breathlessly onward, looking as if he was dozing off now. "Martin...Martin....Mar...Ma...Mathoni...Mathoni...Ma...Mmm...Mel...Melody..."

"What is he going on about, anyway?" the other teacher asked.

"Charles...Father..." Alexander inhaled sharply suddenly, "...Kani."

The youth then fell silent, and simply dozed off. The two teachers studied him for a few moments.

"Perhaps there is nothing more we can do." the other teacher remarked. "Shall we proclaim him forever unrepentant and...?"

"No." The mouse teacher stated quickly. "No, I have not lost hope yet." he looked down at Alexander. "I believe there is still hope for him. We simply need to...to try something else." he sighed, then straightened, retrieved his staff from where he had set it aside, and headed for the door. "I will inquire Gemini about the matter. In the meantime, see to it that he is taken care of for now."

"Yes, brother." the other teacher replied, and bent down to heft Alexander's limp form and heaved him into the room's bed.

The mouse teacher did not stay to watch. He promptly exited the dormitory and headed on down the hall, a set destination in mind. As he headed down the stairs leading into the entry way, he crossed paths with a passing otter teacher.

"Brother teacher," the otter greeted as the two passed. "Just so you are aware, we have managed to locate and capture more than two-thirds of the wicked creatures hiding in the sanctuary. The rest are still eluding capture, but we will have them soon enough."

"Understood." the mouse teacher replied, somewhat distracted.

"You also might like to now that the Quorum of Warriors have returned at long last." the otter teacher continued. "They were successful in their conquest. Their commander and a teacher have gone to report the success to Gemini."

"Very good." the mouse teacher remarked, parting ways with the otter teacher. "We will cross paths then, as I am heading to meet with Gemini myself, right now."


Whatever Kani had envisioned about the catacombs, what he saw wasn't quite what he had expected. The catacombs proved to be a large and complex maze of interweaving tunnels, studded so much with blue sapphires, that they were almost lined with them. Further adding to the blueness was the fact that the tunnel was lit with torches casting off blue flames. The feeling of unease grew within Kani, and he wondered how it was possible that Gemini hadn't been considered a bad entity before now.

It didn't help any that he was about to meet what was claimed to be Gemini, whoever and whatever that was.

Melody seemed less nervous, having wandered down into the catacombs several times in the past. As being a mere commander of the Quorum of Warriors, she usually only got to pay a visit to Gemini's chamber, and wasn't really allowed anywhere else, but she knew her way around these tunnels well, and was not lost, whereas Kani was after awhile. Kani admired her both for that, and the fact that she seemed to be staying calm.

The latter of this was proven wrong however, when, upon reaching an intersection of sorts in the tunnels, Melody suddenly stopped, and hesitated. Sensing her unease, Kani glanced at her.

"There something wrong?" he asked.

"Gemini is just around this corner, at the end of the tunnel to our right." Melody explained, pointing with one claw. She drew in a deep breath, and let it out with a whoosh. "I am not sure if I can handle seeing him at this time."

"Why?" Kani asked. "You know that he can't really be what he claims to be, that he has no serious supernatural power over you."

"I know, and I believe that, but still..." Melody sighed, "a part of me still says that I shouldn't be doing this. I think it's the inner follower in me speaking, but still...."

Kani made no immediate comment, and instead stopped to think.

"Kani, suppose for a moment that we are all wrong about Gemini." Melody said suddenly. "I don't know how that could be true, but suppose for a moment that it might. What do we do then?"

Kani thought hard for an adequate answer. "I suppose we'll find out in a moment." was the best he could give.

It seemed to work for Melody, for she gained enough courage to turn the corner, and lead the way down the following tunnel. Kani traveled behind her. The tunnel didn't go far before it opened up into a small, circular room. Like the rest of the catacombs, it too, was lined with sapphires and lit with torches of blue fire, but what grabbed Kani's attention the fastest was what was probably the biggest sapphire he had ever seen, embedded in the chamber's far wall. Kani stared at it, and resisted the urge to move closer to it to examine it closer, somehow sensing that now was not the time for that.

They stepped into the center of the room, then stopped. Melody dropped to her knees in a bow before the massive jewel, lowering her head. Kani followed her example, doing likewise. A moment of silence followed, then Kani realized that a new blue light had started to glow, and rapidly grew to a brightness that it outshone the other light sources of the room. Kani cautiously and indiscreetly glanced up, and realized that the massive sapphire had started producing the brilliant glow from within itself.

A moment of silence then followed, but it was not a long one.

"Arise," Gemini spoke in a commanding voice, "and speak, my loyal followers."