CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

Not surprisingly, Sergeant Peppertail and his Long Patrol led the way out into the Western Plains, fanning out and ranging ahead of the Guosim in probing forays to scout out the lay of the land before them.

And there among the thick of the shrews, towering above them like a mobile island with his short but powerful legs pumping to carry him along with the surging Guosim, strode Lord Sodexo of the Southern Glades, wielding as his only weapon a sturdy ash stave twice the height of any of the creatures surrounding him.

"Still not sure why you saw fit t' come along," Log-a-Log panted to the badger as they jogged beside each other, the shrew with sprightly steps compared to Sodexo's lumbering momentum. "You ain't even from around these parts, and you've no direct quarrel with Urthblood ... "

"On the contrary, friend shrew, I am starting to think I have a quarrel on a number of levels with this beast who also calls himself Badger Lord. The way his forces treated me during my journey to Redwall was bad enough, but now he has violated the trust and sanctity of that very Abbey itself. The good folk there have shown me naught but the best of their hospitality over the seasons, and I cannot stand idly by after such an affront to them. The circumstances call for action - so act I will."

"Yah, then I reckon that puts you 'n' me in pretty much th' same boat. We Guosim ain't Abbeybeasts, strictly speakin', but near 'nuff so, since we winter there. S'pose you c'd say that makes us seasonal Redwallers, if naught else. But we're sworn allies, an' not about t' let this rat-theft go unanswered. The Abbess may be content t' let Lattie be snatched away, but she's got no say over what we Guosim do out in th' wider world, so after Lattie we'll go!"

"It is much the same with me," Sodexo concurred. "I am not a Redwaller myself, so the Abbess's decree does not bind me, but I am a friend and ally of Redwall also, and this transgression must be answered."

"Even so, ye've got a wife an' daughter back at the Abbey. You'd be fergiven fer not takin' this on yerself."

"And you've got a son back there too," Sodexo returned. "Yet I do not see you staying behind or shying from this challenge."

Log-a-Log grinned widely. "Guess beasts like you 'n' me, we get down t' what needs doin', simple as that. So, ye've naught fer arms 'cept that long stave?"

Sodexo hefted the thick staff. "It is the only weapon at which I am practiced. I am no warrior, but I can acquit myself well enough to defend myself - and to protect my companions."

"Well, ye'll get t' test yer skills right soon enuff, since these beasts we're goin' up 'gainst are trained 'n' battle-hardened warriors, an' some o' the toughest ye're like t' find anywheres. Squirrels at th' very least, an' mebbe shrews too, goin' by what our Sparra reported back to us."

Sodexo eyed the Long Patrol rushing to and fro across the Plains before them. "We've warriors of our own, and if what I've heard about these perilous beasts is true, we will be well-matched against any challenger we meet. But, why do they follow that pattern of back-and-forth dashes, rather than just ranging straight out ahead? Do they fear opening up too great a lead over us?"

"Aye, that's part o' the reason, I'm sure. But th' Long Patrol allers were a cautious bunch, an' they're makin' extra sure there's no ambushes or traps ahead, so's we don't blunder inta them."

"Traps?"

"Why, sure. When Urthblood sets 'is mind t' sumpthin', he's not a beast t' go halfway. Just 'cos all we saw at the Abbey was Matowick's gang o' six, who's t' say that badger didn't have other beasts o' his out here makin' other preparations, along the exact route he'd know his Gawtrybe would be takin' - an' any pursuers would be takin' too? Can't be too careful when dealin' with a creature like that."

"You sound almost as if you admire him."

"Well, there's a lot about 'im to admire, even after this underpawed fiasco. He tamed th' Northlands, made honest an' respectable beasts outta vermin, an' fought th' Searat King to the bargainin' table, where Urthblood laid down 'is own terms. But fer me, it's more pers'nal than any o' that. Dunno if you heard th' tale while at the Abbey, but two summers ago he rescued my son Pirkko, who'd been captured by slaver foxes an' passed on to the searats, who'd've kept him in chains from that day t' this, if he even survived. All this time I've considered Urthblood an ally an' a boon to all th' lands, but after the events o' this season ... " Log-a-Log shook his head doubtfully. "I dunno. I just dunno."

"It seems you will always owe this badger a debt for your son ... and yet you now march to potentially do battle with him."

"Not him," Log-a-Log sharply corrected. "His creatures. They might be followin' his orders, but there's still a diff'rence 'tween takin' them on, an' takin' on Urthblood 'imself. Even after all that's happened, I'd still think twice 'fore doin' that."

"A split of a fur strand, if you ask me." Sodexo gazed ahead. "It seems our Long Patrol friends have discovered something of concern, to judge by how they are congregating and conferring all of a sudden. Let us hope it is nothing too serious."

"Well, we're about t' find out, 'cos here they come now."

The six hares came loping back to rejoin their shrew and badger cohorts. "Got some trouble up ahead, chappies," Peppertail reported. "Those Northland shrewsnouts, a tiny little host of 'em, stretched out right across the path we need t' follow. Looks like they mean t' keep us gettin' by."

"How many, y' figger?"

"Most of the bally way to a score, Log-a-Thing. I'd say they've got your little troop here pretty evenly matched, shrew for shrew."

"But no other beasts - just shrews?" Sodexo probed.

"Just shrews. Which wouldn't be a blinkin' issue if it were just us hares goin' up against 'em - we'd be able t' duck an' bob an' weave our way right past 'em, an' nothing they'd be able t' do about it. But you slowpokes don't have that option, I'm afraid. When they see you comin', they'll move to block you, an' they're mobile enough t' do just that. Looks like there's naught for it but to go into 'em foursquare, an' batter our way through." Peppertail's gaze went to Sodexo. "An' I'd say we've got one 'mongst us who'd do a jolly smashing job of just that, wot?"

"Even if the Guosim and I could somehow join you in getting past them through speed rather than blows, they would doubtless pursue, harrying and engaging us from behind ... perhaps even unleash hails of slingstones to try to take some of us down. We'd not be able to outpace them entirely; they're more rested than we are, and likely could easily overtake us. I fear there will be bloodshed, on both sides, long before we've even caught up to the Gawtrybe."

"Only one thing for it then," declared the shrew chieftain. "If them chasin' us is gonna be an issue, we'll just stay behind an' keep 'em tied up while you speedsters race ahead to meet up with Alex an' Colonel Bunny. If there's one thing we Guosim oughta be able t' handle, it's other shrews! Knew there was a reason I wanted t' come along fer this run, an' now I know what it is!"

"This sounds like a logical plan," Sodexo granted. "I too will remain behind to engage the shrews and keep them from pursuing, if need be, although I would ideally prefer to press on in pursuit of the Gawtrybe. But the success of this mission takes priority over any individual desire."

"Well put, Lord," Log-a-Log said. "Let's forge on ahead, then, an' see how this whole thing shakes out!"

00000000000

Latura had never flown before.

With Klystra's formidable talons gripping either arm under the shoulder, the ratmaid dangled free beneath the falcon, her legs and tail waving and swaying in time to each beat of the mighty wings. Palter's swapped, threadbare tunic hung loosely upon her frame, although not as freely as most male rats' garments would, so close in size were the two rodents - a fact which had not escaped Matowick's notice, and had helped inspire this ruse.

Far from terrified, Latura found herself enraptured by the novel spectacle of the land rushing past beneath her, far below. The drop surely would have proven fatal, even against the soft spring meadows, but she could not think that way. While much of her future lay hidden to her, she knew she was in no danger now, as surely as she'd known her life would not end in Krayne's valley. More lay beyond this moment for her, and she doubted it not for one instant.

"Higher! Go higher!"

"We fly quite high enough," Klystra shot back at the limply-hanging, unresisting burden in his clutches. "Need is for distance now, not speed or height."

"Aw, ye're a wet birdrag!" Latura grabbed her tail and used it to tickle at the fuzzy feathers of Klystra's left leg. The falcon, straining with her weight over this extended flight and focused on settling into a diverting rhythm of wingbeats, was caught off guard by the unexpected gesture, and reflexively loosened his grip on Latura's left shoulder, which left her suspended and swinging by just one arm.

"Fweee!"

Klystra quickly recaptured her in both talons, tightening his grip as much through annoyance as for security. "You insane?!" he accused.

Latura winced at the claws digging into her. "Ow! Not so hard, ya big meanie! I'm Latura o' Redwall, an' I'm a real 'portant beast! Martymouse said so!"

Klystra sighed. "Wish were Altidore, not me. Eagle stronger than falcon, able to carry rat farther, easier." Sighting a slight hollow before them, he aimed for it, gliding down and flapping to a momentary hovering standstill to deposit Latura upon the ground before alighting alongside her. Panting from his exertions, he told her, "We stay here for now, down out of sight. Give Captain chance to do what he means to do."

"Ooo, pretty flowers!" Flexing her shoulders from the rigors of her involuntary flight, Latura started to wander off to investigate a patch of colorful blooms, but found herself swept flat on her back with one of Klystra's talons pinning her to the ground.

"No wander off," the falcon warned. "We stay here, wait for word from Gawtrybe, or take whatever action I decide if Matowick waylaid. You stay close. Still prisoner, don't forget."

"Blah blah blah," said Latura, clearly unimpressed by the stern bird's authority. "Can I at least have a snack? Gettin' powerful 'ungered here."

Klystra fished into a pocket of his shark leather vest with his sharp curved beak, producing a small ration packet of the sort he customarily carried with him, although such provisions were intended for allies, not prisoners. "Here go. Not delicacy, but sustaining."

As Latura nibbled at the bland fare, her expression showing her distaste after so many days of enjoying Redwall's finer offerings, another winged form spiralled down from the sky to join the falcon and his pinioned captive. The gulls above, not having been consulted as to Matowick's improvised tactic of obfuscation, had sent down one of their own to investigate.

"Why you fly out ahead of redtails with ratty?" the gull inquired. "Taking prize all way to Salamandastron? That big change of plans, creeagh!"

"Maybe to mountains, not to coast," Klystra replied, gazing toward the distant range, nearer now after his flight with Latura but still misty on the horizon. "Never clear peaks with such burden. Too dangerous to try. Maybe Altidor do it. Not me."

The gull squawked derisive laughter as he stared at Latura. "Crahaahaa! Fleabag guppy not heavy at all, by look at her! Mat of dried seaweed weigh more than fuzzy sardine here!"

"Nevertheless ... " Klystra appraised his fellow avian of Matowick's strategy of forcing Latura and Palter to switch clothes, and then having Klystra bear the female rat ahead in case the pursuing beasts hadn't realized two of the rodents had been abducted from the Abbey. Concluding, the falcon said, "Must stay with target, cannot assist Gawtrybe, that up to you now. Let all other gulls know. Squirrels counting on you now for all air support."

"Will get it. Have fun chicksitting minnow rat!"

Klystra gritted his beak. "Yah. Much fun."

The gull lifted into the sky once more to convey the falcon's message to the other seagulls, leaving Klystra and Latura to themselves. The ratmaid, having finished her unappealing hardtack during the two birds' conversation, gazed up at the winged creature still pinning her to the ground.

"Hey, feathers, what's for dessert?"

00000000000

"Sure wish Cap'n Choock was 'ere now," Sergeant Turkko muttered to himself as he stood tensed against the charging Mossflower beasts drawing near. "An' a fewscore more o' my fellow Northland shrews."

The line of defenders extended across the path the Guosim and Long Patrol and solitary badger would need to take in their pursuit of Matowick's squad. But that line was stretched thin, well past any hope of containing a breach in their formation. If the would-be rescuers hit the Northlanders in a solid wedge anywhere along that tenuous flank, all Turkko could hope to do was close around it from either end, rally as best he could and hope that would be enough to make their most inconvenient adversary think twice about pressing any offensive.

Actually, what Turkko had hoped was that this modest show of force by his shrews might forestall any engagement at all. However, staring now down the snouts of the forward-rushing opponents, and seeing the fire in their eyes, he knew they hardly meant to turn around and return to Redwall empty-pawed. This was going to get ugly.

"Hold fast!" he shouted to the shrews on either side of him. "Hold th' line, but be prepared t' move fast if ya gotta! Don't let any of 'em get through! Those hares're leadin' the charge, so be ready for 'em first! Aim fer their legs, try'n lame 'em - that'll take 'em outta this fight!"

No sooner had this enjoinder passed his lips than the vanguard of Long Patrol suddenly split, three racing to the north and three galloping to the south, clearly meaning to bypass Turkko's line altogether and press on into the Plains without engaging the Northlanders at all.

Lord Sodexo and the Guosim, however, made no such move, pounding straight ahead on a course to hit the Northlander line in its midst.

A couple of shrews near either end of the defensive line seemed about to break from the formation to go after the speedy hares, but a barked reprimand from Turkko kept them in place. "Hold th' line! Don't give chase - we'd never catch 'em if they don't wanna be caught! But keep yer eyes over yer shoulders, case they circle back 'round an' try'n hit us from behind!"

Only a fewscore paces now separated Sodexo from the Northlander line, with the Badger Lord and supporting Guosim showing no sign of pulling their punches. Twirling his staff like a windmilling avenger, Sodexo opened his mouth and roared forth the battle cry of his race since time immemorial.

"EUUULAAALIIIAAA!"

Sergeant Peppertail and his fellow Long Patrol, not yet even fully past the obstructing cordon of enemy shrews, froze in place, something elemental and primordial awakened within them at the sound of this war cry. Abandoning all thought of going on without the badger of their company, they stood stock still, waiting to see what the Lord of the Southern Glades would bring to this fight.

They didn't have long to wait. Sodexo hit the line of tensed shrews like a one-beast avalanche - or, more precisely, his staff did, reaching out to the Northlanders before him and connecting with a deft force they stood helpless to counter. The blunt weapon found one target after another, parrying blades and whacking heads and sweeping legs out from under their owners and even lifting shrews clear off the ground to send them flying. The usual shrew tactic of ganging up on a larger adversary and assailing it en masse proved equally ineffective; even as the defenders from either end of the line drew in to converge on Sodexo in a frenzied mob of slashing and stabbing, the Badger Lord proved more than equal to this challenge, twirling and pivoting to meet attackers from both directions at once, bludgeoning, stunning and scattering Turkko's forces without a single blade finding his flesh.

Log-a-Log and his Guosim, awaiting their own opening to rush in and support their badger ally, ended up standing back and simply watching in awe as Sodexo demolished the Northlander ranks single-pawed. The hares too stood looking on in amazement, although for them, the spectacle of a Badger Lord in full fighting fury resonated in a way it never could for anybeast else.

Two of the airborne shrews landed near the hares Pumphrey and Buckalew. Seeing the breath driven out of the smaller beasts and their blades knocked out of their grasps, the two Long Patrol sprinted forward to relieve the stunned Northlanders of their arms.

It took mere moments for other hares and the Guosim to follow this example, realizing that many of Turrko's shrews were being rendered senseless, battered down and separated from their weapons. Sweeping forward, they confiscated rapiers and shortswords from any casualty unlikely to resist. In short order, well over half Turkko's force lay disarmed, with even their slings stripped from them.

The Northland sergeant himself sat dazed where he'd fallen, scarcely able to absorb the magnitude of Sodexo's display. He found Log-a-Log's swordtip pointed at his throat. "Yer blade 'n' sling, friend, if'n ye'd be so obligin'."

Turkko made no protest as another of the Guosim ably disarmed him. Staring up and down and all about his shattered line, and then at Sodexo calmly shouldering his staff now that his work was done, the shrew shook his head. "If'n I didn't know you was a true Badger Lord afore, I'd sure know it now - an' if this's what you c'n do when ye're fully in control o' yerself, I'd hate t' see you in th' grip o' th' Bloodwrath. Daresay you'd be a match fer Lord Urthblood 'imself - at least now that he's only got one paw. So, what 'appens now?"

"You know why we're here," the badger said, "and why we couldn't let you stop us."

"They got some rope on 'em," Log-a-Log observed. "Should we tie 'em up?"

"I don't think that will be necessary. Bring me their blades."

Turkko and some of the other Northlanders blanched and quailed at the sinister implications of this statement, but they quickly saw they need not have feared for their safety. Striding several paces back in the direction of Redwall, Sodexo took all the confiscated blades and hurled them, one after the other, out into the Plains, his massive badger's strength launching them far from their subdued adversary and scattering them widely across the landscape, where the weapons would not be speedily or easily recovered. Turning to Turkko after the last sword had flown from his paw, he said, "There are your blades to retrieve if you want them. I would warn you against pursuing, now that you see how ineffective they are against us. Your slings we will keep for ourselves; we've no desire to find a hail of slingstones unleashed at our backs. Fare you well, and may you enjoy good health far from us."

Realizing the futility of further engagement after being so decisively bested, the Northlanders made no move as the rescue party took off again. Mostly they were content to sit on the grasslands nursing their many bruises and recovering their wits. Turkko chewed on his gorge as he glared after the departing company, knowing the same bitter taste of defeat he'd experienced during the catastrophe of Doublegate, and not caring for it any more the second time at the paws of far more respectable beasts than Snoga and the searats.

Slowing his hare-ish stride to fall into step alongside Sodexo, Peppertail said, "That was quite some show you put on back there, Lord - an' quite some battle cry, too. Sent a shiver right down the bally spines of me 'n' all my chaps, don'tcha know. We've not heard its like since we last served under Lord Urthfist. Brought back a lot of memories, an' a certain nostalgia too. Almost forgot wot it's like servin' with a Badger Lord. When all the dust settles over this current bruhaha an' we're back at the Abbey, don't suppose you'd consider stayin' at Redwall as one of its defenders, wouldja? You'd find twoscore able fightin' hares willing to serve at your pleasure."

"I am a beekeeper and a honey trader, not a warrior. My place is with my family in the Southern Glades. I march with you now only because of a transgression against my honorable hosts by creatures who show considerably less honor. When this is done, my only desire is to return to a life of peace if I may."

"Even if Urthblood turns around an' starts a war with Redwall over wot we're doin' here?"

"I will answer the call to war if I am left no other choice. Otherwise, this excursion must stand as a one-time event for me, to redress a wrong I happened to be on paw to witness myself."

"Ah." The Long Patrol sergeant seemed at a loss as to what to say to this rebuff. "Well then, know that we'll hold tight right alongside you for as long as may be, right up to gettin' Lattie back to Redwall safe 'n' sound, an' for any lingerin' nastiness that may result. Just hope ol' Bloodface doesn't take it too badly, an' make things even harder for those of us at the Abbey."

"Then I will tarry at Redwall for more of this season, to make sure my staff is not needed further. But you speak of this rat's rescue as a foregone conclusion. Do you really believe it will be so easy"

"After how we - er, you - just dispatched those pugnacious pointysnouts? With you leadin' the bally charge, M'Lord, how can a mere six bushtails hope t' have any chance against us?"

Behind them, the very same gull who'd earlier conferred with Klystra dropped out of the sky among the smarting Northland shrews, regarding their downed and scattered numbers with a mix of scorn and amusement. "Wha' 'appened here? Let bunnydogs, stripedog, colorheadshrews get past."

"Well, where were you?!" Turkko demanded in accusation. "We coulda used you featherwarriors down 'ere!"

"Busy doing other things."

"Other things?! What other things? We were the only line o' defense 'tween Cap'n Matowick's party an' those Redwallers! Stoppin' them was our top priority!"

"Shoulda fought harder then. Why not use slings? Coulda taken some down before stripehound took you down."

"I ... " Turkko thought hard on this question, now that he'd been confronted with it. Why hadn't he ordered his shrews to deploy slings as well as swords? It might indeed have thinned out the Guosim ranks, and maybe even put one or two of the Long Patrol out of action as well. But slung stones could not be loosed with the same finesse as a wielded blade, and a volley meant to cripple could just as easily kill. "They're fellow woodlanders, not vermin. Wasn't gonna risk lethal force 'gainst 'em if'n I could help it. Ye're a seabird, you wouldn't unnerstand. Lemme talk t' Cap'n Klystra - he'll 'preciate my position."

"Klystra busy, leave more to us gulls, make us busy too, crawwk!"

"Hrm. Not much else t' say, is there then? Best you let Cap'n Matowick know we failed t' stop that Redwall crew, so he c'n either step it up t' stay ahead or else get ready to meet 'em. Wish 'im better luck with those battlers than we had!"

"Would not be hard." With this final belittlement loosed from his bill, the gull took to the wing once more, aimed west to pass over the triumphant Mossflower company on his way to warn the Gawtrybe of this minor setback to Lord Urthblood's plans.

Rising and groaning, Turkko stumbled forward to retrieve his badger-flung blade from where it had landed. "Shift yerselves, shrews, an' take up yer swords agin. We may not've stopped 'em on their way out to retrieve that rat lass, but if they do succeed in rescuin' her, they'll be comin' back this same way to return her to the Abbey ... an' then we'll get one last crack at doin' what we shoulda done th' first time 'round!"