Plug and his crew, along with Princess Kurda's Ratguards, kept running until they were out of sight of Redwall. They stopped when they were sure they'd gotten well away from the cockatrice.

Plug made a snap decision. "Right! Well, I ain't staying here no more to be turned into stone. I'm a Freebooter, not a fool. We're going back to the Seascab. Right, crew?"

The Seascab's company rose, cheering with him to a beast. "Aye, we've 'ad enough, let's ship out!"

"What about us?" Vorto the Ratguard asked.

Plug shrugged. "Oh, 'tis all one to me what you do. You're welcome to come with me and join my crew if you want."

"Might as well," said Riggan. "We served the Pure Ferrets of Riftgard, but now they've all either died or turned to stone."

Plug rubbed his paws together. "So be it, then. When we get to the coast, we'll lash that smaller vessel to the Seascab. Nobeast to stop me from claiming it now. Then we'll head back to the Isle of Riftgard. From now on, that will be our home. I'll have those slaves build me a fleet of ships, so I can become the emperor of the high seas! In a year or two, I'll be as famous as Gabool the Wild, or Ublaz Mad Eyes!"

He strode off in the direction of the coast, full of dreams of grandeur, and the other vermin followed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ponies and Redwallers unanimously decided they would not heal Princess Kurda. They would leave her statue where it stood.

Skipper and Log-a-Log detailed their otters and shrews to guard the walltops in case the pirates returned, but when there was no sign of them for the next few days, it was decided that they weren't coming back.

So, now there was only one enemy left: the cockatrice. One morning, Twilight announced that she would lead a party out into the woodlands to hunt it down. She took her nieces with her, as well as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

The Redwallers gathered at the west wallgate to see them off.

Felch hugged Flurry. "Be careful out there."

"Don't worry, Bo," Flurry said. "I'll come back to ya, safe an' sound. Take my woid on it."

"Hurr, good luck to ee, marms, you'm be careful," said Foremole.

"Give that monster blood 'n' vinegar, chaps," said Mem Flackery.

"I'll tell Friar Gooch t'make some shrimp 'n' hotroot soup to share with ye on yore return!" Shogg shouted.

Rainbow Dash grinned from ear to ear. "I'll look forward to that."

"Come on," said Twilight. "Let's go."

The five ponies flew off.

The Redwallers dispersed, each to their duties. Triss, Shogg, and Felch found themselves wandering into Great Hall, where the tapestry of Martin the Warrior hung on the wall, just above Martin's famous sword.

Shogg noticed that Triss was looking upset. "What's the matter, Miss Triss? You should be rejoicing! Kurda's been stoned, an' Plug and his pirates are gone. We're free at last!"

"Yes, but our friends aren't," said Triss.

"What friends?" asked Felch.

"The rest of the slaves at Riftgard. Kurda may have taken some of her Ratguards with her when she left, but she didn't take them all. The rest of them must still be on the island, bossing the slaves around. And for all we know, Plug may have decided to sail back to Riftgard and take it over, now that the royal family's out of the way. I'm sure the slaves would be even worse off under his control!"

"Hey, take it easy," said Shogg. "Someday, we'll go back and set 'em all free, just like we promised. Those ponies said they'd help us, but right now they've gotta deal with the cockatrice. Once they've done that, then they'll take us back to Riftgard to save everybeast."

"I just hope they can take care of the cockatrice," said Felch. "I hope none of them get hurt. If Flurry got hurt, I don't know what I'd do. She's always been my protector."

"Maybe we should go after them," Triss said. "You know, lend them a paw." She looked at Martin's sword hanging on the wall. She went over to it and picked it up, giving it a few experimental swings. It felt good in her paw.

"Watch where you're poking that thing!" Felch squealed. "Have you ever used one of those before?"

"Sure, I have," Triss said. "Back on Riftgard, I was always present for Princess Kurda's sword practice. She made me throw turnips for her to slice up while they were flying through the air. I watched her closely, and I picked up a few tricks. Sometimes, when she wasn't around, I would even take out her swords and have a go with them myself."

Shogg nodded. "And one day, Kurda caught her at it. She was just about ready to slice Triss up like a turnip. That's why she, Welfo, and I had to make a run for it."

Triss thrust Martin's sword into her belt. "This feels like the perfect weapon to take on a cockatrice with."

"Well, I'm game if you are," said Shogg.

Felch was trembling, but he said, "I'm in too."