Treerose accepted a spotted handkerchief from Fore-mole. "Oh, they were so brave! Rosie smiled at me and said she'd see me back here. Oh, Father Abbot, why did they do it?"
Abbot Bernard shook his head gently. "Who knows, child, who knows? Certainly none of us at Redwall. We are infants in the ways of war. Colonel Clary and his hares were complete warriors. Their seasons were numbered from birththey knew this was the day their fates were sealed."
Saxtus hung his head. "Yet they knew they were helping Redwall and bringing liberty to the slaves, so they went to meet their destinies smiling and joking. I was wrong about the hares and I'll always remember that when I make judgments about other creatures."
oo
Simeon and the Abbot went back to lock the main gates
before turning in. Dawnlight was beginning to flush
the skies.
"Triumph and tragedy in the one night, old friend." The Abbot kicked away a stone which was hindering
the closing gate. "Right, Simeon . . . Hey, you two,
come in here. Right now!" Bagg and Runn came strolling through the gateway
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in their nightshirts. Abbot Bernard wagged a stern paw at them.
"You two rascals should be fast asleep in bed. What are you doing out here on the path, may I ask?"
Bagg rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Wavin' g'bye to Flagg an' Mum Mell's."
Throwing the gate back open, the Abbot hurried out onto the path. "Flagg and Mother Mellus? I can't see them. Are you telling whoppers?"
Two heads shook vigorously.
"No, Father Habbit, sir. Honestly!"
"They went up that way an' into the woods." Runn pointed north.
"An' they was carryin' those big bows an' lots of arrers too!"
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35
Gabool unsheathed his sword and glared suspiciously at the three Captains who had stridden into Fort Blade-girt at the head of their crews.
"What are you three doin' here? What d'yer want?"
"You told us to come back here, Gabool."
"King Gabool. You call me King, d'ye hear. Anyway, what news?"
"No news. Graypatch an' that dratted Darkqueen have vanished from the seasno sign of 'em anywhere."
Gabool tugged absently at his matted beard. "That's no news. I've taken care of Graypatch an' Darkqueen long ago. Belay, have you three swabs been sinkin' ships in Terramort cove?"
"Ships, what ships?"
"Two of 'em, haharr, but never mind that. Have ye heard the bell? What about the great badger, did yer clap eyes on him?"
Riptung looked from Hookfin to Grimtooth. All three raised their eyebrows and shrugged. They watched as Gabool went across to the bell.
"See that! They don't hear ye, so why should I?"
"So it's right, he's mad as a gaffed fish," Riptung whispered to Grimtooth.
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Gabool spun round. "Avast, don't you three start plottin' behind me back!"
Riptung took a cask from one of his crew. He banged it down upon the table, stoving its head in with the hilt of his sword. "Nobeast's talkin' about yer, King Gabool. Come an' share a beaker o' this wine that I won!"
Grimtooth strode to the window. He stood drinking his wine and looking out to sea, then turned, laughing, to the others.
"Hoho. Lookit, mates, 'ere comes the Waveblade, sailin' inter the cove like a stranded sardine. Haharr, I'll wager ol' Orgeye's still in his bunk snorin'."
They crowded to the windows to watch. Hookfin tugged Riptung's sleeve urgently. "Did you leave any watch aboard yer vessel, matey?"
Riptung swung a claw back over his shoulder. "No, they're all up 'ere with me. Why?"
Hookfin pointed down at the three ships. "Then who's movin' those vessels out ter sea?"
Riptung drew his sword and faced Gabool. "This is one o' your tricks. What's yer game?"
But Gabool did not hear the angry Captain, he was staring wild-eyed at the hulking figure that paced the deck of the Waveblade, distant but unmistakable.
"Aaaaah! It's him, it's the badger!"
Immediately the three searat Captains and their King started bellowing orders to the packed hall.
"Get down t' the cove, stop the Blacksail puttin' out t' sea!"
"Kill the badger. I'll make any rat a Cap'n who slays him!"
"Stop the Nightwake, some scurvy slob's tryin' to steal her!"
"The badger! Kill the badger, shipmates!"
"Get after the Crabdaw, buckos. Bring 'er back t' me!"
"Whoever kills the badger is a rich rat, you got Gabool's oath on that!"
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Mariel stared at the three searat ships as Wavebladc sailed into Terramort cove. Rawnblade swung the tiller, navigating between them.
"Strange, they've just arrived yet they're going out again."
Tarquin shaded his eyes and peered across. "Aye, an' those aren't searats who are sailin' them. What d'you think's goin' on?"
"Ahoy there, Mariel!"
The mousemaid gasped. There standing on the shore of the cove, waving at her, was Dandin. She jumped up and down, waving back.
"Dandin, Dandin! Stay there, we're coming ashore!"
They plunged over into the shallows and waded onto the beach.
Dandin hugged and patted Tarquin and Mariel, who in their turn squeezed him tightly, ruffling his whiskers and patting his paws as if they could not believe it was really him. Smiling happily (and sniffling a little), Dandin managed to extricate himself from the welcoming huddle.
"I thought you were dead, I was certain you'd been drowned, though there wasn't much time to think about that with the fix me and Durry found ourselves in. I tell you, don't ever become an oarslave, it's worse than being captured by the Flitchaye!"
When the reunion was finished and Lord Rawnblade had been introduced, Mariel looked about. "Where's Durry?"
No sooner had she spoken than, in company with two hooded shrews, Durry came pounding down the path to the cove. The young hedgehog looked very dashing, wearing a broad leather belt with several daggers bristling from it and a hood on his head.
"Oh, Durry, you do look a proper swashbuckler and no mistake!" Mariel laughed.
However, Durry Quill was in no mood for banter. Puffing and blowing, he waved back over his shoulder.
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"Phew! Quick, 'urry up, there's about five 'undred searats 'ot on me trail. They're comin' after you, I think. Mikla, Flann, get that ship out to sea. I'll take these friends to the caves. Hurry!"
The two shrews Mikla and Flann waded out to the Waveblade to take her out of the searats' reach with the other three ships.
Mariel, Tarquin and Rawnblade followed Durry and Dandin as they raced off in the opposite direction to Bladegirt, toward the sheer rocky coast which veered up on the west side of the cove.
00
The searat frontrunners, with Riptung and Hookfin in the lead, came rushing down the path to the shore of the cove.
Riptung threw his sword down in frustration. "Hell's tail! They're too far out, we'll never get to 'em now!"
Hookfin raced about on the shoreline, searching for a dinghy to pursue his ship in. "Thunder 'n' blood! Ain't there nothin' we can give chase in?"
An enterprising rat called Felltooth stripped off his more cumbersome weapons, thrust a dagger in his headband and entered the water.