Raventail and his band of roving ferrets watched the four sleepers from their position behind the fallen trees across the inlet. Peering slit-eyed between a gap in the rotten trunks, Raventail slowly drew his scimitar, smiling wickedly at the scruffy rabble surrounding him. "Kye arr, brethren. Don'ta dose lukky peaceladen a-lyin' dere? Crool crool shame 'twould be to wakeyup dem, dey on'y be younger beasters. Crool crool shame mesay!"
One of the ferrets slid a long knife from a sling at his back. "Nono needter wakeyup dem. I makem sleeplong fever!"
Raventail's scimitar tip pricked the speaker's narrow neck. "You do dat on'y when Raventail say so. Kye arr, I wanna much much fun wid younger beasters 'fore theybe deathstill!"
Chapter 18
Brother Melilot and Gubbio Foremole had decided, war or no war, they were going to prepare the traditional Redwall Midsummer Feast. What else could fire their tired spirits? Their only problem was that Dwopple, Blinny, Wugger and several other rascally Dibbuns saw no reason why they should not help with the preparations. Foremole put the finishing touches to a great hazelnut and elderberry pudding he was creating, crimping the edges round the basin top with a fork. Brushing the pastry with a mixture of greensap milk and honey, the mole twitched his button nose with pride.
"Yrr, lukkit ee pudden, Bruther. Ee'm be a foine-lukkin' beast!"
Melilot left off preparing his apple and strawberry crumble to admire the mole's delicious-looking pudding. "It certainly is a beauty, friend. You'd best light the back oven to cook one that size. There's plenty of wood and charcoal in the burner, just put a light to it."
Gubbio lit a taper off a candle, shuffled across to the oven and poked the light underneath. It went out. He lit the taper and tried a second time. Still the light went out. Grumbling to himself, the mole lit the taper from the candle again. "Hurr, they'm bain't makin' ee taperers loike they'm used to, burr no!" When he poked the lighted taper beneath the oven a third time, Foremole distinctly heard the puff of air, accompanied by a giggle. Throwing open the oven door, he confronted the Dibbuns seated inside. "Gudd job oi never loighted ee oven, lest we'd be 'aven baked Dibbuns furr ee party, hurr hurr!"
The mousebabe Dwopple dismissed Foremole with a wave of his paw. "Go 'way, moley. Us'n's be's livin' in 'ere now. G'way!"
Brother Melilot came to his friend's aid, a big oven paddle in one paw. "And what, pray, are you Dibbuns doing inside our oven?"
Dwopple wagged a small mixing spoon under the good Brother's nose. "We maken a shrimberry pie. Don't asturb us, it very dissifult!"
Without another word, Foremole and Melilot exchanged glances. Between them they pushed the big wooden loaf paddle beneath the busy Dibbuns and slid them out on to the floor, bowl, mixture and all. Melilot sorted indignant Abbeybabes out from the ingredients. "What's this? Dried watershrimp, blackcurrants, hotroot pepper, pears and radishes? You can't make a pie with that lot!"
The molebabe, Blinny, glared at him challengingly. "Who'm sez uz can't? We'm h'inventerers, makin' et furr ee Skipper!"
Foremole advanced on them with a long baton loaf. "Ruffians! Rarscals! Out, afore oi makes ee into a sangwich!"
The Dibbuns fled, hurling dire threats at both cooks. Rimrose and Ellayo passed them as they dashed from the kitchens. Rimrose shook her head, smiling as she watched the tiny figures scurry off.
"I remember when my liddle Songbreeze was like them. What a pawful that 'un was, I can tell ye!"
Brother Melilot bowed to them both. "Ladies, we can always use some extra help down here. Would you be willing to aid us with Redwall's Midsummer Feast?"
Rimrose returned the bow with a pretty curtsy. "That's what we came for, Brother. I was thinking of making a cheese and celery flan with sage and parsley trimming. My mother is very good at baking blueberry and almond turnovers. Oh my goodness, what's all this mess?"
Melilot threw up his paws in despair. "Those wretched babes were inventing a pie with it, for Skipper."
A slow smile crept across the face of Grandma Ellayo. "Hmm, mebbe we'll finish the job an' serve it up t'that great lump of an otter. He's always puttin' ideas into the young 'uns' 'eads. 'Twill serve 'im right if'n y'ask me!"
Out on the south wall, Skipper was scanning the woodlands, in company with Janglur and Rusvul.
"Haharr, 'tis too quiet, mates. I don't like it, they're up to somethin'. I'd take me affidavit on that!"
Janglur twirled his sling idly, the longbow resting at his side. "All's we can do is t'keep our eyes peeled, Skip. Ahoy, mister Florian, how're things over yore side?"
The Noonvale hare was guarding the east wall center with Borrakul, both of them crouching down behind the battlements. When he heard the squirrel hailing him, Florian beckoned the three comrades over with a silent wave. Curious to know what was going on, they hastened across.
"Keep your heads down, you chaps," Florian whispered. "We've hit on a super wheeze. See this long pole? My troupe use it for their tightrope-walkin' act. Now pay attention. As y'see, me'n'the sturdy Borrakul have tied this dagger to one end. Matter o' fact, we've just finished sharpenin' the jolly old knife on the battlements. Feel that edge an' tell me what y'think."
Skipper tested the blade, pulling his paw away and sucking it. "Phwaw! That's wot I calls sharp, matey. Wot's the game?"
With a nod Florian indicated an unusually tall ash, growing not far from the wall. It was a huge, stately tree. "See that ash? No, don't gawp an' stare like frogs at a fry-up! Merely take a peepette, quickly. Good. Now what did y'see?"
A peepette, as Florian called it, was all that the sharp eyes of Janglur needed. The squirrel saw it right away. "There's a rope tied up there near the top!"
The lanky hare chuckled. "Well done that squirrel! Let me tell you, I've been watching that since midmornin'. Blinkin' water rat climbed up an' tied the rope there. Hawhawhaw! Confounded oaf was slippin' an trippin'. Took the blighter an absolute age to get the bally rope fastened in those top branches. Now they've led it off, back a few trees. Good job you chaps've got me on your side, wot! I've twigged the whole blinkin' plan, of coursedidn't take long for a great mind like mine. Now, lay low an' watch like good chaps. Wait for the fun t'start, wot!"
Three trees back, a rat named Stukkfur perched on the highest limb of an elm. Gelltor and Ascrod stood gripping the heavier branches below him. Gelltor called up to the water rat in a loud whisper. "Is the top of the wall empty, nobeasts there?"
Stukkfur raised himself on tip-paw. He had a good head for heights. "None that I can see, sire, though there's one or two shrews over on the west wall, but they're facin' the open ground in front."
The Marlfox hissed impatiently. "I'm not concerned with the west wall as long as the east wall is clear and empty. Can you see your way clear through to it?"
Stukkfur leaned slightly to one side, balancing capably. "Aye, sire, I can do it from here. 'Tis a straight enough path."
Ascrod did not like being so high off the ground. He clung tightly to the trunk. "Remember, hold the rope as far up as you can. Just swing out and you should go in directly over the battlements. Don't worry if you can't make it first tryas long as it stays quiet you can have a few more goes if you don't manage first time."
Extending his paws above his head, Stukkfur took a viselike grip on the rope and drew in a deep breath, listening to Gelltor's final instructions for the risky plan.
"When you land on the walltop, pull the rest of the rope over, it's plenty long enough. Shin down it, open the wallgate bolts, then get clear and leave the rest to us. Do this right and you'll be well rewarded, Stukkfur, I'll see to that personally. Right, take off!"
From where they crouched below the battlements, Janglur saw the rope go taut. He nudged Florian. "Looks like the fun's about t'start, mate!"
There came a swishing noise, like a wind through the forest, which increased in volume. Borrakul was watching between the battlements. "Hoho, you was right, Florian. 'Ere 'e comes, flyin' like a bird!"