Soil paused, gazing into the glowing peat fire, his face wreathed by aromatic smoke. He sighed heavily. "Aaaaaah, lackaday! Vermin 'ad raided my 'ome. 'Twas all ruin an' wreck, with no sign of the villains. Tracks washed out by storm, y'see. My pore wife Beechtipp lay slain. She were a gentle creature, couldn't fight t'save 'er life. My liddle daughter Nettlebud was gone, taken captive by vermin. My name was Skyspike in those days, 'cos of me great size an' strength. But alas for me, I was never a warrior, couldn't raise my paw to 'urt no livin' thing. Be that as it may, I went mad with grief an' sorrow. Three seasons I roamed far'n'wide, always searchin', seekin' to find my darlin' Nettlebud. Questin', wanderin' o'er woodland, water an' moorland. But my pore baby was gone. Then one day in autumn, when leaves died all redgold an' small birds were flyin' south'ards to chase the sun, I found I'd roamed back to this place. I'll tell thee no lie, young friends, I sat 'ere an' wept for days, thinkin' on wot 'ad been. Then one mornin' I awakened to find the sun shinin' bright an' birds singin' joyous songs to it. A great peace came o'er me an' I no longer wanted to spend my life wanderin' about. That was when I changed my name to Sollertree an' decided to live out my seasons 'ere. I rebuilt my 'ouse, reared liddle Croikle from a tadpole I found in the tricklin' water, an' guess wot?" Soil pointed out of the doorway to a tree. "That saplin' I'd cast away weren't no russet, 'twas a fine young almond tree. There 'tis yonder, see? So 'ere I am an' 'ere I'll stay, an' allow me t'say this. I'll never do another creature a bad turn if'n I can't do 'im a good 'un!"
Song smiled at the huge spiky beast. "You're a fine an' rare creature, mister Soil!"
Chapter 20
Mokkan was up to his usual tricks. As dusk fell, the Marlfox had ordered his crew to put in to shore and make camp, and now he sat in the branches of an elm listening to his water rats talking as they huddled in the lee of their logboat on the riverbank. From his tether in the stern of the vessel, Fenno was urging them to desertion or mutiny.
"Lissen, mates, now's yer chance, while Mokkan's away scoutin' downriver. Make a break fer it while yer still can, mates!"
A rat named Gorm stared dully at the shrew. "We ain't yore mates, so shut yer trap."
Fenno ignored him and carried on. "See wot 'appened today. One of you was bashed agin' the rocks an' drownded gettin' over them rapids, the logboat was near wrecked an' we were almost lost altogether. But did yore Marlfox worry about that, eh? Ho no! All 'e was thinkin' of was that tapestry. Then Mokkan 'ad us breakin' our backs 'eavin' on those paddles to escape the vole crews. You there, I saw 'im whack you a belt wid 'is ax 'andle ter make you paddle faster. Wot sort of a leader is that, I ask yer?"
The rat he was addressing merely shrugged. "We serve the kin of the High Queen Silth. 'Tis no business of yores."
Fenno curled his lip at the water rats scornfully. "Huh! 'Igh Queen Silth! Look at yerselves, soakin' wet an' wearied t'the limit, crouchin' there on a damp bank widout a bite between yer or a fire to dry out by. You must all be crazy. D'yer think yore Queen cares the drop of a leaf about you lot?"
The rat called Gorm banged the side of the logboat to silence Fenno. "All yore fine talk's doin' you no good, Guosim. Don't y'know that Marlfoxes are magic beasts? 'Twould do us no good at all tryin' to run from them. Where would we go? No creature can escape the magic of Marlfoxes."
Fenno strained against the thong that bound him to the boat. "Magic my whiskers! You water rats are really stupid!"
"Not half as stupid as you, shrew."
Fenno actually jumped with shock. Mokkan was standing behind him, holding aloft a whippy branch he had cut from the elm with his ax. The shrew covered his head with both paws, crouching in a ball as blows rained heavily on him.
"Pain is the best teacher for stupid idiots. Marlfoxes are magic! Say it! Say it!"
"Aggh! Yeeeagh! Marlfoxes are magic, sire! Yaaargh!"
Mokkan threw the broken branch savagely at Fenno's head and kicked his sobbing prisoner brutally. "You've learned a valuable lesson, oaf. We've got all nightshall I cut myself another switch to remind you of it, eh?"
Crouching in the damp logboat bottom, Fenno wept brokenly. "Mercy, sire, please. Marlfoxes are magic! I won't forget, sire!"
Mokkan lost interest in his captive. Turning to Gorm, he said, "Break out supplies and light a small fire. Keep it sheltered in the lee of the boat and don't let it smoke."
The water rat bowed. "It shall be done as y'say, sire."
Mokkan stroked the intricately embroidered tapestry roll. "Keep this dry and in perfect condition. High Queen Silth would be angry if it were damaged."
Queen Silth was distracting herself by paying the slaves a visit. As her palanquin was borne out to the rear courtyard she made small mewling noises of disgust as she watched the steaming mess of porridge made from maize and chopped roots being delivered to the bars of the pen. Hungrily the starving slaves grabbed pawfuls and gulped it down. Ullig cracked his whip and snarled, "Be still in the presence of her Majesty, High Queen Silth!"
Immediately they quit feeding and huddled together in the darkness of the pen's back wall. Alarmed by the moody and unpredictable Queen's visit, they did not know what to expect. Athrak and his magpies strutted about in front of the bars, their wicked, beady eyes watching the pitiful prisoners. Rat guards stood stiffly at attention, the odd quiver of a spear denoting that they were as apprehensive as the slaves at Silth's unexpected appearance. All eyes were on the silk-draped conveyance. Servants hurried to place torches and lanterns all around the palanquin. The stillness was ominous, as if every creature present was afraid to breathe. Nothing moved in the awful silence except for the eerie dancing shadows cast by the flickering torches. Harsh and grating, the High Queen's voice rasped out from behind the silken veils.
"Are they working hard for the food we give them?"
Ullig, the rat Captain in charge of all slaves, replied stiffly, "Yes, yer Majesty. Some in the fields'n'orchards an' others in yore workplace makin' things of beauty to grace yore chambers!"
There was a further silence, then Silth spoke once more. "Hmm. Don't let them get fat and lazy, Captain. Remind them of the rules on my island."
Ullig faced the cages and shouted out the rules, veins bulging from his thick neck as he did so. "Work an' you live, an' remember there is no escape from 'ere! Disobey an' you get fed t'the Teeth o' the Deeps. This is the rule of 'er Majesty, Tgh Queen Silth. You stay alive only by 'er mercy!"
There was a short silence, then the voice from within the palanquin called out petulantly, "Take me back inside, to my chambers. I don't like it out here, there's only ugliness, nothing nice. I must be surrounded by beauty. Death will never visit where beauty reigns!"
Lifting the palanquin carefully, the bearers marched off with measured tread, halting suddenly as Silth screeched, "Stop! There it is, at the upper chamber windows! Don't you see it, fools? The White Ghost! Captain, take a troop up there quickly and slay it. Hurry!"
Floating back and forth across the brightly lit window of an upper chamber, the fearful white apparition fluttered, howling.
"Queeeeen Siiiiiilth, Dark Forest awaits your spirit. Death is all you have left now. Ooooooooohhhhhh!"
Ullig clattered off at the head of his troops, knowing that the specter would be gone when he reached the room upstairs. It was not the first time something like this had occurred.
Lantur stowed the "White Ghost" in its corner cupboard and poured two goblets of plum wine. Sliding one across to the rat Wilce, the Marlfox smiled maliciously, listening to the guards hastening up the stairs.
"She'll have frightened herself to death by winter, Wilce, and then we'll prepare a deadly reception for my returning brothers and sisters. Give me a toast, Wilce!"
The female water rat nodded over the rim of her goblet. "To High Queen Lantur, next ruler of this island and all the lake surrounding it. Long life and undisturbed sleep!"