warrior's face savagely with vicious claws. The helmet was torn from Martin's
head, armor flapped loose as Tsarmina disentangled herself, but he managed to
pierce her paw right through.
They crouched panting for a moment, both sorely wounded. Then Martin dashed
the blood from his vision, and with a bellow of rage he charged the wildcat.
This time she was ready. Tsarmina nimbly sidestepped, cruelly striking
Martin's back as he plunged by, opening further the wounds she had already
inflicted.
The warrior mouse fell heavily upon his face and lay still. Tsarmina licked
her wounds, chuckling evilly. She had finally finished her enemy off.
Then Martin stirred.
Shaking himself, he stood upright. Gripping his battle blade with both paws,
the warrior went headlong at Tsarmina.
Despite the shock at her opponent's recovery, Tsarmina swiftly gathered her
wits, sidestepping once more.
This time Martin sidestepped with her, striking a mighty blow to her back.
The wildcat Queen screamed in agony, rounding suddenly on him. Paw grasped
claw, teeth bit fur; kicking, scratching, gouging and stabbing, they rolled
over and over on the bank in a shower of flying earth.
Tsarmina freed herself, leaving Martin prone on the ground. Once more she
backed off licking her wounds.
"Got you that time, woodlander!" she crowed.
Digging his blade into the earth, Martin heaved himself up, breathing
raggedly. Exerting all his strength, he whirled the war sword aloft.
* 'Mossflowermr! *'
Fear was etched in Tsarmina's eyes as she tried to fight off the wild
onslaught. Here was a warrior who would not lie down and die.
Locked in combat, they strained and flailed at one another,
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the warrior mouse hacking at the wildcat Queen, who gave back slash for
thrust, bite for cut.
Her hide open in a dozen places, Tsarmina kicked out with her four paws,
sending Martin flying into the water. She grabbed a piece of driftwood to push
him further in, only to find him standing in the shallows, waiting to attack.
Covered from head to tailtip in mud, blood and water, Martin struck the branch
that Tsarmina thrust at him, breaking it in two with a single swipe. His next
backslash splintered the remains deep into Tsarmina's paw.
Crouching low with the sword point held out in front, Martin waded out of the
water toward his foe, the red glitter of total war shining hot in his eyes,
his teeth bared in a wild laugh.
Tsarmina's craven heart failed her.
The wildcat began circling nervously as Martin closed in. Like a dream from
the past, she recalled that winter evening in her father's bedchamber when she
had smashed the rusty sword of a captive mouse. She remembered the words he
had spoken as he was dragged off to the cells at Kotir: You should have killed
me when you had the chance, because I vow that I will slay you one day!
Unaware of the water behind her, Tsarmina retreated, backing off as the little
warrior came toward her, bloodied but unbowed, the mouse who would not lie
down and die. Martin, the one that fought like a great male badger.
Back, back, she paced, her eyes shifting from the gleaming blade to Martin's
piercing eyes. Deeper and deeper into the waters of the lake went the Queen of
the Thousand Eyes.
Even though Martin had halted upon the lake shore, he seemed to be getting
larger, towering in her vision. She had to get as far away from this threat as
she could.
Suddenly Tsarmina realized she had gone too deep. The energy drained from her
body; dry land seemed miles away. Water filled her world, dark, swirling,
eddying, tugging, longing to fold her in its wet embrace, pulling her down,
fill-big her mouth, nostrils and finally her eyes.
The dream had come true. The nightmare was alive!
Back in the shallows, Martin dragged his wounded body onto the land. Trying to
lift his sword one last time, he managed to gasp out, "Sleep in peace, Boar.
Mossfiower is free!"
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The shining sword slid from the warrior's grasp and he fell to the earth, a
limp sodden bundle.
The captives on the lakeshore were seated in ranks. Paws on heads, they
disputed in low voices with each other.
"I think we're safe. These woodlanders are not killers."
"Huh, if we'd been captured by Bane or Tsarmina it would have been a different
story, mate."
"I'll say. We'd all have been floating face down in that lake by now, those
who hadn't sunk."
"Aye. Instead the woodlanders fed us and cared for us."
"Better grub than I ever had at Kotir."
Bella forestalled any further comment by standing upon a mound and calling for
order.
"Attention, all of you. Listen to me!"
Murmuring died away as the former army of Kotir listened to hear what was in
store.
The badger pointed over their heads at the lake. "Look! Turn your heads and
see—Kotir is gone forever. Now you have no leader or walls to hide behind. The
war in Moss-flower is at an end. You are defeated."
Late afternoon sun emerged through the clouds as Bella continued. "We do not
make total war upon you because we are not killers. However, that would not be
the case a second time. Remember that."
A timid paw showed in the ranks. It was Whegg the rat.
"Then we're not to be sentenced to death?" he asked anxiously.
Bella held .her breath a moment before speaking.
"No."
There was an audible sigh of relief from the prisoners.
Whegg could not resist a second question.
"What will happen to us?"
Skipper stood on the mound beside Bella.
"Right," he said. "Clean up your lugs and listen hard, mateys. I'll only say
this once. You will each swear an oath that you will never again carry a
weapon or come near Moss-flower country, though if I'd had my way none of you
would have got out of that lake alive today. Be that as it may, Bella of
Brockhall here has said that you be spared, so you have her to thank for your
lucky escape. But I'll tell you this: any
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creature that doesn't agree to our terms, let him show a paw now. The lake is
still here, and so am I."
The captives immediately sat upon their paws.
"Good!" Skipper nodded his approval. "Now you will remain here until tomorrow,
when you will be escorted under guard to the flatlands west of here. You can
travel west or south, but not back up north and certainly not back here to our
land. That is all for now. Be still and behave."
Bella and Skipper stepped down to join Amber and the others.
Amber looked concerned. "Where has the big cat got to?"
Timballisto was worried too. "Where is my friend? Has anyone seen Martin?" he
asked anxiously.
Ben Stickle nodded. "Just before Kotir fell into the lake, I saw him on the
bank. He headed up that way, yonder."
"Then he must be found straightaway," Bella interrupted. "Gonff, you and I
will search the water's edge. The rest of you stay here and keep an eye on
this lot."
Before they moved off Bella issued a warning:
* 'Watch out for Tsarmina.''
Young Dinny, Bella and Gonff halted further up the bank. Timballisto joined
them, refusing to watch captives while his friend was missing.
Bella looked about. "I don't think he would have come this far with his wound.
In all that armor he couldn't possibly have traveled fast enough."
"Aye, besides, what would he have wanted all this way along the shore, when we
were capturing prisoners further down?" Gonff agreed.
"If I know my friend, I think he must have spotted the cat."