Tam flattened himself upon the ground, drawing his dirk. “Don’t fret, you’ll learn. I’ll be with ye.”
He slid forward carefully, feeling the heat of the glow upon his face. Keeping his eyes on Shard’s back, the warrior crawled up behind him. Reaching out, he touched the sword wrapping, testing it with a gentle tug. Then he froze! Shard moved in his sleep, mumbling incoherently as he pawed at his back. Tam figured that the cord must still be holding the sword to the fox’s shoulders. It was not in his nature to kill a sleeping beast, even one of Gulo’s vermin. With this in mind, there was only one course of action. Reversing his grip on the dirk, he took hold of it by the blade. Standing up straight, Tam brought the heavy bound handle cracking down on his enemy’s head.
Shard had a thicker skull than the border squirrel had reckoned with. The white fox captain stood up, letting out a howl of pain. Tam struck him again harder; this time the maneuver worked, but not before an ermine awoke, shouting, “Guards! Guards! Attack!”
The ermine came dashing around the glowing fire remnants toward the intruder, grappling to free the sickle sword from his waist sash. Tam sprang into action. Catching the fox as he fell backward, the squirrel heaved him bodily upon the ermine, sending them both crashing into the fire pit.
Leaning forward, Tam slashed at the rear of the fox captain’s cloak, ripping it wide and severing the retaining cord of Martin’s sword. He grabbed it and dashed to the oak as an uproar broke out behind him.
Gulo was bawling, “Yaaaaargh! Cut him down, get him!”
Bounding up into the oak branches, Tam rapped out orders to Armel, who was waiting wide-eyed with fright. “Jump! Go for the hornbeam!”
She hesitated a moment, then felt herself pulled out into space as the warrior took her with him, guiding her encouragingly. “That’s the way, mate. Grab that big limb. Now swing yoreself an’ drop down into that elm on the right. Good, keep goin’, onto that yew. Fall across one of the lower branches. Now swing—hup, two, three—straight into the willow. That’s the stuff, Armel. Yore learnin’ fast!”
Elated by her newfound agility and pleased with Tam’s praise, Redwall’s Infirmary Sister went looping and hurtling through the leafy terraces.
Tam continued guiding her. “Now run up this sycamore branch and bounce. Push yoreself out. Use that thin elm branch to throw yoreself forward into the beech. Keep goin’, I’m right behind ye. Don’t stop, we’ll soon be at the path!”
Tam allowed Armel to learn her natural rhythm before he glanced back at the howling crowd of vermin coming through the woodlands. He looped the covered sword around one shoulder, beckoning her to continue. “Carry on, I’ll be with ye in a tick!”
There were three frontrunners among the vermin, two foxes and an ermine. Another fox was close behind them, rushing to catch up. Tam dropped from the beech, landing on the ground by an aspen. It was a slim, many-branched tree, and very flexible, its lower boughs almost sweeping the grass. He seized the end of a thick, whippy branch and pushed at it, running forward as it bent. The aspen limb was bowed round in an arc. Tam held it a moment until the three front-running vermin were almost upon him. Then he let go of the bough. It came back at the runners like a thunderbolt.
Whooooosh! Craaaaack! Poleaxed by the force, the trio were knocked flat. Tam raced to them. Grabbing one of the ermine’s spears, he flung it at the fox who had been catching up on them. Unable to stop until the spearpoint met it halfway, the fox fell without a sound, never to rise.
Doogy could hear the yells of the pursuing vermin. Standing on the path with Armel and Brooky, he called out, “Haway the braaaaw! Over here, laddie!”
The wild war cry of the Borders and Highlands came back at him from the woodlands. “Haway the braaaaaaw! Here’s a MacBuuuurl!”
Tam came hurtling through the branches and bounded onto the path. He quickly pulled the dirk from his friend’s belt so that he was double-bladed and ready. “They’re comin’ on fast, mate, but in small bunches! Armel, you an’ yore friend get goin’ with all speed for Redwall. Keep going an’ don’t look back. Go on!”
The squirrelmaid took one glance at the bloodfire in Rakkety Tam MacBurl’s eyes and decided that this was not a time to stop and argue.
Doogy began laughing wildly. “Aye, we’ll see ye back at yore Abbey, lassies. Dinna fuss yerselves aboot us!”
Armel seized Brooky’s paw. “Do as they say!”
Both maids sped off northward up the path to the Abbey.
The first six vermin to reach the path saw the two retreating figures in the early dawn light. One of them was a white fox captain named Zerig. He pointed at Armel and Brooky with a spear. “Stop them!”
Tam and Doogy burst from the ditch, roaring, “Haway the braaaaaaw!”
They threw themselves ferociously upon the vermin, fighting like madbeasts. Tam took two ermine with a flying thrust from both his dirks. Doogy belted a fox in the throat with a clenched paw, felling an ermine with a swing of the claymore. Zerig was dashing back into the woodlands when Tam threw a dirk which pinned him to a willow. Doogy was countering a fox’s sword when Tam retrieved the dirk and called to him, “Haway now, buckoe, they’re comin’ in force!”
The Highlander despatched his opponent with a neat lunge as Tam reached his side. Over twoscore more vermin came bursting out of the trees. Seeing six of their own lying slain, they hesitated fractionally. That was all the squirrels required. Taking to their heels, the pair dashed off northward.
Bulling bush and beast from his path, Gulo burst amid his warriors, bellowing, “Kill kill kill! Chaaaaarge!”
The vermin thundered onto the path after the two squirrels.
Tam and Doogy sped on abreast. Looking back fleetingly, Doogy glimpsed the mob of vermin racing madly to catch them up. He frowned. “How far tae this Redwall Abbey, d’ye reckon?”
Tam kept his eyes on the path ahead. “I don’t know, mate, just keep goin’. I can see Armel an’ her friend way up ahead.”
The small Highlander winced as an arrow zipped by his head. “Och! Ah hope ’tis soon, ’cos those murderers mean business!”
“Yore always complainin’, Doogy Plumm. Save y’breath an’ run!”
Doogy’s paws were hitting the path like pistons. “Run? What d’ye think ah’m doin’, dancin’ a jig?”
Tam grabbed the front of his comrade’s belt and speeded up his pace. “There’s the Abbey, don’t start flaggin’ now!”
He risked a backward glance at their pursuers. The vermin were gaining upon them. Gulo, who was not built for sustaining a fast run, was shambling along at the rear.
Skipper was watching from the southwest wall corner of the Abbey, shouting frantically, “Gordale, get the gates open! Sound the alarm bells! Arm some able-bodied beasts an’ get them to the gates!”
The otterchief bounded down the wallsteps, still calling orders as the Abbey’s twin bells boomed and clanged out into the bright early morn. “Burlop, ’elp Gordale with the gates! Demple, tell Foremole to get ’is crew to the threshold fast!”
Boom! Clang! Boom! Clang! The Matthias and Methusaleh bells tolled out their brazen warning throughout Redwall. Creatures poured from the Abbey building, armed with the first thing that came to paw—window poles, broom handles, kitchen pans, knives and barrel staves. Skipper, Gordale and Burlop swung the front Abbey gates open, then dashed out onto the path, bellowing encouragement to the two Abbeymaids.
“Armel, Brooky, hurry please!”
“Come on, mates, not far t’go! Run! Run!”
“Don’t look back, there’s two of ’em catchin’ you up!”
As Skipper ran to meet them, both maids fell panting into his strong paws.
Armel gasped out urgently, “That’s Tam and Doogy, they’re friends!”
Tergen and Ferdimond shot by her. The goshawk was screeching, and the young hare had his rapier drawn.