Ferahgo retrieved his knife, waggling it under Klitch's nose. "It's not important what a wet-behind-the-ears weasel like you thinks, my son. I'm your old daddy, Ferahgo the Assassin, and only what I think counts around here. Tell him, you Captains: won't life be easier once the badger and his bares are dead from Farran's poison and we're lords of the mountain? Surely that's worth the lives of a few ragtailed scavengers?''
Badtooth the other stoat nodded. "The Master's right, Klitch. If Farran does the job proper then it was a good plan."
Without another word, Klitch jumped up and stalked off in high bad mood.
Ferahgo winked at the four Captains. "It's a sad thing, being young and thinking you're clever like that. No one can outthink the old Master. Remember that if he ever starts talking to you behind my back. I'll let him live because he's my son, but anyone who plots with him I'll kill stone deadafter skinning them alive, of course. Now, the next move! If Farran Shows up and says they're all poisoned inside the mountain, we'll hack a way in and take over the place."
Crabeyes the rat Captain held up a paw respectfully. "But be should have been well out of there by now, Master. What happens if he doesn't show up?"
Ferahgo sheathed his knife and winked at Crabeyes.
"That means he's still inside there. Oh, don't worry. Farran has never let me down. He'll poison them all, make no mis-take. But then, I've become worried over Mister Farran of late. Maybe he's getting greedy and wants all the badger's pleasure for himself..."
"Badger's treasure?" Crabeyes sounded surprised. „ Ferahgo patted his back and smiled broadly. "Badger's
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treasure, friends. Didn't I tell you? That's why I made you Captains. It will be too much for one; I need four good loyal comrades to share the treasure withyou four. Keep it to yourselves, though. Don't tell the others. When we take Salamandastron I'll make you rich beyond your dreams. We'll be five kings together ..."
The Assassin watched the joyous greed shining from all four faces. He had them hooked. His tone dropped slightly. "There's just one thing, however. Farran wants all the treasure for himself. The Poisoner has got to be removed."
Greed turned to apprehension on the Captains' faces, but Ferahgo had them like clay in his paws.
"Have you ever seen the treasure of the badger Lords? I know for a fact that the center of that mountain is packed with gold, silver, jewels, armor, swords, encrusted shields and all manner of wonderful weapons. Just think, if you owned a fifth part of all that, every creature in the land would be bow-ing their heads and fighting to kiss your footpaws. Once the badger and his hares are dead, all that stands in our way is the greedy one, Farran. Now I think that between five warriors like ourselves we could manage to slip a dagger in his ribs while we're congratulating him on a job well done. So it's either get rid of the black fox, or back to the life of an ordinary horde soldier."
Four paws touched that of Ferahgo's. "We're with you, Master!"
The Assassin watched them as they went back to their duties as Captains of his horde. He threw back his head, eyes reflecting the summer blue sky as he laughed aloud.
"Hahahaha! Fools"
The body of Windpaw lay alongside that of Shorebuck. Big Oxeye gripped his javelin tightly.
"Found her in the top corridors, sari! Slain by a different type of poison. The filthy scum stuck somethin' in her neck see the mark? Only a tiny wound, but by the swellin' it looks like poison."
Urthstripe's eyes were red-rimmed from tears and wrath.
"First it was young Shorebuck. I watched him during the battlehe would have made a great warrior had he lived. Now it is Windpaw, often pretending to be stern, but with a heart as soft as a summer dawn. She always took good care of my Mara. But now she's gone. Gone! And there's some dirty, low vermin going to pay for this, I promise you!"
A party of Long Patrol hares carried the bodies down to the lower caves, where they could lie until such times as
- proper burial could be given on the shoreline where tide meets land.
Urthstripe sat with Seawood in the empty dining hall. The hare turned out a kerchief containing dead ants.
"Poisoned, all of themsome from the kitchens, some from the foodstore, these two here from the base of the water r- barrels."
The badger Lord brushed them away with a heavy paw. "Is there none of our food or drink that has not been contaminated with poison, Seawood?''
"None, siror at least none that we know of. Who's goin' to trust any of our supplies? I wouldn't. We're facin' starvation!"
Urthstripe sighed as he covered his eyes with both paws.
/'Leave me alone now, I must think. Oh, just one thing. Make
: sure that none of our creatures shows themselves to Ferahgo
or his vermin. I want them to think we're all dead, then we'll
--\. see what his next move will be."
/%.
Sapwood and Oxeye were returning up a flight of spiral stairs
;.,hewn into the rock. They were making their way back to the
dining hall after laying Shorebuck and Windpaw to their tem-
'* .porary resting place in the lower caves. Bart Thistledown
;/ grabbed Oxeye by the paw.
5. "What was that?"
:;'; Oxeye was quick-sighted. He squinted in the direction indicated. "It's a black shadow like a ... Wait there!" Oxeye bounded up the stairs with an amazing turn of speed. "Hi! ; YOU there. Stop!"
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The others arrived within seconds.
"What was it, Ox? Did you spot anything?"
The big hare scratched his eartips. "Funny, at first I thought it was a shadow. But I'd swear on a carrot pie that it was a black foxlong sleek vermin with funny eyes."
Urthstripe appeared in the corridor outside the dining hall. "Fox, did you say you'd seen a fox inside the mountain, Oxeye?"
Oxeye was still slightly puzzled. "Er, yes an' no actually."
The badger Lord was in no mood for jesting or riddles. "Stand up straight, sirears up, chin in, chest out, shoulders back, paws at an angle of forty-five degrees to the side legfur! That's better. Now answer my question as a hare of the Long Patrol. Did you see a fox?"
Standing correctly to attention, Oxeye faced front as he replied. "Sah! Difficult to tell, sah! Could've been a trick of the light, sah! Looked remarkably like a black fox with odd eyes, sah! If it was, the blighter went that way, to the left along the corridor. End of report. Sah!" Oxeye threw a smart salute and stood awaiting further orders.
Urthstripe paced up and down, musing aloud. "Hmm, quick, dark and sleek, like a shadow ... slip in and out unnoticed, a fox too. That doesn't sound much like a fighter, more like a creature that does things by stealth, a spy, or a poisoner maybe!"
Sergeant Sapwood clenched his paws. "May Hi ask yer permission to find this 'ere creature, sir?"
But a swift plan had already formulated in Urthstripe's mind. ' 'Permission denied, Sergeant. I want this poisoner myself, but if we are to capture him we must act with all speed. Right, here's the plan. Split into two groupsOxeye, you take one group up to the crater top immediately. Keep low so that Ferahgo's army cannot see you. I want that crater top sealed off like a bottleneck so that the fox cannot get away. Sapwood, take the rest and follow him. When you reach the top, pair off in twos and start searching the mountain thoroughly from top to bottom. Wedge off all exits, window slits and the like. If you do the job correctly, the fox will have