“To dig? What for, Balefur?
“Ach, never ye mind. Come onwe havent all night!
The hole entrance loomed dark and forbidding, but before either of the foxes could hesitate, Balefur had pushed them inside with his axe shaft. Once in, it was surprisingly dry and silent, and they took a moment to shake and wipe rainwater from their faces and paws.
“Och well, at least tis warm an dry, the big fox remarked cheerfully. “If ye feel anythin around thatll do fer a torch, let me know an well light one.
One of the two foxes sniffed the air and shuddered. “Ugh! Whats that smell? Its awful!
Balefur sniffed several times before pronouncing, “Ah dont know what et is, but mind, laddie, anyplace searats have been is bound tae stink a bit. Right, hang on to mah tail, yer pal can hang on to yers. Follow me.
The moment Balefur began to suspect that all was not right was when the tunnel took several twists and turns. Attempting to find his way back through the total darkness to their original entrance, he found himself caught up in a maze of chambers, cross tunnels, and dead ends. The two young foxes began whimpering.
“L ... lets get out of here, Im scared!
“Aye, we should never have left the horde!
Using his free paw, the big fox cuffed about in the darkness until he had soundly buffeted them both. “Shuttit! Dye hear me, belt up, yer snivelin gobs!
They went quiet. Balefur squatted in the darkness, trying to get his bearings, then he heard the noise.
Flip ... Plop ... Flip ... Plop!
“Hear that, et might be the rains stopped antis drippin from the rocks. Sounds like ets up ahead, right, lets go!
As they groped their way farther along the passage, one of the foxes yelled joyfully, “Light ahead, look!
Sure enough, there was a pale light to be seen dimly ahead. They dashed toward it, tripping, stumbling, and shouting, “It must be moonlight. Ill bet the rains stopped!
It was a cavern, a vast, high-ceilinged chamber in the nat-ural rock. Limestone stalactites and stalagmites could be seen everywhere, some of them reflected in the pale green luminous tight given off by a massive pond in the center of the cavern. The three foxes stood disappointed but spellbound at the glowing scene before them. The smell grew strongersweet, dry, cloying. Balefur had caught that odor before on the battlegrounds of the northlands. It was the scent of death!
Sss ssssssssssssttttttt!
It started gradually until the whole chamber echoed to the sinister hissing noise. Then they saw the snakes. Every exit from that dreaded place was blocked by them: adders, writhing and hissing, baring fangs as they slithered forward. Scaly, cold-eyed, oliveand black-chevroned reptiles; long, short, thick, fat, poison, toothed and sinuously evil. Rearing, bunching and swaying, they came. Balefur had never witnessed anything like it, not even in his worst nightmare. The battleaxe slid from his nerveless paws as he felt himself fixed by a thousand hypnotic eyes. One of the foxes at his side screamed and threw himself into the pool.
“Eeeeyaaaaagh!
There were only ripples on top of the bottomless pool to show where he had broken the icy surface, and a dark shape could be traced for several moments going down ... down ... down!
Then, without a sound, their faces frozen masks of terror, eyes and mouths wide open, Balefur and the remaining fox slid silently into the rustling, many-coiled embrace of the serpents of the cavern.
16?
As the metal point broke the skin under Sunflashs chin, he felt its holder knocked aside and the weapon wrenched away. Then a gruff older voice growled, “Let it be, Gring, this is too big for a searat. Musko, make a light and bring it here. Lets see what weve caught!
Flint struck metal and a torch was lit. A raggy-furred shrew wearing a colored headband pointed his small rapier at Sun-fiash. “This aint no searat, comrades, thiss a badger, a big un, too!
Sunflash began pawing the net aside, angry at being caught napping. The fixing stakes flew from the ground as he stood. “Huh! I thought you lot were the searats. If youve harmed those two otters Ill make you sorry you were born!
A young shrew ran forward threateningly, sword drawn. “I dont trust this one, he could be with the searats. Kill him!
The older shrew neatly tripped the young one, then, relieving him of his sword, he thwacked him smartly across the rump with the flat of the blade. “Thats enough out of you, Gring. Im Log a Log round here. Ill say who gets slain and who gets spared. Now behave yourself!
Turning to Sunflash, the shrew leader made a brief salute with the sword. “Sorry about that, friend. Hi, Munga, how are those otters?
The reply came back with a deep bass chuckle. “Comin round fine, Chief. Its those two thick-skulled uglies Folrig an Ruddlegood job we only sandbagged em!
A small fire was lit on the lee side of a protruding rock. The otters rubbed their heads as they sat around with Sunflash, Log a Log, and some older shrews.
Ruddle introduced Sunflash to the shrews, wincing as he touched a bump between his ears. “Its a season or two since our paths crossed, matey. Whatre you shrews doin up in these high hills?
Log a Log pointed in the seaward direction. “Taking a shortcut to head Warpclaw an his searais off. We were off clearin a dam from the broadstream few days back, and when we got home to our camp that villain Warpclaw had sailed his ship Gutprow clean up our river from the sea an carried the liddle ones off for galley slaves. The old ones managed to run off an hidewhat else could they do?
Sunflash thought of the Lingl and Dubbo babes, and a wave of anger swept over him against the searats for stealing little ones.
“How many babes were taken, Log a Log? he asked.
“Thirty an four tbe exact... Log a Log stopped mid-sentence. For a moment his eyes filled with pain. “And that includes my own little daughter, barely more than a season old.
Sunfiash picked up his mace. “Come on then, theres no time to be lost. Were with you!
The shrews gaped open-mouthed as the huge badger went pounding off down the steep slopes toward the distant shore. They were amazed at his agility and strength. Where he could not climb he took great leaps, where it was too steep to walk he threw himself into a roll, and any rock or hindrance that barred his way was pulverized beneath the mighty mace.
Folrig and Ruddle bounded after him, calling to the shrews in their wake, “Sunflashll get yore liddle ugly mugs back if anybeast will! Hoho, bet yore glad tbe on the same side as this badger!
They made the beach an hour after dawn. Sunflash gathered them behind a rocky outcrop from where they could see the broadstream flow across the shore and into the sea. Folding a leaf, he began blowing a high-pitched signal.
Log a Log looked at him strangely. “Whatre you doing, friend?
Sunflash stopped blowing. “Just a chance a friend of mine might be around. Right, we need a plan. You otters, swim upstream and see if you can sight the searat ship coming this way. Log a Log, have you got any ideas how we can slow them down or stop them from reaching the sea?
The shrew Chieftain scratched his scrubby chin as he gazed out over the beach; then he pointed to one spot. “See there, fliats where the sand forms in a bump on the tideline. The river flows shallowest over that part. Musko, Floom, go an check it out for depth.
The two shrews dashed out to the spot and plunged into the water. A moment later they were out and running back, dripping. “Neck high, Chief, just about neck high!
Log a Log turned to Sunflash. “That should be enough. How strong are you, friend?
Sunflash shrugged. “Strong enough. Tell me what you want Die to do, and well see how strong I am.