Passing through the forge room, Sunflash wandered upstairs, around corners, down passages, until he felt completely lost and overawed at the vastness of the mountains interior. Then he came to a dead end: suddenly the corridor ran out, and he was facing a bare rock wall. Sunflash inspected it and noticed in it a crack, little more than a claws thickness. Setting his own claws into the crack, he tugged sideways, and the rock gave a bit, grating noisily. He pulled harder, until the crack widened sufficiently for him to wedge his mace handle in. Setting his shoulder to the macehead, Sunflash gave a mighty shove, and the crack opened wide. One more hard push and the whole wall started to swing outward. The secret doorway was open.
Flint, steel, and tinder lay on the floor inside, along with several torches of dry brush. Swiftly he struck flint to steel, blowing the sparks that had landed on the tinder into life. A small flame appeared. Sunflash lit a torch and walked to the narrow hall.
Then with a roar of shock, the badger staggered back, dropping the torch. Swiftly he retrieved it, sparks showering around him like fireflies as he held it high. There at one end of the hall was a fully armored badger seated upon a throne! Immediately he knew that this was his great grandsire, Old Lord Brocktree. The hairs on Sunflashs back stood on end as he walked forward to stand in front of his ancestor. The visor of Ihe splendid warhelmet was closed over the Badger Lords eyeless sockets. Sunflashs paw trembled as he traced it through the dust on Brocktrees burnished breastplate. He knew that inside the armor there remained nought but a skel-eton of the once great warrior, but there was no denying that their blood was one and the same. Sunflash knelt and wept then, for the heavy burden fate and seasons had placed upon his family.
The guttering torch brought him back to reality, and he looked around for something to keep the light going. There, beside a great wall covered in carvings, he found a hammer, chisels, and a lantern. Gratefully he lit the lantern from the dying torch and sat upon the floor, staring at the rows of cuious pictures engraved across the wall. Sunflash breathed in the sweet-smelling smoke from the lantern; it was not an unpleasant aroma. Gradually he leaned over until he was lying flat on the cool floorstones; they felt good, restful. He put aside the smoking lantern with its dim golden light. A great desire to sleep overtook him; closing his eyes, he listened to a soft voice singing to him from afar. The corridors of his mind became one with the dim, incense-wreathed hall and its music.
“Rest awhile, sleep awhile, Here where the warrior stays, Old as the dust of seasons, Soft as the call of lost days. Mountain Lords marked out by fate, Watch oer great seas forlorn. You are the heart of this ancient rock, Where mighty legends are born.
Pale shades of bygone Badger Lords, hares in battle formations, searat galleys, vermin hordes, and the clangor of war mingled with pounding surf in the dreams of Sunflash the Mace. Louder and louder the pounding grew. Sunflash came awake in darkness; the lantern had gone out. Somebeast was pounding against the far wall from its other side. Dim cries reached the Badger Lords ears.
“Sire, are you there? Answer if you can hear us!
Sunflash stood upright, bellowing aloud, “Im in here, wait!
Groping his way to the wall, he felt around until he encountered a deep crack. Sunflash pulled both ways, gouging huge blunt claws into the stone rift, and the entire wall moved fractionally. Howling his war cry, the badger pitted his strength in one colossal effort against the groaning rock.
“Eeulaliaaaaa!
The wallrift opened three full pawlengths. Shaking dust from his eyes, Sunflash kicked his mace into the gap, wedging it open. Sundew and several other hares were on the other side in the forge room. They shouted out in relief.
“Oh, thank the fur V fates youre all right, Sire!
“Whew! When you go missin, you make a proper job of it, wot?
“Whats that sweet smell? Whew, whatve ybeen cookin in there, mLord?
“Mustve eaten somethin tkeep him goin three days, wot!
Sunflash could scarcely believe his ears. “Three days? You mean Ive been in here three full days?
Sundews paw came through the opening, and she patted Sunflash s face, as if to reassure herself that it really was him. ; “Rather! An three nights, doncha know, this is the morn of the fourth blinkin day, Sire. Id have never forgiven myself if we hadnt found you, worried out of mmind I was!
Sunflash interrupted her recriminations. “Is there a lantern or a torch in there? Pass me a light through. Hurry!
There was a few moments scratching about, then a flaring, iesin-soaked torch with a metal sconce ring on it was thrust the opening. Sunflash took it, saying, “Stay where are, I wont be long. Theres something I must see.
The carved wall was covered with pictures of badgers and cattles, searats, vermin bandsthey were all there. Sunflash recogmzed a figure near the end; it was obviously his grandsire, Boar the Fighter, armor-clad, armed with a great battle-blade, putting searats to flight. Curiously, the next figure was small, but quite heroic. It was a mouse, carrying a broken sword hung about his neck on a cord, and there were other smaller figures accompanying the mouse on a journey toward the mountain. Next was a likeness of the same creatures leaving Salamandastron, though this time the mouse was wielding a bright new sword of great beauty. Beyond that was a small space. Sunflash caught his breath. Carved into the wall was a clear picture of himself, carrying his mace over one shoulder, walking toward the mountain.
22
In the forge room, the hares sprang aside as the wall gap rumbled wide. Sunflash opened it by using his great mace as a lever, then he squeezed through and pulled the mace after him, not a moment too soon. The rock rift ground back into place, closing the gap in the forge-room wall. They stared curiously at the Badger Lord as he stood there calmly, a faraway look in his dark eyes.
Sundew was profuse in her apologies. “Beggin your pardon, mLord, we should neverve ventured this far into your personal quarters, but we were so worried!
Bradders had also come along with the search party. “I say, m. Lord, you must be absolutely starvin, old Sire. The last mouthful of scoff you had was breakfast, three flippin mornins agomust make a chap jolly hungry, that sort of thing!
Sunflash rubbed his eyes and shook his great head to bring back to normality. He patted Sundews paw. “You did the right thing, young un. Bradders is right though, Im really hungry. Is breakfast over?
Forty, the fat young hare who was Bradderss pal, nodded. “Not a bally crumb left, old lad, er, I mean Sire.
Sunflash could not help chuckling at the tubby hare. “I couldnt imagine there being much left on any table once youve had your fill, wobblechops. Never mind, Ill fix something for myself in the kitchens.
Sundew whispered in Sunflashs ear, “First you must come to the sick baythere is an urgent matter that cant wait.
Sunflash recognized the two slight figures laid in twin beds immediately. He went to them and took their paws. “I remember you twoits Breeze and Starbuck. Youre the two elders who met me when I arrived here that first day.
Starbuck blinked his rheumy old eyes and coughed fitfully. “Aye, Sire, that was us. Do you know, we bodi served under your grandsire Boar the Fighter.
Sunflash looked closer at both creatures. It was then that he realized just how old they really were. He turned to Sundew, saying, “If this is right they must have more seasons on them than anybeasts I have known.
The young hare dampened a cloth and wiped the wrinkled brows of both the ancients. “They speak true, Lord. These two are the only ones left who fought alongside your grand-sire, and how they lived this long, nobeast knows. Every last day of autumn season since the death of Boar the Fighter, they have both stood in the main cave entrance by the shore, as if awaiting your coming.