365
The hare came to join his friend on the threshold. "Aye, Oakie, this is where the final battle will be--on this point, where the hill is piled in front of Redwall's gate. Once they cross that ditch, they'll try an' force an entry by chargin' us. Unless..."
The Sable Quean stood at the back of the slow-moving advance, urging the Ravagers forward. "They can't get us all with a few boulders. Double-march them, Grakk. The quicker we reach that hill of rubble, the sooner we'll make an end of it. The woodlanders are still outnumbered. We can do it with one good charge. Speed up the chant, get them moving."
Grakk could see great things ahead for himself. Boldly, he marched along with the rear ranks, roaring out, "Wait'll we gets in there, bullies! Ye can eat all ye like, sleep on soft beds an' be waited on tail an' paw by woodlander slaves! Sable Quean Vilaya! Kill kill kill!"
Not committed yet to a head-on charge, the Ravagers broke into a shambling trot, waving their weapons and taking up the call, which spurred them on.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Victory to Vilaya, Sable Quean!"
Having left Redwall by the small north wallgate, with a heavily armed force, Buckler, Jango and a crew of Guosim warriors sped silently along to put the plan into action. Emerging from the woodlands north of the Ravagers, they hurried over the path, then slipped quietly into the ditch. A short time thereafter, they were in the main gate area, peering over the ditchtop at the unsuspecting vermin advance.
The Guosim were in two lines, one behind the other. Buckler commanded the front line.
"Put shafts to bowstrings, an' make every arrow count. On my word now. Stand! Draw! Shoot!"
The front rank of Ravagers were taken by surprise. The sudden volley of barbed shafts hit them hard.
Buckler signalled his archers to stand back; Jango took
366
over. "Back row, forward! Slings an' javelins! Stand! Throw! Fall back!"
This time it was a salvo of stones and fire-hardened ashwood javelins which hit home, thinning the Ravager horde. They fell flat, returning the missiles with their own stones, spears and arrows.
Vilaya lay facedown on the flatland, striking at Grakk's footpaws. "Get them up, keep going, we're almost there!"
Orders rang out from the ditch. More shafts, javelins and slingstones pelted down on the vermin. Grakk was about to rise when a dull whump rent the air. Black smoke billowed out, followed by sparks and flames.
Jango tossed the empty cauldron of dirty kitchen fat on the blazing battering ram. Slapping his ears with a paw, he blinked through the billowing haze. "Scorched me ears, whiskers'n' blinkin' eyebrows to a frazzle, there. Ahoy, Buck!"
Buckler shoved the Shrew Chieftain ahead of him, along the ditch bottom with the rest of his Guosim fighters. "Hurry, mate, back to the Abbey while they're still won-derin' what happened!"
Cellarmole Gurjee and Axtel Sturnclaw met them at the north wallgate. As they piled in, Buckler locked the gate behind them.
"Anything to report here?"
Axtel'o eyes were still blood-tinged from the berserk fury. He was limping about in circles as he touched his snout in a brief salute. "Oi h'accounted furr three o' they vurmints, zurr. Ee fourth un throwed hisself frum ee wall-top an' perished without offerin' a foight. Oi'm h'awaitin' further orders, zurr, thankee koindly!"
Jango glanced up at the twilight sky. "Best git yoreself up atop o'er the gate. There'll be battle aplenty for ye there soon!"
Buckler bounded onto the north wallsteps. "Right, mates, no time to waste now!"
367
Some of the defenders had wrapped damp cloths about their faces to counteract the black smoke billowing up from the ditch. The ram was blazing; the flames had taken hold. From down below there was silence--not a Ravager could be seen anywhere.
Trajidia Witherspyk lowered her face cover, trilling, "Hoorah! Victory is ours. The rascally foe have been routed! Rejoice, brave friends, rejoice!"
Oakheart fixed her with a withering glance. "Cease your foolish prattle, daughter dear. Well, my comrades in arms, what think ye?"
Skipper watched the dark, oily smoke clouding the setting sun. "I don't like it. Somethin's goin' on."
Jango nodded agreement. "Aye, they ain't just upped stakes an' left. They'll be back, y'can be sure. But when?"
Axtel gave an experienced warrior's opinion. "When ee doan't bees 'spectin' et, zurr, that's when."
Buckler paced back and forth, framed in the last rays of daylight. "Right, sir, it'll be sometime durin' the night. Vilaya will try to catch us nappin'. So we must be alert an' on guard all through the darkness."
Abbess Marjoram came up on the walkway. "Is everything under control? How are we doing?"
Skipper saluted with his javelin. "We've beaten 'em off once, marm, an' we're fit'n'ready for any vermin wot wants a second try. No need for ye to worry, marm."
Marjoram smiled warmly at the Otter Chieftain. "Why would I ever worry, with such brave warriors to keep my Abbey safe? I just came to tell you that Friar Soogum and his helpers will be arriving soon with supper."
Oakheart patted his rumbling paunch. "Kind of ye t'be so considerate, friend Marj. We could all manage a bite or two. It's been a long, weary day, an' the night will be far more tiresome, I suspect."
The Abbess tapped Buckler's paw. "I think perhaps you'd better come to the Infirmary. I'd like you to look in on Mister Diggs."
368
Buckler gave the matter some brief thought before replying, "Er, much as I'd like to, marm, I rather think my place is up here--in case of trouble, y'see. I'm sure Diggs would agree if he were here, marm."
Skipper gave the hare's shoulder a nudge. "Go on with ye, Buck. If'n anythin' breaks, we'll let ye know loud'n'clear. Right, mate?"
Axtel winked at Buckler. "Roight, zurr. Us'll raise a gurt showt that'd be hurd ten leagues off'n. You'm go an' see ee friend Diggsy!"
As Marjoram and Buckler passed through Great Hall, a song that was almost a dirge echoed out. It gave the Abbess a start. "Good grief. What's that?"
Buckler knew. He pointed out Clarinna, who was seated in a corner beside the body of Zwilt the Shade. She had a bowl of water, with which she was cleaning the blade of Martin's sword whilst singing the dirge to the slain enemy.
Buckler explained this to Marjoram. "Clarinna could not properly grieve the murder of her mate, my brother Clerun, until his killer was punished. It's an old Salamandastron custom."
Pausing, they listened to the eerie sound. Clarinna carried on singing, oblivious to their presence.
"Sleep now, my love, rest quietly in peace, the cost of thy blood now is paid, for I with mine own paw, fulfilled the warriors' law, exacting vengeance with this shining blade.
Thy son and daughter, too, who'll grow not knowing you,
I'll tell them that you dwell by tranquil streams, amidst the silent trees, mid fields of memories, mayhaps sometimes you'll visit them in dreams.
Sleep now, sleep now, my love, sleep on, for time will dry all tears and ease the pain, now justice has been done, sleep on, my love, sleep on, until the day when we shall meet again."
369
As they mounted the stairs, Buckler observed, "Clarinna won't recover properly until her babes are back with her. They're happy enough for the moment with Mumzy the old water vole, thanks to Ambrevina and Diggs. How's the old rascal doing, marm?"
Marjoram led the way up to the Infirmary. "See for yourself. Sister Fumbril has taken care of that dreadful head wound he took, but at the moment, he's drifting in and out of consciousness."
Diggs lay very still on his sickbay bed, his head swathed in a turban of herb salves and bandages. Buckler stood staring at his friend as he spoke to Sister Fumbril. "How's he doing, Sister?"
The jolly otter healer shook her head dubiously. "There's no way of knowin', sir, he's been like that since he was carried up here. It was a terrible wound, a stroke of a big sword, I think. He's lost an ear an' been scarred for life. I'm waitin' on him t'wake up, but he ain't respondin'."