Triss.

"Don"t go sittin" on yore spear, vermin, or you"ll damage yore brains. Haharrharr!"

Flith had no ready answer. He turned away, his face livid.

Shogg whispered to his companions. "Noon, eh? I"ll just "ave to try an" break through before then!" He vanished beneath the water noiselessly.

Triss murmured to Welfo, "One good thing, mate, the noise of the bar and the file can"t be heard underwater. It deadens the sound."

As Drufo laid logs with the slaves, he muttered instructions to them under his breath. "If we"re still "ere when they breaks outta that cage, we"ve got to "elp "em, see. Create a diversion, get in the way o" the guards, shout, yell, make it look like we"re tryin" to escape."

The message was pa.s.sed on from one to another. Hope for the condemned prisoners was widespread. Though they themselves had no chance of escaping, the prospect of three slaves not only avoiding death, but getting clean away from Riftgard, had fired the imagination of all the slaves.

Captain Riftun came out of the fortress to watch the completion of the path to the jetty. He stood beside Lieutenant Flith, bringing him up to date on what was to happen.

Flith listened intently to his captain. "King Agarnu ain"t goin" anywhere on that new ship, not "im; "e"s scared witless o" the sea. It"ll be Princess Kurda an" that oaf Prince Bladd who"ll be sailin". I"ll be goin", too."

This news surprised Flith. "Yore goin" with "em, Cap"n? "Ow long"ll ye be gone?"

Riftun was not one to give away valuable information. "For as long as it takes. That"s all you need t"know. Now lissen, you"ll be in charge "ere while I"m gone, so I want to find things in good order on my return. Got that?"

Flith saluted. "Aye, Cap"n, ye can rely on me. But there ain"t no reason fer you to go off sailin", none I can see."

Riftun leaned closer, dropping his voice so the slaves could not eavesdrop on what he was about to say. "I"m goin" to let ye in on a liddle secret, Flith, so keep it to yer-self. Agarnu is only King by blood. "E"s a Pure Ferret, but the law of Riftgard sez that a proper king must not only be of the blood, but that "e must possess an" wear the crown an" pawring which is the symbol of "is office."

Flith raised his eyebrows. "I never knew that! So wot yer sayin" is, since he"s got no crown an" pawring, Agarnu ain"t a real king, just a sort o" deputy?"

Riftun leaned on his spear and nodded. "Right! I served under Sarengo, the old king. Now "e was a proper ruler. But then "e went off on that voyage with Agarnu. Hah, I recall well the day Sarengo told Agarnu "e was takin" "im along. The fat useless fool wept like a baby. But Sarengo wanted to toughen Agarnu up, said "e"d either come back "ere as a king or not at all. They was off to plunder some place called Redwallit"s supposed t"be full o" treasure but they never found it. Agarnu was the only one to make it back to Riftgard alive. n.o.beast knows, except Agarnu "imself, wot "appened beyond the seas in that other land called Mossflower. An" he ain"t never said a word of wot went wrong, or "ow "e lost a leg. Think of it, a king, his crown an" pawring, fifty good Ratguards an" a great ship, all lost. Agarnu was close to death"s door when "e crawled ash.o.r.e off an "alf-wrecked ship"s longboat."

Flith nodded. "I recall that. I was only a young Ratguard meself at the time. Ye can"t blame Agarnu fer not wantin" t"gobackt"sea."

Riftun sn.i.g.g.e.red humourlessly. "No, that"s why "e"s sendin" Kurda an" Bladd. They"ve got to find out if King Sarengo"s still alive. If it turns out Sarengo"s dead, they"ve got to bring back "is crown an" pawring. Then Agarnu"ll be a real king, an" so will whichever of "is two brats follows in succession."

Flith thought about this, then scratched his tail. "But why d"you "ave t"go, Cap"n?"

Riftun puffed out his narrow chest importantly. " "Cos I"m the "ighest-rankin" rat in Riftgard. I"ve got t"see that the Prince an" Princess don"t try to murder one another. Kurda"s got nothin" but hatred for Bladd, an" young Bladd ain"t as stupid as "e looks. I bet "e"d put a knife twixt "is sister"s ribs as soon as look at "er. So I"m bein" sent along with a squad o" Ratguards, in command of everythin". At noon Agarnu"ll come down t"the new ship with Kurda and Bladd, to formally give the vessel to them. Aye, an" Kurda"s goin" to be allowed to execute those three prisoners in the punishment cage, just t"keep the other slaves from gettin" fancy ideas. Then they"re all all goin" back t"the fortress for a farewell feast. While that"s goin" on, the ship"ll be provisioned, ready to sail at eventide. So I"m warnin" ye, Flith, keep things runnin" smooth while I"m away, or youTl be the one in the punishment cage when I get back. Is that clear, Lieutenant?" goin" back t"the fortress for a farewell feast. While that"s goin" on, the ship"ll be provisioned, ready to sail at eventide. So I"m warnin" ye, Flith, keep things runnin" smooth while I"m away, or youTl be the one in the punishment cage when I get back. Is that clear, Lieutenant?"

Flith kept his eyes on the ground. "Aye, Cap"n, crystal clear!"

Riftun stalked off, back to the fortress. Flith watched him go, then turned his attention to the Ratguards who were overseeing the path construction.

Flith tried out his new authority. "Youse lot, call yerself Ratguards! I"d "ave had this job finished three days back if "twas left t"me. Get those slaves movin", 1 want to "ear yer whips crackin" louder. You lot are in for it if this path doesn"t reach the jetty in two hours. Wot d"ye expect, the King an" "is family t"get muddy paws? The Prince an" Princess "avin" t"walk over slushy ground? I"ll see this path finished if I "ave to use the carca.s.ses of both guards an" slaves fer the royal party t"walk over. Get movin"!"

Shogg came up for air. "Nearly through now, though I"d take me oath these bars are thicker at the bottom than at the top!"

Triss cast a sympathetic glance at her friend. "Do you want to take a rest and let me have a go at it?"

The otter shook his head, chuckling. "No, no, matey, you couldn"t "old yore breath long enough underwater. There"s only me who can do this. You keep watch."

Taking a deep breath, he submerged himself once more.

Princess Kurda put the final touches to her blade on an oiled stone and tested it on her paw. "Yarr, der heavy sabre be best for der choppink!" Swishing and slashing at imaginary victims, she prowled into the throne room.

Agarnu eyed the sabre distastefully. "Stop wavin" dat t"ing about. You like Sarengo wit mace"n"chain!"

Prince Bladd positioned himself behind Captain Riftun. "I not goin" on dat boat if she be takin" swords vit her!"

Agarnu banged his false leg on the floor decisively. "I say you go, den you go! Riftun be dere to proteck you, take some swords you"self if you vant, yarr."

Bladd tried to tough it out in front of his sister. "Yarr, I take mace"n"chain, like dey say mine granpa had!"

Kurda could not resist baiting him. "Mace und chain, yarr, you could not even lift von, fool!"

Bladd stuck out his tongue and made a rude noise. "Den I tell Riftun to stick his big spear in you!"

Kurda"s pink eyes shone wickedly. "n.o.beast"s spear stop dis sword. Spears, tchah!"

Agarnu roared at them both, "Stop der fightink, you two!"

However, Kurda was bound to have the last word. "You watch der vay I deal wid dose slaves, den you try an" sleep tonight!"

The last logs had been laid, completing the walkway to the new ship at the jetty"s end. Flith made his guards herd the slaves to one side.

Shogg popped his head up, dismayed. "The file"s snapped, just when I was nearly through!"

Welfo sobbed nervously. "I can hear the gates being unlocked. They"re coming! Can"t we do something?"

The otter set his jaw grimly. "I"ll try bashin" the bar with a rock!"

Diving beneath the surface, he located a hefty boulder, which they had previously been using to try to bend the bars. All caution was thrown aside now. The noise of Shogg"s efforts could be heard clearly, echoing round the fjord banks: Thook! Drrongg! Thook! Brrungg! Thook! Drrongg! Thook! Brrungg!

Lieutenant Flith ran toward the quivering cage. "Wot in the name o" fangs is goin" on there?"

Drufo pushed a Ratguard in the back, sending him sprawling as he yelled to the other slaves, "Now, mates, now!"

They broke loose^hustling and jostling the guards. Flith was knocked flying into the water. Slaves were roaring and yelling as they grabbed whips from their surprised captors. The bar broke under the pounding from Shogg"s rock. He grabbed it to use as a weapon, wading out of the cage into the fjord, calling to his two friends: "Move yoreselves, mates, this is the only chance we"ll get!"

Agarnu and his party froze as they emerged from the fortress. Riftun grabbed one of the twelve honour guards accompanying them. "Quick, run an" get the other guards, bring the archers! The prisoners have broke out o" the cage!"

Triss had a tight hold on Welfo"s paw as she raced along behind Shogg. They splashed through the shallows, avoiding being caught in the melee on the walkway.

Drufo was waving Flith"s spear, cheering them on from the midst of the chaos. "Freedom, Triss! You an" yore pals, go for freedom!"

A Ratguard who was close to the ship came running at the three with his whip raised. Shogg struck him down with the cage bar, while Triss and Welfo loosed the mooring ropes from their bollards and climbed aboard.

Shogg followed them and tossed the bar aside. "Get the oars, shove "er out, the tide"s beginnin" to turn!"

Kurda led the reinforcement guards. Charging into the ma.s.sed slaves, she hacked left and right with her heavy sabre. The slaves wilted under the menace of shafts upon drawn bows and long pikes being thrust at them.

Drufo still had Flith"s spear. He stood at the jetty end, anxiously glancing from the slow-moving ship to the oncoming guards.

Triss yelled hoa.r.s.ely at her father"s old companion-inarms. "Drufo! Sling that spear away, swim for the ship! Come on, we"ll pull you aboard! Throw the spear away!"

The old squirrel stood firm, watching Kurda coming toward him. He called back over his shoulder to the young squirrelmaid.

"Get away from "ere, Trissy. Get away! I ain"t goin"

nowhere! This is as good a day to die as any. Remember me, remember yore father. You"ll be back to free the slaves one day, I know ye will. Now go, don"t waste the chance we gave ye!"

Drufo had time for no more words. Kurda was upon him. Chopping the spearhaft in half with a few vicious strokes, she ran Drufo through with her sabre.

Triss saw it all. It was burned into her memory like a red-hot iron. Shogg shoved her roughly.

"You "eard "im, Triss, use that oar! I"ll loose the sail. Move yoreself quicker, or we"ll all die "ere. You, too, Welfo!"

Kurda waded into the fjord until it was above her waist. Then she was forced to duck as Bladd shouted at the archers, "Shoot dem vit arrows, cut dem down! Fire!"

A hail of barbed shafts thudded into the vessel"s stern, some of them falling short into the water, narrowly missing Kurda.

The Princess dashed from the water, quivering with rage, her silken robes sopping wet. "Fools! Idiots! I could haff gotten aboard der ship!"

As she pointed back at the vessel with her sabre, a healthy breeze caught the single purple sail, billowing it out and sending the ship smoothly seaward down the fjord. Riftun seized the shamefaced Flith and rapped out orders.

"They ain"t made it t"the sea yet. Git yore archers an" spear throwers on the mountainside, chase alongside "em. Pour in arrers an" spears, rocks, anythin", but stop those slaves makin" it out to sea. Get goin", ye useless slob!"

Triss wiped blood from an arrow graze on her cheek as she watched the Ratguards mount the rocky slopes in pursuit. It was still quite a way to open water. "Looks like they"re coming after us, Shogg. Best steer her over to the far sh.o.r.e or they"ll pick us off easily."

The otter adjusted the tiller, judging the fjord cannily. "Can"t take "er too close, t"other bankside is very rocky.

Keep those oars pullin", luck"s on our side so far. I "ope the tide"s not run out altogether, otherwise we"ll get stuck on sandbars at the estuary mouth."

The Ratguards were shooting arrows now. Their range was too far for spears, so the spearbeasts used their slings to hurl stones. Triss and Welfo could see the missiles coming, so it was not hard to row and avoid arrows or stones. Welfo felt a new confidence flooding through her, and the hogmaid winked at Triss. "We"ll make it, she"s got the wind behind her pretty good now. Not far to go and head for the open sea Unffl" Unffl"

Welfo had been looking up at the sail as she spoke, when a big solid pebble from a Ratguard"s sling struck her hard on the side of the head. She collapsed unconscious to the deck.

Shogg was at her side immediately. "Stow yore oar, Triss, tend to our mate. She ain"t bad "urt. I got to look after the tiller an" not let the bow drift too far over."

Flith stumbled and staggered over sharp rocks and snagging shrubs, exhorting the guards. "Pour it into "em, we"ve taken care o" the "edgepig. You front lot, get ahead o" me, down to the estuary! The river mouth narrows there. That"ll be our best chance. We might even get "em stuck on a sandbank if the tide"s run out enough!"

Shogg raised himself from the tiller, staring anxiously ahead. "Triss, get Welfo down to the cabin out o" the way. Tide"s still ebbin" up yonder, I don"t like it. Got to take "er out into midstream now, so keep yore "ead down, matey!"

Flith"s advance guard had reached the high peak at the inlet when he joined them. The ship swung out into midstream, heading for the gap. The searat sn.i.g.g.e.red joyfully "I kin see the bottom from "ere, "tis runnin" shallow. Hahah! Look, the ship"s draggin", she"s runnin" "er bow onto a sandbar. Now let em "ave it! I want those other two lookin" like pincushions! Fill "em full of arrers!

"Split inter two groups, you lot. Stay up "ere, keep firin"

arrers. The rest, foller me an" bring yore spears. We"ll wade out an" rip "em t"ribbons! It ain"t deep there, we"ll do it easy!"

The vessel ground to a shuddering halt. Shogg yelled down the cabin hatch, "Up "ere, Triss, quick, she"s run aground!"

The squirrelmaid came bounding up on deck. "What do we do?"

Her otter friend outlined his desperate plan. "Leave two lines runnin" over the stern so we can get back aboard. Me "n" you"s got to lever "er off this bank with the oars. Come on, we ain"t got much time. Flith"s comm" down after us!"

Shogg vaulted over the stern with two oars, while Triss hung out the two lines, then joined him. They dug the oars into the sandy bottom under the stern and placed the oar-poles over their shoulders.

Shogg gave the word. "One, two an" push! One, two an" push! That"s the way, keep goin", I can feel "er movin" along. One, two an" push! Push!"

Flith came splashing through the shallows, brandishing a spear he had borrowed. He was not more than a boat"s length from his quarry when the ship cleared the sandbar, gliding smoothly into the sea to catch the ebbing tide.

Shogg patted Triss"s back. "Good job, shipmate. Up y"go, sharpish now!"

Flith hurled himself, spearpoint forward, at the otter. Shogg turned just in time. He dodged the weapon and swung out mightily with the big ship"s oar. Once, twice he cracked it down on the rat, as hard as he could, then, seizing the line, he shinned up aboard the vessel, helped by Triss from above.

Open sea lay deep and blue in front of them, with a good wind scudding the ship out onto the main. Welfo staggered out on deck, holding a damp rag to the side of her throbbing head. She managed a weak smile.

"We made it!"

Shogg glanced back over the stern, where he saw Flith"s limp form sink beneath the waves as it was pulled out in their wake.

"Aye, we made it, friends, we"re safe. Sit awhile an" rest now." Welfo went back down below as Shogg took the tiller. He watched sadly as Triss sat on the deck and wept bitter tears for old Drufo, the last remaining link with her family.

Prince Bladd was secretly glad that he did not have to go sailing on a long voyage after all. He shrugged happily. "Veil, dat"s dat, ain"t got no ship now, yarr!"

There had been no vessels moored in the fjord since Agarnu"s ill-fated trip with his father. The stolen vessel had been specially built for Kurda and Bladd.

Now Kurda eyed her father contemptuously. "Yarr, only der fool who rules a kingdom by der sea would have no ships!"

Agarnu knew she was right. He flinched at the scorn in Kurda"s voice. Wheeling about on his fishbone leg, he stumped back to the stronghold, bl.u.s.tering, "Tchah! No need for der ships. Vy us needs ships? Got everyt"ink else, kingdom, stronghold, yarr! Light der beacon, Freebooters see it. Dey got ships, let dem do der job for us. Jarr!"

Kurda gripped her sabre tighter. This was the best idea her father had ever come up with.

She grinned wickedly at Riftun. "Jarr, Freebooters! Get dose Ratguards to fix up de beacon, now!"

Eventide shades slid from crimson to slatey purple over the sea. On the high rocky point at the estuary a ma.s.sive pile of pine logs, branches, foliage and dead moss had been erected by the weary Ratguards. Barrels of fish and vegetable oil stood close by. Kurda watched Captain Riftun set light to the beacon fire: it would burn red and gold by night and the oil would make it send up a column of dark smoke by day. Freebooters, vermin pirates and cor- sairs sailing anywhere in the region would see the signal and come to investigate.

Kurda pointed her sabre blade directly at Riftun. "Keep dis burnin", night an" day, and you stay "ere! Let me know ven de Freebooters be sighted, yarr?"

Firelight reflected off the Captain"s spearblade as he saluted. "Yarr, Princess, "twill be as ye command!"

Kurda stared out over the restless deeps of wave and water. She spoke her thoughts aloud. "No slave escapes Riftgard. I"ll find dem. Ven I do, dey be sorry dey was ever borned. Diss I vow!"

9.

Dawn had always been the time that Skipper of otters loved best. Rising silently at the first song of larks on the western flatlands beyond the Abbey, he would pad gently out of the dormitory for his morning exercise. This usually took the form of a good brisk swim in the Abbey pond, after which he ran several times around the outer wall-tops. Then he practised with javelin, club and sling. The big st.u.r.dy otter was not a beast to let fat grow about his middle. With his appet.i.te sharpened, Skipper slipped quietly into the kitchens. Friar Gooch the squirrelcook and his a.s.sistant, the molemaid Furrel, were preparing breakfast. Knowing Skipper was not a great talker first thing in the morning, they left a tray out for him. With a nod of thanks, he took his food: warm oat scones, a small bowl of shrimp and hotroot soup (a special favourite with otters), and a large beaker of mint and pennycress cordial. Wordlessly, he left and went to seek someplace quiet, where he could eat and meditate before joining the bustle of Red-wall"s daily life.