Brian Jacques - Redwall #22 - The Sable Quean

As the sickbay door slammed behind him, Diggs cast a pitying glance at the Abbess, sighing. "Chap's off his rocker, gone bonkers, I'd say. Dearie, dearie me. How sad for a beast so blinkin' young, wot!"

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The battle of Redwall Abbey really had started in earnest. Like a foul tide, the Ravagers charged over the remainder of the nightdark flatlands, bellowing bloodcurdling war cries. Buckler came bounding up the wallsteps to join Skipper and Jango on the threshold battlements. The Guosim Chieftain was honing his rapier on the smooth sandstone.

"I knew that cattypult wouldn't stop the scum forever. They've still got more'n enough vermin to overrun us."

Buckler's long rapier swished as he drew it. "Aye, but the ballista bought us a bit o' time. Pity it can't be used for close-up work. Well, this is it, mates--we need everybeast that can fight right here!"

Jango, Skipper and Oakheart began bawling orders.

"Logalogalogalooooog! Guosim to me!"

"Redwaaaaaallll! Come on, buckoes, let's show 'em!"

"Gather to me, brave beasts! Woe unto they who would face a Witherspyk!"

Axtel Sturnclaw began pounding a baulk of timber with his war hammer, roaring, "Woooohuuuurrrr! Cumm an' meet ee choild o' death, vurmints! Woooohuuuuurrrr!"

Vilaya caught up with Grakk, who was at the centre of the first wave. She yelled at him above the noise, "Get them across that ditch an' straight up the hill onto the wall. Don't stop--keep up a full charge. Once our Ravagers are on the walltops, we'll eat them alive. Don't fail me, Grakk! You're in command now!"

Flib joined the second row of archers and slingers. Trajidia Witherspyk, armed with a sling and stones, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her. Flib's blood was up--she bounced up and down, whirling her sling in anticipation of the action.

"Yaharrr! We'll show that scummy lot the way to Hell-gates. First vermin that shows his nose over the wall's a flamin' deadbeast, eh, Traj?"

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Faced with the reality of life and death in warfare, the hogmaid's dramatic nature suddenly deserted her. "Oh, er, right, Flib, we'll show them.... But what are we supposed to do? I mean, do we actually have to kill other creatures, face-to-face?"

Flib laughed recklessly. "Well, o' course we do, ya blinkin' wiltin' lily! If'n ye don't kill Ravagers, they'll kill you. Just sling'n'whack'n'batter as hard as ya can. Stick by my side. I'll show ya how!"

Streaming to either side of the burning ram, vermin fighters scrambled out of the ditch. Grakk urged them up the sloping hill of rubble, waving his spear, and firing them up.

"Take the Abbey, ye bold buckoes! Let's conquer the place an' live the good life. Go to it if'n ye want enough vittles t'stuff yoreselves, aye, an' slaves to serve ye! It's all there for a night's killin'!"

The first score mounted the pile, their footpaws sinking in as they scrabbled upward. Buckler waited until he could see their villainous faces rising through the smoke and darkness. He raised his blade, steadying the first row.

"Stand ready.... Wait now.... On my command ... Shoot!"

A hail of shafts and slingstones whined through the air like angry wasps. Screams and gurgles rang out from below, followed by a salvo of thrown spears and javelins. Three Guosim fell to the missiles, two wounded, one dead.

Now the second wave of vermin came climbing up over the bodies of their fallen comrades. This time, there were more of them, and the ascent was faster. Jango heard Buckler calling his row to fall back and reload. The Guosim Chieftain leapt onto the battlements, shouting, "Second row forward.... Stand ready...."

Flib whirled her sling, winking at Trajidia. "Here we go now, Traj. Good huntin', mate!"

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Jango's command rapped out as they stepped to the threshold. "On my command ... Shoot!"

Trajidia was about to loose her slingstone when the scarred head of a rat poked over the top at her. She whacked the loaded sling down hard on her enemy's skull. The rat stumbled, grunted and kept coming. The hogmaid hit him again. And again. And again! An insane strength seemed to fill her limbs. She was screaming like a madbeast, "Eeeeeyaaaaah! Get back, back, baaaack!"

The rat reared to his full height on the walltop, then fell lifeless in front of her. She slung off her stone at a stoat who was following the rat. He toppled backward, struck full in the throat. Trajidia heard the order to fall back and allow the third row forward. She retreated, loading up her sling, laughing hysterically in Flib's face. "I did it, I did it, mate! See that! Two of 'em--I got two Ravagers. Eeeeeyaaaaah!"

The rows of defenders had now fallen into disarray, so fierce was the vermin onslaught. Buckler was everywhere at once with his commanders. Thrusting, kicking, slashing and stabbing at an endless stampede of vermin attackers. The Redwallers were sure to be overwhelmed as the tide of Ravagers swept upward. Some were even now fighting on the walkway, in paw-to-paw combat with the lesser force.

Then the unexpected happened. Ambrevina smashed the ballista to smithereens with a fusillade of blows from her mighty paws. Timber went flying everywhere as she grabbed both the young alder trunks, with the canvas sling tied between them. Skipper saw what was coming. He acted swiftly, ordering the defenders to retreat south along the walltops.

"Back to the south corner, everybeast. Stay out o' that badger's way or ye'll be slain!"

Buckler, Skipper, Jango and Oakheart put their backs to the retreat, fighting off the Ravagers who were pursuing

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them. There was, however, not much need for this when Axtel arrived on the scene.

The Warrior mole was in roaring Bloodwrath, hurling himself joyfully into the advancing Ravagers. His war hammer rose and fell, as if he was a mighty smith working at an anvil.

Ambrevina swept the walkway clear, wielding both the supple young trunks, bellowing in fury. Vermin flew through the air, right over the walltops, left, right and centre. The drastically thinned ranks of the foebeast could not, nor would not, face two such beasts consumed with the urge to slaughter. Even those climbing the heap fell back. However, this could not save them. Having cleared the threshold and west walkway, Ambrevina and Axtel jumped over the wall. They came thundering down upon the Ravagers like twin thunderbolts.

Buckler grabbed Jango. "Come on, Log a Log, get your Guosim and let's finish this! Skipper, Oakheart, stay up here and guard the Abbey. See to the wounded!"

Seeing the battle lost, Vilaya took to her paws and fled across the flatlands, with panic lending speed to her footpaws. Grakk ran, too. Panting and gasping, he caught up with the Sable Quean.

"Majesty, did ye see that? The big stripedog an' that other thing, the madbeast with the hammer? Once they came at us, we stood no chance. We need a new plan now."

Vilaya threw a paw around the weasel's shoulder. "I plan to get far away from here, travelling alone."

Grakk sensed what was about to happen--he knew Vilaya, and knew what he had to expect for the failed conquest. He tried to pull away, but too late. The Sable Quean was already thrusting with her small venomous blade.

She released him then. He collapsed to the ground with a small sigh. Vilaya stared down at him.

"Mayhap you never heard me say I travel alone."

She sped off into the night, leaving Grakk staring at her retreating figure. It gradually grew dim, as did his eyes.

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The once-fearsome army of Ravagers was defeated on the path twixt the ditch and the Abbey's west wall. Leaderless and totally unnerved by the ferocity of the counterattack launched upon them, they scattered and stumbled off in disarray. Buckler chased after a small group, but only for a short distance. Putting up his blade, he returned to the Abbey.