Brian Jacques - Redwall #16 - Triss

The squirrelmaid hefted a stone-tipped spear, part of the simple weaponry Bistort had left aboard for them. I wish I could stay and pay her back for murdering poor old Drufo. I’d give her the same chance she gave him. None!

Shogg weighed the bag of slingstones and the sling he had armed himself with. Aye, but there’s prob’ly a full crew o’ Freebooters an’ a pack o’ Ratguards with ‘er. We wouldn’t stand a chance, Triss. Right, we’d best move. Let’s go east an’ a touch north, keepin’ those rocks atween us an’ them so they don’t see us. Kurda will try to track us, ye can rely on it.

They set off at a brisk jog toward some dunes.

Kurda did not wait for Vorto to assist her. She leaped from the jollyboat and splashed off through the shallows toward the rocks. Plugg had brought Prince Bladd along with him but, when the Freebooter captain jumped overboard into the shallows, the fat young princeling kept his seat in the jollyboat’s centre.

I get mine paws vetted if I jump in dere, I not like vet paws!

Plugg shook his head in despair. Slitty, you ‘n’ Ripper give Prince slobberchops a lift ashore, an’ don’t get ‘is paws wet, ‘e don’t like it!

Vorto waited until all the Ratguards had waded ashore. Lining them up, he marched off to find the Princess.

Kurda was standing on the lee side of the rocks, leaning against the stolen boat, studying the pawprints that ran off toward the dunes. Vorto arrived with the Ratguards and saluted smartly.

The Princess smiled. Yarr, mine good Vorto, you vere right. Here is der ship, and der tracks, see!

Plugg came swaggering up with a few of his crew. He inspected the vessel, stroking its sides and patting the stern in admiration. The Freebooter liked what he saw.

Haharr, she’s an’andsome liddle beauty. The slaves who built this’n knowed wot they was doin’. Now then, yer’igh royalness, I wouldn’t be stannin’ gapin’ at those pawtracks all day, if’n I was you. This drizzle will soon wash’em out.

Kurda gave him a supercilious stare and drew her sabre. Tchah! You know about der sea, but I know all about der land. Vere is Riggan?

At Vorto’s command, a rat stepped forward. She was of wiry build, older than the rest, with a long nose and slitted eyes. Kurda’s sabre pointed to the fugitive tracks.

You can find dese creatures, yarr?

Riggan crouched and sniffed the prints. She rubbed a few grains of sand in one paw and licked them lightly. Find’em? Yer’ighness, Riggan can find’em as easy as findin’ vittles on a plate fer dinner!

The Pure Ferret smirked at the Freebooter Captain. Nobeast has ever escaped Riggan, She is mine father’s special slavecatcher. Dis rat can track a butterfly over de solid rocks. A drop of der drizzle vill not stop her!

Plugg’s voice oozed sarcasm as he answered. Ye don’t say? Now, ain’t that nice. Right ho, me beauty, you take yore rats off an’ play yore liddle’unting game. As fer me, well, I’m only a simple ole Freebooter.

I’ll’ave me crew cast about fer landmarks so we kin find this Mossflower place, while I stops’ere an’ polishes me new liddle boat up. May’aps ye’ll bring me’er sail back when you catches up wid those slavebeasts.

Now, be careful ye don’t rip it, I’m partickler about me property, eh, Slitty?

Slitfang grinned. Aye, very partickler, Cap’n!

But Kurda was not listening. She had set off with her Ratguards, slightly behind Riggan, who was travelling at a fast, easy lope over the wet sands.

Shogg and Triss headed east over the dunes, making for an outcrop of trees in the distance. The squirrelmaid got slightly ahead of her otter friend. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.

He hitched the bundle of sailcloth higher on his back. Runnin’ takes some gettin’ used to, matey, after all that sittin’ on me rudder in a boat fer long days. Let’s keep on goin’, me paws are beginnin’ to feel better now.

The land was mostly scrub grass, with patches of broom and thistle.

They ran steadily, side by side, with Shogg occasionally glancing back over his shoulder.

We don’t know if they’re on our trail or not. This drizzle should blur our tracks, Triss. I’ope it keeps up.

The squirrelmaid indicated the trees ahead. When we get to those, I’ll shin up one and scan the land.

Riggan did not stop or even pause to check the pawprints. She knew she was on the right trail.

Kurda clipped a thistle bloom with her blade edge. Vorto, ven ve find dem you do nothink, surround dem and leave der rest to me. I vill show dem how I deal mitt runavay slave thieves, long and slow I show dem, yarr!

Vorto could tell by the look in Kurda’s red eyes that she meant every word of it.

On reaching the tree fringe, Triss dropped her foodpack and went up the trunk of a sessile oak with all the skill of a born climber. Vaulting and swinging, she passed the middle branches and was soon up in the topmost boughs. Shogg craned his neck back and looked up to where she perched on a high limb.

Wot’s the word, mate, any signs o’ the vermin? His worst fears were confirmed as Triss called down, Aye, I can make out Kurda with about a score of Rat-guards coming this way fast. It looks like Riggan slave-catcher is leading themÑno wonder they got onto us so quick!

Shogg bit his lip with worry, Every slave at Riftgard knew the name and reputation of Agarnu’s relentless tracker. None had ever escaped Riggan.

’Tis bad news for us, mate. The only thing we can do is t’keep runnin’

until they’re so far from their ship that they gets tired o’ chasm’

us an’ turns back, maybe.

As Triss began climbing down the oak, she suddenly noticed another squirrel climbing alongside of her. He was a jolly-looking, fat beast, his shoulders crossed with webbing that was stuffed tight with hard green pinecones. She nodded to him; he nodded back and struck up a conversation.

So you’re going to run for it. Well, good luck to you, good luck, that’s what I always say.

Triss noticed that there were many more fat squirrels, all climbing down from neighbouring trees. She arrived back on the ground accompanied by roughly fifty of the creatures.

Shogg bowed politely.

Good day to ye, friends!

The one who had spoken to Triss was obviously their leader. He shook rainwater from his huge bushy tail. Good, what’s good about it? Nothing good about sitting up in a tree getting drenched, that’s what I always say!

Now that she knew the squirrels meant them no harm, Triss felt a lot more at ease with them. She spoke to the leader. I’m sorry for trespassing in your wood, but we’ll be gone right away. Sorry we can’t stop to talk.

Tossing up a pinecone and catching it without even looking at it, the squirrel remarked, No hurry. I’m Whurp, Chieftain of the Coneslingers.

You don’t have to run if you prefer walking, that’s what I always say.

He tossed the pinecone high, shook paws with them both, and caught the cone before it fell. Triss was impressed.

I’m Triss, and my friend’s called Shogg. We really do have to go, Whurp.

There’s not much use walking with those Ratguards hard on our paws.

We need to run.

Whurp tossed his pinecone, batted it with his tail and caught it one-pawed as it bounced off the sessile oak. Oh, don’t fuss yourself about a few rats, Triss, we can snarl them up here for a good while.

You and Shogg follow my daughter Burnby, she’ll lead you through the woods and out the other side. We’ll see to the rats for you. Rats are bad creatures, that’s what I always say.

Shogg noticed the thong wound about Whurp’s paw. I see ye carry slings.

What d’ye throw from them, cones?

Whurp tossed the cone he was toying with to Shogg. Aye, cones just like that one, good and hard, quite sharp, too. They wouldn’t kill a beast, we’re not in the business of slaying any creature. Only use them in defence of our territory, that’s what I always say.