The Bellmaker - Jacques, Brian - Redwall 07 - The Bellmaker

He received a swift reply. “Openna door longears, Glokkpod witcha, killa rats, lotsa rats!

The hare unlocked the cell and, standing to one side, be shoved the door open with his speartip. Glokkpod hopped out, eyes glittering, beak flicking from side to side. “Glokkpod badbird, killa anybist!

Mariel whispered to Dandin, “Looks like weve caught a whirlwind by the tail! Swinging her Gull whacker, she brought it within a hairbreadth of the shrikes eye. “Try killing this bist, and youre a loser!

Completely unafraid, Glokkpod winked one beady eye at her. “Glokkpod make jokah, kchakchakcha! Ony killa rats!

“Help! Help! Murder! Escapin prisoners, rouse the guard! The rat sentry had crawled out from under the fallen doorhe scampered off down the corridor in the opposite direction of the escapers, shrieking full blast. He was too far away to be caughtMeldrums spear bounced harmlessly off the wall, and he threw up his paws in disgust.

“Tchah! Thats blown it; theyll be on us in force soon. Which way now. We cant go down, theyll be comin up!

Mariel shouldered her Gullwhacker. “Like I said yesterday, theres only one way to go. Up!

The sound of masses of hordebeasts dashing toward them clinched the issue. Supporting Gael, the three friends sped along the corridor and up the flight of stairs at the far end. Glokkpod brought up the rear.

It was a stone spiral staircase, and it did not take them long to realize they were in a narrow round tower. The stairs seemed to continue endlessly upward, terminating in a small circular chamber. Sounds of guards pounding their way upward reached them. Dandin shut the door and barred it from the inside. Crossing to a narrow slit window he looked out.

“Were twice as high up as we were before; it makes me dizzy just looking down. Were as high up as anybeast can go in this castle. Lets face it, weve trapped ourselves good and proper this time!

As he spoke, the first spearblades and axeheads came crashing through the door.

15

Late afternoon found Pearl Queen riding dangerously low in the water. Heavy, swelling seas and an overcast sky were causing Finnbarr Galedeep problems. He muttered from between clenched teeth to Joseph as they fought to push the tiller hard over. “Were shippin too much water, mate. Got to get er out o this Roarnburn current an find land where we can make the Queen shipshape agin!

A fork of lightning crackled across the western horizon. Joseph glanced up at the storm-bruised clouds. “Aye, and wed better make land soon, Finnbarr.

Durry and Rufe stood in line, passing basins, bowls and bucketsanything the crew could lay their paws on to pass down the forard locker, where Log-a-Log and Rosie were bailing out furiously.

Foremole felt useless. Stricken by a severe attack of seasickness, he sat in the scuppers moaning softly. “Hurr, oi must be the furst ever green mole t put t sea. Burr, shame on oi! Ow be it goin, maister Quill?

Durry staggered on the bucking deck as he emptied a bucket over the side. “Not good at all, Foremole; the waters coming in so fast an the seas so heavy that its making the hole bigger! Thunder boomed directly overhead, causing the crew to jump.

Finnbarr yelled orders as he clung gamely to the tiller. “Slack sail afore were driven under. Slack sail! Keep balin below decks there, messmates ... Whoooooooaaah! Pearl Queen lurched mightily as she stewed out of the Roaringburn current to eastward. Rain came in torrents, lashing and stinging, wind-driven curtains of it, until it was difficult for the crew to see one another. Night set in without warning, aided by the dark stormy skies. Pearl Queen was driven scudding sideways across the face of the deeps, sails torn and flapping, lines and ropes whipping viciously, and masts creaking as she settled lower in the water.

“Belay the bailin, Finnbarr bellowed. “ Tis doin no good; were in the paws o fate now, mateys. Lash yerselves fast to anythin that wont be washed overboard!

Rosie and Log-a-Log were hauled out of the locker. They grabbed ropes and made themselves fast to the rails with the rest of the crew. Several of the shrews trapped Foremole as he came rolling past, a wet, furred ball of misery. “Wohurr, let oi be drownded zurrs, loif baint gudd no mores furr the loikes of oi. Buhurr!

Drenched as he was, Durry could see that Rufe was weeping from the way his body shook in the ropes that held him fast. The good hedgehog clutched his friend tightly. “Bad luck fer us all, Rufey, but you stick by me and well go down tgether. I wont leave ye to sink alone, Rufe Brush.

The young squirrel buried his head against Durrys chest where the spines gave way to softer fur. “Will they remember us for a long time at Redwall, Durry? he wept.

The hedgehog gagged as he spat salt spray from his mouth. “Always, Rufe, thats how long theyll recall us. Father Abbot11 put up a marker stone with our names on, an Mother Mellusll teach young Dibbuns about us an how bravely we perished. Well be famous, I bet.

Chain lightning lit up the whole eastern horizon as Joseph looked up. Suddenly he smiled through the torrential gale and cried out, “Land ho!

Finnbarr Galedeep grabbed Josephs paw in a viselike grip. “Land ye say, Bellmakerwhere away?

“Due east. Were headed straight for it; thats if we dont fill up and sink first. Keep looking east, Finnbarr. Next lightning flash will light it up.

All the sea otter could see was black night, rain, and spray in front of him. Suddenly there was a roll of thunder and sheet lightning illuminated everywhere, revealing a rocky coastline jutting up less than a league away! The realization that he could save his ship and crew sent Finnbarr roaring out commands again. “Untie yerselves, mates. Start bailin agin! Log-a-Log, get yoreself in the bows an watch out for reefs! Hoist forard sails to keep er stem up! Lively nowjump to it, me lucky buckoes!

Pearl Queen became a hive of activity amid the storm. Even Foremole picked himself up at the mention of land and began bailing furiously. While Joseph supervised fleck operations, Rosie took several creatures up into the rigging to set the sails. Rufe and Durry scurried raid to the highest sails, Rosie ahead of them. The vessel heeled perilously as a towering wave struck her broadside on, and there was a piercing squeal.

The shrew named Patch had been swept from a lower yardarm, and now he hung upside down, one footpaw snarled in a rope line. Rufe Brush was the only one who could see Patch, dangling wrong way up, his head dipping under every time the ship swayed to port. Leaving Durry and Rosie to deal with the topsails, Rufe climbed back down to help the shrew. Battered by the blinding spray Rufe inched out along the low yardarm, calling to the shrew, “Hang on, matey. Im comin!

The entire yardarm dipped deep below the seas boiling surface. Rufe locked both footpaws and tail around the timbers and reached out, catching Patch by his ears. He pulled and hauled, the shrew alternately screeching in pain and swallowing water, but Rufe tugged savagely, knowing if he let go, Patch was lost. With a mighty effort he hauled the shrew right side up, draping him across the yardarm. Rufe snatched the rapier from Patchs belt and hacked loose the rope that had trapped the shrews foot-paw. Then, fastening the unconscious shrew close to him with his own belt, Rufe clambered down into Finnbarrs waiting paws and collapsed with Patch in a heap on the deck.

The sea otter blew stormwater from his whiskers, shaking his head in admiration at the plucky rescue. “Yore a brave liddle beast, Rufe. I never seen a creature so game in all me born days, an thats a fact!

Suddenly a single clap of thunder rang out directly above Pearl Queen, followed by an immense lightning bolt that struck the ship. An eerie blue light enveloped every creature aboard, as their fur stood out straight from their bodies. There was a rending crack; the foremast snapped like a twig and was hurled off into the darkness.