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

Bowly was correct. It was a fat old mole in trouble. Six gray rats were trying to bind him with grass ropes. The old creature was giving a good account of himself, but the rats were overwhelming him, prodding him with spears as they looped the coils about him and struggled to get a halter round his neck. Nearby three small young moles were weeping in distress, closely guarded by a seventh rat.

The old mole pulled a paw loose as he roared, “Youm vurmints, oill never tug moi snout to no foxerwulf, ee Squirrelyking be the oandly one oi bow to, hurr!

They had not yet seen the three friends. “Me and Mariel will take the six who have the old fellow, Dandin whispered to Bowly. “Dyou reckon you could deal with that rat guarding the young uns?

Not stopping to answer, Bowly hefted one of his oatcakes and flung it hard with amazing accuracy. It whacked the rat solidly across the jaw, dropping him in a heap. The young hedgehog grinned from ear to ear. “I done that. Dandy. Wot next?

All activity below ceased as the six rats turned to stare up at the intruders. Dandin sighed in resignation. “Bowly, you might have waited until I gave the wordweve completely lost the element of surprise.

Mariel had her Gullwhacker ready as they strode down to confront the rats. She addressed the one who looked like their Captain. “You, frognose, get your filthy paws off that mole!

The rat leered crookedly at her. “Well, well, what have we here, a little mouseymaid? Whats your name, pretty one?

The Gullwhacker belted him square in the mouth and he sat down hard, spitting out a broken fang. Mariel smiled. “Should have whacked you over the ears; it would have cleared some of the muck from them. I never asked for complimentsI told you to let the mole go.

“Youve just signed your death warrant, mouse, said the rat, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. “Theres more than seven of us. Youll see! He blew several sharp blasts on a bone whistle which hung from his neck, but before he could blow more, a kick from the old mole felled him. Knowing reinforcements would be arriving promptly, Mariel and Dandin hurled themselves headlong at the remaining five rats.

“Redwaaaaaalllll!

Sheathing his dagger, Dandin tripped the first rat and grabbed the spear from his claws as he fell. Using the spear butt as a club, he set about belaboring the grounded rat furiously. Mariel tangled the footpaws of another in the coils of her Gullwhacker, whipping it free to punish him with the hard knotted end. Bowly leaped on the back of a third rat, striking hard with his remaining oatcake.

Reinforcements arrived in the form of ten more rats dashing over the hill. Mariel saw them coming and rapped out a swift order: “Form foursquare around the little moles. Quick!

They dashed to obey, facing outward with the young moles at their center. Dandin brandished the spear, jabbing. Mariel swung her rope in an arc, daring any rat to step within its range. Bowly and the old mole had picked up spear and sword; growling, they waved the weapons wildly. The rats who had been felled began to recover and rise, hopelessly outnumbering the four defenders. A rat leaped back, sneering, as Dandin jabbed out with his spear.

The Captain whose fang Mariel had knocked out staggered upright, wiping blood from his chin. “Youll wish youd never interfered with Captain Bragglin of Nagrus horde. Hitting me with that rope was the biggest mistake of your life, mouse!

Some of the rats had bows. They began fitting shafts to their bowstrings in readiness. Dandin shook his head. “Bowly, I told you it was wrong to knock that rat down before we had a chance to size up the situation.

Quivering with anticipation, the rats began slowly closing in on the little party. For the first time Bowlys swaggering attitude deserted him and his voice sounded small and frightened. “Taint much fun bein a warrior; looks like were nigh to gettin ourselves slayed!

Mariel knew Bowlys words to be true. But desperate situations call for reckless remedies: the mousemaid hurled herself into action with lightning ferocity.

Snatching the dagger from Dandins belt she clamped it firmly between her teeth, then, thundering forward, she struck hard, left, right, and center with the Gullwhacker. Totally unprepared for such an aggressive move, several rats were floored by hefty blows. They fell, bumping into : others and knocking arrows awry from bowstrings. For the second time in a short space Captain Bragglin found himself in the path of Mariels weapon. She swung it in a vicious arc, thudding the knot into his stomach. His mouth gaped wide as the breath was belted from him in a loud whoosh. Before the rats had time to recover, Mariel had thrown herself upon their Captain. She held the dagger point at his trembling gullet, roaring wildly, “Dont even think about moving, or this scum dies!

As the attackers froze in their tracks, Bragglin shouted, “Be still, dont make any false moves! Grinj, cover her! The rat called Grinj was an experienced archer. As the rest stood stock-still he slid close to Mariel, an arrow straining against his taut bowstring. Bragglin managed to gasp against the daggertip tickling his throat, “Kill her if she moves this blade a fraction!

Dandin heaved a loud sigh of dismay. It was a standoff. Noontide shimmered over the grass-topped sandhills as both parties stood poised in a silent tableau.

“Thisns a right mess we be gotten into, said Bowly, shooting Dandin a pleading glance. “Wots a warrior supposed to do now, Dandy?

Dandin knew the situation rested on a daggertip and an arrowhead. Squinting up at the high hot orb of the sun he whispered calmly, “Learn patience and obedience, thats the way of the warrior. Dont show fear, Bowly; stand up straight and wait for the next movebut be ready when it comes!

XX

Hail the conquering Foxwolfyou drooling idiot! The Urgan Nagru ducked as a bowl clanged against the banqueting chamber door. Wincing with the pain of his injuries, he hobbled to one side as Silvamord flung a three-branched candlestick.

“One day that poisoned tonguell be the death of you, vixen! the Foxwolf snarled dangerously. Limping to his chair, he slumped down and began tugging gingerly with his teeth at a long whitebeam splinter embedded in his paw. Silvamord continued her tirade.

“I could have caught them, but what did you do, clev-erbrush? Tried to drown me in the moat! Nagru the nit-brain, thats you, the fool who chases his own tail!

Nagru spat the splinter at her venomously. “Ahh, give your slobbering mouth a rest, clattergob, letting yourself be pulled out the window by a big, dumb badger!

The rat horde sat in the courtyard, some licking their wounds, others slaking their thirst from the dwindling cellars of the castle. Sounds of furious argument rang out from the banqueting chamber windows high above their heads.

Fillch, one of the rats, looked up from the honey-preserved chestnuts he was sharing with his companion Sourgall. “Big dumb badger, eh? That one didnt need to talk. She slew eight of ours with a tree limb itd take ten of us to lift!

Sourgall had remained behind to fish Silvamord from the moat. He looked Fillch up and down slowly. “Huh, she didnt urt yew, matey. Where were yer? Leadin from beind, Ill bet.

“Aye, an so would yew ave been, bucko. We nearly ad the otter, thatd fought like a madbeast while the others escaped. Then that badger was in the middle of us, swingin an arf of a tree! Where dyer expect me t be, eh? Drigg, Flokky, Big Bragtail an five others got in the badgers way, and they aint around ttell the story no more. You ask Hooktail if ydont believe me. Aint that right, mate?

The rat in question had lost an ear. He was using a poultice of dockleaves bound with earth and water to staunch the wound. “Gaah! he groaned. “Its all right you sittin there makin clever remarks, Sourgall. You wasnt there. Even the Urgan Nagru took to is paws an limped off like a flogged toad. I tell yer, mate, you wouldnt ave thought it was the same stoopid badger that played nursemaid to the fiddle squirrelbrat. That beast came after us with a full tree in er paws, even though we filled er with arrers like a pincushion!