Brian Jacques - Redwall #05 - The Legend of Luke

Luke chuckled dryly. "I thought o' that meself, mate, but it'll take the two of us to rescue our crew. Besides, if we get caught, too, then what use is a ship to us? Stow your chunnerin', Vurg, y'gettin' to sound more like an ole mousewife every day."

They stole up the deserted beach, using any rocks they found as cover. Closer to the foothills, Vurg held up a paw. "Sssh, lissen, can you hear anythin'?"

Luke stood quite still and listened closely. "Thought it was the waves at first, but it sounds like some sort o' chantdrums, too. Aye, that's the sound o' drums!"

Vurg pointed to the foothills, slightly to the right of them. "Comin' from there, matey. I'm sure 'tis!"

Sword and spear at the ready, they pressed on into the foliage stretching uphill before them. The sounds of drums and chanting grew louder, closer. Luke whispered, "Stay there, mate. I'll go an' take a peek."

The cave entrance was a short winding tunnel. Luke sized up the lay of the land, then beckoned to Vurg. They crouched behind a bush at one side of the entrance while Luke explained his plan.

"See that round boulder, just uphill there? D'you reckon we could shift it between us, Vurg?"

"Aye, at least we'll give it a try, mate!"

"Good, but first we need to dig a bit of a hole here."

"Where, right here in the entrance to the tunnel?"

"That's right. Ground's pretty soft, we'll use our weapons."

Between them they scraped out a shallow depression in the tunnel's mouth. Luke searched about until he found a sizable chunk of rock, which he placed to one side of the hole, tamping it down firmly.

"Right, now let's move that boulder."

It was a large round stone, but it moved slowly when Luke set his back against it and Vurg used his spearbutt as a lever. Luke fought for control as they rolled it down toward the entrance.

"Whoa, go easy now, mate, easy does it, just a touch more. There, that should do it!"

The boulder was checked from rolling into the hole at the cave entrance by the rock Luke had placed there, which now served as a wedge to hold the boulder back.

Luke drew his sword, then paused. "Those drums've stopped. Come on, somethin' must be goin' on in there. Be careful not t'make any noise, matey."

The friends crept through the tunnel and, keeping to the shadowed walls, entered the main cave, hardly able to believe their eyes at what they saw. Sinister green firelight flickered over the massed faces of the rodents packed on the ledges, all staring fascinated at one thing. The great snake! The reptile's thick neck was quivering as, rearing back and hissing coldly, it prepared to strike at Beau.

Luke sprang into immediate action. Grabbing Vurg's spear, he hopskipped forward a pace and hurled the hefty weapon with all the force he could muster.

Speechless with horror, Beau saw the reptile's mouth open wide, revealing sharp deadly fangs as it struck forward at his unprotected face. Then, like a lightning bolt, the spear went smashing into the gaping mouth, driving half its length out through the back of the neck column. Thrashing wildly in its death throes, the snake fell back to the floor, its powerful body flailing like an immense bullwhip, battering rodents from the lower ledges and scattering the fire into a cascade of flying sparks and embers.

The weasel scarcely had time to turn before Luke was upon her, ramming the vermin leader flat against the rock wall, his swordblade at her throat. "One move an' yore dead meat, scum!" the Warrior roared into her painted face.

Though the weasel could not understand Luke's language, the message was clear. The only part of her which moved was her throat, as she gulped against the swordblade.

" 'Tis Luke, mates. We're saved!"

A ragged cheer rang out from the crew. Below them the dead snake was still causing great damage. Rodents were flung high, smashed against the cave walls, crushed and beaten senseless by the writhing coils of the monster. It seemed like an eternity before the reptile's body went limp and still. However, a great number of the rodents had escaped serious injury, huddling together on the highest cave ledges. Several of them now grabbed weapons and advanced on Luke and Vurg, screeching savagely.

"Marrahagga lagor Rabbatooma! Lagor!"

Vurg swiftly freed his spear from the snake's carcass and joined Luke, pressing his spearpoint at the weasel's heart. Luke kept the sword at her throat as he growled, "Tell 'em to back off an' cut my crew loose!" He nodded to the bound figures hanging on their poles from the cave ceiling. "My crew. Cut 'em down afore I cut you down. Now!"

The weasel raised a paw slowly and pointed at the crew. "Rabbatooma, lagor, Ko!"

One rodent, obviously some kind of minor chieftain, bowed curtly to the weasel. "Ya Marrahagga!" Turning sullenly to the rest he indicated the prisoners. "Lagor Rabbatooma."

Beau had recovered from his shock and rediscovered speech.

"I should jolly well say so, you foul little fiends. You heard him. Let us Rabbatoomas go, this very instant!"

The rodents obeyed. Swinging out on ropes, they perched on the poles and sawed through the crews' bonds with their daggers. With shouts of relief and pain, Beau and the Sayna'screwmice fell to the dusty cave floor, where they lay groaning.

Cardo whimpered as he tried to rise. "Paws've gone numb with bein' tied tight for so long!"

Luke's reply was brusque. "We can't linger here, mates. Crawl out on your bellies, move yourselves. That's an order!"

Luke and Vurg were still menacing the weasel as the crew hauled themselves out in a sorry complaining bunch.

"Ow ow, I got pins'n'needles in all me paws!"

"My pore head's achin' fit to split, mate!"

"Look, that rodent slashed m'tail when he cut the ropes!"

"Huh, you should complain. My backfur's all scorched from hangin' over that blazin' fire!"

Luke kicked the last one's tail lightly. "Mebbe next time you'll wait my orders afore dashin' ashore to stuff drugged fruit down yore faces!"

When the crew were gone, Luke spun the weasel around and held the blade across her throat from behind.

"Keep an eye on those savages, Vurg. Stick 'em if'n they get too close. Right, weasel, we're backin' out of here nice'n'easy. Don't move or yore a dead 'un!"

As they retreated, the rodents followed them, crying, "Lagor Marrahagga!"

Luke was beginning to understand what they said. "Don't fret, buckoes, we'll let go of yore Marrahagga as soon as we're out o' this stinkin' place. Now back off!"

They negotiated the short, winding tunnel. Waiting outside, the crew were massaging life back into numbed paws. Luke guided the weasel around the shallow pit they had dug, and the rodents had just reached its edge when he nodded to Vurg. "Knock that wedge aside, sharpish!"

Vurg hit the piece of rock a sharp tap with his spear-butt, moving it aside. The boulder rolled forward half a turn and landed in the shallow hole with a bump. It blocked the tunnel entrance off completely and muffled the squeaks of rage sounding from behind it.

Vurg leaned on his spear, grinning. "A good tight fit, I'd say, mate!"

Luke ordered his crew to get back aboard the Sayna,while he and Vurg took the weasel and forced her to sit next to the pile of squashed fruit. With his swordpoint Luke drew a picture of the Goreleechin the sand, then he transferred the point back to the weasel's throat.

"Marrahagga see red ship sail by here? Red ship, big one?"

The weasel watched Luke's face as he repeated the question several times over. Carefully she drew three circles in the sand, with squiggly lines radiating from them and an arrow pointing south. While Vurg squinted at the drawing, the weasel tapped Luke's sketch of the ship thrice.

Luke understood. "Three suns, that's three days," he explained to his bemused friend. "She says the red ship sailed by here three days back, bound south."