Brian Jacques - Redwall #09 - Salamandastron

"This 'ere was graven by 'Is Lordship 'imself. See, there 'e is, an' there's you, Lord Urthwyte. 'Ere's young Master Samkim, too, an' the sword. Though Hi can't read the writin' my friend Urthstripe carved there."

Loambudd could, however. Samkim held the lantern as she silently scanned the high ancient badger script. When she had finished reading she turned to them.

"This was written for me alone to read; that is why I am not pictured on the wall. I alone must keep the awful and joyful secrets written here until Urthwyte can be instructed as Lord of Salamandastron. There is one thing I can tell you, however: Urthstripe my grandson wishes to rest beneath emllorwhere that is I cannot say. Do any of you know?"

The lantern light flickered about the walls as they looked at each other.

"Emllor?'1 Big Oxeye shrugged. "There's no place in this mountain with such a name."

Samkim wandered about the chamber, repeating the name to himself. "Emllor, emllor."

At the far end of the cave the wall was smooth but blank; there was no writing on it. Samkim ran his paw across it and leapt back in surprise. "Look, this is not stone!"

It was a curtain made from some rough woven material. Pebbles and sand had been fixed to it with pine resin, giving the effect of a rock wall. Urthwyte moved it carefully to one

side. An awesome sight greeted the eyes of the onlookers. Seated on a rock throne was the crumbling skeleton of a badger clad in full war armor. The alcove behind the curtain was semicircular in shape, marred by a huge boulder that bulged out on one side. "The writing says that is-the last remains of old Lord Brocktree, first badger Lord of Salamandastron." Loambudd's voice echoed around the cave.

Sapwood touched the dusty mailed pawguards reverently. "Hi'11 bet this old Lord knows where emllor is, but he ain't tellin' us, hare you, sir?"

Mara stood staring at the skeleton of Lord Brocktree. When the feeling of awe had passed she noticed something. Hurrying forward, she examined the wall at one side of the throne. "His paw seems to be pointing this way. Look!"

An oblong plate of copper was fixed into the rock. It was green and dulled with age. Loambudd wet it and scoured the surface with sand until it gleamed dully. Bringing her face close, she inspected it carefully. "It's just a smooth metal platethere's nothing written on it."

They sat on the floor, facing the plate. Oxeye turned to the entrance where Urthstripe's body lay waiting.

"Poor old Lordship, looks like you'll never get to emllor."

Mara stared at the copper plate long and hard. "Pass me that lantern, please, Samkim."

The young squirrel did as he was bid. Mara placed it on the arm of the throne next to the skeletal paw. "Who's got good eyes?"

Sapwood raised his paw. "S'pose my peepers are good as anybeast's,"

"Then sit right here and tell me what you see, Sergeant."

Mara moved out and Sapwood took her place. He sat staring at the burnished metal as it shone dully in the lantern light. "Well, bob me tail! I can see wordsletters, I mean though I don't know what they says. Never learned writin'. Too busy teachin' meself other thingsfighting* an'"

"Samkim," Loambudd interrupted, "give him your sword. Sapwood, can you scrape the word on the floor here?"

"Certainly, marm."

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Brian Jacques

Salamandastnm

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It was badger script. Loambudd said the word triumphantly:

"Emllor!"

Loambudd placed her paw on the plate, then moved precisely in a straight line across the chamber. Her paw smacked hard upon the rock bulge to one side of the throne.

"Give me the lantern. It's right here! See this word carved on the boulder? It is directly opposite the plate so that it reflects in the metal, backwards, of courselike all mirror images it is the wrong way round. It's not emllor, it's rollme."

Urthwyte looked puzzled. He began repeating the word over and over, fast at first but then slower: "Rollme, rollme, ro ... llm ... e, r... oil... me ... Roll me!" Striding heavily over to the boulder, he stretched his powerful paws to its sides, grunting as he cautioned his friends, "Stand out of the way!"

Mara knew that Urthwyte was a badger of immense strength, but she doubted that even he could shift such a formidable chunk of rock. She was about to move forward and offer her help when Loambudd placed a restraining paw about her. "Watch him, Mara. He will do it."

Planting his legs square like two tree trunks, Urthwyte threw his weight against the boulder. Cords of sinew stood out from his snowy hide as the muscles of the great white badger bulged, and his teeth ground together like millstones. Growling savagely as the blood rose to his eyes, Urthwyte grabbed the boulder and gouged deep at it with both paws. His whole body shook and trembled with the staggering effort. Riveting his whole being on the boulder, Urthwyte let out a whooshing roar and heaved.

Wide-eyed with awe, Oxeye grabbed Sapwood's paw. "By the blazin' thunder! He's not rolled it... he's lifted the thing!"

Urthwyte stamped a full three paces before letting the huge boulder drop. The thud shook the entire cavern. The boulder had rested in a hole. Holding the lantern between them, Mara and Samkim lay flat on the floor, gazing down at the treasure of the badger Lords of Salamandastron.

Pearls from the depths of the sea; silver cups and gold plates; and weapons, fabulous arms forged by the badger Lords of oldlongswords, sabers, rapiers, strange curved swords, shields, spears, pikes, daggers and lancesmade from the most precious woods and metals, lay in a glittering heap, cascading over the massive sets of ancient badger armor, studded with stones that shone and twinkled, scarlet, ultramarine, turquoise, amber and obsidian jet. Their lights reflected in Mara's eyes as her mind went back to the day when Klitch tried to wheedle information out of her in the dunes.

"So there is a badger Lords' treasure after all!"

Urthstripe was lowered down in his full ceremonial battle armor to lie there as he had wished, an eternal guardian.

Soiamaruiastron

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41

"Ho, the good ol' Abbey. Anybeast 'ome? Redwaaaaaallll!"

Mrs. Faith Spinney jumped up and down like a fat little jack-in-the-box on the north ramparts, peering across the battlements each time a leap carried her that high.

"Stickle my ol' spikes, it's Mister Thrugg! Bless 'im, it's Mister Thrugg!"

Thrugann leaned on the parapet, shaking her head. "Oh, it's that harum-scarum brother o' mine. I could tell that if he were two country leagues away. Ahoy there, trouble. What took you so long, an' who are all those hungry-lookin' birds?"

Looking very much the returning hero, Thrugg strode jauntily up the road, wearing a cap he had taken from a fighting weasel who had picked on the wrong otter. In the cap was a splendid falcon feather. Thrugg swept it off and bowed low, grinning like a mole at a picnic.

"Good afternoon to ye, ladies. Meet me mates, Rocangus, Tammbeak, Winghye an' Rantaclaw. I trust yer all well an' shipshape."

Mrs. Spinney was overjoyed. Thrugann opened the gates impassively. "You look like a rovin' riverdog in that hat, Thrugg Otter."

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Flourishing the hat elegantly, Thrugg kissed his sister's paws affectionately, declaiming aloud, tongue in cheek, to the whole of Redwall:

"You was never out o' my thoughts, sister dear, an' all the rime I was freezin' in the mountains, battlin' crows an' livin' lower than a lame toad, there was one question that I made me way back here to ask yer."

Thrugann sniffed slightly, and wiping her eyes on her tunic, she asked in an apologetically tender voice, "What was that, brother o' mine?"

"What's fer tea? Me an' me mates is fair famished!"

The four falcons joined the crowd of Redwallers who had flooded out to greet them, laughing uproariously as they watched Thrugg fleeing across the Abbey grounds with Thrugann, hard on his heels, swinging a twig broom.