Brian Jacques - Redwall #07 - Mariel of Redwall

"Hohurr, oi cloimed down 'ee roaps an' foighted with they'ns awhoil, then oi clambers back oop an' cuts a few more o' they roaps."

240

"That's true, I let some of 'em climb right over the top, 'cos I'm not afeared o' searats, then I jabbed 'em in their bottoms with my big sharp knife, so they screamed an' jumped back over the wall. Eek! they went. I'll bet there's a few sore be'inds 'mongst 'em today!"

"As fer me, I went choppo choppo with my sharp knife, though I let some of 'em climb right up on the battlements so I could stand on Grubb's shoulders an' punch 'em in the nose. Puncho! Ain't that right, Grubb, me old warrior pal?"

"Aye 't were so. They was a-cryen an' a-wailen. Oh mercy me, spare oi, they was moanen. Hurhurr, we'ns spared they aroightmore like splattered they all over t' woodlands. Burrhurr, us'n's the boys aroight."

Friar Alder squinted vindictively at the heroic trio. "Yes, and you used my best vegetable knives to do it with. I think you must have been chopping stones with those knives. I've been up since an hour before dawn, trying to sharpen new edges on them."

Ignoring the caustic remarks, Bagg and Runn propounded new ideas.

"We could have a Dibbuns army, y'know."

"Good idea, mate. An' we could fight lots of battles an' all that."

"Aye, that'd show some o'these old fogies."

"Haha, we'd send them all t' bed early."

"Burr, wi' no supper or brakkist on the morrow."

"Heehee, I'd scrub 'em all be'ind their ears, twice a day."

"Hoo urr, oi'd spank a few o' they, just fer nuthin' 't all!"

They froze at the sound of Sister Serena's voice behind them.

"Personally I've never spanked any creature for nothing at all. But I hear there were three of our Dibbuns missing from their beds in the dormitory last night. Sister Sage said that they were out on the east

241

walltop, playing with Friar Alder's sharp knives. Now, if I found out who they were I'd give them a real good hide-tanning for being naughty little creatures. But I don't suppose you three would know who they were, would you?"

"Us, er, phwaw, er, oh no, not us, Sister!"

"We were in bed fast asleep, all night!"

"Burr aye, a-snoren like hinfant 'ogs, us'n's wuz,

marm!"

oo

Saxtus was coming from the dormitory with a scroll he had been studying. As he crossed the Abbey lawn he witnessed a strange incident. A whooshing noise in the air caused him to look up. He saw what looked like a small comet of fire with a rope tail. It soared upward, mounting high into the blue, then dropped toward earth, plummeting like a stone. The young mouse mentally charted its course and yelled aloud:

"Sister Serena, look out!"

Saxtus was rushing toward the south steps as he shouted. Serena, not knowing what the alarm was, immediately did the thing closest to her dutiful instinct: she flung herself upon the three Dibbuns sitting on the lower step, shielding them with her body. Hurtling through the air, the blazing rock, bound around with oil-soaked grass, shattered on the step where Serena had been sitting. Friar Alder gasped with shock as a sliver of rock cut his face and a heap of burning material landed on his spotless white apron. Creatures disturbed from their meal dived for cover, beating at smoldering garments and ducking the flying shards of rock that ricocheted from the stone wallstairs.

Saxtus beat at Sister Serena's habit. Luckily it was only scorched, and the Dibbuns she had protected were shocked but unharmed. Farther over to the center of the Abbey grounds, another fire-swinger shot out of the sky and burst on the winding gravel path, showering splintered rock and flame across the lawn. Saxtus, Flagg

242

and the Abbot dashed about, roaring out warnings at the top of their lungs.

"Under cover, everybeast. Quick!"

"Inside the Abbey. Hurry!"

"Get those Dibbuns inside!"

Saxtus and Flagg ran upstairs. Rufe Brush was already there. Notching an arrow to his bow, he aimed in the general direction of the grinning, jeering crew of searats standing on the flatlands around a fire. Rufe gritted his teeth, drawing the bowstring back to its limit.

"Scum, I'll wipe the smiles off your dirty faces!"

The arrow fell miserably short, causing further merriment among Graypatch and his crew. Saxtus, Flagg and Rufe stood watching as Deadglim dipped a fire-swinger into the fire; it flared up instantly. The searat began swinging it in clockwise circles alongside his body. Faster and faster it swung until it was like a blur of light. He let it go and off it sped like a rocket, out and upward.

Flagg could only stand and watch as it whooshed by overhead. He followed its course. Luckily it shot straight into the Abbey pond, extinguishing with a splash and a hiss. The big otter took the bow and arrows from Rufe.

"Here, matey. I'll put one across their bows!"

Flagg was a powerful fully grown male otter. He drew back the shaft to its point and let fly at Graypatch.

Again the arrow fell woefully short. Flagg grabbed a spear and hurled it with all his considerable strength. It did not even go as far as the arrow. Saxtus tried his slingshot. It went farther than either the spear or the arrow, but still not far enough. On the flatlands the searat crew howled their derision, dancing and jigging as they screamed out insults at the Redwallers.

"Yah country bumpkins, what's up? Can't y'throw?"

"Here, mousy, fire an arrow at me. Haharr!"

"Couldn't hit a crab in a pail. Hohoho!"

243

The three defenders watched helplessly as another fire-swinger came roaring over. This one had been thrown by Bigfang. It hit the partially finished bell tower, setting light to the wooden-frame scaffolding.

Saxtus hurried from the wall. "We'll have to organize fire-fighting crews!"

"Aye/' Flagg agreed miserably. "Those things they're chuckin' have twice the range of any of our

weaponry."

oo

It was midafternoon. The Dibbuns would normally have been playing outside, racing around the orchard, paddling at the pond's edge, or frolicking on the lawns. Now they had to stay inside the Abbey building. It was a hot dusty afternoon and they were becoming fractious.

"Wanna go ou'side. Gonna play inna pond!" "You come back here this instant, young squirrel!" "Oi wants to sit in 'ee orchar'. 'Tis wurm in yurr!" "You'd be a lot warmer if one of those flaming things hit you. Now lie down and take a nap. That'll cool you off if you lie still."

"I'm lyin' down, an' I'm still roastin'. When's tea-time?"

"Not for a while yet. Now be good!" "Burr, oi wantser be naughty, oi loiks 'aven a liddle naughty now 'n' agin. 'Tis noice."

A fire-swinger hit the main Abbey door with a loud crash, and the Dibbuns broke into startled squeaking. Mellus distributed candied chestnuts as she reassured them.

"Hush now. It's nothing. Saxtus and Flagg will deal

with it."

oo

Graypatch tore at the roasted meat from the fire. Grinning wolfishly at Kybo, he winked.

"This is the life, eh, messmate! A whole Abbey at

244

our mercy an' nobeast to stop us. Ahoy, Ranzo. Any more of these skylarks skylarkin' round?"

Ranzo fitted an arrow to his bow, squinting upward. "Leave it till evenin' Cap'n, they start to come down then."

The searat sprawled on the grass in the warm summer noon. "Aharr, this is a land of plenty, not like those cold northern isles." He stuck an apple on a stick and began toasting it.

Bigfang came to the fire to light another fire-swinger. Graypatch leaned close and whispered in his ear, "Brains, Bigfang. That's what it takesbrains. You leave the thinkin' to old Graypatch, matey. I'll guarantee they'll want to talk terms by this time tomorrow."

Bigfang held his silence, determined not to rise to Graypatch's bait. He would wait to settle their score.