Brian Jacques - Mossflower

Martin stood, stretching his limbs. "But what's up there? What do they fight

against?"

Log-a-Log shook his head, "Some say one thing, some another. Fire dragons,

armored monsters or phantoms that can strike a creature down without touching

it, who knows?"

"There'll only be us to find the truth," Gonff remarked, shouldering the

supplies. "What chance do monsters stand against a Prince of Mousethieves, a

warrior and a champion digger, not forgetting a shrew like yourself, matey.

Come on. Let's get going."

Toward evening, with the mountain burning bright above them, Martin first

noticed they were being watched.

"Do you see anything, Gonff?" he asked, when he'd told his companions.

"No, matey, but I know what you mean. I can feel the hairs on my neck rising.

What about you, Din?"

"Ho urr, moi diggen claws be a-tellen me summat, tho* wot it be oi doant

know.''

Log-a-Log was in agreement, too. "Aye, just a sort of feeling really. D'you

see that lump of something or other out by the tideline? I could swear it

moved a moment ago."

"Don't stare at it," Martin warned them. "Keep going. Shortly we'll make as if

we're camping down for the night, but we'll He down with paws to weapons,

keeping our wits about us. Then let them make their move."

The travelers chose an open spot away from the rocks. They lit a small

driftwood fire and lay around it, feeling very vulnerable.

Martin kept his eyes slitted against the guttering fire.

251

clutching his sling in one paw and his sword hilt in the other. Agonizing

moments stretched away; still there was no sign of movement. The friends began

to think that their suspicions had been groundless. Night had fallen and it

was quite warm; there was not even a breeze to disturb the loose sand.

The fire burned lower.

Despite himself, Martin began to feel sleepy. He fought to keep his eyes open.

Dinny's soft snores reached his ears, Gonff was lying too still to be fully

awake.

"I say, did you fellahs do a bunk from the jolly old sea rats?" a voice said

softly in Martin's ear.

"No, we've come all the way from Mossf—" Martin answered in a dozy murmur.

He sprang up, whirling his sling.

Lying amongst them by the fire were three hares.

The warrior mouse was shocked and angry with himself. "Stand up and fight, you

dirty sneaks!" he challenged them.

The nearest hare held up his paws to show they were unarmed. His companions

smiled innocently at the travelers.

"Hello, chaps. I'm Trubbs."

"I'm Wother. Capital W and an O, dontcha know."

"I'm Firing. Double F, no E. Howja do."

The sling dropped from Martin's paw. "Er, very well, thank you. How did you

get here?"

"Oh, this way and that, old chap."

"Dodge and weave, y'know."

"How the dickens do we ever get anywhere?"

Dinny scratched his nose and stared hard at the sand-colored hares. It was

hard to distinguish them from their background.

"Drubbs'n'oo, did 'ee say?" he asked sleepily.

"No, no. It's Trubbs, old sport."

"Wother, at y'service."

"Haha, then I've got to be Ffring, I suppose."

Gonff took the initiative. He saw immediately that the strange trio were

friendly. He made a deep bow.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm sure. My name is Gonff, Prince of Mousethieves. This

is our leader, Martin the Warrior. Here we have Young Dinny, the world's best

digger, with the latest addition to our little band, Log-a-Log, a shrew and an

excellent boat builder."

252

Paws were shaken warmly, then the three hares were invited to sit by the fire

with the travelers. It amused Martin and his friends how the hares spoke in

turn.

"Well, well. This is comfy. Tell us all about yourselves."

"Rather! What neck of the old county are you bods from?"

"Live far from here, do you?"

Martin explained the nature of their quest. At the mention of Bella's father,

Boar the Fighter, a twinkle passed between die eyes of the hares. The warrior

continued the tale up until the time they had found the rat on the shore.

"Well, that's our story," he concluded. "Now, what's yours? How do you three

come to be out here in the middle of nowhere next to a fire mountain?"

"Actually, that'd be telling."

"Er, haha. I second that, old bean."

"Oh yes, quite."

Getting a straight answer from either Trubbs, Wother, or Ffring was difficult,

to say the least. Gonff tried the casual approach.

"Well, you can either stay here with us, mateys, or be off about your

business. WeVe got to get a proper night's sleep so that we can climb that

mountain tomorrow."

The three hares shuffled about a bit, then their tone became more

businesslike.

"Ah, the mountain . . . Actually, we've been sent down here to you."

"To lead you to the mountain, y'see."

"Would you mind awfully coming along with us?"

Log-a-Log clapped Ms paws in delight. "Haha, now you're talking."

The hares wiggled their long ears appreciatively.

"Yes, I suppose we are talking, really."

"Never alone, though. Always together, you'll notice."

"Silly, really, I suppose. Do hope you'll forgive us, what?"

"Mateys," Gonff chuckled, "we'll forgive you anything if you can take us up

that mountain."

"Hmm, it's not actually up, don't you see."

"No, it's sort of under, doncha know."

"But we are glad you're coming with us, chaps."

Dinny scratched his head. "Ho air, us'ns be a-commen with *ee awright. But

who'm sent *ee for uz?"

253

"You'll soon see."

"I'll say you will."

"Most definitely."

Martin kicked sand on the fire to extinguish it. "Righto. Lead on, Trubbs,

Wotherand Ffring."

"Oh, I say. Good show. Let's all go together."

"One never leads, triple initiative, what?"

"Jolly good idea, chums."

As they started toward the mountain, the three hares produced strangely shaped

shells. They blew into them simultaneously, making a treble note not unlike

that of three small trumpets. The sound echoed across the stillness of the

shore. Immediately the scene lit up like daylight as a huge blast of flame

rose from, Salamandastron. A voice like thunder on a hot noon boomed out with

an immense rumble.

"Come in peace to the mountain of fire lizards!"

Hearing the gigantic sound effect, Log-a-Log threw himself facedown upon the

sand with both paws over his ears, but the hares seemed hardly to notice it.

"Oh, golly. Old Log-a-Thing's fallen over."

"Must be in a blue funk about the boomer, eh."

"I expect so. Up you get, old fellah."

It was a narrow passage between the sand and the rocks; they went in single

file. At the end was a small cave. Trubbs tugged at a concealed cord. They had

to jump aside as a stout ladder clattered down from the darkened recesses

overhead.

"Right. Up you go, laddie."

"No, no. After you, old chap."

"Oh really, I insist."

Martin jumped up to the rungs of the ladder. "I'll go first, if it'll save you

three arguing."

"What a spiffing idea."

"Sensible chap, what?"

"Rather. Indeed he is."

At the top of the ladder they found themselves in a broad upward-running

passage hewn into the living rock. The ladder was hoisted and they walked up

the steep incline, lit by torches at regular intervals in wall sconces. From

somewhere above there was a steady roaring sound.

254

"Wot be that gurt noise, maisters?" Dinny asked curiously.

"Could be the jolly old fire lizards."

"Then again, it might not be."