Brian Jacques - Mossflower

raggedly. Exerting all his strength, he whirled the war sword aloft.

* 'Mossflowermr! *'

Fear was etched in Tsarmina's eyes as she tried to fight off the wild

onslaught. Here was a warrior who would not lie down and die.

Locked in combat, they strained and flailed at one another,

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the warrior mouse hacking at the wildcat Queen, who gave back slash for

thrust, bite for cut.

Her hide open in a dozen places, Tsarmina kicked out with her four paws,

sending Martin flying into the water. She grabbed a piece of driftwood to push

him further in, only to find him standing in the shallows, waiting to attack.

Covered from head to tailtip in mud, blood and water, Martin struck the branch

that Tsarmina thrust at him, breaking it in two with a single swipe. His next

backslash splintered the remains deep into Tsarmina's paw.

Crouching low with the sword point held out in front, Martin waded out of the

water toward his foe, the red glitter of total war shining hot in his eyes,

his teeth bared in a wild laugh.

Tsarmina's craven heart failed her.

The wildcat began circling nervously as Martin closed in. Like a dream from

the past, she recalled that winter evening in her father's bedchamber when she

had smashed the rusty sword of a captive mouse. She remembered the words he

had spoken as he was dragged off to the cells at Kotir: You should have killed

me when you had the chance, because I vow that I will slay you one day!

Unaware of the water behind her, Tsarmina retreated, backing off as the little

warrior came toward her, bloodied but unbowed, the mouse who would not lie

down and die. Martin, the one that fought like a great male badger.

Back, back, she paced, her eyes shifting from the gleaming blade to Martin's

piercing eyes. Deeper and deeper into the waters of the lake went the Queen of

the Thousand Eyes.

Even though Martin had halted upon the lake shore, he seemed to be getting

larger, towering in her vision. She had to get as far away from this threat as

she could.

Suddenly Tsarmina realized she had gone too deep. The energy drained from her

body; dry land seemed miles away. Water filled her world, dark, swirling,

eddying, tugging, longing to fold her in its wet embrace, pulling her down,

fill-big her mouth, nostrils and finally her eyes.

The dream had come true. The nightmare was alive!

Back in the shallows, Martin dragged his wounded body onto the land. Trying to

lift his sword one last time, he managed to gasp out, "Sleep in peace, Boar.

Mossfiower is free!"

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The shining sword slid from the warrior's grasp and he fell to the earth, a

limp sodden bundle.

The captives on the lakeshore were seated in ranks. Paws on heads, they

disputed in low voices with each other.

"I think we're safe. These woodlanders are not killers."

"Huh, if we'd been captured by Bane or Tsarmina it would have been a different

story, mate."

"I'll say. We'd all have been floating face down in that lake by now, those

who hadn't sunk."

"Aye. Instead the woodlanders fed us and cared for us."

"Better grub than I ever had at Kotir."

Bella forestalled any further comment by standing upon a mound and calling for

order.

"Attention, all of you. Listen to me!"

Murmuring died away as the former army of Kotir listened to hear what was in

store.

The badger pointed over their heads at the lake. "Look! Turn your heads and

see—Kotir is gone forever. Now you have no leader or walls to hide behind. The

war in Moss-flower is at an end. You are defeated."

Late afternoon sun emerged through the clouds as Bella continued. "We do not

make total war upon you because we are not killers. However, that would not be

the case a second time. Remember that."

A timid paw showed in the ranks. It was Whegg the rat.

"Then we're not to be sentenced to death?" he asked anxiously.

Bella held .her breath a moment before speaking.

"No."

There was an audible sigh of relief from the prisoners.

Whegg could not resist a second question.

"What will happen to us?"

Skipper stood on the mound beside Bella.

"Right," he said. "Clean up your lugs and listen hard, mateys. I'll only say

this once. You will each swear an oath that you will never again carry a

weapon or come near Moss-flower country, though if I'd had my way none of you

would have got out of that lake alive today. Be that as it may, Bella of

Brockhall here has said that you be spared, so you have her to thank for your

lucky escape. But I'll tell you this: any

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creature that doesn't agree to our terms, let him show a paw now. The lake is

still here, and so am I."

The captives immediately sat upon their paws.

"Good!" Skipper nodded his approval. "Now you will remain here until tomorrow,

when you will be escorted under guard to the flatlands west of here. You can

travel west or south, but not back up north and certainly not back here to our

land. That is all for now. Be still and behave."

Bella and Skipper stepped down to join Amber and the others.

Amber looked concerned. "Where has the big cat got to?"

Timballisto was worried too. "Where is my friend? Has anyone seen Martin?" he

asked anxiously.

Ben Stickle nodded. "Just before Kotir fell into the lake, I saw him on the

bank. He headed up that way, yonder."

"Then he must be found straightaway," Bella interrupted. "Gonff, you and I

will search the water's edge. The rest of you stay here and keep an eye on

this lot."

Before they moved off Bella issued a warning:

* 'Watch out for Tsarmina.''

Young Dinny, Bella and Gonff halted further up the bank. Timballisto joined

them, refusing to watch captives while his friend was missing.

Bella looked about. "I don't think he would have come this far with his wound.

In all that armor he couldn't possibly have traveled fast enough."

"Aye, besides, what would he have wanted all this way along the shore, when we

were capturing prisoners further down?" Gonff agreed.

"If I know my friend, I think he must have spotted the cat."

"Hurr, moi diggen claws be a-tellen me Marthen be about sumwhurrs. Oi do feel

et."

"Well, we'd better trust you, Din. The old digging claws haven't been wrong

yet, matey."

"Lookit, thurr!" Squinting hard, the mole pointed further along the shoreline

to where the sunlight was clearly glinting off a shining object.

Gonff broke into a run. "By the teeth and fur, matey, that must be the sword!"

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* * *

The little mousethief was first to reach the fallen figure of his friend.

Dinny, Timballisto and Bella came as fast as they could to the spot where the

sword lay. They found Gonff blinded by tears, his whole body shaking with

grief as he knelt by the pitiful bundle that was his friend. "He's dead,

they've killed our Martin!"

Dinny knelt beside him, burying his face in the earth. "Hoa nay, letten et

doant be true!"

The two friends wept bitterly.

Timballisto would not, could not, believe that after the short period they had

been reunited, his friend had been taken to the gates of Dark Forest.

Timballisto turned Martin gently over, laying his limbs straight. Swiftly, he

hurried to the water and filled Martin's helmet. Soaking a cloth, he dabbed

feverishly at the fearsome wounds that covered his friend's body.

"Who could have done these awful things to a living creature?"

Gonff wiped his eyes. Picking up a long broken claw from the earth, he held it