Part 21 (1/2)

Oilback continued on his way, laughing falsely as he answered. ”Ho ho ho! It certainly did, mate. I'll just take a look out there meself. You can't trust corsairs y' know!”

Keyla and Brome waited until Bluehide had his back to them on the wall top, then s.h.i.+fted the heavy grating to one side.

”Whew, that was a close thing!” the young mouse murmured under his breath.

Outside in the shadow of the wall, Oilback wiped sweat from his nose, muttering silently to himself. ”Whew, that was a close thing!”

He uncorked the flagon and took a deep drink to calm his nerves.

210.

Brome and Keyla ushered the freed slaves into the pit and then climbed in after them, pulling the grating shut over them once they were in.

An old mousewife called Geum started to complain aloud. ”It's stuffy down here. I'm stuck like a pea in a pod. Why did we have to come into this dirty place?”

Brome was thumping the walls to find the opening. ”Hush, Mother, this is the way we're going to escape. Keep your voice down.”

But Geum was not about to be quiet. ”The main gate was open. Why didn't we just go out that way? And don't call me mother, cheekyface. I'm not your mother!”

Keyla clamped a paw across her mouth. ”Silence, you old scold! Brome knows what he's doing. We wouldn't stand a lame sea bird's chance of walking through Clogg's crew to freedom. This way we'll come up between some rocks beyond their camp. Have you found the opening yet, Brome?”

A shower of loose earth and some pieces of driftwood fell on to the heads of Keyla and Geum.

”Hahah! Here it is,” Brome cried excitedly. ”For a moment I wasn't sure I could find it. Good old Grumm, he did a great job disguising his tunnel. I'll go first. Keyla, you and Yarrow help the others in and bring up the rear. We'll have to move fast, there's not many hours left until dawn. The last thing we want is to be caught out on the open sh.o.r.e.”

It took a considerable time to get all the slaves into the tunnel. They pushed up against each other in the darkness, infants began whimpering and Geum started to complain again.

”Ugh! It's dark and stuffy down here. I don't like it!”

Yarrow shoved her further along from behind. ”None of us are exactly joyful about being down here, old one. Just keep going, and put a latch on your lip. You're upsetting the little ones.”

Geum's dignity was offended. ”Stop pus.h.i.+ng me, you 211.

young rip, and mind how you speak to your elders. Oh dear, there's sand falling on the back of my head.”

Brome crawled as fast as he was able to. Hearing Geum's last statement added to his haste. He knew the tunnel was only a makes.h.i.+ft affair and could collapse at any moment, particularly now, with the added disturbance of thirty-odd creatures blundering their way through it. Suddenly, just when he thought he was at the end of the tunnel, Brome found he could crawl no farther. The young mouse let out a groan into the thick air.

The tunnel had caved in at the exit end. They were trapped!

212.

Rose was wakened by Martin's cry and the great feathered bulk of the grey heron rolling over her. Something brushed by her. She felt slithering scales and kicked out at them.

Martin was locked in the coils of some reptilian creature, what it was he did not know. It felt like a snake, but it had more than one head and tail. Stabbing viciously with his short sword, he was rewarded by the sound of anguished hissing as the coils fell away from him. Nearby Grumm swung out with his ladle and caught something hard on the skull. It went limp. Pallum hung on grimly to a third sinuous shape as Rose battered it with a supply pack. Martin felt another reptile at his back. Swinging sharply, he slashed crosswise and stabbed down twice. The creature was instantly slain.

Rose was still hitting with the pack as she cried out in the darkness, ”Fire, Grumm. Make fire!”

The mole fumbled for flint and tinder as Martin found Rose and Pallum in the darkness. Afraid to use his sword in such close proximity to them, he dropped it and went headlong at the creature they had been trying to tackle. b.u.t.ting, punching and kicking like a mad beast, Martin rendered the thing senseless.

There were no more opponents to fight. They stood 213.

still while sparks flew and Grumm could be heard blowing on the tinder. Suddenly there was a small flame. The mole fed it with dry gra.s.s and twigs. In the ensuing firelight they viewed the attackers and the attacked. It was the two slowworms they had first seen on entering the marshes. They were both dead, slain by Martin, and lying stunned close by was an enormous gra.s.s snake and a young adder.

Grumm shuddered violently. ”Surrpints!”

Pallum scrambled over to the limp figure of the Warden. ”I think they've killed him!”

Rose was at his side instantly. ”Let me take a look.”

As she inspected the big bird, Martin called Pallum and Grumm to help him. Between the three of them they heaved the bodies of the four reptiles into the deep ooze of the marsh.

”Over here! This bird is alive!”

Rose was ma.s.saging the Warden's long neck. His eyelids fluttered feebly as she rubbed skillfully. One of the heron's eyes opened momentarily. ”I am the laaaaaww!” it managed to croak.

The mousemaid put a paw to its beak. ”Yes I know. Be still now, those snakes nearly strangled you. Grumm, put some water on to heat and see if you can find some soft moss and herbs to make a poultice.”

As dawn broke over the little camp, Rose sat nursing her patient. The Warden was a fierce bird, quick to recover and hard to keep still. She had bound his neck with a warm soothing poultice of moss and herbs, checking the rest of him to a.s.sure herself that the young adder had not struck him.

”You'll be all right, the adder didn't bite you. Warden, please lie still. Your neck was badly squeezed. Try not to move it.”

The grey heron tried to rise but fell back croaking hoa.r.s.ely, ”Snakes are lawbreakers. I will punish them. I am the law!”

214.

Grumm looked up from the soup he was making. ”Doant you'm never be soilent, burd? Close thoi gurt beak. Hurr!”

As they were held up by the Warden's injuries, breakfast was a leisurely affair. Pallum roasted some vegetables, leek, pennycress, and shallots. Grumm made excellent wild celery and herb soup then experimented on some barley scones. The Warden became so fierce when Pallum tried to feed him soup that the hedgehog hid behind Grumm. ”I don't think he likes your soup.”

Grumm shook his ladle at the heron. ”Doant be natural, creetur not loikin' moi zoop. He'm never grow big 'n' strong loik oi.”

”I am Warden of Marshwood Hill. Warden does not eat zoop!”

”Oh, goo an' boil thoi 'ead, gurt burdbag!”

Rose was surprised at the Warden's powers of recovery. Barely halfway through the morning he was up and walking as he conversed with Martin. The young mouse told him the story of what had taken place in the night. The big bird glared savagely at him.

”I thank you. Martin is mouse warrior, but you must learn!”