Part 21 (1/2)
”Our business is concluded, You've paid me what I'm due. The journey ahead is perilous. Good fortune go with you.”
Jess waved all clear from the top. Matthias and Log-a-Log mounted the rope ladders and began to climb.
”Good luck and good earing to you. Sir Harry,” the warrior mouse called back. ”I hope we meet again.” The poetic owl bit into a shrewcake. He burned his tongue on the hot liquid honey but carried on eating and muttering, ”Those that venture upward, Are only the brave and insane. Though I hate to predict. From the path that you've picked, I doubt that we'll meet again.”
Matthias was too far up the rope ladder to hear. He was intent on reaching the plateau, regardless of what lay in store.
223.
Foremole and his crew erected a barrier across the corridor next to the first-floor dormitory. The industrious creatures had brought lots of special mole equipment with them, and they began laying a surprise for any intruders who ventured down the spiral staircase towards the barricade. Foremole smiled and chuckled as he supervised.
”Yurr, Jarge, lay it on good'n'eavy across yon stairs. Rooter, you'm sprinkle aplenty stonedust o'er the top. Hurr, slap 'er on, Gaffer, doant be stingy with it. Ho arr, oi'd dearly loik to see anybeast put paw or daw atop o' that liddle lot.”
Shaking with glee, the moles stood back to admire their work. The bottom six steps had been liberally smeared and coated with a thick layer of Blackmole Tunnel Grease and Rockslide Burgoo mixture, a combination which often proved invaluable to tunnelling moles when they encountered immovable stones. Over the top of this was sprinkled a fine layer of sandstone dust. To the casual eye it looked exactly like a normal sandstone stair. Fine blackened tripwires had been stretched across the stairwell on the seventh and eighth steps. Immediately in front of the barrier, facing the stairs, two green saplings were fixed in wall torch 224.
brackets, bent back and held by a restraining rope, between them was tied an old blanket loaded with a mixture of stones, soil and a special vegetable compound, mainly stinkwort and wild garlic pounded together with dogs mercury plant.
Foremole covered his nose as he patted the huge catapult gently. ”Ahurr hurr, we'm woant 'ave to lissen for 'em after mis!”
Rooter wiped tears of merriment from his eyes. ”Boi 'okey we woant, ee'll smell 'em a gudd day's march off, hurt hurr.”
Outside on the gra.s.s in front of the Abbey, Constance was covering for the mole activities with a decoy. Any creature who could twirl a sling or fire an arrow was brought out to help.
Ironbeak and Mangiz had come out onto the bell tower roof with some rooks. They basked in the warm morning sun, watching the pathetic attempts of the fighting squads below.
Ambrose Spike marched up and down in fine military fas.h.i.+on with baby Rollo in tow twirling a tiny sling.
”Right, troops, here's the drill. I want to see how many decent archers and slingthrowers we can raise. . . .”
Baby Rollo echoed the last words of each phrase. ”Flingthrowers'e can raise. . . .”
”Now, when I give the command, fire and sling away at the bell tower. But mind, keep an eye on those missiles. What goes up must come down.”
”Go up mus' come down.”
”Be careful you don't get a stone on your head or an arrow in your paw!”
”Narrow in y'paw!”
”Just a moment, Sister May. Point that arrow the other way, please, marm, otherwise you'll end up shooting yourself in the nose.”
”Shooten inner noses!”
Ambrose raised his paw. ”Redwall defence volunteers. Ready, aim ... fire!”
225.
Most of the stones and arrows did not go even a quarter of the way up the bell tower. They fell short, clattering off the solid masonry of Redwall Abbey.
General Ironbeak was amused at the puny efforts of the creatures below. He sat enjoying the spectacle while his birds danced jibingly upon the roof, cawing and cackling insultingly.
”YaWa. Hey, earthcrawlers, we're up here!”
”Qnvhawhaw! What a bunch of ninnies.”
”Look at that old mouse, he's slung himself on his back!”
”Cahaha! Please shoot me. Look, I'm standing with my wings spread to make an easy target.”
”Rakkachak! See that baby mouse, he tossed a rock up and it came down right between his ears!”
Ironbeak paced the stone guttering, hopping neatly on to a gargoyle spout.
”Fools! Why do they waste their energy like this, Mangiz?”
”Who knows, my General. Maybe it is anger at the death of the sparrows which drives them to do this.”
”Ha, idiots! Some too young, others too old, none trained in the way of the warrior.”
”True, Ironbeak. There is only the big stripedog who is dangerous. How can they hope to defeat us like this?”
”Kaah! You worry too much, Mangiz. Let them waste their energy. It is a fine summer day and the sun will grow hotter. We will stay here and let them try to redouble their efforts. When they are tired out, we will strike. I have a plan. Listen, my fighters. When you see me spread my wings, then dive as fast as you can and go in pairs. Kill if you must, but try to pick one or two up. I want to see what the others do if we are holding some of them hostages. Maybe then they will see it is no use trying to defy General Iron-”
Bong! Boom! Clang! Bongggggg/ The Matthias and Methuselah bells directly beneath 226.
the bell tower roof tolled out vigorously. The noise was deafening to Ironbeak and his birds, separated from the bells by only a single layer of slates. Taken completely off guard, they flapped off in all directions, cawing loudly.
Below in the belfry. Cornflower and Mrs. Churchmouse heaved and tugged furiously on the bellropes, their paws leaving the floor at each recoil. Bongdingboomclangbangbong!!!
Ironbeak was last to leave the roof. He tried calling to his warriors, but his voice was lost in the clanging melee. With his head resounding to the metallic cacophony through to his very beaktip, the raven flapped off heavily into the air.
John Churchmouse clapped Ambrose upon the back.
'That'll teach 'em to laugh at our army, eh, my old Spike!”
Constance opened the Abbey door. ”Come on inside, I'm dosing the door now, I hope we gave Foremole and his crew time to set their surprise up.”
With his head still ringing from the bells, Ironbeak flew under the eaves to the roofs.p.a.ce in a black rage.
”Mangiz, take four with you and see if you can pick up any lone stragglers outside. The rest of you follow me. Get that roof trapdoor open quickly. We'll fly inside to the upper gallery and beat them to the stairs.”
”Beat what chairs. Chief?”
The crow had not recovered his hearing properly. Ironbeak buffeted him flat with a hefty wing blow.
”I said 'beat them to the stairs,' antbrain. Now get that trapdoor up and follow me.”
Halfway across Great Hall, Abbot Mordalfus b.u.mped into Constance. The badger glanced up. ”Dust!” she exclaimed. ”They're opening up the ceiling 227.
trapdoor. Quick, clear the Hall. Let* s get upstairs. By the way, Abbot, well done with the bells.”