Part 26 (1/2)

Constance moved to the Abbey door. ”Then I will show you the proof. We have cut your supply line; you will starve without the magpies.”

Constance went indoors. A moment later, she was dragging out the net with the three magpies inside.

”They say that seeing is believing, what do you say to that?” she called.

Ironbeak peered over the guttering. ”I say that it was very clever of you, stripedog. But it wUl do you no good, I will send others out to forage.”

”Oh, as I understand it, warriors are warriors, not 266.

scavengers. Your fighters could not do the job, that's why you had magpies.”

”Kaahl Then we will become scavengers, we will take the food from that place you call orchard.”

Ambrose pointed to the windows. ”No you won't, we've got archers, sling-throwers and javelins stationed at the windows facing the orchard. It is not as far to shoot from there as it is from the ground to the rooftop. Send a few of those birds into the orchard now and you'll see what we mean.”

Whilst Ironbeak stood on the roof digesting this information, Ambrose pointed at the remains of the strawberries lying in the patch.

”Shoot!”

There was a tw.a.n.g and hiss from the windows. Four arrows and two javelins stood quivering among the strawberries.

Ironbeak swallowed hard. ”What do you want?”

Constance kept a heavy paw upon the net. ”You know what we want, an exchange of hostages.”

”What you ask is not possible.”

”Then your army will starve in the roofs.p.a.ces,” she warned.

”We will kill your mice if you do not surrender,” Ironbeak countered.

”And we will kill your magpies. This net is weighted with stones. They will drown in the pond.”

”You are peaceful creatures. I know your ways, you could not do such a thing.”

Constance seized the net in her paws and then began dragging it to the Abbey pond.

”Your mistake,” she snarled savagely. ”They may be peaceable creatures; badgers are not. It will be a pleasure to rid Mossflower of this sc.u.m. I am done with talking!”

The big badger tumbled the net into the shallows.

Revived by the water, the three magpie brothers awoke, spluttering.

”Yflggfl.' Save us, Ironbeak, save us. Help, we will drown trapped in this net, Ironbeak, General, save us!”

267.

The birds on the roof danced anxiously around their leader, cawing and flapping. Mangiz whispered something to him. The raven General c.o.c.ked his head towards the crow, his bright eye roving across the scene at the pond.

When Mangiz had finished, Ironbeak spoke in a level voice: ”Stop! Do not drown my magpie brethren. They have served me well. I will talk terms with you.”

A great cheer arose from the defenders at the window slits.

Constance gave a silent sigh of relief. ”Then you agree to our request, three in exchange for three?”

Ironbeak spread his wings. ”So be it! The exchange will take place here, in front of this redstone house when the evening bells toll at sunset.”

Ambrose exchanged glances with Constance.

”Let the hostages be freed here and now!” she proposed.

Ironbeak folded his wings and closed his eyes with finality. ”Do not stretch your luck, earthcrawlers. You have gained a victory. The exchange will take place as I say. Agreed?”

Constance hauled the net from the shallows. ”Agreed!”

When the birds had flown, Ambrose shook his head at Constance. ”If s some sort of trap, I can feel it in me spikes. That bird has somethin' in mind for us. Didn't you see him whispering with the crow? They were hatching a plan.”

The Abbot came out to greet them.

”I agree with Ambrose,” he said. ”They are obviously working out a trap. You did well. It was a good bluff, Constance.”

The big badger looked grim. ”It was no bluff. Father Abbot. I would drown a dozen like these in the net if our Abbey or our creatures were threatened. We will wait and see what they have planned for sunset.”

268.

34.

Queen Warbeak and her sparrows stood little chance against the rats. Many of them were shot in the air. But the Queen and her Sparra warriors were brave and reckless fighters, and they plunged in regardless of danger. Matthias and Orlando headed the charge across the clearings; the shrews drew their short swords and followed. Cheek, Jess and Jabez whirled slings loaded with stones as clubs, and Basil hurtled in with both long back legs kicking dangerously. ”Redwaaaall! Mossfloweeeer! Guosim! Logalogalog!” The speed of the attack, combined with the sparrow a.s.sault, took the rats off guard. They fought tooth and claw, using arrows to stab with, but they were no match for the force that came at them, despite their superior numbers.

The shrews were fearsome warriors at close quarters, with their short swords. They fought in groups facing outwards. Circling and milling, they created a carousel of slaughter. Rats fell screaming and kicking everywhere. Cheek and Jabez stood back to back, thwacking away with their loaded slings. Sparra warriors fastened their claws into rats' heads and pecked madly at their faces. The rats were unused to being attacked in their own territory and they fought mainly a defensive action.

269.

Many brought down shrews and sparrows. However, they were no match for Matthias and Orlando; the axe and the sword swathed into them at every turn. And rats flew high in the air from Basil's awesome kicks.

The battle raged back and forth. The woodlanders were still greatly outnumbered, though their weapons and fighting skills were superior. It might have gone one way or the other, when Log-a-Log turned the tide. He spied Stonefleck slinking away into the trees, and using his sword as a spear, he launched it at the rat Chieftain. His aim was true. Stonefleck fell, slain by the sword Log-a-Log had thrown.

When the rats saw their leader fall, the fight went out of them. Screaming and wailing, they scurried off into the trees.

Matthias stood leaning on his sword, breathing heavily. Ignoring the cuts and bites he had taken, the warrior mouse extended his paw to the shrew leader.

”Well thrown, Log-a-Log!”

The shrews gave a loud cheer for their leader.

Matthias looked around. The slain littered the edge of the clearing like leaves in autumn.

''Where is my friend Queen Warbeak?” he asked.

His heart sank within him. A small group of Sparra warriors who had survived the battle were grouped about their fallen Queen. Matthias, jess and Basil knelt by her side, tears streaming openly down their faces for the Sparra Queen lying there. Warbeak's eyes were dimmed in death, the breeze moved her feathers gently.