Abbess Turzel nearly leapt from the wall in shock as Blakk’s words sank in. “What?!”
Blakk was normally a quite respectful beast, but he was so flustered and upset that he began hopping up and down and cawing, “Fire, ye ninnehs! Och, ye wee-brained sorreh excuses f’ Abbeh-beasts! See, Ahm covehd en soot, d’ye ken!” he flapped his wings wildly, shaking soot and ashes everywhere.
Thrugg stood forward and said, “Belay that kind o’ talk. Yer a black beastie, how was we to know? But fire?” he looked out over Mossflower, and sure enough, there was a black cloud of smoke rising above some vicious red and orange flames curling up hungrily through the trees.
Turzel raised her voice to silence the gossiping and chattering Redwallers. “Quiet! QUIET!!! BEEEE QQQUUUUIIIIEEEEETTT!!!!!!!!” she screamed, and everybeast around her, completely shocked (because she rarely was harsh with other beasts), fell silent immediately. Turzel paced calmly up and down the walkway, saying, “There must be a rescue party to go out there and stop the fire and save them. But...” she stopped and tapped her paw, completely stumped at something.
“Er, but what, marm?” Thrugann asked.
Abbess Turzel half closed her eyes in deep thought. “But why would the woodlands stand through countless ages, then suddenly burst into flame? I think somebeast planned all this.”
Blakk interrupted, “Och, Abbess lassie, ‘twas vermin! Ah saw them! Realleh! Truleh! Ah did!”
The Abbess nodded once, her mind made up. “Then we must send somebeasts out to save them, but be on our guard here. Mayruil, take your force of shrews to the woodlands, and Log-a-log, keep your force here as a guard. To the shrew rescuers, take blankets, water, and woven reed rugs to beat the flames out with. And weapons. There’s no telling who, or what could be out there.”
The fire was rapidly eating up the trees of Mossflower and spitting out the charred remains. Sultor had just finished tying both senseless forms to a large oak (he’d had to knock Delilah out again for her screaming), when he saw two tough-looking rabbits charging at him, yelling sloppy warcries.
“Yoolayliggaaaaa!!!”
“No, no, no, stupid. It’s Eulillillaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”
“Whatever. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!”
Sultor sidestepped Softwood’s first punch and clipped him neatly over the head with his tight fist.
The big stoat Bulldubb, whom the rabbits had first sighted, was laid out flat with a savage kick from Thistleback.
As Softwood tried to rise, Sultor kicked him in the face, knocking him flat on his back. Swift as lightning, he stepped on his chest and drew a dagger. He slammed the hilt three times into Softwood’s skull, and the rabbit went out with a groan.
Thistleback managed to kick down a rat before Sultor was upon him, and his head suffered the same fate.
Standing over the bodies of both rabbits, Sultor snarled, “Tie them up with the other two, now!”
They did as he commanded, and the fox and his band scurried off to a safer place, dragging Bulldubb and the rat’s bodies behind them.
Mayruil and his band searched Mossflower together, the shrew muttering, “Where could they be??”
Baby Cregga had escaped her playpen once again. The tiny badger toddled about the passages, looking about at everything with her big, wide brown eyes.
A young hare scoured the halls and passages until he spotted her, and immediately dashed toward her. “Aha! Found you, y’bally little nuisance!”
Cregga shrieked and ran off, her small stubby legs moving in a blur. The hare, whose name was Brisk, sat flat on his tail in surprise. “Pon my flippin’ word, I ‘ave nevah seen a baby shift itself s’ fast! Oh well, ‘ere we go again...”
Brisk got up and began jogging the direction Cregga had gone.
Lord Rokka was only beginning to eat his lunch when a piercing wail echoed through all of Salamandastron. The giant badger leapt up, alarmed. "What was that??"
Major Swiftleg's ears flopped about alarmingly. "I dunno, M'Lud! Shall we go check it out?"
Rokka whirled about on his subjects, who were all beginning to rise, and bellowed, "STAY SEATED! Swiftleg, you come with me. The rest of you, sit down and keep quiet!!"
Both beasts dashed off into the upper chamber.
Cregga lay kicking up a tantrum in an upper chamber. Somehow the hidden stone door to the secret chamber had been opened, then had closed behind her. The baby badger's tear-stained eyes looked up at the carvings that covered the wall, including a particularly bloody one containing a ripped and battered portrait of her father, Rokka. "Noooooo!!! Nooooo!!!! Daddy!!!! NOOOOO!!!!"
Softwood fought his way back to his senses. The rabbit found himself bound to a tree. To one side was the senseless form of Thistleback, and to the other, the shrew and mouse he had seen earlier.
The shrew blinked at him. "Oh good, one of you is awake finally. I'm Delilah of the Guosim, and this is Sister Elsia of Redwall Abb-"
"We're gonna burn!!!! Delilah!!! Delilah!!!! WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!" Elsia screamed, squirming in a cold panic as the flames grew steadily nearer.
"SHUT UP ALREADY, YOU STUPID LOUSE!" Delilah yelled.
Thistleback winced as he painfully came to. "Oooaaarrrrggghh...What 'appened...?"
Softwood frowned. "We've been tied up to a tree in a burning woodlands. Need I say more?"
Thistleback tried to move his head and winced. "Haha. Who are these two we're tied with?"
Introductions happened all around. When a sudden silence fell, Delilah eyed the approaching flames warily. "So, what are we gonna do now?"
