The Marlfox spat at the warrior squirrel and bared his fangs. “Talk big with your army round you, windbag. You couldn’t face me alone if I was bound an’ blindfolded!”

Skipper smiled pityingly at the Marlfox. “Oops! I think you jus’ said the wrong thing there, matey.”

Janglur waved a paw at those surrounding the cornered Gelltor. “Back off, everybeast. Do like I say an’ stand well away.”

Rusvul shouldered his javelin and prepared to stride off. “Best do like Janglur says. Where d’yer want us, Jang?”

Janglur’s eyes never left the fox as he replied, “Over yonder, out o’ the way!”

The squirrel warrior nodded at the Marlfox’s ax. “You can keep ’old o’ that thing. Now, let’s do this proper. Walk past me, fox, about three tall treelengths, out onto the lawn.”

Gelltor was mystified, but he complied, feeling the squirrel’s lazy eyes watching him as he paced off the distance.

“Right, that’ll do, ye vermin. Stop there.”

Gelltor halted and turned to see Janglur whack the bolts back with two sharp movements and fling open the south wallgate. Janglur moved forward a few paces. Standing empty-pawed between Gelltor and the open gate, he addressed the fox. “See, there’s freedom—an open gate. All you got to do is get past me. Don’t fret, nobeast will try t’stop yer, only me.”

Gelltor spat on his axblade and swung it expertly, feeling light-headed with confidence. What sort of fools were these Abbeydwellers, leaving only a fatbellied sleepy-looking squirrel between a Marlfox and his freedom? He ran a short distance forward, sprang into a crouch with the keen ax flat-bladed in front of him, and began stalking his prey.

Janglur waited until Gelltor was less than a pace from him. Then, as the ax swung, he dropped to the ground, kicking out sharply. Gelltor went down on his tail with a grunt of surprise. He had never missed a beast with his ax at that range. A sickening pain shot through his left footpaw and he scrambled upright, to find himself facing the squirrel whirling a stone-loaded sling. Limping, Gelltor took two sharp sideways chops at his adversary, snarling angrily, “When I leave here I’ll take your head with me, Redwaller!”

Janglur countered a blow, the stone in his sling ringing off the axblade. He swung and caught Gelltor in the stomach. “Save yore breath, bully. Are you goin’ t’talk or fight?”

The Marlfox feinted to draw Janglur off, then swung an overhead slice directly between his opponent’s eyes. But the squirrel was not there. Janglur had moved his position so that he was standing alongside his assailant. The momentum of the swing buried the axblade in the earth, and the thwack of the stone-loaded sling echoed off the south wall as it struck Gelltor’s skull.