Mokkan glanced up at the waning moon settling itself behind a rambling cloudbank. Somewhere off in the woodland a lone nightjar warbled, while a warm breeze stirred sedge and rye grasses on the ditch top. It was a night perfect for ambush. The water rats and Marlfoxes crouched in the ditch bed, spears and blades blackened by firesmoke so they would not betray a glimmer. The vixen Predak moved silent as a night shadow down the ditch to where the main force waited with Mokkan. She gestured back toward the main Abbey gate. “Ascrod and Vannan are in place with their two rats.”

Mokkan ventured a swift peek over the ditch top. “No sign of the Redwallers yet?”

Predak scratched her muzzle, betraying a slight nervousness. “Maybe ’tis a trick, perhaps they won’t come?”

The Marlfox leader’s teeth gleamed in the darkness. He kicked the bundle containing Dwopple, who had been fed a potion of herbs to keep him in a drugged sleep. “Oh, they’ll come, take my word on it. Those Abbeybeasts are far too honest and dull to risk any tricks. This mousebabe is their main concern. Being the virtuous fools they are, they’ll expect us to play by their rules and return the babe in exchange for a few trinkets. Oafs! They’ll learn that dealing with Marlfoxes is like trying to hold a pawful of smoke.”

*

Log a Log stood with his Guosim shrews, well hidden by the bushy southeast fringe of Mossflower. Dodging from fern clump to long grass, the scout Bargle arrived and nodded over toward the ditch. “Vermin are still there, Chief, they ain’t made a move back or for’ard. Couldn’t get close enough to ’ear wot they was sayin’.”

The shrew Chieftain peered through the night toward the ditch. “It doesn’t make any difference, mate. We never came to chat with ’em!”

Bargle pawed his rapier hilt thoughtfully. “Y’know, they don’t know we’re ’ere, but we know exac’ly where they are. May’ap ’twouldn’t be a bad idea t’sneak up be’ind ’em an’ pick off a few to thin their ranks, eh?”

Log a Log sighed regretfully. “I was thinkin’ the same thing meself, matey, but we’d best stick t’the plan an’ wait for the signal.”

Bargle was weighing the land up. “That’s a fair distance to charge, from ’ere across open ground to the sou’west wallcorner. We could become targets in plain view.”

Log a Log ruffled his scout’s ears fondly. “Then we’ll just ’ave t’spread out an’ duck’n’weave.”

“Aye, an’ get ourselves killed fer creatures who ain’t even shrews!”