BooksBarbecue
Back Mattimeo Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. CAPTURED!
  2. Other Books
  3. Title Page
  4. Map
  5. Introduction
  6. BOOK ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. BOOK TWO
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. BOOK THREE
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. What’s next onyour reading list?

The fox swung the weapon and hurled it. Flailing viciously, it wrapped itself around an oak upright at the end of some pews. The three metal balls slammed hard into the timber, snapping it off like a dead twig.

As Fleaback retrieved the weapon, Slagar shrugged carelessly at the captives.

“If you had any back legs left at all after my little toy hit you, I’d have to dump you in the nearest ditch because a slave that is crippled for life isn’t much use to anyone.”

Mattimeo swallowed hard. The cruel one clearly meant every word he said.

Slagar turned to his aides. “Threeclaws, Halftail, we strike south. Keep ’em moving fast. I want a day and a night’s forced march to put as much distance as we can between us and Redwall. Wartclaw, Tornear, bring up the rear. If it stops raining, then cover our trail. Use your canes if they start hanging back or turning the waterworks on. Right, quick march!”

The door was pushed aside as the straggling column made its way out into the torrents of rain that shook the leaves of every tree in Mossflower Woods.

13

It was early evening and the rain hammered down relentlessly. Abbot Mordalfus stood with Sister Agnes on the site of the feast. The roasting pit was a mass of soggy black embers. Mordalfus threw a scrap of parchment into it.

“This was how the fox knew all about us,” he explained. “It was Little Vitch who wrote all the information about us. We gave him a home and he was a spy in our midst. John Churchmouse saw him running with those ruffians when they fled.”

Sister Agnes’s whiskers shook with indignation. “The little hooligan! To think that we took him in, sheltered and fed him, and that’s how he repaid us, by spying and noting it all down for the fox. Young Mattimeo should have given him a bit more of what he gave him in the orchard, Father Abbot, that’s what I say.”

“I agree with you, Sister,” the old mouse sighed. “Sometimes violence can be fair when it is used as a chastisement against badness. Is that Brother Sedge waving to us from the Abbey? Come, sister, there may be some news for us.”

As they walked over to Great Hall the Matthias and Methuselah bells rang out. They were out of sequence and not tolled with their usual vigour. Agnes pointed to the bell tower.

“That will be Cornflower, teaching baby Rollo to make our bells speak. How good of her, she’s keeping little Rollo’s mind off his mother. He still doesn’t know she’s dead.”

Sister Agnes wiped a tear away with her habit sleeve.

*   *   *

In Great Hall Matthias was drying himself off, in company with Basil Stag Hare, Warbeak and several of her sparrow scouts.