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Chapters (50)
  1. TRAPPED
  2. Title Page
  3. Map
  4. BOOK ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. BOOK TWO
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. BOOK THREE
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44

The badger maid ran dry sand from the rocks through her paws. “It is all I can remember—I grew up with the mountain. This morning I feel that I have a certain fondness for it, but I can never make it my home again. There are too many unhappy memories hovering around it. Lord Urthstripe put his mark upon that mountain. The graves of creatures we knew look lonely here by the great sea, and it will take a lot of healing. Time alone can do it, though I would not be happy staying here to grow old. Even today I noticed the change in Urthwyte—he is becoming a badger Lord. The life here is not for me.”

“Then what will you do, Mara? Where will you go?”

“I will follow my dream.”

“Ah! The dream you dreamed last night of Martin the Warrior?”

“Samkim, how did you know . . . ?”

“Because I, too, had a dream. Martin came to me also. He told me to stay apart from the others today and I would see the Guardian of Redwall Abbey come to me. Is it you, Mara?”

The badger maid turned and looked at him. “Martin said in my dream that this was my destiny. He told me that I will be happy at Redwall, happier than ever before.”

Samkim took hold of her paw. “So you will be. Come on, let us go home, Mara of Redwall!”

42

Though the season was well advanced, Abbess Vale stoically refused to hold any Nameday feast. Each day she had posted lookouts on the ramparts, and they watched until torches were lit and lanterns shone with the onset of night. Through sunny days, cloudy days, and days when soft drizzle and mist hung low over woodlands, the vigil continued, still with no sign of Samkim or Arula returning.

*   *   *

Sitting in the gatehouse one windy morning, Abbess Vale and Faith Spinney took hot mint tea and nutscones with cream as they embroidered a bedquilt together.

Faith took the spectacles from the end of her nose and massaged her eye corners gently. “My ol’ eyes get tired pretty quick these days, Vale. ’Spect it’ll be with standin’ out on yon wall all yesternoon.”

The Abbess looked rather severely over the top of her glasses. “Faith, what have I told you? There are lots of younger ones happy to do lookout duty—you have no need to be up on the ramparts in all weathers.”

The hedgehog lady poured more tea for Vale. “But I wants to be first to see ’em. ‘Sides, it keeps me out of Dumble’s way. That infant’s become a reg’lar liddle terror.”

“Indeed he has.” The Abbess nodded in agreement as she picked up a stitch. “Everywhere I turn he’s following me, bullying away in his north country speech for a Nameday feast.”

“The Hautumn of the Heagle, you mean.” Faith chuckled.