Pearls of Lutra

by Brian Jacques

  Death is no stranger to me, I could see its mark upon Graylunk and I did all in my power to make his last days comfortable. He told me of many things; together we sat in this dusty attic, I listened to his words and in my mind I was transported, far over the seas to where there is no winter. In my imagination I saw the surf booming against the warm coast of Sampetra and learned of the Emperor Mad Eyes. My friend had led a wicked life, but in his final days he repented of all evil. Though I tried to set his mind at ease, he was troubled, frightened of the vengeance which would stretch across the ocean to claim him. Graylunk told me a secret and begged me to speak of it to no living creature.

  One morning I awoke and he was gone, fled from this Abbey to die alone someplace, where he would not bring evil upon me, his friend. One day, if I still live, I will stand before those who follow him from afar and I will do as my friend told me, I will deny that ever I knew of him, I will say Graylunk was never within the walls of this Abbey. In this way I will try to keep Redwall safe, for it is my home.

  As for the secret my friend imparted to me, I will keep my promise and never speak of it to any living creature. I will not speak, but I will write, lest the Tears of all Oceans remain for ever lost. Someday they may be needed for a great purpose. Graylunk left the Tears with me, a final gift to his only friend. When I am gone the only one to possess them will be the creature with the wit and wisdom to find them. The Tears would only bring grief and death to a beast with little sense. I have spoken in my dreams to the spirit who long ago founded Redwall, Martin the Warrior of old, and I know what I do now is right.

  To the goodbeast whose name I do not know, nor never shall, I say this. Seek and find the Tears of all Oceans, be not blinded by their beauty, use them wisely.

  Look not up, nor to the four main points,

  But where our paws do tread, the dead oak joints.

  There wrought by mother nature ’neath the main,

  Lies that which holds the beauty, or the bane.

  Rollo folded the parchment carefully, concealing it within his wide habit sleeve. Then he took the lantern and made his way downstairs. The old Recorder’s mind boiled with Fermald’s testament, unanswered questions, and the baffling rhyme. He joined Martin in the kitchens where, in low tones, a brief conversation was held.

  ‘Martin, I found a strange parchment, written by the Ancient.’

  ‘I knew you’d find something, Rollo, that’s why I left you up there on your own. Where was this parchment hidden?’

  ‘Down the side cushions of Fermald’s armchair, though I don’t think the rest of this mystery is going to be so easily solved.’

  ‘Hmm, only what we’d expect, I suppose. Fermald was a quaint and devious creature. We must investigate it fully, but later, not now. Take a look at the antics of our cake-making crew; they’ve had these kitchens in uproar since they started.’

  All Redwall kitchen work had ceased; Friar Higgle and Teasel with the rest of their workers watched with much merriment as Tansy supervised her unruly helpers. The cake had baked perfectly, and now stood cooling on a stone ledge. Tansy had beaten the meadowcream until it was right for spreading.

  Gerul helped her to lift the cake down onto the table, saying, ‘Great seasons, missie, sure an’ I never smelt anythin’ as wonderful as this cake in all me life! ’Tis a tribute to ye!’

  The hedgehog maid smilingly thanked the owl for his compliment, rounding on Clecky in the same breath. ‘Why, thank you, Gerul. Mister Clecky! Put a paw near that bowl of cream and I’ll chop it off!’

  The rascally hare bowed low, the picture of nobility and injured innocence. ‘For shame, marm, how could you accuse me of such foul deeds? Why, I’d chop me own paw off before I’d use it to steal cream!’

  Swiftly Tansy turned on Gerul, judging by the laughter behind her back that something was going on. ‘Gerul, take those talons out of that marchpane this instant!’

  ‘Who, me, marm? I was only makin’ pretty liddle patterns on it!’

  Taking advantage of Tansy’s back, Clecky scooped a glob of meadowcream with the tip of his ear, bending it skilfully into his mouth. The assembled Redwallers fell about laughing, but Tansy was not amused.

  ‘I told you I’d chop those paws off if you put them near my cream,’ she snapped.

  Clecky appealed to the onlookers. ‘I say, what a vile accusation! Did anybeast see me put a paw near that bally cream bowl? No! So, miss fussyapron, what proof have you that I’ve been anywhere near your blinkin’ cream, eh?’

  Tansy pursued him round the table with a ladle. ‘What proof? It’s all over your whiskers, you fuzzy-faced fraud!’

  Friar Higgle stepped in and restored order, then he helped them to drape the marchpane over their cake and trim it neatly. Teasel took a flat palette knife and spread the meadowcream expertly over the marchpane, then she wrapped the seven balls of marchpane in pink rose petals preserved in honey. There were gasps of admiration from the kitchen helpers at the finished confection. The cake was an absolute beauty, standing on a large tray surrounded by pale flaked almonds, candied angelica leaves and preserved damsons. Teasel had whirled the meadowcream artfully in waving patterns around the cake, leaving it flat and smooth on top. Everybeast watched breathlessly whilst Tansy gingerly placed the seven pink petal-wrapped marchpane balls around the top of Abbot Durral’s cake.

  ‘There, one for each of Father Abbot’s seven seasons,’ she said. ‘Now, let’s hide it over in the gatehouse until this evening.’

  Carrying the tray between them, Tansy and Higgle walked carefully out of the kitchens towards the Abbey door. Clecky and Gerul hovered about them, shouting needless orders.

  ‘Steady there, chaps, hold your side level, missie!’

  ‘Hey, you there, keep out of the way. Somebeast open the door!’

  When they were outside on the Abbey lawns, Tansy finally lost her temper with Clecky and Gerul’s harassments.

  ‘Look, go away, begone, the pair of you. We’ll be bound to drop this cake if you keep hovering round and getting in the way!’

  As they turned to go, Friar Higgle noticed the hare was eating something. His suspicions were confirmed as he took a swift count of the rose-petal-covered marchpane balls.

  ‘I knew it, there’s only six here! That rogue has stolen one an’ scoffed it!’ the Friar announced.

  Tansy nearly dropped her end of the tray as she wailed aloud, ‘Oh, the beastly glutton, my surprise cake is ruined!’

  ‘Well, at least we’ve got rid of those two now,’ the good Friar comforted her. ‘Don’t worry, missie, there’s enough marchpane an’ petals left to make another. I’ll do it as soon as we get back to the kitchens, don’t fret.’

  Martin and Teasel remonstrated with the hare as he loped chuckling into the Abbey followed by Gerul.

  ‘We saw you from the doorway, Clecky, that was a pretty swift trick!’

  The hare swallowed the remains of his plunder guiltily. ‘Who, me? There’s nothing in my mouth, take a look, old chap.’

  ‘Yore a villain an’ a glutton, mister Clecky, an’ I don’t know which is the worse o’ the two!’ So saying, Teasel shook a pudding spoon angrily under the hare’s nose, but before she could say more there was a shrill screaming, squawking and shouting from down by the gatehouse.

  Martin leapt into action. ‘What’n the name of fur’s going on out there?’ he shouted, and dashed out, followed by Clecky and Gerul.

  Tansy and Friar Higgle were only a short distance from the gatehouse when the attack took place. Four big black-backed gulls dropped out of the sky onto them, knocking the cake to the grass. Two gulls flew at Higgle and Tansy, beating with wings, webbed talons and huge beaks, while the other two pounced on the cake and began snatching the rose-coloured orbs from it, their harsh cries of triumph ringing out.

  ‘Kaareeeaaah! Kreeeghaaa!’

  Suddenly Gerul was amongst them like a thunderbolt. At the sight of the hulking young barn owl the two gulls immediately left off despoiling the A
bbot’s cake and took wing. Gerul hurled himself upon the gull that had Tansy upon the ground, and locked talon and beak with the invader as it tried to fly off. Martin came speeding to the rescue of Higgle, closely followed by Clecky. Grabbing the elmboard cake tray the Warriormouse broke it in half over the gull’s back; Clecky swiftly gathered Tansy and Higgle to him and threw them down, shielding them with his body. Martin managed to get one more crack at his gull with half the cake tray before it hopped off and flopped awkwardly into the air.

  The bird Gerul had taken on was not so lucky; the owl’s powerful talons and savage hooked beak did their work with blurring speed, and the gull lay slain by the gatehouse door.

  Redwallers poured out of the Abbey and across the lawns. Headed by Auma the badger Mother and Abbot Durral, a crowd arrived at the scene in front of the gatehouse. Everybeast was shouting at once.

  ‘Oh woe, what’s happened here?’

  ‘Was it eagles or hawks, did anybeast see?’

  ‘Go ‘way, silly, can’t y’ see that’s a dead seagull!’

  ‘Hurr, seagully burd, ee’m a gurt big ’un, boi ecky ee is!’

  Between them, Auma, the Abbot and Foremole restored order.

  ‘Stand back there, please, keep those Dibbuns away from that bird!’

  ‘Yurr, coom out o’ ee way. Froir ’iggle, missie, be you’m ’urted?’

  Auma inspected Friar and hogmaid. ‘Yes, they’re both a bit battered and scratched one way or another. Dormal, Wullger, you others, carry them both up to Sister Cicely in the sick bay. Martin, what is that creature?’

  The Warriormouse was inspecting the bird’s body. He shook his head and scanned the sky. ‘It’s a gull, but I’ve never seen any this big come as far inland as Redwall. There were four of them altogether – no sign of the other three now, they got out of here fast. Friend Gerul put paid to this one, he’s a fearsome fighter all right!’

  The owl blinked several times. ‘Ah well, d’ye see, sir, as me ould mother used t’say, there’s not a bit of use shakin’ claws with the other feller. If yer goin’ t’fight then best get it done with proper so’s yer foe don’t come back fer more.’

  Clecky was eyeing the cake on the grass, inching towards it. ‘Well said, old pillowfeatures, your ma must’ve been quite a bird in her time, wot!’

  Teasel nudged Clecky hard in his midriff. ‘Aye, an’ you’ll find me a bit of a pawful if y’ don’t keep away from yon cake, sir. There ain’t too much damage done; I can dust it down an’ fix it up good as new. Though we’ll need a new tray, Martin.’

  Echoing around the woodlands into an unusually warm spring evening, the Abbey bells tolled supper. Redwallers gathered in Cavern Hole, which was smaller and less stately than Great Hall. The meal was a serve-yourself affair: cress and watershrimp soup, celery and leek turnovers, strong old chestnut cheese, barleybread, greengage flan, latticed redcurrant tart and October Ale or maple cordial to drink. The Abbey creatures sat in wall niches, sprawled on rush mats, or just set down wherever they pleased to chat and eat.

  Abbot Durral sat with Martin and the elders on a dry, fern-strewn rock ledge which ran along one wall. When the Father Abbot stood up to speak there was complete silence; everybeast was curious as to what he was going to say.

  ‘Friends, there is little use my reporting to you what happened today, as you already know. Why four gulls should attack two perfectly harmless creatures is a mystery, both to me and to your elders. However, our good friend from Mossflower, the Skipper of Otters, has volunteered to set up a patrol around the top of the outer wall. His otters will be armed with slings and stones, in the event of another unwarranted attack.

  ‘But for the next few days I would ask you to stay indoors as much as possible; make sure that if you do go out of doors it is for a necessary chore and not just to stroll or play. Oh, and keep a keen eye on our Dibbuns – little ones do not know the danger, and it is our duty to protect them. One last thing: thanks to our friends Clecky and Gerul for their quick and brave action today, helping Martin out.’

  A round of applause was called for. Gerul modestly buried his beak in a wedge of old chestnut cheese, but Clecky bowed and strutted in an outrageous manner, acknowledging the plaudits.

  ‘Forward the whites, wot, wot! Only doin’ me duty, savin’ hogmaids, slayin’ seagulls an’ whatnot, all in a day’s work, chaps!’

  Rollo, who was sitting next to Martin, turned his eyes upward at the hare’s shameless display. ‘By the fur an’ cringe, Martin, I can’t take much more of that doodle-eared windbag. Let’s get out of here. I know, we’ll take a tray of supper up to Tansy and Friar Higgle, and see how they are.’

  ‘Right,’ the Warriormouse agreed, ‘but don’t mention trays to me. The one I smashed over that seagull was Hogwife Teasel’s best tray – she’s not going to let me forget that for a while!’

  Friar Higgle and Tansy were pretending to be asleep, but Sister Cicely still prattled on as she set a bowl apiece beside their beds.

  ‘Warm nettle broth, best thing in the world for shock and minor injuries. I’m going down to supper now. Make sure you finish it up, every drop; I’ll be checking those bowls later.’

  Rollo and Martin entered, bearing the tray of food. Cicely pursed her lips severely at them. ‘Hush now, you two,’ she said, dropping her voice to a whisper, ‘my patients are asleep. Er, I hope that food isn’t for them, they’re restricted to a diet of my nettle broth.’

  Martin smiled winningly at her, and whispered, ‘This food? Great seasons no, Sister, this is our supper. Rollo and I thought we’d just nip up here and sit awhile with Tansy and Higgle. If they wake we’ll see that they take all their broth.’

  Sister Cicely smiled back and curtsied. ‘Thank you, Martin, I know they’ll be safe in your sensible paws.’

  She slid silently out, closing the door softly after herself.

  Higgle sat bolt upright, paws clenched and teeth grinding. ‘Grr, that ole Siss Cicely, I’d as like chuck meself in the Abbey pond wi’ a boulder tied to me footpaw as lay up ’ere another day! Open that window, Rollo, ’ere, sling this filthy nettle broth out afore it makes me any sicker!’

  Tansy sat up and clapped her paws with joy. ‘Look, Friar, real food! Turnover an’ cheese, redcurrant tart an’ maple cordial! Thanks, pals, you’ve saved our lives!’

  Martin could not help smiling at the irrepressible little hogmaid as she tucked into the supper. ‘So, how are you feeling now, Tansy?’ he asked.

  The answer came from around a mouthful of celery and leek turnover. ‘Hah! Fit as a firefly an’ brisk as a bumblebee, sir. Heeheehee! I heard that Viola bankvole saw what happened as she was cleaning the inside of the gatehouse windows. Wullger said she went down in a swoon an’ had to be revived by sniffing burnin’ feathers, hahaha! I hope the smell made her dreadful sick!’

  Friar Higgle munched thoughtfully on a wedge of cheese. ‘Silly really, isn’t it, why should four great birds attack us?’

  Rollo shrugged, saying, ‘From what I heard only two attacked you, the other two were after Abbot Durral’s cake. Going for you and Tansy like that was merely a diversion, so they could steal the cake.’

  Martin waited until the hogmaid had taken a drink of cordial, then asked, ‘Hmm, what do you think, Tansy?’

  The young hedgehog looked serious. ‘It sounds strange, I know, but they didn’t really seem interested in the cake, or even us. The only other thing was the marchpane balls, but why?’

  ‘Another mystery!’ said Martin, turning to Rollo who was deep in thought.

  Rollo shook his head worriedly. ‘Mysteries and riddles,’ he sighed. Then he jumped, startled. ‘Riddles! Goodness me, in all the excitement I’d quite forgotten!’ From his sleeve he drew forth Fermald’s parchment, saying, ‘Listen to this . . .’

  The Recorder of Redwall sat reading Fermald’s note aloud in the sick bay whilst Friar Higgle Stump carried on eating his supper. Tansy had forgotten all about food. She and Martin hung on every word that was rea
d out to them.

  11

  CORSAIRS AND SEARATS roaming the hills of Sampetra did not bother Ublaz unduly – they would be taken care of when he had dealt with their ringleaders, the captains. Slouching on his throne, sipping wine and nibbling on a roasted bird’s wing, the Emperor turned over events in his mind. Barranca was the one who had started all this, accordingly he was the one Ublaz intended to make an example of. The other captains were not so important. If Sagitar did not slay them, then he, the Emperor, would sooner or later. However, next time he would promote Trident-rats to be captains: good, loyal, Emperor-fearing Trident-rats. As for the vermin horde who had taken to the hills, well, they would soon jump back into line when they witnessed the punishment he intended meting out to Barranca. It was an old cure for rebellion – cut off the snake’s head and the rest ceased wriggling. The snake!

  Ublaz tossed aside the meat and strode briskly from his throne room, towards the cellars carved in the rocks beneath the escarpment.

  Two Monitors stood at attention in front of a heavily barred door in the cellars. Ublaz pointed with his silver dagger blade, ordering, ‘Open it!’

  The lizards obeyed with alacrity, throwing the door wide. Pulling a torch from a wall bracket Ublaz swept inside, leaving the door ajar so the guards could watch him. The pine marten sighed aloud with pleasure as he went to a stone plinth and lovingly picked up the crown from it. Made to the Emperor’s own design, the thick gold band fitted his head perfectly. Studded almost halfway round with purply red garnets, it was a crown fit for an Emperor. But with something missing. Six empty claw settings on the circlet’s front lacked the six rose-coloured pearls to fill them. When he possessed the Tears of all Oceans his crown would be complete.

  A damp rustling and a loud hiss caused the Monitor guards to shuffle fearfully away from the door. Fixing them with a glare of his strange eyes, Ublaz rasped, ‘Stand still! Watch and witness the power of your Emperor!’