Down Once More

[Ulrick Hammerpaw]

The noise of the fight grew from outside the hall as Ulrick calmly finished work on the weapon he had crafted from a scavenged pickaxe handle and a heavy wooden block that had been part of the ship?s rigging. Securely lashed together, they formed a rudimentary hammer. The badger stood up and gave the weapon a few experimental swings.

Just as he got some speed up, one of the rats burst in, hollering in their strange, garbled language. Seeing Ulrick, he paused for a moment then raised his spear and charged. Ulrick raised the makeshift hammer, then stepped forward, swinging the weapon with all his strength into the rat. There was a wet thud and the rat?s broken body sailed several feet across the hall before crashing against a wall and slumping lifeless to the floor. Ulrick gave a satisfied grunt and checked to see if his weapon had survived.

As he tested the lashing, he noticed that he was by now alone in the hall. The sounds of battle were starting to subside now, but from the garbled cries it sounded like the fight had gone the islanders? way. By now, Silus and the others were most likely dead.

Saves me the trouble of having to kill him myself. He was a slaver. Not worth my spit.

Any time now, Obligo?s rabble would find him alone in the hall. And while the badger was confident of his ability in a fight, even the mightiest Lord of Salamandastron would surely think twice about facing a wall of spears alone?

~

The fox with the cutlasses was no fool. As the badger and the mouse charged him the Imperial gave a signal. Almost at once, the vermin formed a shield wall between the woodlander heroes and the officer. Spears were thrust over the tops of shields, jabbing hard at Ulrick and Simeon, who just managed to pull up in time to avoid the sharpened steel. The fox gave a cruel laugh as the pair began to edge backwards, their weapons raised to a guard position.

?We have to kill him soon, our allies cannot hold much longer,? muttered Simeon through gritted teeth.

Ulrick scanned the shield wall. ?There?s no way through them like that, not without getting more of our beasts killed.?

?No way through, perhaps,? Simeon smiled. ?But they have no defence against going over??

Ulrick looked amazed. ?You?re not seriously suggesting???

Simeon nodded with a wry grin. ?You?ll have to throw me. I?ll cause enough distraction for you to get in amongst them. With their formation broken they will have to retreat.?

?I hope you know what you?re doing this time, friend,? growled Ulrick, as he bent to lift the little mouse.

Simeon laughed. ?Come now, Ulrick, when have you ever let me down??

With a great cry, Ulrick launched the mouse into the air. Simeon gave a loud battle shout as he sailed over the heads of the startled vermin. Ulrick followed their eyes, waiting until they were focused on the warrior tumbling above them. Hefting his warhammer, he gave a shout of his own and charged into the distracted shield wall.

The vermin were taken by surprise, just as Simeon had planned. The badger had broken through the first rank before they even realised he was there. Pandemonium broke out in the formation, beasts at the back pressing forward to engage while the vermin at the front struggled to get away from the furious badger and his deadly hammer swings.

Ulrick could see Simeon had already caught up with the fox, the mouse?s broadsword clashed with one of the vermin?s cutlasses. The badger began barging his way through the crowd of vermin, determined to reach the duel.

Simeon and the fox circled each other warily. Suddenly, Simeon darted forward, stabbing at the fox with his sword. The vermin danced aside, slashing at Simeon and missing the mouse by mere inches.

The hero dropped to the ground and rolled under the fox?s blade, slashing at his ankles and forcing the Imperial off balance. The fox retreated a few paces, then raised his weapons again and charged.

Ulrick let fly with his hammer, desperate now to reach his friend. He could feel every muscle in his body screaming with the effort, but he paid them no heed. The vermin foot soldiers were starting to break away from him now, realising there were better chances for glory well away from this fight!

Simeon stabbed again, but this time the fox was ready, catching the mouse?s blade between his cutlasses, he gave a vicious twist, sending the weapon arcing into the maelstrom of battle.

Simeon staggered back as the fox suddenly leapt forward, slashing at the mouse. The woodlander cried out in pain as one of the blades cut a deep gash in his shoulder. Before he had a chance to move the fox was on him, driving his second blade into the mouse?s chest.

Simeon shuddered, dropped to his knees, then slumped sideways. The fox gave another cruel laugh and bent to retrieve his blade. Ulrick stood aghast for a moment, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Blind fury threatened to overcome him. Simeon couldn?t be dead! How could that mouse, who had seen so much of the warrior?s life, throw his own away so cheaply?

The badger roared to the sky in anger and frustration. The vermin left alive around him quickly fled, anxious to get as far away from the woodlander as possible. The fox pulled his blade from Simeon?s chest and stood up in front of the badger, raising the weapon to a guard position.

?So woodlander, you wish to try your luck? I will finish you as easily as?? the Imperial suddenly found himself looking directly into the badger?s eyes.

The badger?s red eyes.

~

The door leading down to the caverns was ajar. Wherever Tassle had led the others, back into the tunnels seemed like a safe bet. And if Jonas? daughter is anywhere, that?s another.

The rats outside where hammering on the doors now. Not wanting to risk facing them, Ulrick slipped through the door, closing it behind him.

It took a few minutes for the badger?s eyes to become accustomed to the dark again, but he pressed on. He could feel his heart pounding, could that be fear? After all, that wolf was still down here. Maybe Ashira hadn?t wounded it as gravely as had been thought.

He paused for breath in a cavern he had not seen before. One small part of his mind was warning him, turn back, don?t lose yourself down here. But Ulrick put the thought to the back of his mind. Bringing back Jonas? daughter would get him away. That was his only concern. Of course, if the rats had killed him too, then his daughter could still be a useful bargaining chip with the Captain of the rescue vessel Jonas had been expecting.

Suddenly, Ulrick heard a long, mournful howl. There was a pause, and then it echoed around the cavern again. Gripping his home made weapon tightly, the badger edged down the tunnel towards where the sound had come from.

For what seemed like an age, the badger crept towards the source of the howl. Then, finally, he saw it.

The dark wolf was lying against a rock, curled almost into a ball and howling pitifully. Blood ran from a stab wound in its side and from a vicious bite to its neck. As Ulrick entered the cavern it attempted to haul itself upright.

?Stay back!? it growled. ?Mother will come. Mother will make it all better??

The beast is becoming delirious. Not long for this world.

Ulrick took another pace forward as the wolf sank back against the rock.

?I am looking for somebeast,? he said coldly. ?A girl.? How had Lowri described her? Ah, yes. ?A marten, she has sandy brown fur. Quite thin.?

The badger edged closer to the wolf, keeping a firm grip on his hammer. ?Tell me what you know of her and I will ease your passing to the Forest.?

The wolf snarled. ?She is for the Devourer. Mother is taking care of her, and the Devourer will be pleased with us.?

?Where have you taken her?? Ulrick did his best to ignore the dying wolf?s mention of a ?Devourer?. ?Tell me where she is and I will help you.?

The great wounded beast?s eyes widened. ?You wish to make an offering to the Devourer? Go on down this passage. Where land meets water, that is where the offerings are made. Is Mother coming now??

Ulrick grimaced and clenched his paw around his crude hammer. ?When you get to the Dark Forest, tell the others I sent you.?

The badger raised the weapon above his head, then with a sickening crack, brought the heavy block head down on the dying wolf?s skull. The great beast stiffened, shuddered, and finally sank back against the rock.

Go on down this passage. Where land meets water, that is where the offerings are made.

There was nothing for it. If he wanted to get away from this island of death, he had to find Lowri?s brat. Taking a deep breath, Ulrick stepped into the tunnel.

The passage seemed to wind down, sometimes sharply, sometimes a more gradual slope. Ulrick ran a paw along the cold stone wall of the tunnel. It was damp. Ahead, his keen ears could pick out the gentle sounds of lapping water.

This must be it!

Suddenly the tunnel opened out into a vast cavern. Stretching away into the darkness was a huge underground lake, its black waters vanishing into the gloom. Ulrick?s eye was drawn to a cairn of stones laid out on the shoreline. Tied next to it was Dyera, wearing a simple white gown. Strangely, she seemed to Ulrick to have gained weight. Then his eyes were drawn to the other side of the cairn. A grisly pile of gnawed bones and bits of carcass, some still recognisable as island rats, gave him the answer.

As he approached, Dyera drew back in alarm. She seemed to have had crude patterns daubed onto her fur. Ulrick did his best to look less threatening.

?Your father sent me,? he grunted. ?Come quickly, before we are discovered.?

Dyera hung back slightly, then gasped and looked over Ulrick?s shoulder. The badger spun, to find the white furred wolf barring their escape up the passage. In his arms he cradled the lifeless body of the dark wolf.

Seeing Ulrick, his eyes flamed and he let out a great howl that echoed around the cavern. Then, before the badger could do anything, he let out another cry.

?MOTHER!?