6

Conva the corsair had spent a perilous night in the Monitor barracks, huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. The long-tongued lizards constantly watched him, their flat reptilian eyes appraising his trembling form. He did not know whether to feel fear or relief when two of them entered the barracks and hauled him off for an audience with the Emperor.

He was ushered into an upper room. The pine marten lounged on the sill of a broad window, open to the warm tropical noontide. Behind Ublaz, four great black-backed gulls perched on the window ledge. They were fearsome-looking birds, each with the characteristic red spot of their species adorning the tip of its heavy amber bill.

Mad Eyes’ cruelty was legendary. Conva went rigid with terror, and his footpaws scrabbled against the floor as he resisted the Monitors dragging him into the room.

Ublaz was in no mood to be delayed. Fixing the corsair with a stare of icy contempt, he rapped harshly, “Cease struggling, idiot! If I wanted you dead you’d have been crabmeat yesterday. Sit at that table and do as I command!”

Quickly Conva seated himself. Ublaz leaned over, his silver dagger blade tapping a bark parchment and charcoal sticks, which lay on the table in front of the corsair. “You saw the six pearls, did you not, felt them, noted their shape, held the shell in which they were kept?” he snapped.

Conva nodded. “Aye, Mightiness.”

The dagger blade tapped the corsair’s paw lightly. “Good, then you can draw them for me, the pearls and the shell.”

Conva picked up a charcoal stick hesitantly. “But I don’t know if I’m any good at drawing, Sire . . .”

Lifting Conva’s chin with the blade, Ublaz said gently, warningly, “Perhaps you didn’t hear me right, seascum. I said draw. If you wish to continue living . . .”

Hastily Conva began sketching, answering the Emperor’s questions as his paw guided the slim charcoal stick.

“None of the pearls was flawed or marked in any way?”

“No, Sire, all six were perfect, smooth and round.”

“Were they of different sizes, some smaller than others?”

“Each was exactly the same size, Sire, bigger than any pearls I have ever seen, something like this.”

As Conva outlined the six orbs, Ublaz watched approvingly, saying, “See, you can sketch. Now, the color of these beauties?”

“Mightiness, they were a pale pink, not bright. In daylight they appeared soft and creamy, but by lantern light the pink showed warmer, like a budding rose.”

“Very poetic, my friend. You are doing well. Tell me about the scallop shell they were kept in.”

“It was a big deep-sea thing, Sire, both sides well ridged and whitish-yellow. Some skilled beast had given it hinges and a clasp carved from hardwood. Inside, the shell was lined with soft red cloth. There were six cuplike dents to hold the pearls – as I recall, it looked like this.”

When the corsair had finished sketching, Ublaz took the parchment. After inspecting the drawing he placed it in front of the four gulls on the window ledge. They gazed unblinkingly at the work.

Ublaz stared into the eyes of Grall, the leader of the black-backed gulls, concentrating all his mesmeric powers upon the huge bird. In a short time Grall was completely under the influence of the mad eyes and sinister voice.

“Fly east to the shores of Mossflower land, and find the place called Redwall. Stay there and watch. Should you see the pearls or the case, seize them and bring them here to me! If you cannot do this then stop in the area, and wait until you sight Lask Frildur and those under his command. If they find the pearls give this token to him.”

Ublaz took a pawring surmounted by a polished jetstone, and looped it on a thong around Grall’s neck.

“My Monitor General will know this comes from me. Get the pearls from him and fly back here to Sampetra. Go now, ride the winds, make your wings fly faster than the waves of the sea. When you return I will reward you and your kin. Fly!”

“Kreeeehaaarkaa!”

With a long wailing cry the gulls took to the air, swooping off over the main, eastward.

The pine marten smoothed his creamy throat fur, gazing at his reflection in a burnished bronze wall mirror. He turned to Conva, who sat trembling at the table. “And you, my friend,” he said, “what shall I do with you?”

The charcoal stick crumbled in the corsair’s shaking paw as he tried to tear his gaze from the pine marten’s frightening eyes. “Mighty One, let me live!” he whimpered.

Ublaz gripped Conva tight by his ears and stared down at him. “A simple request, but one I am unwilling to grant. You have seen and heard too much, Conva, far too much. Look into my eyes!”

Slashback the searat captain heard the clatter of paws and trident butts upon the jetty. He inched open the cabin door and peered out.

“Rats! Trident-rats!” he yelled. “The jetty’s crowded with ’em! We’re trapped aboard this boat, mates!”

Barranca grabbed his sword and made for the door, snarling, “We’ll see ’ow they likes the taste of cold steel, eh, mates!”

Slashback slammed the door shut. “Stay yer paw or y’ll get us all carved up. There’s too many of ’em, we’d be fishbait afore we got ’alfway along the jetty!”

The stoat captain Rocpaw slumped down and refilled his beaker. “Hah! This is a great start to an uprisin’, us trapped aboard ship, an’ our crews all ashore separated from their cap’ns. Now’s the time fer bright ideas, anybeast got one?”

Slashback had cracked open the door again to watch what was going on outside. “Well, they ain’t made a move yet, just stannin’ there, an’ Sagitar lookin’ well pleased with ’erself,” he said. “Ahoy, ’ere comes ole Mad Eyes ’isself with a gang of ’is Monitors.”

Barranca still had his sabre at the ready. “Let’s sit tight ’ere an’ ’ear wot Ublaz has t’say. I ain’t goin’ out there fer a starin’ match with that one!”

There was a pause in the proceedings, then the sound of the Emperor’s voice reached the rebels in the cabin. “Friends, brethren of the seas, have you got grievances? Come out here and tell them to me!”

Barranca half opened the cabin door and shouted back, “Ho, we got grievances all right, but we ain’t stupid, we can state ’em comf’table from ’ere! We ain’t takin’ no more orders from you, Ublaz. Our crews outnumber you an’ yer gang!”

“Be reasonable, friends, fighting will get us nowhere,” Ublaz replied, signaling Sagitar to start the Trident-rats moving further up the jetty towards the ship. “Come up to my palace. I will lay on a feast while we talk things out . . .”

Suddenly Barranca burst out onto the deck waving his sabre and yelling, “Ahoy the taverns! Corsairs ahoy!”

The bold move was successful. In an instant, searats and corsairs began piling out of the waterfront dens adjacent to the jetty.

Ublaz turned, pointing his silver dagger at them. “Stay back, keep out of this! It concerns only me, Ublaz, and those aboard the Freebooter!”

Bilgetail the weasel captain came out on deck followed by the other captains. In a booming voice, the tall somber weasel called to the crews, “Stand by to rush ’em, buckoes! If they puts a single paw t’this deck, then charge!”

Barranca and Rocpaw had positioned themselves fore and aft; they stood by the head and stern mooring ropes, swords drawn. Barranca knew that Ublaz had lost the element of surprise, but he had also figured that if the vermin crews charged, they could be easily fended off by Trident-rats defending the narrow jetty. Moreover, if an attack were mounted, Ublaz and the front ranks of Monitors and Trident-rats would swarm aboard and slaughter the captains before the crews could get to them.

Barranca’s brain was as nimble as his paws. Keeping his face averted from Ublaz, he called out his demands. “Order yore soldiers not to make any sudden moves an’ we’ll tell our crews t’do likewise. But we’re finished payin’ tribute to you, Ublaz. As for the timber stocks yore holdin’—share ’em out atwixt the cap’ns. Oh, an’ you kin release my brother Conva, now! Yore days of imprisonin’ us is over!”

A cold fury gripped the Emperor. He pointed his dagger at Barranca, snarling, “This is my island. I alone rule here. I am Emperor Ublaz and none dare look at my eyes! Seascum do not dictate terms to me, Barranca. Ask your brother—he is an even bigger fool than you!”

Ublaz signaled to his Monitors. Four of the lizards strode forward with a sailcloth-wrapped bundle, and slammed it down on the jetty. The bundle burst open, revealing the mangled carcass of Conva.

The mad-eyed Emperor laughed coldly, and said, “This one thought he was a bird. I merely looked at him and he tried to fly out of a high window!”

Barranca was still with horror for an instant, then he roared his hatred at the pine marten. “I’ll live to close those evil eyes of yores fer good, Ublaz! This is war! Cut ’er loose, Rocpaw, ’tis waaaaaar!”

Rocpaw slashed down twice on the stern rope as Barranca sliced through the headrope with a single blow of his sabre. The ship Freebooter drifted out from the jetty on the ebbing tide, sailing free as the captains loosed her sails. Bilgetail bellowed to the vermin crews milling about on the waterfront. “Retreat to the hills, arm yerselves an’ wait ’till we give the word, cullies! We’ll take Sampetra fer ourselves, mates – ’tis war!”

Whooping and screeching, the wave vermin dashed off behind the harbor into the high ground.

Ublaz placed a restraining paw on the shoulder of Sagitar. “Let them go, they are naught but a rabble without leaders. Take a crew of Trident-rats and commandeer Slashback’s ship, the Bloodkeel. Hunt Barranca down, slay the other captains, but bring Barranca to me. I want him alive!”