still awake. He found Fith near the compound gate. Esel stopped beside
the mouse.
"What's happening?"
Fith pressed his face to the gate bars.
"Listen! Listen, Esel!"
Esel listened. Faintly, he could hear shouts.
"Free the slaves! Fire!"
A whoosing sound came and Esel instinctively ducked. When he looked up,
he saw 6 firey comets cut through the air, pass over the compound and hit
the large wooden door of the stone house where Verbanth lived. It burst
into instant flame. Fith was trembling with excitement, but managed to
keep his voice low.
"Esel, quietly wake the others and line them up. We need to be ready."
Esel nodded and hurried off.
swinging a loaded sling.
"Second load, aim for the gates! FIRE!"
The second hail of flaming javelins hissed through the air and slammed
into the gate, blazing merrily.
knocked over his chair.
"Dert! Dert!" he screamed.
His captain, Dert, came racing into the room. Seeing the door, he halted.
Verbanth grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
"Get the horde roused! Someone's attacking! Move yourself, Dert!"
The frightened weasel raced off.
"Here, stand there, make some more room. Marm, please keep hold of the
young one. Okay, everyone remain still!"
Esel found Fith near the back of the compound. He poked him.
"Fith, what do we do now?"
Fith straightened up.
"Now we wait for the others to come and rescue us. Be paient."
Esel nodded but inside he was thinking, Be paient? I've been paient for
how many years now?
"Right, troop, listen. Those gates aren't going to last much longer. You
two, keep pouring those javelins in until you hear me shout. Then douse
the fire and join us. Understand?"
The two, Lavender and Tarel, nodded. Siker and the others headed off
toward the fort. Lavender dipped another javelin and sighed.
"Well, let's get to it. One...two...three...fire!"
Two more javelins thudded into the already burning gate.
was made of stone. The door was a goner though. Pawing his scimitar
handle angrily, he stalked toward the east wall where he could see Dert
waiting with 10 of his band.
"Dert! Get up on those walls, now!"
Dert and the 10 with him scrambled up the wallstairs, followed closely by
Verbanth.
"Well, there's Verbanth and some of his band. Where're the rest?"
The squirrel leader, Saner, laughed.
"Probably trying to put out the fire on the front gates."
Siker smiled.
"That'll take 'em awhile. Right, crew. One good load of stones, then
immediately after, arrows! Fire!"
of weaponery. Throwing himself flat, Verbanth heard the screams and yells
as the stones and arrows hit home, slaying 6 and wounding 2. Verbanth
bounced up, waving his scimitar.
"Archers, fire!"
Arrows rained down onto the place where Verbanth supposed his attackers to be.
before. He turned to Saner.
"So, think they're trying to do something?"
Saner made a face.
"Whatever they're trying to do, they're doing a poor job of it, but
they're vermin. What now?"
Siker nodded.
"Right, those gates look ready to fall down any second. We'll go over
there and hail Lavender and Tarel. Then we charge in and do our job.
Everyone ready?"
There was an instant chorus of yes's. Siker led the band as they hurried
toward the gates.
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