The Island of Whispers (8 page)

The dream had
broken again. With a start, Twisted Foot opened his eyes, meeting
Long Ears’ gaze. It is time, he decided. He rose wearily from the
nest. There had been no rest for him, but he was calmer now, more
sure of his actions.

‘
Come to the pool,’ he said to Long Ears. His voice, like his
actions, was firm, resolute.

They made
their way to the pool. There was a silence between them, a
tautness, Twisted Foot deep in thought, Long Ears in quiet
anticipation. As usual at this time of the day, several groups of
he-rats clustered near the water’s edge. Twisted Foot chose a quiet
spot away from them. The two lapped for some time and then shifted
back from the water to crouch close together. Twisted Foot looked
round the tunnel, making sure that he would not be overheard. He
spoke quietly and forcibly.

‘
All right, comrade, I will lead you and the others to the land
across the water.’

Long Ears
emitted a long sigh of relief, but he said nothing.

‘
First,’ his companion continued, ‘we must decide who should go
with us. They must be our closest comrades. Those we know best and
can trust most.’

He stopped for
some moments, rehearsing the details in his mind.

‘
Fat One, certainly, and Small Face: they will want to go.
Narrow Back, too. He is a very nervous and talkative Watcher, I
know, but we will need him for the knowledge he
possesses.’

The last
remark puzzled Long Ears. Again, though, he stayed silent.

‘
The others are either too old or not well enough known to us.
Besides, we must keep our group small, easy to handle. We will also
be taking our mates and our youngsters. Already, our number is
large enough.’

Long Ears
nodded his agreement, excitement building within him. Twisted Foot
huddled closer. His tone was urgent now.

‘
Our greatest danger at this time is discovery of our plan.
Secrecy is all-important. So this is what we must do. You should
speak to Fat One and Small Face. Separately. Not in the lair, where
there are too many ears. But here at the pool or on the world
above. I will approach Narrow Back. We must do this as soon as
possible.

‘
When the plan is revealed to each of them, we must ensure that
only our two names are mentioned. They must not know who their
other companions will be, only that there will be a group of us. We
must impress on them the consequences of discovery and the need for
utter secrecy. Each of us will speak to our mates – again, as soon
as possible – but our young ones must not be told until we are
ready to leave –’

‘
When ... when will that be?’ Long Ears interrupted
breathlessly.

‘
I don’t know yet. I don’t know how we will leave. I have still
to work out a plan. But it will be very soon, comrade, very soon.
Before our mates grow heavy with young. Before the Cold Cycle
begins in earnest.’

Twisted Foot
glanced round him. The place was more crowded now, more noisy. He
shifted away from Long Ears.

‘
Watch for my sign,’ he said quickly, ‘then we’ll speak
again.’

He left the
pool without Long Ears. He felt cheerful, light-headed, as if a
great burden had been lifted from him. He wanted to comfort Grey
Eyes; to snuggle close to her and give her his warmth. He would
whisper in her ear, tell her of the plan to leave. That would be
the greatest comfort.

–
o –

–
Chapter Sixteen –

Narrow Back
was twitching furiously again.

‘
I’ve found it! I’ve found it!’ he squealed. ‘Come
quickly!’

Twisted Foot
gave out a sigh of exasperation and then scrambled over the rocks
to join the skinny Watcher.

Narrow Back’s
whole body was quivering. His eyes flashed wildly in the
darkness.

‘
Here!’ he exclaimed. ‘Just here!’

‘
Sh!’ Twisted Foot snapped. ‘You’ll wake the underworld with
your shrieking.’

His patience
had been stretched almost to the limit. He had waited two long days
for the opportunity to be alone with Narrow Back. He had
volunteered for the watch, intervening on Small Face’s behalf.

‘
Poor Small Face is not yet fit,’ he had pleaded with Sharp
Claws. ‘Let me take his place.’

They had gone
to the point of the island, where Twisted Foot had outlined the
plan to Narrow Back. That was when the difficulties began. Narrow
Back had behaved like a youngster: prancing, twittering loudly,
filled with uncontrollable excitement. With panic rising in him,
Twisted Foot had begged his companion to quieten down, had even
threatened to leave him behind. It had taken a long time, but
gradually Narrow Back became more restrained, his actions more
sober.

The next task
proved equally difficult. Twisted Foot had asked Narrow Back to
locate the spot where he had spied Broken Tail on the night when
the giant came to life.

‘
It’s very important to our plan,’ he had explained. ‘Broken
Tail didn’t just appear from nowhere. There has to be another
tunnel – a secret one – out of the underworld.’

To Twisted
Foot’s dismay, the prancing and twittering had begun afresh.

‘
A secret tunnel?’ Narrow Back shouted. ‘My goodness, a secret
tunnel!’

After another
period of pleas and threats, they had set off to find the spot, but
Narrow Back’s excitement seemed to have blurred his recollection.
With mounting frustration, Twisted Foot had followed the eager
Watcher’s zigzag path across the sharp rocks and had listened to
his incessant babbling. They were getting nearer the monastery. The
watch was drawing to a close; the search more haphazard, the
chattering more incoherent. At last, though, Narrow Back had found
something.

Twisted Foot
peered anxiously at the cluster of boulders. He was not surprised
that the tunnel had gone unnoticed by countless passing Watchers.
Its entrance was a long slit, kept permanently dark by the overhang
of the largest boulder. Even in daylight the slit would be hard to
detect. He understood now why the search had taken so long.

‘
You did well, comrade,’ he said. The appreciation was genuine;
his earlier impatience forgotten.

Narrow Back
looked pleased with himself.

‘
What now?’ he whispered, trying his utmost to keep his
eagerness in check.

‘
Listen carefully,’ Twisted Foot also whispered. ‘I’m going
into the tunnel. I need to be sure where it ends. I’ll be as quick
as I can. Stay here and keep watch – quietly. If anything goes
wrong, if I don’t ... return, go back to the underworld with the
others. Say that I disappeared; nothing else. Remember, nothing
else.’

He was
grateful when Narrow Back merely nodded. His companion was suddenly
quiet, as if he understood the danger.

Twisted Foot
slid under the boulder and through the slit. The blackness inside
was complete. He was alone now and very afraid, but he had to
finish this task. The tunnel was much wider than the one which ran
from the monastery. Built for the Inner Circle, he surmised; their
escape route. Well, with luck, it’ll soon be our escape route.

He moved
cautiously at first. The floor of the tunnel was also much less
steep than the other one. He sniffed the dank air. The scent of
he-rats was very faint, indicating that the place was seldom used.
There was little time to spare. He crept more quickly down the
tunnel, but stopped dead after only a few yards. The Protector’s
tail was a mere inch away from Twisted Foot’s snout. He held his
breath, stayed rigid. The Protector lay with the back half of his
body inside the tunnel. The gentle rise and fall of the rump
confirmed that his sleep had not been disturbed. Beyond him, inside
the lair, two other dozing forms stretched across the tunnel
mouth.

Twisted Foot
hadn’t realised how short the distance would be. Very slowly, very
quietly, he stepped backwards until the Protector’s tail was out of
sight. He halted briefly, listening for movement. He was shaking
uncontrollably now, gasping for air. Thankfully, the guards hadn’t
stirred, but disaster had been so very close. He turned and
scurried back up the tunnel. For once, the outside world would be a
welcoming sight.

Narrow Back’s
agitation had returned.

‘
Well?’ he squealed as Twisted Foot re-emerged.

‘
Sh!’ Twisted Foot hissed. ‘Not here.’

They travelled
further up the slope. When they reached the monastery wall, Twisted
Foot spoke quietly and urgently.

‘
Listen again, comrade. The tunnel leads into the lair of the
Protectors. When we go, we will leave by that tunnel. When the next
Assembly takes place, watch for my sign, be ready to follow me.
Tell your mate to wait outside the Watchers’ lair. She won’t be
alone. There will be others. Tell her to follow them. Now, do you
understand all of that? Do you understand that nothing must be said
to anyone – only your mate?’

‘
I understand,’ Narrow Back nodded. ‘But –’ He hesitated now.
‘The tunnel. Isn’t it –’

‘
Yes, it is guarded. But it won’t be during the Assembly, not
when the killing begins. Twice now, I’ve watched the guards come
out for the killing. Don’t worry, it will be safe for
us.’

Twisted Foot
looked upwards. Ragged patches of light had already infiltrated the
leaden sky.

‘
Come,’ he said. ‘The watch is over. Let’s join the
others.’

They climbed
into the monastery. In the midst of the rubble, Narrow Back stopped
abruptly. He was still hesitant.

‘
Just – just one last thing,’ he squeaked. ‘I – I don’t know if
I can swim.’

Twisted Foot
cuffed him lightly.

‘
Neither do I,’ he replied and moved on.

–
o –

–
Chapter Seventeen –

It was an
anxious time for the conspirators. They knew the details of the
plan. They knew what was expected of them when the moment came, but
the waiting seemed interminable. They knew the perils of their
venture, and the horrors which would befall them if their flight
was routed, but the waiting magnified their fears, increased their
nervousness. The last Assembly took place many days ago. The
underworld was growing hungrier. The next Assembly must be
imminent.

In the deep of
night, the Watchers’ lair was hushed. Here and there among the rows
of sleeping rats, an alert, concerned face gazed into the darkness.
Sleep wouldn’t come to them. They kept the vigil, waiting for the
Rulers to wake, waiting for the Assembly to be announced.

Like his
fellow plotters, Twisted Foot was restless. As he peered along the
nests, he could pick out Long Ears, Small Face, Fat One. All awake,
he observed. All here except Narrow Back, who keeps the night watch
above. They trust in my leadership. The plan is a good one, I’m
sure of it. Once in the Protectors’ lair, we’ll race through the
escape tunnel, across the rocks and on into the water. The she-rats
in the lair will raise the alarm, of course, but by that time we’ll
be far away. There will be no pursuit. Yes, the plan will work, but
we must go soon, before fear overcomes our resolve.

His ears
pricked suddenly when he saw old Digger slip into the lair and head
straight for Sharp Claws’ nest. There was a brief, murmured
conversation, and then Sharp Claws left the lair quickly, with
Digger scurrying behind him. Twisted Foot was more alert now. His
three companions had turned to look at him, their eyes searching,
questioning. Something – something important – had caused Digger to
return from the watch. What had happened? Had the giant begun to
glow again? Would this be an end to the plan? He felt dismay.
Anxiety crowded his thoughts.

‘
What now, comrade?’ Long Ears whispered to him, but he didn’t
reply.

It seemed like
an age before Sharp Claws returned. The Chief Watcher was alone,
his expression grim. He marched the length of the lair until he
reached Twisted Foot’s nest. He stared coldly at Twisted Foot and
then at Long Ears.

‘
You two,’ he boomed. ‘Come with me. You’re needed for a
special watch.’

Twisted Foot’s
heart sank, his hopes with it. Before he left the nest, he nuzzled
into Grey Eyes. He sensed her fear.

‘
Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I’ll be back.’

They followed
Sharp Claws out to the Common lair. Broken Tail waited there with a
group of Protectors.

‘
Come with us,’ he growled. ‘The Chamberlain will have words
with you.’

The Protectors
quickly surrounded the two young Watchers. As the group moved off,
Twisted Foot glanced back in panic. Sharp Claws was returning to
the Watchers’ lair. He looked old and sad, his eyes staring blankly
at the ground. It was then that Twisted Foot realised the full
terror of their predicament.

Terror had
also set into Long Ears.

‘
Oh, no,’ he squealed and began to tremble.

Twisted Foot
pressed closer to his companion.

‘
Stay brave, comrade,’ he whispered, although he knew that his
own courage was rapidly deserting him.

–
o –

–
Chapter Eighteen –

As if in a
daze, they stumbled along between their captors, passing briskly
through the Protectors’ lair and on into the sanctum of the Rulers.
The guards took them to the centre of the floor and then retreated
to block off the entrance tunnel. Broken Tail remained close behind
the captives.