Egbert was escorted in shackles through the Deev Castle and across the short cobbled path which led to the compound of the Scarlet Brotherhood. When he entered, he was taken to a building in the rear which in former days had served the purpose of a silo, a storage space for grain. The guards unfastened the mole's restraints and hustled him into the building, locking the door behind him. He rubbed his wrists where the shackles had irritated them and looked around the enclosure.

Over a dozen other creatures milled around inside, staring at him without speaking. There were a variety of rodents, weasels, and even two humans, a male and a female. They all seemed healthy and well fed. Some stood by a table laden with fruits and salads. No one spoke.

Egbert examined the somber group. Though healthy and clean, there was a deep look of despair in all their eyes. Almost all. Egbert approached the banquet table and popped a grape into his mouth. A cheerful voice called out behind him.
"Enjoy it while you can, my good mole."

Egbert turned and saw the grinning face of a large chubby nutria staring back at him. He had glistening dark fur and two enormous yellowed buck teeth protruding from his mouth. Egbert shot out his paw in greeting.
"Oi'm Egbert."

The nutria grabbed Egbert's paw and pumped it enthusiastically.

"Name's Bobarus, friend's call me Bobo or Lucky." He motioned to the table, "Nice spread, ain't it?"

"Surprising for prison fare," the mole commented.

Bobo chuckled.
"Not so much a prison as a feeding station, I reckon. I figure if some bunch of loonies wearin' red bathrobes feeds ya real good and makes sure ya wash twice a day, they either mean ta sacrifice you or feed ya to something. They're fattening us up you see," he said with a surprising cheerfulness.

"You seem...well...unconcerned," Eggy said with curiosity.

"No point, nothing really bad ever happens to me, lot's of little bad things, mind ya, but the big stuff? Always finds a way out, I do, that's why they calls me Lucky."

"It doesn't seem that lucky to be here," Egbert commented honestly.

"Like I said, lots of little bad stuff, like when our boat sunk and my client drowned. We was in a storm when we went down, a real bruiser, lightning, wind, the whole show. I ended up on a stray plank and washed up here. Verge of starvation by the time I arrived, dyin' of thirst too, couldn't hardly move. These loonies found me, carried me here and fed me till I was fine again...see...Lucky."

Egbert smiled.
"Your definition of 'lucky' is really loose, luckier than your cloient, Oi'll admit...what is it you did for him, exactly?"

Bobo grinned broadly.
"I'm a bodyguard, master of knives, I am. He was a merchant, scared of pirates around Minga, so he hired me."

It was Egberts turn to grin.
"Didn't do such a great job of body-guarding, did you?"

The nutria looked down slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah, on the bright side though, he wasn't killed by pirates."

"I'm sure he appreciated that before he drowned," Eggy said playfully.

"I didn't say I was a good bodyguard."

Egbert followed the garrulous rodent to a corner where they seated themselves on the floor. The mole became serious.
"Do you really believe what you said, about them sacrifoicing us?"

"All I can tell you, my enormous friend, it that once a body leaves this room, they never come back."

"How often do they take the prisoners?"

"They call 'em 'supplicants', apparently we got some duty to their god that we weren't told about. They come every few days, took some this morning, they did. Used to be a lot more of us. They take about half a dozen at a time." Bobo looked around the room and shook his head, "The Gleaners must be fallin' down on the job. They usually restock us once a week or so, the pickin's must be getting slim."

"And you're really not worried that you'll be chosen next? If they take half a dozen at a toime, your odds of getting picked are way up."

"Don't allow myself to, can't, you know. The thing about luck is ya gotta have faith in it." He slapped the mole heartily on the back, "Don't you worry, stick with me and my luck will protect us both."

Egbert smiled.
"Better than your last cloient, I hope."

It was with considerable difficulty that the trapped Gleaners were removed from the pit. Those who had not been hurt in the fall were helped out and bound, but the majority of the Scarlet brothers sustained some form of injury, ranging from sprained joints to broken bones. Almost all bled from cuts and ached from bruises. A few, like Abbot Carr, were unconscious, having suffered an avalanche of bodies falling upon them. When the last of the prisoners was ready to move, Willum took the lead and shepherded his troops and their charges back across the rough terrain to the beach.

Once safely back at the Crimson Rose, the Gleaners were ordered to remove their robes and change into simple white smocks. The prisoners were then taken a few miles north to where an ancient slave-galley had run aground centuries before. The ship was in an excellent state of preservation, dry and solid. Below decks, where once lost souls were forced to toil and row, metal chains and shackles, barely rusted, still remained firmly attached to the floor planks of the shameful vessel. The Gleaners were marched to these decks and secured in the restraints, guarded under the watchful eye of Ursamus, whose massive size and fearful countenance terrified the Scarlet brothers, insuring there would be no attempt at escape. Their wounds were tended and they were fed and while many of the long-term castaways who had suffered at the paws of the Gleaners called for revenge, Willum would have none of it, reminding them that there was a greater prize at stake, their freedom.

Back at the Rose, Ozab and his band picked through the discarded robes for uniforms which would fit them. Ozab alone had difficulty. He, as the leader of the squad, would have to wear Abbot Carr's vestments and was far broader in the chest than the now imprisoned weasel. Ophelia, a skilled seamstress, made quick work of adjusting the garment to the old mongoose's dimensions.

It was decided that Ozab and his six beasts would leave at dusk and arrive at the granary shortly before dawn, waiting till the main body of brothers joined Azmeritus for morning devotions in the Deev fortress, leaving only those creatures on guard at the converted monastery. Ozab's knowledge of the protocols of the Brotherhood were proving invaluable. While he did not know which high-ranking Scarlet brother would in charge at the compound and hence, their target, he assumed it would be either the Chief acolyte, Zaphyr or Bishop Skaar, either would be a strong bargaining chip.

A small celebration of the day's success was held, but it was a somber affair, since everyone knew that the far riskier, more dangerous aspect of their plan was about to commence. Despite the tension and apprehension, laughter and good cheer did manage to eventually dominate the event. As the sun began to make its way west towards the inland mountains, Ozab and his beasts, now fully dressed in Gleaner garb headed inland toward the path leading to the plateau and the Scarlet Brotherhood.

Chief Acolyte Zaphyr, despite his position as a holy man and spiritual leader of the Scarlet Brotherhood, had a taste for luxury. His quarters in the converted granary were in stark contrast to the austere rooms used by Azmeritus in the fortress. Fine furniture, silk pillows and ornate carpets, all taken from abandoned ships, filled his rooms. A large variety of brandies and wines, also shunned by other members of the clergy, graced his tables.

He was a bitter beast, with no great concern for anyone but himself. Like the High Priest, he had been in the Brotherhood his entire life. He grew up with Azmeritus and early on could see that the mongoose was bound for greatness. His unwavering loyalty was based on self-service rather than gratitude or any true faith in a higher calling like Bishop Skaar or even Prester Jauba.

During the Khalisian Wars, he, like most of the Brotherhood served Khalis. Whereas Azmeritus' service entailed acting as a royal privateer, Zaphyr served in her army as a flag officer with the rank of Colonel. His final battle of the war had been at Gleneden, where the Khalisian forces were finally beaten and the war came to an end. It was during this battle that he lost his tail, a circumstance which, for a creature of his self-love and vanity, was almost too much to bear.

Since that fateful day he harbored an intense hatred of moles, blaming them for the sorry state of his appearance. In matter-of-fact, the long robes and flowing vestments which he always wore concealed his injury to such great effect that few even knew of his missing appendage. But Zaphyr knew, he was reminded each night when he undressed, of the shame of his defeat and the disfigurement, in his eyes at least, that the moles had caused. Because of these circumstances, it was with a great deal of satisfaction and enthusiasm that he greeted the news of Egberts capture.

His quarters were located directly adjacent to the holding cell of the supplicants and the idea that his great enemy, the so-called 'Savior of Gleneden', was suffering so close by, caused him no end of pleasure. If he had been the creature of faith he professed, he would doubtlessly have offered countless prayers of thanks to his god, but being who he was, he simply accepted the circumstances as just payment for his personal suffering.

Zaphyr dressed himself in his most officious and gaudy robes in preparation for visiting the supplicants and taunting his mortal foe. Walking across the courtyard, he found himself smiling, a rare occurrence. The guard at the door stepped aside and he entered.

Scanning the room quickly, his gaze settled upon the giant mole, who sat against the wall speaking to Bobarus. He approached him and stared sternly at the cheerful beast. Egbert's apparent good humor infuriated the priest, but he hid it. He spoke in a somber tone.
"My, how the mighty have fallen. The great Lord Egbert huddled in a prison cell, delightful!"

"Do Oi know you?" the mole asked casually, still sitting on the floor.

Zaphyr fumed, but maintained his composure.
"It has only been four years, your memory is poor. Surely you recall the surrender at Gleneden. You lectured us and shamed us. I have despised you since that day."

Egbert looked closely at the High Acolyte's face. Suddenly it dawned on him and he smiled.
"You were on Khalis' general staff, Zipper...Pepper...,"

"Zaphyr, you imbecile...I was a colonel!" the weasel snapped.

"Oi remember," Egbert grinned slyly, "How's your tail?"

Zaphyr lashed out with his foot and kicked Egbert sharply in the side. Egbert winced, but did not react beyond that. The still furious Zaphyr turned and headed to the door, calling back as he did.
"It will be a great pleasure watching you consumed by our lord. Sleep well, mole." He exited the space.

Bobo turned to Egbert, grinning.
"Friend of yours?" he asked.

"Not so much it would seem," Egbert replied, "Oi guess he was very fond of his tail."

Bobo craned his head to look at his own tail.
"Mine's not much to speak of. Don't think I'd even miss it," the nutria sighed, "these are some nasty fellows we've fallen afoul of. Hope I don't have to wait too long to escape."

"Oi don't suppose you have a plan?" Eggy asked.

"Don't need one, this is one of those life-or-death situations my luck always gets me out of. Just stick with me and you might get out, too."

Egbert shook his head, smiling.
"You really believe that, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Bobo became serious, "do you have any family?"

Eggy smiled wistfully.
"Lots, Oi have a brother and two nephews, one of them, Wilbur is here on this accursed oiland. The person Oi miss most though is moi little ward Phoebe...she's a duckling, almost a duck. Oi do love her. When she foinds out Oi'm trapped on Xenoth she's going to be very upset. What about you, Bobo, do you have any family?"

"Nah, not really. I grew up in the swamp on the border of the Lands of Man. Me folks loved me, but never thought I'd amount to much. They always figured my brother would be the one who had a future. I guess I was always a dreamer and mom and pop thought my dreams were...well ...dreams. I felt out of place...wanted adventure, so I left when I was real young. Joined a traveling show, I did. That's where I learned to use my knives...I did tricks and knife-throwin'...got pretty good, too.

"Then the war came and the travelin' show just kinda stopped. Nobody was in the mood to do light-hearted stuff anymore, I guess. That's when I decided to become a bodyguard, but like you cold-heartedly reminded me...," the nutria grinned broadly, "I wasn't really that good at it. And then...and then...well, and then is now."

The big mole patted Bobo on the back.
"Oi wish Oi could have seen your act, Oi'll bet it was very good," he said kindly, finding himself really liking this chipper little beast.

Bobo returned the pat, a little harder.
"I'll be sure to give you a command performance when we get out of here."

Ozab and his gang of six trudged the last several hundred yards up the side of the hill leading to the northern edge of the plateau.

Winky was talking to himself, still trying to remember the various challenges and questions he might need to answer to pass for a Scarlet brother.

"Let's see...we are the brothers of the marble holes...new warriors for a lonely world...marble holy brothers...new lonely..."

Salto corrected him gently.
"You're trying too hard, Winks. If ya gets asked 'Who goes there?', ya answer... 'the brothers of the martyred holies', then they'll ask, 'and thou art?' to which ya reply 'a lonely warrior for a new world'...remember, it's 'martyred holies', not 'marble' anything...Okay?"

Winky looked down in frustration.
"I just ain't good at all this thinkin' stuff, Salto"

Groggs added his opinion.
"Yeah, Salts, all that thinkin' can damage yer brain, then where'd we be? Winky's been thinkin' a lot lately."

"I surely have been and like Groggy says, me brain pan is achin', I fear I mighta already damaged me brain."

Salto couldn't help from sniggering.
"A great loss that would be, mate. The world would weep."

Winky smiled.
"That's awful nice of you, Salto."

Ozab turned and spoke sharply.
"Quiet! All of you! We're at the foot of the plateau, I'm going to take a peek. Stay here and be still!"

"Seems a bit upset," Cat commented to Trey in the longest sentence he had spoken all day.

"Uh-huh," Trey agreed.

Ritter, the ferret watched Ozab scurry up the last few feet to the edge of the flatlands and pop his head over a small shrub in the direction of the Brotherhood's compound. He turned to his companions.

"He is a tough old bird, I'll give 'im that. Hard to believe that Azmeritus' brother is helpin' us, though. Guess if my worthless brother messed up my life, I'd hate 'im more than I do already, too."

Ozab returned and addressed the group quietly.
"It looks pretty good. Devotions begin at five o'clock. They usually happen where Azmeritus is residing and best I can tell, that would be in the Deev Fortress which means that starting about a half hour before, brothers not on duty will leave the compound and head to the fortress for prayer. The only ones left in the compound will be the monks on duty and whoever the senior resident clergy is. That's when we head in."

"How many will be left?" Salto asked.

"Probably a dozen or so. Evening devotion is mandatory, so the other coupla hundred will definitely go."

"To the fortress?" Cat asked.

"If that's where Azmeritus is, yes."

"Then we go?" Cat continued.

"Yes, then we go."

"How long?" Trey whispered.

Ozab looked up at the sun.
"It's about three now. We should rest till the bells for devotion begin to peal. Then, Targas willing, the hard part begins."