Goody Stickle was standing in the doorway, rubbing her paws together anxiously. As they approached, Bella spoke to Martin in a whisper. "Tell n.o.body of our conversation. I must talk to you further about certain important matters, maybe later."

Martin nodded. "I will look forward to it, Bella. You have aroused my curiosity. Hey, Goody, why are you looking so worried?"

Goody fussed with her ap.r.o.n. "Mornin' Miz Bella. Mornin', Martin, 'Ave you seen ought of those two liddle ?ogs of mine in the woods?"

"Ferdy and Coggs?" Bella shook her head. "No, Goody, I'm afraid we haven't. Is anything wrong?"

The hedgehog gnawed her lip. "Well, they ain't slept in their beds last night. Asides that, there's two oatfaris, a good wedge o' cheese and some of my best black-currant cordial missin' from the larder." Martin could not help smiling at the thought of the two 97.

little would-be warriors. "All that for breakfast! They'll go bang one of these days. I wouldn't worry too much, Mrs. Stickle. Knowing those two rascals, they'll be back by lunch-time for more food."

Ben Stickle emerged into the sunlight. "Aye, Martin's right, m'dear. Don't you go a-botherin' your old 'ead. Ferdy and Coggs is like new b.u.t.ton mushrooms-they always turn up at a good meal."

Ben sat against a tree, chuckling as he filled his pipe.

Gonff and Columbine came out to join them, the mouse-thief patting his stomach.

"Better hurry up, mateys. There'll be no breakfast left soon. Hey, Goody, I hear that Ferdy and Coggs are missing. We'll help you to look for them. Don't worry, they're probably somewhere nearby playing soldiers."

Goody knotted her ap.r.o.n strings anxiously. "Thank you, Gonff. Oh, I do 'ope they've come to no 'arm, Ben. Get up now and 'elp Gonff *n' Columbine. I won't be 'appy until I see their mucky liddle snouts agin."

Ben stood up and stretched. "So be it, Goody. Come on, you two."

Bella a.s.sured her. "Now don't start getting upset, Goody. I'll send all the woodlanders out looking. They'll find them. Martin and I will stop here at Brockhall in case they come back while everyone's out searching."

Goody smiled gratefully, although she was close to tears. "Thank you kindly, Miz Bella. I'll go and start cookin' the lunch."

Shortly thereafter, Bella addressed a large party of willing helpers.

"Listen now, friends. Ferdy and Coggs must be found before nightfall. Split up into small groups, search everywhere, and pay particular attention to small dens and possible hiding places-they may be lying asleep somewhere. Above all, be careful. There may be Kotir vermin abroad in Mossflower. Don't shout too loud or make unnecessary noise. Report back to me or to Martin. Off you go now, and good luck."

The woodlanders dispersed, eager to begin. Each creature searched in the best way it knew; squirrels swung off into treetops where they could scan the ground below, otters made 98.

their way to the water to scour the banks and creeks, mice and hedgehogs ploughed into the undergrowth. Moles trundled through last autumn's deep loam. The search was on.

A blackbird in a sycamore raised its amber beak in a hymn of joy to the sun. Ashleg blundered into wakefulness. Shivering from the damp, he hopped into the sunlight and leaned against a tree. Scratt joined him, but not before he had aimed a sly kick at the sleeping Fortunate.

"Oi! Are you going to lie there all day, lazybones?"

The weasel drew his paw swiftly back from the vixen's snapping jaws. Far more used to sleeping in the open than the Kotir soldiers, she had dug herself into the soft loam of the forest floor.

"Mind who you call lazybones, fathead. I've been lying awake here for the past two hours listening to you snore like an ailing toad."

Ashleg closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the sun seep through his damp cloak. With a sigh of resignation he remembered the quandary they faced.

"Can't you two stop squabbling long enough to give a thought to the mess we're in? We've beaten each other up, slept through the whole night without posting a single sentry, and now we've got to go back to face Tsarmina sometime today. Look, if we must argue, at least let's argue about something useful. What's to be done about this whole fiasco?"

Fortunata shook loose loam from her cloak, showering them. "Well, there were three patrols sent out to search this forest. Where have Cludd and his lot got to?"

As if in answer to the vixen's question, Cludd came marching through the undergrowth at the head of his column. Scratt was the first to notice him.

"Oi, Cludd, over here. Where in h.e.l.l's teeth did you get to? We haven't seen you since we left the fortress."

The weasel Captain stuck a paw in his belt and leaned upon his spear, smirking knowingly.

"Oh, we've been doing our job, don't you worry, Scratt. Huh, what happened to you lot? Did a pile of trees fall down on you?"

"It was nothing, really-a little mistake, could have hap- 99.

pened to anybeast." Ashleg tried to sound casual. "Let me tell you, though, we haven't seen hide nor hair of a living creature in this rotten maze of trees. We're rightly in for it when the Queen sees us."

Cludd smiled confidently. "Speak for yourself, Ashleg. We won't be returning empty-pawed. Oh no, not us."

"Why, what d'you mean?" Fortunata interrupted eagerly. "Who have you captured? Where?"

Cludd sneered at the fox. "Oh h.e.l.lo, vixen. You look as if you've been enjoying yourself. By the way, what happened to the old wooden leg, Ashy?"

The marten was using a forked branch as a crutch, and he stamped it down bad-temperedly.

"Listen, weasel, will you stop waffling around and tell us what you've got, instead of standing there looking pleased with yourself?"

Cludd beckoned with his spear. "Right. Show *em lads."

The ranks of the patrol parted, revealing two small hedgehogs. They were gagged and trussed upside down, slung upon poles carried by four soldiers.

Ferdy and Coggs were well and truly captured!

100.

Bella paused, gazing at the run of the grain on the tabletop. She was remembering times long gone.

"Where did old Lord Brocktree and Boar the Fighter go questing?" Martin asked softly. The badger gave her answer in a single word: "Salamandastron."

"Salamandastron?" Martin repeated the strange-sounding word.

, Bella nodded slowly. "Aye, the fire mountain, secret place of the dragons."

Martin's eyes went wide with wonderment. "Bella, don't stop now. Carry on, please."

The badger smiled wistfully. "Ah, little Martin the Warrior, I see that same strange fire kindled in your eyes, just as it was with my father and his father before him. Why must Salamandastron always weave its spell upon the brave? I can see your desire to travel there; that is as I wanted it to be."

Martin furrowed his brows. "You want me to travel to Salamandastron? But why?"

Bella leaned close, emphasizing each word with a tap of *her paw on the table. "Since Boar left Mossflower, we have 3 lived under virtual siege. First there was the rebellion, when many brave woodlanders lost their lives; then there was the Settlement with its slummy hovels and tolls, and soldiers ha-fja.s.sing the creatures that had to endure living there. I know it seems fairly safe out here in Brockhall, but will it always ? 101.

be so? Now that Tsarmina rules Kotir, we can never be sure what she will do next. Ben Stickle hit the nail on the head when he said Kotir could not last without creatures to supply it with rations. Will the cat start to search Mossflower for us? She will have to do something before next winter; she has a full army to feed. Martin, I feel that we are living on a knife's edge here. Ben Stickle wants peace, Skipper wants war, the Abbess wants peace, Lady Amber wants war. Boar the Fighter is the rightful ruler of Mossflower. I cannot leave here; I have responsibilities to our friends the woodlanders and the Corim. Who could I send? Martin, there is only you. You have traveled, you are an experienced warrior, you are the one I will stake my trust on. Don't rush to give me your answer now. I want you to think about it. This is a very dangerous mission, and I will understand if you wish to stay here. My home is your home!

"I believe that my father still lives. You must bring him back to Mossflower to break Tsarmina's regime. Together under the leadership of Boar the Fighter we will defeat Tsarmina."

The spell was broken by Lady Amber, who came striding in with a face that was so grim it heralded bad news.

"Ferdy and Coggs are lost for sure. We've scoured high and low, all of us. It's as if the forest has swallowed them up."

Bella scratched her stripes reflectively. "Have you seen Chibb?"

"Yes. He's been around Kotir. Nothing to report, really. I sent hun on a wide patrol of the woods. Maybe he'll bring news before nightfall."

The searchers returned at noon. Goody had busied herself setting out a salad luncheon on the sward outside Brockhall. Woodlanders ate in silence, avoiding any mention of the lost young ones while Goody was about. Shortly they set off again to resume searching. It was not a happy day in Mossflower. Martin was torn with a desire to help the searchers and curious to find out more about the mysterious place called Sal-amandastron. The former won; by early noon he was out searching with the others, knowing that Bella would tell him more that night.

102.

Tsarmina stood at her high chamber window, watching the perimeter of the woodland where the trees thinned out into shrubs and bushes. There they were, at last!

The ragged columns tramped out of the woodlands with Cludd bawling orders at them.

"Come on, you sloppy mob, smarten yourselves up into proper ranks. Right markers, lead off. Tidy that pace up there. . I'll not have you lolloping into the garrison like a load of hedgehogs on daisychain day. You there! Yes, you! Liven your ideas up, me laddo, or I'll liven them up for you with my spear."

The Captain's voice drifted up to Tsarmina. She could see plainly that there had been no losses among her troops. Neither had there been any ma.s.s of captives taken. In a sudden outburst of vicious temper, she slashed a wall curtain from top to bottom with her wicked claws, before storming out down the stairs to the parade ground.

The three platoons staggered to an untidy halt in the courtyard. Wearily they b.u.mbled their way into formation, shouldering weapons and showing Thousand Eye shields front and center. Tsarmina checked her rush in the doorway and strode gracefully out with sinuously waving tail and baleful eye. A tremor rippled the ranks as they stood stiffly to attention, all eyes front. They saluted jointly.

"Hail, Tsarmina, Wildcat Queen of the Thousand Eyes, ; Ruler of al! Mossfl-"

"Save your breath, fools. You'll get your chance to speak when I say and not before." Tsarmina prowled between the : ranks, missing nothing, not even the two pitiful forms that * lay bound on the gravel.

Fortunata stood rooted to the spot, feeling the Queen's " feral breath raising the hairs on the nape of her neck. v,1 "Well, fox, it seems that you all had a cheery spring outing fv in the woods. I notice that half the patrols are injured in one ;;*;; .way or another. Tell me, did those two small woodlanders ^J; put up such a ferocious battle?"

JL;. Tsarmina continued circling Fortunata, her voice at a level ;& of dangerous calm. "No need to worry now, eh, fox? WeVe 103.

caught their two champion warriors this time. What, if I make ask, was your heroic part in all this?"

Fortunata's limbs trembled with the effort of standing motionless. "It was Cludd who caught them, Milady. He found them asleep in a tent made from a blanket. Ashleg and I helped to bring them in.' *

Tsarmina repeated the phrase slowly. ' 'You helped to bring them in. I see. Good work!"

The pine marten was next to receive Tsannina's attention.

*'Ah, my fearless friend Ashleg, you must be in great pain. Did one of those two bold rogues nibble through your wooden leg?"

"No, Majesty. That happened when my patrol was attacked by Fortunata's command in the night," Ashleg blurted out, surprised at the shrillness of his own voice.

Tsarmina widened her eyes in mock horror. "How awful! We attacked ourselves in the dark. No doubt it was all a little mistake."

"That's right Milady, just a bit of a mistake, it could have happened to anyone, really." Fortunata's protest sounded hollow.

The wildcat turned her back on the whole scene. Paws akimbo, she stood staring out toward Mossflower. When she eventually spoke her tones dripped sarcasm and controlled rage.

"Get out of my sight, all of you idiotic sc.u.m. Down on your bellies and crawl back into the barracks like the worms you are. That way I won't have to look at your thick gormless faces s...o...b..ring excuses at me. Go on, clear off, the lot of you! Fortunata, Ashleg, Cludd-bring the prisoners up to my chamber."

Less than a minute later, Argulor stirred on his spruce branch and blinked owlishly, unaware that he had missed the chance of s.n.a.t.c.hing a quick meal from the parade ground. He dozed off again in the hot afternoon sun as Chibb shot across the front of him, bound for BrockhaU and safety. The tiny red-breasted spy had not missed a single word or movement of what took place on the parade ground.

104.

A group of sad-faced creatures sat in the main hall of Bella's home.

Gonff tossed the blanket and empty cordial jar on the table in front of the Corim leaders. "Found 'em over to the west, about halfway between here and Kotir. The place stank of weasel and ferret. Lots of tracks-a big party, I'd say. Anyone got more news?"

Bella looked around the searchers who had returned, checking that the Stickles were not present. She kept her voice low. ' 'Chibb saw them trussed up on the parade ground at Kotir earlier today. There's no doubt about it: Ferdy and Coggs have been taken prisoner. They were carried off to the wildcat's chamber for probable questioning."

Skipper slammed a paw against the hearth. "Mates, it doesn't bear thin kin' about, those two pore little fellers in the vermins' brig."

Columbine's voice had a sob in it. "What'll we tell Ben and Goody, poor creatures."

Gonff was in no doubt at all. "Tell 'em we'll rescue little Ferdy and Coggs back straightaway. That's what we'll do, mateys!"

There was a roar of approval.

Bella called for silence. "Please, Gonff, be sensible. I'm certain that the Corim will agree to mount a rescue operation as soon as possible. But let us not run off or do anything reckless in the meanwhile. It would only end up in more prisoners being taken, or lives being lost."

"Bella is right." Abbess Germaine put in. "I suggest that you let me preside over the rescue operation. We can use all of you, especially Chibb; he will be of more value to us now man ever before. Meanwhile, let us keep our hopes high and tempers in check. Bella is very busy working on something else for our benefit with Martin, and they must be excluded from the rescue attempt."

Bella was astonished. She looked blankly at Germaine.

The old Abbess smiled back at her. "I too was out taking the air in the woods early this morning."

Bella bowed to the Abbess. "Thank you for offering your help, old friend."

Bella and Martin retired to the study. Immediately Bella closed the door, Martin turned to her.

105.

"Bella, I have decided. I will find Boar the Fighter-I will undertake the journey to Salamandastron."

Bella took hold of the warrior's paws. "Are you sure you want to do this thing, Martin?"

Martin nodded firmly. "For you and all my friends in Mossflower, I will find this strange place, even if it is at the world's end. And I will bring back your father Boar the Fighter."

The door swung open. Gonff entered, rubbing a paw to his ear.

"Funny things, doors. Sometimes it's as if they're not there, and you can hear everything. By the way, Miss Bella, I'm surprised at you. Fancy sending my matey off on a quest without an able-bodied a.s.sistant."

Martin hesitated. He looked at Bella. "I'd feel a lot safer with a good thief along."

The kindly badger smiled. "Of course. Careless of me. Welcome, GonfF. We may need a brain as sharp as yours."

They sat on the edge of a scroll-littered desk, while Bella settled comfortably into a dusty old armchair. She sighed and looked from one to the other.