"I know this place," Tyra whispered. She stepped forward and carefully pulled a small, glittering thing out of the pile of ashes.

But as she was turning around to face the others and show them what she had found, the vermin patrol burst into the clearing.

"Draw!" she shouted, and they formed a tight circle, facing outwards.

************************************************************

Predak, being a good cowardly leader, leaned on her drawn sword at the edge of the clearing. She watched the vermin encircle the ten, and the sunlight glinting off of weaponry. She motioned for Akhal to come forward.

"There are more than we rekoned."

"Aye, but six are from the abbey, three I have not seen, and the other is the hare."

"That is all we need."

"We can take them, have no fear. Being young, and most Redwallers, they must not have much training in weaponry."

"I will trust you on this."

Akhal saluted and ran off.

************************************************************

Tyra clenched the hilt of her sword. It didn't seem good. But why would have such a large patrol be sent after them? They weren't that important...

"Tulia," Tyra whispered, only loud enough for her to hear. "One of us, either you or I, must escape and find help. It should be you. I may be able to hold them off long enough, for maybe the others to escape as well, but you need to find help if that doesn't work."

"No, you must go. You are the best runner, you can muster up more help than I. You need to go-I feel it."

"No--"

"No nothing, Tyra. YOU MUST GO! That is final. I shall spread the word. Go whenever ye wants. And good luck."

A weasel, no doubt a major officer, strode forward.

"Surrender," he said in a monotonous voice, "Unless you want to meet the gates of the dark forest today!"

"Never," Kessa said in an equally monotonous voice.

"Eeluliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Taking everybeast by surprise, Tyra burst forward and out of the surrounding weasels, and ran for the edge of the clearing. Still unwilling to leave her friends, she turned when she was on the brink of exiting the clearing. She still had the small box she had found.

"TYRA! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"If you want me, weasels, come get me!!!!!!" Tyra yelled, and disappeared into the woods.

It didn't take long before her friends were taken, but nobeast could find any trace of the hare.

Chapter 18

Tyra ran blindly on, oblivious of direction and obsticales. Crashing through a patch of hepatica flowers, she fell into the clearing beyond.

In this clearing, there was a small barn, placed on a slight rise. It seemed to be somewhat two stories, one buried in the ground, the door only visible through a dip in the hill. Tyra, now gasping for breath, opened the door that was on the left side of the hill, above it, the door plainly visible, not hidden like the lower enterance.

Sunlight filtered in from the wide open door. Haybales were stacked, one on top of the other, along the walls. Some of the haybales formed stairs, stairs that only the most expereinced could scale. Along one wall, a wide varity of weapons hung, dusty and dull from years of uselessness. Tyra opened the door a small bit more. More sunlight streamed in, illuminating the floor of the building.

"Close that door, young Tussock! The sunlight is too bright fer me old eyes!"

Surprised, Tyra let the door fall shut with a loud bang, and everything went black.

"Not that much, young Tussock, we need to see!"

Something, or someone, strode over and opened the door enough to see most of the building.

"Now, my young Tussock, move into the light here, so I can see you properly. By the fur! It's been ages since I've seen you!"

Tyra sheathed the sword she had drawn when she had shut the door.

"Maybe, sah, it would be easier if we both stepped in at one time."

"Well, that's a sensible idea, young Tussock. All proper, I guess. Okay, on the count of three, young Tussock. I take it you know how to count? Okay, anyway; one, two-two and a half-three!"

Tyra stepped forward into the shaft of light, as did the voice.

The voice turned out to be an old wildcat, grizzeled with age. His fur was silvery, and he wore a green tunic, covered with hay. Thrust through his belt was a short dagger, the only polished weapon in the placee, you could safely guess.

"Welcome, young Tussock, to the Kazlaham, the last trustworthy house on the edge of the wilderness of the nortlands!" He said. "Now, update me on how things have been going since Predak burned Camp Tussock."

"Um, with all due respect," Tyra said shakily, "I have no idea who you are, nonetheless wot you're talkin' 'bout, sah."

"Of course. I am Katze Gingivere, Honored Weapons Master of the Former Camp Tussock."

************************************************************

"Tulia, what are we going to do? This isn't right-"

"I know, Kessa, it's not. Predak is a Marlfox. Wot did you expect, a warm welcome?" the otter said.

It was later that day. The weasels had been forced to make camp, as an oncoming storm threatened. The nine had been chained by one long running-chain Predak had been carrying around with her, run through a manacle on their forepaws. The chain was then locked around a nearby tree, and three guards and been stationed at the loose end. One of them looked towards the otter and the mouse with distaste, then returned his gaze to the small fire he and his two companions had scrounged up and built a small tent over.

"Why that little weasel! If I had-"

"Hone, watch it there. If it's up to us, we're not watching any of us getting killed for speaking wrongly, and that is exactly what will happen if they hear you speaking like that." Katzey said quite plainly, and everybeast fell silent.

All of them looked to Tulia and Katzey for guidence now, for they were at a loss themselves. Of course, if Tyra had been here, it would have been she they had looked to, but obviously she wasn't.

Tulia and Katzey, as the others drifted off to sleep, caught each other's eye. In that one glance, they said the one thing they would never out loud.

We will never get out of here.

But that night, Martin the Warrior appeared to Katzey, and he said:

Fear not for those you have,

Now under your care,

You and Tussock soon will be reunited

But not in the way you plan.

In the morning, she could not remember that dream at all.