The morning broke. All night Waterflash had been tortured. The rat was questioning him with a whip. "Where do you think the squirrel went? Its simple. Go, and help bring him here. Or we will have to do this again."

Waterflash said, "I don't care what you do to me. I won't become the monster you made my brother. I will not betray my friends to you, no matter what you do to me!"

"Take him away! Do it until he complies!" Then he sighed, and said to an advisor. "Why won't they learn?"

As the screaming began again, the advisor said, "Remember, his brother took a few days of constant torture. This otter will break. They always do."

Tam awoke. He was ungagged and moving. He could hear the screams in the distance. Then he remembered Martin's words. "Skip! Skip! What your doing is wrong. You know it. All we have to do is get to Salamandastron together. Then we'll be safe."

Skipper looked at his former friend with anger. "They'll track me down and kill me. They did it to my father. They got him alive. He wouldn't do what they wanted, so he ran, they killed him."

Tam sighed, and said, "Skip, you can't believe vermin. Martin the warrior visited me before you got me. He said your father was not dead." As he said this, he had worked a paw free, and moved towards the sword of Martin. Skipper stoped the cart, and started shaking. "Liar! You just want me to die. I know what to believe!" Now Tam had the sword, and threw it at Skipper, knocking him senseless. Getting free, he retrieved the sword, and said, "You need to listen. I'm sorry, but your going to ruin the world." With that, he ran off towards Salamandastron, and hope.

Extract from the writings of Shobin, recorder of the free redwall contingent:

The unthinkable has happened. Our abbey is gone, captured by vermin. There are only a few of us free. From what I have heard, from the abbey Warrior, Tam, The news is not good. We met up with him at about lunch. We were astounded as to what Skipper had done. A few here, even from his holt, have called him vile and insane. I feel sad for the shy otter, Waterflash is his name. We can hear his trtured screams un the distance, as the vermin try to make him work fir them. We cannot trust either anymore, as they could lead to our doom. Its sad, really, what has happened in Waterflash's life. Its a wonder he could talk to skipper after he found out Skipper was responsible for the murder of countless innocents. The screaming has stopped now, and I can only hope because of Distance. "Where did the squirrel go?! You must tell us this now, or we'll do it again!" We'll do it, yes, and we can do it for months without killing. Take him back!" The rat had been yelling at Waterflash. Now that he knew there was no information that the otter would give yet, he wanted the otter back on the device. Another rat stepped up. "Sir, tge device needs cleaning. And If we dot give him food and water soon, he'll die. We can break hom only if he is alive." "Fine! Lock him up with the others for now. As soon as we can, put him back on there."

In the cellars of Redwall, about fifty abbey dwellers were locked up. "Have you heard? Skipper is that shy otters brother. He betrayed hs family and us to the scum. Now rheir trying to do the same to the shy otter." Then the doors opened, and Wterflash was hurled in. As soon as the doors had closed, he answered everybeasts question by looking at the door and saying "Scum! I'll kill you for what you've done!" Then an old mouse came up to him. "Are you okay?"

"Okay? OKAY!? They've tourtured me for almost a day, asking where Tam and the other free redwallers are. I can't tell them. I won't be like my brother. I can't betray our last hope."

Then the door opened, and moldy bread with watered down soup came in. As the captives ate in silence, Waterflash tried to think of a way out of his predicament.

Then he slept. He was tired, and needed his sleep. Suddenly, he and the other captives brought up to the abbey grounds. The rat addressed Waterflash. "I know how to break you. Tell me where that squirell went, and the captives live. If you don't, they each die slowly. And I know that you know exactly where he went. Lie, and they get toutured to death." Waterflash remained silent, hatred blazing at his captors. Then, the rat took a sword and sliced off the old mouse's paw. The mouse screamed, and Waterflash said, "You murdering scum. This won't work. Evil never wins." Slicing the mouses other paw off, the rat said, "Oh, really? Your brother knew that we would kill your holt. He had to choose between you and himself. He toldus he would help us if you went free. But he wants you back. You can see him, if you cooperate." Waterflash paused, and said, "I'll only talk to my brother. If you harm anybeast, however, I'll take my secrets with me to the grave." A few redwallers gasped, but Waterflash knew that if he could get his brother to realize what he was doing, he could turn it around. If not, then everyone was killed, but not made a slave. The commanding rat sent for Skipper, who ha returned empty handed, and threw Waterflash into an empty cell. Then Waterflash heard the door open, close, and be locked. There was the sound of Flint and steel, and Skipper was standing there holding a torch. "So, you've made the right choice."

Waterflash calmly replied, "Yes, but its not what you think."

The woods were quiet. Everyone was sleeping, except for Tam and Shobin, who were on guard duty. Tam felt that someone should go ahead to Salamandastron, and Tell the Badger Lord.

"How can you say that, Deep? If we tell, the world will be gone." Waterflash and Skipper were arguing again. "They'll give us freedom if we tell." "You really think that? You're less of my brother then ever." "But-" "No, listen. They gave me freedom, until they wanted me. They'll do the same." He took a dagger out. "Work with me, Deep, or we will forever betray the world. But if we fight and win here, we will save countless generations from slavery. Tam needs us, I know. But betraying him won't help. I know a way out. This was my privet room. Come on." And they both went through a hole in the wall.

"The otters, their gone!" yelled a rat. The leader took immiate action. "Bring them back and kill them! Now!" The otters heard vermin in hot pursuit. Skipper took a large round stick, and said, "I'll stop them. Find Tam. Tell them to move! I told where they are!" Waterflash went away, and then he heard some fighting, and a scream as his brother went down. He kept running, until morning, when he found the camp. Running in, he said, "Where's Tam, I need to urk!" He felt a grip on him, and he was bound and dragged into a tent, with a familiar dagger at his back. Then he heard Tam's voice. "What do the vermin want, traitor? Are they about to march in here?"

Waterflash gulped, and said, "Deep knew. He cracked last night, before we tried escaping. He died to let me warn you. The vermin will be here soon. As for being a traitor, I suppose I am. They are going to kill their prisoners because of my silence, and then running. My brother handed us over though, he told the verminhow to get into Salamandastron, and our location. We need to go, now. And if you don't trust me, kill me. The vermin would do it slowly, if they found me."

Tam stood open mouthed, staring at Watrflash, wondering how it could be true. But then, he realized, Waterflash had kept things secret from them for a long time. Undoing the bindings he said, "Sorry. Lets go."

"Arryo, Sah, that otter from a few seasons ago is back. He has news and says the mountain is in grave danger. Shall I send the bounder away, Sah?" Arryo paused, and then spoke. "Let him in Rootpaw."

"So you see, that is why we need a new defense strategy." Arryo was talking to his hares, just after hearing the tale of Redwalls demise. And we don't have much time to do it."

WA: Don't worry, whats about to happen is not what most would think would happen. I would say more, but It would ruin the surprise.