Night crept over Thorn Valley, with the nebulous Nimh-Alpha, a substitute for the Earth's moon on this planet, shining in its full phase in the sky. Inside the wreck of the NIMH-One, in the ship's derelict hibernation bay, the group had settled down to sleep, using the old Plexiglas hibernation tanks as bunks.

It had been a long day for all of them. After some persuasion, Josh had finally agreed to accompany the Rats back to Rosebush City, so they could present him to Nicodemus. If he was to be stuck here forever, then, he figured, the time had come to grit his teeth and make his presence known to the inhabitants of this new world. Despite everyone's uncertainty of how the Rats might receive him, he had to make a start somewhere.

While his companions slept, Josh sat alone at the mainframe station on the flight deck, hard at work. His HHC lay open atop a console with a data-transfer cable hooked up to a nearby jack, downloading all the files from the ship's database: flight data, the contents of the video log, his crewmates' personal files, and as many books as he could get out of the ship's e-library, which had survived the passage of time. A little memento of home was always good for morale.

The ancient monitors around the bridge beeped as he run his hands over the keyboard, bringing up multiple lists of selected files to be copied and downloaded, interrupted by the occasional error-warning icons popping up whenever the computer encountered a corrupted or unreadable file, which were automatically skipped. Josh was busy programming a uplink between OWL and his suit computer, which would allow him to remain in constant contact with his last fellow crew member so to speak, when he heard someone call his name. Turning, he saw Elizabeth standing in the doorway. He smiled at her, gesturing at her to come in.

She took a seat beside Josh, on the g-couch the late Lt Penny Stacy used to occupy. Her hands playfully caressed the banks of illuminated controls strewn out on the console before her, fascinated by all those colourful lights and displays. She squealed in surprise as she accidently turned a switch on the panel which emitted a loud beeping sound, the display changing colour. For an instant, Josh could almost picture her in a spacesuit as they piloted the ship together through space. Unfortunately, there was never going to be another space flight for him again, much less for Elizabeth, and wasting time dwelling on such ridiculous thoughts would only end up causing him more pain, so he quickly shrugged it off.

"Can't sleep?"

"I can't stop thinking about Jonathan," she said sadly, "All this time, I'd held onto the hope of seeing him again someday. But now that I know he's really gone, I…" She stifled a sob, burying her face in her hands. Josh, realising how lost and confused she must feel, falling for him and seemingly insulting her husband's memory, tenderly reached over and pulled her onto his lap.

"Biff, your husband died fulfilling his life's dream – and we're going to make sure he didn't die in vain. His discovery is going to change your world, mark my words." True, it hadn't taken Josh long to realise the one big advantage he had: being a man of a technologically-advanced world and with everything the wreck of his ship had to offer at his sole disposal, he had the power of bringing the very heart and soul of human science into this world. Jonathan's discovery would definitely not be wasted now, with or without the Rosetta Disk.

His reassuring words seemed to cheer Elizabeth up somewhat. Although she'd come all this way only to discover her husband was indeed long dead, she wouldn't exactly be returning home empty-handed either. The fact that Josh was now here to stay and hopefully be part of her life, and that of her children's, made her feel almost as if Jonathan himself had sent him to her. On the other hand, she too couldn't help but worry how Nicodemus and the Rats would receive him. Even a simple farm girl like her understood how deep two thousand years of religious taboos ran in the majority's minds. It would take time and effort for Josh to even gain the public trust, if they accepted him at all. But, however it turned out, Elizabeth had promised herself, she'd remain on Josh's side all the way.

"You know, my children are going to be so happy to see you again," she said, resting her head against Josh's chest, as he held her close. The space pilot chuckled; he had no doubt the children would be over the moon when they heard he was here to stay. As he gently pulled Elizabeth's face close to his for another kiss, she suddenly gave a gasp, clapping her hands over her mouth in terror.

"What…what's the matter, Biff?"

"My goodness, I've forgotten about Timmy!" she gasped, suddenly remembering her ailing son back home, for whom they were supposed to be bringing help, which, she now realised, didn't exist, "What am I going to do now?"

But Josh smiled, reaching into his pocket and taking out another souvenir he'd collected - a handful of sealed glass ampoules of penicillin and an assortment of other drugs from the ship's medical bay, which he'd found in Jonathan's collection. By being buried under the sediment that covered the floor, away from air, heat and sunlight, had preserved the medications all these centuries. Although obviously not as good as antibiotics, it would suffice to sooth the boy's fever until the disease could run its course.

"And there's lots more where this came from," he said, "We carried a big enough supply onboard to rival a drug kingpin's shipment." Elizabeth looked delighted.

"Medicine for my Timmy!" she cried ecstatically, grabbing Josh into a firm hug to kiss him, "You truly work miracles, Josh!" Josh smiled, kissing her back, cradling her in his arms.

"I know, love."

Soon, they were lost in the midst of another kissing session. Josh couldn't suppress a smirk at the thought of the look on his Commander's face if he could see such a display taking place onboard his ship… It was then that he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye the many red dots on the radar screen, which he'd spent the afternoon dusting clean, slowly approaching the ship…

Outside, under the cover of darkness, Castor and his Exile thugs were closing in for their attack. With their target fast asleep inside the Temple, or so they thought, the job couldn't get any easier. Soon, they'd have that Nimh human within their grasp. Down by the lake, several thugs were busy fashioning a raft, with which to float the Jeremy back to their hideout in the mountains. With a bit of persuasion, this human and his powers of invention could become the perfect instrument for his master's quest for power.

The Exiles circled the Temple, getting into formations, creating a barrier so that no one inside could escape. On Castor's command, they charged, silent as cockroaches, storming every visible entrance to the ship, not realising the enemy was already aware of their presence...

"Wake up! We've got company!" yelled Josh, bursting into the hibernation bay, followed by Elizabeth, where their companions lay fast asleep around their campfire. Brutus was the first one on his feet, brandishing his battle-axe.

"What in the name of Nicodemus is going on?!" he roared.

"Someone's outside the ship," Josh exclaimed, struggling to catch his breath, "Lots of them! I think we're under…" Before he could finish his sentence however, Mr Ages uttered a yell, pointing up at the hole from where they'd first come in. They all looked up and saw the intruders sliding down the rope in twos and threes. More of them, who had come in through one of the airlocks in the pod bay, emerged from a doorway on the far side of the compartment. It was an attack!

Josh felt his blood run cold at the sight of the Exiles, which resembled characters out of one those cheap Halloween horror movies he used to watch back on Earth as a kid - only these marauders were as real as they were deadly, as implied by their muscular, haggard frames and their gleaming, razor-sharp daggers and swords. He cursed Brutus for destroying his gun; now, when they really needed a good weapon to fight back with, they were sitting ducks.

"Run!" shouted Justin, as he and Brutus brandished their own weapons, ready to fight back, "Josh, you know the way around this place; take the others and get out of here, fast!" Not that they would get very far, as they were more thugs waiting outside and outnumbering them at least ten to one. But Josh had an idea...maybe. He turned to Elizabeth.

"Biff, you and Mr Ages get up to the bridge, now! You'll be safe there."

"What are you going to do, Josh?" asked Elizabeth fearfully, thinking Josh had decided to make a last stand alongside Justin and Brutus, "Please, I've already lost Jonathan. I can't lose you too…!"

"You won't. Just go, Biff!" The second their backs were turned, he turned to Justin, who was already caught in a swordfight, along with Brutus, struggling to keep the Exiles at bay, "Buy me one minute!" Without another word, he turned and rushed down a passage, towards the ship's galley.

Hastily rampaging through all the trinkets Jonathan had left behind, he found what he was looking for: the grenades leftover from the ship's arsenal. There were seven of them in total; if they weren't duds after all these years, they would do the trick. Tucking them into his belt, Josh hurried back to rejoin the fight.

By that time, Justin and Brutus had retreated to the promenade deck, being rapidly pushed back by the advancing enemy, about to be cornered. The Exiles had lost several of their own, but more reinforcements kept pouring in. The two soldier Rats, already battered and wearing out, were fighting a losing battle and they knew it. After coming all this way, they would only end up sharing Jonathan's fate; and the re-discovery of Thorn Valley, Josh, everything they had done would be for nothing.

Justin cursed as he saw Josh reappear, brandishing those seemingly insignificant throwing-stone-like trinkets. What was that human playing at? Throwing-stones, or whatever those things were, were useless against those savage Exiles! Did he have such a strong death wish, or had he lost his mind?

"What are you doing back here, Josh!?" the Rat Captain barked furiously, "I told you to take the others and run!"

"You damn foolish human!" cursed Brutus incredulously, "This is our job, not yours! What, do you want to die so badly?"

"Saving your arrogant arse, that's what I'm doing!" retorted Josh, twisting the neck of the first grenade; he heard a familiar click, followed by a rattling sound inside, indicating it was armed and dangerous, its 10-second detonator countdown initiated. He grasped the grenade firmly, preparing to toss, "All right, pull back to the bridge and take cover. Go!"

"What are you going to do...?" Justin was saying, but Josh, ticking time-bomb in hand, shouted, "JUST GET THE BLOODY HELL UP TO THE BRIDGE! NOW!" To his greatest relief, the Rats turned and retreated up to the flight deck without further argument, where a terrified Elizabeth and Mr Ages were cowering behind the pilot's chairs, watching the murderous mob closing in for the kill.

With only five seconds to spare, Josh tossed the grenade right in the middle of the advancing mob, as they stormed the promenade. Before the grenade had even hit the floor, he too was running for his life towards the flight deck with the rest of his companions, slapping his hand against the touch-pad that controlled the armoured door on his way in, sealing them inside.

"Everybody down!"

The slide-door had barely closed up when the grenade detonated. The Exiles, who had been laughing at seeing the human throw that little gadget and turn tail, much like a frightened child throwing stones, never knew what hit them.

Deadly shrapnel flew in all directions, tearing clean through flesh and bone like machine gun fire, but, luckily, hardly making a mark on the bridge door, which was made of some virtually impenetrable metal alloys, shielding the occupants within.

Josh and his party watched in fascinating horror through the portholes as the broken and bloodied bodies of the Exiles crumpled to the floor dead, amidst a scene of total carnage. One battered and bloodied thug, who had miraculously survived the blast, turn and flee in defeat. For the moment they were safe.

Brutus rounded on Josh; for an instant, the astronaut thought the mean-tempered Rat was going to start chastising him again for possessing such a dangerous weapon without his knowledge. His hands protectively clutched the remaining grenades in his belt - Brutus would not be getting his hands on these and that was a fact. However, he didn't do anything of the sort; instead, he merely nodded gratefully at Josh. That grenade had just saved their necks and even the ill-tempered Brutus respected that.

Justin gave Josh a friendly pat on the back, clearly impressed, "I don't know what you just did, but that was one well-deserved lesson those scoundrels had coming for a long time. Well done, Josh!"

I've just sent a dozen of those goons to their graves in pieces and these chaps are singing my praises… Those Exiles are definitely more unpopular than I thought, thought Josh.

"No one has ever sent the Exiles retreating like that before," remarked Mr Ages, equally impressed, "You either run for your life – if you're lucky – or else hope to die fighting and not get captured, to be tortured or enslaved. Incredible!"

"Those scumbags are finally getting a taste of their own poison!" Brutus put in gruffly, staring in satisfaction at the dead bodies littering the floor of the promenade deck outside, "For years, they've spread fear and terror, but now they're running like the disgusting, low-life cowards they are…"

"I wouldn't count on it just yet," said Josh, trying to reassure a shaking Elizabeth, who was trembling in his arms. Glancing back at the radar screen, he saw the many red dots marking the positions of the Exiles around the ship had stopped moving, but they weren't retreating. Their troubles were still far from over.

"They're waiting for us to come out," said Justin, also looking at the screen. This wasn't good; even if they didn't try storming the ship again, they could still eventually overcome them by starving them. And they still outnumbered them, making it impossible to try and fight them out in the open. They were trapped.

"Looks like we've got yet another problem," said Josh, putting up the scope's night view on the big screen on one of the ship's last few still-functioning external cameras, and zooming in on the lakeshore. Even through the blurred picture of the infrared camera, they could see that the glider was gone, stolen by the Exiles no doubt. They weren't going anywhere. Sure enough, they heard Castor's voice, calling from outside.

"There's no escape, outsiders! Surrender the human to us or you all die! Choose!"

Outside, Castor and his remaining thugs heard the explosion from inside the ship, followed by the death cries of their comrades. The Exiles looked at each other; what kind of weapon could make such noise? Soon, a sole survivor emerged from the Temple all battered and bloodied. The maimed Rat limped up to his leader, panting heavily in pain and shock. Castor frowned angrily; it was obvious there was disappointing news.

"What happened in there? Where are the others?"

"That Nimh human…" groaned the Rat, coughing up blood from internal injuries caused by the shrapnel, "He killed them all with his powers… Sir, he's too strong for us…!" That was the wrong thing to say; in an instant, the furious Castor had drawn his sword and run him through. Not only had this cringing bit of filth failed in his mission, but he'd also dared display cowardice, an unacceptable weakness, in front of his comrades. And Castor had no room for such weakness among his ranks. He spat at the lifeless body at his feet.

"Only cowards who run from a fight are no match for a weaker enemy!" he shouted, "Call the others back into formations at once; we're going in again, this time full force!" Turning in the direction of the Temple, he called out, "There's no escape, outsiders! Surrender the human to us or you all die! Choose!"

Meanwhile, on the NIMH-One's bridge, Josh, realising the Exiles weren't backing off, had turned to a control panel, which was a linkup to OWL's unit, working out a counter plan. He might be on a new planet, not to mention in a distant future era, but this ship was still his territory. If those goons wanted a fight, then he still had a few more tricks up his sleeve. The A.I.'s face appeared on screen,

"How may I be of assistance, Captain Anderson?"

"OWL, I'm going to dictate to you a message; on my command, I want you to patch in your voice onto the intercom circuit on maximum amplification frequency, and play back that message. Make it sound as real as and menacing as you can."

"Amplifying the volume of my voice to such a high frequency will result in injury to the auditory system of anyone on board lacking means of protection," warned OWL. But Josh had got it all worked out. Going through his kit, he took out some balls of cotton from the first-aid box and passed them around. These should muffle OWL's voice enough to keep them from bursting their eardrums.

"Stuff these in your ears and don't take them out until I say so, unless you want to get your ears busted," he said, "We're going to make those dudes outside think that they've aroused a very angry god from his slumber."

Everything set, he turned back to OWL and activated the recording software, "All right, OWL, message begins as follows-…"

Outside, Castor's remaining thugs had regrouped, ready to make another run. Whatever trick that wild human beast had pulled, killing their comrades, it would soon be avenged with torture and death. Although noticeably nervous, after what had happened to the previous infiltration party, their fear of their brutal leader's wrath remained stronger. This time, they'd storm in as a whole army; even the human's deadly powers couldn't possibly take them all at once!

Castor drew his sword, about to order the attack. But before the order had even crossed his lips, another voice rang out across Thorn Valley, catching the Exiles completely by surprise. OWL's booming voice, magnified dozens of times its normal volume, making the Exiles clutch their ears in agony, filled the night:

"Intruders! How dare you desecrate my domain with your evil intentions of war and violence! Leave now, or I will condemn your bodies and souls to my fiery breath for committing sacrilege on this sacred ground!"

No sooner had the effects of the sound wave passed, than the savage Exiles were all cowering with fear. No mortal being could have such a voice. They may have no qualms about killing anyone who stood in their way, but they would never dare challenge the wrath of the Great Owl Himself! They began pulling back in retreat.

Castor, who had frozen in his tracks at the sound of the 'Great Owl's' voice, noticed his henchmen's disgraceful display of cowardice. He wanted to yell at them to hold their positions under threat of death, but he knew it was no use. In spite of his brutality and ruthlessness, Castor had enough sense to know when he was fighting a losing battle. Whatever trick that human had pulled this time, it had completely crushed the morale of his men. Their fear of the Great Owl simply outweighed their fear of him. No, it was time to pull back…and wait.

He turned to his second-in-command, "Pass the word for everyone to pull out. We're leaving."

"Are we retreating, sir?" asked Tristian, amazed to hear his supposedly fearless master actually ordering them to pull out from a fight. Castor, furious at such a suggestion, rounded on him.

"Of course we aren't retreating, you fool! We're merely withdrawing to a safe distance, to wait. That human and his friends have to come out sometime, and when they do, we'll be ready for them!" Ordering his troops to move out, Castor and his henchmen took up positions in hidden spots around the Valley, watching the Temple, waiting for that accursed human to come out, right into their waiting hands…

Josh and his friends watched through the ship's scope as the Exiles dispersed, seemingly in retreat. Josh smirked in satisfaction, "It looks like they've got the message. We've got them on the run!" The news brought cheers and applause. Justin, Brutus and even Mr Ages were jumping triumphantly; Elizabeth approached Josh and kissed him on the cheek, who couldn't help but smile. He had definitely proven his worth to his new companions this time, and, boy, did it feel good!

"All right, enough victory celebrating, ladies and gentlemen," he said, "Those goons will be back soon; it's time to hit the road. Everyone grab your stuff and get ready to go. Justin, Brutus, would you two come over here a moment?"

While Elizabeth and Ages run to grab their belongings, Josh divided the six remaining grenades between them, explaining to the Rats how to use them. Although they'd seen the enemy move out, the radar screen clearly showed they were still out there, waiting to ambush them when they came out. It would mean a long shot getting to Jonathan's waiting raft and they had to be prepared to repel another attack on the way. If they could just make it to that raft and escape down the river, they would lose the Exiles for good.

Five minutes later, the group of five were making their way towards the shore on their knees, using the foliage for concealment, praying Jonathan's raft was still there. With no torches, the darkness offered them additional cover, as they silently approached the water's edge. Josh led the way, using the ship's radar feedback transmitted wirelessly to his HHC to track the movements of the Exiles nearby. How much longer before the enemy realised they were being duped and moved in for another attack?

The raft was still there all right, the Exiles luckily having overlooked it. With Elizabeth and Ages keeping a sharp lookout, the others hastily cleared away the branches and leaves that covered the raft and assembled the rudder and mast, preparing to set sail.

"All right, all together now, push!"

Putting their backs into it, they pushed the raft down to the water's edge; the craft bobbed up unsteadily in the water but at least it could float. Although meant for only one person, fortunately, Jonathan had calculated enough margin in the design for some cargo, namely the artefacts of his dig, to take back with him. This made the raft just big enough for the five of them. They were getting out of here!

Before Josh could order everyone aboard however, trouble finally struck. There was a sound like whistling, which was a signal from a lookout high up on the cliffs, who had spotted them against the light of Nimh-Alpha reflected on the water, and then all hell broke loose. Dozens of Exiles burst from the trees all around them, charging at them.

"Everybody onboard now! Move, move, move!"

Josh, flanked by Justin and Brutus, draw their grenades. Time for Plan B. Brutus, who seemed rather eager to share in Josh's glory of killing some scumbag Exiles himself, took the first toss – but forgetting to twist the neck of the grenade handle first.

"You idiot!" hissed Josh in exasperation, watching the wasted grenade land right in the middle of the mob, but without exploding. He took his turn; one of the Exiles, not realising what he was up against, caught the grenade with both hands, like a baseball player engaged in a dangerous game of toss - the ensuing blast turned him and several of his companions to mincemeat. A second blast told Josh that Justin had also scored a good shot.

The remaining Exiles momentarily halted, terrified by this destructive alien weapon, but they were still not giving up. Keeping their weapons drawn, they held their ground, as if waiting for some kind of backup. What were they doing? Josh's heart skipped a beat when he noticed several archers step forward, brandishing massive bows. On the squadron leader's command, they took aim, about to mow them down in a barrage of arrows.

Justin threw his last grenade, but one of the Exiles managed to swat it away into the lake with his club, where it exploded without hitting anything; but Josh's found its mark, blasting several of the archers to smithereens, and sending the rest scattering, ducking for cover behind the trees. This was their chance.

Brutus and Justin made a run for it, joining Ages and Elizabeth on the raft, followed by Josh. A swing from Justin's sword cut the mooring line and away they went.

They grabbed the oars, paddling with all their might, trying to put as much space as possible between them and the shoreline, which was now swarming with angry Exiles, shouting threats and curses at seeing their intended victims escape, powerless to stop them. A few more arrows were fired in their direction but the raft was already well out of range. They were home-free!

Justin and Brutus laughed and jeered at the bandits back on shore, who could no longer harm them. What a story they would have to tell their comrades back home! Josh and Elizabeth lovingly embraced, the latter grateful to have finally seen the last of that nightmare. Only Mr Ages was grumbling angrily, for being forced to leave Jonathan's precious artefacts behind, which he'd intended to bring back himself. Only the explorer's journal, currently in Elizabeth's possession, would serve as proof of their discovery.

Looking over the tree line, Josh stared sadly at the tilted spires visible in the distance, which was the wreck of the Nimh-One. Once again, he was leaving his ship; one journey had ended, but now another was only just beginning, his future uncertain. Sure enough, he heard OWL's voice over his radio, bidding him goodbye.

"Good luck, Commander Anderson. Initiating satellite uplink now…"

Using the satellite mapping transmitted to Josh's HHC from the NIMH-One's guidance systems by OWL, and following the directions in Jonathan's journal, it didn't take them long to find a narrow tear in the cliff, from where the river started. According to the journal's notes, this route would take them along a deep canyon through the Dark Mountains, across the desert, and into a valley on the edge of the woodland regions, not too far from the Lee of the Stone. They were going home.

Justin and Brutus sat cross-legged on either side of the raft, paddling, while Josh manned the rudder. They felt the current pull them into the canyon, as they joined the river. But that was just the easy part. Pretty soon, it had become a rollercoaster ride as the raft entered some rapids a little further down, the churning water throwing them to and fro. Towering cliffs surrounded them on either side, as they fought to keep the raft under control, dodging rocks and sandbars which loomed out of the dark every few yards. It seemed going back wasn't going to be any easier than what it was getting here.

Just as Josh was beginning to doubt Jonathan's escape plan, they finally reached a calmer part of the river. His head spinning like a top from the rollercoaster ride, Josh turned to look at his dizzy and dazed companions, some of which being sick over the side of the raft, but otherwise unharmed. They were nearing the other side of the mountains; a few hundred yards up ahead, the canyon finally ended and the flat desert terrain stretched out to the horizon. The worst was behind them…or so they thought.

Suddenly, Josh realised something was wrong; without any apparent reason, they were speeding up again, heading straight downriver. Although it was night, Nimh-Alpha cast enough of its dim orange light across the water, which seemed to drop away up ahead - right over the top of a waterfall!

"Oh, damn! Everybody hang on…!" The warning had barely passed Josh's lips when his companions were all furiously paddling back upstream, trying to get away from that waterfall. But the current was too strong. Josh barely managed to seal his suit visor and grab the fretting Elizabeth by the wrist, when the raft tilted beneath them, and the next instant, they were diving over the waterfall, with no one to hear their screams of terror as they plummeted into the misty abyss below…

Castor knelt before Jenner at their secret meeting place at the foot of the mountains, where they were suppose to make the delivery. The traitorous General glared down at his ally, noticing Castor had apparently returned empty-handed. If the mission had turned out a fiasco, the Great Owl help him, there would be hell to pay!

"Well, where is the human?"

Castor couldn't suppress a shudder; Jenner, like him, did not take kindly to failure – one of the reasons why he had such great influence among the Exile clan, despite technically being only a mere liaison here.

"My Lord, that human has got powers beyond imagining. Aside from knowing the secret to flying, he's also got the power to destroy even the largest of armies single-handedly…"

"Which is precisely why I need him, Castor," said Jenner coldly, eyeing his associate in a way suggesting that Castor would be dead meat in another minute if he had nothing to report. But the brutish leader of the Exiles, although scared for his life, managed to retain his composure. As it turned out, he did have something which just might appease his master. Reaching into his tunic, he took out Brutus' unexploded grenade, which he had collected from the lakeshore back in Thorn Valley, and presented it to Jenner.

"That thing, my Lord, has the power of a thousand spears," he explained, "Against this, our strength means nothing. And there is more…" He gestured down to a cove, where several of the Exiles were bringing the Jeremy ashore, where several oxen-sized rabbits with harnesses awaited, to tow it up the steep mountain path, to the Exiles' hideout.

Jenner stared at the glider, thinking. That human was more valuable to his cause that he even thought possible. He had to get that priceless asset under his control at all costs! Unfortunately, Castor's mission had turned out little more than a blotched-up fiasco.

Despite the acquisitioning of the grenade and the glider, both of which could be a cutting edge for military applications, without the human to explain how they worked, and, most importantly, how to build more of them, they were merely picking up breadcrumbs. No Rat could duplicate either of these inventions without the knowledge and the last person he'd 'enlisted' to help him in this endeavour had failed miserably. No, he needed that damned human!

Jenner considered his options. He had already been informed about the human and his party escaping down the river. He figured they would probably make their way back to the Lee of the Stone first, so the Brisby woman could return to her family, before making for Rosebush City so that fool Justin could present the human to Nicodemus. And once that creature, which continued to evade him at every turn, was under his damned Uncle's protection, he would be untouchable… Then, suddenly another idea came to mind. What he needed was a bit of leverage.

He called Castor over, "I want you to get another raiding party ready to set out at once. You'll be journeying to the Lee of the Stone. You're to get there before the human does and acquire some bait to lure him to us…"

Author's note: Sorry about the delay but I have been given a longer schedule at work. I'll try and upload the next chapter sooner. Enjoy and please, please review!