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Chapters (79)
  1. CHARGE!
  2. THE REDWALL BOOKS
  3. Dedication
  4. Map
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. ACT ONE
  7. 1
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 4
  15. 5
  16. 5
  17. 6
  18. 6
  19. 7
  20. 7
  21. 8
  22. 8
  23. 9
  24. 9
  25. 10
  26. 10
  27. 11
  28. 11
  29. 12
  30. 12
  31. 13
  32. 13
  33. ACT TWO
  34. 14
  35. 14
  36. 15
  37. 15
  38. 16
  39. 16
  40. 17
  41. 17
  42. 18
  43. 18
  44. 19
  45. 19
  46. 20
  47. 20
  48. 21
  49. 21
  50. 22
  51. 22
  52. 23
  53. 23
  54. 24
  55. 24
  56. 25
  57. 25
  58. ACT THREE
  59. 26
  60. 26
  61. 27
  62. 27
  63. 28
  64. 28
  65. 29
  66. 29
  67. 30
  68. 30
  69. 31
  70. 31
  71. 32
  72. 32
  73. 33
  74. 33
  75. 34
  76. 34
  77. Epilogue
  78. Epilogue
  79. What’s next onyour reading list?

Rusvul Reguba sighted down the arrow on his bow, then let the string slack with a sigh. “Tchaaaah! They could hide be’ind that oak an’ chop away all season. Not much we can do about it, mate. The tree’s goin’ to fall sooner or later fer sure!”

ACT THREE

The Queen’s Island

26

26

As the pounding rush of waters enveloped Song she struck out wildly. Her world now consisted of a roaring, boiling melee, in which she was as helpless as a leaf in a hurricane. Water battered her eyes shut, gushing up her nostrils, down her ears and into her mouth. Without warning a powerful pair of talons latched on to her paws, like a drowning swimmer clutching a twig. Something hard struck her body: a jagged peak of rock, sticking up underwater. Heavy sodden feathers flapped slowly, embracing her. The squirrelmaid forced her eyes open for an instant and found herself facing a huge, hooked, amber beak. Then an eddy caught both Song and the osprey, whirling them around the rocky pinnacle like a pair of spinning tops. There was tension pulling at Song, from the rope tied about her waist, but then it slackened off with frightening suddenness. The side of Song’s head thudded against the rock, knocking her senseless.

On the rocky edge of the waterfall, Dann felt the rope go slack. Numbly he drew in the line, stunned by what had happened. Behind him he could hear Dippler yelling hoarsely, “Song, where are you? Sooooong!”

Dann sat down with a groan, covering his eyes with both paws, trying to blot out the awful realization of tragedy. Dippler slapped him hard across his face, shouting at him over the roaring noise of falling waters.

“Get up, mate! Keep an eye on the place where she went down. I’m goin’ to get Burble an’ the boat. Wait here!”

Galvanized into action, Dann sprang upright. He found a broken branch and tied it to the rope’s end. As Dippler raced away he saw Dann throwing the branch out into the water cascade, roaring, “Grab the branch if yore there, Song, grab the branch!”

Dippler clambered off over the wet stones, muttering aloud, “Leastways he’s doin’ somethin’ instead o’ sittin’ there in a blinkin’ trance!”

*

Song twisted and turned. Grandma Ellayo was standing right in front of her, talking, but her voice sounded strange. Rimrose and Janglur had tight hold of Song’s paws, and Ellayo was speaking to them. “Rrrrrr! Should’ve threwed dem back in. Not fishes, rrrr no, only trouble. Glockglock!”

Now Ellayo was forcing Rimrose and Janglur to release their grip on Song, though her parents’ paws felt unusually sharp and strong. Ellayo was speaking again. “Rrrrr! Use ye beak, dumb duck, use ye beak. Rrrrrr!”