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Chapters (64)
  1. CAPTURED!
  2. Other Books
  3. Title Page
  4. Map
  5. Introduction
  6. BOOK ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. BOOK TWO
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. BOOK THREE
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. What’s next onyour reading list?

The Abbot smiled and scratched his head. “Foolish of me. Sinister and dexter, left and right. In the old language of Loamhedge, sinistree is left eye, dexteree right eye. So you must be travelling south with the sun setting in your right eye. Thank you, Foremole.”

“Moi pleasure, Abbot zurr.”

“So one thing is apparent,” Cornflower interrupted, “keep travelling south, straight south, no matter what. I hope Matthias is doing that, wherever he, Jess and Basil are now. Oh, Father Abbot, if only we could get this information, this map and poem, to them right now. They mean very little to us sitting here in Redwall, but to my Matthias, why, he might be able to see the very places the map and poem tell of.”

“Indeed,” the Abbot shrugged sadly. “Not only that, but it tells the exact route and even clues to the dangers they will encounter: the woodland trees, the water, when to cross it, the longtails, the place where stones fall and make no sound – it’s all here – badgers’ heads, bells, Lord of Mossflower. Cornflower, you are right, it’s about as much use to us as a snowfall in summer, but to them. . . .”

“Then you make copee. All Sparra fly, all Sparra, much long, fly plenty, find um my friend Matthias with old longears and treejumper. We find, you see.”

Cornflower was taken aback. “Queen Warbeak, I don’t know, but how . . . ?”

The Sparra Queen hopped onto the mantelpiece and cocked her head to one side jauntily. “No worry. Warbeak Queen, Sparra warriors do what me say. Matthias, Redwall, all good to Warbeak and Sparra folk. We do this for you, for you.”

“Splendid!” For a mouse of his many seasons, the Abbot did a surprisingly agile leap up onto his paws. “I will rouse Brother Sedge, Sister Agnes, Brother Rufus, Sister May. Together with myself and John Churchmouse, they should be able to copy the map and the poem several times over before first light. I take it you will want to leave at dawn, Queen Warbeak?”

The sparrow bowed gravely. “First wormlight, old-mouse Abbot, all Sparra fly south.”

Outside the gatehouse window, other ears were listening. A large magpie clacked his beak together in satisfaction and took off for the woodlands beyond the Abbey’s north wall.

BOOK TWO

General Ironbeak

26

Matthias and his friends watched in silence as Log-a-Log held up the black stone in one paw and addressed the shrews seated on the river bank in the quiet summer’s evening.

“Members of the Guosim, you have heard the tale Matthias of Redwall and his friends related to us. There is evil abroad in Mossflower; this we already knew. Slavers, the masked fox and his band, have captured young creatures. Even now they are marching them south.”

“So, what has this got to do with us?” the shrew named Skan interrupted.