The raven General relied upon the word of his seer, the crow Mangiz. He seldom arrived at any decision without first consulting him. Today was different. During the night, Quickbill the magpie had made his report, apprising the General of the latest news from Redwall. Now Ironbeak and Mangiz perched side by side, their eyes half closed, not looking at each other as they talked.

“Arrah! It is as I said, my General. The great redstone house is only a smallflight from us. You heard Quickbill, soon the sparrows will be gone and there will be none to give warning against us.”

The raven blinked as sunlight caught the corner of his eye. “My good right wing, Mangiz, it is as you foretold. Truly the redstone house is a wonderful place. Tell me more of it.”

The impassive crow ruffled his neck down into dark breast feathers. “The sparrows fly south, my visions told me this. Where they go I do not know. Grakk! That need not concern us. The roofspaces will be unguarded, and we can take care of any old ones or nestlings that are left. Below on the ground there are many earthcrawlers, a great stripedog, hedgepig, waterhound and mice wearing robes. There are no warriors or fighters to do battle with.”

Ironbeak came alert as the distant sounds of the Matthias and Methuselah bells tolled out a new day in the Summer of the Golden Plain.

“Listen, Mangiz, the bells are welcoming us. It is a great thing to have a redstone house with bells. Arrak! The only time before this that I heard a bell was upon the northland’s great waters. It was on a ship that sank in a great storm. I never knew that houses had bells. What else does your vision tell you about the redstone?”

The seer crow shut his eyes tight. “The place has big lands enclosed by a wall. Enough food grows there to feed the whole northland, and there is a pool with fishes in it. Take my word, it is a place of plenty.”

Ironbeak’s bright eyes shone. “Yagga! Well told, my Mangiz. You are seldom wrong. Quickbill, take your brothers and watch the redstone house. Do not be seen. When the sparrows are gone, report back here. Grubclaw, Ragwing, take sentry duty. The rest of you keep low and hidden. Rest awhile, my fighters.”

The three magpies dipped their tails in salute before winging off through the trees. Amid a ruffling of feathers and scratching of talons, the others settled down to enjoy a rest in the warm summer morning. Ironbeak shuffled restlessly along the maple bough. He was clearly impatient.

“We have travelled far together, my General,” Mangiz said soothingly. “Wait now, the great redstone house will soon be yours. You will conquer it from the top downwards. Walls were built only for earthcrawlers. We will arrive like silent arrows from the sky. Patience, Ironbeak.”