“Whew! What a time we’ve had. We ran all the way, following your trail through the woods. We haven’t stopped or eaten a thing today. Listen, there’s a whole army coming after you: Log-a-Log and his shrews. They rescued Matthias and those others from the cave, dug ’em out. . . .”

Slagar was surprised. “What? You mean to tell me those Redwall creatures are still alive?”

Skan wiped sweat from his brow. “Phew! Oh yes, very much so. In fact, they’ve joined up with the Guosim, that’s the shrews you know, and together they’ve vowed to track you and your band down and slay the lot of you.”

The fox stroked his silken mask pensively. “Hmmm, well, that’s nothing new. There’s lots of creatures would like to slay me. By the teeth of hell! I thought I’d buried those Redwallers for good. But why should you dash all the way here to tell me this?”

“Because I want my revenge on Log-a-Log and his stupid Guosim, and you can help me.”

“Oh, I see,” Slager nodded. “You and your friends have broken away from the shrews due to some sort of bad blood, is that it?”

Skan narrowed his eyes. “Something like that, but that’s my worry, not yours. The thing is now for us to join together and defeat them. Together we can be a strong force.”

Slagar helped Skan up and put a friendly paw about his shoulders.

“What a good idea, Skan. However, I have no need to fight with anybeast following us. See, the ladders have been pulled up. There’s no way we can be attacked, we’re completely safe up here.”

Skan looked angry and puzzled. “But what about me and my followers?”

Slagar chuckled. “Well, you can climb down and fight them yourself if you wish, or you can stay up here with us.”

The shrew was crestfallen. “I thought you’d want to fight them and be rid of them. I suppose we’ll have to stay here and join up with your band. We’re too few to face them alone.”

Slagar signalled to his crew and they began forming a semicircle around the shrews, who were standing with their backs to the cliff edge. The slavers were heavily armed. “Right, it’s a deal then, Skan,” Slagar said. “We’ll let you join up with us. Not with my band, of course, but with my slave line.”

The fox suddenly grasped Skan in a headlock, relieving him of his short sword, which he held at the shrew’s neck. “Surrender your weapons,” Slagar snarled at the shrews, “or he dies and you lot go over the edge!”

“You traitor, you scum! We came here to warn you,” Skan spluttered.