“No, the strange thing is that my vision is clouded. The eye within my mind has been blurred since we came here today. Whatever I try to see becomes difficult. It is an earthcrawler, a mouse dressed strangely; he carries a sword and seems to bar all my visions.”

Ironbeak closed his eyes. “Do not worry, Mangiz. Maybe it is a good omen.”

Mangiz clacked his beak doubtfully. “We will see, my General.”

*   *   *

“Come on. Oops a daisy! Up the stairs to bed with you, little Rollo.”

Mrs. Churchmouse chased after baby Rollo, but he ducked beneath the table and began singing.

“I wrestle a fish upon a dish,

Cut off his ’ead while he’s in bed,

an’ take a rat an’ make him dead,

for goooooood ooooooold cideeeeeeerrrrrrr!”

Sister May and Cornflower helped Mrs. Churchmouse. They scrambled under the table and chased Rollo out into her waiting paws.

“Gotcha, you little monster. Now off to bed with you.”

“No no, dowannago! Dowannagorrabed!”

“Please, Rollo, be a good fellow. Tell you what, if I come up with Cornflower and Sister May and we sing songs, then will you go?”

Rollo chuckled until his little fat body shook. “Yep, yep. Singa singa song f’ Rollo.”

*   *   *

The three mouse ladies took the infant bankvole up to the dormitory on the floor above Great Hall, where he was dutifully put into a cot.

After several songs, Cornflower held a paw to her lips. “Ssshhh, he’s asleep. Come on, quietly now.”

Rollo opened one eye. He watched them tip-paw out. As soon as the door was closed, he pulled his nightshirt above his paws and scrambled out of the cot.

Halfway down the stairs, Sister May heard the dormitory door slam. “Mercy me, the little rogue has escaped. Quickly!”

They bounded back up the spiral staircase, reaching the landing in time to see Rollo climb another curving flight of stairs.

Cornflower stamped her paw down hard. “Back to bed, baby Rollo, this instant!”

Rollo turned and giggled, then he waved to them. Mrs. Churchmouse heard a slight noise on the stairs above Rollo, and was about to call out to him. Suddenly a large raven poked its villainous black head round the spiral and seized Rollo by the nightshirt in its wicked beak.

The little bankvole screamed aloud as he was dragged backwards up the stairs.

*   *   *

Darkness had fallen when Matthias and his new-found army reached the foothills. They were forced to camp there for the night until morning light revealed their position. Shrew fires glimmered, and the chatter and noise of the argumentative little beasts made Matthias wish Log-a-Log had never offered the help of the Guosim. The warrior mouse sat alone on the brow of a small rise, then he was joined by Orlando and Jabez Stump.

The hedgehog nodded towards the cliffs rearing high overhead. “Puzzles me as to ’ow any creature ’ceptin’ a bird could get to the top of there. You’re sure they went this way?”