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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?

Perhaps we can find some cake.

Maybe, my friend, we will bring to you

A shrewcake baked by a shrew.”

At first Sir Harry looked undecided, then he stamped his talons and clacked his hooked beak in approval.

“Not bad, not bad at all.

At least it made me smile.

For a Warrior, I’d say quite good,

You have a certain style.”

Matthias sheathed his sword. “Wait here, sir. I’ll be back in a short while, then we can talk business.”

The warrior mouse set off in search of Log-a-Log and his shrews.

*   *   *

Basil cleared his throat noisily and faced Sir Harry.

“I beg you listen to me,

I’m a fellow spirit, you see.

I was once considered a champion poet.

I just thought you’d like to know it. . . .”

Cheek tittered and avoided Basil’s paw in the same instant.

Sir Harry turned his back and delivered a cutting line:

“I beg, I implore you, sir,

Stick to being a hare!”

Basil twiddled his ears huffily. “Hmph! Some chaps wouldn’t know a rhyme if you chopped it up and served it with custard in a bowl. Stick to being a hare, huh!”

*   *   *

Matthias reappeared with Log-a-Log. The shrew leader was carrying a flat white cake, its sides oozed honey, and dark specks at its middle were definitely some kind of dried fruit baked into it. He presented it to Sir Harry.

The owl looked it over dubiously. He pecked at the cake, made small noises of approval, then gobbled it up greedily. Crumbs of shrewcake still clung to his beak as he nodded in satisfaction.

“Excellent! Didn’t look like much, but it tasted wonderful. How many more of these have you got?”

Matthias shrugged. “As many as it takes. The Guosim are good cooks. All they need is a small fire, a thin slab of rock and their own ingredients. But first I want to know more about that plateau. Is there a way up?”

“Of course there is,” Sir Harry snorted, spraying crumbs over Cheek. “Nothing moves around here that I don’t know about. I watched the fox and his band taking a slave line up there yesterday. There are rope ladders on the top. They pulled them up so you couldn’t follow. How many shrewcakes in a batch?”

“Eighteen,” Log-a-Log told him.

“That many? Good! I’ll fly up and drop the ladders down, but don’t ask me to do any more. I stay well clear of the toplands normally. It’s a strange world, too much death.”

Sir Harry did a short ungainly run and took off into graceful flight. He circled and wheeled, then flew up to the cliff top.

*   *   *

Log-a-Log called the shrews together, issuing orders to the two on cooking duty. Basil and Matthias marshalled the rest into lines ready for the ascent.

Jess Squirrel watched the top anxiously. “Look out, stand back, here come the rope ladders,” she reported.