Mattimeo was awakened by the sound of the night guards. Bageye and Skinpaw were on duty, and they walked past the sleeping captives conversing in low earnest tones. The young mouse could not hear what was said, though he strained his ears to catch any hint as to their eventual destination.

“Matti, are you awake?”

“Only just, Tess. Keep your voice down, the rest are still asleep.”

“Is anything the matter?” the churchmouse asked.

“Yes and no,” he replied. “I was trying to hear what the guards were talking about. They’ve seemed very edgy since we left the forest and hills where Stonefleck and his rats live.”

“That’s strange, I noticed the same thing last night, before we camped down here. They’re all so silent and uneasy, even Slagar.”

Mattimeo raised his head, taking in the scene around him. The earth was flat, dry and dusty; no trees grew and there was little sign of any grass, shrubs or greenery. It was a dusty brown desolation stretching out before them.

“I tell you, Tess, I don’t like it myself. This far south Mossflower country is very odd. Listen, you can’t even hear a single bird singing. What sort of land is it where even the birds cannot live?”

Young Jube the hedgehog stirred in his sleep, he whimpered and turned restlessly. Tess passed her paw gently over his headspikes, and he settled down into a quiet slumber.

“Poor little Jube,” she said sympathetically. “He used to be so confident that his father would rescue him, and treated the whole thing as if he were only along with us for part of the journey. I’m worried about him, he’s so thin and sad-looking these days.”

Mattimeo smiled at the churchmouse. “You sounded just like your mum then, Tess, always fussing and worrying over some young one. You’re right, though, Jube isn’t his old self anymore. In fact, none of us are, we’re much thinner and older. I’m not surprised, after all we’ve been through since that night of the feast at Redwall.”

Tess looked at her habit. It was torn, dusty and stained.

“It all seems so long ago. I think we’ve grown up a lot since then. Ah, well, the main thing is that we’re still together. We’ve made friends, too. Look at Auma; I couldn’t imagine life without her and Jube anymore.”

Slavers and captives alike began wakening. Mattimeo winked at Tess and smiled as cheerfully as he could.

“We’ll come through it all, you wait and see,” he said comfortingly. “Ho hum! Another nice sunny day for a walk, eh, Tess? I wonder where old Slagar is taking us today. Nut-gathering? Picknicking? What do you think?”