Mattimeo felt Tess sliding the dagger slowly under his outstretched paw. He slipped it up his habit sleeve. Yawning loudly, he turned over and huddled up so he could inspect the weapon. It was a small double-edged blade that ran to a sharp point. Mattimeo inserted it into the keyhole of his paw manacles and twisted a few times. The simple mechanism gave a small click and opened, and he had one paw free. It was only the work of a moment to open the other. He raised his head carefully and looked over towards the guards, but they were not yet fully asleep.

“Auma, can you and Jube keep an eye on those guards and let me know when you think they’re well asleep? Tim, I’m going to pass you the dagger. Work quietly, try not to rattle the chains.”

“Mattimeo, it’s all very well getting our chains unfastened, but there are seven of us, where will we go?” Tess worried. “Besides, I can’t see seven escaping from here without some noise.”

Mattimeo unfolded his plan. “Listen, all of you. There’s only one way we can go, and it’s the best way: straight into the river. We can slide off the bank one by one. There must be an overhang, if these rocks are anything to go by. We hide underneath an overhang, maybe upriver, going south. Slagar will think we have tried to go in the other direction, towards home. Besides, we can’t be tracked if we stay in the water. We must find somewhere to hide under the bank and stay there. When all the fuss dies down, they’ll have to continue to where they’re going. When they’re gone, then we can come out and make our way back to Redwall. Agreed?”

So it was agreed. The escape plan was to be carried out.

*   *   *

With Matthias’s sword point at his throat and Orlando’s axe resting delicately upon his tail, Scurl told the best story that his agile mind could think up.

“They be woodlanders. Scurl tried to helpem. Please be easy with your longblade, warrior mouse. I see Slagar and his villains with slaves, so I say to me, I must helpem, helpem. But no good, weasels drive me off, stoats, ferrets chase Scurl. I could not help woodlanders.”

Matthias relaxed the sword point a fraction. “Where did you get all these things: robe rope, seasonday gift, tail bracelet, blue flowers? The creatures that gave them to you, three mice, a squirrel and a young badger, are they all alive?”

Scurl nodded vigorously. “Oyes oyes, woodlanders all alive. I throw food to them when Slagar not watching. They give me these and say, ‘Tell others to follow us.’”

Orlando watched the crested newt. He did not like or trust the creature.