On top of the hill, Slagar and his cohorts were surprised and shaken by the scale of the landslide they had caused. Clouds of choking dust arose in the silvery moonlight around them. Bageye and Skinpaw buried their faces against the earth, scared to move. The masked fox lifted the bottom of the hood and spat gritty dust. He was about to howl his triumph at the night sky when Mattimeo and the escaped captives heaved themselves from the water and dashed towards the mound of debris with shouts of dismay.

Slagar grabbed Bageye and Skinpaw by their tails and dragged them swiftly back, down the opposite side of the hill.

“Ow! Ouch! Leggo, Chief!”

“Arrgh! Yer pullin’ me tail off!”

The Cruel One cuffed them soundly about the ears. “Silence, idiots! Where did they come from?”

“Where did who come from?”

“Mattimeo and his lot. They’re down there now, trying to unblock the cave entrance.”

“I never saw ’em, Chief.”

“You wouldn’t, muckbrain. You and your crony were too busy kissing the ground.”

“They must’ve escaped. We’ll go down there and round them up, eh, Chief.”

“Blockhead, there’s not enough of us to capture ’em all. They’d scatter away like a shot. How could three of us catch seven of them, idiot! Listen, I’ll stay here and keep an eye on them, you two get running and catch up with the others. Tell Threeclaws and Halftail to chain the rest of the prisoners up and stay with ’em, then bring the rest back here. Do it quietly, and we’ll surround our little friends down there so none of them will escape a second time.”

“Righto, but what if they manage to dig their friends out of that cave while we’re away?”

“Don’t talk rubbish,” Slagar sniggered. “Nothing on earth could move that lot. It isn’t a cave any more, it’s a grave. Now get going and bring the rest back here quickly. When you get back, lie low, stay silent, and wait until I give the signal.”

Bageye and Skinpaw trotted off into the moonlit forest.

Slagar ripped off his patterned silk headmask and breathed deep, his mutilated face twisting into an insane smile as he listened to the young ones on the other side of the hill trying desperately to reach their parents and friends through an impenetrable mass of earth and rock.

*   *   *

Inside the cave the dust had settled. Matthias felt about in the inky blackness until he found his sword. All around him there was spluttering, coughing and confusion. The warrior mouse wiped dusty earth from his mouth and called out, “Is everybeast all right?”

“All right? Steady on, old sport. A feller can hardly be all right when he’s buried up to his middle in rocks and whatnot.”