Bane’s plan was simple. “Don’t give ’em an inch; show them you mean business; forget about subterfuge and spies—that only makes for prolonged war—strike hard and be ruthless. We have the superior number of trained fighters. Start tomorrow morning, have the full strength out in skirmish line, comb the forest thoroughly, kill any who resist and take the rest prisoner. It’s the only way to get results, believe me.”

“Bold words, Bane,” Tsarmina told him approvingly. “But have you tried fighting squirrel archers? They can vanish through the treetops as quick as you can think.”

“Then burn the trees, or chop them down. I’ve seen it all before. If small creatures scurry off down holes, then block them up, fill every possible exit. That’s all they understand. You take my word, it works every time. I know, I’ve done it.”

Tsarmina pointed out of the window at the fastness of Mossflower. “Could you do it again out there?”

“With our combined forces, easily.”

“Then we start tomorrow morning,” she said decisively.

“At first light!”

* * *

Columbine was learning to use one of the smaller squirrel bows. Lady Amber had set up a target while they patrolled the digging areas to protect the workers.

“Pull the string right back,” Lady Amber instructed. “Look along the arrow shaft with one eye. See the target? Good. Now breathe out and release the arrow at the same time . . . Fine shot, Columbine!”

The shaft stood quivering near the target’s center.

“Haha, I’m getting better at it all the time, Lady Amber.”

“You certainly are. Keep it up and you’ll soon be as good as me.”

Foremole and Old Dinny came trundling up. The mole leader tugged his snout to Amber.

“Marm, Dinny an’ oi filled up yon holler oak stump whurr ’ee got’n out Kotir from,” he reported.

Old Dinny plucked the arrow from the target and returned it to Columbine.

“Hurr, that we ’ave,” he agreed. “Doant want fludden commen out thurr. We’m gotter fludd cat place, not ’m woodlands.”

Amber sighed. “It’s a long dig. Let’s hope we can do it before the cat and her army make any surprise moves.”

Skipper sprang dripping from the river.

“Never fear, Amber. My crew and I have done our bit. We’ve dug from under the water clear to the floodgates your crew sunk into the ground, where the moles began digging. Mind, I wish we could tunnel as well as Billum, Soilflyer and Urthclaw. Strike me colors, you ought to see those lads shift earth.”

Foremole and Old Dinny smiled with pleasure, but Amber slammed her paw against the target.

“I just wish there was more my squirrels and I could do. Oh, I know we’re patrolling and keeping watch, but we don’t seem to be contributing any real work.” She sighed again.

“Then why don’t you let me and my crew do a bit of guard duty?” Skipper suggested. “We could certainly do with the rest after all that underwater diggin’. Listen, Billum reckons they’ll strike some big rocks soon; why don’t you see if you could rig up something that’ll help the moles to move them?”