What must Goody and Ben be doing?

Would the Corim leaders organize a search and a rescue?

What lay ahead they could only guess, but it wasn’t going to be very pleasant.

Tsarmina sat watching impassively as Ashleg cut the captives’ bonds and relieved them of their gags. Ferdy and Coggs lay quite still, fighting back tears as the circulation was painfully restored to their swollen limbs.

Cludd stirred the inert forms with his spearpoint. “Huh, they’re fit enough, Milady. Wait’ll their tongues loosen up, and we’ll see what they’ve got to say for themselves.”

Coggs rolled closer to Ferdy. “Don’t tell the villains a thing, matey. Let’s be like Martin and Gonff: brave and silent.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Fortunata kicked out cruelly at Coggs. She regretted it immediately as her paw came into contact with his sharp little spines.

“Silence, prisoner. Don’t you know you’re in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Tsarmina?”

Ferdy curled his lip rebelliously at the vixen. “She’s not our Majesty—we’re woodlanders.”

Tsarmina leaned forward to the two little creatures lying at the foot of her chair. Bringing her face near them she slitted her eyes venomously. Baring her great yellowed fangs and extending her fearsome claws, she gave vent to a sudden wild growl.

“Yeeeggaarroooorrr!”

Ferdy and Coggs clutched at each other, their eyes wide with terror.

Tsarmina laughed and leaned back in her chair. “Now, my two tiny woodland heroes, let’s begin, shall we?”

The wildcat’s expression became almost benevolent as she took a tray of food from a table and sat with it in her lap.

“You, Ferdy—or is it Coggs? Wouldn’t you like some milk and biscuits? A rosy autumn apple, perhaps? Or maybe you prefer dried fruit and nuts? Look, they won’t hurt you.”

Tsarmina bit into an apple, washing it down with a draught of milk.

The two small hedgehogs gazed longingly as she ate. They had not tasted food since dawn that morning.

Tsarmina selected a biscuit. Tossing the apple aside, she nibbled daintily, flicking crumbs from her whiskers.

Ferdy licked his lips. Coggs nudged him warningly. “It’s probably all poisoned. Don’t touch it.”

Tsarmina placed the platter on the floor close to them. “Silly, if it were poison I’d be ill by now. Try it yourself, it’s all from my special store. All I want is that you tell me about your woodland friends.”

Coggs yawned and muttered wearily, “Don’t tell her anything, matey. Not a word.”

Ferdy yawned.

Tsarmina sat watching the two young captives. Their eyelids were beginning to droop, so she decided to try another angle. Stretching luxuriously, she yawned and snuggled deep in the big cushioned chair.

“I’ll bet you two are tired. Mmmm, wouldn’t it be nice to lie down on a bed of clean fresh straw and sleep for as long as you please? You can, too. It’s quite simple, really. Just tell me about your friends—who they are, where they live, and so on. I won’t harm them, you have my word. They’ll thank you for it later when they are truly free. What do you say?”