Ferdy blinked hard, fighting back sleep. “Our friends are already free from you.”

Tsarmina controlled her mounting temper by burying her claws in a russet apple. “That’s as may be. But consider your own position. You two aren’t free, and you’re not likely to be, until you get some sense into your heads and answer my questions. D’you hear me?”

The wildcat’s threats fell upon deaf ears. Ferdy and Coggs lay with their heads resting against each other, nodding slightly as they snored. They were both fast asleep.

Cludd touched them gently with his spearbutt. “Huh, it beats me why you don’t string ’em both up and give ’em a taste of your claws, Milady. That’d soon make them talk.”

Tsarmina’s voice was tinged with heavy sarcasm. “You would think that, thickhead. How long d’you suppose they’d last with that treatment? These two are valuable hostages. Carry them down to the cells and lock them up for the night. We’ll see if they are hungry enough to talk business tomorrow.”

* * *

Gingivere heard the sound of an upstairs door opening. Someone was coming.

It was Cludd, accompanied by Ashleg and Fortunata. A key turned in the lock of the cell to the wildcat’s immediate left. He heard Cludd’s voice giving orders.

“Right. One in here, and one in the cell on the other side of the prisoner whose name must not be mentioned by Milady’s order. They must be kept apart.”

When the trio had departed, Gingivere reflected upon this new development. Whoever the prisoners were, he knew that Chibb the robin would be interested next time he visited Kotir.

Young Dinny the mole knocked upon Bella’s study door with his heavy digging claw.

“Hello, who is it?” Gonff’s voice rang out from within.

“Hurr, it be Young Din. Miz Goody sent oi with these yurr viddles furr ’ee.”

Martin opened the door and admitted the mole balancing a tray of food. Young Dinny blinked. The inside of the study was a mass of dust, scrolls, open drawers and general confusion. As Bella took the tray from the mole, Gonff leaped upon him from the desktop. They rolled about together on the floor, wrestling and hugging each other at the same time. Gonff laughed joyfully.

“Young Din, where’ve you been keeping yourself, me old diggin’ mate?”

Dinny gained the upper paw and sat on Gonff. “Wurr you’m been, zurr Gonffen? You’m a-getten’ fatter, hurr.”

Gonff introduced his mole friend to Martin while struggling to heave Dinny off. “Matey, this is Young Dinny, the strongest mole in Mossflower.”

The young mole allowed Gonff to get up. He smiled modestly as he shook paws with Martin.

“Naw, oi baint the strongest. Moi owd granfer Dinny, ’ee be the moightiest mole in these yurr parts, even tho’ ’ee seen many summers. Oi be ’onored to meet ’ee, Marthen.”

Martin took an instant liking to the friendly mole. They sat and shared the food while Bella explained the nature of the search.