Martin stepped up to the door and tried to find an opening. Liam noticed another button at the side of the door, and thought. He had pressed a button before, and a door had opened immediately. Perhaps that was the key to opening the doors.

Liam pressed the button, and sure enough the door opened. Martin jumped back in shock.

"It worked!" Liam said.

"What worked? What did you do?" Martin asked, his heart racing.

"I-I just pressed this," Liam replied, almost as if he was pleading innocence, and indicated the button. "I think that's how to open the doors in here."

"Try pressing it again," said Martin. Liam pressed the button again, and the door closed. "Yes, you're right," Martin said.

Liam pressed the button for a third time, and the door reopened. "At least we now know how to open the doors here."

The first thing they noticed as they stepped through the door was the strong moist smell that hit them like a brick wall. It reminded them of the smell a field makes after a heavy rainfall. The room was overgrown with plants which pressed against the ceiling. Branches and leaves had grown all around the room, tying each other in knots. The moisture in the room was immense, making the air as thick as soup and shrouding the other side of the room in a mist. This room also felt a lot warmer than the one they had stepped out of.

The two mice made their way slowly along a metal walkway with railings on each side, which lay across the middle of the room from the door to the opposite side. The metal was slippery, and the mice had a tight grip on the railings to avoid falling down. Liam lingered around the door, not wanting to go too far in, slip and hurt his leg more. Upon closer inspection, fruits were visible hanging from some of the plants, and some vegetables were sprouting from the ground.

"This must be where they get their food," said Martin.

"How could somebeast grow plants this large with no sunlight?" Liam pondered.

"I'm as puzzled as you are," Martin responded. Everything they found only seemed to give more questions than answers.

The two mice left the room of plants and opened the second door. Inside, they discovered a dimly-lit room with ten beds arranged in two rows of five. The bed sheets were neatly made, with the exception of a bed on the right hand side of the room, which looked as if somebeast had just risen out of it. At the back of the room was another door, but the two mice didn't notice, or ignored it.

Instead, they headed over to the final door in the main room. They opened it, and almost gasped at what greeted them.

This room contained ten of what appeared to be coffins, all of them closed. However, on closer inspection, these were more than that – they were made out of a very dark metal, and there were small pipes coming from them. What was even stranger was that each 'coffin' had a small panel built into their lids, almost like a small window.

"It's like a tomb," was all Martin could say.

"Do…you think there are more of those beasts in these?" Liam asked cautiously.

Martin approached the nearest 'coffin' and stretched his arms. "There's only one way to find out." Martin placed Liam's sword down and grabbed the lid of the 'coffin'. He tried to lift it up to open it, but it would not budge, no matter how much strength he put into it.

"I don't understand," said Martin as he scratched his head. "It's as if the lid has a heavy weight holding it down."

Martin looked through the small window on the 'coffin' lid. It was hard to see inside, but he could make out the shape of a skull, with the rest of its body continuing down and out of view. Martin headed over to another 'coffin' and looked through its window, and there was another skeleton inside.

"This is the answer to your question," said Martin. "The rest of the tribe are in here. This is a tomb."

Liam moved his gaze around the room slowly, his eyes full of anxiety, as if he were standing face to face with the cruellest of vermin. He stopped and pointed as something caught his attention. "Look!"

He was pointing at a particular 'coffin' that stood near the back of the room. Unlike the others, a faint green light was shining out from the window of this particular 'coffin'. None of the other 'coffins' had a light shining from within.

Martin and Liam approached. Martin looked in through its window while Liam stood behind him.

"Can you see anything inside?"

"No…" Martin stood back. "There's some kind of smoke in it. It's too misty to see."

"Could I have a look?"

"Go ahead."

Liam approached the 'coffin' and peered in through its window. Martin stepped away, thinking. How long had the dome been hidden in the rocks for? What kind of creatures had these been when they were alive? The voice they had heard was repeating itself in Martin's head. A war. Remaining locked in the dome for the rest of their lives. Pods, all "broken down" except for one…

"I can hear something," said Liam, his right ear pressed against the side of the 'coffin'. "There's a strange sound coming from inside. It sounds like a heart beating."

Suddenly, it clicked together.

Martin spun round to face his companion. Liam had crouched down, having found a button on the side of the 'coffin'.

"Don't."

Liam turned to Martin. "What, Martin?"

"Don't press that." Martin's voice sounded a bit shaky. He stepped towards Liam. "Come on, we're leaving."

"But…but there's something in there…"

"We have to go, now," Martin urged, and he began to step back towards the door. Liam, unsure of what Martin was talking about, slowly stood back up and followed. The two mice left and stepped out of the dome and back into the cavern without speaking a word.

They continued into the long tunnel back up to the surface, still with the eerie silence lingering. Liam wanted to say something, but decided to hold it back until they stopped walking.

Eventually, they made it back to the cave they had initially stopped to rest in. The fire Martin had built had died out. The storm was continuing outside, but it had lessened its grip on the land considerably. It was also darker outside, indicating the sun was beginning to set.

Liam finally spoke. "What happened, Martin? What made you suddenly decide we had to go?" Liam was genuinely bewildered, and there was no hint of anger or irritation in his voice.

Martin placed both paws on Liam's shoulders. "Do you remember what that voice said? Do you remember when he talked about 'pods'? I worked it out; he was talking about those coffins – he had to be. And if you'd opened the one with the light coming out of it…you would have released a vile, evil creature of death."

Liam was taken aback. "A what? You mean there was something alive in there? Was it one of them?"

Martin pressed slightly on Liam's shoulders. "Everything that voice told us makes sense now; there was a war – a huge war fought long ago between those beasts. A war so devastating that they were forced to lock themselves away in the dome. Those creatures were able to completely destroy their own kind. Whatever creature was in that pod or coffin, it was vermin – vermin far crueller than we've ever encountered. Ever since I went down there, I had a feeling in the back of my mind…a feeling that we weren't meant to find that place. Now that I understand what happened, I can see why."

"Vermin?" asked a stunned Liam. "But are you sure? That voice…whoever he was, he didn't sound happy about his kind's actions."

"That wasn't him in the pod!" Martin snapped.

Martin turned around and scowled. Liam was astonished; he had never seen Martin acting so hysterical.

"So…what you're saying is that the dome was all a trap into releasing this creature?"

Martin thought for a moment. "I don't know…perhaps unintentionally," he said, remaining calm. He turned back around to face Liam. "I think I may have over-reacted, and I'm sorry for shouting. But do you see where I am coming from? Not all of those creatures may have been vermin, but if they were capable of destroying their kind and their world, we cannot risk it if one of them is lying dormant in there. We don't know if its intentions are good or bad, and it would be safer for that to remain unanswered."

Liam nodded. "Perhaps it was for the best, to leave them to history…I just feel sorry for the poor souls who got caught in their war."

Martin prepared another fire, and the two mice gazed outside. By now, it was even darker, and moonlight was shining down through the trees outside and onto the snow. Their swords were standing against the wall.

"If the storm continues to die down at this rate," said Martin, "we'll be able to press on in the morning."

"I'd do anything to hold Teyna in my arms again," said Liam.

"And I the same with my family," Martin added.

They were silent for a moment, letting the sound of the flame flicker around them. Liam suddenly turned to Martin. "Do you think we should tell the others?"

"The others?" asked Martin.

"Back at Saint Ninian's. Should we tell them about what we found? When they see what has happened to your sword, they'll ask questions."

"I…I don't know," said Martin. He had never thought about that. "Keeping this a secret would be a tremendous effort, but I don't want others to find this place for their own safety. Besides, I don't think we'll remember the way back here once we leave…I don't think they'd even believe us. Who would?"

"Do you think there are more of those domes around Mossflower?" Liam asked.

"Yes," said Martin. "The voice said something about other domes. Who knows where they are? Hidden in other caves? Across the sea? At the bottom of lakes? It's only a matter of time before somebeast finds one. And then it wouldn't be long until one of those creatures is released…"

They continued to stare out the cave. Liam wasn't sure whether it was Martin's words or the cold outside that sent a chill down his spine, but he hoped it was the latter.

Martin turned to Liam. "Do you remember when that voice gave us two tasks?" he asked. Liam nodded. "We may not have released his companion…but he also told us not to mess something up. I think he was referring to the world." Martin looked back outside. "He was warning us not to follow their example, otherwise we'd suffer dire consequences like them. His second task is something we should carry out. We'll keep Mossflower safe from vermin threats…all of us. It's what anybeast would ask for."

The two mice lay down on the floor of the cave, resting their heads against the wall with the fire between them. It was going to be an uncomfortable night, but they were just grateful to be out of the snow.

Just in case you weren't sure, the Martin featured in this fanfic is not Martin the Warrior, but rather Martin the Elder (Martin the Warrior's grandfather on his father's side). Liam was an original character, and I made up the wives' names, and the two names of the 'creatures' (any resemblance to anyone is coincidental – I just picked the first names that came into my head for 'those'). Amble however is a real place; it's on the Northumberland coast. The cave and cliff face in this fanfic were inspired by Malham Cove.

Speaking of names, I also need to thank the Redwall Wiki group for answering my question on the name of Luke's mother (it turns out her name is never mentioned) so I've given her a name here (Vina). So thanks again.