A branch whipped back in Martin's face.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

"And so you should be," he muttered. "Here, Rose, sing us a little ditty, will you?"

Rose obliged, lifting up her voice, not knowing the Kotir soldiers were abroad.

"A winter's day froze all the fears

'Why did he come to us?' "

Lady Amber cursed under her breath.

"Doesn't she know?"

Skipper unsheathed his blade. "Not if she's a newcomer to Mossflower, matey. And she'll be a deadbeast if we don't get down there fast!"

Martin was scouting ahead. He gave a yell as the Kotir soldiers set upon him from behind.

Rose gripped her sling. "That was Martin. I'd stake Marshank on it!"

Felldoh chuckled humourlessly. "Save your bets, Rose. Fur and Freedom - couldn't be nobeast but our warrior, could it?"

Amber looked down on the screaming melee. "Goodness, there's about five warriors there! But they'll die if they're captured, Kotir has many reinforcements. We must help them - "

She blew a short blast on her whistle. Immediately, ten squirrels dropped down from the treetops. Skipper followed her example, this time blowing two long blasts. A score of otters emerged from the forest.

Celandine was carried off, struggling frantically at her bonds. Amber's squirrels jumped down to help her, and the otters hurled stones at the soldiers. But another eightscore soldiers came running out, killing whomever they could. The Corim fighters were driven off, and Martin fell, wounded.

Even as Celandine was dragged through the halls of Kotir, she bit and scratched, and with a piercing scream, was knocked unconscious.

She revived in Verdauga's chamber. Tsarmina scratched a long claw along the squirrelmaid's forehead as she woke, and Celandine kicked out furiously.

"Don't worry, cat. We'll get even for that, I promise!"

"We?" asked Verdauga, expertly picking up on the little hitches in her words.

"Me and my friends. If this is the welcome to travellers, I'd hate to live here!"

Verdauga chuckled. "So your friends are here now? Why did they leave you?"

"One of them is badly hurt. Also, your soldiers are cowards. There were just us five against two hundred of yours, cat."

"Nonsense!" snapped Tsarmina sharply. "There were twoscore, otters and other squirrels. What of them?"

"I don't know. And if this is anything to go by, I'm not surprised they helped us without speaking."

Verdauga pulled his children to one side. "What do you think?"

Tsarmina sniffed. "Have her executed. She has disobeyed your rules, O Father, and also criticised us, and our way of life."

Her voice carried over to Celandine, who turned pale under her fur.

Gingivere did not raise his voice. "She is a brave creature. Her friends would doubtless seek revenge for her death, and besides, there are enough cowards in the world without slaying a brave one. You would save yourself some extra trouble by setting her free."

Celandine's quick ears heard his quiet words, and hoped against hope.

"Here is my verdict," said Verdauga finally. "Put her in the upper cells to cool her heels until the end of winter. Then release her. She and her friends will be grateful enough to keep quiet, and leave Mossflower."

"If they have not already left, that is," said Tsarmina cruelly. Celandine flew at her, foaming at the mouth.

"Listen, cat! My friends would never leave me! I know what I'm doing, don't worry! My warriors are much more loyal than your rabble of an army! They only have fear to keep them here, but we have much more - love, friendship - things you'll never know! Let me tell you, I may be just a young squirrel, but by Hellgates I can think!"

Still fighting, Celandine was dragged down to the cells. Her eyes were pink from battle light, and several vermin were slain that hour from her - ahem - reluctance to go down to the cells.

Amber dropped down beside Felldoh, who jumped.

"Great seasons of slaughter! Who are you?"

Rose quickly smoothed things over. "Sorry. We're just - very surprised."

Amber's smile was rueful. "Aye, surprised all right. Anybeast with sense would've cleared out by now. But we want revenge, the Corim do. Since one of your number has been taken, would you like to join?"

Brome blinked. "How did you - "

"My squirrels were in that skirmish. I'm Lady Amber Squirrelqueen, by the way. Who are you?"

Rose introduced them. "But what d'you mean, the Corim?"

"The Council Of Resistance In Mossflower. Corim. Can you join?"

Rose looked at Martin. Martin looked at Felldoh, who glanced at Brome, who nodded slightly.

"All right," said Rose. "What do we do?"

"First thing," said Amber, "is to go round to the other side of Kotir, the river side."

"Why?" asked Martin, following her.

"Because that's how the prisoners are executed," said Amber.

A/N: Well? What can I say?

Celandine rocked back and forth. It wasn't too bad. There was light coming through the barred window, a straw pallet, an itchy woollen blanket, and bread and water. At least she could survive.

She started to run her paws through her tail, pulling out bits of bracken and twigs which had caught in her tail at some point during the day.

At least she could make a fire from it, she thought. One piece of bracken a day, perhaps.

She felt for a flint arrowhead she always wore round her neck. She smiled. It wasn't too bad.

Amber gave a sigh of relief. Turning to the others, she said, "She's got on Verdauga's good side, thankfully. She hasn't been executed. Well done, Gingivere."

"Gingivere?"

"There's three of them," explained Amber. "Verdauga and his two children, Tsarmina and Gingivere. Tsarmina's cruel, no doubt about it. But Gingivere's not too bad. He's quite decent - even nice. We hoped Verdauga would leave the kingdom to him, but there's no going. Tsarmina will take control, so there's no chance of Gingivere taking over."

Brome turned pale. "War? So soon? But it's only a season since Marshank!"

Lady Amber looked quizzical. "Marshank?"

"Oh, it was a slave camp. Or it was until we destroyed it," explained Martin.

"And it made Felldoh into a ruthless killer," joked Brome, ducking Felldoh's paw.

Lady Amber looked slightly surprised, but let it pass with a slight shrug.

Winter passed slowly for Celandine. Often she felt numb, too cold to feel pain, even when the guards poked her with their spears, making cruel fun of her. She sometimes cried, but now the tears were frozen in her eyes, it was too cold for them to fall. At first she had cried a lot from fear. But now she had nothing to fear, not even death. She knew she was forgotten, and though it hurt not to be remembered, she was glad, because it meant that the wildcat queen had rebellion to deal with, and she was being defeated. Once she had caught sight of Brome's distinctive healer pack, red, green and white, the colours of Noonvale, lying in the snow, so she knew her friends were working out an escape plan. She smiled at the grey stone walls. Escape would happen, and soon.

Beech took careful aim and fired. The arrow took a clean path through the dungeon cell and into the door. He grinned and threw himself into the skirmish.

"Mossflower! Eulalia! Kotir! S'death on the wind! Thousand Eyes! Tsarmina!" The battlecries of the woodlanders merged with those of Kotir. The woodlanders fought desperately, and Kotir retreated into the dark fortress.

The note was in Rose's handwriting. Celandine smiled briefly. Whatever Corim was, they were friendly, and could be trusted. And it was about time she escaped, too.