Mossflower

In Salamandastron, Boar gives Martin some training in the use of his new weapon. These pleasant exercises are interrupted by the news that a sea-rat ship has appeared on the horizon. It is the Bloodwake, and Boar signals that he is ready to fight Ripfang to the death that very night. When everyone volunteers to help in the battle, Boar says, “No. This is not your fight. This one was written long ago on the wall behind my father. It must be” (328). When Martin and his friends refuse to stay behind, Boar makes them promise to follow his orders without question.

In Kotir, Bane proposes taking his mercenaries out to the edge of the woods to wait for the woodlanders to appear, and Tsarmina agrees. Chibb overhears this plan and lets everyone at Brockhall know to lay low. The Abbess is temporarily in charge because Bella has gone searching for a secondary hideout in case Brockhall should be attacked. She travels far to the east, where she unexpectedly meets up with Gingivere. He is overjoyed to see Bella and introduces his new mate, Lady Sandingomm. They own a large farm and invite Bella to bring the woodlanders there for shelter if the need arises.

That night in Salamandastron, the Bloodwake anchors offshore. Boar and his war party emerge onto the beach. Ripfang and his forces soon surround them. A great battle ensues. During the fight, Boar commands his followers to take the ship and sail away. Since they agreed to obey him without question, they do as they are told and have little trouble with the token crew onboard. As they set sail, they see Boar kill his greatest foe before he is overwhelmed by the remaining sea rats.

In Kotir, tension has grown between Tsarmina and Bane. The queen decides that her rival must be eliminated and devises a plan. She invites Bane to share some wine with her and compliments him on his repairs to the damaged gates. As a token of friendship, she gives him Ashleg’s red velvet cloak. The pine marten has long since departed, but Tsarmina knows that Argulor has longed for marten meat for some time.

Onboard the Bloodwake, Gonff busies himself with freeing the many galley slaves in the ship’s hold. Martin is surprised to find that one of the freed slaves is his old friend Timballisto, whom he thought dead. Log-a-Log also finds many shrews from his home village enslaved on the ship. Everyone rejoices at this reunion. Dinny proposes renaming the pirate craft Wuddshipp, and all agree. Then, a nautical map is found showing a route from the sea up the Moss River. The crew can sail all the way back to Mossflower Woods.

In Kotir, Tsarmina asks Bane to inspect the fortress gate—a ruse to get him outside the enclosure where Argulor might see him. The eagle notices the red cloak and assumes the wearer is the pine marten. He swoops down and carries Bane off. The latter attacks the eagle with his sword. The two creatures battle in mid-air until Bane succumbs to injuries from Argulor’s talons while the eagle is mortally wounded by Bane’s sword. They tumble to the ground somewhere in the forest: “Tsarmina watched as both creatures plunged earthward. Two enemies defeated in a single brilliant stroke” (352). Underneath the fortress, the tunnel digging has been completed: “The wooden floodgates made a squelching sound as they were pulled free of the earth, then water began rippling through into the tunnels. The flooding of Kotir had begun!” (354).

At the same time, the travelers on Wuddshipp are having difficulty traveling against the current of the Moss River. At many points, they must drag the ship forward from the banks on either side. Eventually, they reach the shrew village, where the former enslaved galley workers are reunited with their families, and Log-a-Log once again takes his place as the village leader.

In Kotir, Tsarmina assumes command of all the remaining forces. That night, she is disturbed by the sound of running water somewhere in the castle. She orders a general search, but no one can find the source of the sound. Her soldiers increasingly believe that she is going mad.

Meanwhile, the woodlanders are concerned because only a trickle of water is finding its way into Kotir. That evening, the Corim confer about what to do. Now returned, Bella suggests they wait until the rainy season or later in the winter to see if this will produce the flood they need. As a short-term alternative, everyone can shelter with Gingivere. She proposes inspecting the flood tunnels the following day to see if an immediate solution presents itself.

At the river’s edge the next afternoon, the Corim examines the tunnel entrances near the river but can’t see a way to fix their problem. During their inspection, they notice a ship approaching. Everyone is surprised and pleased to find the questors and their allies returned safely. The rest of the day and evening is spent exchanging stories and the latest news from Kotir. Martin tells Bella about Boar’s passing. He promises to take her father’s place as the savior of Mossflower Woods with the help of his new sword. He says, “Trust me, Mossflower will be saved. I have been thinking of a plan that I will not explain at present. First, I must see certain things before I know it can be executed properly” (374).