Redwall

Cluny has recovered and is ready to put all his troops through drills to put them in fighting trim: “Cluny ranted and fumed at the animals under his banner. They were going to march, sweat, dig, carry, drill and tunnel, until they performed to his satisfaction. Sloppy idle lot!” (216). Unbeknownst to the warlord, Basil the hare and Jess the squirrel have concocted a plan to steal Martin’s tapestry from Cluny’s banner.

Basil approaches the rat pack and taunts them. They give chase, and the hare draws them across the open field and off to the woods, twisting his leg in the process. Jess runs to his aid and gets him to cover before circling back and snatching the tapestry from the banner head. She darts up a tree. Despite Cluny’s threats and offers of reward, Jess throws down a dishrag decoy of the tapestry and flees back to the shelter of the abbey. That night, old Methuselah stitches the missing part of the tapestry back in place amid much rejoicing.

The following morning, Dunwing awakens Matthias and tells him that she will help him escape. The trap door by which he entered has been sealed shut, so he will have to leave from the roof. Dunwing has gotten word to Jess to bring climbing rope to the top of the tower at noon. To keep the sparrows occupied, Dunwing spreads a rumor that Asmodeus is dying in the woods. The king realizes that this might be his one chance of retrieving Martin’s sword, and he flies off with all his warriors.

After the war party is gone, Matthias and Dunwing search the king’s chamber for Martin’s missing belt and scabbard. They find them hidden under an armchair:

There it was, supple shining black leather, chased and trimmed with the purest silver. The scabbard fitted perfectly into the well-made holder on the belt. This was truly the equipment which had belonged personally to Martin the Warrior of Redwall Abbey! (228).

Then, the mouse and bird make a harrowing escape via the roofline, with Matthias slipping and tumbling at several points. When he sees Jess approaching, Matthias calls out to her. The king is now on his way back to the nest and spies Matthias on the roof. The bird attacks. As the two struggle, the bird becomes entangled in the sword belt. Matthias and the king tumble off the roof and out of sight, though everyone assumes that they have fallen to their deaths.

Unaware of these events, Chickenhound is busy looting valuables from the abbey. He is discovered by Friar Hugo, who chases him through the great hall. Methuselah has just repaired the tapestry and steps in front of Chickenhound to stop him. The fox clubs the old mouse with his heavy sack of loot, killing him. Then, he races out of the abbey with Constance in pursuit. Chickenhound darts into a shallow den, congratulating himself that he has escaped. Unfortunately, the den belongs to Asmodeus, who stings the fox to death.

Back at the abbey, all the woodlanders mourn the loss of Methuselah and Matthias. That night, while laying out fishing nets along the pond, they discover the drowned body of the sparrow king. A new search begins around the banks for Matthias, and he is found along with the scabbard and sword belt. Miraculously, the young mouse is still breathing.

The following morning, Cluny is finally ready to attack Redwall again. He gives his troops a stirring speech: “We stand firm! Anyone who takes one backward step is dead. Anyone who disobeys orders is dead. Anyone who does not fight tooth and claw with all of his might is also dead” (242). The army begins its march to the abbey.

In the abbey’s infirmary, Matthias has a dream. He sees Asmodeus and wants to take back the sword, but Martin warns him to beware of the viper. When he awakens, Matthias receives the sad news that Methuselah is dead. He mourns his lost friend until Basil pulls him out of his depression: “Do you imagine that old mouse sacrificed his life so that you could lie about feeling sorry for yourself? Huh, he’d have told you himself. That’s not the way of a warrior” (247).

Matthias rallies and asks Basil what he knows about Asmodeus. The hare says he can’t help but advises Matthias to visit an owl called Captain Snow. The rabbit warns that the owl might want to eat the mouse, but Basil gives Matthias a war medal to guarantee his safe passage. It was once given to him by Snow. Without telling anyone his plan, Matthias sneaks out of the abbey and heads for Mossflower Woods to seek out the owl.

By the middle of the afternoon, Matthias finds his way through the woods barred by a large band of shrews. They consider Matthias a trespasser until he explains his mission to them. The shrews hate Cluny and Asmodeus, so they ally with Matthias and escort him as far as the barn where Captain Snow lives. Matthias can’t see the owl inside the barn, so he climbs some hay bales to get closer to the rafters. The mouse slips and falls into the open jaws of a large cat.

Back at the abbey, Cluny’s horde has launched their attack. Because the morning sun is in their eyes, they are beaten back by the abbey’s archers. Cluny retreats a safe distance to consider his next move. The battering ram is brought out to break down the abbey’s gate, but it holds firm. Later in the day, the attackers still haven’t made much headway, but the tunneling crew springs into action under the direction of the ferret: “Killconey marked a cross on the ditch wall with his claw. ‘Right you are! We’ll start about here, buckoes. Come on now, dig for victory’” (264).