Book 2, The Quest, Chapters 1-8 Summary

Awakening at dusk, Matthias realizes that he is lost and feels guilty about abandoning his comrades. Hearing a rustling, he draws Shadow's dagger, only to find that he faces a baby red squirrel sucking its paw. Without a word, it leads him to the Abbey. In Chapter 2 Methuselah observes that an old elm tree near the wall is not swaying properly in the wind. Mortimer dispatches Constance and a few others to investigate secretly. Cluny orders Scragg to take over from clumsy Cheesethief the operation of securing the plank. As the rats cross over, Constance kicks it off, plunging the invaders from a dizzying height. Cheesethief pushes rival Scragg off. The defenders believe that Cluny is among the casualties, but Constance has just seen him in the Meadow. She speculates that this might be a...