next time he visited Ko-tir.
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Young Dinny the mole knocked upon Bella's study door with his heavy digging
claw.
"Hello, who is it?" Gonff's voice rang out from within.
"Hurr, it be Young Din. Miz Goody sent oi with these yurr viddles furr 'ee."
Martin opened the door and admitted the mole balancing a tray of food. Young
Dinny blinked. The inside of the study was a mass of dust, scrolls, open
drawers and general confusion. As Bella took the tray from the mole, Gonff
leaped upon him from the desktop. They rolled about together on the floor,
wrestling and hugging each other at the same time. Gonff laughed joyfully.
"Young Din, whereVe you been keeping yourself, me old dtggin' mate?"
Dinny gained the upper paw and sat on Gonff. "Wurr you'm been, zurr GonfFen?
You'm a-gettin' fatter, hurr."
Gonff introduced his mole friend to Martin while struggling to heave Dinny
off. "Matey, this is Young Dinny, the strongest mole in Mossflower."
The young mole allowed Gonff to get up. He smiled modestly as he shook paws
with Martin.
"Naw, oi baint the strongest. Moi owd granfer Dinny, 'ee be the moightiest
mole in these yurr parts, even tho' 'ee seen many summers. Oi be 'onored to
meet 'ee, Marthen."
Martin took an instant liking to the friendly mole. They
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sat and shared the food while Bella explained the nature of the search.
Dinny gazed around at the masses of dusty scrolls littering the room. "Oi'd
best lend a paw or winter'11 be upon uz afore *ee foinds owt."
The search was proving long and fruitless. Cupboards were turned out, the desk
emptied, shelves were scoured without success. The bulk of the scrolls were
mainly old Brockhall records. Some were Bella's recipes, others dealt with
woodland lore—none of them filed in any system. Bella brushed dust from her
coat and sighed.
"I'm afraid it's all a bit higgledy-piggledy. I Ve been meaning to put them in
order for some seasons now, but I never had time to get around to it."
Martin banged his paw on the desktop in frustration. "If only we knew ex ...
oof!"
A secret drawer shot out from the desk, catching the warrior mouse heavily in
his stomach. He sat down, surprised and winded.
Bella took the single yellowed parchment from the drawer and read its contents
aloud.
To the mountain of fire where badgers go,
The path is fraught with danger.
The way is long and hard and slow,
Through foe and hostile stranger.
The warrior's heart must never fail,
Or falter on his quest.
Those who live to tell the tale,
First must turn the crest.
Gonff looked bemused. "Is that all?"
Martin took the parchment and scanned it carefully on both sides. "Yes, that
seems to be it."
Bella sat in her chair with an air of resignation. "Well, there doesn't appear
to be much to go on."
Dinny tapped the parchment with his digging claws. "Hurr, It be a start, tho'.
This yurr's a clue may'aps." ;- Martin brightened up. "Of course, it tells us
how to start. Look: "Those who live to tell the tale, first must turn the >'
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crest.' Bella, you would know, what does it mean by, "turn the crest'?"
The badger pondered awhile. "I think it refers to the Brockhall shield—that's
the badger family crest. It takes the form of a shield with the great oak of
Brockhall on one half and the stripes of a badger on the other. Beneath it is
a scroll bearing our family motto: To serve at home or afar."
"But where is this crest and how do we turn it?" GonfF asked, scratching his
whiskers.
Bella stood up. "I know of at least two places where it may be seen. The first
is on the door knocker of Brockhall, and the second over the hearth in the
main hall. Come on, let's try them both."
The four friends trooped out to the front door, where Bella seized the rusty
iron door knocker and twisted it sharply. The old metal snapped under the
considerable strength of the badger, who stood holding it in her paw with a
slightly guilty expression.
"Oops! I think I've broken it."
Young Dinny shrugged. "Never moind, Miz Bell, moi granfer'll fix it for 'ee.
Whurr's t'other un?"
The crest over the hearth was carved into the top lintel of the wide
fireplace. Martin turned to Bella.
"I think I'd better try this one. My paws aren't as heavy as yours. Could you
lift me up there, please?"
Bella obliged by picking the warrior mouse up as if he was a feather and
placing him on the broad lintel.
Martin leaned over, gripping the protruding crest that had been carved on the
fire-blackened oak-root beam. He tried turning it without success. Gonff
climbed nimbly up beside him.
"Here, matey, let me try. Maybe you haven't got the magic touch." From his
pouch the mousethief drew a piece of cheese and rubbed it around the edges of
the crest.
* 'Give it a moment for the grease to work its way into the cracks. It
shouldn't take long—this mantel's quite warm from the fire."
GonfTs talents had not been wasted. After a short interval he wiped his paws
upon his jerkin and gave the crest a skillful twist. It moved!
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"Here, matey, lend a paw. Jiggle it from side to side with me, like this. Pull
outward as you do."
Martin assisted Gonff. The entire crest started to move outward. Bella stood
ready to catch the hollow wooden cylinder—it dropped into her waiting paws.
Martin and Gonff eagerly clambered down from the lintel.
Dinny danced about excitedly. "Gurr, do 'urry, Miz Bell. Is it the map of
Sammerlandersturm?"
The badger looked gravely at the young mole. "Haste will only put us on the
wrong track, Dinny. Let us take each step carefully.' *
Bella upended the cylinder and peered into its open end. "Here, Gonff, there's
a scroll inside. Your paws are a lot more nimble than mine—see if you can get
it out without damaging it."
The clever mousethief had the parchment out and opened in a twinkling. They
studied the writing; it was a bold and heavy old-fashioned style. Bella
smiled.
"The paw of my grandsire old Lord Brocktree did this. You must understand that
only male badgers went to Sala-mandastron. Each one left clues for his son to
follow. This was written for my father Boar to solve. Unfortunately, Boar had
no son to leave a map for, so after he had solved Lord Brocktree's riddles he
carefully replaced everything in the hope that one day another young son of
our house would find mem."
Bella sniffed and looked away. "Alas, maybe my little one Sunflash might have
followed these clues, had he been here today."
Young Dinny rubbed the back of his velvety paw against Bella's coat. "Hurr,
doant fret 'eeself Miz Bell, us'ns foind it furr 'ee."
Martin had been toying with the wooden cylinder. He shook it and tapped the
sides. Some leaves fell out.
"Look, Bella. What do you suppose this means?"
The badger shrugged. "They're just old leaves. Let's see what the parchment
says,"
Boar is badger, named after wood,
Not after forest but trees.
Where did you play on a rainy day?
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Where did I eat bread and cheese?
Search inside, stay indoors,
Look up and find the secret is yours.
Your castle your fort,
Or so you thought.
The way is in four trees.
The way is in Boar in Brockhall
Under ale, under bread, under cheese.
Martin leaned back against the fireplace. "Phew! That's a right old riddle and
no mistake."
Back in Bella's study, they sat pondering the evidence. A long time passed and