Darkness Within

by Erin Hunter

  “Reason with Ashfur?” Squirrelflight’s eyes widened.

  Now Lionblaze looked up. “How else will we persuade him?”

  “Do you realize what you’re asking me to do?” Squirrelflight growled. “Ashfur’s obsessed with me. Sure, I could persuade him, but what would he expect in return?”

  Bristlefrost cleared her throat. She wanted to share her news. But none of her Clanmates seemed to have noticed her arrival.

  “You might find a way without giving him everything he wants,” Lionblaze insisted.

  Squirrelflight’s tail bushed. “You know Ashfur!” she hissed. “He stopped being reasonable the first time I turned him down!”

  Alderheart shifted nervously from paw to paw. “Perhaps you could trick him, like last time.”

  Squirrelflight glared at the medicine cat. “Do you really think he’d fall for that again?”

  They’ll stop arguing as soon as they know the Sisters are here. Bristlefrost edged forward, trying to catch Squirrelflight’s eye, but the Thunderclan leader was still glaring at Alderheart.

  Bumblestripe padded forward. “There’s no way to reason with a cat like Ashfur.”

  “We won’t know until we try,” Lionblaze muttered.

  Birchfall lashed his tail. “There’s only one thing that fox-heart wants,” he growled. “And that’s for Squirrelflight to be his mate. Do you really expect her to agree to that?”

  “Of course not,” Lionblaze snapped. “I’m just saying we have to try something.”

  Bristlefrost stuck out her chest. There was no need for this. The Sisters would help them find Bramblestar; then the Clans could find a way to get him back. Everything could return to normal. “The Sisters are here!” Her mew rang around the hollow.

  Squirrelflight’s gaze flashed toward her. “You’re back!” Relief glowed in her emerald gaze. “Is every cat safe?”

  “Yes!” Bristlefrost hurried forward. “We found the Sisters and persuaded them to come with—”

  Squirrelflight interrupted her. “Where’s Spotfur?”

  “I left her with Rootspring and Needleclaw.” Bristlefrost realized that her Clanmates didn’t know Spotfur was expecting kits. “She needed . . . rest.”

  Squirrelflight frowned. “But she’s okay?”

  Bristlefrost purred. “She’s fine.”

  Jayfeather had padded from the medicine den and was staring at her, his blind blue gaze milky in the moonlight. “Where are the Sisters?”

  “Rootspring’s taking them to the SkyClan camp.” Bristlefrost hoped the medicine cat would be pleased that they were a paw step closer to finding StarClan. She blinked eagerly at Squirrelflight. “I came to fetch you.”

  Hope sparked in Squirrelflight’s eyes. “Did they say they could help us?”

  “They’re not sure,” Bristlefrost told her. “But they’re willing to try.”

  Lionblaze rolled his eyes. “It’s a poor hunter who tries to trap a mouse with its weakest paw.”

  Squirrelflight jerked her muzzle toward him. “What do you mean by that?” she demanded.

  The golden tabby tom seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded to himself and met his leader’s gaze. “Why are we asking a bunch of rogues to find Bramblestar when it’s obvious he’s gone?”

  “You don’t know that!” Squirrelflight’s gaze burned with fury.

  “He hasn’t been seen in a moon!” Lionblaze snapped. “If you won’t talk to Ashfur, perhaps the only sensible thing to do is kill the body Bramblestar left behind.” His eyes sparked with grief. “It might be the only way to drive Ashfur out.”

  “‘The only sensible thing’?” Squirrelflight stared at Lionblaze as though she could hardly believe her ears.

  “Without Bramblestar’s body, Ashfur will have nowhere to hide,” Lionblaze insisted.

  “Are you sure of that?”

  “I can’t see any other way—”

  “So you’d kill the cat who raised you?”

  Lionblaze stared at her. “Do you think I find this easy?” Bristlefrost suddenly realized the golden warrior was trembling. “I care about Bramblestar too. He was like a father to me. But I’m not going to let that cloud my judgment. The cat ShadowClan is holding prisoner isn’t Bramblestar. Bramblestar is gone.”

  Squirrelflight’s tail flicked ominously. “You’re making a lot of assumptions,” she hissed. “One of them seems to be that I’m letting my feelings for Bramblestar guide me, instead of reason.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  Squirrelflight stretched her muzzle closer to Lionblaze. “I’m doing what Bramblestar would have done,” she hissed. “I’m making sure that our next move is the right one before we make it.”

  Lionblaze held her gaze. “We don’t know what Bramblestar would have done,” he mewed. “We think we do, but the truth is, we didn’t really ever know what he was thinking. If we had, we’d have seen right away that an impostor had stolen his body.”

  A growl rumbled in Squirrelflight’s throat. “Are you saying I should have known it wasn’t Bramblestar who came back after he died?”

  Lionblaze didn’t move. “You were closest to him.”

  Squirrelflight flinched, as though he’d lashed out at her with his claws. How could Lionblaze say something so hurtful? Didn’t he know that Squirrelflight was already blaming herself for not having realized sooner? Heart lurching, Bristlefrost started forward, but Alderheart was already crossing the clearing.

  He stopped in front of Lionblaze. “That’s not fair!”

  “Really?” Lionblaze blinked at him. “I’m only being honest. I’m grateful to Squirrelflight. I respect her. She raised me. But she’s made mistakes before trying to protect cats she loves. Keeping the truth of my birth from her Clanmates was a bad decision, and letting Ashfur keep living inside Bramblestar’s body would be another.”

  Bumblestripe grunted in agreement. “We should kill him and be done with it.”

  “The longer Ashfur lives, the more trouble he can cause,” Mousewhisker agreed.

  Bristlefrost’s belly hardened with dread. She couldn’t believe so many of her Clanmates were willing to risk Bramblestar’s life like this.

  Twigbranch stared at them. “If we kill him, we might lose Bramblestar forever.”

  “Nonsense!” Mousewhisker’s pelt ruffled. “He just needs a chance to get his body back. He’ll never do it as long as Ashfur is living in it.”

  “You don’t know that!” Birchfall padded to Squirrelflight’s side. “Would you really take this risk and kill Bramblestar?”

  Jayfeather whisked his tail. “Arguing won’t solve the problem,” he mewed. “The Sisters have arrived. Before we make a decision, we should consult them.”

  Lionblaze’s eyes narrowed to slits. He glanced at his Clanmates, his gaze stopping when it reached his brother. “If you want to put your faith in a bunch of rogues, go ahead. I want nothing to do with it.” He stalked toward the warriors’ den. “When you’re ready to do what must be done, you know where to find me.” Pelt twitching, he ducked inside.

  Bristlefrost fluffed out her fur as disappointment chilled her. She’d felt so sure that news of the Sisters’ arrival would help. Instead, Lionblaze had stormed away, leaving the clearing eerily empty. She glanced at Squirrelflight. The Thunderclan leader seemed suddenly very alone.

  Squirrelflight lifted her muzzle. “Let’s not waste any more time.” Her mew was hard. “I’m going to speak with the Sisters.” She began to head toward the entrance.

  “Take a patrol with you,” Birchfall called after her.

  She looked back at him, hesitating for a moment. Then she dipped her head. “Twigbranch.” She looked at the gray warrior. “Come with me. Finleap and Alderheart, too.”

  Bristlefrost’s heart quickened. “Can I come?”

  Squirrelflight blinked at her. “You must be tired after your journey. Why would you want to go all the way back to SkyClan’s camp now?”

  The truth blazed across Bristlefrost’s mind in
an instant. Rootspring will be there. But she pushed the thought away. “I traveled a long way to find the Sisters. I’d like to see it through.”

  Squirrelflight paused, as if considering Bristlefrost’s words. “Okay,” she said finally, heading for the entrance. “Then let’s go.”

  Bristlefrost followed the patrol as it pushed through the ferns hiding the entrance to the SkyClan camp. The damp fronds brushed her pelt. In the moonlight, which silvered the clearing beyond, she could see Snow and Sunrise sitting with Hawk between them. The other Sisters waited in the shadows while SkyClan’s warriors hung back, their ears twitching as they glanced uneasily at their new campmates.

  Leafstar crossed the camp and greeted Squirrelflight. “I’m glad you came.” She glanced at Snow and the others. “The sooner we get this done the better.” Bristlefrost guessed from her ruffled pelt that the SkyClan leader wasn’t comfortable having so many strangers in her camp. “I’ve sent out messengers. Tigerstar, Mistystar, and Harestar should be here before long.”

  Bristlefrost’s paws pricked. She was surprised Leafstar had acted so quickly in assembling the Clan leaders. The Sisters must be tired after their journey. Clearly Leafstar couldn’t wait another moment to find out if they had the answers the Clans needed.

  She scanned the camp. There was no sign of Spotfur. The queen must already have headed home. Rootspring was standing beside Frecklewish and Tree on the other side of the clearing. She blinked a greeting, longing to join him, but how could she when their Clanmates were watching? She glanced guiltily at Twigbranch and Alderheart as Squirrelflight padded forward to greet Snow.

  The Thunderclan leader dipped her head as she reached the white she-cat. “Thank you for coming.”

  “You look tired,” Snow told her.

  Squirrelflight’s eyes glistened with emotion, but she blinked it away. “A lot has happened since we last met.”

  As she spoke, ferns rustled at the entrance. Tigerstar barged through, his eyes narrowing as he saw the Sisters. Bristlefrost tensed. Tigerstar had been so hostile to the Sisters the last time the Clans had dealt with them. Would he cause trouble now that they were here? Puddleshine, Dovewing, and Tawnypelt followed him into the camp, and Squirrelflight greeted the patrol with a nod.

  Tigerstar glanced dismissively at Snow and Sunrise. “Can they help us?” he asked Squirrelflight.

  “Why not ask them yourself?” Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes.

  Sunrise padded between them. “I know Tigerstar well enough not to expect courtesy.” Her whiskers twitched with amusement. Then her gaze grew solemn. “In answer to his question, I’m not sure we can help. There is a strange energy here.” She exchanged looks with Hawk, who nodded.

  “It feels like something odd is happening,” she murmured. “It could be dangerous.”

  Dangerous? Fear wormed in Bristlefrost’s belly. Could the Sisters really tell that just by standing here? She looked at the shadows between the dens, forcing her fur to stay flat. As the ferns rustled again, she stiffened and jerked her muzzle toward the entrance, relieved when she saw Mistystar lead Willowshine and Shimmerpelt into the SkyClan camp.

  “Harestar is on his way,” the RiverClan leader announced as she crossed the camp to join Tigerstar. “We saw him on the trail behind us.”

  “Good.” Sunrise’s gaze flitted around the clearing. “We can begin the ceremony as soon as he arrives.”

  Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “Will you be able to find Bramblestar?”

  “I don’t know,” Snow answered. “But there are many spirits around the lake. We can bring them here.”

  Tigerstar sniffed. “We don’t need every spirit,” he mewed. “Just Bramblestar.”

  “Aren’t you looking for your ancestors too?” Sunrise tipped her head to one side.

  “Let’s start with the living.” Tigerstar shifted his paws. “We can worry about the dead later.”

  Bristlefrost blinked at the ShadowClan leader. Had he finally been convinced it was still possible to save Bramblestar, even though Ashfur had stolen his body? She closed her eyes, hoping it was true.

  As she opened them, she saw Sunrise glance expectantly at the camp entrance. “We should wait for Harestar. He will be here in a moment,” the Sister mewed.

  Can she hear the WindClan patrol? Bristlefrost pricked her ears but could hear nothing beyond the shifting of the gathered cats and the breeze rustling the bushes.

  Sunrise swished her tail. “We will need the help of a Clan cat.” She looked calmly around the clearing, her gaze stopping as it reached Rootspring.

  Bristlefrost saw him stiffen, his eyes growing wide as Sunrise beckoned him forward with a flick of her nose. “Stand beside me,” she told him.

  As he crossed the dew-drenched grass, Bristlefrost’s heart ached with sympathy. He clearly wanted to do his best to help, but she could see from the prickling of the fur along his spine that he was nervous as Sunrise waved Squirrelflight and Leafstar out of the clearing with her tail, then nosed Tigerstar and Leafstar away as well.

  She guided Rootspring to the center and stood beside him as the Sisters padded from the shadows and formed a circle around him. “We can begin as soon as Harestar arrives,” she mewed softly.

  Bristlefrost’s breath quickened as Rootspring blinked at her. His eyes shimmered with fear. She tried to hide her own and blinked back at him reassuringly before the Sisters pressed in front of her, blocking her view. Would they really be able to summon spirits here? She moved closer to Twigbranch, her mouth suddenly dry as, behind her, the ferns rustled. The WindClan patrol had arrived.

  Chapter 17

  Rootspring’s throat tightened as he watched Harestar lead Crowfeather, Breezepelt, and Kestrelflight into the SkyClan camp. The Sisters bunched tighter together, closing the circle around him until he could barely see the warriors who had come to witness their ceremony. He could hear Tigerstar and Squirrelflight greet the WindClan leader, but the wind was rising, swishing through the branches that overhung the camp so that he couldn’t make out their words.

  He glanced toward Tree, but his father was hidden with the rest of his Clanmates behind the Sisters. He could still feel the warmth of Tree’s breath on his shoulder where he had touched it with his muzzle, wishing him luck as Sunrise had beckoned him to the middle of the clearing.

  Rootspring wished he could still see Bristlefrost. He needed her reassurance. His heart quickened as he saw her peek over the top of Moon’s head, her eyes round and beseeching. Was she willing him to be brave? He blinked at her gratefully, wishing she could be inside the circle with him. Just thinking about it helped him steady his breath.

  Sunrise crouched beside him, and the Sisters began to mew, their voices merging into a soft ululation. As their calls rose into song, Rootspring became aware of the grass beneath his paws. He sensed energy flowing from his claws, snaking like roots into the earth. Around him, the Sisters’ mewing grew louder, strengthening until it became a yowl. This was different from the song they’d sung for Spotfur’s kits. Their cry was insistent, demanding; it seemed to melt into a single voice as they began to chant.

  “Spirits of the forests, spirits of the hills, spirits of the wind and the water. Show yourselves.”

  Rootspring felt a sensation, like a wind ruffling his fur from the inside. As the Sisters carried on chanting, raising their voices again, he closed his eyes, pressing his paws harder against the earth to stop them trembling, aware only of the song and the exhilaration swelling in his chest. He felt like he could hardly breathe. Then the song stopped. Rootspring opened his eyes, his fur bristling. He saw ghosts all around him. They filled the clearing, crowding the camp, their translucent pelts just visible in the moonlight. Rootspring saw the Sisters shift uneasily. He stiffened as he saw their gazes widen. Something was wrong. His belly hollowed with dread as he recognized fear burning in the Sisters’ eyes.

  A new moaning drifted over the gathered cats, and Rootspring realized that it was coming from the spirits. He hea
rd Tree wail too, from the edge of the clearing.

  Terror edged his father’s voice. “What have we done?”

  “What’s wrong?” Leafstar cried, turning an anxious circle.

  “They’re everywhere,” Tree told her. “They’re . . .” His mew faded, as though whipped away by a storm.

  Rootspring knew why his father sounded so afraid. The spirits weren’t like the ghosts he’d seen before. There was nothing peaceful in the way they stared at the living cats. They crouched against the earth, twisted like snakes, their fur spiked as they looked around them. Lips drawn back, they hissed, their eyes as black as holes. They’re in pain. Rootspring shrank as fear ran icy claws along his spine. A white-and-orange tom met his gaze, eyes narrowed to agonized slits. Stemleaf! Rootspring swallowed back terror as, through bared teeth, a yowl seemed to tear itself from Stemleaf’s throat. It echoed around the camp, more tortured than the scream of dying prey.

  Rootspring stared urgently into Stemleaf’s eyes. “What can I do?” he asked the Thunderclan warrior. He longed to help him as the other ghosts began to hiss, their pain hardening into rage.

  Stemleaf stared at Rootspring, accusation burning in his eyes. Stiffening in fear, Rootspring pressed against Sunrise. She was trembling. He tore his gaze from Stemleaf’s to look at the yellow she-cat. Horror darkened her eyes as she stared at the ghosts. Around her, the Sisters’ pelts stood on end. They’ve never seen this before. Rootspring felt sick with dread. What was happening?

  Around the camp, the Clan cats glanced nervously at one another.

  Squirrelflight pushed her way between the Sisters. “Is he here?” She looked desperately around the clearing. “Is Bramblestar here?”

  Rootspring shook his head. “Not yet!”

  Scanning the camp, he recognized Spiresight. The spirit had led him to Shadowsight when the young medicine cat had been injured and left for dead in the ravine. “Who are all these cats?” he called to the yellow-eyed tom. “Why are they in so much pain?”

  Spiresight fixed him with a silent stare that seemed to beg him to understand.