The Place of No Stars (book)/Chapter 13

==Chapter description==
:Rootspring is dragged into the Moonpool by Willowshine and struggles to free himself, thinking he's going to drown. He is pulled through an underwater tunnel, where he emerges on the other side in the Dark Forest. After the yellow tom recovers, Willowshine apologizes to him for bringing him there. Rootspring quickly notices she seems to have narrowed her eyes to slits, and the ghost explains the mist is hurting her eyes, but the SkyClan warrior notices that he is not suffering the same effects. Willowshine quickly moves on to explain that she dragged him into the Dark Forest because he's the only one who can see her, and she needs his help to save the Clans. Rootspring agrees, and asks her to tell him everything she's learned so far. The former RiverClan medicine cat says they need to locate Ashfur before she explains anything further, and they begin their trek through the forest.
:Rootspring worries about what it means to be in the Dark Forest, briefly concerned he won't be able to get back to the Clans and Bristlefrost, before concentrating on the task at hand again. He asks Willowshine if she's seen Shadowsight, but she hasn't, and Rootspring wonders what's happened to him. The former medicine cat begins to walk more cautiously, and he's about to ask her a question when she suddenly leaps at him to push him out of sight with her.
:They both peek out to see two cats Willowshine introduces to Rootspring as Mapleshade and Silverhawk. Silverhawk is complaining about Ashfur showing up and giving orders to the Dark Forest cats as if they're his Clan, and Mapleshade agrees with him. When they pass their hiding spot, Willowshine and Rootspring follow the pair, thinking they might lead them to Ashfur. Rootspring is apprehensive about this, but doesn't protest. Silverhawk continues to grumble that Ashfur hadn't told anyone what he wants, and Mapleshade responds that she doubts he's going to get what he wants, whatever it is. She's only interested in what Ashfur is offering them in return, which seems to be the power to live again inside the bodies of the cats of the living Clans. Silverhawk admits she's right, and then departs from her company, stating he'll see her back at the island.
:Rootspring is dismayed when the Dark Forest cats split up, and more so when Willowshine quickly tells him to follow Mapleshade while she trails Silverhawk. He tries to protest but Willowshine has already gone after the Dark Forest cat, leaving him to follow Mapleshade. He follows her for a long time, afraid she'll turn around to see him at any moment, but she doesn't. She seems to be leading him around in what feels like circles, until eventually she pads along a narrow path and suddenly surges down toward a cliff face, where a cave opens just below it. She disappears inside, and Rootspring hesitates to trail her. However, he considers how this could be a perfect lair for Ashfur, and that he could even be keeping Shadowsight prisoner here.
:He decides to enter the cave and creeps in the darkness as the tunnel becomes narrower and narrower. Gradually, dim light reveals a split in the tunnel. He's about to choose which one, surprised to find he can't detect Mapleshade's scent, when a hole suddenly opens in the tunnel roof where a huge rock lands next to Rootspring. Then the rest of the tunnel roof begins collapsing. Rootspring sees terrifying gray fog emerging from one of the split tunnels, and that finally is enough to make him turn around and run - as the fog is advancing toward him at alarming speed.
:Rootspring safely emerges from the cave, but when he turns around he finds the fog has completely engulfed it and is crawling toward him now. He flees through the Dark Forest, and believes he can hear the pounding of other cats' paws behind him too. Gradually, the sound of that dies away, and when he looks behind him again he can no longer see the fog. Only then does he slow his pace and start thinking about what he's going to do next. He calls out for Willowshine, but hears no response. He begins to lose all sense of time as he travels among the trees, but eventually hears the faint yowling of other cats. Even though he knows other cats in the Dark Forest could be dangerous, he decides to risk it and find out what they're doing. 
:It's not long before he finds himself at the top of a slope, revealing the edge of a dark lake below. Rootspring observes the lake looks like absolute darkness rather than real water. He moves down toward the shore until he spots Willowshine hiding behind some bracken. He approaches her, which startles her. Both of them look at the lake, and Rootspring is about to touch it as he reaches out his paw when he feels a sudden thrill of terror, making him pull his paw back. Willowshine, meanwhile, is looking at the island and points it out to Rootspring. Many spirit cats are on the island, and Rootspring quickly realizes he recognizes several of them. He shouts out a few of their names, but none of them seem to be listening, and Willowshine is quick to snap at him for trying to alert them. She then gestures at a sleek gray tom, who she names as Darkstripe, warning Rootspring he wouldn't want to mess with the Dark Forest tom. They watch Darkstripe approach a narrow path leading toward the island from the shore, which seems to be the only way onto it. 
:Rootspring realizes that Darkstripe must be holding the cats on the island prisoner. Willowshine also confirms that the cats on the island are every cat who died after they lost contact with StarClan. Rootspring recalls when the Sisters performed their ceremony to try to find Bramblestar's spirit, but instead only summoned the spirits of cats who were wailing for help. He makes the connection that these are those cats, and tells Willowshine that he thinks Darkstripe is working for Ashfur, who's collecting the spirits to hold them all prisoner. He goes on to confess that he's worried Ashfur can control the other spirit cats with his mind, and Willowshine admits they won't have much of a chance if he's right. Rootspring worries about Ashfur's plans, thinking that the Dark Forest cat might be planning to use the cats on the island to fight the living. Willowshine prods him out of his dark thoughts by asking him what they're going to do next, but his thoughts have made him more uncertain than ever. He doesn't reply even when she asks him again, as he has no idea what to do next.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:The Place of No Stars (book)
Category:The Broken Code arc