“Rootpaw.” Violetshine was heading toward him, her gaze sharp with worry. “You must promise not to see Bristlefrost again,” she mewed urgently.
He blinked at her. “I wasn’t planning to.”
“I know,” she mewed, only half listening. “But if StarClan is worried about codebreakers, you have to behave. No more sneaking away to ThunderClan. No SkyClan cat has been named yet, and I don’t want you to be the first.” She looked scared. “And I don’t want you mixed up with a ThunderClan cat. Bramblestar’s going to use this to cause trouble, whatever Leafstar says.” Her ears twitched nervously. “I just hope Twigbranch is okay. She switched Clans before you were born.” Violetshine looked worried. “Does that count as codebreaking?”
Rootpaw shrugged. “Frecklewish didn’t mention her.”
Violetshine looked at him anxiously. “Do you promise you won’t try to see Bristlefrost?”
“I promise.” He touched his nose to her cheek. It wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t sure it was a promise he could keep. If this news was going to bring trouble to ThunderClan, Bristlefrost might need help.
Rootpaw fluffed out his fur. The night was cold and a sharp breeze was blowing across the island. Bramblestar had called an emergency Gathering the day after the medicine cats had shared the news of Shadowsight’s vision. Rootpaw nosed his way among his Clanmates and settled between Violetshine and Tree. Over the heads of the other cats he could see that Bramblestar was already on the lowest branch of the Great Oak.
The ThunderClan leader lifted his muzzle. “Let’s begin!”
Tigerstar and Mistystar were still hurrying toward the tree as their Clanmates gathered in its shadow. As the two leaders scrambled up the trunk, Harestar and Leafstar shifted to let them take their places on the branch.
Bramblestar’s ghost was watching from the edge of the clearing. Rootpaw could hardly see it from where he was at the center of the throng. The ghost had been restless since Frecklewish had announced the vision, pestering Rootpaw for reassurance that he’d do something to stop the living Bramblestar from using the vision to harm the Clans. Rootpaw had tried to keep an open mind. ThunderClan’s current leader hadn’t actually harmed any cat yet. Rootpaw wanted StarClan to stop being angry and come back, and if that meant putting up with an impostor for a while, maybe that was okay.
“You’ve all heard about Shadowsight’s vision by now.” Bramblestar’s gaze burned in the starlight. The gathered cats glanced warily at each other. “What I’ve been saying all along is true. StarClan is angry that so many warriors have broken the code. They’ve even given us a list of the worst offenders.” His gaze flashed from Dovewing to Crowfeather, flickered angrily over Mothwing and Jayfeather. Rootpaw wondered if he was angry with Squirrelflight too. She was on the list, and yet the ThunderClan leader didn’t look at his mate as she sat stiffly among the other deputies. Instead he pressed on. “I have a plan.” As he narrowed his eyes, the Clans seemed to lean closer, pricking their ears. “The codebreakers must publicly take responsibility for their wrongdoings. They must atone!”
Tigerstar bristled beside the ThunderClan leader. “‘Atone’?” he snapped. “What does that mean, exactly?”
Below, Dovewing sat unmoving while her Clanmates shifted nervously around her. Rootpaw noticed Tigerstar’s gaze flick nervously toward his mate before snapping back to Bramblestar.
Bramblestar swung his muzzle toward the ShadowClan leader. “They must be punished, of course.”
“How?” Tigerstar demanded.
Bramblestar held his gaze. “That’s what this Gathering is for,” he mewed smoothly. “StarClan won’t return until the codebreakers have suffered for their crimes.”
Squirrelflight glanced up at him, her eyes dark. “Are you sure StarClan wants them to suffer?” she mewed nervously. “They only said that every Clan must pay a price. Perhaps we must all suffer together rather than target individual cats.”
Bramblestar’s gaze flashed toward her. “They named the codebreakers!” he snapped. “They clearly want them punished.”
Squirrelflight looked at her paws, seeming to shrink beneath her pelt. Rootpaw frowned. Was she going to back down so easily? As she stared at her paws, the ThunderClan leader looked around at the gathered cats once more.
“We must decide how the codebreakers suffer,” he growled.
“‘We’?” Tigerstar flattened his ears, his mew outraged. “Don’t you mean
Rootpaw saw the ghost padding closer to the oak, its pelt prickling excitedly as it stared at Tigerstar.
