Castle Storm facts for kids
 |
|
| Author | Garry Kilworth |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | John Howe |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Welkin Weasels |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Random House UK Corgi Children's Imprint |
|
Publication date
|
1998 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 381 |
| ISBN | 0-552-54547-3 |
| OCLC | 42579088 |
| Preceded by | 'Thunder Oak |
| Followed by | 'Windjammer Run |
Castle Storm is the second book in the exciting Welkin Weasels series by Garry Kilworth. It continues the story right after Thunder Oak. In this book, brave weasels, who act like humans, are still looking for the mysterious humans who disappeared from their land long ago.
The weasels, led by the clever outlaw Sylver, follow a clue from the first book. They travel to a faraway city. Along the way, they are chased by the stoat Sheriff Falshed. In the city, they get caught up in a big fight between two groups of squirrels.
The Story of Castle Storm
A New Adventure Begins
The weasels find out that the next clue about the missing humans is at a famous place called Castle Storm. So, they begin a long journey to the south of Welkin, where the castle is located. They hope to learn more about why the humans left.
But trouble is brewing in the north. A huge group of rats is coming from the marshes. They want to take over the land from Prince Poynt.
Battles and Dungeons
In the northern marshes, a mean stoat lord named Flaggatis plans to take power from Prince Poynt. He sends his army of rats to start a big war against the stoats. Their main target is Castle Rayn, where the stoats live. They also plan to attack other areas, like where Sylver's weasel group lives.
Prince Poynt and his stoats are surprised by the attack. But a ferret messenger manages to escape and warn Lord Haukin. Lord Haukin is the ruler of Halfmoon Wood.
Weasels Join the Fight
In Halfmoon Wood, Sylver's group meets the ferret. They listen to his urgent story. Lord Flaggatis has built a giant wooden statue that looks like a scary white rat. After hearing the ferret's news, the weasels decide to help the stoats. They know the rats are a danger to everyone in Welkin.
The weasels start their journey to Castle Rayn. On the way, they meet some stoat soldiers who are running away from the war. These soldiers are scared of the rats. But the weasels convince them to join the fight.
Sneaking In and Escaping
The weasels send Scirf and Mawk to sneak into Castle Rayn. They manage to get inside. But then, Prince Poynt captures the rest of the weasels. He throws them into his dungeons.
Mawk, who sometimes doubts things, tricks their guard into playing a game. Mawk pretends to lose. But later, he reveals he had the guard's key in his mouth the whole time!
The weasels escape through a grate. They travel through underground rivers and find a group of otters. There, they meet Sleek, an otter who loves fashion.
Sheriff Falshed's Return
Back at Castle Rayn, Prince Poynt is smarter than he seems. He tells Sheriff Falshed to follow the weasels and try to stop their mission.
The weasels then enter a big lake. They find their old friend Sheriff Falshed there. He has fallen from a cliff and is unconscious. After dealing with some rats and a huge, meat-eating dragonfly nymph, Sheriff Falshed pretends he can't remember anything.
The weasels finally make their way to Castle Storm. Sleek the otter goes off on his own to find a fashion business. Sheriff Falshed keeps pretending to have amnesia during the whole trip to Castle Storm.
Squirrel Rivalry and a Sad Loss
At Castle Storm, the weasels find a huge rivalry. The grey squirrels and the very proud red squirrels are always fighting. The red squirrels are led by Clive of Coldkettle, who has a super long tail. The grey squirrels are led by Pommf de Fritte.
The red squirrels welcome the weasels. Clive shows Sylver around the town. Sylver meets a group of moles who surprise him by saying he will be the Lord of Elleswhere.
The weasels are invited to a tournament. To their sadness, their friend Icham is killed by Torca Marda. A good stoat doctor tries to save Icham, but it's too late.
Under the Castle and a Giant Dragonfly
After a big dinner, the weasels meet two sneaky ferrets, Rosencrass and Guildenswine. These ferrets are planning to kill Prince Poynt. They also meet Torca Marda, a very mean stoat who killed Sylver's father.
The weasels go under the castle to find the clue. They almost die when Torca Marda tries to kill them by bringing a badger back to life. But they defeat the badger with a raptor's claw.
Then, the giant dragonfly from the lake attacks the castle! It eats any creature in its path. The moles, who still believe Sylver will be a lord, suggest feeding the old and weak animals to the hungry dragonfly. Torca Marda agrees to this terrible idea.
A Magical Solution
Wodehed the magician comes up with a plan to stop the dragonfly. They must go to the Forest of Lost Birds. There, they need to find a special herb called Shatter in the garden of a goddess named Sessile. Sessile is a living tree, and another world exists within her roots.
On their way to the forest, they meet some birds who want to go home on a ship. They also escape an attack from Rosencrass and Guildenswine. The ferrets admit they murdered one of the birds and are then trapped in the trees of the Forest of Lost Birds.
The weasels get the herb and return to Castle Storm. They use it to destroy the dragonfly, which breaks into many small, harmless dragonflies. Torca Marda is furious. He tries to kill Sylver, but Scirf scares him by pretending to be a sick animal. Torca Marda falls off a cliff and dies. His priests try to use the herb to hurt the squirrels, but the herb turns them into tiny stoats instead. Welkin is finally free from Torca Marda's evil.
Victory and New Beginnings
The next day, Lord Ragnar is killed fighting the rats. Prince Poynt promises to make Sylver a lord if he defeats the rats. This fulfills the moles' prophecy. Lord Haukin tells Sylver and the weasels to break down parts of the sea walls. This causes a flood that destroys the rat armies at Castle Rayn, along with the giant rat statue. Lord Flaggatis and most of the rats manage to escape, though.
Sleek the otter comes to Castle Rayn. He plans to start a fashion business with Princess Sibiline, Prince Poynt's sister. The princess secretly likes Falshed. Prince Poynt is left feeling sad, thinking about his brother, King Redfur, who was murdered. Poynt refuses to be king because all past stoat kings were killed.
The book ends with Poynt looking at a huge new saltwater lake around his castle. In other parts of Welkin, the sea begins to flow into the land.
Main Characters
Weasels
- Sylver – The brave leader of the outlaw weasels.
- Bryony – A straightforward and honest female weasel.
- Alysoun – A smart and knowledgeable female weasel.
- Miniver – A small and sensitive female weasel.
- Mawk – A weasel who sometimes doubts things, but is kind-hearted.
- Scirf – A confident, sometimes messy, but honest weasel.
- Wodehed – The group's magician, who isn't always the best at magic.
- Icham – Sylver's very good friend.
- Luke – A weasel who is very devoted and spiritual.
Stoats
- Lord Haukin – A wise and gentle old stoat who rules County Elleswhere.
- Prince Poynt – The ruler of the stoats, who faces many challenges.
- Sheriff Falshed – The main sheriff of Welkin, who often chases the weasels.
- Princess Sibiline – Prince Poynt's sister, who loves fashion.
- Lord Flagattis – A mean stoat lord who wants to take over Welkin.
- Torca Marda – A cruel and powerful stoat.
Other Animals
- Clive of Coldkettle – The loud, one-eyed leader of the red squirrels. He is famous for his very long, curly tail.
- Pommf de Fritte – The leader of the grey squirrels.
- Rosencrass and Guildenswine – A pair of sneaky ferrets who sell secrets to anyone who pays them. Rosencrass is male, and Guildenswine is female.
Other Interesting Characters
Weasels
- Culver – Lord Haukin's loyal helper, who is writing down the history of Welkin.
- Pompom – Prince Poynt's playful court jester. He always carries an inflated mouse bladder on a stick to playfully hit others.
Stoats
- Grubelgut – A stoat who makes tricky potions.
- King Redfur – Prince Poynt's brother and the former ruler of Welkin.
- Lord Ragnar – A rough and tough leader from County Fearsomeshire. He ignores warnings and is killed by the rats.
- Spinfer – Falshed's clever and quick-thinking helper.
Other Creatures
- Griselda – The old leader of a group of psychic moles. She predicts that Sylver will become a lord.
- Sleek – A cheerful young otter who loves fashion. He helps the weasels and later becomes Princess Sibiline's fashion adviser.
- Sessile – A giant, ancient Oak tree in the Forest of Lost Birds. Inside her is a magical garden.
