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in: Under construction, Books, The Broken Code arc, Darkness Within
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Darkness Within

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This article is about Darkness Within, the fourth book of The Broken Code arc; you may be looking for Darkest Night, the fourth book in the A Vision of Shadows arc.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
"Panic flooded [Rootspring's] thoughts until he froze, too scared to move. Something evil was happening to these spirits. He began to tremble, a yowl of anguish rising in his throat. He tried to swallow it back, but it tore out of him, joining the anguished wails of the spirit cats."
— Rootspring during the Sisters' ceremony in Darkness Within, page 245



Darkness Within is the fourth book in the The Broken Code arc.[5] It features Bristlefrost, Shadowsight, and Rootspring as the main protagonists. Leafpool serves as the protagonist for the prologue. Squirrelflight is featured on the cover, with Bramblestar and his impostor below.[blog 1][7]

Dedication[]

Special thanks to Kate Cary

Blurbs[]

Is the warrior code worth a warrior's life?
Exiled after a battle that left all five Clans devastated, ThunderClan's loyal deputy, Squirrelflight, must bring to light an earth-shattering truth: the identity of the cat ruling ThunderClan while wearing Bramblestar's face. With tensions among the Clans at a breaking point, another battle looms, and even Squirrelflight may not be able to ensure Bramblestar has a body to return to. If he returns at all...

HarperCollins blurb[]

Exiled after a battle that left all five Clans devastated, ThunderClan's loyal deputy, Squirrelflight, must bring to light an earth-shattering truth: the identity of the cat ruling ThunderClan while wearing Bramblestar's face.
While the fate of his body hangs in the balance, the real Bramblestar's spirit has vanished. Even Rootspring is powerless to reach him—and with tensions among the Clans at a breaking point, Squirrelflight may not be able to ensure Bramblestar has a body to return to. If he returns at all.
Packed with action and intrigue, this sixth[note 1] Warriors series is the perfect introduction for readers new to the Warriors world, while dedicated fans will be thrilled to discover the new adventures that unfold after the events of A Vision of Shadows.

Detailed plot description[]

Looking for a shorter overview? Find one here!

Beside the pool that lets them see to the Clans, Leafpool, Firestar, Tallstar, and Bluestar sit there. Firestar and Leafpool are doubtful of the fact that they will be able to connect with their living Clanmates again, while Bluestar reminds them that they are warriors, resourceful warriors, that will stop the situation. Firestar then wonders why they sent the cat they sent, wondering why they trusted him in the first place. Tallstar blames the situation on the Clans' lack of ability to follow the warrior code, but Firestar rejects his idea, stating that they can only blame one cat.
At the Gathering, Squirrelflight states that she knows who the impostor is. She reveals him to be Ashfur, surprising many of the senior warriors who remember the ThunderClan tom. The leaders discuss Ashfur's motives, concluding that he is after Squirrelflight, wanting her to join him. Some cats start arguing, blaming ThunderClan for their problems, but they stay silent after ThunderClan defends their acting leader. Squirrelflight then tells the Clans her plan to reveal that Ashfur is in fact the impostor in Bramblestar's body. While traveling back to camp, Bristlefrost questions if Ashfur had divided StarClan, which causes Squirrelflight to pull Bristlefrost aside for a talk. The ginger she-cat reminds Bristlefrost that StarClan cats were once warriors, loyal warriors, and she states that she will fix the situation and get Bramblestar back to his body. Bristlefrost admires the determination in her leader's eyes, but wonders how difficult her goal will be.
Shadowsight looks around at his clan and spots the hollow where Bramblestar is being held prisoner. He brings some rosemary to Mothwing, who lets it dry. Shadowsight heads to Tigerstar's den, where Dovewing is inside, wondering if the impostor will reveal his identity. The gray she-cat soothes the leader's worries, and Shadowsight starts to worry. Tigerstar notices Shadowsight's presence, and asks if he was eavesdropping. Dovewing defends the medicine cat, and Tigerstar recalls his memories of Ashfur and speculates that he was allowed into StarClan to get revenge on the clans. The medicine cat recalls how he saw Ashfur once he had eaten the deathberries and afterwards, Tigerstar leaves to go through with Squirrelflight's plan.
The next morning, ShadowClan is under attack, and Cloverfoot tells Tigerstar about the warriors' plan to kill Bramblestar. The ShadowClan leader gives orders to the whole Clan, insisting that the invaders must not reach camp. Shadowsight ends up with the fake Bramblestar alone, who offers him a mouse. Shadowsight refuses and spots Squirrelflight. The medicine cat tries to block Squirrelflight's path, but the fake Bramblestar hauls him away. Eventually, the impostor reveals he is Ashfur and Shadowsight realizes he killed Bramblestar, feeling embarrassment. He tries to intervene, but Ashfur warns him to stay out of their conversation. The false leader grunts that he should have killed Shadowsight on the way to the Moonpool, and that Berrynose had lured Puddleshine away. This enrages Tigerstar, who attacks Ashfur. The other clan deputies break up the fight, before Ashfur curses Squirrelflight. The imposter is sent back to his den, and the rest of the cats discuss what to do. They suggest killing him, but Squirrelflight vehemently insists on keeping his body alive. Shadowsight listens in and worries that killing Bramblestar's body will not be enough to prevent Ashfur from destroying the Clans.
More Coming Soon

Trivia[]

Author statements[]

  • Kate's favorite scene to write was the end with Ashfur kidnapping Squirrelflight.[blog 2]

Mistakes[]

A compiled list of the errors present in Darkness Within can be found here.
End of spoiler warning

Publication history[]

  • Skjult ondskap (NO), Juritzen jr. (paperback), 2 November 2020, translated by Tora Larsen Morset[8]
  • Darkness Within (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 10 November 2020[5]
  • Darkness Within (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 10 November 2020[5]
  • Darkness Within (EN), HarperAudio (audiobook), 10 November 2020[6]
  • Darkness Within (EN), HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing (audio cd), 10 November 2020[6]
  • Finsternis im Inneren (DE), Beltz & Gelberg (hardcover, e-book), 21 July 2021, translated by Friederike Levin[9]
  • Darkness Within (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 9 November 2021[5]
  • 黑暗湧動 (TW), Morningstar (paperback), 1 October 2021[10]
  • Skjult ondskap (NO), Juritzen jr. (e-book), 13 December 2021, translated by Tora Larsen Morset[11]
  • 暗由心生 (CN), China Children's Publishing House (paperback), 1 July 2022[12]
  • Finsternis im Inneren (DE), Beltz & Gelberg (paperback), 17 August 2022, translated by Friederike Levin[13]
  • Finsternis im Inneren (DE), Beltz & Gelberg (audiobook), 4 October 2022, translated by Friederike Levin and narrated by Claudia Gräf[14]
  • Piilevä pahuus (FI), WSOY (hardcover), 1 September 2023, translated by Nana Sironen[15]
  • Piilevä pahuus (FI), WSOY (e-book), 1 September 2023, translated by Nana Sironen[15]
  • Piilevä pahuus (FI), WSOY (audiobook), 1 September 2023, translated by Nana Sironen, narrated by Usva Kärnä[15]
  • Ténèbres intérieures (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (paperback), 3 April 2025, translated by Aude Carlier[16]
  • Ténèbres intérieures (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (e-book), 3 April 2025, translated by Aude Carlier[17]

Gallery[]

US covers[]

Foreign covers[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ Revealed on the dedication page of Darkness Within
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed on the inside right flap of Darkness Within
  3. ↑ Revealed on the back cover of Darkness Within
  4. ↑ Revealed on audible.com (backup link)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Revealed on harpercollins.com (backup link)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Revealed on amazon.com
  7. ↑ Who are the cats on The Broken Code book covers? on the Warriors official website (backup link)
  8. ↑ Revealed on norli.no
  9. ↑ Revealed on beltz.de
  10. ↑ Revealed on morningstar.com.tw
  11. ↑ Revealed on ebok.no
  12. ↑ Revealed on bookschina.com
  13. ↑ Revealed on beltz.de
  14. ↑ Revealed on beltz.de
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Revealed on WSOY.fi
  16. ↑ Revealed on lisez.com (backup link)
  17. ↑ Revealed on lisez.com (backup link)
  1. ↑ This is a typo on the official blurb, not by the wiki itself. The Broken Code is the seventh arc of the series. [5]

Author references

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