High King Peter and his younger siblings King Edmund and the Queens Susan and Lucy stood waiting for the ship that was to return them to Narnia. For the past two months they had been traveling across the Great Eastern Ocean visiting all of the various islands and small countries that were either under their rule or the rule of Archenland. Their last stop had been Galma and, pleasant as the island was, they were all more than ready to be home in Cair Paravel. They had been waiting for a little over a half-hour and Lucy was starting to look sulky. Peter hoped that the ship, Blue Maiden, would arrive before Lucy decided to let her feelings be known. Judging from the frown of her mouth and the furrow in her brow they only had a few minutes. Susan was picking at the seam of her sleeve with a bored look and Edmund had sat down and was meticulously re-lacing his boots. Peter leaned over the docks railing and, as Lucy was opening her mouth, gave a sigh of relief when the tardy ship sailed into sight.

"Well finally!" Lucy exclaimed "I thought they had forgotten us here."

"More likely they got tired of you girls bellyaching about this and that and decided to leave port and be done with us!" Edmund said with a grin. Susan arched a brow at him but said nothing.

"Right, well it here now and we must say nothing about the delay." Peter said with a pointed look at Lucy, who stuck her tongue out in reply before arranging a bright smile on her face. After they boarded the ship they sailed out of the private docking area and into the large bay where crowds had gathered to see them off. The four siblings stood at the ornate railing on the ship's starboard and waved farewell to Galma. Once the tiny fishing boats crowded with civilians stopped skimming by below them, Susan and Lucy went to their cabin to change into more ship-appropriate attire; Edmund was speaking with the Captain. A burly Archenlander whose long hair and beard were bleached from countless hours in the sun, which had also turned his skin the exact color and texture of old leather, Captain Raeler was surprisingly well-spoken and intelligent. He was a fair and just Captain who ruled his ship with stern discipline and a deep belly laugh. Most of the crew was from Archenland as well but there were a few from the various isles and inlets they had visited, and Peter felt the need to keep a wary eye on them. None had proved troublesome so far but the three Terebinthians they had picked up made him uncomfortable. They always had a sort of sly look on their faces, as if they shared some sick joke no one else knew. Peter made sure Susan and Lucy were kept well away from them at all times. He felt bad to suspect people with whom he had never even spoken, but something about the pale featured, whipcord thin Terebinthians made him wonder if they were really the experienced seamen they claimed to be.

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Jarvus made sure the deck was clear before making his way down into the brig to meet Lakri and Kann. They were so close to achieving their goal, he could see the gold and silver coins running through his fingers. This catch would bring in enough for him to pay off his debts and bring his wife to Galma to have their child. He hoped it was a boy. He and Larssa could buy a shop in town for them to sell her weavings and his pottery. There would be three or four rooms above the shop for them to live in, and maybe someday they could add to the house to make room for two or three more children… but they had to bring in this catch first. He walked over to where Lakri and Kann were standing, half hidden by shadows. Lakri had been his partner for years and was as dependable as the seasons. Kann on the other hand was new, and seemed to have a knack for mistakes. The only reason Jarvus allowed him was the fact that Kann and Lakri were cousins and Kann needed a job to pay off the tremendous gambling debts he owed. Kann had done the actual work this time; Jarvus had planned everything out and Lakri had stood guard. Their catch was a good one. Two white singing leopards from Terebinthia. They were from Narnia, and were traveling with and entertainment group that specialized in unusual performers. A giantess who sang and played the tambourine, a dancing trio of dwarves, acrobatic fauns, and centaurs that could pull a beached ship twenty yards were some of the more popular attractions.

"…but I didn't know she was-"Kann broke off what he was whispering and looked down. Jarvus instantly knew something had gone wrong, for Kann's guilty look and Lakri's clenched fists were telltale signs that Kann had made a mistake. Jarvus just hoped it wasn't going to set them back to much.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked casually.

"Kann made a…extra catch." Lakri said slowly, watching Jarvus' face for anger.

"What kind of 'extra catch?"

"One of the other performers."

"A dwarf?"

"No, the girl, the one who's in the ring with the cats while they're singing."



"So she's like their caretaker?"

"Yes, in a way."

"Alright, well we'll just add her into the deal." Jarvus shrugged "extra money for all of us."

"Can we do that?" Kann asked "I mean, can we sell her?"

"No, but if she was the tigers keeper then I doubt she'll leave them. No one but us and the Dealer had to know that she was for a price."

Kann and Lakri nodded their approval, just as Jarvus knew they would.

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Kelta blew a strand of hair out of her face and tried, once again, to push the top off the cage she was in. the thing was made of some type of heavy metal and refused to budge no matter how hard she pushed. Larken and Maveus were no help, and seemed contented to lounge around and await their fate. Though she loved them dearly, her leopards were often lazy and spent most of their free time sleeping. A nap did sound nice; this entire situation was really out of her control now, and what exactly was she supposed to do once she got out? Waltz around on deck for her captors to see and just stick her in another cage? When she had first awakened in this cage she had beaten her hands bloody and made her throat raw with screaming. It was of no use; it seemed that the ship had been between loads. Now they were most likely somewhere in the middle of some ocean, but after she had gotten herself under control she realized that a quite escape would be best. Her captors might try to kill her, or even Larken and Maveus, if she attracted their unwanted attentions.

Propping her feet on the roof of the cage Kelta relaxed a little. Keeping her balance was a little hard due to the cramped conditions and her aching hands. She was fairly certain that she would have a scar or two, for the bars to the cage were roughly wrought and had many sharp edges, especially near the tops and bottoms where they joined the rest of the cage. As she pushed she thought of the man who had abducted her; the tall Terebinthian had told his partners a boldfaced lie about 'mistakenly' adding her to their catch. Kelta had just been leaving Larken and Maveus' cage after they had fallen asleep when he had slipped into the tent. 'A sweet addition to the pot' he had said as he covered her face with a cloth that had smelled strangely. Then everything had gone dark. It frightened her to think of what kind of how she might 'sweeten' the deal, making her desperation to get out swell in her chest.

Looking over at her leopards, sleeping peacefully, she felt a sense of protectiveness. They were young, only a little over a year, and depended on her for most everything. She had raised them after their mother died in a freak accident. While she was performing her acrobatic routine the ring of fire she was jumping through had collapsed and caught her on fire. She died a few hours later. Her two young cubs had been given over to Kelta, who had trained their mother. She was afraid to try them in acrobatics due to their mother's death but when they began to sing along to their nightly lullaby she knew exactly what to do. Their voices were different from any other singers, rough and slightly growling, but beautiful as well. It gave Kelta and most of their audiences chills to hear the familiar songs sung in their rough purring. She had to be sure they weren't harmed. With renewed determination she pressed her legs against the roof and heaved with all her might.