Author's Note: I'm back, my dear readers and reviewers! With the second book in the Warriors of Aslan series: Forbidden Fruit. There were so many request for a sequel that it was impossible for me not to continue it.
A little background: This story is not a direct continuation of The High King's Queen. It takes place after 2 years in the human world (and nearly 400 years of Narnia). I shifted Miraz's rule backward so now Caspian is the king. The Pevensies returned to Narnia for helping him but were sent back. And after their return both the human and Narnian world were thrown into tumult. Currently there's a war going on in our world while in Narnia, serious troubles are arising…. Just so that you're not confused.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Chronicles of Narnia. C. S. Lewis does.
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Heidi stared transfixed as Vladimar chanted the lilting incantation, his tones serpentine. He was circling the Stone Table which had been cracked in through the middle. She studied the etchings that were carved into the side of the Table and her fingers ached to trace the well-crafted letter.
It was the origin of Narnia carved into the Table. Every slant of the word, every hook of the letter had an aura around it that spoke of deep magic, magic far beyond the her abilities, even Vladimar's abilities. It spoke of ancient history and despite the fact that it had been established by the so called Aslan, it excluded a feeling of mystery and menace as if it was giving a warning to those meddlers who dared to go against the law of Narnia.
Which Vladimar was currently doing.
A gust of wind rose up from the surrounding trees and swept through the area. Heidi shivered lightly, her black shift shaking, her hair loose in an artful tumble.
She willed herself not to look down for she knew what she would see.
Aslan's Table had been under the protection of the dryads and naiads of the Northern Wood and when Vladimar had appeared here to go against Aslan's decree they had attacked him. That had been their mistake. Attacking a sorcerer. And one who had no heart.
Now they lay bloodless, stained with a stark paleness. Daggers sprouted out of their backs and chests and their lifeless eyes stared vacantly at her.
"Claim of flesh I have over thee. With the flame of blood, I give rise to thee."
Vladimar's serpentine tones remained soft and slow and he circled the Table, his steps long and measured. From one corner of the table he picked up a goblet, wine red and beautifully crested with the seal of Narnia. It was filled with holy water and dipping his fingers into it, Vladimar sprinkled them all around the Stone Table, the droplets rippling through the air.
A sense of heaviness descended over Heidi and she willed herself not to run away. They were this close to doing what they had struggled for, for many, many years. Something they had fought for with their very blood.
"Forces of the dark," Vladimar called out, so suddenly that Heidi was startled out of her ponderings. Raising the goblet high, he spoke again, his voice echoing into the stillness. "Sons and daughters of the dark. Thunder and lightning, frost and ice, storms and quakes, your mistress awaits you! Come!"
Almost at once, an icy wind blasted through the area and disbelieving Heidi looked down and saw that the floor, previously made of rock, was now covered by a thin sleet of ice.
She noticed the satisfied smirk on Vladimar's face. "It is working."
She did not have a chance to reply because with a mighty shudder the earth shook viciously. Then, right alongside the Table, surrounding it completely, a chasm opened in the earth. From deep within its depths Heidi could hear the bubbling of molten magma. Her heart beat violently and he felt goose bumps erupt over her pale skin. A cold blast of wind swept through again, violently tearing at her dress. Billowing over it molded to form many gusts of winds that shrieked and moaned in the night.
Water. Ice. Earth. Air. And now fire.
All the elements combined. All the forces of nature molded to form the most powerful force in the world.
"The flame, my dear."
Heidi knelt down and bowing her head, extended the flame in her hands like an offering. The wind caught at it and suddenly, with a massive eruption, fire leapt around the table, rearing and smoking.
She flinched back from the force, agony searing through her as the heat reached her bare skin. She could feel the sizzling and charring. Her eyes narrowed to slits she looked and saw Vladimar on his knees, kneeling as if humbled.
She glanced at Aslan's Table and saw the smoke, concentrated in the middle, swirling way slightly. And in its dancing glory, Heidi saw a slender figure emerging, uncoiling like a serpent ready to strike.
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The glinting train hooted violently as it swerved into the station. The scarlet stripes were now faded but the smoke that pumped out of its top were proof that it was very much living and was currently nearly toppling over the rails.
With a almighty screech that nearly tore it's passenger's ear drums, the train skidded to a stop and the driver pumped his fists into the air.
Cursing in a way that would make Edmund proud, Peter Pevensie jumped out of the train, closely followed by his fellow soldiers. It was cold, it was snowing, and they had only their coveralls on. But Peter was so used to the cold by now that he scarcely noticed it. Hardship was a fate not uncommon in the army.
Behind him, he heard the soldiers cheer: some smiling as they pounced on their relatives, some moaning from the wounds they had sustained and some staring around miserably. The war that they had wanted to end was continuing. The odd thing was that while neither side was strong enough to fight, they were still waging a war. As if some evil force was forcing them to fight among themselves when peace was possible. It was now rearing his ugly head.
"Alright, Peter?" Adam, one of his close friends, asked him concernedly. "You looked…..sort of out of this world."
Peter grinned, slapping him on the back and shaking the snow from his golden hair. "I'm alright, Adam. Just….. thinking."
Adam nodded and said nothing more. Peter liked that about him: Adam always knew what to do.
"Aren't your family here yet?" He asked instead, his dark eyes looking around. Peter mimicked his movement and looked here and there.
The platform was so filled that it was impossible to see anyone properly.
"I don't know. Ed said that they would come here." Worry laced his voice. He still hadn't given up his habit. "What about you?"
Adam smiled and pointed at a family of four standing away. "That's them. My grandparents and my siblings."
Peter glanced at them and saw an old woman clutching a wizened man's arm and waving towards them. Adam beckoned for him to follow and reluctantly he did so.
"Adam, my dear!" The woman, Adam's grandmother, wrapped his lanky frame into her thin arms. "And Peter dear! Welcome home!"
To his great surprise, Adam's grandmother embraced him too, fondly ruffling Peter's hair. "Adam has told me so much about you, dear."
The children stared goggle-eyed at him, shy and tumbling into their grandfather who squeezed Peter's hand in a surprisingly strong gesture.
"Enough, Sarah." He said, commandingly. "You are embarrassing them."
Sarah, her lovely hazel eyes dancing, opened her mouth to retort but at Adam's warning look quieted and instead smiled. "Are you coming with us, Peter?"
"Uh…no, ma'am." Peter said lightly. "My family's probably waiting for me. You go ahead. And, Merry Christmas!"
He waved them away and as Sarah ushered the younger children onwards, after Adam and his grandfather, she stopped beside Peter. Looking in all directions she stood on tip-toes and said softly:
"Aslan awaits you. Narnia is in great danger."
Peter blinked and before he could ask his thousand questions she hurried away. Narnia? Aslan? She knew about him? Adam's grandmother knew Aslan?
His thoughts were still jumbled and he nearly jumped in fright as Lucy tackled him from behind, crying his name over and over.
"Thank goodness, we found you." Susan said, observing him critically. "Edmund's throwing a hissy fit."
"A hissy fit?" Edmund poked his coffee head out from the crowd. "What are you, Susan? A hundred and two?"
Susan rolled her eyes and smoothed her carefully ironed dress. "Don't argue. Come on, Peter. Honestly, what have they been feeding you? You look like a skeleton. You must start fattening up a little. It's dangerous for health."
"Yes, grandma." Peter teased lightly, lifting Lucy and swinging her until she squealed. "As you command."
"Ed," Susan ordered. "Pick up some of Peter's bags. Hurry up."
"I hear and I obey, O lady." Edmund said mockingly and leaned down, scowling. Once Susan and Lucy were out of earshot, he muttered. "I feel like a servant, honestly."
"Oh lighten up, Ed." Peter started laughing. He would worry about this later. Perhaps it was a coincidence that Sarah had mentioned Aslan and Narnia.
"You can say that." Edmund said, frowning horribly. "We'll see how you feel after you've slaved away. Girls are so dictating."
Peter smiled. It was good to be home.
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Jadis breathed deeply in the scent of the pines that surrounded Aslan's Table. Her multi-colored eyes flickered with the fire around her though her body felt like ice.
She had been away for far too long. She had waited far too much and now her wait was over. She flicked her slender fingers and the smoke surrounding her molded around her body forming a flowing Grecian gown that fell elegantly to the Table she was standing on. The marble felt cold against her bare feet and she smiled, a dangerous smile that was filled with predatory malice and all the evil secrets within her.
To her right she saw Vladimar leaning, his mouth framing silent words.
"Brother dear," She said, her smile gone. "You need not bow any longer. Rise. I am done with your submission."
She saw him rise up, her face expressionless and icy in it's cold beauty. She saw a brief flash of fear in his face before he said smoothly.
"Jadis… I have waited, waited so long…."
He fell silent as she stepped down almost floating and stepped beside him.
"Your wait is over." She told him, casually flicking again and heard him roar as a cut appeared on his face, bleeding badly. "This is for how long you took. My patience was tested to it's limits, brother. Why, I would not have forgiven you. I still haven't."
Vladimar snarled. "I helped you come back to your original form! You would never have come back without me."
"And I thank you." She purred dangerously. "Now, give me back my wand."
"What?"
"My wand, you ingrate." Jadis said sharply, swishing her skirts. "I presume you know what a wand is. And don't tell me that it was destroyed. You re-joined it, I am fully aware of that. You restored it to its complete power. Now give it back."
Mutely he handed it over to her and she raised it high, reveling in the power that it held.
She laughed, a cold high sound that was completely devoid of mirth.
"I am back!" She called, her voice echoing in the stillness. "Now Aslan! Come and see if you can stop me! You and your human brats!"
There was no answer and Vladimar stared at her. She smiled at him and twisted around raising her wand so that bright rays shot out of it crowning the night sky.
I will have my revenge. She thought. Narnia will never be at peace again.
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The first chapter is done! So give me some good reviews guys! I'm sorry for the delay but I have some major exams coming up and so might not update very often. But I promise, this story will continue until it's end and there are many surprises in store. So review! Please!
To any new reader, you can read the High King's Queen first which is the sort for prequel for this story.
L. Potter