The Centaur turned towards me and for a moment I thought he would atack me too. He looked kind of threatening with that big claymore of his, still dripping with blood. Then he extended a hand.
-Hop on lass. The Calormene are coming closer and they aren't known for taking prisoners.
By lack of any other options I took the centaur's hand and before I knew I was firmly seated on his back.
-Hold on!
And hold on I did. The last time I had ridden anything remotely equine had been six years ago and that had been a shetlander. The centaur was taller and much faster than Tutsi and I was mortally afraid to fall off. I had fallen of horses before of course but never at such high speeds. I didn't seem to have completely forgotten my riding lessons though and after a while I found myself actually moving with the centaur instead of simply bumping along. If my situation hadn't been so strange I would have whooped. Soon we joined with a group creatures as strange if not stranger than my centaur. I saw a couple of other centaurs, a few fauns, three dwarves and a rather threatening creature I could only call a minotaur. They all were bloodied and battle-wary. And so were the beasts that accompanied them. I'd never seen such a diverse assortment of different animals walk so peacefully together. I saw three cheetahs, four badgers, a couple of deer, a horse, a three mice and one squirrel. All walked together as if it was perfectly normal to do so and they weren't prey and predator. I wondered what kept them here and from each others throats. That is untill one of them, the horse, spoke up and nearly made me fall of my Centaur's back.
-Oi Stellos! What in Aslan's name made you run off like that!
-I had to follow a hunch.
-The Lion's Mane. Centaurs and their hunches. We don't have time right now for you to follow your 'hunches'! The Calormene are on our heels and I'm pretty sure the only thing that keeps them from finding us is the mist. We have to hurry before it dissipates.
' Well what are we waiting for then?' my centaur, or rather Stellos, replied smartly. The horse snorted which I supposed was the horse-equivalent of an exasperated sigh. They set off into a trot. Though it wasn't the neckbreaking speed at which Stellos had gone before it was still a ground-eating pace and I could sense the urgency that was hanging over the company.
-Hey Stellos, who did you bring with you?
I searched for the speaker. It was one of the mice who was firmly seated on one of the cheetahs'back. Suddenly I found myself stared at by a few dozen eyes. They hadn't really paid attention to me untill now but the mouse's question had drawn all attention to me.
-Yeah tell us!
-It looks like a human!
-WHAT!
The company fell silent again.
-Why in Aslan's name did you bring a human along, Stellos?
It was the horse and he looked postively furious now.
-Hey calm down Carl. She's not a Calormene. She is too pale for that.
The horse, or rather Carl, visibly relaxed at that.
-In fact even for a Telmarine she looks rather pale. You sure she is not ill, Stellos?
Before I could find the speaker this time I found myself with a handull of red fur in my lap, and with a little clawed paw firmly on my forehead.
-Well she doesn't have a fever.
My eyes finally focused to look straight into the concerned little face of the squirrel.
-Maybe she is one of those fancy Telmarine ladies who never go outside ?
The faun who had said that scoffed.
-Hey guys I can speak for myself you know!
They fell into a rather embarassed silence when they realised they had been speaking about me as if I hadn't been there. The squirrel was the first to speak again.
-Oh excuse us for our behavior Lady. These are rather stressfull times....
The minotaur snorted at that.
-... and one does tend to forget his manners, in times like these. Please tell us who you are.
-Well... uhm
I was a bit flustered at the sudden expectant silence. I didn't know what I could tell and what not. This was not my world anymore as much was clear, and I did not know if these strange creatures where known with cases like me, or I would be declared as mad. I decided to tell them the bare minimum about how I got there and speak only in general terms about where I came from. This world still seemed to be in some sort of Middle-Age so would I avoid any mention of modern things.
-Well I'm Yannick Frequin and yes I know it's a boy's name. I'm Dutch... well at least half since Mom is Belgian, and eeeehm..... I kind of got lost, so I really don't know how I got here.
Smooth, girl, real smooth. Got lost heh?
-Dutch... does that mean you are from... Dutchland? I've never heard of that country.
That was one of the Badgers.
-Well actually my country is called the Netherlands but it doesn't really surprise me you don't know it. It is eeeehm, kind of far away.
It gets better every time doesn't it?
The badger was about to ask further when he got interrupted by Stellos.
-Leat it rest, Holdfast. Lady Yannick clearly is confused and I doubt she will be able to answer all your questions.
I gave inaudible sigh of relief. I didn't miss the knowing glance the Stellos shared with the other Centaurs though. They knew something.