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Across the Worlds

Chapter 7: Journey to the Temple

. . . . . . . . . .

"So you think the Darkness we have to defeat in this world are these… Yin?" Elias shook his head firmly, "They can't be."

"Why not?" Jason growled, "Trust me old man, I've seen these things first hand and they are the dang definition of Darkness."

"They can't be," Elias argued, "Gui told me these spirits have been around since the dawn of civilisation in this world. It just doesn't make sense."

The five of them were seating around Gui's dining table, the morning after the Yin's attack and the appearance of the two mysterious boys. Zaru sat by Susan's foot, his sides bandaged, his grey eyes focused on Elias and Jason's angry faces.

"Why not?" Jason demanded again.

"From what Zaru has told us it seems this Darkness has only been spreading for the last few years at most," Elias argued, "It just doesn't correlate. These Yin have been here for untold eons."

Susan frowned.

"So are you saying the time doesn't match up?" Susan asked speaking up, "Professor…"

Elias's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at Susan. He gasped and smacked himself on the forehead.

"Of course!" he cried, "I am such a fool. Even after the stories you told me about Narnia and the temporal differences!"

Everybody else instantly shared exasperated looks as Elias descended into a babble of scientific equations and theorems.

"Okay Doc, remember… small words," Inara cut in.

But Elias wasn't listening. He was pacing the room, murmuring feverishly to himself, his words only half-directed to them.

"Time moves differently between the worlds. So even if the Darkness has only been spreading for a few years in Narnian time."
"It could've been centuries here," Susan guessed, "Right?"

Elias nodded vigorously.

"I am a fool not to have seen that before!"

"So we're all in agreement?" Zaru spoke up, "These Yin are the Darkness?"

Everyone nodded.

"But there lies the problem. These Yin are not one central enemy like Shift was. They are a race of creatures. We cannot possibly hope to eradicate them all. It's just impossible!" Elias pointed out.

"Well," Inara said smiling, "I know where we can find out more about them."

Everyone turned and stared at her questioningly. Inara beckoned.

"Come on. Follow me."

She walked out of the door as the others quickly hurried after her.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Gui told me the two Kung Fu guys were staying at the house of the village leader," Inara explained, "And from what Queenie and Cowboy told us, they'll be the ones to ask about the Yin."

They stopped in front of the biggest house in the whole village. From the outside it didn't look very much but the small jade pendant hanging from the door indicated the importance of the inhabitants within.

"Go on," Inara nudged Zaru.

"Why me?" Zaru sulked.

"Uhh… because they think you're some great holy good luck charm," Inara said firmly, "Go, use your exploitative powers for good!"

Zaru growled at her but instantly walked up to the door.

"Does someone want to knock? I don't have hands!" he called out.

Susan laughed and walked up, rapping the door firmly with her hands. It instantly swung open leaving Susan standing there, mildly surprised, her hand in mid-air.

"Umm… hello… ahh…" Susan slowly lowered her hand, "We would…"

One of the orange-robed boys from last night was standing in the doorway, his intelligent dark eyes staring deep into Susan's blue ones. Susan couldn't help but notice that this young monk had very old eyes. They were exactly like her own, speaking of battles won and lost, of heartache and secret tears, of experiences that had aged them much too quickly.

Secretly she wanted to cry for this young boy-warrior. What had he endured to age his soul so? What torment? What anguish?

But externally, she just nodded.

The boy nodded back in reply, one kindred spirit to another.

In that split second, Susan knew she had found an ally and friend in this world. They were both the same, an old life-hardened soul trapped inside a child's body.

But his next words completely ruined her train of thought.

"Your majesty," the shaven-headed monk gave her a formal bow.

Susan blinked in surprise. The boy straightened.

"I have been waiting for you."

"Uhhh…" Susan desperately tried to search for the right words, "Thanks?"

. . . . . . . . . .

"We have elders with talent amongst us," the monk who had greeted her at the door explained.

They were seating in the head villager's home, Jiang on one side of the room, the five companions on the other. Jiang watched them carefully as they all stared at him confused, only Jason seemed to have an inkling of what he was saying.

"They are known as seers, those who can see into the future," Jiang continued.

"And they saw us," Susan realised.

Jiang nodded gravely.

"Before Hu and I left the Temple, the eldest of the seers told us that on our journeys we will meet a blue-eyed Queen," he gave the smallest of nods to Susan, "She and her companions must be taken to the Temple because they have a great and perilous task in Jin ShiZi. One that may decide the fate of all who live here."

His voice was mild and soft but his words carried a great weight.

"How much do you know about us?" Susan asked without blinking an eyelid.

There was an undercurrent inside the room, a curious tension that arose every time Susan and Jiang spoke and looked at each other.

"The seer said…" Jiang trailed off, "You are not of this world."

"What?!" Elias gasped, "He saw that? How is that even possible? It doesn't…"

"A lot of things that are not possible still exist," Jiang observed quietly.

"So what do our elders want us to do?" Susan cut in.

"You are to come with us to the Temple," Jiang said dutifully.

"Well…" Susan rose in her chair but before she could speak, the door burst open and the second monk barged in, eyes gleaming.

"Jiang! Jiang! Did you hear? There's a talking leopard in this village! A great holy spir…" Hu trailed off as he spotted the five figures sitting across from his companion.

His jaws dropped as he spotted Zaru who look at him coolly. Hu's eyes drifted to the other four people until it fell on Susan.

He let out a small gasp and instantly fell to his knees, bowing before the Queen. Susan shifted uncomfortably having always disliked the formality that came with being a royal.

"Your majesty!" he gasped, "I didn't…"

"Please, get up," Susan said in a clear voice.

Hu scrambled to his feet, blushing and brushing his robes off. Susan turned back to Jiang.

"When do we leave?" she asked.

Jiang smiled, a small twitch at the corner of his lips.

"Now."

. . . . . . . . . .

Zaru darted ahead, cavorting around in the long grass, half-heartedly chasing after wild hares as the gentle wind ruffled his fur. The leopard instantly loped easily back to Susan, mouth open, panting slightly.

"Isn't this the best!" he crowed.

Susan laughed. The young Narnian was used to places like this, wide-open spaces filled with greenery and rivers and life. He had gotten used to the village in the three days they had spent there but to be out in the wild once more… it was no wonder he was acting like a young kit.

"Want to play?" Zaru begged.

"I think I'm a little old to be frolicking in the grass," Elias laughed.

"I'll come!" Hu said instantly.

The leopard and the boy ran forwards, chasing after each other as Susan smiled, chuckling under her breath.

Jiang, easily the more quiet and solemn of the two Temple monks, shook his head in well-versed exasperation.

Jason was walking silently beside her, stumbling every now and then still unused to walk in grassy earth, his face expressionless. But if you looked close enough, his dark blue eyes were gleaming as he surveyed the green world around him.

The Seeker from the desert was mesmerised by this paradise.

There was a yell as Zaru deliberately bowled into Inara up ahead. The young girl swore and swatted at the leopard lightly with her walking staff but the cat easily jumped aside avoiding the bow as Hu cheered him on.

"This was meant to be a grave and serious mission," Jiang said dryly.

"Cheer up lad," Elias said lightly, "We are alive and the sun is shining. Let's enjoy it before the darkness comes."

Susan sucked in a breath as a sudden memory of seeing Peter slumped against chains, a glimpse from one of her dreams flitted into her mind.

She shuddered but forced the memory away.

'There's no use worrying,' she told herself firmly, 'Focus on the present!'

She followed Elias's advice and turned her face to the sun allowing its warm glow to bathe her and chase her nightmares away.

. . . . . . . . . .

It was nearing dusk when Zaru spotted the first sign.

"Smoke," he hissed lowly, bounding back to Susan, "I smell smoke."

"What?" Susan looked up but could see nothing, "Are you sure?"

Zaru nodded, tail twitching as Susan glanced at Jason. The Seeker sighed.

"His senses are sharper than mine," he informed her.

There was a cry as Inara and Hu who had taken off earlier suddenly sprinted back towards them, rounding a hill before coming into view.

"What is it?" Jiang asked calling out to his companion.

"There's… there's…" Hu began stumbling over his own words.

Inara's face was pale.

"There's a village," she said shortly, "And well… it doesn't look good."

Susan and Jiang frowned at each other before taking off running round the hill. They instantly came to a horrified stop.

"What in the name of Aslan…"

A pallor of smoke hung in the air giving a hazy appearance to the village below. Or more precisely what remained of the village.

It had once been a small thriving rural community protected by a wooden barricade like Gui's village. But the barricade had been torn to splinters and twisted metal. Blackened husks were all that remained of the houses. Dead animals littered the ground and the humans…

What had once been a village was now a smoking graveyard.

Susan had to look away.

"Yin," Jiang growled.

"They did this?" Susan said numbed, "How?"

Jiang was silent as he slowly made his way down the steep embankment to the village gates. Susan picked her way carefully after him. Behind her she could hear curses and gasps as the others caught up.

"By the mane," Zaru hissed, his ears pinned back.

Jiang's face was ashen as he clambered through what remained of the village's gates. The smoke seared Susan's throat but she pressed on, blue eyes sweeping the ground for survivors but all she saw was blood and wide opening unseeing eyes.

"This is a damned place," Elias said quietly.

"The Yin have been growing," Hu commented sadly.

"What?" Susan half-turned to look at him.

"Ten years ago, it would've been rare to see more than one Yin in half a year," Jiang informed her softly, "But now…"

"Not a week goes by without news of multiple attacks," Hu finished, "The Temple is stretched trying to protect all villages."

"What exactly is it that the Temple does?" Elias asked.

Jiang and Hu exchanged looks before Jiang cleared his throat.

"Come, this is no place for stories."

He quietly led the way out of the village as the blazing sun settled into night. In the reddish hue of sunset, they slowly plodded out of the gates but still the smoke clung to them, reminding them of the death they had just seen.

. . . . . . . . . .

A log crackled in the flames throwing sparks up into the air. The seven of them had camped a mile away form the village, pushing through the night, none of them eager to be anywhere near that place in the dark.

Seating around the flames, the five travellers from different worlds watched as Jiang and Hu decided where to start their story.

"The Temple was found in the time of the first Emperor," Jiang began gravely in an almost lecturing tone, "It was built to defend the people from the threat of the Yin, the dark spirits created by the First Being, He Who Created The World."

"Why would anyone create those things?" Jason demanded, "Sounds like your First Being is a bit of a sadist."

Jiang sent him a piercing look.

"Because of balance," he said simply, "That which we call good and evil are forces that exist in this world and others not because they are all war with each other but because they need each other to be. A world devoid of all evil cannot exist because what then can we measure good against? That which is evil is simply nothing less than different levels or perceptions of good."

"Whoa, deep," Inara said in the silence that followed.

"Good and evil are in balance even in the hearts of man," Hu said almost as if he was reciting it from a book and he probably was, "Because man can never be purely one or the other so both must exist in the heart and mind and therefore in man's creations."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Alright. I got it. So the Temple?"

"How does one become a Kung Fu master?" Inara asked eagerly, "Can I join up?"
"Kung Fu?" Jiang asked, confused.

"Ehh… one of you guys. Warrior monks or whatever you call yourselves," Inara supplied quickly.

"Women cannot join," Hu told her casually, "They cannot handle the training."

"What?!" Susan and Inara both said at the same time, eyes blazing. Jason snorted with laughter.

Jiang quickly held up his hands stopping them from arguing.

"It is the way of the Temple," Jiang shrugged, "Tradition. The Temple has scouts that go out to all the villages looking for young boys, no older than five, who can become warriors of the Temple."

"They are chosen then taken away to the Temple," Hu continued, "All ties with their families are severed.

Susan was surprised at the calm way, which Hu talked about children being removed from their families. To be taken from your own mother and thrust into a training regime at such a young age…

She had seen the training the knights of Narnia had to go through but they started when they were ten at the earliest and were more than free to visit their families. But this Temple seemed so heartless to just expect parents to forget about their own children, their own flesh and blood.

"Isn't that kind of… harsh?" Susan asked concerned.

"It is a great honour," Jiang told her mildly, "The boys are then trained in the art of mind and spirit in the Temple until he is ten… then comes the initiation."

Hu grimaced slightly.

"It's hard to be away from your family at first," Hu shrugged, "But you get use to it."

"The initiation is… hard," a quick flash of pain crossed Jiang's face, "You have to face the Chamber."

A note of fear thrummed in his voice when he said the Chamber. Susan quietly noted that Hu's face twitched at the word.

"I'm going to bite," Zaru frowned, "What's the Chamber?"

"It is a dark place," Hu shuddered, "A place where you face your darkest nightmares."

Both boys had grown pale at the mention of the Chamber. Out of the corner of her eyes Susan could see Elias wanting to say more but she quickly cut him off.

"So what happens after that?"

"Those who survive the Chamber than are gifted with the powers of the body and become warriors of the Temple. They go forth defending those who cannot but their foremost task is to defeat the Yin," Jiang finished.

"And what of the seers you mentioned before?" Elias asked curiously.

"Oh them, the scouts also go out and look for those with the 'gift'," Hu made air quotations around the world, "Those boys are trained to develop their skills."

"So they can see into the future?" Elias questioned.

"Past, present and future," Jiang said quietly, "Also of possibilities."

There was short silence before Jason spoke up.

"You mentioned the Yin were increasing?"

Jiang sighed.

"Yes."

"But nobody really knows why," Hu said quickly, "Not even the seers. Usually the Yin are random in the way they attack but lately… they've been smarter."

"Smarter?" Zaru hissed not liking the implications.

"They've been more strategic… attacking villages that supply the Temple with food and water and other necessities. Other villages have been ruined because of their long history of supplying the Temple with apprentices," Jiang was grave.

"So… someone or something is deliberately attacking the Temple itself?" Susan demanded.

Jiang and Hu both nodded. The five companions instantly glanced at each other, understanding flaring in their eyes.

"The Darkness," Elias mouthed silently.

Susan nodded.

"So what are we going to do next?" Inara asked the obvious question.

"The seers told us to bring you the Temple than…" Jiang shrugged.

"They'll tell you," Hu said confidently, "They always know what to do!"

"Let's hope so," Susan said softly.

It was at that exact moment that a wave of wrongness swept over their little camp. The fire in the pit instantly flared out as Zaru began growling low in his throat. In the darkness, Susan could only see the eyes of her companions wide and frightened in the gloom.

"What…" Inara began, panicking.

Jiang's eyes widened, his pupils glinting in the sudden gloom.

"THE YIN!" he cried, springing to his feet.

"What?!"

Suddenly in the shadows, pinpoints of white light gleamed. They were eyes, hungry devouring eyes.

Susan leapt to her feet, her bow already in hand.

"Well," she said grimly, "Looks like we have some visitors."

. . . . . . . . . .

The seer suddenly grabbed at his temple and he fell to the ground.

"What is it Master?" one of the younger seers instantly helped him up.

Chu Xing, oldest of the seers and master of the mystics of the Temple, stared up at his underling with fear-filled eyes.

"They… they…" he said in a small broken voice, "One of them is going to die."

. . . . . . . . . .

Jason placed himself firmly in front of Inara, silently protecting the girl who watched on with wide-open eyes.

"Do you know how to fight at all?" he growled at her.

"Uhhh… self-defence classes count?" she replied hesitantly.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I know how to shop-lift!" Inara said brightly.

The Seeker shook his head as Inara deflated.

"Right. Not useful right now."

"They're here," Jiang said quietly.

Hu cried out and threw something onto the extinguished fire. There was a puff of smoke and the blackened logs erupted into flames once more. The sudden brightness instantly illuminated the Yin.

Elias and Inara who hadn't seen them before instantly recoiled as the five of those ancient evil spirits lumbered towards them, drool leaking out of their fanged maws.

"What are those things?" Elias cried out.

"Evil," Zaru said darkly.

In the firelight Susan could see that not all of the Yin were the same. Each was different in subtle ways. One was squatter than the others, its motley potbelly sticking. Another was rake thin, almost skeletal in appearance. The third had a wild more of straggly grey ash hair that spilt down its back. The fourth was covered in more spines than all the others and the last was the smallest by the far, looking almost like a tiny demonic child.

There was a brief silence as the two sides stared at each other.

The fire flickered.

Hu blinked.

And with a resounding roar, the Yin charged straight into them. Susan had already given them names inside her head: Squat, Tall, Hairy, Spiny and Kid.

Her arrow was shattered in mid-air as Tall lashed out, its clawed hand breaking the shaft with little effort.

Hu and Jiang swept forwards, Hu with a sword in hand, Jiang wielding a long glaive, a spear-like weapon. He thrust out but Squat threw itself forwards, rolling under the weapon before kicking out.

Two clawed feet slammed into Jiang's chest throwing the boy-warrior backwards. He turned the fall into an elegant flip before slashing out, gashing his Yin across the chest.

Squat stumbled backwards, black acidic blood gushing from its wound as it let out a pig-like squeal of pain.

With a cry, Jiang finished it off, smashing the spear through its face. The Yin fell backwards, body twitching as to the horror of everyone watching, the other Yin fell upon it with excited howls and began feeding noisily.

"Oh, that's just nasty," Susan grimaced.

Hu and Jiang merely watched on, their faces stony as Inara retched.

As one the four remaining Yin turned to them, their faces black with the blood of their fallen comrade.

Hairy and Spiny lunged at them but Hu and Jason was there, both of them armed with their bladed weapons.

Hu fired a high-kick smacking Hairy in the face. The spirit stumbled backwards as Hu sliced forwards with the sword but incredibly the Yin recovered and caught the blade with its bare-hands.

Hu's eyes widened.

"ROWWRRRR!"

Roaring, it pulled the sword from Hu's grip. Carelessly, it tossed the sword over its shoulder before throwing a punch straight at Hu.

The boy ducked before, the clawed fist flying overhead before he exploded forwards landing a vicious uppercut that snapped the spirit's head back.

Blood flew from the creature's shattered teeth. Hu bellowed and barrelled straight into the Yin, crash-tackling it to the ground.

"MOVE!" Jason roared.

Zaru was now fighting Spiny, hissing and growling as they circled at each other, moving around in an intricate dance of claws and fangs. Jason leapt away from the fight and swung downwards with his knife.

Hu leapt to the side as Jason buried his dagger straight into Hairy's chest.

"ARGGGHHHHH!"

The Yin bucked and roared, writhing frantically. It screech straight into Jason's face and tried to raise it arms in a vain attempt to attack. But with a shout, Jason yanked the knife out and the Yin was still.

. . . . . . . . . .

On the other side of the fire, Susan and Jiang fought with the two remaining Yin. Jiang was duelling hand to hand with the Tall Yin, his glaive having long been snapped to splinters in the battle. The two enemies traded vicious blows, fists and feet flying, flesh bruising and bones cracking.

A long bleeding cut was slashed across Jiang's face as Tall landed a nasty blow. The boy staggered backwards as Tall ploughed straight into him but Jiang was quicker.

The boy warrior grabbed Tall's oustretched arm and with a flick of his wrist, tossed the spirit straight over his shoulder. The Yin slammed into the ground, shrieking as Jiang spat on the ground before leaping straight on top of it, kicking and punching.

"FOR THE TEMPLE!" the boy roared, cracking the monster in the face, "DIE!"

He punched the monster over and over again, a feral look on his face.

"DIE!"

. . . . . . . . . .

Susan fired but missed again. She tried to reload but the smallest of the Yin, Kid, was agile and cunning, taking advantage of her distraction to lunge at her.

"YAH!" a cry burst from her lips as Susan stumbled backwards, trying to avoid a flying claw.

She hit the ground in a dishevelled heap as with a triumphant screech, the Yin leapt into the air, ready to finish her off.

Fingers fumbling, Susan desperately tried to fire again, to kill the beast and to save her life.

"GET OFF HER!"

Elias and Inara was there, swatting at the Yin with their walking staffs. Bundles of cloth had been tied to the end and dipped into the fire creating long flaming torches.

The fire licked at the Yin's flesh and the demon instantly recoiled, screeching discordantly in pain.

A thick stench filled the air as burns opened up on the spirit's body, its skin sizzling, smoke roiling out from the blisters. Inara and Elias both staggered backwards, gasping for breath as Kid hit the ground, one of its legs horrifically burned.

It whimpered pathetically and tried to rise but its leg gave way and it fell to the ground with a squeal.

Susan fought down the urge to gag as she put two arrows to her string and fired them simultaneously.

Above the battle cries around them there was high-pitched zip of air rushing through feathers and the arrows slammed home.

Twin barbs pierced the spirit's throat and Kid keeled over, its white eyes going blank.

"Thanks," she croaked, crawling to her feet.

Inara and Elias managed to wheeze at her. Susan turned and watched with wide blue eyes as Jiang continued to lay into his Yin, his face a feral mask of rage.

"Die!" he shouted into the Yin's bloody face, "DIE!"

"He's scaring me now," Inara whispered, her voice still hoarse from the smoke.

'Yeah, me too." Susan replied, her eyes still focused on Jiang.

"Maybe someone should stop the boy," Elias suggested.

Both girls looked at him incredulously.

"And what? Get punched in the face?" Inara protested, "No thanks!"

There was a sickening crunch and Tall went still. Jiang rose slowly to his feet, his face and front drenched in black gore.

The blood hissed and burned his skin but Jiang seemed not to notice.

"Coming?" he asked casually.

The three of them gaped at him.

There was a triumphant cry as the final Yin, Spiny, fell with Hu's sword thrust straight through its belly.

"Well," Hu said shakily, "That was bracing."

"You okay?" Susan asked seeing Inara's face. Now that the adrenaline rush was over, the teenager looked like she was going to be sick.

The girl was trembling but she shook her head.

"Yeah, don't worry," she tired to gave Susan a smile, "I think I'm getting used to freaky things happening to me!"

"These are fascinating creatures," Elias eyed the bodies all around him, "Perhaps I could perform an autop…"

He wilted as like the night before, the flesh of the Yin sizzled into nothing before the bones crumbled to fine dust.

"Sorry, Doc," Susan patted him on the back sympathetically.

The professor looked almost distraught at the lost opportunity to study new life forms. Inara just shook her head and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. Zaru instantly slid to her side, leaning his head against her legs, silently comforting her.

Inara smiled gratefully.

Jason rolled his eyes at the professor but sheathed his daggers.

"What should we do now?" Hu asked looking at Jiang.

The warrior was calmly wiping the black blood from himself.

"We should move off," he said calmly, not caring the least he had just been in a fight for his life.

Susan was still secretly shocked at the crazed look she had just seen in his dark eyes but she had to approve of his calm demeanour after the battle, his cool head completely unaffected by the frenzy of the fight just before.

Jiang looked up and noticed Susan's eyes on him.

"Come on, we should…" he began.

"Boy."

Jason's word was spoken expressionlessly.

"What?" Jiang turned to the Seeker.

The man's face was inscrutable.

"Trouble," Jason slowly pointed out towards the west.

As one everyone looked and Inara let out a strangled cry.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," Inara hyperventilated, "This is not happening! Tell me this isn't happening!"

A veritable army of Yin stood before them, their white eyes burning through the darkness.

"What should we do?" Zaru asked in small thin voice.

Jiang and Hu glanced at each other. Hu's face was pale but he gave a quick nod, affirming a silent agreement between the two boys.

"We'll hold them off," Hu said firmly, "You all have to…"

"No."

Hu turned to Jiang incredulously.

"What?! We need to get the Queen to the Temple! The elders commanded it!"

"They don't know the way!" Jiang growled back at Hu, "Go with them! I'll hold them off!"

"What?" Hu blinked, "NO! JIANG!"

"You have to!" Jiang said in a diamond hard voice, "I am the better fighter. I can hold them for longer!"

"Jiang!" Hu yelled desperately.

In that single sickening moment, Susan knew what was about to happen. Jiang turned to glance at her and a silent message passed between the two.

The girl in Susan wanted to cry, to breakdown into tears and beg him not to do it. But the Queen inside her, the strategist knew what had to be done.

She hated herself.

Was this how Peter felt when he let so many Narnians die in Miraz's castle? Did he feel this soul wrenching guilt?

And this had nothing to do with her. She hadn't led Jiang to his death deliberately or by her own folly but still she felt so dirty… so responsible for what was about to happen.

How could she live with herself? How could she place her life before his?

But she had to. Too much depended on her. Tears pricked her eyes but she refused to let them fall. This was no time for emotions, it was time for cold hard logic.

Susan squared her shoulders and spoke her command.

"Let's move!" she yelled, "Come on! MOVE IT!"

Elias pulled Inara to her feet and they began moving off, Zaru bounding after them. Jason was next leaving Hu and Susan behind.

"Please, Jiang…" Hu begged, weeping freely.

For a split second, the cool determination on Jiang's face followed and a warm affection that stripped years off his face emerged.

"Thank you Hu," he said sincerely, "For being there. Every day."

"Jiang…"

"Go," the boy warrior said simply, "Go."

Stumbling, blinded by his tears, Hu ran with the others.

"Jiang," Susan said quietly.

"Your Majesty," Jiang kept one eye on the army of Yin that stood just metres away, "Please go."

"I want to thank you," Susan said softly.

"Just doing my duty," Jiang replied.

Susan gave him a deep curtsey as though he was royalty. Jiang blinked in surprise.

"I know this isn't really my role or anything but…" Susan took a deep breath, "I, Queen Susan the Gentle, hereby knight you… Sir Jiang the Selfless, Knight of Narnia."

Jiang smiled softly looking again like the young boy he was.

"Selfless?" Jiang echoed, "Sounds nice."

"Jiang…"

The young warrior held her gaze, his eyes fierce, his mouth set into a stubborn line.

"I'll give you as much time as possible. Now! GO!"

Susan ran as fast as she could. Behind her, she heard a thundering roar as the Yin charged as one crushing wall.

A cry, Jiang's, pierced the night and the lone warrior smashed into the demons.

Susan ran and ran and ran like a coward into the night, the sound of battle fading behind her as she pushed herself on and on.

The others were waiting for her.

"What happened? Is he…" Inara trailed off seeing the tears on Susan's face.

"GO!" Susan yelled at them, "GO YOU IDIOTS! RUN!"

Hu's sobs filled Susan's ears as the group of them continued to run as far away as possible.

An hour ticked by and still they kept running. The Yin were still nowhere to be seen but still they ran.

Another hour passed, Elias and Inara were both desperately gasping for breath, limping badly but still they pressed on.

It was almost morning when the first Yin caught up to them.

"YIN!" Zaru cried, his acute senses instantly reacting, "YIN!"

With tears blinding her eyes, Susan whipped around, arrow to string but she never got the chance to fire.

"PWHIP! PWHIP! PHWIP! PWHIP!"

A wall of arrows descended down from the skies, pinning the monster down as the sound of thundering hooves trembled the earth.

They all turned around as a cavalry of orange-robed monks instantly circled them, protecting them behind a barrier of flesh and blades.

"Your Majesty?" a tall man with intelligent eyes asked.

Susan nodded tiredly.

"We are to escort you to the Temple," the man continued.

"Then…" Susan's voice was a rasp whisper.

She swallowed.

"Lead the way," she croaked, "Lead the way."

The man nodded and the final leg to the Temple began.

. . . . . . . . . .

The next chapter is going to be a bit different in that there's no action at all, instead what you do get is a lot of character development and some questions about the companions' pasts are answered!

And just for people who are interested and trying to picture Jason, Inara and Elias in their heads, the actors/actress I've got picture in my head (and keep in mind, I don't particularly mind who you imagine) is Emily Browning (with light brown hair) as Inara, Ron Glass as Elias and Gerard Butler (in his Nim's Island costume) as Jason. Zaru is played by a CGI leopard (lol) and voiced by... yeah, haven't decided that bit

Also, and I know I sound like I'm whinging or something but I've noticed a new story up that's very similar to mine. It's about travelling to different worlds and using the rings and there's companions and such... I really, really, really hope that the author is not plagrising off me because that is just not on. If you want to base a fic on mine or use some of my ideas please ask before you do so, it's only decent courtesy.

Again, I hope I assumed wrong and that fic has nothing to do with this one but if it does, I really hope you have the decency to ask for my permission.