Chapter Fourteen

"Get ready!" Peter shouted as everyone leaped into action. I turned to look behind me again and saw a soldier running toward Peter with his blade raised.

"Peter!" I screamed, pointing. "Arrgggh!" the soldier roared as he slashed at Peter. Peter met his strike with his own sword and slashed again, this time sending the enemy's head rolling.

"Go!" he shouted at me, pointing back to the How. Peter started running, but before Edmund could follow him, I grabbed him and yanked him into me. I put my arms around his neck as we kissed, possibly for the last time.

"Be careful," I whispered to him before I turned and swung up onto the prancing Anduril. Caspian was waiting near the entrance to the How on the big bay gelding.

The Telmarine generals galloped back to their waiting troops shouting, "To arms! To arms!" A great cheer erupted from the enemy as they waved their spears and swords above their heads. I swallowed hard. With a loud clanking noise, their catapult-like machines began turning, sending huge rounded boulders hurtling through the sky towards us. They hit the ground around the ruins with a jolt, sending up plumes of dirt like bombs. Andy screamed in anger and gave a half rear, pawing the air with his hooves. "Ssshh, you'll get your chance," I whispered to him, stroking his silver neck.

With a great battle cry, the Telmarine cavalry surged forward.

Behind me, Susan cried, "Archers to the ready!" as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and placed it on her bowstring.

The dwarves and fauns up on the ledges with her did the same. Then Peter turned to me and Caspian and gave a short nod. We wheeled around and disappeared into the dark tunnels of the How, followed by Glenstorm. Andy, Glenstorm, and the bay's hooves clattered on the stone, sending eerie echoes through the halls. We reached the waiting troops below and slid to a halt in front of them.

"Narnians!" Caspian shouted. "Charge!" And we turned and led them into the huge cavern underneath the battlefield above.

The ceiling was low and supported by many columns and stalagmites. We wove in and out of them, holding our torches high as we led the army through. I rode right beside the prince with Glenstorm on our tails. Then we heard the bugle from above, signaling us to start counting.

"One…two…three…" I began under my breath, in sync with Caspian next to me. Somewhere above us, Susan raised her bow along with the other archers, and took aim. Edmund was standing next to his brother somewhere as well. When we reached the count of ten, I cried, "Now!" and the minotaurs and giants and centaurs began smashing the pillars holding up the ceiling.

The roof began to crumble, and the air filled with dust. Huge chunks of rock fell all around me as we dodged them and shafts of light broke through, piercing the darkness. There were terrified neighs of horses and shouts of men as the ground beneath their feet simply disappeared. They fell into the pit that had opened up right in front of them, and then Susan let her archers' arrows fly. They whistled through the air and pierced the armor of the enemy soldiers that were distracted by the chasm.

Edmund leaped onto the back of his chestnut horse and rode into the battle. Peter shouted, "Charge!" and the rest of the Narnians that were watching the duel and battle surged forward to attack. Caspian and I were still down below with the army, but then a ramp of earth and grass fell down for us, and we galloped up and out into the daylight again.

I drew my sword with Caspian and shouted "For Narnia and for Aslan!" as we circled around the back of the cavalry troops. We had them surrounded on all sides. I spotted Edmund on the other side, galloping through on his red horse. And then we met the enemy horsemen with a clash of metal. I knocked my helmet down over my face and let my instinct take over, not letting myself think about anything but the strikes of my sword and the blocks of my shield. It was the only way I could get through a battle. I stabbed and slashed and knocked men from their horses as Andy reared and thrust through them with his newly re-grown horn. I looked around to get my bearings and found that I was in the thickest part of the fighting, near the pit.

Across the fighting men and sea of grass, the Telmarine infantry were steadily approaching. In the sky, big round boulders were still arcing over our heads to collide with the ground or occasionally the How. Then griffons soared out over us, clutching Dwarves with crossbows in their talons. But before they could get close enough to fire upon the enemy, the Telmarines shot huge harpoon-like arrows into the air to hit the griffons. They dropped like flies. I fought down the urge to be sick.

I located Peter, still near the ruins. He was standing, looking from the How behind us to the approaching troops. I could see the pain in his face as he made the decision.

"Back to the How!" he shouted. All around me Narnians turned and began racing back to the relative safety of the towering structure. As I galloped Andy back, I thought of Peter's words earlier; This isn't a fortress. It's a tomb. Soon it would be a tomb for all of us.