Chapter 20

Peter just stared into her eyes as Caspian headed for the How. His fingers traced the dark bruise from the shield on one side of her face, and she knew the bruise from Miraz's backhand was hidden by the swelling. "By the Lion, Evelyn, did you take all of it?" he asked softly.

"Besides the first bruise when he knocked your helm off. And you took most of the damage from your shoulder," she whispered, raising her hand to twine her fingers with his.

"How'd you know he knocked it off?" he asked as he turned his hand to kiss the back of her knuckles.

"I felt it. And then I felt your fear when he nearly sliced your throat," she murmured, reaching up with her other hand to wipe more blood away.

Neither Peter nor Evelyn saw the proud look Susan was giving Caspian, but Edmund did. But not one of the four of them saw Lord Sopespian stab Miraz with the arrow Susan had first shot on the beach and killed one of the soldiers. But they heard Miraz choke, and the three in red armor whirled around. They saw Susan's arrow, and they saw Miraz fall. Evelyn saw General Glozelle in the saddle of his horse, and she knew.

Caspian was horrified when he saw Susan's arrow in his uncle's back, but he knew Susan hadn't shot it. He was at the top of the ramp, and too far away to see well, but he heard Sopespian yell, "Treachery! They shoot him!" He saw the Lord grab Miraz's sword, and he understood. Sopespian had wanted the throne. So he'd killed Miraz like Miraz had killed his brother.

"They murdered our King!" Sopespian roared, and Glozelle galloped back to the army as the Lord raised the sword in the air. Sopespian ran back to his horse and mounted quickly for his age. He galloped off, and Evelyn felt Peter's dread. This is what they'd planned for and had hoped desperately against.

"Be ready!" Peter yelled to Trumpkin and Susan, turning his back on the arena.

"Peter!" Caspian shouted in warning, pointing behind the High King. The third Telmarine had drawn his sword and become just another masked soldier, and charged forward. Peter met him in the arena, blocked the soldier's strike, slashed him across the back of his thigh, and sliced his head off.

Evelyn and Edmund had both whipped their swords from their sheaths, and Peter turned and yelled, "Go!" Caspian ran to the horse and leaped into the saddle as Edmund and Peter ran forward to the edge of the arena. Evelyn moved to Peter's other side as the Bear charged back into the ranks of the army. Caspian turned his horse at the top of the ramp, waiting for Peter's order.

Evelyn tensed as she saw the flags wave, and then the catapults were being launched upon them. She heard Susan yell, "Archers to the ready!" and she wiped blood away from her eye again. Peter whirled, and she heard Caspian and Glenstorm gallop into the How.

"Ed, take the horse," she hissed, and the King nodded.

They heard the horn ringing under their feet, and Peter began to count. "One," he said. "Two."

She knew Caspian was counting with him as he said, "Three…four," and she was counting in her mind as he said, "Five…six."

When they reached seven, she heard Susan yell, "Take your aim!"

"Get ready!" Peter roared instead of ten, and Evelyn knew that below them, the columns were being smashed as horses stumbled. A huge pit opened in the field, and she grinned in her feral way. The front ranks of the cavalry tumbled into the pit, soldiers falling from saddles as horses broke their legs or fell.

"Now!" she heard Susan scream, and then a volley of arrows soared over them and devastated the Telmarine cavalry. They all heard the screams and the shouts coming from the pit, and then they saw the first of the soldiers pull himself from the rim of the pit.

Edmund ran forward, leaping into the saddle of the third Telmarine's horse, and Peter roared, "Charge!"

She saw the ramps drop, and the other half of the army streamed from the ground as she ran forward beside the High King. She stayed beside him as she vaulted over a soldier he kicked down. She hacked another soldier down and she heard the distinct roars of each Big Cat and the howls of the Wolves. Strength flowed into her and she snarled inhumanly.

Behind their masks, the Telmarine soldiers had all gone pale. They were faced with an army of unnatural creatures, two uncontainable knights, and a relentless soldier. And they made the corrections too late. That army was the native people of Narnia, those knights had lived another life as Kings, and that soldier had killed dozens of Kings for her people. They didn't make the correction until they saw it with their own eyes, and for most of them, it was the last thing they ever saw.

"Down!" Peter ordered her, and she dropped into a crouch in front of him. His sword whistled over her head and a soldier cried out behind her. Then she braced her weight on her hands on swept her legs out to one side, swinging herself on her palms as her legs ankles connected with a Telmarine's calves. He fell, and she left him to a Centaur.

Then she saw that Peter had stopped and looked to the far end of the field. She turned to look and snarled in anger and dread. General Glozelle had ordered the infantry forward, and now a steady, ominous beat filled the air as the soldiers marched.

When she looked to Caspian, she saw him desperately look over his shoulder at the How and use his sword in a typical forward signal. She and Peter, standing nearly back to back, looked up as Gryphons launched themselves from the highest levels on the How's ledges. They held Dwarf archers in their talons, and she swallowed as she realized what was about to happen. The Gryphons avoided the catapult shells with ease, but most of them weren't so fortunate with the giant crossbow.

She muffled a whimper as she saw the Gryphons crashing down into the rank of the soldiers, and Peter touched her shoulder. She'd fought for so long to keep the Gryphons from disappearing, and now they were all giving their lives for this.

Then she felt Peter turn and look to the How, and she guessed he was looking at Susan when she heard him say, "Lucy."

"Peter!" she cried in warning. He turned to look and she saw his stature change when he took in what lay before them. The Telmarine infantry had almost reached the pit.

"Back to the How!" he shouted. She didn't follow until she saw Edmund and Caspian spur their horses towards them to go around the arena.

Then she did follow, and she saw the How taking fire from the catapults. "Brace yourselves!" she heard Susan shout.

Then Evelyn felt the shell about to fly over her head, and she saw Peter running for the tunnel. And she knew he had to stop. She let out her sharpest whistle, knowing the Animals would hear it and stop. But he wouldn't hear it. So she sucked in a breath and screamed, "Peter!"