LORD REINE'S TALE

Lord Reine was flanked by two Calormene guards as he was escorted into Zahar's cabin. He left the windy deck and was met with a welcome crush of heat as the cabin doors were shut behind him.

The sight that met him had been expected, but he still did a double-take when he saw a freckled little girl—who was the spitting image of his nemesis Saedra—levitating above the lush carpeted floor. Her eyes were thrown back so only the white showed, and her hands lay limp at her sides. Watching the child with greedy eyes were a bald Calormene priest and the First Wife herself.

Zahar broke her spellbound gaze from the girl when a guard announced their arrival.

Reine bowed smartly. "First Wife."

She nodded, indicating to the two guards that they could leave. "My Lord. My captain told me you arrived. I take it your journey was a success."

Reine eyed the floating brown-haired child with curiosity as he stepped forward. "It was. I would not have been able to cross Narnia from Telmar without successfully contacting our allies in Narnia."

"Ignore the child, my Lord," Zahar advised. "She's getting used to using her powers in this new body."

"Then—then it did work! She is back?"

"Yes. It worked. Did you doubt me when I assured you it would happen?"

He ignored her question. "And how did the host take it?"

Zahar smirked. "The child is putting up a fight—one would expect so, considering her lineage—but she's no match for Jadis. She will cooperate."

"Speaking of her lineage," Reine said with an eager gleam in his eye, "your Highness promised you would hand Saedra over to me when you collected the child from Harden."

Zahar hesitated. "So I did." She grabbed an ornate shawl that lay on the bed and threw it around her shoulders. "Walk on deck with me. We will leave them to their incantations."

With the wrinkle of a frown between Reine's thick white eyebrows, he followed her back into the cold white day. On all sides, choppy waves splashed against the sides of the Calormene navy that was heading steadily north. Land was out of sight.

As had been arranged long before, Reine had been picked up on Narnia's shore by the smallest Calormene ship when it was still dark. This small vessel had broken off from the main pack of ships (which remained out of sight of land) to get him, and brought him to this, the flagship of the new Calormene navy.

"Tell me, Reine, what is your great interest in Saedra? I know you have long nursed a hatred of her, but where did it begin?"

Reine had the feeling that Zahar was stalling, but he indulged her question. After all, he was alone in the midst of sailors who would cut him down with a mere look from Rabadash's wife.

"It's quite simple: Saedra took what was rightfully mine. Her father Dane (who was a long-time friend of mine) promised me that I would be made Duke of Harden if anything should befall him. But then he married that damn child Lalevis, who was barely old enough to be considered a woman in Archenland. Lalevis cared nothing for Dane, but he was too foolish to see it. When it was obvious to all that Lalevis had returned from a visit to Calormen pregnant with another man's child, Dane turned a blind eye. He then proceeded to allow the spoiled, impetuous bastard to be his heir. It was against the advice of all of his peers, for Saedra was (obviously) female, and a Duchess ruling was unheard of. Everyone knows women lack the temperament to rule."

Zahar lifted an eyebrow in an amused fashion. "I will have to disagree with you there, my Lord. I may not be Tisroc, but there is no question about who really rules Calormen. My pitiful husband fears that if he strays from Tashbaan, he will turn into a donkey!" She cackled gleefully.

"It was believed—and is still, among some circles—that Aslan did curse your husband the Tisroc."

"And you think Tash wouldn't end the curse if my cowardly husband would simply ask?" she scoffed. "Tash brought back Jadis for me—there is nothing he wouldn't do to make see Calormen the great empire it should be. Rabadash is a fool. Which does conveniently serve our purposes…But back to your tale. I suppose there is more to it?"

He nodded. "When Saedra visited Narnia with Prince Corin, I took that opportunity to make Harden what it should be—a great fortress. But when she returned, she effectively banished me from the province. I then decided that I would challenge her in the court of law to have her removed, since she wouldn't use common sense and had no regard for the close relationship I had with her benefactor, Dane. The problem was, what could I use to remove her from the dukedom?

"But then rumors started of strife with High King Peter and his new wife. Rumors saying they didn't love each other, that they had been struggling, whispers that Saedra loved another. I searched for evidence, but it didn't appear. I then decided to take things into my own hands. Since I couldn't find any evidence to challenge Saedra, I decided to kill her.

"The problem with killing the wife of the High King is how to have it done without receiving blame. Saedra already knew I had it out for her, so I had to divert her attention. Since I had a long-established relationship with King Meridian of Telmar (I was ambassador to them in my youth), I used his daughter, Priyah. She still loved High King Peter and had heard the rumors of his misery.

"I took advantage of the rumors and convinced Priyah that Saedra was not only wrong for Peter, she was tearing apart Narnia. I made Priyah think that Saedra was devious and treacherous, and would be Peter's downfall. I gave enough truth in my statements to make her believe me. And finally I convinced her that it would be better for Peter and Narnia if Saedra was dead. And so she gave me the distinctly Telmarine poison Marrina Felcar, which I had put into Saedra's drink. I hoped that they would suspect Telmar of treachery, and not me.

"But Saedra somehow survived. Some say she died and came back to life. I went back to the drawing board then, laying low until the assassination attempt and inquiry blew over.

"I finally decided that there were enough rumors about Saedra to challenge her to a trial. It didn't matter if the rumors were true or not. The other nobles in Archenland never liked her very much, and hopefully that would sway Lune's opinion the matter.

"But then something fortuitous happened that I never would have guessed: Princess Rahai, the wife of King Edmund, offered to give testimony against Saedra. All she asked for was guarantee that I could get her away from Narnia and help her start a new life, which I of course did. Rahai testified that Saedra had been having an affair with her husband.

"It should have been absolute victory—it was the truth! But High King Peter defended Saedra, even though I could see it in his eyes that he was furious. Lune ruled on the side of Saedra, and I was banished from Archenland for slandering the wife of an Archenlander ally."

Zahar finally spoke. "I see that you have even more reason to hate Saedra than I. I wonder that I didn't hear this story before."

"It's not one that I relish to speak about, First Wife," Reine said. "But with my revenge so close, it is cathartic to lay out how she has wronged me. And speaking of revenge, do I get to see Saedra now?"

It was the first time that Rene had ever seen an uneasy expression on Zahar's face. "After Jadis was implanted in the child, Saedra was returned to her cell in the bottom of the ship…But she somehow...disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"The cell was open, with no sign of a struggle, and she was gone."

"How in the blazes does a person just disappear from a ship in the middle of winter? She would freeze to death if she went in the water!"

"Perhaps that was her idea." A satisfied smile washed over Zahar's face. "She did suffer greatly at the hands of my guards, and had effectively watched the death of her youngest daughter. Edina is still in there somewhere, but she is no match for Jadis."

"Have you searched the ship?"

"Of course I did! I had to behead a couple of guards as well to make a point. Saedra's not here. She's either dead or miraculously saved. From what you've just told me, it appears that woman has more lives than a cat!"

"Handing her over to me was part of our deal, First Wife," Reine growled.

"And you shall have her if she lives. We shall be at Cair Paravel tonight. If she's alive, she'll be there—it's the only great stronghold they have left."

"And it'll be ours tonight," Reine agreed, resigned that he would have to wait a little longer to get his revenge. "I have successfully rallied the Narnians who would support the Witch, and they are ready to move on my word. Or rather, her word. They insist they want proof that the Witch is back if they are to help."

"And they shall have proof. Who were you able to recruit?"

"Almost all of the Tigers are on our side. The Hags and the Werewolves were stumbling over themselves to join our side. The Red Dwarves are ours. What I didn't expect was a clan of Centaurs joining too—their leader is one of Oreius' sons, Timaeous."

"That will be useful!"

"I was also able to get some Minotaurs and Satyrs."

"Well done, my Lord! With those Narnians and my fleet, taking Cair Paravel will be near effortless."

"The important thing is keeping the element of surprise. They will be preparing for something (maybe to help Anvard), but they are no doubt expecting the Telmarines to travel north. They should have no idea that we are coming."

"Unless Saedra survived."

Survivors began trickling across the border from Archenland to Narnia not long after Talia and Cristabelle arrived at Cair Paravel. It was typically small groups of Archenlanders—a couple of Knights with a few lucky nobles—and they all came bearing the same news: Anvard was lost, they saw so-and-so die, Archenland would be fully controlled by Telmar in a week, and so on.

Tumnus, Talia, and Saedra were doing all they could to prepare Narnia for the inevitable. They were sure that the Telmarine army would turn north as soon as Archenland was secured satisfactorily. But Saedra's escape from Zahar's fleet had brought them intelligence that they shouldn't have had: Calormen was deeply involved in what was happening.

The Tisroc had commissioned a fleet (something they hadn't had when Queen Susan and King Edmund had escaped Tashbaan) that was sailing north along the coast. It was only a matter of time before they hit Narnia; it was highly unlikely there were interested in the eastern isles, so the only possible explanation could be Cair Paravel. They wouldn't need a whole fleet to conquer an island like Terebinthia anyway.

The Narnians were being aroused. Trees spread the word of the need for fighters; Centaurs watched the stars for hints of what was to come (the indications weren't encouraging); Dwarves made armor and weapons; Animals gathered food.

Another council was held with the heads of the clans. Saedra related all that she had seen while with the Calormenes and how there was a very real danger that Jadis was back. The clans agreed about the danger of Jadis: some within their own families were openly recruiting for her side.

The fact that Jadis' supporters—whose number was far greater than anyone could have guessed, considering what the Four did to get rid of them—had begun working out in the open was deeply unsettling. It showed a confidence that meant nothing good for the Free Narnians (which is how they had started referring to themselves).

Tumnus and Talia led an in-depth discussion on how the Free Narnians were to mobilize their forces. Should they use Cair Paravel as the main fortress in the same manner that Anvard had been? Arguments against this were strong. Talia pointed out how badly that plan had failed in Archenland and they shouldn't make the same mistake.

Should they use guerrilla tactics, with forces hidden in the forest in strategic areas? This, of course, would make Narnia hard to defend against one large force such as the Telmarine army.

Should the Free Narnians have forces on the Narnia-Archenland border or have them all on the coast? Narnia had many inhabitants, but they weren't all fighters; there wasn't enough to go around to defend against both Telmar and Calormen. If Archenland hadn't been decimated and was able, it would have been an entirely different story...

The problem was that they had no idea what their enemies were planning. If Telmar and Calormen were colluding—their involvement was timed too precisely to be a coincidence—then what was their goal? Were they planning on splitting Narnia and Archenland like spoils? What did they want with Edina/Jadis? Surely they had enough forces that they didn't really need her….

The intense discussion was interrupted by a hesitant Aryella.

"Excuse the intrusion, Lord Regent, your Highnesses. Knight Reau of Archenland has arrived and requests an audience with Princess Talia on an urgent matter."

Talia exchanged a nervous glance with her mother before following Aryella out. The nymph led Talia to a small meeting room.

A fire burned in the fireplace. The large, south-facing window showed the dark mauve sky outside. Reau was collapsed on a plush couch, clumsily downing brandy from a small glass.

Aryella announced Talia and excused herself. The blonde Knight struggled to get to his feet to bow to Talia, but Talia said, "Let's not stand on ceremony, Reau. You look like you're going to faint."

He had been stripped of his armor since arriving, but his tunic and pants were coated with grime and blood.

"What is your news?" she asked.

He swallowed more brandy before turning his red-lined brown eyes on her. "It was a slaughter. Anvard is no more. I fought until I could fight no more, then escaped with the Princess Cristabelle's family. They're with her now." He paused. "Her brother is dead."

"Crista will be eternally grateful to you for rescuing her family," she assured him.

A knot turned in her stomach. Reau was delaying. He had news of Corin; she knew it. He had been with Corin when she and Cristabelle had left.

"That is not the only loss that Princess Cristabelle has sustained, my Lady," he said, studying his glass.

Talia stood rigid.

"I'm telling your Ladyship first because Prince Corin always spoke of your great resolve. He thought the world of you...considered you his best friend, I believe."

Talia's hands were in tight fists. Her voice was purposefully even: "Tell me."

Reau put the glass down on the little table beside his couch. "Prince Corin is dead."

Talia didn't react visibly, save for a couple of shocked blinks.

"He died bravely. He was attacked from behind...I couldn't get to him in time..." He looked like he was reliving the horrific moment in which his noble Prince had been killed. "I thought you should tell his wife. It isn't my place."

"But you saw it happen. I didn't."

He shrugged heavily. "I'm not good with words. You're a woman. You'll know what to say. That's what you're all good at, right? Words?"

Talia had nothing to say to that. She nodded sharply, curtsied, and left. She marched through the halls feeling empty and yet full of a horrible emotion that she couldn't define. She was devastated. Surprised and yet not surprised.

She wanted to kill something.

She barged back into the conference room, going to up to the round table. There must have been a terrible expression on her face, because the debate instantly died out. The Animals and Creatures at the table stared at her.

Talia put her palms on the black marble table and said: "Prince Corin is dead."

Gasps and muttering erupted in the room. Saedra went to Talia's side and silently put her hand on Talia's.

Talia jerked her hand away. She couldn't look at her mother. She didn't want comfort.

Talia left the conference room as abruptly as she had entered. She had to go somewhere. Do something.

Corin was dead. Edina was Jadis. Aravis and Cor were missing, likely dead too. She couldn't take it anymore.

She found herself in her old dark, moonlit bedroom. Her sword, which she now habitually wore at her side, was pulled out of its sheath and in her hand before she knew what she was doing.

Her teeth gritted, she ran at the bed and hacked at the red, silky canopy until it was in tatters. She turned to the mattress, chopping at it until the padding was flying out. She slashed her old pillows until feathers were floating in the air.

Furious tears flowed down her face as she beat at the couches before the cold fireplace. She threw the glass Dryads that had decorated the mantelpiece on the ground, scattering shards of glass all over. She went to the large windows, crying out as she beat as the ornate curtains.

Talia finally stopped, exhausted and drained, when everything in the expensive bedroom Lucy had lovingly designed was destroyed.

Guilt filled her at her impudence. Hate as well.

She hated the accursed Telmarines. She wished she could meet them again now! She wanted to rush as a whole army and slaughter them until they cut her down, ending her misery.

She looked out the east window, choking on her sobs. She stared at the moon. It was a bright, cold night. The ocean twinkled in the starlight.

Where the hell was Aslan? Where the hell was he? Did he not care that his "beloved" countries were being extinguished? Did he not care that an innocent child like Edina had been possessed and bewitched into killing Lune, a good man who didn't deserve his fate?

No! Aslan had allowed all these bad things to happen, starting with Saedra's affair. He had allowed Peter, her dear, steady father, to be taken from her early. Aslan took her aunts—Susan, Lucy, and Rahai—and uncles—Edmund and Peridan—from her. He had separated her from Caulitha and Ethan, who she should have been close to.

Did Aslan not care about her? She had always been taught so. Now she saw it only was wishful thinking.

"Curse Aslan!" she screamed, throwing her sword on the ground. It felt so good to have someone to blame for what was happening.

Then something about the dark horizon caught her eye. There was a dark shadow hovering on the water. Wait—there was more than one. There were several.

Realization hit her. They were ships.

An unexpected sneer graced her lips.

Calormenes. Perfect timing.

Something to kill.