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Not far from the place where the three McKenzies sat, the Witch was gathering her army. It consisted mainly of ferocious Wolves, Eagles, Bats, Black Dwarves, and a fewer Red Dwarves. Most of the creatures that traditionally sided with Aslan were absent, but there were a few notable exceptions. Of particular interest were the Lions and Tigers. They seemed to be offended that the Great Lion that they had fought alongside with centuries ago was now being blasphemed. Unfortunately, some of the ugly and unattractive creatures who had fought with the White Witch were also present, particularly the Hags, who were more notorious for their appearance than anything else about them. Some of these creatures claimed that they had seen the evil of their ways and wanted a chance to repent, and the Witch who now ruled was more than happy to oblige.
Presently, a Centaur approached. "The Lion wishes to see you at the Stone Table".
"Aslan can't be here", came the reply.
"You have always said we were lying. Come now and see for yourself. If you obey, your punishment will be less severe. And bring the traitor with you".
Ed shuddered. He knew of course that the Centaur meant him.
The Witch did as the Centaur had asked. When they reached the pavillions, the Centaur asked the Witch to leave her wand at a certain spot. The Witch refused, saying, "I defy your fake Aslan!" As more Centaurs, Dryads, and Dwarves approached, the Witch did not hesitate to use her wand. A few people turned to stone, and the rest backed away in fear. The Witch grabbed Ed's hand and rushed to the Stone table, where a Lion apparently was standing, looking noble and dignified.
That the Witch could stare in the Lion's face in defiance was shocking. It wasn't expected that she could do more than stand on her own two feet and look him in the eye.
The Lion said, "You are not fulfilling your job description".
"How so? What is my job? Is it not to rule my people with justice and to keep the peace?"
"Your job is to be an accuser of my people. You know that you have a traitor with you. Why do you not accuse him?"
"What for? What has he done to me?"
"It's not about what he has done to you personally, but about the good of Narnia. He has betrayed me. Therefore, his blood belongs to you as your rightful property. Why not take it?"
"Well, maybe I don't want to".
"But if you do not have blood, then Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water".
"But have you forgotten the Deeper Magic?"
"I have not forgotten the Deep Magic. If your traitor is not killed, and someone innocent does not die in his place, Narnia will be overturned".
"You know the Deep Magic, but yet not know the Deeper Magic? Do you not know what was spoken even before the Dawn of Time, before any one of us who was born can ever remember? It says that if one who is innocent is killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and death itself would start working backwards. When the real Aslan gave his life for Edmund, that condition was fulfilled. The Table cracked, and Aslan himself came back to life. Since then, the Table has lain in ruins and has not been used. Though there have been traitors, there have been no sacrifices. So why invoke them now?"
"Because as it was back then, it shall be now".
"But that doesn't answer the question, why must there be another sacrifice?" After a moment of silence, the Witch said, "I see you have no answer, and it is no wonder, because you are not the real Aslan. You are fake!"
With a wicked laugh, the Lion replied, "Am I fake? Let's prove it. Let's have a magical duel. If I'm real, you will surely lose, but if I'm fake, then perhaps you might have a chance against me".
But the Witch couldn't take anymore of this, so the next instant, she waved her wand, and instantly the Lion was transformed into a Monkey. "Behold, your Aslan!" shouted the Witch.
Cries rang out from the crowd. Some people could be heard saying things like, "Treason!" "Blasphemy!" "They've lied to us!" and "He's fake!" Centaurs, Dwarves, Dryads, river gods, and Talking Animals took up swords and made threatening gestures at each other. Some creatures who either had hardened their hearts or were conspiracy insiders charged at the Witch. The Witch was quick with her wand, and they were revealed to be Cruels, Hags, Ogres, Orkneys, People of the Toadstools, Efreets, Woozes, and Ettins, the very kind of people that usually supported Witches, while other creatures remained themselves after being hit with spells. Actual fighting now broke out. People now seemed to have some idea about whose side they were on, and it appeared that the ones who had come to a rude awakening now forgot that their Queen was a Witch and fought on her side. Soon, the Wolves, Dwarves, and creatures in the Witch's army joined the fight. Eagles swooped down from the sky and intercepted many of the enemy's charges. It was very unusual to see Hag fighting against Hag, Talking Lion against Talking Bear, Dryad against Centaur, Beaver against Weasel, and a Witch turning her own kind to stone. And as you could imagine, it was an ugly mess. If I went into any more detail to describe what took place, this fic would be underrated. Therefore, I shall leave it to the reader to imagine for himself the horror Ed must have felt from his vantage point, disguised as a stump, watching the slaughter around him.
I need not cite the statistics on the casualties of the battle. I need only mention that Lou's cordial was unfortunately of no use to her but of much use to the enemy. As soon as the battle ebbed and the three children felt it was safe to leave their hiding place, which was in fact the same place where Susan and Lucy had hid while Aslan was being slain, Lou was reminded that there were people dying and that she had a cordial just like Lucy's. But at that instant, another thought occurred to Lou. If the Wolf was right about Pete's sword having some dark magic, the same might be true of her cordial. She shuddered at the thought of what might happen if someone tried to use it. So she immediately opened it, turned it over, and began dumping its contents onto the ground. But as it was pouring, a Hag caught her by the arm and said, "I'll take that!". And with that, she grabbed the cordial and started applying it to people who were already dead. They instantly became undead and started killing people at the Hag's bidding. And if you've seen enough horror movies, you know that undead things don't die when you stab them with swords. In the end, it was only the Witch with her wand who could stop them.
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A/N: I know this chapter was brief, but the climax has been reached at last, and I promise you the conclusion will be posted, soon.