All fell still in the dark and dusty stables as the old cheetah waited for a reply. All had a thousand words to say, but no one wanted to be the one who broke the silence—not when it seemed so unbecoming. Yes, the old cheetah's face was scarred and short of an eye, but no one in that room had seen a mortal face look so solemn and noble.

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," said the old cat with a lift in his voice. "It seems a long story is to be told, and I think introductions are in order. This is my queen, Zareenah, and my daughter, Nazeen. And my name is Saheeb, son of Razeed, son of Arshad, son of Rasheth, the great cheetah who attended Ilsombreh Tisroc, the son of Ardeeb Tisroc who was descended in a right line from the god Tash."

At that, Philip's ears stood upright. "I say!" he neighed to Faraji. "That cheetah you pretended to be in Teebeth was your father?"

Faraji sighed with annoyance. "What of it?"

"I do not say that in judgment, spotted one. Rather, I am quite impressed! You sounded just like him."

The old cat chuckled and aimed his gaze up at Philip. "When Haroshta had come of age, I told him to use my name in case he ever needed it. Of course, I had never expected him to use it in the fullest sense, but use it he did."

"And quite well, Sir," said Philip. "No one in Teebeth suspected anything."

"What happened, Haroshta?" said Nazeen. "Why did you not come for us?"

"I couldn't," said Faraji. "When I was taken from Calormen, Reza told me nothing about what had happened to all of you. He made it clear that to betray my country would be to earn a capital punishment. As far as I was concerned, you and Mother and Father and Beresh were all dead, and that was all that mattered."

"Your mother and I had thought he was dead, too," said Saheeb to Nazeen. "Twelve years ago, Haroshta was old enough to assume the duties and privileges of a fully grown prince. What I hadn't told you is that one of his first duties was to guard our border against the invaders from Narnia and Archenland. He was supposed to be stationed in Tehishbaan when Erizad invaded the city and took back some of the people who had been enslaved. The reports came back that two cheetahs were among the dead, and that both of them were my sons."

Faraji's scowl deepened. "It served him right to die like that," he said. "Beresh hated me for being first in line, and I hated him for causing mischief and putting the blame on me. He said he was accompanying me, to see me off upon my arrival in Tehishbaan. Instead, that beast had already hired assassins to dispose of me the day I took my post. Those soldiers would have cut off my head if the Erizadi hadn't invaded the city when they did."

"And that, I suppose, was how you fell in with Reza," said Saheeb.

Faraji nodded at that. "What of you, Father? How did you come to be the pets of such a cruel man as Mirradin?"

"After you and your brother died—or so we had thought—we were forced to leave Zalindreh. Nardin Tarkaan died in his sleep, and his successor—his eldest and spoiled son who rules Zalindreh even now—told us we would be sold as slaves to the highest bidder. He saw no use for the cheetah aristocracy and thought that since we were Talking Beasts, we might pledge fealty to Narnia and the children who ruled in Cair Paravel. Of course, he would have none of that. But, instead of letting us escape, he kept us in chains until we went to the highest bidder.

"We were sold to a young husband and wife, and we stayed there for seven years. That family had no respect for who we were, and when we tried to speak sense into the conversation, he took us to the cellar and whipped us all. Over time, we learned to never speak again, and we stayed mute and dumb as we were sold from owner to owner. Only once did we ever break our silence: one year ago today, the day Mirradin and his wife-to-be made our owners a rather attractive offer. He is a Tarkaan only out of his parents' wedlock; he wanted to secure her hand by promising to buy a most expensive gift, one that would surely thrill her. She was so happy, she couldn't possibly refuse him."

Saheeb flicked his eye at Lasaraleen, waiting for her to speak. She made no reply.

"Before she and Mirradin took us to Tashbaan, I told Zareenah and Nazeen: No matter what, we could not say anything. No matter how gentle and kind to us she was, we could not break our silence in her presence. Though she proved herself to be kinder than any of our masters and mistresses that had gone before, we knew what her husband was like. He was the reason we kept our silence, even from her.

"Then, a year ago, I saw Haroshta with my own eyes. He was fighting in Calavar, slaying twenty Calormenes with tooth, claw, and to my amazement, even a dagger he threw out of his mouth. That was the day he became a warrior in the order of the Red Diamond, and it was well earned. In that day my heart was filled with the most potent potion of feelings I had ever known: horror, that my own son was killing his own countrymen; awe, that my son could vanquish so many men with his own strength; joy, that someday we might be a family again…and despair, that I had to keep my silence and act as though I had never seen him."

Faraji gave no reply except a slow blink. "And what of your wounds?"

"After Mirradin and the Tarkheena were wedded, he and I rode to Zalindreh on horseback. One of his enemies aimed an arrow at him, and it pierced me in the eye. As for the rest of the wounds, he thinks we have too little sense to be persuaded by kindness. He rules his house with the utmost fear that someone or something will go wrong."

"But why did you write the letters?" said Faraji. "Why involve the Narnian in all this?"

"Because I wrote five letters in my own name and sent every one of them to the Mareshah's house. No one answered. It was a small wonder; I know how the Erizadi indoctrinate new captives and recruits—by isolating them from any semblance of their former lives. Philip was a precaution: I saw him rescuing his fellow horses, and I knew that if anyone could be trusted to take you north, it was he."

Philip whickered, shaking his head as if to clear all his thoughts away. "By the Lion's mane," he said. "There is so much intrigue and sorrow that follows your family, spotted one. Lies, betrayal, murder, and now a conspiracy to unleash a disease into an entire country."

"For once, I agree with the Narnian," said Faraji. "You tricked us into this, and it nearly cost us our lives. I almost died from the Red Death, and he would have been tortured if I hadn't saved his life. You owe us an explanation: Is there any medicine in Narnia—anything that could help Rafik?"

Saheeb paused. At that, Philip started to tense. All had stared at the cheetah king now, waiting for his answer.

"I am sorry, my son…"

At that, Faraji bowed his head and started to choke on a sob.

"...but your mission to Narnia will be for nothing. Someone greater than I has healed Rafik. It is Aslan—the Lion of Narnia."

Faraji's head darted up, and fury darkened his face. "That is absurd," he said. "Aslan is a man."

"Did we not teach you your history?" said Zareenah. "Aslan is a lion."

Faraji paused. "Not even a month has passed, and I find out I'm ignorant of the entire world. What else don't I know? Has Aslan taken over Erizad?"

Saheeb chuckled. "It is not that severe, but indeed it has taken us all by surprise. It seems your master and his men have had quite enough of all the fears they have been forced to live with. After you left, the Sarazen lifted the prohibition on capital punishment of children, and he ordered the execution of every child in the jail of Palár. Your master and his men resisted, and he and the Sarazen were killed. It was in the battle that Aslan intervened, and he not only brought your master back to life but healed your son of his fever."

A scowl of fear and anger fell upon his face. He had been sitting on his haunches, but even then his legs had started to tremble. "Right. Aslan is a lion, but what is a lion? And what does a lion want with me?"

Philip gave a soft neigh. "There is only one way to know, spotted one—and that is to go on to Narnia."

Faraji shuddered. "I thought as much," he said, "which is why I have to go back to Erizad. If I go any further north, I might encounter the greatest of fears. Surely he cannot stay in Erizad forever. If I leave now, I might be able to hide along the way and hope he passes me by."

Philip trotted in front of Faraji. "Spotted one, your family has waited twelve years for this day. You cannot just leave them."

"They have not been my family for twelve years. If you care so much about them, you take them to Narnia."

"What claim have any of you on them?" said Lasaraleen. "They are my pets. You cannot just order them about any more than they can order themselves. As far as I'm concerned, they are strangers to you."

"She's right," said Faraji. "My family was dead to me when Reza took me to Calormen. As far as I'm concerned, they still are."

Nazeen gasped. "Haroshta!"

"You cannot just abandon your family now," said Saheeb. "We are alive, and the responsibility to protect us has now fallen on you."

"No. You forced it onto me by sending me to the North under false pretenses, and now that Erizad is in danger, I will not accept your responsibility at any price. I'm leaving—now. I bid you farewell and a safe journey."

"Harrumph-ph!" said Philip. "I am not letting you out of this stable until you promise you'll take them to Narnia."

"Well, then, we will be waiting a very long time, Narnian. I am Erizadi by law. Its people are my people. My master saved my life, and I forever in debt to him. Besides, if I don't repay that debt, Aslan will kill me."

"By the time you return to Palár, it might be too late. You don't know enough about the attack against your people. But there are three cheetahs whose lives you can save."

"Bah! What good will that do me when I'm lying dead in Narnia, struck dead by the Lion you serve? If you want to keep being Aslan's precious steed, then do my family a favor and take them north yourself. Erizad needs me far more than do any of you. Now get out of my way."

"No."

"NARNIAN, GET OUT OF MY WAY! NOW!"

Philip stomped a hoof with a loud thud. "You are not leaving here until you help your family."

"DAMN IT, YOU STUPID—"

Whatever else he wanted to say was cut short, for the wooden doors burst open with a mighty kick of a man's boot. Mirradin charged into the stables, flanked by three men, and as his face went wide-eyed with rage and a muscular hand reached out, he pinned Lasaraleen by the throat and slammed her against a stone pillar.

"You were supposed to be at the breakfast two hours ago. What are you doing here?!"

The man squeezed her neck so hard, it loosed the tears from her eyes. "Please…let me go…"

He swung the back of his hand across her face, turning her cheeks beet-red. "You have insulted me once, woman; don't insult me again by pleading for mercy. I know what you are doing. You are fraternizing with our enemies and now plotting to send our pets out of this country. Why?!"

"Oh, you know why," said Saheeb.

Mirradin swung to the cheetah. His face twisted in a mix of rage and shock.

"You have treated us like dogs, which is only slightly worse than the way you treat your wife. Now that our son has been returned to us, we are leaving this place. As the remnants of the cheetah aristocracy, we will not ask your permission to leave. A warrior in the order of the Red Diamond is in your midst, so I implore you to unhand your wife, turn your men away, and let us depart in peace. If you don't, my son will lay waste to you and every man in your unit."

Mirradin aimed his poisonous glare at Faraji. "So it was you who killed Rashda in the study," he said. "You were very good. I heard no sound out of you. Well, then, as you no doubt heard every sound out of us and the young man, should I even bother to deny what I have done?"

At that, Lasaraleen's face twisted in a furious scowl. "You," she said. "You killed all those people in Rasul."

"I would do it again. Rabadash has brought this empire to a level of infamy that has never been seen before. Now, our infamous Tisroc has been negotiating peace treaties with the North, prostrating himself before them like a vassal. If we cannot use war and conquest, we will use surprise and terror. When the world hears that hundreds of thousands of Erizadi are drowning in their own blood, every nation will tremble at the sound of our names. Come with me, wife, who pledged to me her servility and love, and help me rule over the enemies of Calormen."

"No!"

The man glared at her with more venom in his eyes, then snapped two fingers. On cue, three of his men stood over the cheetah family, hovering their scimitars over the cats' necks.

"If you do not help me and fulfill your duties, I will start with our precious pets. You know what I have done to them; rest assured I can do far worse."

"Haroshta," whispered Nazeen, "…please."

Faraji felt his eyes filling up with tears and a sob bubbling up in his throat, but he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"You see?" said Mirradin. "Every creature looks out for himself. Even a cheetah prince knows when to accept his lot in things. It is doubly unfortunate, as my wife is quite fond of you all, and she has refused to accept her lot in things. She will be dealt with soon enough." He turned to the soldier in the center of the row. "Tarmash? Start with the daughter."

What no one saw was that Faraji had kept an eye open, aiming it at Philip. The horse was like a great elephant in comparison to the cheetahs, but everyone seemed to have forgotten he was there. The horse had stood in the shadows, and Faraji had glanced at him, as if speaking his thoughts with his gaze. Philip seemed to have gotten the same idea.

Without warning the horse burst into a run.

Philip bowed his head as he charged, and the soldiers crashed into one another like a toppling trio of books. The cheetahs scattered and scrambled away, kicking hay and dust into the air, and they swerved into the stable and pulled the door shut as the soldiers scrambled to their feet. Faraji had leapt toward Mirradin and threw his claws across the man's throat, and Mirradin toppled backward and breathed his last.

No one seemed to remember much of anything after that, for it was all a horrible blur. Philip had waited for an opportunity to join in the fight, but none had come; indeed, he would later say that Faraji needed no other help. Every time the horse blinked, another man had fallen. Faraji dashed to and fro as a dozen soldiers poured into the room, and the cheetah leapt upon the first man and tore out his throat. As they landed, the cheetah bit a man's ankle, loosing a horrid howl of pain as the man crumpled backward into the knife of his comrade. Faraji ducked out of the path of the falling men and steadied a dagger with his jaws; the man fell upon it just as Faraji spun out of the way, and he set his eyes on a fat man who moved too swiftly for his girth, and he fell over as Faraji brought his claws across his neck. The cat leapt off the falling man and twisted his lithe body in midair, pouncing on a man before he could bring the dagger across Faraji's throat. The cheetah tumbled to his feet and leapt between two men and saw them run their swords into the other's chest, and both fell dead in unison.

Faraji rose up from the last body and spat out a globule of blood as he gathered his senses about him. Lasaraleen gasped for breath, and the cheetah king and queen and princess came trembling from the stall. Even Philip, who had beheld the power and glory of Aslan and had seen his fair share of battles, had never witnessed such a thing.

The doorway was filled with shadows again. Faraji spun around and saw Calormene soldiers standing in the entrance, but going no further. The turbaned captain stepped through the doorway, his boots crunching against the dirt. "Gods above and below," he said, his face blanching at the sight of Faraji's bloodied paws. "You did this?"

"Indeed," said Faraji. "The Tarkheena's life was in danger, and her husband was about to kill us all."

The captain turned to Lasaraleen. "Milady, do you vouch for him?"

She nodded. "I do."

"As do I," said Saheeb.

"As do I," said Zareenah.

"As do I," said Nazeen.

"Whinny-inny," said Philip. "As do I."

Lasaraleen composed herself and stepped forward. "As the wife of the late Mirradin Tarkaan, with the power vested in me by the gods of Calormen, by the irresistable and inexorable Tash, and by our glorious Tisroc (may he live forever), I hereby order you to grant the six of us safe passage out of this city. Let anyone who dares to harm us be warned: Any attempt by any man or beast to hurt us will be met with extraordinary and deadly force." She flicked her eyes toward Faraji, who affirmed it with a nod.

The captain shuddered and looked Faraji in the face. "That will be no trouble at all."

Philip snorted. "In all my days, I never imagined that one creature could commit such an act," he said. "Spotted one, now that your enemies are dead...I take back what I have said. I have no right to order you about, and they have no need, I'm sure. If you wish to go back to Erizad—"

"Not after this, not until I am certain that my family is safe. First, I need to write a letter to my master in Palár. He needs to know what has happened here and that I will not be returning to Erizad yet."

Saheeb padded up to him. "I have the supplies for that in these stables."

"Then let us take these supplies away from here," said Philip, "and write the letter in a much more pleasant setting."

Saheeb nodded and padded away, then returned a moment later with a box in his jaws. Lasaraleen knelt down and picked it up, and Saheeb thanked her with a light nod. With the Tarkheena leading the way, the cheetahs padded in unison out of the room, with Philip clopping close behind, as a line of soldiers streamed into the stables behind them.

Nazeen trotted up to Faraji. A light smile had risen up on her face, even with all the death that she had just seen. "Oh, dear brother," she said. "Is this truly what it took for you to help us?"

Faraji bowed his head a little. "I cry your pardon, Nazeen. I did not realize how much you had all meant to me, not until your lives were in danger. All that matters now is that you all are alive. After that..."

Nazeen's face fell. "Are you going back to Erizad after all that has happened?"

"I have to," said Faraji. "Reza saved my life."

"He was the one who took you from us."

"And if he had not, our brother would have killed me."

"But will you stay with us, at least for a while?"

"Nazeen, I am forced to serve the family of the Mareshah of Palár. No matter how much I hate my servitude, I am bound by the law of Aslan and the law of the Sarazen. I cannot simply abandon my duties forever, not unless I want Aslan or the Mareshah to kill me for it."

Zareenah came up beside her and gave her a sad smile. "Haroshta is right," said the cheetah queen. "He has his own duties and decisions."

"But we could be a family again, Mother," said Nazeen. "We cannot simply let him go."

"We would be wrong not to," said Saheeb. "If he is able to stop whatever is happening in Erizad, he would be worse than a traitor to abandon his duties forever. Besides, he is not the same cheetah who was torn from us twelve years ago. The son we knew as Prince Haroshta is a shadow compared with who he is now."

"But Erizad is such a terrible place," said Nazeen. "Even if Aslan is there and setting things right, why would anyone want to go there? How can Haroshta think of returning, when he could be with the only family who truly loves him?"

Faraji let out a sad sigh. "Even so," he said. "I should wonder what is happening in Erizad."

Philip neighed. "If Aslan is in your country, I should think a many great things are happening." There was a pause. "At least, I hope so."