Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! The feedback does spur me onwards, even if it doesn't seem like it update-wise. This chapter is unbeta'd as Vinnet is intelligent and is doing actual work instead of making an art form of procrastination, as I am working on :) Therefore, any mistakes are mine.
After nearly an hour of walking Jack began to become suspicious; they had not followed even the smallest rabbit path during their detour to follow Nightstar and they had been taking a long, circuitous route that doubled back several times and would have been extremely hard to follow. Either the Centaur was trying to get Jack and Karrena lost so they wouldn't be able to find their way back or he was trying to lose any possible pursuers; it could be either and both options made Jack uneasy.
He had just decided to give Nightstar the benefit of the doubt for only a few moments more when the Centaur stopped and half-turned, looking over his shoulder at them. "We are nearly arrived." Nightstar's eyes flicked toward the trees, resting for just a little too long on three different points.
Immediately, Jack tensed. There was definitely something off with the whole situation. Following the Centaur's eyeline Jack immediately spotted two small birds and a young grey squirrel. He doubted he would have seen them if the Centaur hadn't given them away. Nightstar began to turn back away, his powerful horse legs pushing him forwards.
"Stop right there." This time, Jack had paused for long enough to pull his sword out from its hiding place amongst skirts. Holding the scabbard in his left hand, he drew it with his right, placing himself in front of Karrena once again.
Nightstar stopped and twisted back again, stamping one hoof at the distinctive ring of a sword being drawn. In the fairly close growing trees the Centaur could not easily manoeuvre himself to turn a full circle; something that Jack was counting on.
"Sheath your sword, foal."
"How 'bout 'no'." Although the sword was unsheathed Jack held it loosely, the tip weaving slightly; if people were going to treat him like a child then he would only encourage them to underestimate him. It would only be their own fault when they left themselves open to him. "Where are you taking us?"
Nightstar opened his mouth to reply and Jack raised an eyebrow, making the Centaur re-think his answer. Instead, he closed his mouth and gave a deep belly-chuckle. "Older than you appear, indeed."
Jack's brow creased in slight confusion but he ignored the cryptic comment in favour of questioning the other. "You've been leading us around in circles and I know you're planning something ahead; what were those sentries for?"
Karrena turned to stare at Jack. "What do you mean, Jack? I saw no sentries."
He didn't look at her, keeping his attention on the horse-man and their surroundings. "A small squirrel, a robin and, I think, a blue tit." He gestured to the branches that he'd seen each of them on.
Nightstar's eyebrows raised slightly. "Impressive, but unnecessary. There is no trap laid for you, though I commend your caution."
"…I'm just supposed to trust you on that?"
"Ahead are a few Narnians who have fled the persecution of the hordes. They are those who are wise enough to see that all but the race of men are being targeted, and have recognised the danger to them."
Jack paused for a moment and absorbed the new information, weighing its truth.
Karrena laid a hand on his sword arm, "Jack, we were going in search of the Centaurs."
Sighing, Jack gave a nod and sheathed his sword. "You could have told us, though." He commented, shooting the Centaur a dark look.
Nighstar gave a horse-like snort. "Where anyone could have overheard us?" He began to step out once again, turning his back on the two following him.
Following with his sword still in his hand Jack grumbled for a few minutes, knowing that he was wrong but not wanting to admit it. He quietened when Karrena gave him a sharp nudge and a disapproving look.
A short while later the trees began to thin out and they began to catch glimpses of movement in a clearing ahead of them.
"Ivy!" Karrena's murmur of surprise was barely audible but Jack heard, and shot her a questioning glance. "The dryad," she continued. "We used to play together as children; she was one of the few who would." She gave him a humourless smile "I was a slightly odd child."
Jack shrugged, "All the best are."
"I haven't seen her in several years."
"You trust her?"
"Yes."
"Well alrighty then." Jack counted about a dozen sets of eyes on them as they made their final approach. "Let's make some friends." He ignored the odd look that his suddenly chipper attitude earned him and settled for fixing what he hoped was a friendly smile on his face. It had been too long since he'd had any reason to practice his charms on anyone; of late he'd either been the cold, aloof 'cool guy' or the more natural petulant teenager.
The group had obviously spotted them before they reached the clearing, and made no attempt to hide the fact, greeting them with a mixture of wary looks and open smiles. There were two more Centaurs, the dryad Ivy, a he-fox, a pair of hawks, two dwarfs, a pair of squirrels and a large bear. All of them looked tatty and feathers and fur were lacking the gloss that they would normally have displayed. He didn't' see the small birds that had been working as sentries further out, though he suspected that one of the squirrels was the one he'd seen earlier, although he was hiding behind his larger companion.
"Howdy, folks." He waved a hand at them and received a few silent responses. None of them said anything and Jack turned to Karrena with raised eyebrows and a shrug, which she half-heartedly returned.
Nightstar stepped into the space between the two groups, "If we are to stop this atrocity from progressing any further then we should waste no time." He directed his stern gaze toward Jack and Karrena. "What do you know?"
Jack dropped the friendly look as he switched into a professional mode. He deferred to Karrena for the answer but she silently and resolutely shook her head. "Well, we know that whoever's doing this is using magic to pull the enemy in from somewhere distant. We also know that this person is very closely tied to Corrin – King Corrin – and they wanted us to think that it was him."
"How do you know this?" The fox demanded; he was one of the less receptive and more suspicious ones.
Jack glanced to Karrena; he knew that her magic made her uncomfortable and that she wouldn't appreciate having to tell others. Although she was now less convinced that the magic made her evil she was still convinced that others would think that she was. She was ashamed of her ties to the White Witch, even though they were so distant as to be almost nonexistent.
Still, this had to be done; it wasn't really something that they could lie about, or keep hidden, especially given that she would most likely have practice that magic in front of them soon.
She paled slightly, but gave him a minute nod; she understood.
"Karrena traced the source with her own magic," he paused for a moment, for effect. "It led to King Corrin but we don't think it's him. Karrena's known him since they were both children; he wouldn't be able to, never mind willing to do something like this."
One of the Hawks let out a distrustful squawk, "How do we know that it is not she who is causing this? How are we to know you are not lying to trick us?"
Jack glowered at the bird and opened his mouth to reply but was beaten to it by one of the second of the two new Centaurs. "You would doubt the word of a Son of Adam as well as that of the honest skies, Tynvan?" His tail flicked as if to emphasise his point.
Jack shrugged and began to turn away, "If you don't want our help then we'll just be heading off then…"
Tynvan ruffled his feathers, "Forgive me, Son of Adam. It is difficult for us to trust outsiders."
Turning back, Jack gave the Hawk a solemn nod. "Understandable, but you'll just have to trust our word on this."
The large bear captured him with a steady gaze, "On your honour as a true Son of Adam?"
Jack almost laughed at that, "Scouts honour; cross my heart and hope to die." The group still looked dubious and Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, on my honour as a Son of Adam." He added 'whatever that means' within the confines of his own head.
"I- I believe them." A small voice issued from behind the larger of the two squirrels, where the smaller was partially hidden. It was a voice that Jack recognised and he raised an eyebrow as he stepped tentatively forward, hesitatingly meeting Jack's eyes.
"Fleetpaw?" Jack questioned.
The squirrel's back straightened and his chest puffed out at Jack's recognition but his eyes also brimmed with tears as he opened his mouth to defend their honour. "They helped me when everyone was killed."
Without thinking about it Jack stepped forward, almost tripping on the skirt he had forgotten he was wearing, and knelt in front of Fleetpaw, one hand on his shoulder. "Hey, buddy, it's alright." He gave the sniffing squirrel a small, conspiratorial grin, "Thanks for backing us up."
The dryad, Ivy, stepped forward too, standing in front of Karrena. "I, too, give them my trust." She gave her childhood friend a small smile. "Even as a child Karrena rarely used her magic consciously. She is too kind-hearted to do such evil deeds."
Karrena returned the smile, muttering her thanks to the dryad.
Nightstar was the next to step forward, "Always has Aslan sent us help in the form of Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve in times of need. Now is no different than any other; we Centaur's have put our faith into Jack and into Karrena. Despite everything that has been thrown at him, still he strives to help us in our need." He paused and swept his gaze across his companions before directing it back at Jack, meeting his eyes before lowering his head in a bow. "I will fight beside you with every last breath."
The other two Centaurs stepped forward within seconds, their gestures and voices echoing his pledge. With varying degrees of hesitation the rest of the group followed suit.
Jack was both awed and humbled. He wanted to tell them that he really didn't know what he was doing, if he would be helping or even if they would all be alive at the end of it but he knew the worth of hope, and faith. Whether it was faith in a god or a superior being, or faith in team mates or not being left behind, or even just faith in the fact that things will all be alright in the end faith could be one of the most powerful forces on earth; faith and hope could hold off death like nothing else he'd ever seen.
They all looked at him expectantly and he tried to think of something rousing to say. It took him only a few seconds to think of something.
"For Narnia!" He pumped a fist into the air.
"For Narnia!" Came the resounding response, filled with passion.
"We must rescue King Corrin at-"
"Oh, for crying out loud? For the millionth time; we can't just go barging in there! There's what… 15 of us against all of the King's army! And even then, we need to find out who's holding the strings!"
Karrena backed him up; "If we charge them now then not only will we all die, but then so will our only hope. We will forfeit everything."
The blonde Centaur – Farseer – grunted. "You would have us forfeit our honour and sneak around, hiding in the shadows. We must face them in battle, as the grown warriors we are!"
Jack threw his arms up in disgust, "That's just it! You're not all grown; Fleetpaw's only a child, and children have no place in a battlefield!"
The young squirrel's face fell and Jack let out a low groan. "Sorry, Fleetpaw. It's not that I don't think you would, or that you could; you just shouldn't have to. If the whole world was hunky-dory then no-one would ever have to fight anyone. But this isn't that world, and this isn't about honour and this damn well isn't some game to prove who's got the biggest-" Jack caught himself and reigned in his temper. "Look you want my help that's fine but it's my way or the highway."
Barely a second passed before Karrena boldly declared; "Jack has already proven himself to me. I will follow his lead."
The air was charged with tension as the rest of the group contemplated Jack's ultimatum. Though they did not understand the specifics of the 'highway' portion of the threat they understood the meaning.
After a few moments of harsh scrutiny the Centaurs stepped forward, almost as one. Nightstar spoke for them. "We, too, have already put our faith in Jack. Aslan would not have sent him to us if his wisdom were folly."
Ivy followed next, echoing the Centaur's acquiescence to Jack's ideas. The rest of the group followed in a staccato murmur of assent that lacked the conviction Jack would have liked. A team without trust was weak, at best and… he'd liked to have been able to say deadly at worst but the truth was that there were fates worse than death.
He restrained a sigh, replacing it with a hopeful smile; he'd just have to build their trust and be glad that they at least weren't galloping off and getting themselves killed on some misguided rescue attempt.
"Great. Now all we need is a plan…"
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