A/N Hey guys, I hope you're having a wonderful winter break and all that jazz! Thank you once again for all of the reviews! I forgot to mention that in the last chapter there was a quote from C.S. Lewis (well, actually, it was from The Silver Chair, but if you find it you get extra points). I've finally figured out where this story is going to go and what I really want with it. This will be a WAR fic, but it will also be a friendship one. Just a warning if you're not into this kind of stuff then I'm really sorry that I led you on this far, but you still can read for the friendship between Edmund and Nyra. In order to keep this story afloat, the war between the Pevensies and what's left of the Witch's followers will have to be a main line that this plot will have to float along. Although I can already assure you that this is going to be a very interesting twist if you're willing to accept it =)

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

A Dark Veil

The massive wolf carefully slid through the dimly lit forest, her thick fur scraping up against the sharp bushes as she made her way down the invisible path. The day was barely new, yet there was so much to be done. As soon as the first bird began to sing in the dark castle, High King Peter had sent Nyra to summon their most trusted Narnians to council. Fortunately, most of them resided in Cair Paravel, but there was one who lived away from the boisterous castle. Southward on the beach and farther inland lived a shady, but loyal friend of the Kings and Queens; Carperwel the Gryphon. Not that she was going to admit it to her King, but Nyra had never actually liked the feathery creature- perhaps having to do with his missing eye. Carperwel wasn't exactly the friendliest of Narnians, but he was intelligent. As it happens, he had been the one who suggested the trading post on the border of Archenland and Narnia. The agreement had not only strengthened the two countries as allies, but assisted the new Kings and Queens in displaying their reign to the rest of the neighboring realms. Although, that didn't change the fact that he had once set the forest around Cair Paravel ablaze after he pushed both himself and some poor faun into a large bonfire. Both of them were perfectly fine, but the tree spirits hadn't been exactly fond of him after that.

Nyra huffed and slowed her pace as she found herself nearing the edge of the forest that led out to a steep cliff. The wolf's ear twitched and she dug her claws into the gravel, not at all enthusiastic about being so close to falling to her death. Looking up, she could see the blood-red light of the rising sun poring out over the ocean. The fur on the back of her neck rose slightly as she spotted the unreliable path that led down the crag where Carperwel's cavern was. For a moment, the wolf contemplated on just shouting down at the gryphon to meet her instead of risking her life attempting to get to him. With an agitated flick of her tail, Nyra began her dangerous descent down the rocks to reach the cave.

The wolf had met Carperwel when she was only five weeks old, barely starting to eat meat for the first time. The gryphon rarely ever visited the castle on his own, but he tended to be exceedingly wonderful at dropping in whenever things were completely calm. Nyra had been out in the castle garden with Lucy when Carperwel paid the young queen a visit. Out of all of the Kings and Queens, Carperwel seemed to enjoy being in Lucy's company- like most. Nyra recalled the strange creature wrapping himself around the trunk of a young apple tree and greeting the Queen. Lucy had happily approached Carperwel, welcoming him as an old friend, but Nyra remained behind the human, frightened of such a large animal.

"I see the rumors were true," Carperwel sniffed, "the Kings and Queens found themselves a pet." Lucy had chosen to ignore the snide comment and gently picked up Nyra, bringing her closer to the gryphon.

"Carperwel, this is Nyra." Lucy said with a bright smile, "Nyra, this is Carperwel, a good friend of mine."

The two Narnians studied each other closely, although neither moved. Even as a young pup, Nyra could sense the authority radiating off of the large beast, demanding respect, but of course that didn't stop her.

"Where's your other eye?"

The absolute indignation that burned in Carperwel's golden eyes nearly knocked Nyra backwards.

"I tore it out," The gryphon snarled, shoving his massive face close to the pup's, "After I grew tired of dealing with insolent little pups like you."

Nyra shook her head in embarrassment of her immature actions as she pressed her body as close to the overhang as physically possible. She could already smell Carperwel's sharp, fishy stench on the rough wind that pushed her sturdy body back and forth on the rocks. Nyra adjusted her stance and pushed a large pebble to the side of the cliff, where it tumbled off into the water below. The entrance was only a few feet away, poorly concealed by jutting out craig.

Although she hadn't been alive in the Great Winter, Nyra had heard stories of how Carperwel had served as a double-agent for Aslan, working for the White Witch and attaining information before the Kings and Queens had arrived in Narnia. Something about the gryphon's rugged looks made him the perfect candid for invading enemy lines, and the wolf wasn't about to say different. Of course, he was retired now. Hence the isolation and indecent social skills.

"Carperwel," Nyra called out into the cave as she approached, "don't attack, it's me, Nyra of Cair Paravel."

"I know who you are," A voice responded from the darkness, "I could smell your stench as soon as you left the castle." Nyra's ear twitched in agitation as her muzzle touched the beginning of the black, but she continued on into the cavern warily.

"Then I suppose you know why I am here." She growled lightly, her pupils dilating so she could see where Caperwel was curled up in the back of the cave, his amber eye narrowed.

"I thought perhaps you had come to join me for breakfast." Carperwel snapped, his long tail swiping aside dirt and pebbles.

"Unfortunately, no." Nyra said, not bothering to sit down, "The High King requests your presence in council as soon as possible."

"More trouble with the Witch's minions, I presume." The gryphon snorted, stretching his body to fill the sides of his crypt.

"I am not at liberty to say." Nyra turned her head to look back at the illuminated parts of the cave, wishing that Carperwel would come into the light. There was a deep chuckle.

"You never are."

"I shall inform the Kings and Queens you are coming then." The wolf huffed, more than ready to leave, "Good morning." Nyra turned to exit the cave, but paused when rustling from the rear of the cave sounded.

"Oh, but it is such a long trip back." The gray wolf's fur fluffed out in panic as soon as she heard the smirk in his voice, "Why don't we inform them together?" It wasn't a suggestion, but Nyra didn't wait for him to tell her that.

The large wolf made a valiant scramble forward to the mouth of the cave, but the gryphon was swifter. Nyra yelped and kicked her legs out as Carperwel's claws latched around her body as though she were only a stick, lifting her off of the ground.

"No, Carperwel, please!" The wolf howled, twisting her body, "Please don't!" There was the loud swish of wings and suddenly they were flying out of the cave and down towards the crashing waves of the ocean.

"I am truly sorry, lass, but I couldn't hear you?" The gryphon cackled, "What did you say?"

"I am perfectly capable of traveling on my own four paws!" Nyra shrieked indignantly, although she had ceased her struggling once they began to skim the water, fearful that the gryphon would merely drop her into the waves.

"Calm down, little wolf." Carperwel cawed in delight, "We are nearly there."

The wolf exhaled furiously, her amber eyes glowing darkly as they soared over the water. Quite honestly, it was more humiliating than frightening. Carperwel's grip on her was firm, but not painful against her tensed muscles. Nyra huffed as she turned her head to look over the ocean, ears flat against her head to muffle the ringing of the wind as they cut through the skies. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time the wolf had been forced into this type of transportation- Edmund never let her forget.

A small jolt of relief washed over Nyra as she spotted the Castle by the Sea, standing tall in all of its glory. Cair Paravel never ceased to amaze her, no matter what angle she arrived at. It seemed that no matter which way light hit the marble stone, it glimmered day and night as though it were the ocean itself. Not a vast castle, but there were still hundreds of rooms that were yet to be discovered. Cair Paravel was perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a beautiful beach and the never-ending ocean. Flags of red and gold sailed on the wind like birds, proudly displaying Aslan in all his greatness. On the gates surrounding the courtyard and the garden were five soldiers, tasked with protecting the castle. It wasn't much, but it was home.

"Hold on to your tail!" Carperwel called down to the wolf, who had finally relaxed at the sight of Cair Paravel. Nyra let out a low growl and flexed her muscles again, knowing full well that landing was far worse than taking off.

As the two figures drew closer to the castle, a horn resonated through the air. Nyra pulled her head back, bracing herself for impact as Carperwel dropped closer to the ground, circling around the castle once. The gryphon extended his wings to their full length and then pulled them back in closer to his body, flapping them two or three times to loose altitude. As they came closer to the earth, Nyra began to struggle again, knowing full well what Carperwel had planned, for he had done it before. The gryphon let out a single screech, before releasing the wolf from his grip.

Nyra grunted as she fell the few feet that were left back to the soil, her legs buckling momentarily as she regained her balance. The wolf huffed angrily and shook her pelt as she stumbled away from Carperwel's landing area. Out of the corner of her raging amber eyes she spotted King Edmund and Queen Lucy exiting the palace to greet their old friend. Throwing a nasty glare over her shoulder towards Carperwel, the wolf stalked off towards the kitchen area to get a well-earned breakfast and to walk off her irritation.

Edmund smirked as he spotted his agent storming away from the gryphon towards the back door to the castle's kitchen. The dark king considered calling out the Nyra, but decided against it, leaving the clearly vexed wolf alone. Lucy lengthened her strides as Carperwel landed in the courtyard, a bright smile on her face.

"Carperwel," She said joyfully, "it is so wonderful to see you again!" The gryphon turned and bowed his head in greeting to the two royals.

"And the same to you, majesties." His tail curled up to touch the feathers that covered his back, "Although I wish it were on happier tidings." Edmund's eyes became grave almost instantly.

"I take it you've heard then."

"Of course." Carperwel said, "I have my sources." Edmund nodded and exchanged a look with his sister.

"Well, now that you've arrived, Peter's called for the convention to begin." The King said, turning to allow the gryphon to walk towards the main entrance of the castle. As soon as Carperwel passed him and accompanied Lucy, Edmund took a step onto the lawn towards the open door of the kitchen, where a faint hullabaloo could be heard.

"Nyra," He called, "are you coming?"

The ruckus in the kitchen crescendoed and the sound of a metal pan hitting the wall echoed into the courtyard, before Nyra emerged with a sullen look and a small piece of meat hanging out of her jaws. Edmund coughed to hide his amusement as the head cook could be heard yelling about impolite manners and impatient wolves. Nyra growled and swallowed her snack as she approached the King.

"As you were." Edmund chuckled, turning to follow Lucy and Carperwel. Nyra lashed her tail and fell into step beside him.

"As you were." She grunted.

After finally managing to get the final member into the meeting chamber, Peter stood at the end of the table, overlooking those him and his siblings had chosen as council. There were the obvious ones whom they had never even had to think twice about; Orious, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and Carperwel. There were also two others; the Southern Cat Battalion and Mr. Fox, both of whom had proven their loyalty and intellect over the past few years. A place had been offered to the Pevensie's close friend, Mr. Tumnus, but the faun had politely declined, stating that his future did not rest in politics.

"First off," Peter paused, giving the hardly noisy room a chance to be silent, "I would like to thank all of you for coming on such short notice." The King caught Carperwel's eye and nodded graciously. "The conditions of which we meet are, unfortunately, not light."

Nyra settled herself between Edmund and Susan's chairs, keeping her head up and eyes on the far eastern wall. The wolf technically had no place in the council meetings, but Edmund granted her a pass to be by his side as long as she didn't disturb them or give away information that had been discussed. Nyra was specially permitted to be in the meeting at present, for she was the only other one beside Edmund that witnessed what had gone down in the dwarves' stronghold. Even though Nyra rested closer to Edmund, Susan let her hand fall down to her side to catch the wolf's attention. Nyra's eyes flicked over to the Queen, and she silently shuffled closer to her chair.

"Please don't tell me that my brother was up all night in the study again." Susan whispered, leaning over her chair and pressing the tips of her fingers into the fur around the wolf's neck. Nyra's ear twitched and she looked up at Susan, resting her muzzle on the arm of the chair for only a moment with a slight nod of her head.

"We have evidence that the White Witch's followers are planning on retaliating once more." Peter continued, oblivious to his sister's displeasure. "After a previous interaction with one of the leaders of the dwarves, we have reason to believe that there is need to strike them before they strike us."

"Is there any logic in offering peace?" Mrs. Beaver asked from her place between her husband and Battalion.

"We have already attempted that angle." Peter responded, turning to look at Edmund and Nyra. The King stared back at his older brother warily before nodding and addressing the whole table.

"Their likely current leader, Ginnarbrik, has clearly stated that he wants nothing to do with Cair Paravel and treaties." Edmund said, his jaw clenching subconsciously as he forced himself not to look at his wolf guard.

"Likely?" Carperwel growled, finally looking up from his spot.

"So far, Ginnarbrik has been the only one to assert any dominance within the enemy lines." Peter said, one hand on Rhindon.

"Oh no, that pitiful dwarf wouldn't dare take up leadership." Carperwel spat, his amber eyes glazing over as he traveled into the farthest parts of his memory. "Jadis's people were followers and only followers- something has come along to take her place."

The Fox's large ears swiveled towards the gryphon, "Something?"

"What are you implying, Carperwel?" Orious finally spoke, "Is there something you have failed to tell us?" The gryphon narrowed his single eye, lashing his tail at the sudden turn.

"Failed? No," Carperwel hissed, "but after serving the Witch for so long, there is no single Narnian strong enough to replace her."

"Then what would have the power?" Lucy asked, running her index finger along the arm of her chair.

"I do not know." The room fell silent once more, and all eyes turned back to the High King, who remained standing.

"Until a time when we are certain of whom is their leader, we shall assume it is Ginnarbrik." Peter declared.

"May I suggest that we send a spy to obtain more information about them?" Orious inquired.

"That would be far too dangerous." Edmund spoke, turning to look at his brother and hoping he thought the same, "There are none they wouldn't suspect."

"Unless their kind served the Witch during the war..." Peter said quietly, almost to himself. Edmund's eyebrows tilted downward in confusion at his words.

"Sire?" The Fox said, just as baffled as the rest of the table. Peter finally broke his gaze from where it rested on the table, turning it towards Edmund. The dark king quickly followed his gaze, and suddenly he understood.

"No." Edmund deadpanned, "I will not allow it." Peter's eyes flashed angrily at Edmund's show of charge.

"Don't be so daft, Edmund." Peter said, "It was only an idea."

"One of which I will not approve!" Edmund shot back, his hands grasping the arms of his chair. It was then that Lucy caught on.

"Peter, no!" The youngest queen cried, ready to spring from her seat.

"Alright, the lot of you, calm down." Susan finally said, standing up and placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder, "There is no need for this." Her gaze locked onto Peter's and she held him there for a moment before sitting down. "Peter, please, sit." The blonde king grasped his sword tighter, but slowly sat down.

"The wolves have been allies of Aslan for years now." Lucy said, "There is no way they will fall for a wolf- especially one whom they know has been raised by the Kings and Queens themselves- to just walk into their camp and gather knowledge." The wolf guard remained silent, her amber eyes glued to the floor.

"Like I said," Peter huffed, "it was only an idea."

"And we understand that." Susan said calmly, shooting a pointed look at her younger brother, who looked away.

"Perhaps there is another we could send?" Batallion said, shuffling his large, spotted paws.

"Yes," Mr. Beaver said, "There are plenty of loyal Narnians out there who are guarantied to be a right bit shady looking." Although he tried, Mr. Beaver couldn't help it when his gaze landed on Carperwel at the other end of the table. The gryphon snarled and looked away, resulting in a small smirk from the Fox.

"How long until you foresee a battle, my lord?" Orious asked.

"Only time will tell." Peter said, "It may be a week or it may be a year, but it is inevitable."

"As is death."

Almost at once, they didn't recognize the voice. Peter and Edmund jumped out of their chairs, swords drawn and eyes scanning the room. The wolf quickly bounded forward to stand next to Edmund, the fur along her neck rising as she scented the intruders. The rest of the council shifted in unease as well; Battalion jumping over the table to stand in Nyra's abandoned place in front of the Queens in protection.

"Who are you?" Peter called, raising his sword, "I demand that you show yourself!"

"Nyra, where is it?" Edmund quietly asked, his eyes not leaving the shadows in the room.

"You mean they." The wolf corrected darkly, taking a step forward to the shadows that fell over the balcony, "There are two of them."

Once again, I'm sorry for any mistakes you find, just hit me up if you find any (it would be very much appreciated) In the next chapter I will be introducing a couple of new characters. In case you were wondering, Mr. Fox is the fox that assisted the Pevensies when they were running from the Witch's Secret Agents in the first book. Also, Battalion is the leopard that is RUMORED to have been Queen Susan's Royal guard in the Golden Ages. Oh, and Carperwel is just a random character I decided to make up (meaning he's mine, paws off). I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Any questions, comments, or life threatening concerns don't hesitate to pm me!

Happy Holidays!

~*~ Charli ~*~