Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Eleven: Foes Abound

Oreius stared in horror as the High King collapsed to the ground only a moment after Katerina ran from his tent. The dark red stain across Peter's chest continued to blossom as Sherket pressed her paws around the wound in an attempt to staunch the flow. His worst nightmare was coming to life before his eyes. Alithia galloped up with Ardon right behind her. The healer quickly knelt beside the king and checked for a pulse. It had been nearly three decades since he had last seen Alithia look so uncertain and that had been when she tended to his father as he lay dying in the aftermath of the unsuccessful uprising against the White Witch.

Leaving Alithia to tend the High King, Oreius summoned Prochorea the Golden Eagle and commanded her to travel with all haste to Cair Paravel, then he sent Kerwin the Coyote to the Shuddering Woods with instructions to find the Gentle Queen. He turned as Kumbali ran up to him followed by one of the Faun archers, "General, Katerina just ran into the woods north of the camp!"

Pyrrhos and Ardon both looked at him ready for the one set of orders Oreius had hoped he would never have to give, "Pyrrhos, you're with me. Gather ten of your fastest soldiers and head for the northern tree line. We need to catch Katerina Alambiel. Fortunately, she cannot be far ahead of us. Ardon, you and Sherket guard the king and the camp until we return with Katerina Alambiel. Kumbali, lead the way!"

Oreius stayed fast on Kumbali's heels as the Tiger ran through the camp and north to the woods. The fear that he would return to find the High King dead was pushed firmly to the back of his mind. Instead, he focused on following the dim outline of the Tiger as they ran through an almost unnatural gloom. Aslan, protect us all.

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Katerina paused as a faint whisper echoed through the trees to her right. She whirled around but no one was there. Then another whisper echoed, "Here. Come help me." She hesitated then headed through the trees in search of whoever was responsible for the faint cries of help. The whispers and cries led her back south as she picked up her pace and ran through the trees until she came to an abrupt stop. Someone was following her. She could feel it.

Another faint whisper echoed, "Alambiel...behind you. Danger."

She whirled around with her hand reaching over her shoulder for a sword pommel that wasn't there. She had left Chrysaor in her tent...her knives! A shadow detached itself from the deeper blackness of the woods. "Don't run."

Katerina froze as she stared in shock at the figure, "You!"

Alaois snorted as he walked over to her and looked around at the tangled copse of holly and birch, "Me. For someone who claims innocence, you certainly manage to create doubt through your actions. Why are you out here, Katerina Alambiel? Do you have a secret meeting?"

Katerina scowled, "No. I'm over here because I heard someone calling for help."

The Satyr tilted his head and she could just make out the skeptical look on his face through the darkness. She frowned in confusion, "What happened to the moon?"

She sensed more than saw Alaois turn sharply towards her, "The moon has been hidden by the clouds for nearly an hour. It's unnatural and probably conjured by your sorcerer. Do you not remember?"

Katerina paused then slowly shook her head, "I don't...I...the last thing I remember clearly was being out by the pavilion. Everything after that is a haze right up until I heard the whispers."

Alaois stared at her, "Where are your knives?"

"I-"

Katerina cut herself off as Alaois suddenly stepped back and raised a hand for silence. "Shh, do you hear that?" The Satyr moved past her to inspect a series of shadows at the far side of the small copse of trees.

Another whisper echoed behind her, "Alambiel...come." She turned just as something brushed against her back. A low growl was the only warning she received before a long shadow leaped out of the trees and lunged at her. She dropped to the ground and rolled to the right. She jumped back to her feet and stopped as she recognized who had tried to attack her. "Kumbali?"

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Oreius ducked under a low-hanging tree branch and slowed slightly as Pyrrhos dashed in front of him. They had both seen Kumbali abruptly charge through the underbrush to their left and knew the Tiger's quarry must not be far ahead. Kumbali reappeared as the Tiger flung himself through the air with a growl. Oreius scowled and increased his pace in order to reach the Tiger before he allowed his anger to overrule his common sense. He entered the copse to find Kumbali circling Katerina Alambiel who was standing very still with her hands held away from her body as she tried to reason with the irate Tiger. "Kumbali, stand down."

The Tiger growled but slowly backed away from Katerina. Oreius held out his left arm to stay the other soldiers as they too entered the copse with steel or claw bared. Katerina started to lower her hands but the warning growls caused her to stop, she looked up at him in clear frustration. "For what reason do you act this way?"

Pyrrhos bristled as he stepped toward her with his sword raised, "You dare to pretend you have no knowledge of what has happened? You will not be able to fool anyone into believing you innocent this time, witch. Not when you buried your knife in our king's shoulder not even fifteen minutes ago."

Oreius growled a warning as the Satyr captain stepped closer to Katerina, "Pyrrhos, no further."

The Satyr stopped his advance, but Katerina Alambiel didn't react to his movements as she glanced over her shoulder then back at Oreius with a lost and confused look. "I didn't do that...I wouldn't do that. You know I would not do such a thing."

Oreius stared down at her and forced himself to show no emotion. He didn't know how to reconcile the Katerina he thought he knew with the Katerina he had seen run from the High King's tent only seconds before Peter had staggered out and collapsed at his feet. "Where have you been if you did not attack the High King?"

Katerina shook her head, "I...I left the camp to be alone for a little while and I seem to have lost some time."

Oreius raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Katerina glanced from him to Pyrrhos before she clarified in a quiet tone, "I mean I have no firm recollection of my whereabouts or...my actions since just before the moon was shadowed by the clouds. I can't say for certain where I have been, but I cannot believe that I would attack Peter."

Pyrrhos snorted and raised his sword again, "Well, since your knife was easily identified as the one in the High King's shoulder, I say you have your answer and we have ours. You were the only one who could have attacked the High King and you've no proof to deny the charge."

Movement in the shadowed corner of the copse caught Oreius' eye as he looked over Katerina's head. The Satyr Alaois looked as if he had eaten something very bitter as he walked over to stand behind and to the right of Katerina. "As much as I hate to admit it, Katerina Alambiel is innocent in this case. Captain Pyrrhos, General Oreius, I have been following her since she slipped away from camp and for the last hour she has done naught but walk around in circles. Fifteen minutes ago she was ten miles north and west of the camp, which means there is no way she could have been the one to attack the High King. She was framed."

Pyrrhos sputtered in outrage as Alaois shifted his weight and continued in a more reluctant tone, "And, I saw a shadow disappear into the copse shortly after I followed her here. Then another shadow brushed by her not a moment before Kumbali leaped at her. She was led here and..."

Oreius felt a thread of fear and doubt rise up as he came to the same realization as the Satyr. "So were we. Back to the camp! Make haste!" Alaois grabbed Katerina Alambiel by the arm and pulled her through the woods as Oreius, Pyrrhos, and the other soldiers ran behind and beside them. Oreius kept a watchful eye on Katerina and the Satyr as they ran ahead of him, but his main concern dwelled on what they might find at the camp. Was the High King still alive or, Aslan help them, dead?

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Jambres scowled as the confrontation between Katerina Alambiel and the Narnians didn't last nearly as long as he had hoped. The fact that the Satyr who hated her would prove an honorable witness had not occurred to him. Bah, he should have instructed the assassins to kill anyone who happened to be with Alambiel. And, he wasn't certain if the boy who pretended to be High King was actually dead. The Muhuru were no longer as effective as he had remembered them before King Gale got so touchy about his daughter and niece being abducted and killed. Well, Mother always said that if you wanted an abduction and murder done right, you had to do it yourself.

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Katerina couldn't help feeling somewhat afraid of returning to the camp where Peter apparently lay dying. She wondered how the assassins had managed to trick Oreius of all people into believing she had been the responsible party. Of course, given how attached Murphy and his law were to her, it just figured that she would be framed for this entire mess. Not to mention, the Sorcerer Jambres probably had a few tricks of his own to help Murphy out. I am never going on another vacation again.

Alaois suddenly pulled her to a halt on a small hill overlooking the camp and looked at her with a concern she had never seen before, at least not for her. "When we enter the camp, run and get your weapons without stopping for anyone or anything."

Oreius stopped beside them and pulled his twin swords free of their sheaths. "Listen to him, Katerina Alambiel, and pray to Aslan that we survive this night."

Katerina followed the Centaur's gaze and gasped. Out of the unnatural gloom, Werewolves were rushing the camp from every direction but their own. Alaois pulled her into a run as Oreius reared up behind them and let loose a battle cry, "For Narnia and for Aslan!"

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A/N: Please read and review! We're nearing the climax of the story where all the twists and turns (well, most of them) will be ironed out. Peter's fate is still in the air and so is Katerina's of course. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think is going to happen next. Also, I'm taking requests for future stories, so if there's a particular adventure you want to see, please include it in your review or send it via PM and I'll do my best to accommodate you.