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 Fourteen: Hunter and Hunted
"What have you done?"
At Alithia's quiet question, Oreius looked at the Narnians gathered around him as he stepped away from the body. He cleaned his claymore then pointed it at the crumpled figure. "That was not Katerina Alambiel."
Alaois stared at him before he crouched down by the body. The Satyr didn't move after he finished his examination other than to look up at the Centaur. "This looks like her, but you say it's not. With respect, General Oreius, how do you know?"
"Because something particular was missing that should not have been and she made mistakes when she tried to copy Katerina Alambiel. Katerina Alambiel has a necklace that she never removes, do you see it?"
Sherket shook her head, "No, and she did tell us that she never takes it off. And, I don't see any marks from the chain being broken." The Leopard Captain paused then stepped closer and inhaled. Her fur suddenly stood on end as she growled, "This imposter has no smell. Katerina's scent is not one any of us who smelled it would easily forget since she is the only one who smells of Human and Centaur almost all the time."
Oreius glanced down at Sherket when she mentioned Katerina's scent, he hadn't thought about how often Katerina wore the cloak he had given her might affect the way the Talking Animals smelled her. It made sense though. He looked from Sherket to Ardon and Alithia as he continued his explanation. "Katerina Alambiel told us the assassins hissed their words, and this imposter was careful never to say anything that might result in a hiss. Katerina never calls me 'General' and that is all this one would say. Between her word choice and the missing necklace, I knew this was not Katerina Alambiel."
Alaois leapt to his feet as an odd smoke emerged from the body. "Look!" The black smoke twisted and writhered almost as if it was alive and spread until it completely covered the imposter. Then it started to curl in on itself, steadily retreating until the true appearance of the imposter was revealed. The blunt reptilian features of her face, the blue and green scales, and her clawed hands made it abundantly clear that this was not Katerina Alambiel nor was she a Daughter of Eve. Oreius nodded to himself as his guess was proved correct, "The Sorcerer gave the Muhuru an illusion spell, so she could assume Katerina Alambiel's appearance and get us to blame Katerina for what she did."
Sherket curled her lips in a snarl as the Muhuru's strong musk filled the air, "I preferred it when she had no scent." The Leopard Captain paused then looked from Oreius to Ardon, "But, why did she approach you, General?"
Oreius stamped the ground with his left forehoof, "To be a distraction." He ignored the rest of the questions as he ran to check the High King's tent. He tossed the flap aside and flicked his tail in irritation as he was greeted by a ransacked and empty interior. The hammock the High King had been resting in was torn down and the carefully stacked tack and saddlebags were now strewn across the tent. He entered the tent to lift a torn blanket from where it rested across the saddle and underneath them both was Chrysaor with its blade still bloody from battle. Oreius picked the ancient blade up reverently and cleaned it before looking for the sheath, which he found tossed against the far wall of the tent. The belt had been ripped into pieces, but the sheath was still intact. He slid Chrysaor back into its sheath, and then he fastened it next to his own sword on his right flank. He had no intention of allowing the sword to be parted from its chosen wielder for any longer than necessary to find her and the High King.
He emerged from the tent and met Ardon's solemn gaze before he scanned the Narnians still standing around waiting for him to give them orders. "The Werewolves took the High King and Katerina Alambiel. Sherket, Chava, see if you can track them. Ardon, gather the fastest runners. We need to try to catch them before they return to the Sorcerer."
Pyrrhos snorted as he stepped forward, "When do we leave?"
Oreius shook his head, "No, Captain Pyrrhos, you are not coming. Your injuries are severe enough that they will only slow us down. Stay here with Alithia and the rest of your company."
The older Satyr grumbled but allowed Kumbali and a Faun archer to escort him towards the makeshift healer's ward. Satyr Alaois stared up at him with a stubborn glint in his eyes, "I am coming with you, General. I owe Katerina Alambiel much and I was supposed to protect her when she was taken with the High King. You can't say that I am too injured to keep up."
Oreius nodded his acquiescence, "Very well."
Alithia and Ardon looked over at him from where they had been conversing softly, and then Ardon trotted up to take his place by Oreius' side. "Well, let's go fetch our High King and our Katerina Alambiel back before the Gentle Queen finds out we lost them."
Oreius smirked, but didn't answer as the group ran into the gloom after Sherket and Chava when they excitedly called out that they had found the trail. Aslan, let us be the hunters. Give us swiftness. Give us light to see through the shadowed gloom of this night. Shield the High King and Katerina Alambiel. Let us catch them before it is too late.
ӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁ
Jambres laughed as he used his spell to grant an unnatural speed to the Werewolves gifted to him by Medea and to the Muhuru. The sacrifice of the female Muhuru would be worth it, even if she did fail to kill the Centaur General as he had ordered. The General would die anyway tonight along with the boy who pretended to be High King, and then Katerina Alambiel would belong to him without the Centaur's influence. His hunters were being hunted, but it mattered naught. The Narnians would be unable to stop the death of High King, the protector of the four thrones, and then it would be easy to pick off the others who stood between him and his Narnia. He turned from watching the progress being made by his servants and walked up to the next level. He needed to prepare a proper greeting for such distinguished guests.
ӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁӁ
A/N: Please Read and Review! *Peeks out of hiding place* You see, I had a plan. Of course, Jambres still has much mayhem and pain planned, so something will probably happen...that's bad. We are almost to the climax of the story! If writer's block stays away, this story should be concluded this week. If you've a request or if there is something specific you would like to see in future stories, please include it in your review or in a PM. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.
A/N2: Lady Firewing, I hope the explanation of how Oreius knew was satisfactory and maybe even revealed a little more about the dynamics of the relationship between him and Katerina. :)
A/N3: Dreaminsapphire, thank you for the review it just made my day to see your reaction was exactly what I hoped to evoke from my readers! And, oh yes I did...but it was worth it, right? ;)
Much thanks to both Lady Firewing and Dreaminsapphire for their constant and encouraging reviews! Y'all really inspire me to keep writing. ~ Lady A