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 Sixteen: Closing In
Oreius slid to a halt just within the shadowy eve of the forest and looked up at the three-story stone lodge sitting in the middle of a large clearing. He looked down at Sherket and Chava, "How old is the trail?"
Sherket sighed, "Almost an hour."
Oreius flicked his tail, "So, the High King and Katerina Alambiel have been in the sorcerer's presence for nearly an hour. We need to find a way inside quickly."
Alaois frowned as he looked from the lodge to their own small group. "General, there were at least thirty Werewolves who led us here and we can't forget the Muhuru. How can we get inside and defeat the enemy when there are only twelve of us?"
Oreius crossed his arms and quickly ran through as many strategies as he could think of until he finally hit on one he liked. He scanned the lodge again, and then nodded to himself. "There is a way, it is a gamble but we have no other choice. Come, the enemy won't expect us to use this tactic and we've only a little time in which to accomplish it all."
He led the group back into the shelter of the forest to explain the details of his plan away from prying eyes and listening ears. It would still take a little bit of time to organize, but he prayed the delay would not require Peter or Katerina Alambiel to pay too high of a cost. Aslan, help them to hang on for just a little while longer. We are almost there, let them know they are not alone or abandoned.
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"Isak, the Narnians are crossing the glade. Do we tell Jambres?"
Isak snarled over at Brutus, "No, the Mistress was clear on our instructions if her brother should fail to adhere to the plan they had agreed upon. Besides, do you want to interrupt Jambres when he is interrogating prisoners?"
Brutus' scarred muzzle crinkled briefly before he shrugged, it didn't matter to him if Jambres got caught in his own trap, after all he and Isak both knew which of the siblings had the most power. "Then, we are to open the doors and let what happens happen?"
Isak nodded, "We will watch and when the ending occurs, we will return to Mistress as she instructed. Anyway, I want to see whether the Muhuru will be able to kill the Centaur General. Get to your station, the Narnians will be here in a matter of seconds. Our brothers will have to fend for themselves this time." Brutus growled softly at the thought of allowing more of their numbers to be sacrificed, but he climbed to his station on the third floor of the lodge. Isak scaled his way up to the highest point of the rafters and settled into the shadowy recesses as he waited for the show to begin. The Mistress had been correct and now the Sorcerer Jambres would reap the consequences of going behind her back...one way or another.
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Oreius signaled Sherket to bring her group around to the left of the main doors to the lodge. The Leopard took the lead as her group reached their positions, she paused in front of the doors and nodded to one of the Faun Archers. Alaois looked at Oreius from his position just to the right of the doors, then he nodded to the Faun and they threw the doors open. Swift and silent, Oreius and Sherket led the charge into the lodge. A group of five Werewolves was just inside the large hall, but they didn't have time to cry out a warning before the Narnians cut them down.
The Narnians spread out and began hunting for both the enemy and their missing people. The Serval Chava gave an angry hiss from where she stood on the wide staircase leading up to the next level. "General, they took the High King and Katerina Alambiel up these stairs."
Oreius swapped his two swords for his claymore and nodded, "Lead the way, Chava. Brytt, Ardon, Alaois, let's search the upper levels. Sherket can handle the lower level."
When they reached the second level, Ardon and Alaois split from the group to search the rooms lining the western side while Oreius continued with Chava and Brytt the Bear down the eastern half. As they neared another flight of stairs, a larger group of Werewolves charged them but the Werewolves were easily dealt with between Oreius' claymore and Brytt's sheer strength. Chava slipped along the walls, occasionally stopping to sniff the air as she tried to pinpoint where Peter and Katerina were being held. Brytt rose up on his back legs and noisily sniffed in an effort to help Chava, but he gave a lazy shrug and dropped back down on all fours before speaking in a slow, sleepy voice. "The Werewolves' scent has covered everything, General. I don't even smell the trail Chava followed up here anymore."
Oreius said nothing in return; instead, he scanned the shadowed corners of the hall. He had felt eyes on him during the fight, and unless the Muhuru had left, the assassin was in this lodge somewhere. A skittering sound came from the rafters above them and Oreius raised his claymore while Brytt reared up again with a low growl. The shadows cloaking the rafters kept both Oreius and Brytt from identifying the source of the sound, and they remained tense until Chava sneezed, startling them out of their watchful search.
Brytt dropped heavily onto all four paws and sighed, Oreius hesitated a little longer but then he slowly lowered his claymore. They turned to face Chava just as a shadow dropped down next to the Serval and grabbed her before she could react. Chava screamed in pain as the Muhuru snapped her right foreleg then threw her over Brytt's head to slam against the wall. The Muhuru dropped the hood of his cloak and hissed at them, "Sssee your death, Narniansss."
Oreius raised his claymore, but before he could do more than take a step forward, the Muhuru had moved from standing in front of them to launching himself at Brytt. The Centaur called out a warning, but it was too late. In less than a minute, the Muhuru assassin landed on top of the Bear and drove his scythe-shaped dagger deep into Brytt's neck. The large Bear jerked his head up, then the light in his eyes faded as he collapsed to the floor.
The Muhuru threw his cloak to the side and rose up to his full height as he faced the Centaur. "The Bear died quickly, but your death will be mossst painful and long in coming." A strangled yell came from above them and the Muhuru gave a hissing laugh, "To die right before you accomplisssh your tasssk, how dissshonorable, Centaur." The Muhuru dropped into a crouch and Oreius prepared himself to fight, another scream echoed down to them and he forced himself to ignore the fear those screams evoked in his heart. Instead, he used each scream to remind himself why he was going to defeat the Muhuru, Aslan willing.
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Peter gasped for air as Jambres lifted the spell and he could breathe again. The sensation of not being able to breathe because a translucent black shroud was covering his face and shoulders had been terrifying. Katerina had been forced to take the blunt of the sorcerer's spells, and he couldn't help admiring the fact that she was still functioning because he doubted he would have been able to, especially with his injuries. He thanked Aslan that Jambres didn't immediately start another round of questioning, instead the sorcerer paced angrily between the two of them.
He stopped and glared at Peter, then he whirled around to jab his staff against Katerina's torso and snapped a phrase. Katerina convulsed and squeezed her eyes shut as an electrifying jolt coursed through her body, but she still didn't scream. She finally gasped from the pain and Peter was appalled to see a black glow coming from her mouth. He hated that he couldn't protect her like he usually did his sisters, she may have been older than them but he still wanted to do something to help her. He tried to move but the pain in his chest and shoulder stopped him again. So, he opted to distract the sorcerer instead and forced a shout past his raw throat. "Stop it, Jambres! She didn't do anything to you. Leave her alone! You didn't even try to ask her a question so you would have an excuse to be cruel to her. Why are you doing this?"
Praise Aslan, his haphazard plan actually worked as Jambres moved his staff until it no longer touched her. The sorcerer looked between them while he ran his fingers over his goatee in thought. "I wonder, King Peter, why do you care what happens to Alambiel? Obviously, you don't trust her very much since she claims no knowledge of simple facts like the current positions of your army's patrols, or even how to get from the front gates of Cair Paravel to the royal quarters. Although, the last could just be a lie after all, this isn't exactly the first time she has been in the Cair. And, why does Alambiel try so hard to protect the very Narnians who still suspect her of being less than genuine and would gladly condemn her to exile or even death?"
Peter blinked in surprise at Jambres' words. He thought Katerina knew things that she couldn't possibly know, but why? He saw Jambres move his staff towards her threateningly and hurried to answer, "I care because Katerina is my friend. And, she doesn't know how to get from the gates to the royal quarters because she has never been in the royal quarters." Peter would have smiled if the situation were different, for Katerina had cheerfully informed him only two weeks ago that she saw no reason to go to the royal quarters and therefore, no reason to figure out how to get there. He suspected she was more than content with just knowing how to get from her room to the Library, which Oreius had introduced her to about three months after she had chosen to stay. He wasn't sure about the details surrounding that introduction other than it was somehow related to the shield incident, but whenever he saw Katerina curled up under a tree or in a chair reading a new book, he couldn't help thinking that was when she looked the most relaxed.
Jambres pulled Peter's attention back to the present when he suddenly loomed over him and leaned down to whisper in a conspiratorial tone, "Alambiel knows more about the Cair than you realize, boy. If she is your friend, then you know everything there is to know about her past, hmm?"
Peter managed to glare at the sorcerer, "Katerina has trusted me and others with the details of her past. What concern of it is yours about her life in another world?"
Peter felt a chill sweep through him when Jambres started laughing so hard that he was using his staff for support. He had a bad feeling about the source of the sorcerer's mirth and he glanced at Katerina out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at him with an almost apologetic look, he wondered if she felt it was somehow her fault that they were in this situation. Jambres was still laughing when Katerina rolled over slightly and the back of her tunic lifted just enough that Peter could see the handles of her twin knives peeking out from where they were safely nestled in their harness. She had a plan of some sort, he hoped, and now he just needed to keep Jambres' attention long enough for her to pull it off...he really hoped it was at least as good as the plan she had used for Jannes.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! Hmm, a little action, a little info, and a little something extra. ;) Several important things happen in the next chapter, including Oreius' fight with the Muhuru, Katerina's plan, and Jambres spills some very important information...not mention something else that could possibly blow your minds. Review if you want this chapter of revelations to get posted early tomorrow instead of Wednesday! Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.