THE LION, THE CAT AND THE TURTLES

Based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

and

The Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. Lewis.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
As the Hag Turns

As Leonardo was rallying his impromptu Narnian troops for a forest-wide search of the Red Lady, the subject of the search had decided to stop her flight for a short moment, in order to gather her troops - or at least the ones that had survived.

"I see what you mean, Captain," she was forced to admit, looking mournfully at the broken golden chain that her ruby had until recently been securely hanging from. - and allowing herself a moment of sadness over the lost Werewolves and the burned Hag; soldiers and servants she couldn't really afford to lose. "That Green Creature is definitely a dangerous foe."

"Regrettably, M'Lady," said the Captain of the Werewolves, with an angry glare at the other Werewolves, clearly angry that they had succumbed to bloodlust when he had specifically told them not to. "And we did not even get that small piece of him that you wanted."

"Don't remind me," said the Red Lady, disgusted. "Ylgameth, this is all your fault! It was your stupid idea that - Wait, where did Ylgameth go?" she interrupted herself as she suddenly realized the suspicious absence of the eldest Hag.

The Hags and Werewolves all looked around, confused. "She was here a moment ago," said one of the Hags.

"I'm not interested in where she was a moment ago, you idiot, I want to know where she is now!" the Red Lady snapped. "I'm really happy you all escaped unharmed, though," she continued in a much friendlier tone. "Too bad about... the losses..." (she could never keep the Werewolves' names straight) "And, of course, Yareth, but she really only had herself to blame. I've told you all, time and time again that none may touch my ruby - and what does she do, the fool? Tries to grab it as soon as she has the chance, and gets burned to death for all her trouble. Tragic. Well, now you all know why you're not supposed to touch the ruby."

There were a few murmurings of agreement.

"All due respect, M'Lady," said the Captain of the Werewolves, "what do we do now? Ylgameth's plan must be said to be a failure..."

"I know," the Red Lady sighed. "Oh, it was a stupid idea and a waste of time anyway. It looks like we'll just have to improvise. I -" She never got to finish her sentence, for at that very moment She was interrupted by a rustling in the bushes behind her. At once, she twirled around to face whatever was trying to sneak up on her, and was halfway relieved and halfway annoyed when she saw that it was Ylgameth, emerging from the bushes with a frustratingly smug look on her face.

"So there you are!" the Red Lady exclaimed, trying to pretend that she'd known all along that it was Ylgameth. "Where have you been? Didn't I give the order to retreat?"

"You did, M'Lady," said the Hag in her surprisingly smooth voice.

"Well? Are you too good to obey my orders now? What's so funny?" she demanded as Ylgameth broke down in a silent chuckle. "Control yourself!"

"A thousand pardons, M'Lady," said Ylgameth, even if it was clear from her expression that none of the thousand pardons were heartfelt. "But it might interest you to see this." She opened her clutched hand and held it up for the Red Lady to see - and there it was, in her palm, a tiny splinter of some hard, whitish material.

"Are you mocking our Lady, Ylgameth?" said the Captain furiously, but the Hag simply grinned toothily.

And all of a sudden, the Red Lady understood. "This... this is a piece of a tooth?" she said.

Ylgameth nodded. "Indeed it is, M'Lady."

"And you're absolutely sure it's his?"

"I have very sharp eyes, M'Lady. When the Centauress kicked him, one of his teeth was damaged. This splinter fell to the ground, and I took the opportunity to secure it for you." Yulgameth's voice was full of self-satisfaction.

"But that means..." Despite her annoyance with Ylgameth's attitude, the Red Lady felt the smile well up in her as she reached out and grabbed the tiny tooth chip. "The plan might succeed after all!"

"Indeed it might, M'Lady."

"Thank you, Ylgameth," said the Red Lady. "Just for this service I'll completely forget that you ignored my orders. Oh, I'm sorry," she giggled as she saw the Hag's face fall slightly, "were you expecting some great reward? Old Hag, you disobeyed my orders, and now I'm forgiving you for it - that should be more than enough reward for you!"

There was a distinct sound of sniggering from a few of the Werewolves as Ylgameth bowed stiffly and went to stand among the other Hags.

"Now now, children," said the Red Lady with a gentle scold in her voice. "It's not nice to laugh at others' misfortune while they can still hear you. If you must laugh, kindly do it out of Ylgameth's earshot."

She found it horribly difficult not to start laughing herself at the dirty look Ylgameth was sending her, and in order to get a bit more control over herself, she concentrated on the tooth chip in her hand. So small it was... and yet, more than big enough for her purposes.

With a sharp turn, she turned towards her Hags and Werevolves. "I will need a bit of time to perform the ritual," she said. "You and you," (she pointed out two random hags) "stay here and aid me. The rest of you, go out there! No doubt the woodland creatures are looking for us as we speak, so stall them! Don't engage unless you have to, but make sure they don't reach this place!"

"And I shall guard you, M'Lady," said the Captain of the Werewolves, walking up and standing next to her. "Should any of the woodland creatures come near, they shall find my claws and teeth waiting for them."

She shrugged, with a smile. "As you wish. The rest of you, go on! The last one out my sight gets five seconds of intense pain courtesy of my ruby - but Ylgameth, hold on," she added as everybody began running away. "I have a special task for you. Go back to the clearing where we first met the green creature and see if you can do anything about Yareth's body. You there," (she pointed at a random Werewolf who hadn't been as quick as the others) "be a sweetie - go with her and make sure she doesn't get any bright ideas."

"Of course, M'Lady," said the Werewolf, shooting Ylgameth a look that dared her to get any bright ideas, before bowing to the Red Lady and dragging the Hag along with him.

Just before they vanished in between the trees, the Red Lady called out: "By the way, Ylgameth, you were the last one out of my sight!" squeezed her ruby and laughed heartily at the Hag doubling over with the pain.

Ylgameth fumed with anger as the Werewolf dragged her through the forest.

The ruby-induced pains always vanished quickly, but the sheer indignation of it all stayed, the feeling of hatred growing a little bigger, a little more intense for every time. How dare the Red Lady treat her, Ylgameth, with such callous cruelty? She, who was the oldest and wisest of Hags, and who had been a loyal servant of the Narnian Witch Clan ever since the beginning? This kind of nonsense wouldn't have been tolerated for a moment, not for a moment, back in the old days.

What would the great Queen Jadis have said, had she seen the sorry state of the forces of darkness in Narnia nowadays? Scattered to all corners of the world and without a proper strong leader to unite them, they had grown small-minded, unambitious and petty, with little or no interest in recreating the glory of the olden days.

Werewolves lived in shadows, hiding from everyone and everything. Hags masqueraded as humans and kept their heads down, for fear that the King's knights should discover them and put and end to their miserable lives. Giants paid treaty to the humans and tried to pretend they weren't there. Black Dwarfs had apparently changed sides completely and allied themselves with Aslan's crowd these days. And all the rest - Efreets, Orkneys, Cruels and others - had either left the land for good or gone so far underground that it was impossible for anyone to make contact with them.

And the only one who could have changed things, the only true Witch left in Narnia and last of the Witch Clan, was an absolute joke. True, Ylgameth was supposed to be loyal to the Witches, but back in the day when she and the other hags had sworn their loyalty, it had meant something. The White Witch's greatness and glory had truly been a marvel to behold, and she had truly believed in her cause, right to the bitter end. Her soul burned - passionate and beautiful, yet cold and hard, like a frozen flame - and all creatures of darkness, most of all Ylgameth herself, knew the burning and followed it. It was her reign that had been the true Golden Age of Narnia, not the feeble few years when King Peter and his kin were on the throne.

The Red Lady could never hope to match that, no matter what she told herself. But Ylgameth had followed her anyway, in the hope that the young fool might grow into her role and maybe bring Narnia back to at least a pale imitation of its former greatness. However, there were limits to what a Hag should have to go through, even for the memories of Narnia's true Queen.

She had originally planned to bide her time some more, play along as the servant and advisor, but this new development just proved that the Red Lady didn't deserve even the pretense of the Hag's assistance.

No... perhaps it was time to put her own plans into motion.

Narnians are a curious lot. A casual observer might look at them and think they are easy pickings for any conqueror or war lord who might happen upon them - and while it is true that Narnians on the whole are probably better suited for laughter and merrymaking than for battle and hardships, this does not (as many an enemy of the kingdom has discovered) mean that they should be underestimated as a fighting force. Because the Narnians are Aslan's people, and in the heart of almost every one of them burns the spirit and courage of the Lion, giving them a strength that is almost impossible to quench, along with a love of adventure, heroics and fighting for what's right. In times of need, even the most peaceful and amiable true-blooded Narnian will be quick to fight against the enemy and slow to surrender. Even conquered and suppressed, even spoiled and lazy from long days of peace, the roaring spirit of Narnia needs only the merest hint of kindle in order to burn as brightly as ever.

And so, the army of woodland creatures that set out to hunt for the Red Lady might have surprised our casual observer with its speed and intensity, but Leonardo was getting used to the country and the people, and found that, on the whole, it would have been more surprising if they had been less organized and effective.

Squirrels and Apes swung from tree to tree as they scouted ahead, quickly followed by the swifter runners such as Centaurs, Cheetahs and Stags. The smaller and slower creatures were riding the bigger and faster ones so as to not slow them down, and and high above flew the Griffin, sharp eyes constantly scanning the forest below for any sign of unusual movements.

And what was more, it seemed like the forest itself was on their side now. Several times, trees parted and stepped aside to allow the army passage, and every so often, slender, feminine figures would show themselves and motion with their arms where to go, speaking excitedly in curious voices that reminded Leonardo of the rustling of leaves.

These, Leonardo realized, had to be the Dryads he's heard about, the tree-spirits that Portly had mentioned as always watching and listening.

"This way!" the Dryads whispered. "You can catch them if you hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"For Narnia and the King!" Moorwin roared, a roar that was echoed by all the other Narnians as they ran, the trees parting in their wake.

All of a sudden, the Griffin swooped down low, joining them on the ground. "Hag and Werewolf coming straight at you," he said. "The Apes and Squirrels are attacking them. Ready your weapons."

And before anyone could react, the bushes rustled, and tumbling out came a Werewolf, in wolf form, with three Apes and ten Squirrels all attacking it at once. The Werewolf snarled and flailed around, trying to bite its assailants, but at that moment the Bear stepped out of the crowd, and with a mighty swipe of his paw knocked the Wolf to its side, causing Apes and Squirrels to scatter. Then, before the Wolf had any time to recover, the Bear had turned his back and promptly sat down on it.

"Stopped it," he said with a slow smile.

"Uh... yeah. Thanks," said Leo, noting that the Werewolf had stopped struggling. "What about the Hag, though? The Griffin said there was a-"

"She's right here!" chattered one Squirrel, emerging from the bushes with second figure in tow: an old, wrinkled woman with sharp eyes. Leo recognized her immediately as one of the Hags that had been with the Red Lady.

"Yes," said the Hag, "and I surrender." She held her hands up. "Look, I carry no weapon. Hear me out!"

"Stay on your guard!" Moorwin hissed to Leonardo. "Hags are dangerous! They have powerful magic and can enchant you using their voice alone!"

"If she so much as tries," growled one of the Dwarfs, placing an arrow on his bow and aiming it at the Hag "she'll have my arrow through her heart long before she can get the words out."

"That would be foolish, Dwarf," said the Hag, "for I have information that you need! And you need it quickly, for the Red Lady is even now preparing the ritual!"

The Narnians tensed. Leo stepped forward and held his sword to the Hag's throat - surprisingly enough, she didn't flinch or try to move away, but just stared at him with cold, hateful eyes. He held her gaze for a few seconds before lowering the sword. "What ritual?" he said. "Speak, and I promise we won't kill you."

"That's not enough," she answered. "I want your word that as soon as I have told you what you need to know, you will let me go on my way."

"And run back to the Red Lady and tell her that we fell for your trap?" said Leonardo. "I don't think so."

"You have no choice!" the Hag snapped, causing several of the Narnians to stare at her. "Because if you don't agree to this bargain, the Red Lady will have taken over the entire kingdom of Narnia by this time tomorrow, and you shall all be her slaves! Even you, Green Creature! You have seen how she can enchant people into doing her bidding - well, you will be the next! This entire meeting with you was just so she could get her chance to put you under her spell, can't you see that?"

Leonardo looked at her suspiciously. "And why didn't she?" he said. "Why enchant Moorwin if it was me she was after?"

The hag took a deep breath. "You are like King Rilian, that's why," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know why he's called 'Rilian the Disenchanted'? He was released from a powerful enchantment years ago, and since then, it's been impossible to get to him with casual enchantments like that. They don't seem to have any effect on him any longer. And you, who can see through the Lady's invisibility spells so easily..." Ylgameth narrowed her eyes. "There's a strong will in both of you, too strong for normal magic. But even you... even the king... couldn't fight against the oldest magic... not without my help."

"And you're willing to help us?" Leo narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

The Hag straightened slightly, and there was a steely resolve in her eyes. "I am Ylgameth," she said. "Oldest and wisest of Hags, faithful servant to the White Witch, and to the Lady in Green after her. And I will not let their memories be sullened any more by the Red Lady! The sky is high and the sea is deep, but deeper than the blackest ocean is my hatred for that woman who calls herself a Witch! Look at me, Green Creature, and see the all-encompassing hate burn in my eyes!"

"Most impressive speech," said Leo dryly, "but not very convincing. If I understand this right, you're saying you've been serving witches for hundreds of years. And now you're trying to convince us that you suddenly want to change sides?"

"Change sides? I make no such pretense," said Ylgameth. "Your side can never be mine, Green Creature - but for the moment, we have a common goal. It's not in my interest, nor in yours, that the Red Lady should succeed in her plans! She wants to be Queen of Narnia, as the White Witch once was, and she's gaining the means even as we speak!"

"Don't trust her," said the Dwarf who was still aiming his bow at her. "Even without the enchantment, a Hag will say anything to get what she wants! Given half a chance, she'll betray us all to the Red Lady!"

"Actually, I don't think so," said Portly, peering nearsightedly at Ylgameth. "I think she meant all that she said. Wouldn't trust her not to stab me in the back afterwards, of course, but it seems to me like she's honest about wanting to bargain. After all, I am -"

"Portly," the Dwarf interrupted, "please tell me that this is not going to be another of your speeches on what great judges of character you badgers are."

"Of course not," said the Badger, a little too hurriedly. "I'm just saying, I don't think she's with the Red Lady."

"The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend," said the Dwarf. "Only a fool starts trusting a snake simply because he sees it biting a dragon."

"Then again," said one of the Fauns thoughtfully, "don't the stories say that when Queen Lucy the Valiant first entered Narnia, she was saved from imprisonment or worse by one of the servants of the White Witch, who risked his own life to save the young Queen from the Witch? Who's to say we're not looking at a similar situation right now?"

This comment caused most of the Narnians to stop and think, but the Dwarf wasn't having any of it: "If you're referring to Master Tumnus the Faun, he was different. For one thing, he was not a Hag. For another, all the stories agree that he did genuinely change sides, out of pity for the Queen. This Hag is simply looking for a bargain, out of pure self-interest. Even you should understand the difference here!"

"All right," said Leo loudly, sensing that an argument was going to start unless he cut in. "Both sides have a point. Ylgameth, did you say your name was? Why should we trust you?"

"Because only I know the secret of the old magic," she answered. "Only I can tell you how to escape the Red Lady's control, and how to save your precious king Rilian from her! She intends to get a small piece of him - a few strands of hair, a fingernail, anything - anyone who has a small piece of you and knows the old magic will have you completely in their power!"

Leo felt as if an ice-cold hand had gripped his heart. He ran his tongue over his chipped tooth - there was definitely a piece of it missing.

It seemed like Ylgameth guessed what he was thinking, because she looked up at him and said, extremely cocky for someone who has two swords almost pressed against her throat: "That's right, Green Creature. She has a fragment of your tooth. Didn't think that anyone noticed one of your teeth breaking when the Centauress kicked you, did you?"

Leo forced the feeling of dread away, and tried to pretend he didn't notice Moorwin's shocked expression - he hadn't thought anyone noticed, and he hadn't told anyone, so for the Hag to even know about it did at least suggest that she was telling the truth on some level. But he couldn't let fear dictate his actions. "Supposing we did agree to your bargain," he said as calmly as he could, "what exactly is it you propose?"

"Simple. The Red Lady is preparing the ritual to get the old magic to work. I can tell you where she is, and if you hurry, you can stop her before she can finish it. In return, you will let me leave the land of Narnia. I'll get a ship and sail to the East, and you will never have to worry about me again."

"Sail to the East?" said Moorwin with a frown. "Everyone knows that's the direction of Aslan's country! What makes you think one such as you would be welcome there?"

"I'll take my chances," said Ylgameth. "Do we or do we not have a bargain? You do not have much time to decide!"

Leonardo's hand clenched around his sword a little tighter. "How do we know it's not a trap?"

"You do not. You either trust me, or waste your chances. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Leo glanced at the Narnians, most of whom were looking conflicted about the entire thing. The Dwarf with the bow was clearly itching to put an arrow in the Hag, but several of the Centaurs and Fauns looked thoughtful. Portly simply nodded at Leo, and after a while Moorwin, who looked grim, nodded her head as well.

"Seems like the majority wants to trust you," said Leo, turning back to Ylgameth. "All right. But you will take us back to the Red Lady, and you will go first, to prove that we're not entering a trap. When we've dealt with the Red Lady, you may go where you want - but if you even look like you're thinking of tricking us..." he motioned for the bow-happy Dwarf to step forward.

"Then you will not live to regret it," the Dwarf finished with a nasty smile.

Ylgameth ground her teeth, but nodded in agreement. "Very well. Follow me."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's notes: Yes, yes, I know, it's been ages, and to my regular readers (one... two... three... yep, looks like you're all here!), I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I have two excuses for it - well, three, if you count a lot of real-life stuff.

One, this chapter was difficult to write, even if it's a revision of the first draft. I just couldn't get it to feel "right," and it took five or six revisions before I finally went back to the original draft and do a seventh revision that I could kindasortamaybe accept. This is not, and will never be, my favorite chapter of the story - it's the only chapter in fact, that doesn't contain a single one of the scenes I originally wanted to write when I started this fanfic - but it had to happen, because it sets up some very important plot threads.

Two, I just I haven't focused as much on fanfiction lately because I've been working on my artwork and my original concepts (most notably the webcomic Vanadys: Tales of a Fallen Goddess). I like fanfiction, but there is much to be said for doing your own thing as well, and if it's between fanfic and Vanadys... sorry, but fanfic loses.

And three... yeah, real-life stuff. No point in going into details.

That said, I'm not giving up on this story, and even if it might take some time yet, I will see the entire thing finished and posted. Thank you for your patience.