Nehushtan
Hebrew: A rod with a serpent coiled upon it, a symbol of medicine and healing.
'…And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.'~ Numbers 21:8-9
~o*o~
The war council had been assembled. It had been a week since Shard and Darcy returned.
"Sire," Martin stood before Peter, "the first reports from Narnia have been received. Sallowpad has faithfully carried them here."
Martin held up a thin roll of paper, "Flavis, will you read?"
Flavis took it, drew a deep breath and held up the scroll.
"To his majesty, King Peter…" Peter choked; Flavis continued reading, "from his loyal servant, Brant, chief smith of the Great River smithy, greetings:
"Sire, your orders are being faithfully carried out. No smithies in Narnia have been quiet, night or day, and great hope has been inspired in the hearts of all Narnians. The spy, Loki, has made his report and it is enclosed."
Flavis dropped that page on the table and took up another one.
"Greetings from Loki. Your honorable cousin (in his rare moments of lucidity) sends his greetings too.
"Since you cousin (in his rare moments of lucidity) has enlightened me on the fact that he is able to see and hear during the night and speak for five minutes at night (his rare moment of lucidity), he will be of great service, since he is kneeling before her (you know who I mean) throne.
"Now for news. There is an ambassador from Calormen at the present time. Eustace has told me (in his rare moments of lucidity), that, though invading Archenland is never mentioned, it seems to be the general understanding. Eustace finds the negotiations most educational. My feeling is that the ambassador will not remain long, as he finds the werewolves most bothersome."
It may have been extremely serious, but no one, but Martin, could refrain from laughing after Flavis had finished.
"The Calormens are negotiating with the Witch?" Peter said. "That means something's going to happen soon."
"They have been trying to take over Archenland for years, sire." Flavis said. "They've been wanting Narnia too."
"I thought humans weren't allowed in Narnia," Lucy said.
"If she wants them there, then they are," Flavis said. "If Aslan wants then there, then they are."
"I think we should send a spy to Calormen and see what their intentions are," Edmund said. "Have you any suggestions on who it would be?"
"Sire," Sallowpad croaked, "Send me, no one notices a raven."
Edmund looked at Peter and Peter nodded.
"Very well," Edmund said. "We'll send you."
"Your majesties," Flavis said, "We have scheduled your trip to Cair Dirque for tomorrow morning. I hope that's not too short a notice."
They all looked at Susan and she closed her eyes and thought for a little while.
"It should be all right." She said. "Tomorrow night is Twelfth Night, but we should be back by then."
~o*o~
Poor Eustace, Peter thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Edmund asked as he polished his dagger.
"Eustace," Peter said.
They were both silent.
"I wonder if we'll ever get him back again," Edmund said at last. "I always wonder whether he might have gone differently if I hadn't had that fight with him."
"I doubt it," Peter said. "It's more likely he might have gone differently if his parents had raised him differently."
"We weren't exactly nice to him ourselves," Edmund said.
"No, we weren't," Peter said. "I would do it differently if I could somehow go back in time. I think maybe Susan was the only one of us who was really nice to him."
There was a tap on the door and they both looked up.
"Come in," Peter said.
Lucy slipped through and closed the door after her.
"We're going to see the army tomorrow," she said, dropping cross legged between them on the floor. "I think it's going to be extremely exciting."
"Yep," Peter nodded.
Lucy looked up at him, "What are you thinking about?"
"Eustace."
"Isn't it awful?" Lucy asked, "I lay awake at night thinking how terrible it must be. I wish I could see him again and say how sorry I am it happened. Do you think we will see him again?"
"Honesty," Peter paused, "I don't."
There was silence.
"This is a magical land…" Edmund said, "I wish we could all go back in time, just for a bit."
~o*o~
They went to see the army the next day. The entire war council accompanied them, as well as Shard, Treve, Mr. Beaver and Lord Peridan; Chibb came along for good measure.
The ride across the countryside was not long, but it was exhilarating. They swept over the snowy roads and thundered past everything like a swooping bird, the wind tearing through their hair and the horses' manes. Martin set the pace and by the time they arrived at Cair Dirque they were galloping. General Gallagher and Lord Farsight wheeled and circled overhead and Chibb just looked like a ball of fluff.
Cair Dirque was small and little more than a keep. The army was spread out around it like the spokes of a wheel to the hub.
"There are so many of them!" Susan exclaimed as they pulled their horses up.
"And they would all fight to the death," Martin said proudly.
"I fear, even if they do, there will not be enough of them," Mr. Beaver said.
"I must agree with you, friend," Shard said. "The witch has a vast, well organized and well trained army."
"And so will ours be," Martin exclaimed, stamping his hoof. "We have recruits pouring in."
"All of this arguing is pointless," Equus said calmly, "if we have a small army, so be it, all that matters is that Aslan is on our side. If he is with us, who can be against us?"
They rode down among the tents, feeling all eyes upon them. There were Centaurs, fauns, small giants, dwarfs, squirrels, foxes, humans, unicorns, great dogs, noble cats, bighorn rams, mice, chipmunks, phoenixes, bears, wolverines, stags, shaggy haired wisents, skunks, griffins…everything you could think of. They were all there, waiting for the day that they would take Narnia for their own.
They passed the smiths, blackened from the smoke, as they pounded burning metal over their anvils. They passed the leather workers as they sewed leather in vices, two needles in opposite directions.
The next tent was white and rather small and was one of several other tents, in front of it a lady leaned over the fire and stirred a bubbling cauldron of soup.
"The doctors you asked for are there, my lady," Martin said, to Susan.
"Are they?" Susan said, "I would like to stop there, then."
Outside the tent they dismounted, Martin held the flap of the tent open while Susan stepped inside, the others followed.
It was dim in there, and there was a wooden bed with a patient on it. The doctor turned to stare at them as they entered.
"What are you doing?" Susan asked.
"Your majesty," He said, "This man's arm was broken during training, I must amputate."
Susan looked down at it, at the blood and the shiny end of the bone.
"Don't amputate it!" She exclaimed. "Put a plaster on it, I'm sure it would heel."
"Plaster?" the doctor said. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Is there any plaster in this camp?" Susan asked.
"What kind?" the doctor asked.
"Susan," Edmund said, "I don't think plaster casts have been invented yet."
"Well its time they were," Susan said. "Have you any plaster?"
"It's made of ground gypsum," Edmund said. "Artists use it to cast sculptures."
"If I may make so bold," Lord Peridan said, "the insides of Cair Dirque are being replastered; perhaps some may be brought for your conveniences."
"Yes!" Susan said, then brushed the doctor out of the way and inspected the wound. It wasn't a bad break, the bone was only broken in one place and the end of it had punctured the skin.
"Why were you going to amputate it?" Susan asked.
"I was afraid of infection," the doctor said. "The last patient I had with a similar break became infected and died."
"Oh," Susan said. "Well then, we clean the wound. Have you any clean clothes?"
The doctor handed her a roll of bandages.
"I suppose they're not sterile?" Susan said, looking at them. The doctor looked puzzled. "Never mind."
It was then that a servant appeared, lugging a bucket of plaster. Susan peered into the bucket, then looked up.
"I'll need some course cloth, like gunny sack." She said. "Let's have some water…and soap."
Susan took the bucket of water offered her outside and went to the woman stirring the soup.
"Can you take the soup off the fire?" Susan asked, "I'd like to boil this water."
Wordlessly the woman passed a wooden spoon through the handle and lifted the soup off the hook that supported it. She watched in amazement as Susan put the bucket of water in its place, then dropped the roll of bandages in.
The servant reappeared with a gunnysack and Susan looked at it thoughtfully, then turned back to the bucket. It was a rolling boil before Susan saw fit to remove the bandages and hang them on a string she had Peter and Edmund rig up, which she previously had dropped in the boiling water.
"Now," Susan said, taking the bandages inside. "We clean the wound."
The doctor watched, marking her every movement. "May I ask," he said at last, "why you do all this? Boiling bandages?"
"To kill any bacteria on it." Susan said calmly.
"Bacteria?" the doctor asked.
"Tiny animals."
The doctor looked even more confused.
"Kindly set the break, doctor," Susan said.
"Of course," the doctor looked around and caught sight of Martin, who seemed to him to be the strongest. "General, sir, will you hold this man's shoulder?"
Martin obligingly took hold of the shoulder with such a grip it made the duped patient wince. The doctor pulled on the lower arm until the end of the bone disappeared and they heard it grate back into place. The patient thankfully slipped into unconsciousness before they were done.
The doctor watched enthralled as Susan cut the gunnysack carefully so it was one long strip, then dropped in it the bucket of plaster. She took the rest of the bandages down from the string and brought them into the tent, where she carefully wrapped the patient's arm. The doctor stared over her shoulder as she reached into the bucket of plaster, found the end and pulled out the strip of cloth. She wrapped the arm with the plaster soaked cloth and found that it stuck to itself, then she sat back and waited.
It was two minutes later that she tapped the cast and smiled.
"It's hard," She said, then stood up, "Take it off in six weeks with a saw."
"You're an angel," The patient opened his eyes and looked up at her, "It doesn't even hurt anymore."
"Thanks," Susan said, remembering that she was shy, then she turned back to the doctor.
"Can you come to the castle, Cair Anvard, you and all the other doctors? I'll talk to you about bacteria and how to avoid infections." She looked at Flavis, who was half in the tent. "It can be arranged?"
"Of course," Flavis said. "I will see to it as soon as we go back."
"What's your name anyway?" Susan asked, looking back at the doctor.
"Duval." The doctor said, then bowed. "We will be honored to have so wise a queen."
Susan went quite pink.
~o*o~
"We are here to take Narnia," Peter said. He had said those words so many times it felt like second nature. Next to him were Edmund, Lucy and Susan on their horses and before him was the army, assembled in full military formations. It had been an hour since Susan had set the soldier's arm. Already the camp was buzzing about it and 'bacteria' was a new war cry.
"You must strive to do your best in training, obey your commanders and work together as one body. Sleep with your weapons near you and be ready at any time to rise and march. We do not know when Aslan will come, but he will come and we must be ready. Surprise is our best ally."
Everyone cheered, whinnied, roared, squeaked, hooted, chirped and otherwise agreed in his best manner, then the musicians played the Narnia anthem and everyone cheered again.
~o*o~
It was around three o'clock that they came back towards Cair Anvard and it was in sight when Lucy turned Rhoslyn off the road and slid off her back.
They all stared at her curiously as she dropped to her knees and buried her hands in the snow. They were curious no longer when Flavis was hit in the face by an enormous snowball.
Flavis fell over magnificently and played dead.
"We're under attack!" Peter yelled, jumped free of Ambyr and starting to form a snowball. Edmund rolled off Umbra and started to build a snow fort with Susan's help.
After that, it was all out, war.
Peridan joined Lucy's side and both sides built a snow fort and were firing snowballs wildly. Shard caught a lot of them and Treve followed his example until both Shard and Treve were rolling in the snow. Mr. Beaver was burrowing under the snow and cutting large blocks of ice with his hatchet for the walls of Lucy's snow fort.
General Winston was galloping back and forth yelling, "Charge! We will fight them in their forts; we will fight them in their moats!"
The rest of the Narnian war council looked on solemnly. Lord Paladin was grinning and every time Lord Peridan was hit he yelled, "Here, here! Bravo."
Martin looked like a thundercloud and as the battle progressed, looked even more like a thundercloud. Lucy left her snow fort, stood before him; her hands clasped behind her back and looked up at him sweetly with her big irresistible blue eyes.
Martin looked down at her uneasily, stamped his hoof, looked away, then looked back. Finally he groaned, leaned over, took a handful of snow, closed his eyes and threw it cautiously. It hit Peter in the face.
"I say, jolly well shot, sir." General Winston stopped in mid gallop, "Couldn't have done better myself, eh woof?"
Lucy giggled and charged back to her snow fort, where Lord Peridan and Mr. Beaver had been defending valiantly. She got there just in time because the enemy, Peter, Susan and Edmund charged, shouting war cries.
"Bacteria, bacteria!" Edmund hollered.
Flavis thought this most unfair, came back from the dead and dumped a pile of snow on Peter's head. Susan collapsed laughing before she even reached the walls of the enemy fort and Edmund, turning traitor, sat on her and started rubbing snow into her face. Lucy fired a snowball at Edmund and it hit him in the face.
Peter erupted from the pile of snow, grabbed Lucy and she fell over laughing as he started to tickle her. Edmund tackled Peridan and started rubbing snow in his face too.
"Ough," Susan said, wiping snow from her face, "We really ought to get back."
Still laughing they clambered back on the horses, who, had been standing quietly during the uproar and stopping a few stray snowballs.
~o*o~
Eustace knelt on the floor. His hands shook.
Bits of ice were before him, some shaped like triangles, some squares, some rectangles. His fingers stuck to them as he dragged them around. His blood smeared across them.
"Spell 'Eternity'" she whispered, "Spell 'Eternity' and you shall go free."
Desperately, he tried, he must use all the pieces, none must overlap. He must spell 'eternity'. He would go free. His eyes smarted, his eyeballs felt frozen.
His fingers were beyond feeling and the tips were turning white. The pieces hung from them, then dropped. They were forming a shape, not a word. He leaned closer as the last piece fell into place.
It was a lion.
He saw the four legs, the tail, the mane. He wept, but his tears were frozen. With one numbed hand, he shattered the picture. He could not spell 'eternity'.