Cold air swept past her ears as she fell, her stomach rolling. She did not scream or close her eyes; she could only stare at the ground below. She heard Viria's fading voice scream "find her, find the girl!"
Lily's body felt lighter than a feather as she fell through the air. She looked down, the snowdrift against the tower getting closer with each second. The towers above her were casting a dark shadow over her and the cold air cut against her skin.
She closed her eyes and curled her legs under her.
Her body hit the drift and fell deep under the snow. She gasped for air, realizing that she had been holding her breath. She pushed the snow away, trying to dig herself out of the drift as she realized that Leland had just saved her. She did not have time to think about what to do, she could only think of escaping; she couldn't let her brother's efforts go to waste.
She pushed against the snow, trying to pull herself out. Her bag had her trapped and she struggled to free her arms from the straps. She knew the guards would be after her soon.
She left her bag behind and slid down the embankment, her feet searching for the solid ground. As soon as she felt the frozen earth beneath her boots, she ran.
She felt very small on the great plain and she did not know if she stood a chance against the horses of the guards but she had to try. Her feet slammed against the hard ground that stretched for what seemed to be miles ahead of her. She saw the distant forest and knew that she'd be safe within the trees.
She remembered now what her brother must have been thinking when he saw the forest through the window. The forest was cursed, or so the Telmarine stories said. The creatures of the old Narnia hid within the trees and waited there to kill whoever wandered in. No one came out alive. But Lily did not have time to let fairytales frighten her.
The snow gleamed in the moonlight and Lily saw her shadow next to her, running hard as if to keep up with her. She saw that she was an easy target in the moonlight; there was nowhere to hide. She pushed harder, her feet throbbing in her boots.
Her sword hit her leg with every lunge and her long hair and cape whipped in the air behind her. She did not pay any notice to the icy air but only pushed herself harder. Her heart jumped anxiously when she heard the cry of a horse.
She dared a glance behind her and the castle was finally behind her, its dark towers menacing against the clear night sky, and the city cascaded behind it against the low rocky terrain. But all Lily saw were the six soldiers on horses that were racing towards her.
She gasped for air as she faced towards her destination and she pushed her feet to go faster. They barely touched the ground.
Suddenly, she felt a great surge of strength and air filled her lungs, courage coursing through her. She felt as if someone was running with her as she neared the forest, beckoning her to enter. She could see the tree line…
At last, she reached the forest and she did not slow as she charged through the trees. Branches were fallen everywhere and she leapt over rocks and ditches, trying to get far enough in to hide.
She heard the horses hesitate just outside of the wall of trees. She dove behind a great fur and put her back against its trunk. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.
"Are we going in there?" one of the men asked.
The horses grunted restlessly and Lily thought her heart was going to break through her chest. She listened carefully.
"We'll tell Viria she fell," said another. Lily recognized the voice of Marsonia and Genia's oldest brother, Antony. "She died in the forest; that's believable."
"She probably will die in there anyway," one of them said. "No one has ever come out alive."
One of the men shouted and Lily heard the thudding of hooves. She peeked around the tree trunk and saw the horses turning away from the trees.
She stepped out from behind the tree and watched the group of men riding back towards the castle.
She heaved a sigh and leaned over, her eyes closed as she breathed heavily, her heart still pounding. She waited for a long moment before turning back to the dense forest; the trees towered above her and she could see the sky through the webbed branches. The forest floor was uneven and there were fallen trees and rocks everywhere. She couldn't hear anything except her shaky breath, clouding the cold air in front of her face.
As she stared into the darkness, she remembered what her brother had said before she fell.
Find Caspian.
Lily's eyes searched the trees, expecting the handsome prince to step out from behind one of them. She understood now: Leland knew something she had not. He knew where Caspian was. But why did he keep it a secret from her?
She didn't know where to go, she didn't know how long she would last alone in the forest, and she did not know if she would ever find Caspian. But if he was somewhere in the forest waiting, then she would search for him.
She was hesitant but as she thought of his smiling face, she walked forward and went deeper into the trees.
The air was colder beneath the trees and there was no sound of the wind or of birds in the trees, only a hollow silence that filled Lily's ears. She wrapped her cloak tightly around her and she was careful not to fall over the fallen branches or to slip on the snow. She could not see anything beyond the trees, only a labyrinth of trunks. The moonlight streaming through the branches lit her path, making the snow sparkle, and she passed a great mound of stone that looked like a small mountain hiding among the trees. Perhaps the forest had not always been there.
Lily did not stop to rest but with every step she grew more aware of her loneliness. She forgot that her brother would not come up behind her, laughing and encouraging her to keep walking. She was alone in an unknown forest, the first forest she had ever seen. She had not been outside the city.
She ignored her aching toes and fingers; she knew she could not focus on the cold air that was pinching her skin and the icy snow that was crunching beneath her boots. She could not slow down; she could not disappoint Leland or the others. She realized that she was their only hope of escaping. She had to find help somehow.
As the land began to slope upward, Lily dug her boots deeper into the snow, planting her steps firmly so she would not fall. Soon she had to use the trees for climbing up the hill. Her hands were scratched and scuffed against the rough bark and they became number. She thought of Leland, no doubt sleeping in the dungeons. She cursed herself for leaving her pack; at least Leland and her friends had food.
She reached the top of the hill and saw that she was much higher than she expected. When she reached the top, she saw a breathtaking sight.
She had climbed up to a cliff and she was able to see everything. Below were bright plains of snow and rivers snaking through the land, their waters sparkling, and beyond the forests were great mountains, pointing up to the starry night sky. This is the true Narnia, Lily thought.
She knew the mountains were to the west and unthinkingly she looked to the east, wondering if she could travel to the sea. More than anything, she wanted to feel the sun on her face and the sand, to see waves…
After gazing at the marvelous view, she turned back to her snowy path and continued. The land was more treacherous now: there were rocks hidden under the snow as she climbed down the other side of the hill and when she reached the bottom there were ice patches.
As she stepped carefully over a grouping of small boulders, her foot slipped and she fell between the rocks, her foot breaking through a patch of ice. Her face winced in pain as she felt the coldness through her boot but she caught her breath and listened: rushing water, just outside the trees.
She pulled her foot free of the ice and rocks and threw herself toward the sound, hurrying to reach the water. The roaring sound grew closer and she hoped the river would be helpful in her quest. She stopped just behind the tree line, resting her face on the cold bark of a fur. Her icy blue eyes were intent on the scene before her.
Clear water was rushing over rocks near the shore and became darker as it stretched across to the other side. The dark forest on the other side seemed even more dangerous than the one behind her; she could see that the snow covered land was steep and was covered with more boulders and broken trees. The moonlight played on the water's surface but did not light the other side.
Lily looked down the river on either side; the river was coming from the outlying mountains and down into the forest. She could see where the water had washed away the snow and the shore was made of small pebbles. She looked back to the water and saw that it was deep and unmistakably cold. She looked down at her green cape and wondered if there was any other option besides swimming across.
But she knew there wasn't, the river was too wide for there to be a bridge farther down. She stepped out from the trees and into the moonlight. Her boots crunched on the pebbles and she did not stop walking as she tucked her cape into her armored vest. If she was quick, maybe there was a chance of the cape staying dry.
The only experience Lily had of swimming was in the castle fountains. But she knew this would be quite different.
She waded into the shallow and the cold shocked her skin. Without pausing to think about it, she dove into the water.
Earlier she could not see them but she felt them as she fought her way across: the currents were strong and began pulling her downstream. Her arms throbbed in the cold as she pulled her body through the water and her boots left the rocky bottom. For a small moment, she thought she was going to drown. The cold water made it difficult to breathe and her chest felt tight. She could feel her body slipping…
Then she felt a surge of strength, like she had when she was running across the plains. Her fingers felt warm and she pushed through the water, coming closer to the other side. Then she laughed with relief as her feet brushed the rocky shore.
She crawled out of the water and fell onto the pebbles, drinking in the air as she rested. Her long hair was plastered to her face and her shirt and pants clung to her body, enveloping her in an icy grasp. Even through her cold drenched clothes, she could feel that the temperature had dropped.
She removed her long cape from her vest and was surprised to see that some portions were dry. She checked her sword and knives, worried that they would stick to their sheaths when they dried. She wanted to rest until dawn but she had a strange feeling that she should keep moving.
Her eyes appraised the new dark wood before her and with a deep breath she plunged once again into the trees.
The snow was deeper on this side of the river and the land was not a smooth as she climbed upward. The climb was not easy and she slipped on the snow a couple of times and after looking back down the hill, she knew a fall would most likely keep her from continuing.
But she kept climbing, thinking of her brother and friends though she still did not know what to do to help them.
Find Caspian.
The thought of her dear friend seemed to give her strength as she climbed. She thought of his face and shinning black eyes, the friendliest she had ever seen. She missed the sound of his laugh, she had almost forgotten it. She could not remember the last time she had seen him but she remembered every time before it.
Her happiest memories were with Caspian. Star gazing at night, playing games in the castle, horse races through the city. He was there for her when Alvarez was at his worst and he always made her laugh. She could see his face clear as day as she walked through the deep snowdrift but remembering his disappearance almost made him seem impossible.
She remembered the last months of their relationship the best, when they were older. Before their separation they had been the closest, closer than Lily had been to anyone other than her brother. Caspian had been so gentle and kind…
As she fought her way up the hill, memories that she had fought to suppress flooded her thoughts. They were bittersweet and made her heart ache, knowing how close she had been to him; how close they might have been.
She reached the top of the hill at last. It was still dark as pitch and she could not see what lay down the hill or beyond it. She slowly stepped down to make her way down the hill, placing her foot on a boulder. But the rock was slick; her foot slipped off the rock and she lost her footing.
She closed her eyes as her body fell limply down the steep hill, snow flying all around her. She tried to reach for a tree but her arm was snapped back sharply as it hit a rock. She cried out in pain and tried to hold it to her chest as she continued to fall.
Her body at last came to a rest at the bottom of the hill in a small clearing. She lifted her head stiffly and tried to see through the snow that was covering her hair and lashes but she could see nothing. Her body was completely numb, her legs aching, and her arm throbbing. She felt the leather gauntlet around her wrist and was thankful that Leland had given her the proper armor. But she couldn't move it.
She lay there in the snow, the exhaustion catching up to her, and she did not try to get up. The snow beneath her cheek felt strangely warm and she wanted nothing more than to fall sleep. Her body was so cold.
"I'm sorry Leland," she whispered weakly, her conscientiousness clouding. Her eyes barely open, she saw a bright white light and heard a strange sound…the hollow sound of waves crashing on the shore. She felt warm, like her body was covered in sunlight.
The sky was bright blue, clear and bright, and Lily could smell the salt in the wind. She saw something walking towards her…a great animal with a golden mane…
Lily, feeling safe and warm, closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.