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: 21 Yule 1006 will see the first lunar eclipse to occur on the Winter Solstice in four hundred years. Enemies of Narnia rejoice! For the time of the Golden Age will come to an end with the spilling of royal blood and Jadis will be revived!

A/N: If you have not read the first three stories in the A Light in the Darkness main story arc (Awakening, Shadowed, and Revealed), I highly recommend you do so. However, if you want to give this one a whirl on its own, you can.

Chapter Sixteen: A Glimpse of...

19 Yule 1006

Peridan pulled his cloak tighter against the bite of the wind, all the while watching warily for signs of any potential attack. His horse shook his head, flinging the light dusting of snow from his mane. A soft hiss of frustration from his right pulled his attention to the two bent forms next to the tall outline of General Oreius. High King Peter quietly hissed, "Can we not pick up our pace, Oreius? We've found no tracks by either Narnians or the Fell. Susan is running out of time, if there's even time left."

The General seemed unmoved by the High King's plea. "No, Wolfsbane, we must maintain this pace. It is swift enough without being unwise or outpacing our scouts." Peridan silently agreed with General Oreius' tactical advice, but he wished he showed more obvious signs of sympathy toward the High King's plight. The Centaur was still difficult for him to read, "We will have to make camp soon."

Peridan frowned a little at the darkening sky. So close to Solstice, there were not as many hours of sunlight and it hurt their progress. But, he wished for the sake of the Kings, who were each worrying over their sister, that there was a way to freeze the sun in the sky until they found the Gentle Queen. The General seemed confident in Dame Sepphora's ability to track down and find Queen Susan, but Peridan could not help questioning how she had allowed the situation to come to its current state. He was not completely untrusting of her anymore, yet he still wondered if her insistence on unorthodox methods had contributed to the Gentle Queen's vulnerability to capture.

The High King twisted in the saddle to look at the General, "We cannot!"

King Edmund finally entered the conversation, "Peter, you know Oreius is right. We'll kill ourselves if we try to go faster or press past nightfall, especially if this wind brings a storm."

For a moment, Peridan thought the High King would argue further. Then General Oreius placed one hand on his shoulder, regaining the High King's attention. "My King, we must trust Aslan to protect your sister and we must trust that, even though we have not yet found them, Sepphora and the soldiers with her have closed in on and rescued your sister from the Fell. How often must I tell you, Wolfsbane, do not create problems as you prepare for as many possibilities as possible? Stay focused on what you must do otherwise you will miss something critical to the success of your immediate task."

The High King nodded after a long moment, but then the Hawk, Skeat, screeched and all eyes turned to the snowy hill below and ahead of them. They all surged forward to meet the group as Skeat had not sounded an attack warning. As he rode closer, Peridan squinted against the wind and finally discerned identity of the shape, or rather shapes... Narnians with two horses, but only one of them had a rider. The rider was bundled in a cloak and hunched over the horse's neck, so Peridan could not distinguish who it was...

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A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, so real life has been crazy for me, but please enjoy this short interlude. I hope to get back to the long chapters shortly. Any theories as to who is missing from the group? What do you think happened? Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.

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