p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Maddie reacted quickly. She freed herself from Edmund's grasp and ran down the stairs to the tower, so she was at the next level. A guard had already picked up the flashlight and was closely examining it. He flicked it on, and the light shone in his eyes. He moved it about wildly, so it was away from his eyes, blinking furiously./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Panicking that the soldiers would think it was a sign, Maddie pulled out a dagger and flung it. It went through the man's arm, and he fell down, bleeding and unconscious. Edmund, who had just arrived, was smiling at Maddie./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Impressive."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I try."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As quickly as it appeared on his face, Edmund's smile disappeared. "What should we do?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Well, do you think the plan is still going on?" asked Maddie./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"There was an uneasy pause. There was just no way of knowing for sure. Finally, Edmund picked up the torch and began flashing its light. "We can at least let them get ready for the attack. If we end up retreating, no harm done."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Meanwhile, Peter and Darby led the way with Alyssa and Caspian in the rear. All of them had their swords drawn as they ran to the courtyard. Alyssa and Darby could see the silhouette of the army crossing the bridge. "They let the bridge down?" asked Alyssa hysterically. "What the hell did Susan tell them?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Peter ran over and began to spin the wheel that wound open the gate. "Peter, there's no time!" said Caspian./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""He's right, we need to call it off!" said Alyssa./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Darby winced, not sure what side to take./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""No, I can still do this!" said Peter, still turning the wheel. "Now help me!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Darby rushed over. Reluctantly, Alyssa and Caspian did too./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"With the D.L.F. and Logan, Mallory held her bow at the ready as somebody pounded on the door. "Who's there?" she called. "I'm warning you, I'm armed!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""It's Susan!" shouted a muffled voice. "Alyssa sent me here… I think they've all opened the gate! I can hear fighting!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Logan turned around and faced everyone. "This is it."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""FOR NARNIA!" screamed Mallory, charging through the door, knocking Susan over. All of the others proceeded to follow her. Susan got up, grumbling, but she too followed./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Mallory bolted down the hall, her bow in hand. She shot down any guards that posed a threat to them all. Logan ran beside her, looking over at her every few steps with a kind of surreal smile on his face. Butterflies in her stomach, Mallory picked up her speed, running ahead of Logan. She heard his footsteps behind her…beside her…and now she was looking at his back./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Well, if that was the case…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She sprinted ahead, remembering when the two of them had gotten separated in the woods from everyone. Little did they know that all of the others were in Aslan's How. Eventually, they had caught up with everyone else. It had been nice being alone with Logan; he cracked a lot of jokes and flirted with her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Shaking her head, Mallory tried to clear her mind of all things Logan./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"It was kind of hard when he was running right next to her./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"And his hair was blowing back./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Also, he was still smiling at her./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Mallory closed her eyes then remembered that she was running. She opened them again and saw him./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Damn./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"And then he was forced to leave her mind, for all of them had just burst onto the scene. All of them were being attacked from all directions. Mallory was shooting and flinging arrows at Telmarines who dared to threaten her life. She looked around frantically, trying to spot her friends. Darby and Alyssa were back to back, holding their ground at the oncoming Telmarine soldiers. Caspian was nowhere to be seen, but Peter was ascending the stairs to a balcony, where Miraz was standing, surveying the battle. Susan was doing the same thing as her. Mallory could also see Maddie and Edmund up a level, fighting off a whole line of guards. Trumpkin was on the ground, not moving./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"But where was Logan?/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""MALLORY, LOOK OUT!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She whipped around, but someone shoved her to the ground. She heard something whiz near her and then a cry of pain following it. She made herself stand up and remember that she was in the middle of a battle and that she should be more careful. She bent down to her savior but let out a shrill scream./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"It was Logan…and he had an arrow sticking out of his side./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Alyssa swung her sword at another soldier. "Shit, what are they doing, cloning these suckers?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Darby didn't dignify that with a response./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Alyssa didn't blame her./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Without warning, they both heard Peter's call of "Fall back!" Caspian burst out of nowhere with two horses. He jumped onto one and left the other for Peter. Caspian rode over to Alyssa and held out his hand. She took it, swung herself onto the horse, and wrapped an arm around his torso. She just noticed now that a Minotaur was holding up the gate. She averted her eyes as they rode under the gate./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Darby ran to the other side of Peter's horse. Simultaneously, both she and Peter swung onto the horse as they rode under the gate. Not a second after that did the Minotaur collapse, dead from all the arrows shot at him. The gate fell. Peter made the horse turn around. Darby herself saw the horror of all those being left behind. Darby looked away, petrified./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Susan was sitting on one of the Centaurs with Mallory, Caspian's professor, and an injured Logan. In the Centaur's hands laid the nearly still body of the D.L.F. Darby assumed that Maddie was with Edmund./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Sure enough, Maddie and Edmund had just mounted their griffins. They were about to fly over the courtyard when Maddie's griffin was shot down by a guard. Edmund and his griffin quickly saved her as her griffin feel to the courtyard. Maddie gulped as she surveyed the sprawled, dead, and lifeless bodies below her. Nausea was about to come over her, so she burrowed her face into Edmund's neck, and he had his eyes closed./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Everyone made their way back to the How, not saying a word. The defeat had been beyond anything that anyone had imagined. Too many lives had been taken, and it was a wonder that so many had even survived that massacre./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As they all approached the How, Lucy came running toward them. She stopped as they all came face-to-face with her. "What happened?" she asked./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Peter scowled. "Ask him."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Caspian faced him. "You're blaming me?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""If you had just stuck to the plan, those soldiers would still be alive," said Peter./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Come now, Peter—" began Alyssa./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""If you had just stayed here like I suggested," said Caspian loudly, "they definitely would be!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Hey, Caspian, no need for that," said Darby, trying to calm him down, as well as Peter./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You all are just sick, and don't belong here!" yelled Peter. Caspian turned away from him, shaking. "You Telmarines who invaded Narnia! You, them your father—"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Caspian froze./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Narnia's better off without the lot of you!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Drawing his sword, Caspian whirled around and held it at Peter's neck. Darby drew hers and whacked Caspian's away from Peter. "Don't…you…even…dare," she said through clenched teeth, eyeing Caspian suspiciously./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Caspian put his sword back into his sheath and walked back into the How. Lucy gasped suddenly, rushed over to Trumpkin, and fed him a drop of antidote from her flask. He opened his eyes./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What are you all standing around for?" he asked. "The Telmarines will be here soon enough." To Lucy, he said with a smile, "Thank you…my Dear Little Friend."/p