"You're sure that's her?" Adan huffs beside me, his lip curling back slightly in what I've learned is his annoyed look.
"I'm sure," he says in a low gravelly voice, "That it is a her." His golden eyes easily follow the girl in question as she passes below us. "And I'm sure," the black Wolf continues, "That no other human females are likely to be wandering this close to Harfang. At night. Alone." All good points. I nod once, knowing he can see me clearly too, even on this moonless night.
I, however, find myself straining to see the shadow of a figure moving hesitantly toward the inviting warmth of the cave. I shift closer to the edge of the hill, causing a small drift of snow to tumble over the edge and land with a muffled pfft below. The shadow stills, and I lose sight of the edges of her form.
"Should I cut off her retreat?" Adan asks when she slowly slinks from beneath the shadow of one snow-laden pine tree and darts to the next. I hesitate before giving the order, not wanting to truly scare the girl. But then again, after two days searching for this girl it wouldn't do to have her slip away and get lost again.
"Circle around the left, but keep your distance for now. I'll head right." Adan stalks away silently, his dark fur blending into the shadows of the forest. I back away from the edge carefully and start down the more gentle slope, hoping Phillip will stick to the plan and keep quiet long enough for me to get over to the cave. The Horse is just out of sight inside the cave with the rest of my gear, but the girl might be suspicious of a horse without a rider.
We've stayed out of sight since picking up her trail this afternoon. The snow made it difficult, but Adan is the best tracker in Narnia. And once the trail was clear enough for Phillip and I to pick out, I'd sent him ahead to find a good place to overtake her.
My boots skid on the last of the incline, the half-melted snow creating a hazardous trek after today's unusual warmth. Still, this high in the northern mountains the air holds a chill most of the year, even when Narnia's spring festival begins in just a few days.
And Susan will kill me if we're not back in time. She hadn't been pleased when we left her to finish the festival preparations alone, especially since she's sent invitations to every kingdom on the continent, and some beyond. But we couldn't pretend any longer that this situation might resolve itself.
The north is nothing but trouble, I think, stopping to brush an errant glob of snow out of my hair. Ever since the Giant Wars, when we discovered there were actually whole countries in the Northern Wilds we'd yet to make contact with, it's just been one thing after the next. I knew when Peter received that letter from Corsecant it would be nothing but bad news. I take little satisfaction now, though, confirming how right I was.
Coming to the last of the trees before the cave, I slow to a stop and peer around a thick pine. There, hesitating just beside the cave entrance, can only be the missing princess of Corsecant. From this far behind her, all I can make out is her hooded outline in the glow of the fire from within the cave. Beyond her, I can see Phillip watching her keenly, benign and silent as I'd requested. I wait until she finally steps inside to approach. I can't see Adan, but I know he's likely been keeping watch for most of the time it took me to navigate the slushy hill.
With slow, carefully placed steps I creep closer. I find my hand straying to the sword at my waist, though I doubt the girl is any kind of threat. More likely she's a pampered fool who managed to get herself lost in the woods, causing panic and chaos in both our countries. That she's survived this long on her own, though, is admirable.
"It's quite safe, I assure you," I hear just as I reach the entrance. Blast that Horse! I should've known he couldn't keep quiet. He may be well-meaning, as usual, but it was never clear how much these northerners knew of Narnia and our Talking Beasts. I thought it was best to introduce such a thing cautiously, and as the girl backpedals through the doorway and collides into my chest, I can see I was right again.