Edmund leans against the side of the cave entrance, his hands tucked into his armpits as he eyes the dark woods outside. His fur lined cloak— a gift from Lucy, and not the fur of a Talking Beast, of course— does much to keep out the chill, but Edmund barely notices, so absorbed is he in his own musings. Phillip and Adan, packed close beside him, shift anxiously.
"Adan," Edmund says suddenly as he pushes off the stone with his shoulder. He gestures for the Wolf to follow him, stopping himself before glancing back at Phillip. "We'll be right back," he says instead, both to the princess getting changed into his spare clothes inside the cave and to the Horse standing guard in the doorway. Phillip shifts to the center of the doorway, but Edmund is already too far away to hear if the girl responds. He leads Adan back down the path, carefully placing his steps to avoid slipping as the day's slush has turned to ice. They've backtracked only a few yards toward the north when Edmund stops and turns to the Wolf, but with the curve of the trail the cave entrance is nearly out of sight already.
"She was telling the truth?" Edmund asks, crouching down to speak directly with the Wolf. With senses far keener than a human's, Edmund knows Adan can detect the changes in someone's heart rate, breathing, and perspiration that could indicate a deception.
"She was anxious," Adan says slowly, "But I believe that was more to do with her tale." Edmund glances over Adan's shoulder toward the cave, squeezing the pommel of his sword. "But as far as I could tell, it was a true account," Adan finishes. Edmund hms his agreement. The girl's tale had been quite disturbing, but he'd had no sense that she was lying either.
Not long after setting out this morning, she'd said, her party had come to an abrupt stop. She'd heard shouts, and then she'd heard sounds of an attack— clashing metal, screams of pain, thumps of impacts with the fully enclosed carriage. Before she could make sense of it, one of her guards had yanked open the carriage door and dragged her into the woods. He'd told her to run. Before she had, though, she'd seen not an attack by ruffians or highwaymen, but her own guards turned against each other.
"There were no other scents when we crossed her trail this afternoon?" Edmund questions, returning his attention to the Wolf.
"None," Adan confirms. Edmund massages the back of his neck with his free hand, careful not to dislodge the hood of his cloak. When the search along the Great River toward Lantern Waste had turned up nothing, Peter had reluctantly agreed to divide their forces to cover more ground. Orieus and Peter would continue to search Lantern Waste and the western woods while Edmund traveled north, following the border between Corsecant and the Giant territories to search for the missing princess and her guards. Peter had wanted to send a dozen soldiers too, but Edmund had convinced him that he, Phillip, Adan, and Cellox— an Eagle— could cover more ground and move more inconspicuously, which was most desirable when skirting the Giant habitations.
That whole first day after crossing into Corsecant, Edmund and his companions had seen, smelled, and heard nothing but the barren woodlands at the base of the mountains, and Edmund had dispatched Cellox to report back to Peter early this morning. Just a few hours later, however, Adan had scented a trail– crossing perpendicular against their own intended direction and into the Giants' lands. Edmund didn't know how exactly the Wolf processed scents, but Adan had assured Edmund that the scent was female. They'd thought it odd that the princess would be on her own, but Edmund had chalked it up to her wandering away and getting lost. What else could cause such a delay in their travels, he'd thought. Now, though, the delay appeared to be much more intentional. Edmund sighs in frustration.
"And now?" He asks Adan. It's difficult to see the black Wolf with the clouds above blocking most of the starlight, but Edmund can make out the shape of him against the backdrop of the snow-covered trail. Edmund waits while Adan turns into the wind and breathes deep of the frigid air. Blowing down from the mountain peak before them, the air should reveal anyone closeby in that direction. As for the other direction, Edmund muses.
He slowly stands and turns back toward the cave, looking toward the dark path beyond it. All along they've been heading in a mostly southern direction with the wind at their backs, winding through narrow valleys between the steep mountains on the rough trail heading back toward the Great Northern River– and deeper into Giant territory.
"Not that I can sense from here," Adan answers finally. Edmund nods slowly, still eying the southern pass. Oh Aslan, he thinks, what am I supposed to do now?
"Adan," he says more hesitantly than a king ought. Edmund inhales deeply, steadying himself. "We can't head back the way we came." Adan is silent for a moment, considering.
"There are other risks to moving forward," Adan replies. Edmund nods, shifting his grip on the hilt of his sword. Going back meant possibly running into the princess's mutinous guards, and it would take several days to get back to Narnia's border and through the northern wilds to Lantern Waste. If they continued on, there was a chance of running into Giants, but they might be able to get back to Peter's force in less time.
"But does the risk of moving forward outweigh the risk of going back?" Edmund questions. Adan is silent for several long moments again, always careful to consider things fully before responding.
Most of what is known of the Giants and their lands was learned from the good Giant Rumblebuffin. He'd been turned to stone by Jadis fairly early in her rule, but his information was no less valuable during the Giant Wars for being slightly outdated. He had told them all he knew of the geography and culture of the Giant lands, revealing that there were actually two races of Giants. The Giants primarily involved with ransacking Narnia were the Ettins— a brutish, uncivilized, and less intelligent lot ruled only by their own vices. The Northern Giants, however– of whom Rumblebuffin had defected– were more intelligent, organized, and ruled by a monarchy from the seat of their power in Harfang. These Giants had a court and culture and generally kept to the northern lands, but they often exerted their influence over the Ettins, stirring their less intelligent cousins to mischief. And, Edmund remembers, the Northern Giants regularly sent out hunting parties, roving through their lands and even so far south as the River Shribble on occasion.
"You mean to head for the Giant's bridge?" Adan asks rather than answering Edmunds original question.
"Not the bridge," Edmund clarifies, shaking his head. "There's another crossing, a ford where two branches of the North River join, before it descends into the canyon." It was a crossing they'd considered using to bring an attack directly into the Giant lands during the wars. They'd ultimately decided against it, but some scouts had been dispatched to confirm its existence since Rumblebuffin was no cartographer and his remembrances had been largely approximations. If Edmund was correct about their current location, he was fairly sure they could reach the ford within a few days.
"Before making a decision," Adan says slowly, "Perhaps it would be best to—"
"Adan," Edmund interrupts, "I trust your judgment. If you have an opinion, I want to hear it." Edmund had never grown used to the courtly ways of kingship, and he could not abide his friends deferring to him merely for his title. Generally he could trust Adan and Phillip to speak their mind, but it was clear the Wolf was nervous to do so.
"I'll scout the trail in both directions," Adan says plainly. Edmund surveys the dark woods. He's barely able to make out anything, but he knows that's not the case for Adan. "If I find signs of pursuers, or signs of Giant activity, we'll know the safer path."
Edmund thanked Aslan for his companion's wisdom. Without Cellox to give them a literal bird's eye view their only option was to scout on foot, but Edmund hadn't thought to send Adan out in the dead of night. Even so, Edmund was hesitant to agree. If the need for a swift retreat arose, he couldn't afford to have one of his men worn out and overtired.
"Only the trail behind us," Edmund decides. "If the Giants are about, we'll have a better chance of hiding," Edmund reasons, knowing that even the smallest Giants are ten meters or more in height. Also, the weight of a Giant means that their approach is far from the stealth that men can use. Adan considers this also, and agrees it is the most sensible plan.
"Aslan be with you," Edmund prays, sending Adan off at last.
"And with you," the Wolf replies, disappearing into the night.