As they approach the southern end of the bowl-shaped valley, ascending the steeper slope nearly on hands and knees, Edmund is feeling somewhat optimistic. With one hand on the girl's elbow to keep her steady, they've made it across in only a few hours. The group behind them will have to pass through here too, and the uneven land that gave the princess so much trouble on foot will be even worse for horses. They'll probably have to dismount and cross on foot, Edmund decides.
The princess slips on some loose stones, then, pulling Edmund from his thoughts. He tightens his grip on her arm and stops her from skidding backwards, one hand braced on the slope and one foot stuck out to catch hers. The girl's own hands are red and chapped without gloves, especially since she's lost her footing a few times now on this slope. Edmund decides that he should just give her his own gloves, at least until they stop around midday for a meal.
As he thinks this though— his left hand still pressed to the ground— two things happen which wholly distract him from any thoughts of rest or food. The first is Adan clambering back over the crest of the hill above them, looking panicked and causing a small avalanche of snow to buffet the two humans. And the second is a slight tremor that travels through the ground and up through Edmund's hand.
"Giants," Adan hisses, confirming Edmund's fears. The princess— who had been rather grumpily clearing the snow Adan had dropped on them from her shoulders— looks up at the Wolf in shock.
"There are Giants in Narnia?" she whispers. Edmund ignores this, instead asking Adan where they're coming from.
"Farther ahead," Adan answers, glancing over his shoulder. At the top of the rise still, he can see both the valley they're leaving and what's ahead of them. "They're not in sight yet, but they're coming from the south." Edmund releases the princess's arm for a moment to look back down the slope they've ascended. The sun has yet to reach this valley, and there's no true trail here– just sparse trees and some tangled undergrowth.
"There's no cover," he groans.
"The trees are dense ahead," Adan says, "But you must hurry!" The Wolf paces at the top of the ridge, his fur bristling as he unwittingly drops more snow on them.
"Let's go," Edmund tells the girl, grabbing her arm again. She nods and starts moving. They're only a few yards from the top. With some slightly frantic scrambling, they cover the distance at record speed. When Edmund finally reaches the crest, just after helping the princess up, he silently sends a prayer of thanks to Aslan.
The next valley is somewhat egg shaped, and they've come up near the bottom of the wider end. Edmund can see that the path continues a bit to the right of the narrower end, but between them and it is a thick sea of snow-dusted coniferous trees. There's no break in the trees that would indicate a path, but perhaps it's just not a very wide path, Edmund decides.
"Quickly," Adan calls, already picking his way toward the closest trees. With more sliding than climbing, Edmund and the girl follow him down. The ground levels out once they pass between the tall, thick tree trunks. As Edmund takes a moment to let his eyes adjust, he realizes that the trees are so close together that there's little foliage except at the very tops of the trunks, creating a dark and gloomy space below. There's little ground cover here, and there isn't even much snow that has managed to get past the needled canopy.
"There's a hollow ahead," Adan informs, circling back toward them. Edmund once again grabs the princess's arm to speed them both along, following Adan around the outer edge of the valley but just inside the tree line. As they walk Edmund can tell the Giants are getting closer– and the amount of vibration he feels through his boots tells him there must be quite a lot of them to make such a disturbance.
"How much time–," Edmund begins to ask, but Adan suddenly freezes in place, peering into the gloom of the forest. Edmund pulls the princess to a stop and then releases her, kneeling to press his hand to the ground. The whole valley seems to be trembling now and snow is drifting down from the branches far above, but he can't spot anything through the densely packed tree trunks. Adan seems to realize this as well, and carefully backs out of the tree line and ascends the slope with slow, even movements.
Edmund watches him closely, looking for some sign of what he's seeing. The Wolf glances across the forest every few seconds seconds. He's five, ten, then twenty feet up the slope. All the while, Edmund can feel the tremors of Giant footsteps growing stronger. Finally, Adan stops, and so do the tremors. Adan peers over the tops of the trees toward the opposite end of the valley as Edmund stands slowly. He notices then that the princess has shifted further into the forest.
"Don't go any farther in," he whispers to her. She looks at him with wide, terrified eyes but stops moving. He wants to say something comforting or encouraging, but Giants are a bigger threat than any group of men. Just one would be more than a match for Edmund and Adan, and this seems to be rather more than one Giant approaching.
"Six," Adan says just loud enough to carry to Edmund. His hand tenses on his sword, but there's no use in drawing it. Their only recourse now is to pray the Giants continue on their way. Giants' senses aren't any stronger or weaker than a human's, and being so distant from the ground– the smallest one Edmund has ever seen was still at least 15 feet tall– they were likely to overlook smaller details. That's why they generally brought hounds along in their hunting parties.
"Adan," Edmund hisses, "Dogs?" Adan tilts his head this way and that for several long moments, and eventually shakes his head before coming down the slope again very slowly.
"I don't see or hear them," Adan says quietly, "But that doesn't mean there aren't any. They could just be too low to the ground to see." Edmund clenches his eyes shut, thinking. If they do have hounds and they cross the trail the three of them left coming into this valley, they're done for. Or even if the Giants just notice the disturbed snow, it will lead straight to them. They hadn't done anything to cover their trail– favoring speed over stealth.
"I'll draw them away," Adan offers. Edmund looks at the Wolf, his firm stance and straight ears showing no fear or doubt.
"Adan," Edmund begins, "I can't–"
"It's one or all," Adan interrupts. "It's my honor to serve," he adds, dipping into a slight bow. He includes both Edmund and Serena in the gesture, but the princess doesn't seem to be paying them any attention. She's turned away, staring off in the approximate direction of the Giants.
"Only if the need arises." Edmund forces down the lump in his throat. He can't sacrifice both of his friends, not in one day. "Only then," he repeats, and the Wolf nods his acknowledgement.