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— staves off the worst of 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. He starts forward, knowing the Wolf will follow him, but then pauses mid stride. He just catches himself before glancing back at Phillip, instead carefully calling "We'll be right back" over his shoulder, both to the princess getting changed into his spare clothes inside the cave and to the Horse standing guard in the entrance.
Phillip shifts to the center of the doorway, but Edmund is already too far away to hear if the girl responds. He and Adan step carefully back down the path 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 the sounds of an attack— clashing metal, screams of pain, thumps of impacts with the fully enclosed carriage. One of her guards had yanked open the carriage door and dragged her into the woods. He'd told her to run, but behind him she'd seen not an attack by ruffians or highwaymen, but her own guards turned against each other.
"There was no one else when we crossed her trail this afternoon?" Edmund questions, his gaze returning to the Wolf.
"Only her," Adan confirms. Edmund massages the back of his neck with his free hand, careful not to dislodge the hood of his cloak. Something about the timeline just isn't adding up.
When the search along the Great River toward Lantern Waste had turned up nothing of the princess two days ago, 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 so close to the Giant lands.
That whole first day after crossing into Corsecant, Edmund and his companions had seen, smelled, and heard nothing but barren woodlands at the base of the mountains. Edmund had dispatched Cellox just this morning to report to Peter that it was likely a waste of time. Just a few hours later, however, Adan had scented a trail– crossing perpendicular against their own intended direction and into the Giants' territory.
Edmund doesn't know how exactly the Wolf processes scents, but Adan had assured him 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 incompetence— either her's or her guards'. He'd thought it was the only thing that could possibly cause such a delay in their travels, and he certainly hadn't suspected anything nefarious would befall her in her own country. Now, though, the delay doesn't seem so mundane. Edmund's sigh is nearly a growl as he stands again and pivots toward the dark woods.
"And now?" he asks. It's difficult to see the black Wolf with the clouds above blocking most of the starlight, but when Edmund glances down he can make out the shape of him against the backdrop of the snow-covered trail. Edmund waits while Adan turns into the wind and inhales deeply. Blowing down from the mountain peak before them, the frigid air should reveal anyone close by in that direction. As for the other direction...
Edmund turns back toward the cave, then scans along the barely visible path beyond it. They've been heading in a mostly southern direction with the wind at their backs all day. From what he's heard, the trails in this area twist through narrow valleys between the steep mountains, leading 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, what am I supposed to do now?
"Adan," he says more hesitantly than a king ought. Edmund takes a deep breath, the winter air freezing his nose uncomfortably. "We can't head back the way we came." Adan is silent for a moment, but he shifts to follow Edmund's gaze toward the south.
"There are other risks to moving forward," Adan asserts. Edmund nods, shifting his grip on the hilt of his sword. Going back means 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 too. But if they continued on through these lands, though there's a chance of running into Giants, 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.
The Wolf had been privy to all the same information Edmund and Peter reviewed the last time they'd fought the Giants. Most of what is known of them and their lands was learned from the good Giant Rumblebuffin, who had been turned to stone by Jadis fairly early in her rule, but his information was no less valuable for being slightly outdated. He had told them all he knew of the geography and culture, 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's line 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 it's the Northern Giants' land they'd have to cross to get back to Narnia this way.
"You mean to head for the Giant's bridge?" Adan asks more than a minute later.
"Not the bridge," Edmund clarifies, shaking his head. "There's another crossing, a ford where two branches of the North River join, before it falls into the canyon." It was a crossing they'd considered using to bring an attack directly into the Giant lands. 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, though, 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." Generally he could trust Adan and Phillip to speak their mind, but it was clear the Wolf was nervous to do so now.
"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."
Without Cellox to give them a literal bird's eye view their only option is to scout on foot, but Edmund hadn't thought to send Adan out in the dead of night. He'd learned his lesson by sending Cellox away too soon, so Edmund is hesitant to agree. If the need for a swift retreat arises, he can't afford to have one of his company unrested. But they do need the information, and Adan is the only one suited to get it.
"Only the trail behind us," Edmund decides. "If the Giants are about, we'll have a better chance of hiding from them," Edmund reasons, knowing that even the smallest Giants are ten meters or more in height and would struggle to see a small group that was well hidden. 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.