SMOKE SIGNALS

A Harbinger of War

After about an hour of walking through the forest, Cahira saw what must've been Aslan's How- a great hill of dirt, rock, and greenery that jutted out of the horizon. It was at least two times as tall as the tallest trees that surrounded it, and so distinctly Narnian that it was a wonder her ancestors had never torn it down. She heard a gasp from beside her, and looked over to see Lucy wearing the same expression of awe that Cahira felt looking upon the great mound.

"How did you know about this?" Cahira muttered to Caspian as they approached it through a lush green field.

"I didn't. I had never even heard about it. They knew," he said, gesturing at the Narnians around them.

Centaurs stood in wait in lines along either side of the entrance of the How. It was obviously ceremonial; their swords were drawn as they looked at the approaching Pevensies. Cahira understood at once- this was their homecoming. The Narnians were welcoming their long-anticipated Kings and Queens.

The twins stood back as the Pevensies processed past the centaurs, who held their swords in an arch above the children. It was a beautiful gesture, and after a moment Caspian and Cahira followed them inside.

The interior of the How was just as impressive as the outside, if for a different reason. It looked and smelled like ancient history; caverns and tunnels dimly lit by torches redolent with the smell of wet earth and old stone. Caspian had mentioned on the walk over that there were seemingly endless miles of tunnels both through and under the How. She believed that now.

The main cavern they entered into was alive with Narnians hard at work making and repairing various weapons and armor. Dwarves pounded away on anvils, while minotaurs carried piles of metal and wood. Some of them looked up in wonder at the newcomers.

"It may not be what you are used to," Caspian said as the Pevensies looked around, "but it is defensible."

Peter nodded as Edmund appraised the work of the Narnians around them. Cahira began to wander further into the How, accompanied by Susan and Lucy. Just past the main cavern, they found themselves in a more dimly lit corridor. She took a torch from the wall to light their path, and Lucy gasped. Cahira noticed what she had seen a moment later; wall carvings, depicting what she realized was Narnia's history.

Susan strode back into the main cavern. "Peter," they heard her say, "you may want to see this."

The boys joined them in the hallway and Peter grabbed another torch, lighting the artwork even more fully. Cahira recognized the Pevensies in one scene- four figures crowned, standing besides ornate thrones.

Susan ran her hand along an image of herself and her sister astride the great lion. "It's us."

"What is this place?" Lucy turned, asking Caspian.

"You don't know?"

Cahira could understand how disorienting this must've been for the others. She felt uncomfortable enough walking past the image of herself in the castle's portrait gallery. To see depictions of your own life from thousands of years ago, carved into the very memory of the land you never meant to leave... it stunned even her into silence.

They followed Caspian down the rest of the tunnel until they emerged into a cavern that was smaller, but no less grand, than the entry. In the center of the room was an ancient table, cracked crosswise down the middle. Cahira recognized it as the Stone Table, where the White Witch had unsuccessfully sacrificed Aslan thousands of years ago. Around the room were more carvings, though these were even more ornate, of the races of Narnia. At the center, directly behind the stone table, was Aslan. His likeness stretched floor to ceiling, the flicker of flames creating an illusion of his gaze following each of them.