Beyond the Horn

CHAPTER 9: KARA

Reaching the ford Trumpkin had spoken of, it was clear that they had gotten there too late. The Telmarines had made it first, and were hard at work chopping down trees, building a huge bridge to stretch across the river.

Crouching behind a collapsed tree with everyone else, Kara had to bite her lip, hard, to keep from crying out. The fact that the trees were alive and the Telmarines were cutting them down like they weren't made her so angry she would have happily killed somebody with her sword right then and there.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all," Susan whispered to Peter.

Kara gripped a branch of the tree and squeezed it so hard that it moved. Her heart stopped for a second with hope, until she realized she had grabbed Ed's arm instead.

He tried to smile sympathetically, releasing her cramped fingers and squeezing them gently. "I know."

A Telmarine with a black beard and superior look rode on his horse out of the woods, halting to survey the bridge's progress. It wasn't hard to guess that he was the leader, if his fancy clothes and saddle were anything to go by; that, and the fact that when he spoke to the man next to him, it was to order him to do something.

"Let's get out of here," Ed said in Kara's ear, and she nodded. All seven of them moved on hands and knees back into the woods.

"Alright—back to the gorge," Peter muttered reluctantly over his shoulder.

It didn't take as long this time—maybe because Kara was still thrilled at the fact that she had actually seen Aslan. She had seen Aslan! The great king, the great lion of Narnia! He was every bit the Aslan Lucy had described, and more. He was... simply indescribable.

"So, where do you think you saw Aslan?" Peter asked once they had made it back.

"I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grown-ups!" Lucy said in exasperation. "I don't think I saw him, I did see him!"

"And I saw him too!" Kara burst out.

"And so did I!" Annaliese folded her arms, likely to keep from lunging at Peter and literally beating some sense into his head. That was, at least, how Kara was feeling.

"I am a grown-up," Trumpkin mumbled, and Kara had to smile, a little.

"It was right...over—" a sharp scream left Lucy's mouth as the ground crumbled beneath her and she fell.

"LUCY!" Susan yelled as Kara's heart stopped. Everyone dropped to their knees at the edge to peer over.

"—here." Lucy smiled shakily up at them. She'd landed on a narrow path winding its way down the side of the cliff.

Kara smiled widely. This was Aslan's doing, she just knew it.

And so they all carefully made their way down, single file, slowly and steadily. Peter led the way, then Ed followed, and the girls moved behind him, Lucy at the very end only before Trumpkin. Kara went directly behind Ed, mostly so she could grab onto somebody if she tripped—which she was quite likely to do. And seeing as he'd had plenty of experience with her clumsiness—well, not plenty, but still, he had experienced it—he seemed the least likely to mind if she kept seizing the back of his tunic every twenty seconds or so.

"I'm really not...the most athletic...person," Kara gasped between her heavy nervous breathing.

"Could've fooled me," Ed responded with a grin, even as Annaliese behind her said, "No kidding."

"What?" Kara stumbled against Ed as he paused, and he reached back to grasp her wrist so she didn't fall. "Why?"

"Oh, well, you only, I don't know, punched two guys so hard they bled and fell over. Don't deny it, because I witnessed that with my own eyes." Ed reminded her.