The Chronicles Of Narnia : The High Queen

Chapter 31

Aria narrowed her eyes into slits as the cold air blew against her face.

She held her bow in her hands and scanned the Telmarine Castle as she was flown in by a Griffin.

The night raid had begun.

Peter and the rest, also carried by Griffins, flew to the left while Aria flew to the closest tower.

She aimed her arrow at a guard and let it fly.
The arrow met its target and the soldier collapsed.

Aria landed on the tower stealthily.

She eyed the Telmarine lying against the wall and scanned her surroundings.

Aria glanced up at the tower opposite to her and waved back as Edmund waved to signal he was done.

Aria ran towards a wooden door at the tower.
The girl pulled the handle and the door slid open.

The room was empty, no sign of any Telmarine.

Her eyes moved towards the steps leading to the lower room.
She moved that way, raising her bow infront of her.

On the second of the five steps down, Aria hit a cracked board that sighed with her weight.

The girl froze and listened for a response.

There was only silence and she was afraid the sound of her heart thumping rapidly against her chest would betray her.

At the bottom of the stairs, Aria looked around her as the hallway she was in forked into two paths at the end.

Deciding against her own curiosity, she went back up the stairs to where she had come from.

Aria shivered against the cold, looking up at the tower where Edmund was stationed.

The boy walked around aimlessly, playing with the torch in his hand and Aria assumed that everything was alright.

The girl looked back at the door.

She was told to stay here and if Aria didn't know any better, it was Peter's way of making sure she would be safe.

But there was no where safe in the castle at that moment.

Aria ran through the door, down the stairs and into the hallway.

She took the left path at the fork and walked cautiously.

She peeked around a corner and doubled back as two soldiers walked in her direction.

The girl slipped into the darkness behind a statue.

She held her breath as the soldiers walked past her, thankfully unknown to her presence.

Aria drew her sword slowly and banged the butt of her head against their heads, one at a time.

They couldn't even see it coming.

The girl smiled as she dragged their unconscious bodies into the corner.

She looked around again before setting off along the hallway.

Aria was unsure of the path.

She didn't know where she was going or what she was looking for.

Her only hope was that she would meet the others somewhere in the castle.

Aria rounded a corner and her breath hitched in her throat as she crashed into the body of a man.

Aria's hand shot to the sword in her waist but two arms gripped her shoulder and the girl looked up into the eyes of the soldier.

Only they were blue and familiar ones.

"Aria!", Peter whisper shouted, bringing the girl into a hug with a loud sigh.
"I told you to stay in the tower".

Aria stood still in his embrace, her breathing loud and rapid, not much different from her pounding heart.

"When have I ever listened to you", the girl mumbled and Peter sighed in defeat, attempting but failing to hide his smile.

"I'm going to the professor", Caspian pushed past Peter and Susan and Aria narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"But that wasn't in the plan. He wasnt in the study?", she asked and grabbed his arm.

The boy looked back at Aria, desperation in his eyes and the girl nodded slowly.

She let go of her hold and the boy dashed away from the group.

She turned to Peter, already taking several steps in Caspian's direction.

"I'll go with him", Aria stated and Peter nodded in response.

Aria followed Caspian slowly as they ran deeper into the castle and Aria realized they were headed to the dungeon.

The girl came into an abrupt halt as Caspian stood infront of a door and the boy looked at her in worry.

The girl motioned to the door.

"Go get the professor. I'll stand watch".

Aria held out her loaded bow infront of her, ready to let it fly at the first sight of a soldier and Caspian rushed in.

Minutes passed and Aria paced from one end of the hallway to the other impatiently.

It wasn't supposed to take that long.

The girl walked towards the door and before she could open it herself, the door was pushed open by Caspian and the Prince ran past her in a hurry.

Aria watched the boy run away with no professor in sight and the girl looked through the door.

"Your majesty!", a voice called out from one corner of the room and Aria looked to the source of the voice.

She approached Professor Cornelius with a worried look.

"What did you tell him?", she asked and the professor shook his head sadly.

"Something I should have told him a long time ago", the man replied with regret.

Aria didn't know what he meant but she wasn't about to stand there and talk.

"Get to the stables", she ordered.

The professor nodded his head in respect and Aria guided the man out of the room.

She placed her bow on her back and drew her sword.

She knew the next few minutes would be crucial but she wasn't sure what awaited them.