IX

The next morning, Susan and Hedegar woke shortly after sunrise. Susan ate a little of what was left in her bag. She hoped that when they reached their destination, there'd be something other than insects on offer, as her store was becoming alarmingly low. The hedgehog was eager to set off without delay. When Susan looked back to see the trail they'd covered yesterday, she realised that the worst part of the journey was over. The mesa that Hedegar had called The Eagle's Table towered above them. Spread out before her was relatively flat terrain. To Susan's surprise, her companion did not lead her along what seemed to be the main path towards the river valley, but took a smaller path which appeared almost to be taking them farther away from the river.

“Where are we going?” Susan ventured. Hedegar looked at her as if she should have known exactly what was going on. “We're on our way to Gelinda's house. She is our fastest messenger, and will summon the remnant on our behalf. She lives in a tree on the banks of the Klein Kloof stream.”

While they walked, Susan wondered what kind of creature this Gelinda might be. It was not long before they reached a little stream which was a tributary of the larger river. Hedegar stopped, sniffed the air a little then called out, “Gelinda, Gelinda, come quickly. There's someone I want you to meet!”

For a while there was no response. Then Susan heard a sweet voice reply, “Really Hedegar? I hope this one will stay. The last couple of new-comers you brought were scared off quite easily.”

“This isn't just another young zealot with the enthusiasm to join us but the impatience to wait things out. This one is different. She's the one we've been waiting for!”

“Really now?” the voice became more serious. “Are you sure? How do you know?

“She admitted it herself, said she was a Daughter of Eve. Come see.”

As the two creatures continued to speak in this cryptic manner, Susan looked around for the source of the voice. Although it was loud enough now that she should be able to see the creature, there was no one to be seen. She wondered if it was some kind of invisible dryad, or naiad. She hoped it wasn't some unsavoury creature that had magical abilities with which it could turn itself invisible.

When the voice spoke again, Susan turned her gaze towards one of the numerous plants growing along the stream. She could see nothing but the stirring leaves, and...she suddenly spotted something quite extraordinary. Sitting on the plant was the most magnificent, and certainly the largest, butterfly she had ever seen. Its wings were decorated with an exceptionally beautiful and intricate pattern. It began with shades of indigo in the centre, which mingled with woven purples and blues. The edges of the wings were decorated with a soft pale pink.

Hedegar noticed that Susan was staring at the butterfly. She had momentarily forgotten about the invisible person whom they had come to meet. “Susan,” he said, “Meet Gelinda, our official messenger.” Susan was about to object that she could not see this messenger when the truth suddenly dawned on her.

At first she thought it absurd, but when Gelinda spoke again, she knew she was not mistaken. Gelinda was in fact a butterfly. The butterfly she had been admiring. It made sense now and she wondered that she'd never met a talking butterfly in Narnia. She wondered over the irony that a hedgehog and butterfly would be friends, but then remembered that in Narnia, talking animals, even the carnivorous ones, would treat other talking animals quite differently to their dumb counterparts.

“Pleased to meet you, Gelinda,” said Susan politely. The butterfly fluttered off the branch she was sitting on, and began to flit around Susan. She guessed she was examining her.

“A Daughter of Eve, she says,” said the butterfly, finally settling on a leaf in front of Hedegar's nose, “We'll find out soon enough if she speaks the truth”. There seemed to be an edge of warning in her voice. After that, her speech dropped to a whisper, as she asked something of Hedegar. The hedgehog replied in a voice almost as quiet, and Susan was cut off from the rest of the conversation.

Finally, Hedegar snuffled up to Susan and said: “I've asked Gelinda to summon the others. We will meet them at the gathering spot by The Thorn Tree near the river. We can expect them this evening”.

Susan had not noticed, while Hedegar was speaking, that Gelinda had already flown off. But when she looked around, the butterfly was nowhere to be seen. “Come,” said Hedegar, let us set off at once. We should get there by midday."

*-*-*-*

The gathering spot was a pleasant place, and Susan realised at once why it had been selected for the meeting. It was a sheltered spot, protected by the plants that began to grow as one neared the river. It was something of a contrast to the wild and dry environment she had become accustomed to in these parts. There was a natural circular area ringed by plants of various types, most of which Susan had never seen before. Some of the plants grew tall enough to provide a little shelter from the hot sun. The Thorn Tree grew on the river side of the clearing. It was neither very tall, nor incredibly leafy, but it added an element of solemnity to the area.

A number of logs had been placed around the site – if this had been a meeting spot for humans, she would have supposed that these were to sit on. But considering that Hedegar seemed never to have seen a human nor humanoid creature before, she guessed that it was simply a kind of fence or border. In the centre of the ring, was a squarish rock. Susan guessed that it would serve as some kind of table. “Come Susan,” the creature said. We must get some supplies.

They spent the rest of the afternoon trekking to a nearby cave and back again. The supplies included comfortable mats for creatures to sit, and thereafter sleep on, and food for the evening. To her relief, there was some fruit and vegetables among the provisions stored in the cave. They also gathered firewood and soon had a fair pile ready to light when evening came. Susan realised that she might even be able to roast some of the food, rather than eat it all raw.

The most mysterious thing which Susan carried from the cave was a rough chest locked with a key. It was very small and relatively light. Hedegar refrained from telling her what was inside it, but simply made a cryptic reference to it being “both the answer to their questions and the solution to their problems.”

By the time the sun had set well below the Eagle's Table, the gathering spot had filled with creatures. Among them were a hare, a fox, and a strange black and white creature which looked like something of a cross between a badger and a weasel. Susan learned later that this creature was a honey badger (and a sweet creature she was indeed) who went by the name Ratel. There were also two reptiles; an old but friendly tortoise, and by far the largest lizard she had ever seen. Of insects, there were four; Gelinda the butterfly, and three honey bees, who were all brothers and very good friends with Ratel.

Of them all, the strangest creature there was a weaver bird. Although she had never seen this particular species of bird before, it was not that which made him strange. He was the last to arrive, and was received a little coolly by the rest of the group. Hedegar whispered to her, that he was a bit of a loner, and would vanish for months at a time. Although he seemed to be committed to the group, he was a little unpredictable. He appeared to have a good head about him, and had given excellent advice on occasion, but he would speak very little of his wanderings.

The strangest thing to Susan, however, had nothing to do with what Hedegar said. There was something about this bird. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the moment he made his way into the circle, she felt it; a kind of tingling sensation – joy mixed with fear; happiness mixed with sorrow. And familiarity. There was a strong sense of familiarity about him, but she couldn't work the source of it.

It had been a long two days, and Susan was exhausted. She decided that her mind was starting to imagine things, and brushed off the strange feeling. She couldn't remove it entirely, and it was still there, hiding in the corner of her mind, but she was able to ignore it for the time being.

She turned her attention to Hedegar who was inviting everyone to take their seats. The meeting was about to begin.

*-*-*-*

Hedegar, whether by convention or because he had called it, seemed to be chairing the meeting. He introduced everyone, leaving Susan till last.

“And this strange creature,” he concluded, “is the reason I have called you all together today. Her name is Susan, and she is a daughter of Eve. I found her wandering atop the Eagle's Table, and unable to find her way down. She's the one we have been waiting for all these years.” At this, the animals in the circle became motionless and began to stare at Susan with awe, and perhaps a little suspicion in their eyes.

Finally Loopel the hare spoke up. “But how do we know she's the one?” he said, looking at her sceptically, “She could be making it up. I can't imagine how such a strange looking creature could be of any help to us. Why, she doesn't have any fur – and she covers herself with that strange...stuff. If you ask me, we need proof of her validity before we go around trusting her.”

“It was she herself that told me she was a daughter of Eve,” answered Hedegar, a little irritated. “How would she have known that that was the very thing we were looking for?”
“Lucky guess,” scoffed Loopel, a little under his breath.
“I agree with Loopel,” hissed the lizard, who went by the name Akadis, “How do we know she's not an impostor? Maybe she knows we've been waiting for a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve, and has come here to trick us into trusting her. And what was she doing on top of the Eagle's Table anyway? How did she get there, if she couldn't find her way down?”

“If I may speak,” spoke up Vixel the fox, a little shyly, “There's something I've been wondering. I for one am inclined to trust the creature. I can't imagine her pretending to be a species she is not. But did not the prophesy suggest that a Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve would arrive together to save us? Why is she alone?”

There was silence for a while, when the Honey Badger suddenly spoke up, “That is a question which has always been in doubt. There is no one alive any more who remembers the original prophesy. It was translated from the old tongue and it has never been clear whether it spoke of a Son of Adam and a Daughter of Eve, or a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve. All we know is that those were the names we were to look out for. And now we have found one.”

“I still don't trust her,” said Loopel, “she needs to prove to us that she is who she says she is. I won't accept her unless I have solid proof she is who she claims to be!”

Throughout this conversation, Susan had become more and more uncomfortable. It didn't feel good to have your integrity questioned in front of a group of animals, but she knew that she too was wary of them and their intentions. She had also noticed that the weaver had been looking at her the whole time. He was staring at her now, with a look in his eyes, almost a sympathetic look, yet he seemed also to be challenging, encouraging her to speak up. She knew she would have to.

She stood up from the small boulder she had taken as a chair when the meeting began, and addressed the group, “Look here,” she said, “You creatures and us humans are not that different. We also want proof of what people say, evidence that they are genuine. But it is very seldom the case that we get that proof – at least not to start with. I would also like proof that everything you say is true; that there really is some prophesy about a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve. And that if and when you tell me what this prophesy is, that you will be telling me the truth about it.

“But sometimes...sometimes trust takes time to build, and it is only at the end, when we look back on what has happened that we can see whether others are being honest with us, and have done what they have done with genuine motives. Until then, it is up to us. Will we choose to believe them, or will we cower in fear and turn away from an opportunity just because someone might have been trying to fool us?

“I lived in a place once, where to turn away from an adventure because of fear of the unknown was considered 'cowardice'. That's not to say I have never been lied to, and never been fooled. But if you can't tell it at the beginning, you can usually tell pretty soon into the adventure (here she was speaking of various friendships, both on earth and in Narnia rather than actual adventures), whether someone is lying to you. When their words cease to match their actions, then you know something is wrong.

“But even that, you will never know unless you first take the risk of trusting them. You might then find yourself in a dangerous position, and it may be difficult to escape from the trap with which they have ensnared you, but who ever said adventures were safe things? You should almost expect to fall into a trap every so often – escaping from them is what makes you the victor in an adventure.”

Susan suddenly stopped. When had she ever spoken so eloquently of risk or adventure? She was the cautious Pevensie, the one who preferred to stay at home unless all risks had been analysed before hand, and weighed up. The speech she had given was more like something Peter would say. In fact, she realised now that parts of it had been the very words of Peter, as he encouraged her to join the others on the hunt for the white stag: the last adventure she and her siblings had taken as Kings and Queens of Narnia.

It was the first time she had thought seriously of her siblings since arriving. While she had warned herself not to fall into a trap as Edmund had done his first time in Narnia, she had not taken time to really think about them, and the fact that they were gone, and she would never see them again. And then she went on to remember the others she had lost: her parents, the Professor and Aunt Polly, Eustace and Jill. She was overwhelmed with sudden grief and sat down quickly. The animals just stared at her.

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