Archives

Complications and then Complications, a continuation of a fanfic of Narnia and Valdemar

Apr22

first: A Door in the Wall
Second: On the Other Side of the Door
Third: The Call Comes Again
Fourth: New Travelling Companions

It could not be hugging Horses forever, of course. Susan reluctantly released Leffen’s neck and stepped back, curtseying again to make up for her lack of manners. “My apologies again. Herald Soleck, Companion Leffen, you have a mission for us?”

“I do, yes. The first step of that mission is rest, however, and outfits more suitable for Valdemar. You have come from very far away, I believe, but we wish it not appear such to outsiders. Can you stand a short walk? Perhaps a candlemark?”

Susan could hazard a guess at a “candlemark,” but it did not really matter. She nodded at Peter’s raised eyebrow; she would walk all day if she had to, to be out in nature again, and to be on a mission again.

“We can walk that far,” Peter agreed. “As long as the terrain’s not too harsh.”

“We weren’t planning on being called to a strange land quite at this time,” Edmund offered. “Although I suppose we’re never planning on it, not truly.

“‘He’s not a tame lion,’” Lucy whispered. Susan forbore to comment, as she was still allowing herself some skepticism. It might not be Aslan, after all. He’d said they wouldn’t be allowed back into Narnia. And then to have allowed them into this new, strange world…”

“Leffen can carry two with ease,” Soleck offered, “if the younger two would like to ride, and the rest of us can walk.”

“Oh, could we?” Lucy’s eyes lit up, while Edmund grimaced.

“Let Susan ride with Lu. She’ll enjoy it more, and I don’t really need the ride.”

Susan jutted out her chin. “Oh Edmund, don’t be a pill. Ride with Lu, you know it will make her happy. I’m out of practice riding,” she added smoothly, “and it will hurt less to walk, if I’m being honest.” She watched Soleck curiously. He had defaulted to “the younger two” rather than “the two girls.” She found that very telling about him, at least, and perhaps the world.

Meanwhile, Leffen was laughing in their heads and nuzzling Lucy. ::Someone ride me. This saddle on my back isn’t for decoration, you know. And Edmund? Great kings have deigned to ride Companions before, sometimes even with their little sister.::

Edmund flushed angrily. “It’s not that! But why shouldn’t Susan ride with Lu and I walk? I’m not a cripple, you know!”

“Oh, dear.” Soleck coughed. “Leffen, we have stumbled, I believe, into some sort of cultural difference once again. I apologize, my friends.” He bowed to Edmund. “I meant no offense. Certainly we all believe all of us can walk, yes. But in this land of Valdemar, where we are standing right now—”

Susan stepped in. As much as she was fascinated by what this Herald was saying – or at least what he was implying – she could see that Edmund was not in the mood to be placated. “It’s all right, Soleck. If Leffen does not mind, I’ll ride with Lu.”

There was nothing Edmund could say to that without making himself look more the fool, a tantrum-prone child who hadn’t gotten his way, and it was clear he knew that. He forced a smile. “It’ll do good for you to be on a Horse’s back again, Susan,” he offered.

“It will,” Susan agreed. She swung herself up onto Leffen’s back, regretting her choice of an old dress one more time. It was quite unsuitable – but Herald Soleck did not seem to notice nor mind.

Instead, he was clearing his throat. “Ah. The Companions do not like to be confused with horses. They are quite a different creature, you see.”
::It’s all right, Soleck.:: Leffen nosed his Herald. ::They say “horse” but they are thinking “Horse,” which is quite fascinating. And “Cat.”::

Susan shook her head, as if to get dust out from between her ears. Having someone talk inside her mind was still quite strange. “In Narnia, where we…” She had almost said where we are from. “…were for quite a while, there are many, ah, many Beasts who are every bit as thinking people as human beings are. Horses and Cats…”

“Beavers!” Lucy put in.

“And Wolves,” Edmund added darkly.

::Fascinating.:: Leffen settled into a lazy walk which Soleck, Peter, and Edumund could easily keep up with. ::There are some beast-like things here which are sentient, but only Sun-Cats and Companions take the shape of something also found in a non-sentient form..::

“Other sentient animals?” Lucy pulled herself up straight. “Can we meet them?”

“Lu,” Peter scolded, “we’re on a mission, remember? We can’t go haring off to pet the – ah, to meet the other Animals when we were called here for a reason.”

Before Lucy could deflate, Susan intervened. “Perhaps when our mission is over?” she offered. “Or, Herald Soleck, Companion Leffen, I do not know how things are laid out here. Perhaps sometime on our visit, we could meet one of these Animals?”

::It is possible…:: Leffen began slowly, ::that we might encounter a kyree. Most of the others are far too far away for this particular trip, but I will… that is, we will see what we can do..::

“We will,” Soleck agreed, with solemn humor. “If the four of you can succeed where many others have failed, I believe a social visit is the least of what we will owe you.”

“Honestly, Lu—” Edmund began. Susan erred on the side of rudeness and turned to Soleck before Ed could finish.

“This quest, I don’t believe it’s been explained yet. Do you think you could help us out with that?” She left many things unsaid, like at least if you have a believable story, you’re likely not walking us into a trap and I suppose you must know we can help you, as Aslan sent us to your Firelord, but it would be nice to have some reassurance.

The look Soleck shot her suggested that he could guess at all of her unsaid things and hazard a decent assumption about why she’d spoken when she had, too. The smile made her chest do something strange.

And she wanted to hug him – or give him a job in the court she had once had – when he said none of that at all, nor showed it in his voice.

“Certainly, I can tell you about this mission. I apologize; I was too engrossed in getting you to a place of comfort and proper clothing. This mission, you see, is all about our missing Prince.” He had dropped his voice down into a conversational murmur. “But we cannot allow it to be heard around that he is missing, or people will fret, and perhaps political maneuverings will become… tricky.”

“So,” Peter summed up, just as quietly, “you’re looking for someone you can’t admit is missing, so having outsiders who nobody knows to watch out for look for him is an ideal plan.”

“Exactly.” Soleck beamed happily, his smile just as quickly fading. “However, it is still more complicated, as well.”

Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1102542.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1094098.html. You can comment here or there. comment count unavailable

New Travelling Companions, a continuation of a fanfic of Narnia and Valdemar

Jul30

first: A Door in the Wall
Second: On the Other Side of the Door
Third: The Call Comes Again

The Pevensies found themselves alone again, in front of a strange forest in a strange land.

The four of them shared a long and thoughtful look.

“I have to say,” Peter admitted after a moment, “I feel underdressed.”

“We are, however, less under-armed than we were a few moments ago,” Susan pointed out. She was glad it had not been her who’d admitted to feeling improperly clothed, but she certainly was feeling much the same. A Queen wore raiment. A school-girl on a lark wore her brother’s hand-me-down pants and a blouse to grubby for wearing out.

“It doesn’t matter.” Lucy’s smile was back, her proper smile, bright and gleaming. “We’re Kings and Queens the same whether we’re in wellies and mackintoshes or in gowns and crowns.”

Edmund chuckled. “Always the same, Lu, cheerful and bright.” He patted her on the back companionably. “And you’re right. You’ve got your proper gifts, and I’ve got —” He looked down at the mace thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve got a proper gift, too.”

The sound of hoof-beats approaching stilled their chatter. Without discussion, without even a sign from Peter, the four of them fell into a combat formation. Susan found herself drawing an arrow as if they had never left Narnia, the movements smooth and comfortable.

The whitest, largest horse Susan had ever seen trotted into sight. Its rider was showing off, she realized; the mount was doing dance steps, curvetting and side-stepping as they approached.

And on the horse’s back — or, she realized, perhaps the Horse’s back — the rider was dressed all in white as well. The horse’s tack was all white with very pale blue barding, and bells jangled on the barding.

The rider was dark-skinned, darker even than the Calormen, but with a beak-like nose that seemed almost familiar to Susan. His long hair was braided up into a crown, wrapped around the rider’s head, almost like a turban.

His eyes were the sort of black that you could get lost in. Susan stifled a reaction. She steadied her aim and watched the rider’s movements.

He lifted both hands carefully, showing they were empty. “Greetings.” Even his accent sounded like the Calormen. “I believe you were expecting me. I am Soleck; this is Leffen.” He moved one hand to pat the horse’s neck as he introduced him — him; Susan realized; the great white horse was a stallion. The horse, in turn, exhibited a lovely bow. “And I am told that you are here to help us in our current, ah, quest. These things are true? You are the kings and queens from a far distant place? Susan and Peter, Lucy and Edmund?”

They all stayed frozen for a moment. Peter was the first to relax, the first to smile. He stepped forward, his hand off his sword hilt and a wide smile on his face.

Of course, Susan knew, he was still playing the protector, as always. If this was a ruse, Peter would be the first to be hit, and the others would have a chance to flee or retaliate. She lowered her bow, but did not put it up just yet. They were in a strange land, with no easy route home, and they did not know the rules yet.

While she assessed, Peter was holding out his hand to the stranger. “That’s us,” he agreed. “I am Peter. These are my brother and my sisters.”

Susan noted that he did not say King Peter. Their kingdom, after all, was so far far away.

The man leaned down from his saddle and shook the proffered hand. “A pleasure to meet you. I assure you all, I mean you no harm, and neither does Leffen. Here.” He slid out of his saddle and held his hands away from his belt, showing himself to be unarmed. “What the Sunlord has sent, I will not turn away.”

The Sunlord again. Susan itched for a text on comparative religion. In Narnia, where Aslan had walked among them, there had been very little religion, and it had been quite easy to sort out. In other nations — and back on Earth — it had been a different matter entirely.

Peter was bowing to the ambassador. “We have been sent, it seems,” he allowed, “and we’ve learned better than to question Aslan’s will in these matters. I suppose that makes us allies.”

“This Aslan, he is the one who sent you?”

“So we were told, and so, in this case, we believe. Tesnel — that is the Firecat — told us that a ‘companion’ would arrive to explain things. Is that you, then?”

“Ah. Well, Leffen is the Companion, and I am his Herald.”

At that, Leffen demonstrated such a gracious head-nod bow that Susan had to believe he was a Horse and not merely a horse. If there was anything about Narnia that Susan missed most of all — and it was hard to say, because she missed all of Narnia so much that it hurt even to think of it — it was Horses, and specifically her favorite Horse Carter, who had carried her right to the edge of the Lantern Waste after so many more glorious adventures.

She moved forward, putting up her bow and arrow now, but even as she was stepping towards the Horse — for he must be greeted too, of course, and he was the one that Tesnel had send to them — she could see that Soleck had tensed. He had introduced Leffen, but had he intended them to speak to the Horse?

Susan changed her direction mid-stride. She was hampered only slightly by her lack of skirts as she curtseyed deeply, for a Queen of course must be polite in any and every situation. She aimed her genuflection directly between Soleck and Leffen. “Herald Soleck, Companion Leffen, I am pleased to meet you. I am Susan.”

::I like her.:: Leffen took a step forward and very neatly nosed Susan’s hair. ::These are the ones, all right.::

“Lu, come on.” Susan gestured her sister over with a hand-wave far less queenly than her dignity might have like. “He smells just like Carter. Exactly! I mean.” She stepped back before she could throw her arms around the Horse’s neck. “I apologize, sir. You remind me of someone I once knew.” She paused, her eyes travelling over to Soleck, who was watching her with mouth open and eyebrows raised so far as to be sitting in his braids. “You both remind me of people I once knew.”

::Sir?:: Leffen stepped forward to nuzzle at Susan’s shoulder again. ::I like her very much.::

Fifth: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1094098.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/963929.html. You can comment here or there.

The Call Comes Again, a continuation of a fanfic of Narnia and Valdemar

Jul7

first: A Door in the Wall
Second: On the Other Side of the Door

…Perhaps you could find the help that you needed as well

Susan looked at Edmund, who was frowning. She looked at Lucy, who wore a smile which was at the same time hopeful and very confused. She looked finally at Peter, who was looking what she thought of as Kingly.

Help that they needed? What could it be that they all needed together?

Peter took a step forward. He bowed politely to the cat and cleared his throat. “Please,” he said, sounding so much like a schoolboy that it hurt Susan to listen. Who was this shy boy? “Where are we? And who am I speaking to?”

::You are in the southernmost corner of a nation called Valdemar, in a world that is not that which you were born on, nor the same world as your Narnia. And I am Tesnel. I am a Firecat, a representative of Vkandis Sunlord.:: The Cat – Firecat, Susan supposed – took a moment to groom herself. ::I was chosen to speak to you because of your affinity towards other catlike avatars of the gods. And… we need your help.::

Well, that was certainly an introduction. Susan, as she had so often done with Animals in Narnia, sat down on the ground to be closer to eye level with the Firecat. “What is it you need our help with? And, I’m sorry, but… do you have any proof?”

::Your time in both lives has made you cynical, Daughter of Eve.:: The cat did not sound as if she disapproved.

“Susan–” Peter began, but the cat cut him off.

::And I have brought some gifts for you that I believe may help you trust.:: The cat blinked, and a pile of objects appeared in front of her.

This was a magic Susan had not seen before, fascinating and strange. To make things appear out of nowhere! But the objects themselves — that was even more fascinating.

“Is that… is that my bow?” She knelt down, remembering at the last moment to wait politely for the others.

Edmund hung back, but, then again, Edmund had not received a present from Father Christmas all those years ago. Poor Edmund, Susan thought suddenly, to be reminded forever of what had really been one foolish, childish mistakes. As if none of the rest of them had ever done anything silly!

::Step forward, King Edmund. you have not been forgotten. Father Christmas, I am told, made a special trip for you.:: The Firecat nudged a package forward, wrapped in red paper with golden ribbons. ::Open it.::

Susan looked at Lucy, who was cradling her gifts. She looked at Peter, who was checking the line of his sword and posing. She looked back to Edmund, who was staring at the small package nervously.

::You were called the Just, and although it may not be fair that your gifts have waited so much longer than those of your siblings, it is just, for these gifts will serve you in much greater stead here in Valdemar.:: Tesnel pushed the package towards Edmund with a paw. ::Open it, King Edmund.::

Susan sat down next to her younger brother. “Open them, Ed. It’s okay.”

“You know why Father Christmas didn’t give me gifts when he gave them to the rest of you lot.” Edmund did not look at Susan; he was staring at the wrapped parcels. “I don’t deserve these.”

“I say,” Susan said, as firmly as she could muster, “that if Father Christmas says that now is the time for these presents, well then, you oughtn’t do him a disservice by ignoring them. Come on, Ed. It’s time.”

Edmund pierced her with a look, such an inscrutable look that Susan struggled not to gasp. “‘It’s time’, says Queen Susan. Then I guess it must be.” He opened the package, his fingers seeming to tremble on the wrappings.

::To be just,:: Tesnel seemed to whisper in their minds, ::you need both strength and understanding. The mace is an ugly weapon, King Edmund, that you remember that war is ugly and use it only when needed. And the vial, well, that offers understanding. One drop on your tongue, and you will speak any language. One in your ear, and you will understand any speech. One drop on your eyes, and you may read or write any language.::

Edmund managed a thank you that was rather stammered. To Susan’s eyes, he looked stunned. He touched the gifts again, as if reassuring himself that they were truly there.

::You will all have need of yours gifts soon, I’m afraid.:: Tesnel bowed her head. ::You have been called here because, as Narnia once was, Valdemar is now: they are in need of help. Soon, a companion will arrive to explain things to you. But know this, children of another land, kings and queens of Narnia: :: The firecat looked solemn and serious, in the way they had only known one other feline to look. ::This is not an easy road, but it is a necessary one. And it may be that you four are the only ones who can walk it.::

The firecat wiggled its whiskers, a gesture that should have been comical and was instead sad, and was gone, leaving the four of them standing alone in front of a strange forest.

Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/963929.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/958642.html. You can comment here or there.

On the Other Side of the Door, a continuation of a fanfic of Narnia and ???

May26

first: A Door in the Wall
II.
Peter insisted on leading the way, of course. “I wish I had my sword.”

“Fat lot of good it would do you, climbing through a tunnel,” Edmund scoffed. The tunnel – for indeed the door opened into a tunnel, planked in wood and about hip-high on Peter, who was still the tallest of them. “Do you remember that time—”

“Hsst.” It was all three of them at once shushing him. Edmund colored but closed his mouth; he knew as well as they all did that one did not speak of Narnia where grown-ups might be listening. And in this place, with tunnels in the walls, who knew who might be listening?

“I’ll go second, then,” Edmund allowed, with poor grace but at least a little common sense. “Lu, you bring up the rear. And remember—”

“Of course, Edmund.” Lucy sighed loudly. “I shan’t close the door all the way behind me.”

“Lu, there’s no need to be like that.” Peter dropped down to his knees and clambered into the tunnel. “Edmund, do you have a torch?”

“I have two.” Edmund pursed his lips and then, making some sort of decision, passed one of his torches to Lucy. “Hold up, Peter, don’t go without us.” He hurried through the doorway.

Susan followed behind him, glad she had chosen to wear trousers. She could hear Lucy behind her and see the beam of the torch, although the tunnel was far less dark than one would suppose.

“It seems to go on a long time,” Peter called back. “It made a right turn, but it’s still going. Shouldn’t there be a wall here?”

Susan came to the right turn. The wood was very smooth under her hands and knees, and chilly, more like stone than wood. “I wonder what they built it for?”

“Maybe,” Lucy’s voice seemed to light up, “they were smuggling weapons. Or perhaps people. You could sleep in here all right, and if you turned the corner, even if someone found the doorway, they wouldn’t see you right away.”

It was on the tip of Susan’s tongue to say Honestly, Lucy or just Oh, Lu, the way she’d done so many times recently. But something about the tunnel made her remember another passage that had gone on a very long time, and she found something kinder to say instead.

“Perhaps they liked mysteries. I do wonder what’s above this space, though.”

It felt pleasant to be nice to Lucy. Things had been so ragged between them lately, especially since Lu and Edmund’s last visit to Narnia. Susan couldn’t remember the last time she’d giggled with her sister, the way they had when they were younger, especially when the boys were being gits.

“I think I… oh. I think I found something. Hurry up, Edmund.” Peter’s voice sounded strange, far-away and strained. Susan bit her lip. He’d sounded like that once when a Calormene archer caught him badly in the gut with a nasty, barbed arrow. Had he found some sort of rat-trap or other awful thing? Had he-

“Oh, girls, hurry up!” Edmund’s voice was all excitement. “You’ve got to see this!”

Susan’s worry flooded away, and in the space it had left, she found herself scolding. “Edmund, do hush. You don’t want them all to know we’re crawling around in here, do you?”

“I don’t think that’s a problem, Susan. Come on!”

Something in his voice spurred her on; his voice, and something in the air. She could feel a breeze, a breeze with a touch of spring seeming to waft in on it. “Oh, Lu,” she murmured. Her heart was pounding and she was moving along the passage as quickly as she could.

And then all of a sudden there was no more passage, and her vision was obscured by bright sunlight. Peter offered her both hands; it had to be Peter, because nobody else had those ridiculous sword-callouses he thought nobody would notice.

“Are we—” Her throat was tight.

“I don’t think so.” Her brother sounded apologetic, not at all as if they had just come through a secret passage into the sunlight. “Here. Look around, tell me what you think.”

That was something new since they had returned from Narnia.

Peter had not previously been all that interested in Susan’s opinion on matters outside the house or their siblings, but, as if he’d gotten used to the idea while they’d all been reigning Kings and Queens, now he tended to look for ideas outside himself.

Susan looked around. Behind them was dense forest, dark and heavy. She could see, very vaguely, the tunnel they had come through; Lucy was climbing out of it now. To their right, hills rose up into mountains in the distance, and to their left, there was more forest.

The forest behind them gave off a sensation of watching, at the same time similar to and entirely different from the talking trees of Narnia.

“This is no place I have ever stood nor rode in Narnia, nor in any other land in that realm.” She found herself putting on what she thought of as her Queen Susan voice and what the girls in school had taken to calling her Snotty and Full of Herself voice. “It is – it’s not Narnia. I don’t think it could be.”

“Then where is it? Where could we possibly be, if not Narnia?” Lucy was looking around desperately. She wore a sad smile on her face, one that was at once desperate and eager. “It could have changed, Susan, you know that time passes so fast sometimes in Narnia.”

Susan closed her eyes, feeling a breeze on her face that had never touched Aslan’s mane. “It could have, Lu,” she agreed slowly. Aslan had told them all that Narnia was closed to them. They had gotten to old. “Or… we could have a brand new adventure, the four of us.”

::We are hoping that you might::

Susan knew that she was not the only one that jumped. The voice – the voice had appeared in their heads, rather than taking the normal route through the ears. She had been so certain they were alone in their little clearing. Had she become so lax with city living that she had not noticed someone sneaking up on them?

Her first glance around showed no-one. She slowly lowered her hand from her shoulder, where her quiver ought to have been, and saw Peter’s hand drop from his hip, where his sword would have ridden.

Edmund, however, was staring at… she hadn’t thought to look down; how long had it been since she had been in Narnia? Down, where the mouse could already be stabbing you…

And a very tall cat – very likely a Cat – was sitting there, very peaceably. It reminded Susan of a Siamese cat, with its pointed face and very tall ears. Those ears were rust-colored, as was its muzzle and paws, giving the impression of a white cat who’d gotten itself a bit dirty.

::Harrumph. I have not been playing in any old armories, thank you very much:: The Cat’s lips did not move, but the cant of its ears assured Susan that it, indeed, was doing the talking. ::Welcome to Valdemar, children. It was thought that you could help us here and, in doing so, perhaps you could find the help that you needed as well.::

Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/958642.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/945222.html. You can comment here or there.

A Door in the Wall, a beginning of a fanfic of Narnia and ???

Apr10

warning: small cliffhanger.

Susan Pevensie had been tempted, when she found the secret doorway in her room, to keep it to herself.

The four of them were staying at a house in the country for summer and, while it wasn’t nearly as nice or as large as the place where once they had found a world in a wardrobe, it was solid, and old, and full of strange passageways where there shouldn’t have been any – including in the room Susan had been given, just behind the mirror.

It was quite tempting to sneak through on her own, to see what was behind the door and, for once, have an adventure she didn’t have to share. Lu and Edmund had gotten to go back to Narnia, a tiny part of her brain whispered. However, the more sensible part of her mind suggested that, while there was nothing at all like being a King or Queen in Narnia to be had in the whole world and, yes, Lu and Edmund had gotten one more chance at it, but they were all in the same boat now. And if they were all cut off from Narnia, it would be nothing but cruelty to explore without them.

(In the end, Susan was not only a sensible sort, but, while she had been named fairly Queen Susan the Gentle, she could just as well have been named the Fair.)

And so, despite the door just about staring at her from behind the mirror, despite the feeling of adventure just beckoning her, Susan waited until after dinner, until the adults who were minding them had gone off to play chess and left them, it was assume, to more childish pursuits. Only then did she beckon them all into her room.

“This had better not be about makeup.” Lucy had been nearly unbearable about certain things for the last couple years: Make-up, boys, school-work. It was as if she felt Susan was betraying her. Since Susan was intending nothing of the sort, she had settled for sighing and ignoring Lucy’s outbursts.

This time, however, she found her temper a little pricked. “Of course I wouldn’t want to torment you with anything so vile, Lu. No make-up, no clothing – wear something old and durable, all right?”

“That’s clothing, Susan.”

“But it’s not fashion.” Susan desperately hoped that Lucy outgrew this phase soon. Please? Hurry.”

Something about her voice must have caught their attention. The door could be nothing, of course. But it had been so carefully hidden, so very neatly crafted. If Susan had not dropped a hair-comb behind the mirror, she may have never found it at all.

It was Peter who gave her the strangest looks. “We’ll be right there, Susan,” he assured her. Always the big brother, always the King.

It seemed to take them forever to make their way from their own rooms to Susan’s room. They had to make certain the adults were really ignoring them, of course, and Lucy had actually changed into something old and durable. Susan had taken the time to do the same, putting on an older dress, the one she liked for picnics and other outdoor pursuits. If they were going to be crawling about – for the door only reached to her shoulder – she wanted to be prepared.

“Well?” Edmund looked at Susan impatiently. “What it is? Only there was a book I was going to read tonight…”

Susan felt a sensation like flying coming over her. She found her lips curling into a silly smile, which was quite unlike her. “Oh, Edmund,” she teased. “When did you become so boring?”

“What is it, Susan?” Even Peter sounded a bit impatient now. Susan’s smile grew wider.

With a flourish, she pushed the large mirror aside.

“It’s… a wall, Susan.” Edmund sounded particularly snotty.

“No, not just a wall.” The trigger was on the floor, right where nobody would ever put their foot, but where they might put a hand if they were picking up a hair-comb. Susan leaned on it until the door clicked open. “It’s a doorway.”

next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/945222.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/921310.html. You can comment here or there.