The Curse of the Orthana by Nick Tamboia

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The ferret swallowed hard as he glanced over at the Minotaur off to his left before replying, “I am. I was.”

“A Master Spy, as I recall you claiming,” Jadis went on to say. “Yet you were caught. Not very masterful for a spy, I would say.”

The ferret put a sad look on his face as he lowered his head. “I was, my lady, caught by Aslan himself.”

“Really?” Jadis sat upright, interested in this new news. “And I supposed you told him all about me and everything going on here.” That wasn’t a question, but more of an accusation.

“No,” the ferret replied. “He asked me nothing, other than to give you a message.”

Jadis made no remark to this. For a long moment she remained motionless, head tilted to the side, studying the ferret with her eyes. “And what message did the Great Talking Cat ask you to give me?”

Ringing his paws in a nervous gesture as he glanced again at the bull-headed guards, the ferret answered, “he said to tell you that all things have an ending. Even you. If you remain here in the north, your ending will be a peaceful one where you finally find rest. If you choose to go south into Narnia your ending will eventually be a violent one in which you will find no peace. No rest. The choice is yours.”

For a long moment Jadis remained as motionless as a statue as she looked at the ferret and the tension grew in the throne room to the point that the air actually became freezing cold.

“Well,” Jadis finally said with a huff she slumped back on her throne.

“Huh.” That came out in a thoughtful tone. She then held up her wand as if just noticing it. “While you were away in the south spying for me, well more like getting caught spying for me, I have learned a new skill. One that would impress even our blubbery goblin king friend in the west, what with his ability to use stone the way he does. Would you like to see it?”