Just a short snippet...



After scouring the campground and chatting with some of the other warriors milling around, the trio did indeed stumble across a map. It took a bit of deciphering, but it was finally determined the campground was north of Cair Paravel, very close to a place called the Stone Table.

"Which means if we head in this direction, we should find the White Witch's camp," Sora explained as they headed down the path. The campground was now just a cluster of red and gold splotches against the hillside. The woods stretched before them, thick and twisted...not nearly as inviting as Aslan's camp out in the sun. Beyond the woods stood two enormous hills, their edges still tipped with snow.

Donald looked back at the camp ruefully. As usual, Sora had dragged them on another rescue mission without any kind of backup. Even Goofy appeared to be unsure about this situation. "You sure we're goin' the right way?"

Sora paused. He felt a distinct coldness on the air that seeped beneath his skin, and his hooves pawed the grass with uneasy instinct. He knew the feeling all too well. There's Heartless around here.

"Yeah, we're going the right way," Sora replied, his face set. "Let's keep our guard up."

The trio did not get far into the thick of the forest before Heartless began appearing. Mostly is was Shadows, Driller Moles and Rabids slithering up from the ground and poking out from behind trees. Sora willed the Keyblade into his hands, ready for battle, but barely even needed to use it. He stomped his shorter opponents into the ground with his hooves. Donald and Goofy finished off the others with a fire spell and some well-placed knocks from the shield.

"Somebody would've heard that," Donald warned, sweeping his eyes across the trees.

"Then let's hurry!" Sora said, giving them an encouraging grin. His canter sped up to a gallop, leaving the knight and magician to chase after him. Sora could hear noises growing louder and more distinct around them, and his heart beat faster at the thrill of battle. All we gotta do is find a boy who looks like his brother and sisters, and we'll be home free!

However, the first creature they stumbled across was neither a human nor a Heartless. A huge, black-and-gray wolf barred his path, and leered up at him with cold amber eyes. "Intrud—"

Sora didn't waste a minute. He reared up on his hind legs and landed the wolf two swift kicks to the head. Donald swooped down and finished it off with a thunder spell, giving it no chance to so much as protest.

In a moment, the forest was thick with enemies. Mingling among the usual Heartless were the Witch's wolves, trolls, minotaurs and other nasty creatures. They stomped at the ground with cloven hooves and bared yellow, snaggly teeth. The three faced them down with their own weapons ready. "I'm gonna search for Edmund! You guys cover me!" Sora declared, and they nodded in compliance.

Sora charged through the trees, swinging the Keyblade at anything and everything that stood in his way. Those that didn't get slashed open or knocked out were trampled beneath his hooves. He soon found himself sparring with a shaggy mountain of a minotaur, but Goofy barged in and knocked it flat. Sora shot him a smile and leaped over the fallen minotaur. His eyes scanned the forest, searching for anything that looked like it wouldn't attack them...

There!

On his distant right, a boy in dark hair and torn clothes sat tied to a tree. A gag was tied around his mouth, preventing him from crying for help against his own attacker. A rather ugly dwarf in a heavy coat and red stocking cap was holding a knife to the boy's throat.

"Is the little prince happy with his royal treatment?" the dwarf sneered, failing to notice the chestnut-red centaur that reared up behind him. He turned around just in time for one well-placed hoof to slam into his chest. The dwarf toppled over with a breathless wheeze.

Satisfied, Sora turned to the boy and drew the Keyblade, causing an even more terrified look to cross his face. Sora gave him a reassuring smile and pointed the Keyblade at the ropes. A spurt of fire from the Key dissolved the ropes with a tired snap. Finally realizing this was a rescue, the boy reached up and untied the gag in his mouth, sputtering gratefully for air.

"You're Edmund, right?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, but who're—"

"We're from Aslan's camp!" Sora interrupted, and got to his knees so that he was level with Edmund. "Climb on! We're getting out of here."

Edmund paused for one bewildered moment before finally clambering onto Sora's back. Sora nearly buckled under the new weight, but regained his equilibrium quickly and took off at a gallop. Edmund gripped at his sides for dear life, indicating he was just as unsure about this as Sora.

Sora spotted a faun and miniature griffin through the trees, beating back a gang of wolves and Armored Knights. "Donald! Goofy! We did it, let's head back!"

Following his signal, Donald and Goofy cut across the forest and rejoined them. The battered and beaten Heartless could in no way keep up with Sora's galloping, and he flashed them back a victory smirk before picking up to full speed.

"That showed 'em!" Donald exclaimed, now fully confident as he took the air.

The three heroes and their recovered rescuee failed to notice the thin, slow figure dressed from head to toe in white furs and crystal that appeared from behind the trees. She watched them retreat out of the woods with pursed lips and eyes of poisonous ice. When they had disappeared over the horizon, she turned back to the fallen dwarf.

"That young centaur...the one using a key for a weapon...has he been seen before?" Every word in her voice dripped with carefully-controlled malice, as if she were squeezing blood from a stone.

The dwarf, having the wind kicked out of him, was unable to answer. She gave him a murderous sneer. "Ready my sleigh. We need to pay a visit to Aslan's so-called 'army'."