Deep Magic
From the Dawn
of Time
N
ow we must get back to Edmund. When he had been
made to walk far further than he had ever known that
anybody could walk, the Witch at last halted in a dark
valley all overshadowed with fir trees and yew trees.
Edmund simply sank down and lay on his face doing nothing at all
and not even caring what was going to happen next provided they
would let him lie still. He was too tired even to notice how hungry and
thirsty he was. The Witch and the dwarf were talking close beside him
in low tones.
“No,” said the dwarf, “it is no use now, O Queen. They must have
reached the Stone Table by now.”
“Perhaps the Wolf will smell us out and bring us news,” said the
Witch.
“It cannot be good news if he does,” said the dwarf.
“Four thrones in Cair Paravel,” said the Witch. “How if only three
were filled? That would not fulfil the prophecy.”
“What difference would that make now that
He is here?” said the
dwarf. He did not dare, even now, to mention the name of Aslan to his
mistress.
Clive Staples Lewis72
“He may not stay long. And then — we would fall upon the three
at Cair.”
“Yet it might be better,” said the dwarf, “to keep this one” (here he
kicked Edmund) “for bargaining with.”
Yes! and have him rescued,” said the Witch scornfully.
“Then,” said the dwarf, “we had better do what we have to do at
once.”
“I would like to have it done on the Stone Table itself,” said the
Witch. “That is the proper place. That is where it has always been
done before.”
“It will be a long time now before the Stone Table can again be put
to its proper use,” said the dwarf.
“True,” said the Witch; and then, “Well, I will begin.”
At that moment with a rush and a snarl a Wolf rushed up to them.
“I have seen them. They are all at the Stone Table, with Him. They
have killed my captain, Maugrim. I was hidden in the thickets and saw
it all. One of the Sons of Adam killed him. Fly! Fly!”
“No,” said the Witch. “There need be no flying. Go quickly. Summon
all our people to meet me here as speedily as they can. Call out the
giants and the werewolves and the spirits of those trees who are on
our side. Call the Ghouls, and the Boggles, the Ogres and the
Minotaurs. Call the Cruels, the Hags, the Spectres, and the people of
the Toadstools. We will fight. What? Have I not still my wand? Will not
their ranks turn into stone even as they come on? Be off quickly, I
have a little thing to finish here while you are away.”
The great brute bowed its head, turned, and galloped away.
“Now!” she said, “we have no table — let me see. We had better put
it against the trunk of a tree.”
Edmund found himself being roughly forced to his feet. Then the
dwarf set him with his back against a tree and bound him fast. He saw
the Witch take off her outer mantle. Her arms were bare underneath it
and terribly white. Because they were so very white he could see
them, but he could not see much else, it was so dark in this valley
under the dark trees.
“Prepare the victim,”, said the Witch. And the dwarf undid Edmund’s
collar and folded back his shirt at the neck. Then he took Edmund’s
hair and pulled his head back so that he had to raise his chin. After
73The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe
that Edmund heard a strange noise — whizz whizz — whizz. For a
moment he couldn’t think what it was. Then he realised. It was the
sound of a knife being sharpened.
At that very moment he heard loud shouts from every direction — a
drumming of hoofs and a beating of wings — a scream from the Witch
— confusion all round him. And then he found he was being untied.
Strong arms were round him and he heard big, kind voices saying
things like -
“Let him lie down — give him some wine — drink this — steady now
— you’ll be all right in a minute.”
Then he heard the voices of people who were not talking to him but
to one another. And they were saying things like “Who’s got the
Witch?” “I thought you had her.” “I didn’t see her after I knocked the
knife out of her hand — I was after the dwarf — do you mean to say
she’s escaped?” “— A chap can’t mind everything at once — what’s
that? Oh, sorry, it’s only an old stump!” But just at this point Edmund
went off in a dead faint.
Presently the centaurs and unicorns and deer and birds (they were
of course the rescue party which Aslan had sent in the last chapter)
all set off to go back to the Stone Table, carrying Edmund with them.
But if they could have seen what happened in that valley after they
had gone, I think they might have been surprised.
It was perfectly still and presently the moon grew bright; if you had
been there you would have seen the moonlight shining on an old tree-
stump and on a fair-sized boulder. But if you had gone on looking you
would gradually have begun to think there was something odd about
both the stump and the boulder. And next you would have thought
that the stump did look really remarkably like a little fat man crouching
on the ground. And if you had watched long enough you would have
seen the stump walk across to the boulder and the boulder sit up and
begin talking to the stump; for in reality the stump and the boulder
were simply the Witch and the dwarf. For it was part of her magic that
she could make things look like what they aren’t, and she had the
presence of mind to do so at the very moment when the knife was
knocked out of her hand. She had kept hold of her wand, so it had
been kept safe, too.
When the other children woke up next morning (they had been
sleeping on piles of cushions in the pavilion) the first thing they heard
Clive Staples Lewis74
-from Mrs Beaver — was that their brother had been rescued and
brought into camp late last night; and was at that moment with Aslan.
As soon as they had breakfasted they all went out, and there they saw
Aslan and Edmund walking together in the dewy grass, apart from the
rest of the court. There is no need to tell you (and no one ever heard)
what Aslan was saying, but it was a conversation which Edmund
never forgot. As the others drew nearer Aslan turned to meet them,
bringing Edmund with him.
“Here is your brother,” he said, “and — there is no need to talk to
him about what is past.”
Edmund shook hands with each of the others and said to each of
them in turn, “I’m sorry,” and everyone said, “That’s all right.” And
then everyone wanted very hard to say something which would make
it quite clear that they were all friends with him again -something ordi-
nary and natural -and of course no one could think of anything in the
world to say. But before they had time to feel really awkward one of
the leopards approached Aslan and said,
“Sire, there is a messenger from the enemy who craves audience.”
“Let him approach,” said Aslan.
The leopard went away and soon returned leading the Witch’s dwarf.
“What is your message, Son of Earth?” asked Aslan.
“The Queen of Narnia and Empress of the Lone Islands desires a
safe conduct to come and speak with you,” said the dwarf, “on a
matter which is as much to your advantage as to hers.”
“Queen of Narnia, indeed!” said Mr Beaver. “Of all the cheek -”
“Peace, Beaver,” said Aslan. “All names will soon be restored to
their proper owners. In the meantime we will not dispute about them.
Tell your mistress, Son of Earth, that I grant her safe conduct on
condition that she leaves her wand behind her at that great oak.”
This was agreed to and two leopards went back with the dwarf to see
that the conditions were properly carried out. “But supposing she
turns the two leopards into stone?” whispered Lucy to Peter. I think the
same idea had occurred to the leopards themselves; at any rate, as
they walked off their fur was all standing up on their backs and their
tails were bristling — like a cat’s when it sees a strange dog.
“It’ll be all right,” whispered Peter in reply. “He wouldn’t send them
if it weren’t.”
A few minutes later the Witch herself walked out on to the top of the
75The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe
hill and came straight across and stood before Aslan. The three chil-
dren who had not seen her before felt shudders running down their
backs at the sight of her face; and there were low growls among all the
animals present. Though it was bright sunshine everyone felt suddenly
cold. The only two people present who seemed to be quite at their
ease were Aslan and the Witch herself. It was the oddest thing to see
those two faces — the golden face and the dead-white face so close
together. Not that the Witch looked Aslan exactly in his eyes; Mrs
Beaver particularly noticed this.
“You have a traitor there, Aslan,” said the Witch. Of course everyone
present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had got past
thinking about himself after all he’d been through and after the talk
he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem
to matter what the Witch said.
“Well,” said Aslan. “His offence was not against you.”
“Have you forgotten the Deep Magic?” asked the Witch.
“Let us say I have forgotten it,” answered Aslan gravely. “Tell us of
this Deep Magic.”
“Tell you?” said the Witch, her voice growing suddenly shriller. “Tell
you what is written on that very Table of Stone which stands beside
us? Tell you what is written in letters deep as a spear is long on the
firestones on the Secret Hill? Tell you what is engraved on the sceptre
of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea? You at least know the Magic which
the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that
every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every
treachery I have a right to a kill.”
“Oh,” said Mr Beaver. “So
that’s how you came to imagine yourself
a queen — because you were the Emperor’s hangman. I see.”
“Peace, Beaver,” said Aslan, with a very low growl. “And so,”
continued the Witch, “that human creature is mine. His life is forfeit to
me. His blood is my property.”
“Come and take it then,” said the Bull with the man’s head in a great
bellowing voice.
“Fool,” said the Witch with a savage smile that was almost a snarl,
“do you really think your master can rob me of my rights by mere
force? He knows the Deep Magic better than that. He knows that
unless I have blood as the Law says all Narnia will be overturned and
perish in fire and water.”
Clive Staples Lewis76
“It is very true,” said Aslan, “I do not deny it.”
“Oh, Aslan!” whispered Susan in the Lion’s ear, “can’t we — I mean,
you won’t, will you? Can’t we do something about the Deep Magic?
Isn’t there something you can work against it?”
“Work against the Emperor’s Magic?” said Aslan, turning to her with
something like a frown on his face. And nobody ever made that
suggestion to him again.
Edmund was on the other side of Aslan, looking all the time at
Aslan’s face. He felt a choking feeling and wondered if he ought to say
something; but a moment later he felt that he was not expected to do
anything except to wait, and do what he was told.
“Fall back, all of you,” said Aslan, “and I will talk to the Witch
alone.”
They all obeyed. It was a terrible time this — waiting and wondering
while the Lion and the Witch talked earnestly together in low voices.
Lucy said, “Oh, Edmund!” and began to cry. Peter stood with his
back to the others looking out at the distant sea. The Beavers stood
holding each other’s paws with their heads bowed. The centaurs
stamped uneasily with their hoofs. But everyone became perfectly
still in the end, so that you noticed even small sounds like a bumble-
bee flying past, or the birds in the forest down below them, or the
wind rustling the leaves. And still the talk between Aslan and the
White Witch went on.
At last they heard Aslan’s voice, “You can all come back,” he said.
“I have settled the matter. She has renounced the claim on your
brother’s blood.” And all over the hill there was a noise as if everyone
had been holding their breath and had now begun breathing again,
and then a murmur of talk.
The Witch was just turning away with a look of fierce joy on her face
when she stopped and said,
“But how do I know this promise will be kept?”
“Haa-a-arrh!” roared Aslan, half rising from his throne; and his great
mouth opened wider and wider and the roar grew louder and louder,
and the Witch, after staring for a moment with her lips wide apart,
picked up her skirts and fairly ran for her life.
