Chronicles Of Narnia Fan Fiction / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Fiction ❯ The Lion, the Cat and the Turtles ❯ The Flying Litter ( Chapter 12 )

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Tashbaan, the capital city of Calormen, has by several people been described as "one of the wonders of the world." Surrounded as it is by a great river that conveniently splits in two around it and washes the mighty city gates, and filled as it is with magnificent palaces and gardens, Tashbaan is certainly one of the grandest cities of that world, and it's not uncommon at all for visitors to be quite overwhelmed by its splendor.

At least, they are when they see it from a distance. It's slightly different when they actually enter it, because -- particularly in the lower parts of the city, far away from the palace of the Tisroc and the temple of Tash -- Tashbaan is also without comparison the most crowded, noisiest, smelliest place in all of Calormen.

Here, the cries of water-sellers, merchants and beggars mix with the barking of dogs, whinnying of horses and cries of "Way, way, way for the Tarkaan" or "Way, way, way for the Seventh Vizier" -- for in Tashbaan there is only one traffic rule, namely that everyone has to yield for those who are more important than them. Which is all well and good if you're a Tarkaan or an Ambassador or anything like that, but if you're a commoner, a poor man or a humble merchant, it can get tiresome to constantly get out of the way and press yourself against house walls in the narrowest streets just because a huge procession carrying a Tarkeena is going past. And of course, complaining doesn't help at all, unless you think it helps to receive sharp jabs from the blunt end of a spear and getting yelled at.

Still, the Calormenes love their capital city and wouldn't want it any other way.

And it hardly ever gets any other way either. No matter what may happen to the nobles and Tisrocs of Calormen, the ones who think themselves so very important, Tashbaan life is unstoppable. The gossip and scandals that the upper classes live and breathe generally mean nothing down in the hustle and bustle of downtown Tashbaan -- and even if a Tisroc should die or, say, incidentally get revealed as a usurper and fake, it's hardly enough to stop the daily lives of the commoners in the city. There are still families to be fed, horses to be shod, slaves to be ordered around, gardens to be tended, food to be grown, wares to be sold and bought.

And this day, as any other day, all these things were happening in abounds in Tashbaan, the current happenings of the Palace of the Tisroc, which were to play such an important role in Calormen history, never even realized by the common man in the street at the time.

Neither was the fact that high above them, at this very moment, a huge litter, of the very type that the Tisroc himself used to travel in whenever he left his palace, was flying through the air -- not carried by slaves, as is the usual way for litters like that to be moved forward, but flying like a bird, seemingly under its own power. It was a sight that would have shocked and confused the citizens of Tashbaan, if any of them had looked up during the very short time it took for the fast-moving litter to fly over the city.

As it was, the only one who saw the strange sight was a captain of the City Watch, who had just taken a break from his demanding duties with a few glasses of wine down at an inn, and who upon seeing the flying litter immediately went to dunk his head in cold water and swear to himself, by the gods and the sun and the moon and the stars, that he would never drink on the job again.

(The resolve lasted one week, after which he once again got blind drunk and fell asleep on the job, but that doesn't really have anything to do with this story.)

On the roof of the flying litter, invisible even to the drunk captain, Asheena sat cross-legged, starting fixedly ahead as they flew -- and inside, in between a myriad of soft pillows, April, Splinter and the two Turtles were making themselves as comfortable as they could.

"Y'know," said Raphael, leaning back amongst the pillows. "When that genie said she'd provide us with transportation, I was certain it'd be a flyin' carpet."

"Well," said Donatello thoughtfully, "probably a carpet wouldn't be as convenient as this. It'd probably be cold, and windy, and much easier to fall off, especially if it was going as fast as we seem to be doing now." He glanced out the side entrance, where the curtains were whipping in the wind. "Funny how you never think about those details when you hear the stories. You think Asheena's all right up there?"

"I think so, Donatello," said Splinter. "From what I surmise, you cannot hold a genie to the same physical laws as everyone else. She will be fine."

"Yeah." April toyed with the wooden box, still in her hand. "I have to say, I'm not crazy about this 'slave-djinn' business, though. The fact that she has to obey every whim of whoever carries this box..."

"Not exactly a cheerful prospect," Don agreed. "And from what she said, that trick of 'wishing her free', like in that Aladdin movie, won't work..."

"No?"

"Unbreakable curse, remember? But... you know, there is another, very simple solution to it. You see --" Don was interrupted here by Asheena, who appeared next to them in a puff of red smoke.

"We are now over the desert," she announced. "Oh, I do beg your pardon," she added as the Turtle started coughing, having inhaled some of the smoke. "Here." She snapped her fingers and handed the suddenly-materialized goblet over to him, as the smoke cleared and vanished far quicker than any amount of smoke, however small, has any right to.

Don sipped from the goblet, eyes widening slightly. "What's this?" he asked.

"Diamond juice," said Asheena.

"Diamond juice?"

"It is very rare, so I don't wonder that you have not heard of it. Deep in the kingdom of Bism, where the gnomes dwell, you find the living gems and precious metals -- growing and edible, like fruits. Few surface-dwellers have ever tasted them, but Ardazhin was quite partial to diamond juice. There is nothing quite like it for clearing up a cough."

"I... see," said Don, clearly not seeing at all, but after a while taking another sip of the juice anyway.

"Not ta be rude or anything," said Raph, looking at Asheena, "but if you're in here, who's drivin' this thing?"

"Nobody. I have enchanted the litter to take us straight to where your brother is, and so it will." Asheena smiled. "And so, we shall cross the desert and enter Narnia in style! True, we have no carriers, or guards, or criers, or dancing slave girls to accompany us, but who needs those things when we are soaring through the air, faster than any eagle could fly?"

"And you're certain it'll take us to Leo?"

"Absolutely. We know that he is here in this world, so all I needed to do was set a basic tracking spell. Narnia is a land of many and diverse creatures, but as far as I know, there are not very many -- What did you call yourselves again? Ninja Turtles?"

"As good a description as any."

"Very well. Ninja Turtles. Unless things have changed a lot, there are none in Narnia at this time, save for your brother. So tracking him should be simplicity itself, whether I, as you say, drive this thing or not. So please, relax. We shall have crossed the desert in an hour or so, and after that, Archenland will take less than half that time, and then -- Narnia!" Asheena smiled again.

"Not very far, is it?" said Donatello, having finished his diamond juice.

"No more than a few days' travel away, even for those who travel by slower means than we do now," said Asheena. "Over the desert, and as the horse runs, two or three days -- four, at the most. The countries are closer than most Calormenes think."

"I did wonder about that." Don looked at her curiously. "If the lands are so close to one another, then how come the climates are so different as you say they are? If I understand you correctly, Narnia and Archenland have a much colder climate, even with snow in the winter... and all that separates the two is this desert? How does that work?"

"I would not know," said Asheena, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "There is an old story, though, that claims that the desert was created back when this world was still young, during this world's first and only open battle between Tash and Alan. The story goes that the two fought, without pause, for three days and three nights... who came out of the fight as the victor depends whether you ask a Narnian or a Calormenese, though."

"The Calormenes say that Tash sent Aslan packing, and the Narnians claim that Aslan kicked Tash's keister?" said Raphael with a smirk.

"More or less," said Asheena. "The area where they had fought, though, had been completely destroyed... thereby creating the very desert we are flying over now; vast and lifeless. Such is the power of Aslan... and of Tash." She smiled. "Of course, the Narnians go on to say that Aslan returned afterwards and created the great oasis in the middle of the desert... a place of lush greens, fresh water and sweet fruits. To remind people that hope springs eternal and even in places of death you may find life."

"Very poetic," said Raph. "Is that story even true?"

Asheena shrugged. "Who knows? It was long before my time, and I know none who witnessed the battle themselves, if indeed it took place at all. But they say that the Tombs of the Ancient Kings, which we left behind a while ago, were raised at the edge of the desert for all those who fell in that battle. The people of Tashbaan still swear that the Tombs are haunted to this very day, and do not go near them if they can help it."

"Yet they built their city within walking distance from them," said Splinter, sounding somewhat amused.

"I believe that was mostly for keeping an eye on the ghouls, should they ever get it into their heads to leave the Tombs," said Asheena. "As far as I know, this has not happened yet. O highly esteemed Tashbaan, wonder of the world," she added, almost to herself. "Tashbaan of the white walls, the lemon trees and the crowded streets. Tashbaan of the thousand stories, the ten thousand lies and the hundred thousand superstitions. Though my life within your walls was slavery, I shall miss you greatly."

"Asheena," said April, looking a little guilty. "You don't have to say goodbye to your home forever. There's nothing to stop you from returning here afterwards -- I mean, after you've helped us find Leonardo and gotten us back to our own world, you could easily..."

"You are most generous," said Asheena. "But I will go where my Mistress goes. Should your path lead to another world, then so shall mine. Besides," she added, "I doubt I'll be welcome in Tashbaan for the future, now that the entire story with my magic having enchanted everyone into accepting Ardazhin as Tisroc is out."

"But you weren't doing it of your own free will," said April. "Doesn't that count for something?"

Asheena shook her head. "Whether I did it willingly or not is beside the point. I still did it. I saw their faces -- my fellow wives, the slaves, the sons and daughters... they will want nothing more to do with me. To them, I shall forever remain the djinn who robbed them of their free will." For a moment, there was a glimmer of sadness in her eyes, but then she pulled herself together. "But let us not think of that now. Ardazhin has been removed from the throne, and hopefully whoever they chose as his successor will rule Calormen wisely... that would make up for at least some of it."

"It is in their hands now," said Splinter calmly. "We had no right to make that decision for them."

"Very true," said Asheena. "But," she added, changing the subject, "that was not why I came down here in the first place. We still have an hour's journey or so ahead of us, so... is anyone hungry? I can provide you with any food or drink you may desire!"

Raph grinned. "Any chance a' some pizza?"




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All in all, despite the very strange circumstances, it was a very pleasant trip; not unlike how Donatello had always imagined it must be to fly First Class on a plane -- just minus the seatbelts and the roar of the engines. Oh, and Asheena's outfit would probably not have been found on your average airline stewardesses, even in the more relaxed planes.

After a very nice meal; food that Asheena conjured up from thin air but still tasted exactly like normal food -- even the pizza Raph had wanted had, after a few false starts (because Asheena hadn't known what a pizza was and needed a fair bit of description), turned out pretty good -- they told the genie their full story, a story she took great interest in because she'd never heard of any place like New York.

Every so often, when there was a natural break in the story, she would poof away to the roof of the litter and stay there for a minute or two, and then return with the report that they were still going in the right direction.

However, the fourth time, she returned with a bit of a frown on her face.

"This is extremely odd," she said.

"What is?" Don asked, beginning to feel a little anxious.

"Well, if you take a look down, you will see that at present, we have left the desert and are flying above the sea," said Asheena. "And this puzzles me. While it is certainly possible to get to Narnia from Calormen by sea, we were going over the desert. We shouldn't have gone anywhere near the sea."

"So what you're saying is that we're going the wrong way?" Don's feeling of anxiety increased. Was it really, when everything was said and done, a good idea to trust too much to magic?

"The tracking spells confirm that we are indeed going to your brother," said Asheena. "But it seems as though he has left Narnia for some reason... or perhaps... oh, no, that would be the explanation," she suddenly said, her frown vanishing.

"What?!" April, Raph and Don chorused.

"He must be located at the Lone Islands! They are part of Narnia, and still pay tribute to the Narnian throne, even if they are located much further East!" Asheena smiled. "I was a little worried for a moment there. Still, if we are headed for the Lone Islands, I think we had better increase our speed, lest the journey should take days!"

"Are you sure about this?" said Don. "I mean, yes, I suppose it's possible that Leo is at these Lone Islands, since nobody said exactly where in Narnia he was supposed to be, but... you're absolutely certain we're not just being led on a wild goose chase here?"

"As certain as I am of anything," said Asheena. "May my Mistress chose a suitable punishment for me if I am lying."

"Um, that won't be necessary," April hurried to say. "Take it easy, Don. I'm sure we're on the right track."

Don, however, couldn't help but feel that something was off. Exchanging glances with Splinter after Asheena had vanished up on the roof to keep lookout again, he could see that the old rat had his doubts as well. "What do you say, Master Splinter?" he asked.

"I am not certain, Donatello. I do not think Asheena is trying to deceive us, neither do I think the magic is defective. But there is something that does not feel quite right about this."

"Yer sayin' that we are on a wild goose chase?" Raphael shot in, frowning.

Splinter thought. "No," he finally said. "I do not think we are. Still, since it appears we will be sitting here for somewhat longer than we anticipated, I believe I will attempt meditating upon it. I feel as though there is something here we are missing... perhaps I can sort it out."

A silence rose among the other three as he sat up, cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

After a short while, Asheena reappeared, looking even more puzzled than before. "I do not wish to alarm you," she said, "but..." she paused, looking at the still Splinter. "Pardon my ignorance, but what is he doing?"

"Meditating," said April. "Don't worry about it, just keep your voice down. What was it you wanted to say?"

"Well, Mistress," said Asheena, dropping her voice to a near-whisper, "I just wanted to say that we have just passed the Lone Islands. The tracking spell says that your companion, your brother, is further Eastwards still."

Raph and Don exchanged glances.

"What comes after the Lone Islands?" said Don. "Any more Narnian land?"

Asheena frowned. "There are islands and lands beyond even the Lone Islands," she said, "but most of them are uninhabited, and I do not think any of them are actually under Narnia." She shook her head. "If this continues, we shall end up in Aslan's country."

"Is that good or bad?" said Don.

"That does depend on how you view it," said Asheena. "As I told you earlier, Aslan's country is said to be a wondrous place, but none who entered it ever returned -- at least, none that I ever heard of."

"So now Leo's in a place that nobody ever returned from?" said Raph. "This just keeps gettin' better and better, don't it?!"

"Could be. Only could be," said Asheena hurriedly. "It's equally possible that he is on one of the islands between here and Aslan's country. If course, I could always abandon the search and return us to the main land, if you do not wish to continue."

"Not a chance," said Raph. "Leo wouldn'ta abandoned a search for any of us, an' I'm not abandonin' him. Nobody ever returned from this Aslan's country, then I say we make it a first!"

"Mistress?" Asheena turned to April.

After taking a glance at the still-meditating Splinter, Asheena nodded. "We keep going," she said firmly.

"In that case," said Asheena, "I suggest you all make yourselves comfortable. It may be that we shall have to spend the night up here... and, begging your pardon, Mistress, if you have no further need of me right now, I will retire to my box."

April looked at the box still in her lap. "You want to go back inside?" she said, disbelief obvious in her voice.

"It is not a question of want, Mistress. I am tied to the box. If I spend too much time without occasionally retreating to it, my powers would fail and fade, and I myself would likely fall into a coma. Oh, do not worry," she laughed at seeing their expressions. "It would take days for it to go so far. But I do not want to take any unnecessary risks."

"What about this crazy flight?" said Raph. "If you go back to the box, who's gonna keep an eye on where we're goin'?"

"I doubt that a lookout is required at this stage," said Asheena. "We are past the Lone Islands, and further lands are far ahead. Few, if any, ships sail on this part of the sea, so even at our speed, it will take hours before we encounter anyone or anything. If you should need me for anything, Mistress, just open the box and I shall be at your service once more."

With that, she snapped her fingers, and the silver lid on the box opened, quite on its own accord. Instantly, the djinn turned into a mass of red smoke, which hung, vaguely Asheena-shaped, in the air for a moment before getting sucked into the box. The lid closed with a faint click.

Don forced himself to not stare -- in the last few hours, so many completely absurd things had happened that it felt almost ridiculous to be at all astonished that a woman would turn into smoke and willingly trap herself in a box. Instead, he looked at Raph and April. "I'm not sure I like the implications of all this," he said.

"I know I don't like'em," said Raph. "I mean, yeah, sure, we got a genie, an' she's definitely comin' in handy, but it feel like we're bein' sent out on a number of detours, ya know? First this Tashbaan place, now we're headin' towards Aslan's country? I thought the Lion said specifically that Leo was in Narnia, so why's this spell takin' us away from the country?"

"Michelangelo..." Splinter opened his eyes.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"That is what felt off," said the rat in a quiet voice. "Asheena's tracking spell is not leading us to Leonardo, it is leading us to Michelangelo."

"Ya mean Mike's in this world too?!" said Raph. "I thought he stayed behind in ours! What's he doin' out at sea?"

Splinter shook his head. "That, I don't know. But I am certain my feelings are correct. It seems that Michelangelo, too, was brought to this world, only in a different location. Asheena did say that the tracking spell was guaranteed to lead to 'your brother.' She did not say which brother."

There was a short pause, during which this sank in.

"So Mike's here too..." Raph muttered. "Wonder what he's doin'? And why didn't the genie tell us that it was Mike we were goin' after?"

"I'm sure Asheena wouldn't delude us on purpose," said April. "She just... doesn't feel like she would be the type to... I mean..." she fidgeted, apparently unable to explain.

"Asheena does not know neither Michelangelo nor Leonardo," said Splinter. "If her tracking spell tells her the location of a Ninja Turtle in this world, then why should she not simply assume that the Ninja Turtle in question is Leonardo? We did not think that Michelangelo was even in this world. No, I believe she is acting in good faith. Still..." He trailed off.

"Still," said Don. "That does beg the question why the tracking spell didn't locate Leo as well. I don't know how this magic works, but if Leo is in Narnia, and much closer to us than... wherever Mike is, why didn't the spell pick him up first?"

"That," said Splinter, "is exactly what is worrying me. I fear for both your brothers, my sons... this does not bode well for either of them."

"You mean..." Don swallowed. "Either the spell is leading us to Mike because Mike is in some kind of danger and needs us... or it's leading us to Mike because... Mike is the only one here..."

"...and that Leo could be...?" April continued, looking horrified at the idea.

"I pray this is not the case." said Splinter.

"If it is," said Raph grimly, "then whoever, or whatever is responsible, is gonna regret ever being born. And that goes double if anything's happened to Mike!" He clenched his fists, then peeked outside. "Isn't there some way of makin' this thing go faster?!"




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To be continued....
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Hmm... nothing much happened in this chapter, apart from some exposition and a long journey. Still, I hope it didn't get too boring -- and if it did, I can assure you that the upcoming chapters should have more action in them. The next chapter will return to Leo in Narnia, after all, and the situation there is definitely starting to get heated... and in the chapter after that, we'll finally get to see Mike, Klunk and Susan (and Reepicheep) again, and find out what they have been up to while Splinter and company were in Calormen.

The tale of the battle between Tash and Aslan is never referred to in any of the Narnia books and was purely something I invented for this story... and as Asheena points out, it might not even be true. (If it is, though, I think we can safely say that the Narnians' recounting of it is somewhat more accurate and that Aslan won.)

The concept of "diamond juice" comes from The Silver Chair, even if it's only mentioned in brief by Golg the gnome, and none of the characters in the story actually get to taste it. I figured that Ardazhin would love the idea of drinking diamonds.