Guardian of Narnia

Chapter 32

"Hold!" Drinian shouted. "Three spokes to starboard!"

The several men helping him hold the wheel struggled to turn it. Alex wiped the wet hair out of her face then pulled the rope she was holding. She was using her powers to give off a little light for the crew to see through the storm. They had been stuck in a storm for nearly two weeks with no sense of direction and no sign of the Blue Star. Alex had spent most of her days out in the rain, helping the crew take care of the ship. Caspian and Edmund would sometimes do the same while Lucy stayed in her cabin with Gael.

"Alex!"

The elf turned around, pushing her hair out of her face. She saw Drinian trying to walk towards her. Alex looked at Tavros, who was standing beside her.

"Can you handle this?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard. The minotaur nodded. He grabbed the rope, allowing the elf to step away. She walked over to Drinian, giving him a shorter distance to travel to get to her. "What is it, Captain?"

"His Majesty has requested our presence."

Alex nodded and led the way to Caspian's cabin. When they reached the door, Alex extinguished her glow and knocked.

"Come in," Caspian called from the other side.

She opened the door and allowed Drinian to enter first. He hung his cloak up on the wall and walked further into the room. Alex closed the door behind her and draped her cloak over a chair. She pushed her wet hair out of her face and took a deep breath, glad to be out of the cold weather. Edmund grabbed a towel and handed it to her. The elf nodded and accepted the towel, wrapping it around her body.

"What is our situation, Captain?" Caspian asked, sitting by the window.

Drinian looked down at the map that lay on the table. He picked up a small compass.

"We're stuck here," he announced, setting the compass down, "at half-rations, with food and water for two more weeks, maximum." He grabbed a ceiling beam to keep from falling over as the ship rocked. "This is your last chance to turn back, your Majesties." Edmund and Caspian exchanged a quick look. "There's no guarantee we'll spot the Blue Star anytime soon. Not in this storm. Needle in a haystack, trying to find this Ramandu place. We could sail right past it and off the edge of the world."

"Or get eaten by a sea serpent," Edmund said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Alex smiled slightly at his attempt.

"I'm just saying the men are getting nervous. These are strange seas we're sailing, the likes of which I've never seen before."

"Then perhaps, Captain," Caspian said, rising to his feet and walking towards the table, "you would like to be the one to explain to Mr Rhince that we're abandoning the search for his family."

"Or tell Gael that we are no longer going to look for her mother," Alex added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Drinian's expression quickly changed.

"I'll get back to it," he said with a small bow. He walked back to the door, grabbing his cloak. "Just a word of warning. The sea can play nasty tricks on the crew's mind. Very nasty."

He pulled up his hood and disappeared from the room. Edmund and Caspian looked at one another. Alex took the towel off from around her shoulders and went to grab her cloak.

"Where are you going?" Edmund asked.

"Back outside," the elf replied. "The crew needs all the help they can get out there."

"Alex, you need rest. You've been outside for nearly three days without a break. The crew will be fine. You need to rest and eat something."

Alex sighed, but nodded.