𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍

𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛

"If we don't find land by tonight, they may well eat that dragon," Drinian laughed at the scene in front of him, which made me smile and let out a laugh of my own.

Suddenly the ship jerked forward with force, making me lose my balance for a second, my knees wobbling underneath me. Grabbing the railing, I looked up at everyone else, who seemed to be just as alarmed as I was.

Edmund looked over the railing and out into the water, frantically searching, "What did we hit?"

Glancing up at the front of the ship, by the carving of a dragon, I noticed Eustace was pulling us along, his tail wrapped around the front of the ship. Running down the stairs and as close to him as I could, I exclaimed, "Eustace, that's brilliant!"

"Onward, ho!" Drinian called out to the crew, a joyful sound to his voice.

✧

After about half the day we came in the presence of an island, the blue star sparkling right above the heart of the land. We trekked through the forest and up the side of the mountain, which wasn't too steep. The sun slowly set on the horizon and night settled in, the darkness making the tall trees around us seem alluring.

"We can't be sure the other lords made it to Ramandu's Island," Edmund commented, taking a look around the area from where he was walking beside me. Suddenly he stopped and stared ahead of him with an unsure look. Following his gaze, I noticed we came to a stone table filled to the brim with food.

Rushing forward, I grabbed an apple from one of the bowls, about to bite into it when King Caspian snatched my wrist and pulled it away from my face, making me frown, "Wait."

Taking slow steps, Lucy used her dagger to pull back some dried up vines to reveal a person. He had a thick beard and grey hairs lining his head; his eyes stared straight ahead, almost like he died in an instant. Looking closer, I could see two more men sitting there.

"Lord Revilian. Lord Mavramorn. Lord Argoz." King Caspian recited, looking at them in shock, pulling back the hair that was in their faces.

Suddenly the one man took a deep breath, making everyone jump back, "He's breathing."

"Definitely not dead," I mumbled to myself, shaking my head at my own thoughts.

Sticking his finger under their noses, Edmund nodded, "So are they. They're under a spell."

"It's the food!" One of the crew members exclaimed, taking food out of peoples hands and throwing it on the table.

"Hey, it's the stone knife," King Caspian pointed out, realization shining in his eyes, "This is Aslan's table."

"Their swords. On the table," Edmund demanded, pulling one of the lords swords from his grip and laying it on the table. Everyone kept handing them to him and he set them in a circle, but it seemed a little off.

"That's six. Still missing one," I noticed setting my hands on the table and looking at them in thought. Suddenly, the swords started to glow a blue hue, growing brighter and brighter until a beam of light shone up into the sky. "Look!"

The blue star came down the beam of light and took shape of a woman, her white hair flowed down her back and her dress made her look effortless, "Travellers of Narnia, welcome," Following the example of everyone else, I kneeled in front of her, bowing my head, "Arise. Are you not hungry?"

I watched her glance at the table of food with ease as I stood to my feet. In the softest voice I could muster, as to not offend her, I asked, "Who are you?"

She smiled at me with kindness, and nodded her head slightly, "I'm Liliandil, daughter of Ramandu. I am your guide."

"You're a star? You are most beautiful," King Caspian gushed, surprisingly not able to hold his tongue, which I found quite funny.

The Liliandil's eyes creased in worry, her frown radiating elegance, "If it is a distraction for you, I can change form."

"No!" Edmund and King Caspian exclaimed at the same time, raising their hands in defiance. A rush of sadness came over me at the idea of Edmund being overcome by another girl so easily. He was doing it again, giving me mixed emotions and this time it hurt a lot more.

Looking down at my feet, I listened to the beauty of Liliandil's voice as she swept her hand in the air and lit the many candles on the stone table, "Please. The food is for you. There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan's table. Always. Help yourselves."

"Wait. What happened to them?" King Caspian questioned, his voice sounding rushed and slightly panicked.

"These poor men were half-mad by the time they reached our shores. They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the table of Aslan. So they were sent to sleep," Liliandil explained, her voice holding no hostility, only softness.

"Will they ever wake?" I asked, looking up at her for a brief second before looking away at a nearby tree.

"When all is put right. Come, there is little time," Liliandil walked off, following a path that led to a lookout of the whole island. Edmund, Lucy, King Caspian and I trailed behind her as she walked, stopping at the edge to face us, "The magician, Coriakin, told you of Dark Island?"

"Yes," Looking out into the horizon, I could see a dark webbed dome filled with green mist, like the one Coriakin showed us on his map, only way larger.

"Before long, the evil will be unstoppable," Liliandil spoke quietly, her voice holding urgency.

King Caspian watched the star as she looked out across the island, "Coriakin said to break its spell, we lay the seven swords at Aslan's table."

"He speaks the truth."

"But we only found six. Do you know where the seventh is?" I asked politely, trying to keep my voice steady.

Liliandil pointed over the edge. Following her finger, I realized she was pointing to Dark Island. A shiver went through my spine at the thought of entering that place, "In there. You will need great courage. Now, waste no time."

"I hope we meet again," King Caspian spoke with a hopeful tone, taking the woman's hand.

Liliandil nodded with a gentle smile and looked up to the night sky, her body transforming back into a bright blue star, "Goodbye."

━━━━

Oh my goodness, we are so close to the end of this book. One more chapter and then the epilogue!

This chapter was mostly filler and time skipping, but we needed to get it out of the way before we can get into the real action

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and are excited for the next one!