Chapter 32: A Powerful Hero

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"The spell, it's lifting." Lucy gasped, looking out over the waters. "Caspian! Edmund! Camille! Look!"

Edmund paused in his descent from the crow's nest and Camille and her brother looked in the direction Lucy was pointing. Beams of light broke through the disintegrating darkness. The battle was finally over. One thought lingered in the back of Camille's mind. What became of Marcus? Was he still ok?

A thud landed behind them causing everyone to turn around. Marcus lay there, sprawled in a feeble position and a deathly pale color. His arms lay by his side, his right hand still clutching the double blade.

Camille gasped in horror and rushed to his side, pulling his upper body onto her lap.

"No, no, no! Please don't be dead, please!" Camille cried over and over as Lucy, Caspian and Edmund joined her. Her tears flowed down her face and stained his shirt which was already soaked, battered with blood, and torn at the sleeves. His chainmail shirt clattered loosely as Camille wrapped her arms around the body.

Camille looked at Caspian who searched the cold, but oddly flexible body in her lap for a pulse. When he didn't find anything, he just shook his head sadly.

Camille sighed sadly. Lucy put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder and glanced at her healing cordial, wishing it wasn't already too late.

"Lucy, is there anything you can do?" Camille pleaded.

Lucy touched her cordial but shook her head. "The boy is past any hope from the cordial, Camille. I'm really sorry, his fate is sealed."

At this, Camille cried bitterly while everyone else looked on sorrowfully. Marcus had become a very close friend to Camille and even seemed like another part of the family to her.

"If I could have done something to prevent this, I would have." Camille woefully cried.

A moment of heart-wrenching silence seemed like half an hour to Camille. She didn't care about anything except her brother, her friends around her, and the boy in her lap.

"You wouldn't... have been able to... prevent it, if you had tried, Camille," a faint but clear voice gasped. It came from Marcus's still damp body.

At the sound of his voice, Camille looked at Marcus. "You're-you're not dead! You're-you're alive! I-I just can't believe it!"

Marcus hadn't moved an inch, for all his strength had gone into his double blade when the serpent was killed. He did, however, drop his double blade and gazed at her through slits.

Now looking straight at him, Camille noticed that color had returned to his face and his chest rose and fell in ragged breathing. Camille also noticed his armor was different. Instead of a simple chainmail with the borrowed golden armour, he wore a half white, half reddish brown armor with silver knee and elbow guards, matching gloves, and even a little pouch at a matching belt's side. Attached to the belt was also a sheath that could only fit his magical weapon.

"I feel dead," Marcus coughed painfully

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"I feel dead," Marcus coughed painfully.

"Oh right!" Camille exclaimed, "Lucy, your cordial."

Lucy gladly pulled out the bottle and took the lid off. She scooted in closer as she held it out. "Open your mouth," she ordered gently.

At first Marcus frowned, then reluctantly opened his mouth. Lucy let a drop land on the boy's tongue and Camille released his jaw.

Marcus was surprised that it was so sweet. It reminded him of dawn's sweetness on a spring day. It sent warmth and restored strength to his body.

With the wounds healed and strength returned, Marcus could now stand, but not without Camille and her brother's help.

"So.... what happened?" Camille asked once Marcus regained his balance and she and her brother had released him.

"Um..." Marcus spoke slowly. How was he going to explain what happened inside that serpent when he didn't remember most of it?

"I really don't know how to explain it. It was a bittersweet experience. I somehow recall a white shock ripple down the serpent's body and enter my staff. Then a warm golden glow swelled up at the weapon's handle, seeming to come from somewhere inside me. It was like I had all the light in this world right in the palm of my hands. That's when an explosion rocked everything and I don't remember anything after that."

Camille looked at Edmund. That white shock had come from Rhidon! She and everyone else on board had seen it travel down the serpent's body and join a yellow light.

"That was um... impressive, what you did, M-Marcus," Edmund's words were hesitant and uncertain. He didn't know what to say to someone who held all the light in the world in his hands.

Marcus turned to face Edmund. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you," Marcus replied.

Edmund looked at him with a slight frown, unsure of what Marcus meant.

This caused Marcus to sigh exasperatedly. "Come on, if it wasn't for you, that serpent would have been still alive right now." Marcus went over to Edmund and looked down at him. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you would have figured something out on your own."

A shout arose from the port side interrupting the discourse. Camille, Caspian, and Lucy ran over to the side. Several boats dotted the water full of people but no oars. They were the people from Narrowhaven.

"Mummy!" Gael shouted when she saw a familiar face in one of the boats. It was her mother.

"Helaine!" Rhince cried seconds after his daughter did.

The two jumped overboard and swam over to the woman. Helaine embraced the two when they reached the boat's side. The family was reunited again!

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