-WORRIES AND NEW INFORMATION-
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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷CHAPTER THIRTY-ONEˏˋ°•*⁀➷
(act iii)
———PROMISES———
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THE DAWN TREADER reached an island which was surrounded by trees. Despite the trees, it looked like nobody was on the island.
"It looks uninhabited. But if the lords followed the mist east, they must of stopped here." Caspian said, looking into the telescope. "Could be a trap." Drinian being superstitious was getting a little bit annoying. "Or it could hold some answers."
"I agree. We should investigate. It could help us find the rest of the swords. Who knows?" Emily agreed.
"Caspian?" Edmund asked, looking towards Caspian. "We'll spend the night on shore. Scour the island in the morning." Caspian ordered handing the telescope to Drinian. "Aye, your majesty."
The next morning, Emily felt someone shaking her awake. "Whoever you are. Go away. I'm too tired. Let me sleep." Emily groaned, not opening her eyes.
"Em, come on. Get up. Lucy is missing." Edmund whispered. They were in this situation again. Always Lucy running off or going missing.
"Forget about Lucy. We can go later. She's probably fine. Just being good old Lucy." Emily sleepily rolled over. Emily felt herself being dragged to her feet.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey. I was having a good dream and you ruined it!" Emily glaring towards Edmund and poking his chest.
"Oh, I'm so sorry that I ruined your dream. Catch up on it later?" Edmund apologised sarcastically before pulling the girl along to go find his sister. "That's not how it works."
Emily quickly picked up her sword and ran to catch up with Edmund. They followed the big footprints that were left on the sand through many bushes and into a, what looked like, hedge garden.
Emily searched around looking for any clues when she came across Lucy's dagger on the floor.
"Ed, look. It's Lucy's dagger." Emily pointed towards where Lucy's dagger was laying on the grass.
Suddenly, many spears came falling from the sky making everyone jump away from being hit by one. Emily pulled out her sword looking around frantically trying to find where the spears came from.
"Stop right there or perish." Emily watched as Caspian's sword was flung out of his hands and he was hit in the face.
Emily's sword was then flung out of her hands and turned against her making trip and fall on the floor. "What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian asked, clearly scared.
"Big ones with a head of a tiger and the body of a.. different tiger."
As if some sort of spell had been put on them, the spell began to wear off and the creatures became visible. With two weird-looking creature things, one above making them look taller and the other holding the one on top.
"You don't want to mess with us." one of them threatened. "Or what?" Edmund asked.
"Or I'll claw you to death."
"And I'll ram my tusks right through ya."
"And I'll gnash you with my teeth."
"And I'll bite you with my fangs. Grr." They were all visible now. "You mean squash us with your fat bellies?" Edmund smirked.
"Yes."
"Fat bellies?"
Emily smirked. "Tickle us with your toes?" she laughed and pushed the one on top off the other and making them fall down.
"What have you done with my sister, you little pip-squeak?" Edmund pointed his sword at one of the creatures.
"Now, calm down."
Edmund was about to repeat his question when Emily pulled him back. "Allow me." she picked up her sword and crouched down in front of the creature.
"Now. I'm going to ask you this as politely as I can. Where is the girl that you took from the shore?"
The creature didn't say anything. Edmund was about to ask the creature his question when Emily held up her hand to signal for him to not. Emily pulled out her sword and pointed it at the creatures neck.
"I won't ask again. Where is the girl you took from the beach?" The creature whimpered at the coldness of the sword's blade. "If you don't answer, I will murder you and your friends." She whispered in his ear, making the creature's eyes widen, and glance at his fellow friends.
"You better tell her."
"Go on, chief, tell her."
"In the mansion." The chief answered. "What mansion?" Edmund asked. "Maybe the one on your right?" Emily rolled her eyes as Edmund looked to his right to see the mansion.
"Oh. That mansion." Emily stood up sheathing her sword. "Now that wasn't hard was it?"
"How did you do that?" Edmund asked. "Magic." Emily smiled, sarcastically.
"You know. I am really getting tired of you all leaving me behi-" Eustace brushed off the leaves from himself and then looked up at what was happening.
"It's the pig."
"The pig's come back."
"This place just gets weirder and weirder." was all Eustace said, out of shock.
"Weird?"
"Him calling us weird?"
"The oppressor. The oppressor. The oppressor."
"Lucy." Edmund sighed in relief making Emily turn around.
"Your majesties."
"Caspian, Emily and Edmund. This is Coriakin. It's his island." As Lucy said this, the three of them bowed down.
"That's what he thinks. You have wronged us, magician." the chief chirped up.
The three turned their attention to the small creature. "I have not wronged you. I made you invisible for your own protection." Coriakin explained.
"Protection? That's oppressive. Oppressor." the creature argued. "I have not oppressed you." Coriakin argued. "But you could have, if you wanted to."
"Begone." Coriakin threw something at the creatures making them go ballistic and jump around like lunatics.
"What was that?" Lucy asked. "Lint. But don't tell them." Coriakin whispered to Lucy. "What were those things?" Eustace asked, looking disgusted at the creatures.
"Dufflepuds." Coriakin called over his shoulder to Eustace. "Right, of course. silly me." Eustace muttered to himself.
They all followed Coriakin into his house and through many hallways. "What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Emily asked, curiously.
"It seemed the easiest way to protect them. From the evil." Coriakin replied.
Edmund and Emily shared a glance. "You mean the mist?" he asked.
"I mean, what lies behind the mist." They were lead into a room that the ceiling was bewitched to look like a starry sky.
Coriakin took out a roll of paper and threw it across the floor showing a map. It filled with colour like the sea.
At the bottom, there was the first battle between the white witch. Emily could see Peter's unicorn which stood out the most.
"It's quite beautiful." Eustace gaped, looking at the map. Everyone looked at him. Emily raised her eyebrows at him.
"I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world." Eustace corrected himself.
"There is the source of your troubles." The map moved to show a dark island covered in dark green mist.
"Dark island." Well, no shit.
"A place where evil lurks. It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true."
"It seeks to corrupt all goodness, to steal all the light from this world."
"How do we stop it?" Lucy asked, stepping forward. "You must break its spell. That sword you carry. There are six others." Coriakin pointed to Edmund's sword that he was carrying.
"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked.
"Yes."
"The six lords, they passed through here?" Caspian asked, slowly looking between the captain and Coriakin. "Indeed."
"Where were they headed?" Emily asked, curiously. "Where I sent them." Coriakin answered.
Helpful. The map moved to a more cheerful-looking island.
"To break the spell. You must follow the blue star, to Ramandu's island. There, the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's table. Only then can their true magical power be released. But beware, you are all about to be tested."
"Tested? How do you mean?" Emily asked. "Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in it's power to tempt you. Be strong. Don't fall to temptation. To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself." Coriakin put a hand on his heart as he spoke.
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