A crew member had seen land and Caspian was staring at the island through his spyglass.
"It looks uninhabited. But if the lords followed the mist east, the would have stopped here," he said to Cara, Drinian and Edmund.
"Could be a trap," Edmund guessed.
Cara shook her head. "I don't think so. Caspian?" He handed her the spyglass and she stared at the island for a moment. "I still don't think so."
Caspian took the spyglass back from his sister's outstretched hand and pushed the end down. "We'll spend the night on shore. Scour the island in the morning." He handed it to Drinian.
Drinian nodded. "Aye, Your Majesty."
Cara made her way to the boats, followed by Lucy. They explored the island a short while before falling asleep. The two faintly heard voices and next they knew, they were being taken somewhere and couldn't get away or scream.
Lucy and Cara were carried to a garden in a maze and fell to the ground with a grunt.
The girls stood and Lucy unsheathed her dagger, pointing it in every direction. Cara pulled out a sword and held it threateningly. One of the invisible creatures disarmed her. Lucy's dagger fell to the ground. The queens ran towards it, but were pushed back to the floor. Lucy and Cara slowly crawled towards a bush.
"There is no escape," a deep voice told them.
"Well put."
"Scary."
"Yeah."
"What are you?" the girls asked.
"We are terrifying invisible beasts."
"If you could see us, you would be really intimidated."
"You forgot to mention that we are very large."
"Well, what do you want?" Lucy asked again.
"You two. You'll do what we ask."
"They will."
"Very clear."
"Well put."
"Yeah."
Lucy and Cara rose to her feet and questioned in a confident manner, "Or what?"
"Or death," the one in charge threatened.
"Death?" numerous of them answered, taunting Cara and Lucy.
Lucy frowned. "Well, we wouldn't be much use to you dead, now would I?"
"I hadn't thought of that."
"No, you hadn't."
"Fair point."
"All right, we'll just kill them," one said, yanking Lucy and Cara's hair.
"Fine. Take me," the girls told them.
"Ohh."
"Good idea."
Cara asked, "What do you want with us?"
"You two will enter the house of the Oppressor."
"What house?" Lucy questioned in a defeated tone.
"This one," the one in charge answered as a house appeared. Two double doors opened and light shined upon them. "Upstairs, you'll find the Book of Incantations. Recite the spell that makes the unseen seen."
Lucy stared at the house in awe. Cara stared at the house curiously. They peeked behind the door to see more forest. It was Narnian enchantment at its finest; much like the wardrobe Lucy had encountered, leading her to the magical land.
"Well put, Chief. Well put."
"Yeah."
"Well, go on. We haven't got all day."
"Remember what could happen to your friend."
"You've been warned."
Yeah."
Lucy turned in frustration. "Why don't you do it yourselves?"
"We can't read," the chief admitted.
"Can't write either, as a matter of fact."
"Or add."
"You could have just told us," Cara told them in a gentle tone.
"Beware the Oppressor."
"He's very oppressive," another said.
"What makes the unseen, seen, got it?" the chief reminded her as she walked through the doors.
---
Edmund felt someone shaking him and awoke to see Caspian standing above him. "Ed. Ed, wake up. Wake up. Look. Lucy and Cara are gone."
Edmund immediately got up and looked at where Lucy and Cara had been sleeping. "Lucy! Cara!" he shouted.
"Everybody up!"
"Get up! Get up, I said!" Drinian yelled.
As they got up, they started scrambling for their things. Edmund put his leather armour on as Caspian grabbed his sword.
"This way!" Caspian told them, following the footprints.
In all the commotion, no one noticed they'd left someone behind. Eustace. Edmund didn't bother waking his obnoxious cousin, as he rather enjoyed the peace and quiet. Caspian was once again desperate to rescue his sister. He could only hope she was safe.
CORIARKIN'S MANSION
Lucy and Cara walked through a dimly lit corridor and reached a library. In the library, was a large podium in the centre of the room with a closed book.
Lucy and Cara walked up to the book and Lucy tried to open it, but it was latched shut. Cara noticed cherubs holding horns and blowing into them. She and Lucy blew onto the cover and the letters made words. The Book of Incantations. Lucy opened it, flipped past various spells and came to one for snow.
Lucy recited the spell. "With these words. Your tongue must sew. For all around there to be snow."
A soft snowflake fell onto the page and looked up as snow fell. Cara smiled, relishing in the snowfall before it stopped. Lucy blew on the page and the book started flipping through the pages uncontrollably. She smacked her hand down and green mist flowed from the page behind. She started turning her head around as though she heard something before going back to the book.
"An infallible spell, to make you see, the beauty you always wanted to be," she recited again.
She stared into the tiny mirror in the book. "Susan? What's going... on?"
"Lucy-" Cara began, but was unheard.
Lucy lifted her hand and caressed her cheek and walked towards a full length mirror and yelled, "No, wait!"
She chanted quickly, "Make me she, whom I'd agree..." She tore the page from the book and Cara heard the Great Lion roar, though he she didn't see him. "Aslan?" Lucy called.
Getting no reply, she folded the spell and hid it in her vest. The green mist faded into the floor. Cara frowned, thinking it a poor idea.
Lucy walked back over to the book. "A spell to make the unseen seen."
---
Edmund followed Caspian into a garden with his sword drawn. They looked around for Lucy and Cara, but they was nowhere to be seen. He should have kept both of them safe, but now they were lost and he didn't know where they were.
---
"Like the 'p' in psychology. The 'h' in psychiatry. Invisible ink. And the truth in theology..." Lucy read.
---
"Look, Lucy's dagger!" Edmund exclaimed, picking the dagger up. He found a sword. "Cara's."
The others moved closer to them and spears suddenly came at them and landed near them. Everyone stood defensively and held out their weapons.
"Stop right there or perish," the one in charge said.
Caspian's face was hit and he was pushed to the floor. Others were disarmed and Edmund was also hit in the face.
---
"...The spell is complete," Lucy finished. "Now all is visible."
A step ladder sounded and rolled into a bookcase. Lucy and Cara saw movement near a table and a book was thrown down. An older man, Coriakin, appeared and looked at them in shock.
---
Caspian asked, "What sort of creatures are you?" He stood.
"Big ones, with the head of a tiger and the body of a..."
"Different tiger," another one said in a rushed tone.
"You don't want to mess with us."
"Or what?" Edmund asked.
There was a shimmer and the creatures appeared. They were the size of dwarves with one foot. They weren't as scary as they were claiming and one was held up by the other to make them seem taller.
"Or I'll claw you to death."
"And I'll ram my tusks right through you."
"And I'll gnash you with my teeth."
"And I'll bite you with my fangs. Grrr!"
Edmund raised a brow and asked, "You mean squash us with your fat bellies?"
"Yes!" the chief yelled, not realising what Edmund had said.
"Fat bellies?" one asked in an offended tone.
"Tickle us with your toes?" Caspian asked in an amused tone.
The chief fell from the grip of the one that was holding him. Everyone stepped back with a grin. Edmund pointed his sword at the chief along with Drinian, and Caspian glared at him.
"What have you done with my sister and Caspian's sister, you little pipsqueak?" Edmund questioned.
"Now calm down," the chief said nervously.
"Where are they?"
"You better tell them," one said.
"Go on, chief, tell them," another added.
"In the mansion," the chief informed.
"What mansion?" Edmund asked impatiently before the mansion appeared. "Oh, that mansion."
Eustace brushed off some bushes and said, "I'm really getting tired of you all leaving me behind-" He looked up to see the group surrounded by the dufflepuds.
"It's the pig!" one cried.
"The pig has come back!" another yelled.
Eustace seemingly unfazed, commented, "This place just gets weirder and weirder."
"Weird?"
"Him calling us weird?" the dufflepuds questioned with offence.
Their attention was drawn to Lucy, Cara and Coriakin walking out of the mansion.
"The Oppressor!" the dufflepuds cried.
The group turned to them and Coriakin placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "Your Majesties."
Lucy smiled. "Caspian, Edmund, this is Coriarkin. It's his island."
"That's what he thinks," the chief said, hiding behind Edmund. "You have wronged us, magician."
Coriakin walked forward and the dufflepuds jumped back. "I have not wronged you. I made you invisible for your own protection."
"Protection?"
"That's oppressive!"
"Oppressor!"
"I have not oppressed you," Coriakin repeated.
"But you could've, if you wanted to," the chief said.
Coriakin threw something at them, making them run off. "Be gone."
"It's a spell!" one yelled as they hopped away.
"What was that?" Lucy and Cara questioned.
He smirked. "Lint. But don't tell them."
"What were those things?" Eustace asked.
"Dufflepuds," Coriakin answered.
The group accepted Coriakin's answer as Eustace rolled his eyes. "Right, of course. Silly me!"
They followed Coriakin into his mansion and he led them through the halls. As they walked, Lucy asked, "What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?"
"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil."
"You mean the mist?" Cara questioned.
"I mean what lies behind the mist."
Cara glanced to Edmund and Caspian worriedly as they gathered into a room. Edmund took Cara's hand to offer some comfort to her. Coriakin grabbed a scroll and everyone looked at the stars moving around on the ceiling. He rolled it out and it magically spread itself across the floor. Edmund and Cara were standing on one side while Lucy and Eustace were on the other. Drinian walked behind Caspian as he watched.
There was a centaur blowing his horn on one edge and across the map, there was Aslan's army colliding with the White Witch's. Peter was leading the army.
"That's quite beautiful," Eustace commented. Everyone stared at him in amusement as he went on. "I mean for a make-believe map of a make-believe world."
Coriakin pointed to an ominous looking island. "There is the source of your troubles. Dark Island. A place where evil lurks." He walked towards Edmund who moved away. "It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness. To steal the light from this world."
"How do we stop it?" Cara asked, focusing on the map.
"You must break its spell. That sword you carry-" he pointed to the sword Edmund was holding, "there are six others."
"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked.
"Yes."
"The six lords. They passed through. Where were they headed?" Caspian inquired.
"Where I sent them," Coriakin answered as the map shifted to another island with a blue star. "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?" Lucy and Cara repeated as Coriakin moved closer to the brunette.
"Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you."
Coriakin leaned closer to Lucy. "Be strong. Don't fall to temptation." He walked towards Caspian. "To defeat the darkness out there, you must first defeat the darkness inside yourself." He walked towards Cara. "You would be wise not to fall to the fear of the past."
The group shared a nervous glance trying to figure out what specifically Coriakin was speaking of. Edmund frowned, wondering why Coriakin had said nothing to him.