Journey That Was Never Meant To Happen (The Chronicles of Narnia; The Lost Queen-Sequel)

Chapter Nine

"Looks uninhabited..." Caspian turned to me, Ed and Drinian standing beside him.

We were looking at the island through the telescope.

"But if the Lords followed the mist east, they would've stopped here" I added.

"Could be a trap..." Drinian said in a low voice.

"Or it could hold some answers." Edmund said and looked at the King "Caspian?"

"I'll leave the decision to much more experienced Queen, Julia?" Caspian asked me with a mysterious smile.

I was quite surprised but I felt really excited and grateful at the same time and so: I smiled back.

"We'll spend the night on shore. Scour the island in the morning." I said in my 'Queen-like' voice.

"Aye, Your Majesty!" Drinian said and went to inform the rest of the crew about our plans.

"It must sound horrible but..." I whispered to both Caspian and Ed "I missed giving out the orders."

All three of us laughed.

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And so we made a camp on the shore. There was another sunset on the sky and I stared at it for a while until the sun disappeared completely from the horizon.

I couldn't fall asleep at all. It seemed as if I was just lying on the ground for the whole night, listening to Eustace's snoring and Lucy's regular breathing beside me.

Suddenly, I heard someone's footsteps coming towards us.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I couldn't see anyone, but I certainly could hear someone coming closer and closer.

I didn't stand up but instead I put my hand on my sword lying beside me, ready to use it.

"Seems they've brought a pig." someone whispered.

"This one! It's female!" someone said in an excited tone.

Oh, God, they were next to me and Lucy!

"So are they..." someone else whispered.

"This one reads... Let's take her!"

I opened my eyes quickly and saw that Lucy was being lifted up... But it seemed as if she was being held by some invisible creatures.

She struggled against them but couldn't win over them.

As soon as their voices were quite distant ones, but Lucy was still in sight, I jumped and ran towards them, trying to hide myself behind the trees.

Suddenly Lucy fell on the ground and she quickly pulled out her dagger and pointed it to the air, where she could hear the voices around her:

"There is no escape..."

"What are you?" Lu questioned.

"We are terrifying invisible beasts!" the voice said.

"If you could see us, you'd be really intimidated!" another voice added.

"What do you want?" Lucy asked in a scared tone.

"You, you'll do what we ask." someone answered.

"Or what?" Lucy asked bravely when she finally stood up.

"Or death." someone said and all voices started to laugh.

I jumped from behind of the tree with my sword pointing in the air and shouted: "Not, when I'm with her!"

Lucy sighed with relief and ran to me. I put my arms around her waist and hugged her.

"And who are you?" a grumpy voice asked.

"Queen Julia the Dashing, your Queen if you must know." I replied with a smirk on my lips.

All of the voices laughed again and I felt someone lifting me up, causing me to drop my sword.

Lucy screamed, horiffied.

"What do you want with me?" she questioned again.

"You will enter the House of the Oppressor."

I finally fell to the ground and immidiately took my sword and stood up, coming closer to Lucy.

"What house?" Lu and I asked in the same time.

"This one."

Suddenly a big majestic door opened before us and inside we saw a big, majestic room full of old sculptures.

It looked so magical that I had to gasp and both Lu and I couldn't resist stepping on its steps leading to inside of the 'invisible house'.

"Upstairs, you'll find The Book of Incantations. Recite the Spell That Makes the Unseen Seen."

"But why won't you do it yourselves?"I asked and grabbed amazed Lucy, to stop her from coming inside unless it was necessary.

"We can't read."

"Can't write, either, as a matter of fact."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Lucy said.

"Beware the Oppressor! He's very oppressive! What Makes the Unseen Seen, got it? Don't forget that!" the voices shouted once more.

Lucy and I looked at each other seriously. We had to go inside or they will kill us...

I took Lucy's hand and squeezed it.

Have courage, Julia; I thought to myself.

And so we went inside, holding each other's hands, our hearts beating in the same nervous rhythm.

And then...

The door closed behind us.