Will Briar begin a new era of witches, or will history repeat itself? Either way, Edmund won't be tricked twice.
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"If I perish, I perish. You can take my life, but you can't take my will." In which a girl born of Narnia's two greatest adversaries...
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Briar didn't say a word as she and Caspian followed Reepicheep towards the edge of the Narnian colony. Something inside of her, perhaps a long-forgotten instinct, told her she'd said enough for now. She was liable for anything she said from this moment onward. To whom, she wasn't certain–all she knew was that she'd put herself on thin ice and had to tread carefully.
They went back to their tents to collect their belongings. Briar needed no urging to slip behind the safety of the curtains, away from prying eyes. She found a quiver of bolts laid next to her crossbow on the table. How can they entrust a bow to me, but not trust me? Her archery gloves were neatly folded next to the bow along with her father's compass. It was placed under one of the gloves, left with the latch closed.
Briar popped the latch open and stared down at the keepsake. A red arrow swiveled about in circles within a glass case, fogged and dented by time. Beneath the glass, a tattered, yellowing cloth bore the etchings of directions. The "N" for north was almost unreadable. She turned it over in her palm. On the bottom, there was an engraving. It looked like a crown, but with three arches that centered above it, topped with a cross. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't look Telmarine.
Even so, the foreign trinket was all Briar had left of her father. Sighing, she tucked it into her pocket and returned to the group.
When she emerged, a large gathering of creatures waited at the base of the hill. An assortment of fauns, wolves, a leopard, a minotaur, conversed with Truffle-hunter and Nikabrik. That's a lot of scouts. Caspian stood with Reepicheep near the edge of the gathering. Upon seeing his sister, he waved her over.
Then, they were off.
The noise of camp faded behind them while they trekked into the woods. Briar missed the faint buzz of noise immediately. The growing silence hung in the air like the smell of a rotting carcass. Was her meeting with the Council public knowledge? Her heart began to race, and Briar reprimanded herself. It was useless to ask questions that she couldn't answer, especially ones that made her more paranoid. All she could do to help herself was observe. As always, she thought sourly.
The few creatures around Briar spoke very softly; a few even tried to discreetly glance at her. If they were trying to conceal their curiosity, it wasn't working. Then again, no efforts ever did. People were always watching her. Their eyes were like invisible hands that crawled all over her. Everyone searched royalty for imperfections, everyone judged those who would inherit the crown. Briar was still learning to live with the feeling.
It made her eyelids twitch.
I should've just demonstrated my ability. She was too cautious, and now she probably looked stupid for making such a huge claim without any evidence. She was naive, and the Council knew it. No wonder they'd shipped her off with half the Council to explore.They were testing her, because her words meant nothing. Even I can see it.
