Mariner's Song

06

DUNGEON

Edmund mentally yelled at himself. He couldn't believe he'd let his sister and his cousin get captured.

Caspian kicked at the iron doors with all his strength and turned when he noticed Edmund was up. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Edmund groaned, sitting up. He tried ignoring the throbbing in his head. Caspian resumed kicking the door.

"It's hopeless," a voice said from the darkness. "You'll never get out."

Instantly, they turned towards a dark arch. "Who's there?" Edmund asked.

"No one. Just a voice in my head," the man replied.

Caspian walked towards the man and the light showed him to be older than the two by far. He stared at Caspian with a confused expression.

"Lord Bern," Caspian said.

Lord Bern stared up at Caspian with shock before shame overtook his face. "Perhaps once, but I'm not longer deserving of that title."

"Is he one of the seven?" Edmund asked. Caspian gave him a nod before kneeling before the old lord.

Lord Bern seemed to suddenly realise who Caspian was. "Your face... You remind me of a king I once loved well."

"That man was my father," Caspian answered melancholily.

"Oh, my lord!" Lord Bern exclaimed. "Please forgive me."

Caspian helped the man up. "No, please. Please."

A horse's neigh from outside caught their attention. Edmund perched himself on the iron bars and clung to them, peering outside to watch. Caspian quickly followed the younger king's actions. They saw a ground of women in irons being transported into boats. A man and a little girl ran after them, shouting for someone.

"Mummy!" the small girl in a purple dress cried.

"Helaine!" the girl's father shouted. He reached for his wife, but a guard punched him and knocked him to the floor.

"Rhince!" Helaine called.

"Mummy!"

"Stay with daddy!" Helaine told her daughter.

Lucy and Elora both held a hand to their head, horrified at the sight and terrified at what was to come. Cally's eyes narrowed as a fuming expression crossed her face.

Edmund and Caspian continued staring out the window to see another group of women screaming and struggling. They were forced into a boat and pushed out to sea.

"Where are they taking them?" Caspian asked as he glanced to Lord Bern.

"Keep watching," Lord Bern instructed.

They focused our attention back outside to see black clouds cover the blue sky. A green mist appeared from nowhere and completely surrounded the boat while the women screamed helplessly and disappeared moments later.

"What happened?" Caspian wondered.

"It's a sacrifice," Lord Bern explained.

"Where did they go?"

Lord Bern shook his head as the kings jumped down. "No one knows. The mist was first seen in the east. Reports of fishermen and sailors disappearing out at sea. We lords made a pact to find the source of the mist and destroy it. They each set sail, but none came back. You see, if they don't sell you to the slave traders, you're likely to be fed to the mist."

Edmund turned to Caspian and said worriedly, "We have to find Lucy before it's too late."

OUTSIDE

Lucy, Elora and Cally were standing on a wooden bidding deck. The leader of the slave traders was standing next to them. Lucy was holding her head down in shame and Cally was glaring at the slave traders, quite nearly tempting them to go after her. Eustace was looking scared.