Our Long Awaited Return Book #8

Chapter 16 The Witche's Unsuccessful Attempt

Leona's pov 

She left the others behind to find her brother. She found him in the hall of the paintings with Nikabrik. 

"What are you doing?" she asked Caspian, "They're all looking for you, well I am." 

"Quiet, Daughter of Eve," Nikabrik hissed; he led them to the room of the Stone Table. 

"You tried one ancient power; it failed," began Nikabrik. 

"Aslan isn't an ancient power. He's in control of Narnia; he is sovereign over it. He isn't a magician," she told the dwarf, quoting what Trufflehunter had told her. 

"But there is a power greater still, one that kept even Aslan at bay for a hundred years." Nikabrik sent a shiver up her spine. 

She heard a growl coming from somewhere. Caspian unsheathed his sword, and she hid behind him. 

"Who's there?" he asked. 

"I am hungry, I am thirsty," a creature appeared from behind a column. He was wearing a cloak over his body, but she knew he was a werewolf. 

He countered with chanting, and then behind him came a hag doing the same. 

She drew a circle in the ground and thrust a spear into it. She could tell it was evil what the hag was doing, and it wasn't what Aslan would want them to do. 

Ice started forming by two columns until there was an ice wall. Behind it stood a woman, her hair and skin and dress an icy blue. The White Witch! 

"One drop of Adam's blood and you free me," she said to Caspian. 

"No, this isn't what I wanted!" yelled Caspian. 

"What are you thinking, Nikabrik!" Leona screamed. 

"She can't help us; she'll just kill us!" 

The werewolf grabbed hold of Caspian while the hag cut his hand with a knife. 

Caspian stepped over, looked at the witch, and held out his hand. Leona wished she could do something to stop it, but she didn't know how. 

Verity's pov

"Peter," Andrew began, "I know you're upset at Caspian, but..."

"I'm not only upset at him, I'm also angry with you," Peter accused.

"Look, there were soldiers. Were Beth and I supposed to walk into their trap?" Andrew protested.

"No," Peter shook his head, "You were wasting that time with that girl of yours. In case you didn't know, we were fighting! There was no room for flirting like you always do."

I saw Beth blush crimson at Peter's comment.

I realized there was going to be another fight before it happened. Before I knew it, Andrew pushed Peter to the ground. "Look, if anyone is responsible, it is you," Andrew snarled. "And if I am at fault with it, then that may be true, but whose dumb idea was it in the first place?"

Peter got up and was about to unsheathe his sword when Ruth said, "How many fights do we have to witness before everyone else disappears? Leona's gone too?"

First, Caspian went missing, then Leona.

"Something's really wrong," Andrew sighed. "Pete, Ed, Trumpkin, will you come with me and check?" Peter glared at him since it was his job to make the decisions, or so he thought.

"And me," I put in.

I followed them to the room of the Stone Table. The sight before our eyes I could never have imagined. A werewolf, a hag, and Nikabrik were trying to get Caspian to hold out his blood-stained hand to a figure behind a wall of ice; the white witch, Leona, watched the whole scene helplessly.

Peter drew his sword. "Stop!" he yelled.

He ran to fight the hag, Edmund and Andrew fought the werewolf, and Trumpkin and I took on Nikabrik.

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Leona cried, running over to me and Trumpkin, but we ignored her.

That dwarf was the most sly person I'd ever fought with. I was going to jump on top of him and kill him that way when I saw Lucy charging towards him, her dagger in hand.

"Lucy!" I yelled, and Trumpkin and I exchanged shocked looks.

Nikabrik pinned Lucy to the wall and grabbed her dagger; she cried out in pain. What was she thinking she could fight? I ran over to her and pulled her away from him. We both fell in a heap on the floor. I dropped my sword in the process.

Nikabrik, with Lucy's dagger in hand, charged toward us. I laid a hand on my sister's shoulder, and she clutched my hand for dear life. We were sure that we'd be dead soon when the dwarf fell over dead. Trumpkin stabbed him in the back.

"No!" cried Leona. "You didn't have to kill him!"

My brothers defeated our other two opponents. Peter and I both raced over to Caspian; Peter shoved him over while Leona ran to him and helped him up.

"Get away from him!" my brother yelled at the witch, pointing his sword at her. I did the same.

"We won't ever let you back," I snarled vehemently.

"Peter and Verity, dears, I have missed you," the witch answered, putting her hand out on the ice again.

"You know you can't do this alone. Just one drop."

I didn't know what I was thinking, but I found myself saying to Peter, "I don't think we have any other choice, Pete. I don't see Aslan anywhere." I lowered my sword.

Peter looked at me, then lowered his own sword too. He was just about to hold out his hand when the ice started to break. He pulled me down beside him, and Caspian did the same with Leona.

After the ice broke, we looked up, and there was Edmund, the one who, during our last adventure in Narnia, had betrayed us to the witch. He stood with his sword pointed, but he put it down and looked at Peter and me.

"I know you had it sorted," he said, leaving. He walked over to Lucy and Andrew, who had an arm around her. The three left. Trumpkin and Leona followed. Behind where Edmund had stood was the picture of Aslan.

I just wanted to disappear. What did I almost convince Peter to do? I felt tears sting my eyes. I turned around to find Susan and Ruth staring at the three of us: Caspian, Peter, and me.

"What happened?" Ruth asked in shock.

Susan shook her head in disgust and left. Ruth lingered for a moment. "Did you try to bring her back? How could you!"

She left before we could reply.

Peter and Caspian looked at each other, but then Caspian, too, left.

I placed my head on the Stone Table and let the tears come. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm such a fool!" I said to Peter.

"No," I felt him put his arms around me.

I threw my arms around his neck. "I told you that maybe you should bring the witch..."

"Oh, Peter!" I cried, "I'm such a fool!"

"No, I'm the fool. I should have realized that the reason you have been acting so arrogant was because I was as well. I was a bad example as an older brother, Key, and as High King." Peter hugged me tighter.

He held me until I stopped crying, and then I too left, leaving my brother alone to make things right with Aslan.