Our Long Awaited Return Book #8

Chapter 16 The Witche's Unsuccessful Attempt

Leona's pov
I leave the others behind to find my brother. I find him in the hall of the paintings with Nikabrik.
"What are you doing?" I ask Caspian, "They're all looking for you, well I am."
"Quiet, Daughter of Eve," Nikabrik hissed; he led us to the room of the Stone Table.
"You tried one ancient power it failed," begins Nikabrik.
"Aslan isn't an ancient power. He's in control of Narnia; he is sovereign over it. He isn't a magician," I tell the dwarf, quoting what Trufflehunter had told me.
"But there is a power greater still, one that kept even Aslan at bay for a hundred years." Nikabrik sends a shiver up my spine.
I hear a growl coming from somewhere. Caspian unsheathes his sword and I hide behind him.
"Who's there?" He asks.
"I am hungry, I am thirsty," a creature appears from behind a column. He is wearing a cloak over his body, but I know he's a werewolf.
He counters chanting and then behind him comes a hag doing the same.
She draws a circle in the ground and thrusts a spear into it. I can tell it was evil what she was doing, and it wasn't what Aslan would want us to do.
Ice starts forming by two columns until there's an ice wall. Behind it stands 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 says to Caspian.
"No, this isn't what I wanted!" Yells Caspian.
"What are you thinking, Nikabrik!" I scream
"She can't help us, she'll just kill us!"
The werewolf grabs hold of Caspian, while the gag cuts his hand with a knife.
Caspian steps over looks at the witch, and holds out his hand. I wish I could do something, to stop it, but I don't know how.

Verity's pov
"Peter," Andrew begins, "I know you're upset at Caspian, but..."
"I'm not only upset at him, I'm also angry with you." Peter accuses.
"Look, there were soldiers. Were Gwen and I supposed to walk into their trap," Andrew protests.
"No," Peter shakes his head, "You were wasting that time with that girl of yours."
I see Gwen blush crimson at Peter's comment.
I realized there was going to be another fight before it happened. Before I knew it, Andrew had pushed Peter to the ground, "Look, if anyone is responsible, it is you." Andrew snarls, "And if I am at fault with it, then that may be true, but whose dumb idea was it in the first place."
Peter gets up and is about to unsheathe his sword when Ruth says, "Where is Leona?"
First, Caspian goes missing, then Leona.
"Something's really wrong," Andrew sighs, "Pete, Ed, Trumpkin, will you come with me and check."
"And me," I put in.
I follow 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, was watching the whole scene helplessly.
Peter drew his sword, "Stop!" He yells.
He runs to fight the hag, Edmund and Andrew, the werewolf, and Trumpkin and I, Nikabrik.
"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Leona cries running over to me and Trumpkin, but we ignore her.
That dwarf was the most sly person I've ever fought with. I was going to go jump on top of him and kill him that way. When I see Lucy charging towards him, her dagger in hand.
"Lucy!" I yell, Trumpkin and I exchange shocked looks.
Nikabrik pins Lucy to the wall and grabs her dagger, I run over to her and pull her away from him. We both fall on a heap on the floor. I drop my sword in the process.
Nikabrik with Lucy's dagger in hand, is charging towards us. I lay a hand on my sister's shoulder, sure that we'd be dead soon, when the dwarf falls over dead, Trumpkin stabbed him in the back.
"No!" Cries Leona, "You didn't have to kill him!"
My brothers had defeated our other two opponents. Peter and I both race over to Caspian; Peter shoves him over while Leona runs to him and helps him up.
"Get away from him!" My brother yells at the witch, pointing his sword at her, I do the same.
"We won't ever let you back," I snarl vehemently.
"Peter and Verity, dears, I have missed you," the witch answers; she puts her hand out on the ice again.
"You know you can't do this alone. Just one drop. "
I don't know what I was thinking, but I find myself saying to Peter, "Maybe she's our only hope, Pete, I don't see Aslan anywhere." I lower my sword
Peter looks at me, then lowers his own sword, too. He was just about to hold out his hand, when the ice starts to break, he pulls me down beside him and Caspian does the same with Leona.
After the ice breaks, we look up, and there's Edmund, the one who, during our last adventure in Narnia, had betrayed us to the witch; he stands with his sword pointed, but he puts it down and looks at Peter and me.
"I know you had it sorted," he says, leaving. He walks over to Lucy and Andrew, who has an arm around her. The three leave. Trumpkin and Leona follow. Behind where Edmund had stood is the picture of Aslan.
I just want to disappear, what did I almost convince Peter to do? I feel tears sting my eyes. I turn around to find Susan and Ruth staring at the three of us. Caspian, Peter, and I.
"What happened?" Asks Ruth in shock.
Susan shakes her in disgust and leaves. Ruth lingers for a moment, "Did you try to bring her back, how could you!"
She leaves before we can reply.
Peter and Caspian look at each other, but then Caspian, too, leaves.
I place my head on the Stone Table and let the tears come. "I'm sorry, you must think I'm such a fool!" I say to Peter.
"No," I can feel him put his arms around me.
I throw my arms around his neck," I told you that maybe you should bring the witch..."
"Oh, Peter!" I cry, "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, Verity, and as High King." Peter hugs me tighter.
He holds me until I stop crying, and then I, too, leave, leaving my brother alone to make things right with Aslan.