Chronicles of Narnia: The Warrior of Narnia (Completed)

Chapter Three: The Magician's Island

(I mean offense. But the Lone Island isn't my favorite).
In the morning, Marina was writing in her brand new journal. Lucy had borrowed a needle and thread, she began to adjust her clothes to be a little better. Edmund was cleaning off the barnacles off of Duke Bern's sword.
September 3.
It's the first time I'll be able to write my private journal. I kinda feel sorry for my cousin and somewhat ancient King of Narnia, King Edmund the Justice. He's stuck cleaning off the barnacles. Anyways, we're all heading towards the Lone Islands that stands in the Eastern Seas. I'm little nervous since we're faraway from home and our parents aren't here with us. Not to mention me, Chief Reepicheep of the Talking Mice, and Captain Drinian had led an Narnian army on Narrowhaven and now they have a new Duke." She glanced at Eustace, who sat behind barrels. "I'm getting to the point that Eustace still doesn't understand much about Talking Beasts. I think he's trying to talk to a seagull, which is getting a little amusing.
—From Marina Knight.
Marina stopped her writing and put her writing equipment, (along with her journal) in her side-long travel bag.
"It's going to be magnificent!" said Reepicheep to Edmund eagerly.
Marina winced back when Edmund flung off another disgusting barnacle from the sword.
"Ew, Edmund!" complained Marina as a barnacle almost hit her on the boot, she edged away from the barnacle. "Watch where you flung that thing!"
"Sorry Marina," apologized Edmund to her before going back to work.
Marina turned to look at Eustace, who was also writing in his journal and seemed to be speaking to a seagull, that was on one of the barrels. "Do you know where I can get food around here?"
"Why are you talking to that bird?" asked David to Eustace.
"Well, I just assumed that he would talk," Eustace said.
The men began to laugh and Marina tried to hold back her laughter, but then she finally got over it and walked away. She walked calmly towards the back of the ship's balcony, and looked at the ship's foamy and watery trail.
She loved the feeling of the sea breeze in her long hair. The taste on sea salt on her lips. The gentle waves splashing here and there. She could hear faraway hear the sea birds and mermaids. She felt the mist on her skin with the sun shining brightly on her. She smiled to the sea, but then she frowned when heard another argument on the main deck.
Again with the arguing, groaned Marina silently and rolled her eyes.
She went inside when she heard a loud crash in one of the empty rooms. Nora joined her side almost immediately.
"What is it now?" said Nora, clearly annoyed.
They walked silently to one of the empty rooms quietly. Marina opened the door silently, the two girls walked in. Marina saw small muddy shoe prints that go from the bed, to the closest, and to one of the barrels. When she looked into one of the barrels, there was nothing in the first barrel was a strong-smelling fish and swimps, in the second barrel was fishing nets, and the third one was ropes and nets.
"Where's the fourth barrel?" asked Nora.
"Oh no," whispered Marina with a jolt of horror.
She and Nora exchanged horrified glances with wide eyes. Oh no. thought the two of them at the same time. That's when they heard a little girl's scream outside. The two of them ran back to the main deck and they found the scared nine or ten year old girl. She was the same girl that they had seen with Rhince and by the docks. The poor and dirty lass had accidentally startled Eustace and Reepicheep when they were having another of their fights.
"Gael? What are you doing here?" asked Lucy as she, Marina, and Nora gathered around her with gentle, but surprised expressions.
The girl and Lucy gently embraced her, they soonly broke up and Lucy pulled Gael close to her side. Marina bent down and Nora stepped closer, curious about the situation. They looked back at Gael, and saw that she was watching them with fearful curiosity.
"Looks like we have an extra crew member." Drinian tossed her an apple and she caught it quickly. Hesitantly, Gael started eating it eagerly.
"Welcome aboard, Gael," said Marina warmly with a smile and Gael smiled back at her and Nora.
"Your Majesty," said Gael to them.
"Call me Lucy," said Lucy.
"Just call us Marina." She smiled at her gently.
"I'm Nora," greeted Nora.
"I'm Edmund." He came over with a smile. "The ones that you accidentally spooked was our cousin, Eustace, and the Talking Mouse is Reepicheep."
"Spooked is right," mumbled Marina to Nora.
Nora laughed softly and smiled up at Edmund as he joined her. After a brief silence, Edmund's gaze didn't meet hers. Apart from the sun's glow, Nora could have sworn there was a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Nora heard Edmund muttered something under his breath, but the words were not audible enough for her to make out what he said exactly.
———
In the middle of the afternoon, they paddled towards the closet shore. Marina started writing in her beautiful Narnian journal.
"September 4
It's my second time, and I'm really excited to check out this island; it looks ancient, mysterious, and somewhat magical. It's full of healthy trees and well-treated plants. I wonder if someone still lives on that island today. Earlier today with have found a nine year old girl named Gael, daughter of Rhince, she too wanted to find her missing mother. Gael had joined the crew and I think Lucy is like a big sister to her. I know that safety numbers are important but I'm getting a little restless."
Marina stopped her writing and put her equipment away in her travel bag.
"It looks uninhabited but if the Lords followed the star they would have come here," said Nora.
Marina looked up and saw that Nora was correct. The island does look like uninhabited and seemed as if only animals and birds had been there, and not one human had been here.
"It could be a trap," said Drinian.
"Or it could hold some answers," pointed out Edmund.
"Caspian?" asked Nora, not wanting to be in a fight.
"We will spend the night on shore. We'll scout the Island in the morning," said Caspian.
The boats were prepared and they were ready to go ashore. Marina unrolled her blanket on the sand, under a rock. She put her bag underneath her. Marina's eyes reflected off the litted fireplace, she got her writing equipment and her journal. She continued her writing.
"Tomorrow morning we're going to scout most of this island and see if we could find the rest of the Lost Lords somewhere around here. But if we don't someone has to tell us what to do with the Seven Swords, I'm not what are we going to do. I can't help but think that we're being watched by someone or a few someones I should say."
Marina stopped her writing and put it in her pack. Nora smiled at her and gotten ready to sleep next to her while Edmund was getting ready to sleep with each other. The three of them curled up together and fell asleep in the warmth of the fire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two invisible beings, nothing more than voices, a breath in the air and a footprint were now looking over the resting Narnians, deciding which one would be best to take with them.
"This one, it's female." One of the voices spoke up as quietly as possible, looking down at Lucy, who was fast asleep with reading book still in hand.
"So is these ones." The other voice peered down at Nora, who was still curled up in Edmund's arm and was holding hands with Marina.
"We could never get that one without waking the male. We'll take this one, she reads," One of the voices decided, noticing Lucy's book.
"Let's get her." The first being placing his invisible hand over Lucy's mouth, so she couldn't make a noise and the other lifting her up in the air before carrying her away from the group.
Nora was the first to come out of her undisrupted slumber, the warmth of Edmund's arms around her making her smile to herself before she even lifted her lids.
She carefully raised Edmund's arm off of her, not wanting to wake him before he was ready and slowly placed it as his side. For a few minutes she stayed lying down, but now on her side, gazing over the sleeping form of the man she had confessed all of her feelings to the night before. She had never felt so happy.
Edmund and Nora had decided before they went to sleep that night that they would keep the nature of their relationship to themselves for now. They just wanted it to be about them for a while and didn't want to have to deal with all of the comments they would no doubt receive from the people they were closest to. It was important to both of them that everyone's minds stayed on the task at hand and were not distracted by what has happening between them.
But Nora looked around, she noticed that some footprints have been made in the sand and saw that Lucy was missing. "Uh on." She noticed that Caspian saw what was happening too.
"Ed." Caspian prodded the boy into consciousness just like Lauren had done with him moments before. "Look, someone has been here." Pointing at the nearest print as Edmund got to his feet, looking himself at the discovery.
Nora and Marina both walked over to where Lucy had settled for the night, intending to wake her up and enlighten her on the situation as well.
"Where's Lucy?" Nora panicked when she saw that her cousin was not where she had left her.
"Lucy?!" Edmund shouted at full voice, desperate to find his youngest sister.
"Everybody up," Caspian instructed the still sleeping crew in little more than a whisper.
"Get up. Get up I say," Drinian ordered the semiconscious crew now he had been enlightened on the situation himself.
The group took hold of their weapons, now alert and ready to face those who may or may not have taken Lucy.
"This way." Caspian directed before running into the island undergrowth, Nora, Marina, Edmund and the rest of the group following close behind whilst Eustace still lay snoring at the top of his voice.
They ran as fast as they could, stopping every few moments to see if they could catch any clues as to where Lucy had been taken.
"What do you think took her?" Marina asked, concern dripping from her voice.
"I don't know, but I promise we shall find out," Caspian assured, squeezing her hand in comfort whilst no one was looking, before they took off in pursuit once more.
"I hope so," Edmund voiced sadly, worried about what had happened to his dearest sister.
The group had once again come to a stop, this time in the same ornamental garden Lucy had been taken to.
"Lucy's dagger." Nora became alerted when she saw it sticking out of the ground at her feet. They were in the right place.
Before another word could be said, another step could be taken spears began flying down around them out of nowhere. Caspian immediately shielded Lauren with his own body, not about to lose her now as the others tried to find the source that these spears were coming from. There was nothing, there was no one.
"Stop right there or perish," An unseen voice warned, ripping Caspian's sword from his hand somehow and then hitting him in the face so hard he toppled over.
Nora stepped forward boldly, with the fierce confident and protective aura as the Warrior of Narnia. "Back off you bunch of cowards! You are attempting to ambush the Royal Crew of Narnia! And you are now facing the Warrior of Narnia!"
At that moment, there were twenty of the creatures in total, towered on top of each other so they could gain some height. They had one leg which had an oversized grubby foot at its base, small pot bellies, long beards and crooked teeth.
"Don't you mean squash us, with your fat bellies?" Edmund asked, not being able to keep up the pretence any longer.
"Tickle us with your toes?" Caspian added, gaining a loud laugh from the group that surrounded him.
When they realized they could be seen, there confident resolve slipped and they became nothing more than blithering idiots, tumbling on to the floor and struggling to get to their feet, terrified that they had been discovered.
"What have you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?" Edmund demanded in anger as he and Captain Drinian pointed their swords at one of the useless creatures that sat on the ground before them.
"Now calm down," The small thing stuttered.
"Where is she?" Nora yelled, pulling away from the others and leaning down to get a better look at one of the things that had kidnapped her friend.
"She's, er, she's in the mansion." He saw how mad the Narnians were and not wanting the situation to get any more hostile than it already was.
"What mansion?" Caspian asked confused, before a huge building appeared in front of their very eyes.
"Ooooh, that mansion." Edmund remarked out loud, acting like it had been there the whole time.
Out of nowhere and completely at the annoyance of the whole group, Eustace appeared out of the undergrowth. "You know I'm really getting tired of you always leaving me behind." He moaned as usual, before coming to shocked silence when he saw the abnormal creatures scattered before him. "This place is getting weirder and weirder."
Nora snickered at his comment. "This is the twelfth weirdest thing I've seen in Narnia." Eustace gave her a small smirk before looking grumpy again.
"Lucy." Marina squealed when she turned away from the others and saw Lucy come out of the mansion accompanied by an elderly, regal looking man in a long and starry cloak.
"Your Majesties." The man bowed, looking over at Caspian and Edmund who had now come to greet the girl that had been missing nearly all morning.
"Lauren, Edmund, Caspian. This is Coriakin. It's his Island," Lucy introduced with a smile on her face.
"That's what he thinks," One of the creatures shouted out, interrupting the introductions. "You have wronged us magician."
"I have not wronged you. I made you invisible for your own protection." Coriakin tried to assure the creatures who seemed to be getting tenser with every passing moment.
"Protection?"
"That's oppressive."
"Oppressor." The creatures screeched one after the other, hopping back with their one leg as Coriakin approached them, completely unfazed.
"I have not oppressed you." The Island owner mumbled to them, a fed up tone in his voice. "Be gone." Coriakin pulled a white substance out of his cloak pocket and throwing it in the direction of the creatures who quickly jumped away, screaming as they did so.
"What was that?" Lucy asked.
"Lint. But don't tell them." Both Lucy and Coriakin grinned walking back over to where Marina, Nora, Ed and Caspian still stood
"What were those things?" Eustace asked, intrigued by the things that were scurrying past him in the most abnormal fashion.
"Dufflepuds," Coriakin answered over his shoulder, settling to a stop at both the Kings sides. "I apologize for their behavior Your Majesties. They have been a burden to me for as long as I can remember." He took another bow out of courtesy.
"It is no matter Coriakin," Caspian reassured the man as Edmund glanced over at Nora who was standing at the side silently rubbing at her ribs.
Coriakin led the royals along with Nora and Marina into his mansion, wanting to show them something that he was sure would be of upmost importance if they were to succeed in their quest.
Together they ascend to the second floor, admiring how the silver lined skylight fractures the space into golden squares, warming the room until every last trace of fear they felt not even ten minutes ago is melted away. Walking down one of the smaller corridors sees the replacement of the natural light with phoenix shaped wall sconces burning gold, their pools of light providing just enough visibility to see the details of the carpet that muffles their steps, threaded with symbols of moons and stars and nonsensical runes.
Coriakin opened a door indistinguishable from the rest, harboring the same frame decorated to depict a forest filled with all the mythical beasts you could imagine (Nora's personal favourite being a Centaur and a Lion) and, just like the rest, finished with a lion shaped handle.
The room they enter is horseshoe shaped, with floor to ceiling bookcases running parallel to each other, crammed full of leather-bound tomes that fill the air with the comforting aroma of aged parchment. The curved end of the room was highlighted by two wooden pillars that bowed into an archway which spanned the length of the ceiling to intersect with other pillars set within the room. The small dome was separated from the library by an enchantment, the sunlight filtering from its skylight cut off when it brushed against the pillars, so no natural light penetrated the larger space. Instead, the room was lit by stars. Thousands of them whirling across the bookcases in patches of azure light.
In the centre of the dome lay a table void of contents except a singular scroll. Coriakin strode towards it as the group, each enraptured with a different section of the room, stood distracted by the doorway. Though he'd keep it to himself, Coriakin found their reactions vaguely amusing. Nobody had been to appreciate his home in a decade, it was nice to witness the glassy eyes and open mouths, even if the tour had to be cut short.
He cleared his throat and lets the scroll unravel across the length of the floor. What first appears as a simple tapestry, lovingly painted with the same fantastical imagery woven through the entire building, soon blooms into a dimensional map. The ocean, deep and glistening as if they were looking at the real thing, spreads from the center and covered its surface, picture perfect white clouds settling above out of thin air.
"Here is the source of your troubles." He waves his hand and the scene shifts, spanning the sea like a bird in flight, until a new space appeared. "Dark Island. That's where evil lurks." A blackened hand raised from the ground, clawed fingers curled over into a loose fist. Green mist, the same from Narrowhaven, twisting and curling around the shape as a snake would. It seemed anxious. Waiting for the next creature to wander into its grasp so it can smother its life, craving their energy as someone isolated for life would crave companionship. It was malicious. And it was alive. "It can take any form, it can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness, to steal the light from this world."
"How do we stop it?" Lucy asked, the words cast in steel. She stared at the island with grim determination, as did the others – all except Marina and Eustace.
The latter was pointedly ignoring it, choosing to believe that if he couldn't see it then whatever it was, infecting his mind and tapping light fingers on his heart between beats, would no longer affect him. Marina, on the other hand, was desperately trying to channel the determination of the others by observing them.
"You must break its spell." He turned to Edmund. "That sword you carry. There are six others."
"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked him. "Did they pass through here?"
"Yes." Coriakin nodded.
"Where were they headed?" added Caspian.
"Where I sent them." Coriakin walked across the map and through the projection of Dark Island with ease, collectively unnerving the others.
The map shifts again, bringing into view an island twice the size as Dark Island and far more inviting. Dominated by a crudely shaped mountain and sparse patches of nature, it wasn't what most would call an ideal destination but for the seven people staring at it now, there could be nothing better.
"You must follow the blue star to Ramandu's island." An orb, glowing far brighter than any star they had ever seen, hovers above the peak of the island. "There, the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's Table. Only then can their true magical power be released. But beware, you are all about to be tested. Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you." Coriakin turns to each of them in turn. "Be strong. To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."