Fire and Ice(Narnia Book 3)

Chapter 26 Finding Nesarose

(Edmunds POV)

"So, how'd you end up in Oz?" I asked as we trailed along behind the witch hunter. Emmy gripped my hand a bit tighter each time Dorothy slashed her way through the thick brush ahead of us, both of us taking notice of the yellow road behind us getting further and further away until it was hardly noticeable. 

"A twister, years ago." She stopped suddenly, spinning around to face us. "There's a stream a little ways east, you keep walking and you cant miss it."

"You're not coming with us?" Emmy asked, glancing to me with eyes filled with uncertainty. 

"I have better things to do than lead clueless children through the forest." She rolled her eyes, jutting out her hip as she placed her hands on them. Just as she turned to walk away Edmund stepped forward.

"Who hired you to kill the witch?"

If I had blinked im sure I wouldve missed her moving because within less than a second she was nose to nose with us. "Thats none of your business."

"You know, despite the fact that we're just 'clueless children' we do know how to read. I dont know how you'd know this, but there are many books in our castle back home with a wide variety of topics. There's even a book or two about Oz's history with some particularly interesting chapters on a certain witch hunter." I watched the girls eyes widened with each word that spilled from my smirking lips. "Where is Nessarose."

"Safe." She breathed in response. "Its my job to make sure she stays that way."

"Sorry, im not familiar with that location." I deadpanned causing her to emit a rather large sigh, glancing around a few times before shaking her head. 

"Who sent you here, and it better be a legit answer. You'll have to forgive me for not being so trusting, the people here can be quite sneaky when given the chance, even the trees will rat you out."

"The trees in Narnia are very much alive too." Emmy smiled lightly at the memories. 

"Narnia?" Dorothy exclaimed in a hush whisper, leaning a bit too close to Emmy. I wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her into my side and stepping back. "You're really from Narnia?"

The excitement that was now gleaming in her eyes was unmistakable, as was the way her entire body language changed, feeling renewed with the undeniable sensation that comes along with new hope. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am King Edmund, the just. This is Lady Emmy."

A gasp passed through her parted lips as she whispered the words 'the prophecy is coming true' as though she were speaking a sacred prayer. "I-I thought- she said so many time that--but I just thought"

"Who? Nessarose?" Emmy asked.

The girl only nodded, grasping each of our wrists and pulling us behind her deeper into the woods. We trudged along in silence making many confusing twists and turns, many of which did nothing but take us in circles, but something told me that was the point. The path to someone hiding out shouldn't be an easy one to find. We mimicked Dorothys actions, keeping our heads down and moving as silently as physically possible as we passed by certain trees in order to avoid being detected. 

We came upon a fallen tree trunk, one that took up nearly the entire path after awhile. Dorothy looked around a few times before waving us over to the other side of log and motioning for us to crawl into a hole in the side that was just large enough for a person to fit through. Emmy and I exchanged a glance before agreeing and crawling in behind her. 

The darkness was all consuming, but after feeling around aimlessly for a few seconds I felt a hand that I knew belonged to Emmy grasp my wrist, pulling my hand across the dirt. I gasped as my fingers brushed against a wood railing which I realized moments later belonged to a ladder, hoisting myself over the side of a sudden drop off and onto the ladder, climbing down into a lantern lit cove of some sort. 

Emmy smiled lightly at me as we made eye contact, tearing our gaze away and looking around in the empty dirt room, similar to the rooms in the Howe. Torches lined the walls, illuminating nearly every inch of the room, giving somewhat of a peaceful feeling.

"Dorothy?" A small, childlike voice called out, followed by a girl no older than nine or ten that stepped out of the shadows. Her golden hair that reminded me so much of Glindas was pulled into two curly pigtails hanging over each shoulder, covering a small portion of her light blue dress that reached her knees. "Who are they?" She pointed to us with a delicate hand and a look of curiosity and concern in her blue eyes. 

"This is Edmund and Emmy, they're here to help." She smiled at the child, nodding to reassure her that everything was alright.

"So, where is Nesarose?" I mumbled to Dorothy, trying my best not to sound impatient. 

She laughed at my question, placing a hand on my arm. "You just met her."