~By the Lion's Mane: The Call~

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I came down with a fever, not surprisingly. For the next three days, I stayed below, my temperature high. I had vivid nightmares of wolves hunting me down, snarling and tearing at me, howling with hunger, their yellow eyes glowing and white fangs bloody. Even though it had been centuries ago in Narnian time and decades for me, I still had nightmares about the Secret Police coming for me, in that cold, frozen landscape, like they had for my faun friend. I woke thrashing about in my sleep, only to wake up in a cold sweat to Edmund’s worried eyes.

But finally, the afternoon of the third day of my illness, my fever broke. I was suddenly soaked with sweat as my body tried to bring my temperature back down to normal after fighting the infection. I was ravenously hungry and ate quite a lot to catch up on what I’d lost. I immediately wanted to get up, but Caspian and Lucy and Edmund all said it would be best for me to spend one more day in my cabin, getting my strength back. I grudgingly obliged, knowing they were right.

But the next day, nothing they could do could stop me from escaping my cramped, stuffy cabin. I quickly bathed and dressed in a loose cotton shirt and my breeches, rolling them up to below my knees and going barefoot. I put my hair in its usual braids and went up to the deck.

I immediately noticed that the wind had changed and was now blowing from the north instead of the western wind we’d had. The air was noticeably cooler, almost chilly, and the water was gray and choppy. The clouds were low and dark, heavy with rain, but not storm clouds, I was glad to note. But almost immediately, fat raindrops began to plop onto the deck.

I muttered under my breath about the blasted rain and then went and found Caspian, standing up on the highest deck of the boat, where Drinian steered the ship at the ornate helm, the spokes carved in the form of twisted branches and with Aslan’s face carved in gold at its center. They were passing a looking glass back and forth.

“What’re you looking at?” I asked, curious and not wanting to be left out. I hated not knowing what was going on.

Caspian lowered the glass and addressed me. “Well, it is hard to tell because of the damn rain, but we think we’ve spotted land off the port bow.”

He handed me the glass and I lifted it to my eye, leaning over the right rail. Yes, it did seem there was a shadow through the mist of the now heavy rainfall. I expressed my thoughts, and they agreed.

“Yes, I suppose we will sail in that direction then. Give the orders,” Caspian said, climbing back down the ladder to the main deck.

Drinian called down to him, “By your leave, Sire, we will try to get under the lee of that country by rowing and lie in harbor, maybe till this is over.”

Caspian thought for a moment, and then nodded. “All right then.”

I went below to help with the rowing, but Edmund pushed me back out. “Not with you so soon over an illness. We’ll manage fine without you.”

I scowled at him, but he ignored it. It took all of that day and into the evening before we managed to get the Dawn Treader into the natural harbor that was formed by the island. We anchored for the night, with orders that no one was to go ashore that evening.

I was up early the next morning, eager at what new wonders this foreign land might hold. I dressed about the same as the day before, but adding my boots and dagger, my sword and scabbard, and my quiver and bow across my back.

We lowered the rowboat and several empty water barrels and began rowing ashore. I studied the land through watchful eyes as we rowed toward a stream on the starboard side, noting that it was mostly covered in scruffy evergreen trees. It was also mountainous like Dragon Island, though prettier, in a melancholy way.