༄ 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒙 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓 (𝑽𝑫𝑻) ༄

Chapter 19: Fears Come to Life

The thickness of the fog grew and eventually they could barely see in front of them. They could hear voices in the mist surrounding them and the whole place felt eerie. Ana climbed the steps to join Caspian and the Captain on the poop deck. He watched her carefully, studying her with concern. She knew he was concerned with how this place would affect her. But Ana was less afraid now that she understood that everything was part of the nightmare. She just didn't think now was a good time to mention any of this to Caspian.

Drinian was steering the ship, unable to really see where they were headed. "I can't see a thing. This fog's too thick."

Right after he spoke, Ana noted Caspian turning his head to look over both shoulders. Puffs of green mist showed up on either side of him. It was obvious that he was seeing and hearing something from it. But as it was just fog to her, Ana couldn't tell what he saw. He hadn't mentioned what his dream had been about. Or even what his fear was. The mist played to those insecurities. Ana approached to hopefully ward the voices off.

"It's not real," she whispered.
His gaze snapped quickly to Ana having not seen her move. "I—I know," Caspian answered, sounding unsure.
"But they're hard to ignore," Ana agreed. "Keep your thoughts on what makes you happy and it should make them back off a bit."
"Is that what you've been doing?"
She shrugged. "It's been working most of the time." Caspian smiled a little, grateful for the advice.

Monster, a voice said suddenly and Ana stiffened. She didn't look around, knowing there was no one there. Abandoned, unwanted. No one cares about you. No one could love a filthy creature like you. You're too broken.

Ana shook her head, trying to shove the voices down. She closed her eyes and felt a hand on her arm. They were whispering lies, playing to fears she didn't know she had. Following her own advice, she thought of the things that made her happy. Aslan, her friends and family, and a free Narnia. The voices stopped and she opened her eyes.

Smiling, Ana looked at Caspian. His face was etched with worry that quickly faded. He dropped his hand from her arm and stepped away from her. As he focused on the path ahead, Ana frowned a little. She was disappointed the contact didn't last longer. She always felt safe when he was near and it felt slightly colder after he stepped away. The mist moved in to fill the void, but Ana wouldn't let the voices flood her mind. She kept her thoughts on Aslan.

The crew was silent, keeping an eye for anything. They wanted to leave as soon as possible. But they couldn't until they found the last lord. The mist faded in and out amongst them and Ana could see their struggle. She had no idea what fears plagued their minds but wished she could help them.

A shout of 'No!' traveled to her ears. Several others had heard it too. She immediately sought out Edmund but found Lucy was already at her brother's side. Ana could've strained to hear what she told him, but didn't wish to eavesdrop. But whatever was said caused Edmund to relax a bit.

Ana was the first to hear it. A voice in the wind. She thought it was just the mist, but realized it wasn't when she heard it again. This voice was warning people to keep away rather than trying to draw them in.

She rushed down the stairs and ran to the ledge to try and find the source. Caspian was right behind her. "Ana?" he asked but said nothing else. He knew she was focused on something else.

"Keep away!" a voice shouted. "Keep awaaay!"
The others heard it then. Edmund grabbed his torch and walked across the deck to join Ana. He shined the light along the large boulders sticking out of the water.

"Who's there?" Edmund demanded.
"We do not fear you!" Caspian informed the voice. He seemed to think it was in their heads, but Ana was sure it was real.
"Nor I, you!" the voice replied.