So this is a revised Chapter 10. When I went back and read it, I really didn't like how I ended it; there were some things that I wanted to include that I ended up not because I didn't think I needed them, and then I decided they allowed the story to flow better with them and make more sense. Only the end and a little bit before that changed though, so it's not extreme

"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked Coriakin as he led them into the library he had found her in earlier.

"It seemed the easiest way to protect them," he answered, and he noticed the confused, wide eyed stares from them, "from the evil."

"You mean the mist?" Edmund questioned.

"I mean what lies behind the mist." Coriakin said as he walked across the room. He went to the table and grabbed a large scroll, about the length of his arm. He walked back to the middle of the room, and gestured for the others to move out of the way. He swung the scroll up into the air and it unraveled, rolling into a long rectangle with pictures around the edges and a large, black space in the middle. As it floated down onto the ground, shapes began to form in the black space and grew, creating a map that popped up out of the scroll.

Eustace was instantly fascinated by the drawing around the edge. He saw a centaur blowing into a horn, and then an army racing across a wide grassy plain towards another army. "It's quite beautiful," he said out loud, and when he received shocked glances from the others, he replied, "well, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world that is."

"There is the source of your troubles: Dark Island and its mist," Coriakin moved towards the end of the map. He looked down upon an island which resembled a tangled mess of black tree roots, surrounded by dark grey clouds and eerie green mist. It was terrifying and amazing at the same time. "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."

Lucy kept her composure while looking at the island. "How do we stop it?" she asked as she raised her eyes to Coriakin's.

"You must break it's spell," he said simply. He walked across the map to the other side, where Edmund stood beside Eustace. "That sword you carry," he said, pointing at Edmund's belt, "there are six others like it."

Syrena gasped. "Have you seen them? The Lords, I mean, did they pass through here?"

Coriakin turned around to gaze at her, his eyes full of wonder and curiosity. "Indeed."

"Where were they headed?" Caspian asked. He stood at the front of the map, farthest away from the island.

"Where I sent them," Coriakin said, and then the map shimmered and turned it's focus upon another island, not far from Dark Island. This one was beautiful, with high towering cliffs and magnificent waterfalls. "To break the spell you must follow the blue star to Ramandu's 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." he warned, looking each of them in the eye.

Lucy spoke up first; the others were too stunned to say anything. "Tested how?"

"Until you lay down the seven swords, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you." He moved closer to her. She wanted to step back for a moment, afraid of what he was going to say. "Do not allow your temptations define who you are," he said, his eyes never coming away from Lucy, though it sounded like he was speaking to everyone. He then moved clockwise, to Caspian next. "To defeat the evil out there, you must defeat the evil inside yourself." He skipped over Eustace; the boy frowned, almost sad that he had not gotten his own word of advice. Edmund was next; "Keep your faith, you will need it in the task ahead."

Lastly, he came up to Syrena. He stared at her strongly, and she returned the gaze. His eyes darkened as he moved closer to her, and instead of saying something out loud to everyone, he moved right up to her and whispered in her ear. "Be strong. Though it seems difficult and dark now, you will soon learn why it must be this way."

They left Coriakin's island not long after that. The magician had stood on the beach and waved as the Narnian ship headed away, into the bright afternoon sun. But, though the weather seemed calm at first, it was not to remain that way.

The storm hit them that night, and it hit them hard and fast. It had started as slightly tossing waves, and then the sky darkened and rain began to pour hard down upon the ship and the choppy waves crashed against it's sides. Caspian, Drinian, Edmund, Lucy and Syrena were gathered in Caspian's study; Eustace was no where to be found.

"So we're stuck here," Drinian said, dropping a weight down on to the map to the right of Coriakin's island. "At half-rations, with food and water for two more weeks - maximum. This is your last chance to turn back, Your Majesties."

Caspian and Edmund exchanged glances. Syrena was sitting across from Lucy at the table. "There's no guarantee we'll spot the Blue Star anytime soon," Drinian continued. "Not in this storm; needle in a haystack, trying to find this Ramandu's place. We could sail right past it and off the edge of the world." He and Edmund reached up to hold on to the rafters when the boat tossed violently.

"Or get eaten by a sea serpent," Edmund replied. Syrena and Lucy smiled slightly at each other; Drinian looked less than pleased.

"I'm just saying the men are getting nervous," Drinian said, glaring at Edmund. He let go of the rafters and moved across the room, grabbing his water cloak from the back of Syrena's chair. "These are strange seas we're sailing, the likes of which I've never seen before."

"Then perhaps, Captain," Caspian said, standing up, "you'd like to be the one to explain to Mr. Rhince that we're abandoning the search for his wife."

Drinian stared at him, deciding against it. "I'll get back to it then," he said, putting on the cloak and heading to the door. Before leaving, he turned back. "Just a word of warning; the sea can play nasty tricks on the crew's mind. Very nasty."

Caspian waited until Drinian was gone, and then grabbed his own cloak. "If I sit in here any longer and do nothing, I might explode." He left in a hurry.

Lucy sat at the table, her chin propped up on one hand and the other tapping rhythms against the wood. Syrena was leaning against the wall, facing the bay window that was across from the door. Her arms were crossed tight against her chest. Edmund sat beneath the window, leaning over with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Do you think the rain will ever stop?" she asked him.

He looked up at her. "Yes. I do think it will stop."

She turned her gaze back out the window. "When I was four, I thought rain was the greatest thing I'd ever seen. I loved the feel of it running down my face and cooling the air during the summer." She was smiling as she spoke, remembering some untold memory. Then her smile fell. "Now it doesn't seem as wonderful."

Lucy turned around in her seat. "Remember what Coriakin said? He told us there would be a storm ahead; and now we have proven him right. But he also said that we would get out of it and find the blue star."

"Lucy's right," Edmund said. "We can't forget that."

Lucy then smiled. "And Aslan will help us."

That broke Syrena apart. "Oh really? Where was Aslan when we were in Narrowhaven and were being sold off as slaves and those people were taken from their families? Where was he when Caspian lost his father to a tyrant, he had no one left to rely on?" she screamed. Lucy and Edmund both stared at her with wide eyes. They had never heard her so angry before. "There is no Aslan!" She chuckled, as though relieved to get it off her chest. "Aslan is nothing but a figure of everyone's imagination, a fake belief that people follow. He doesn't exist!"

Lucy looked about ready to smack her. "I've seen him with my own eyes, Syrena! Aslan is as real as you or I!"

"Then why didn't he stop my father from being taken from me?" She could feel tears forming in her eyes, and her throat had become scratchy. "He did not want to leave, he never would have left me, not if he had the choice."

"Aslan does everything for a reason," Lucy replied. She had calmed down a bit. "You may not see it now, but-"

"Lucy, please," Syrena said. They could now hear how tired her voice was. "You don't understand, please don't try and understand what my life has been like. You'd never understand." At the last bit, her gaze fell upon Edmund. He returned it, having a feeling she was speaking more to him than his sister.

Unbenounced to them, Caspian was on the other side of the door. He had heard the entire exchange, and was immensely surprised but what had happened. He waited a few minutes before entering the room.

"The storm is letting up," His glance flicked between each of them; to Syrena's exhausted and heavy lidded glare, to Lucy's sad pout, and then to Edmund's shocked eyes.

"The storm is letting up."

There. I feel better about that. :)