A/N: I'm a little nervous posting this. I'm not sure if it's ready or not! I got a bit ahead of myself while writing and had to backtrack through this chapter to make it make sense. I hope it does!
Jill held the pieces of the fountain pen, trying not to fret over the ink that was staining her hands. She bent the clip sideways and slid it into the lock, and then slipped the tip of the pen underneath. She jiggled the pieces inside the lock, waiting to hear a click, but nothing happened. Jill bit her lower lip and tried again. She worked the clip inside, trying to twist it to release the lock. She strained to hear the click of the lock turning.
"Haven't you gotten it yet?" said the clerk in her ear. Jill jumped into the air, dropping the pieces of the pen. Quickly she bent down, feeling along the floor for the tiny pieces. "Could you not do that?" she snapped. "I'm trying my best, and you aren't helping by scaring me every three minutes." Her hand clasped around the pen cap. "I just need some more time."
"What do you suppose he's doing out there?" the clerk wondered. She heard him slide down against the wall and sit on the floor. "Why us? He's gone crazy." Jill didn't answer. "I suppose we may die in here," the clerk continued.
Jill just rolled her eyes. "We are not going to die," she said, annoyed. "Hold the light steady for me." She went back to work, trying again and again to break the lock. Finally, she heard it: the click of the bolts inside turning. "I did it!" she cried happily as the door swung open.
They both blinked hard in the sudden light. Jill poked her head out and looked around, making sure the room was empty. "Is he there?" the clerk whispered behind her.
"No," she answered. They left their small prison and Jill closed the door behind them.
"We should go while we still can," the clerk said, and made for the door. He turned around to make sure that Jill was following him. "What are you doing?" he said incredulously.
Jill was standing in front of the shelves, examining all of the items. Then she started pulling items down from the shelves. The clerk watched with wide eyes as she strapped a dagger to her waist, slung a quiver of arrows across her chest, and hefted a sword in its sheath and a bow on her shoulder. "What does it look like?" she answered. "We need to be prepared."
"Prepared for what?" the clerk said. "Are we heading to battle?" Jill just shot him a look, which the clerk read easily: you never know.
The weapons were a bit heavy for Jill, but she managed to get control of them and walked over to the door. "Now we can go."
The clerk laughed. "Go where? You can't go walking around dressed like—like something out of the Dark Ages!" He followed her through the anteroom and to the front door. "Besides, I'm going straight to the police. They'll know what to do."
"Go to the police then," said Jill. She began to hurry down the street. "See if they believe you. Meanwhile, I have to find my friend, and warn the others about your grandfather."
"My grandfather?" The clerk stopped suddenly. "I forgot about him! Wait, I'm coming with you!"
It was nearly time for supper, and the streets were nearly deserted. Those who were out were moving quickly, trying to get home. The clerk was looking around, waiting for someone to stop them, but to his surprise, no one took any notice of the young girl and her collection of armaments. He followed Jill as she snuck along the streets, hiding in alleyways and peering around doorways. The clerk felt very much like he was in some sort of espionage story, and began to get very excited in spite of himself. It was he, in fact, who spotted the stranger and Lucy walking back in the direction of the warehouse. "Get down!" he hissed, and pulled Jill behind a cart to hide.
Jill pulled her hand away and peered over the cart. The stranger was indeed walking briskly on the other side of the street with Lucy. She stood to go after them, but then she spotted that someone else was already following. "Eustace!" They ran over to him. "What are you doing here?" Jill asked.
"I saw Lucy at Aunt Polly's, and figured there was something wrong. Good thing I did—she's with that man!" He looked over at the clerk, who had come up next to Jill, and started. "What's he doing here?"
"The stranger had him locked up," said Jill. "We just escaped. Eustace, his grandfather is working with the Telmarine! He's dangerous!"
"Telmarine?" asked the clerk. "Is that in Europe?"
"He's at the house, alone. I left a note for Edmund."
"The Telmarine took her to the house to collect the ring. He must have it by now."
Eustace was studying Jill closely. "Where did you get all that equipment?"
"It's his, it's his collection," she answered.
"I told her not to put it on," said the clerk. "She looks ridiculous."
"Give me the sword," he said. "It's too heavy for you, and besides, at least I know how to use it." Jill scowled at him, but handed it over. Jill and Eustace turned back up the street to follow the Telmarine, but the clerk called after them, "Shouldn't we be going away from the man who locked us up?" Neither Eustace nor Jill made any sign that they had heard, so he muttered "They've all gone mad!" to himself and followed behind.
Lucy had to nearly jog to keep up with the stranger. Now that the ring was about to become his, he was anxious to hand over Jill and be done with them. Lucy kept glancing behind, hoping to see Edmund or Eustace coming up behind them. But she had to keep her glances very subtle, and did not dare look for more than a brief second.
When they reached the warehouse, he hustled her inside and into the back room. "Now give me the ring," he said.
"Open the door first," she answered. She took the ring from her pocket and held it out in her hand.
The stranger walked to the door and inserted the key. "What is this!" he cried. "The door is unlocked!" He threw it open and saw that it was empty inside. He whirled around and faced Lucy. "You did this!"
Lucy stood with her mouth open. "I didn't! Where did she go?" The man was becoming furious, redness rising up his neck. "You—you tricked me!" he sputtered. He grabbed at Lucy, but she struggled and tried to escape. He held onto her tightly, and wrenched the ring from her hand. "Let go of me!" she shouted.
"I knew something was wrong," he growled, only inches from her face. "You will not stop me, and neither will your brother nor your friends. You aren't leaving."
"You said you just wanted the ring," said Lucy. "I brought you to it. You gave your word!" He forced her towards the room that had held Jill and the clerk, but Lucy was screaming and kicking at him. "Stop! You can't do this!"
"Enough!" the man bellowed. His expression was unstable—so much so, in fact, that Lucy shrunk back. "I am opening the door tonight, and you will be my insurance that no one interferes. If you try to stop me, or if you run, just remember I know where your friends live. Their blood will be on your hands." Lucy's breath caught in her throat. He took her silence as affirmation, and pushed her inside. Lucy stood alone in the dark, and heard the click of the lock. Panic started to rise in her mind, but she only allowed herself one minute to be afraid. Then she wiped away the tears on her cheeks and tried to feel her way around. If Jill had gotten out of this room, then she knew that she could do it too.
Jill and Eustace were watching from a few doors down. "Why don't we get him now?" the clerk asked eagerly, peering around Eustace.
"What do you suggest we do?" asked Jill. "Rush in there and jump on top of him?" The clerk opened his mouth to answer, but when he couldn't think of a response, promptly shut it again.
"He's right," said Eustace. He and Jill looked at each other. "He has Lucy in there. We need to do something."
Eustace gripped the hilt of his sword. There was a pause, and then Jill nodded. The light was starting to fade, and in the twilight they walked to the entrance to the warehouse. Eustace tried the door, and found it unlocked. Silently, they crept inside.
Meanwhile, Edmund was walking through the streets with the old man. The old man had finally admitted that he might know where the stranger was hiding, and Edmund had immediately left with him. He had left the Professor and Polly behind, afraid for their safety. "I don't know if this is right," the old man warned him again.
"For your sake, it had better be," Edmund answered. They walked along in silence until the old man stopped. "I know it's around here somewhere, but I'm not sure. He said it would be north of Angora Street—but which way is that?"
"This way," Edmund said impatiently, and hurried the old man along. As they walked, he asked, "What will happen if he uses the spell, and it's not right?"
"I don't know," said the old man. "The writing was a very old language. But between what I can remember and the Professor's notes, I think I was able to decipher enough. But I know that it must be done correctly."
"And if it is not?" Edmund asked.
"Disaster," answered the old man.
With Jill leading inside the warehouse, the three tiptoed to the doorway leading to the back. Crouching, they peered around to look inside. The stranger was drawing on the wall with a bit of chalk. It looked like a huge rectangle, and inside were strange designs. Jill looked up at Eustace and tugged on his shirt. She pointed to the other door, indicating where she thought Lucy must be. Eustace nodded. "What is he doing?" the clerk mouthed. Then they watched as the stranger held up his right hand, which had the ring on his index finger. "That's—" the clerk began, but Jill gestured to him to be quiet. With his drawing complete, the stranger picked up a large, ancient-looking book from behind the shelves. He was completely focused on it as he turned the pages.
The stranger looked up suddenly, and the three jumped back into the anteroom, pressing themselves against the wall. "He has the ring," Eustace whispered softly.
"How did he get it?" the clerk demanded.
"What do we do?" asked Jill, ignoring the clerk's question. "If he uses it, Eustace—"
"But the ring has no power," Eustace whispered back.
"We can't be sure of that now," said Jill.
"Hold a moment," said the clerk. "You don't actually believe that ridiculous story that my grandfather would tell about that ring, do you? I can tell you, there is nothing special about it. There is no such thing as magic! My grandfather is from Italy, not some imaginary world."
"Shh!" hissed Eustace. "You must listen to us—"
"No!" whispered the clerk through clenched teeth. "This is lunacy! I'm going for the police, which I should have done ages ago—"
But then, from the next room, they heard the stranger begin to speak, ending the debate. It was not in a language any of them recognized, but it was terrible, and sent shivers up Jill's spine. The stranger began to speak the words over and over again, his voice growing louder and louder each time. Quietly, Jill pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back. She slowly strung her bow. It felt familiar and sure beneath her fingers. It was almost certainly Narnian, not unlike the bow that Puddleglum had lent her before their trek into the mountains. Puddleglum! She wondered briefly what he would say if he were with them now. I suppose this is the end of all the worlds. Oh well, nothing lasts forever.
When it was ready, she nodded at Eustace. Eustace saw the sign and drew his sword. "Now," Jill muttered, and together, they burst into the room. Eustace held his sword high, and Jill aimed her arrow at the stranger. "Stop!" Eustace called. The stranger swung around to face the interruption. But what Jill and Eustace saw in that room stopped them dead in their tracks. The drawing the man had made on the wall seemed to have come to life. The brick wall behind it was shimmering, wavering, as though it was made of water.
"You're too late," the stranger said, and laughed. "I opened the door! No one can stop me now!"
"I can," said Eustace, and rushed forward.