Chapter Thirty-Five: Lost in the Dark, Found By Light

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~ Narnia ~

Lucy ran out on deck, sliding Susan's quiver over her shoulder as she practically bounded down the stairs. Just as her feet touched amidships, the dragon wheeled out of the darkness, again breathing fire at the sea monster. The evil creature – Lucy thought she'd never seen something so purely evil besides Jadis – shrieked in pain as the heat and tongues of flame burnt it across the face. It dove beneath the water, and the dragon turned its head searching for it, waiting.

It took Lucy only a second before she realized that the dragon was a much larger, fiercer image of Eustace when he had been on Dragon Island. She gaped, stunned that he was somehow a dragon once more. For a second, the large flying beast stared at her, and then that second vanished as the sea monster sprung without warning from the water and caught one of the dragon's wings in its mouth.

Lucy was unaware that she screamed until Gavan grabbed her by the shoulders and told her to be calm. She stared up at the Star, trying to breathe in and out without shuddering. Both turned when the water erupted again and the dragon struggled from the water, the serpent not long in emerging behind it. The dragon – Lucy wasn't completely comfortable with calling him Eustace, not yet – clambered onto an outcropping of rocks, heaving for breath, smoke trailing from its nose and mouth.

The serpent rose from the water, peering into the dark. Its head bobbed when it caught sight of the dragon and with an eager shriek, lunged towards the rocks. Several of the archers on board fired their weapons, but the monster was moving rapidly, causing few of the shots to hit their mark. Lucy ran to the edge of the Treader, grasping the rail until her fingers lost color, willing Eustace to fight back, to have victory over the serpent.

Suddenly, when all seemed lost, Eustace raised his head and turned it tiredly in the direction of the monster that rose before him. A loud, screaming roar rent the air before the flames of the dragon's fire burst forth. For a moment, everything was lit nearly as bright as day, shadows flickered against the crew and Caspian and Edmund, who stood staring at the sight before them.

Then the monster dived down under the water, trying to rid itself of the painful burns the dragon had administered to his flesh. It plunged and rose and plunged again. Suddenly, as everyone was watching, Rhoop pushed through the viewers. With strength that he did not seem capable of, he tore the seventh sword from Zephyr's hands and ran to the railing before anyone could stop him.

"Taste death, monster of the deep!" he cried, hurtling the sword into the air towards the serpent. But as the sword left his hand, Eustace rose from the rocks to battle the sea serpent again. The dragon's body blocked Rhoop's shot of the monster, so the sword instead found a mark in the dragon. Eustace shuddered when the sword plunged through his scales and thrust into his skin. His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe against the pain. He rose into the air, over the ship; no amount of screaming from those onboard the Dawn Treader could keep him there or turn him back.

"We're doomed, doomed!" Rhoop moaned, tugging at his hair and staring at the serpent writhing in pain from its burns beneath the water.

The Lord turned and pulled at people, screaming and yelling for them to turn the ship about. He began running to the stairs that led to the helm after knocking Edmund out of his way. Drinian ran from where he had been standing after the crazed Lord. Before the man could lay a hand upon the helm, Drinian knocked him cold. He had never been able to stand insanity on shipboard.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Now that Eustace was gone, everyone faced the possibility that the serpent would return to its first target: the ship. Before they could even plot the outline of a strategy, the monster emerged from the darkness and threw itself over the ship. The rail crunched under its weight. Crewmembers cried out as some were pinned beneath the slimy monster's body.

Caspian barely managed to grab Edmund before the serpent wrapped itself around the ship again. "Are you all right?" he asked breathlessly, searching the Just King's face.

"Fine, thanks," Edmund replied, glancing at the monster and the men going at it with swords. Caspian nodded before running back to his men, giving orders in a way that made Edmund wistful for the days when his every move had been watched, down to the slightest hand signal. He was no longer one of the leading kings of Narnia, but he could still give his assistance to the reigning one. With renewed fervor, Edmund began trying to cut through the Serpent's thick, slime-ridden hide.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

"Arran, I know you're out there, in the dark somewhere; I could hear you calm that Dragon-boy! Why did you do it, Aliaani? I can feel the darkness in you; I can sense how you have warred with it for centuries!" Nithalazaar called out in Davanrata, his voice sounding deceptively inviting and understanding.

"I have seen what happens to those consumed by the Shadow, Divanor, both mortal and immortal, and I do not want that. I have fought what some of our kin consider my destiny for all these centuries because I am not a lover of the Deep Shadow. I am not like you," Arran answered, stepping from the darkness and into Nithalazaar's light, his own aura shining almost blindingly red.

"And yet, your light is dying. Why, Aliaani?" Nithalazaar smiled cynically, eyeing his opponent.

"I am not your friend; do not address me in the familiar!" Arran said with disgust, blue eyes icy with anger.

"Still you ignore the question." Nithalazaar tsked, seeming befuddled and pitying as he slowly moved toward the pirate's left.

Arran's eyes followed Nithalazaar; he turned his head slightly to keep him in sight, before he was forced to turn his entire body to face the broken Star. "I do not know why I am dying, Divanor; I do know that I have been for years. I sometimes stand on the edge of night, longing to cross over, begging to cross, but something always pulls me back. I would have passed long before this, but my brothers, my father kept pulling me back. I now believe my light has wavered this long to bring you to an end; I shall push you into the darkness, and you shall not return!" Arran's voice rose, growing stronger as he spoke.

"But you will die in the end, won't you?" Nithalazaar asked, curious. He had always been so, even now that he was broken. He had always wanted to know what those standing on the edge of Eternal Night felt before they crossed into it.

"There have been those of our people that have died. Many have passed into the infinite night without starlight; I am not afraid to pass, either. If I pass, then I pass; Aslan cannot bring me back. Even the Creator of the Deep Magic must abide by it." Arran stared into Nithalazaar's eyes unwaveringly.

Slowly, slowly, the broken Star nodded. "You have nothing left in this world, and so you think to step into Eternal Night would be a restful thing, to sleep for all eternity because you have nothing to keep your light lit. But you want to die a hero; you want to kill me." The Star smiled cunningly.

"I care not if I kill you; I only want to know I spent my light fighting the Shadows, and that it went out fighting against them. I want it to be said of me that I did not turn from my kin," Arran contradicted.

"So that I will remain – for all eternity – the sole Star to ever turn his back on the light of our people?" Nithalazaar scowled, his rage at the supposed insinuation building.

"No, so that others may know half-bloods are not all of Light entwined with Shadow; there are pure ones yet." Arran fell silent, finally relaxing and communicating with Nithalazaar through their minds, so they could fight without shouting spells at one another, something considered most indecent among Stars, even to the broken ones.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Lucy gasped through the water that sprayed up around them. The sea serpent was so long, she thought despairingly. Its head was constantly appearing near the side of the Dawn Treader, uttering shrieks and hisses that were ear-piercing and spraying everyone on board with water until they were drenched.

She ducked a dangling piece of rigging, trying not to slide down the deck as the serpent rocked the ship again. Breathless, she reached out and grasped the rail of the stairs leading to the helm. Wiping the water from her eyes, she turned to stare back at the monster. She frowned when she realized that the thing was taunting them, bobbing its head out of the water, rocking their ship.

An idea came to her as she stared up at the thing's head. As she debated on whether or not to do it, Caspian ran by her. She turned, wondering what he was planning, only to see that Drinian was no longer standing at the helm; he had slumped against the outer wall of the cabin, a hand over a long, bloody cut in his sleeve. The king stopped near his friend before moving to the helm, trying to keep the ship from striking against anything and to keep it upright. If the monster rocked to the left, he turned the ship to the right.

"Edmund!" Lucy was jerked from her jumbled contemplation's by Caspian's cry. She whirled to look up at him, as did her brother not twenty feet away, giving orders to the crew and trying to force the monster's coiled body off their ship.

"Ed, we'll ram the serpent, smash it on the rocks!" Caspian couldn't take his hands from the helm, but he nodded in the direction of a large, rocky outcropping of land to the right. Lucy looked in the same direction, wondering what would happen if they were to do so, for if the monster moved as they struck the outcropping, the ship would be no more than fragmented lumber.

"Steer her to port; I'll keep it on the prow!" Edmund quickly agreed, running off through the men and broken rails and rigging. Lucy watched him go with apprehension; she did not like the danger of her brother's idea. It was then that she decided to follow through with her own plan. She ran up the stairs; she'd need to be standing higher than the deck if she was to have any hope of hitting her mark.

As she pulled an arrow from Susan's quiver, nocked it onto the string, and took aim, she kept glancing at Edmund, praying Aslan would continue to protect him as she knew the great lion had done since her brother had first entered Narnia.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Edmund knew it would be something of a complication to keep the serpent on the prow without getting injured, thrown overboard, or killed, but it was a risk he was willing to take to protect all the people on this ship who were more deserving of life and second chances than he. When he came to the ladder that led up into the dragon's mouth at the prow of the Dawn Treader, a hand covered his as he reached up to grasp the first rung. Turning, he found himself staring into Serene's green eyes.

"Each battle met, each war entered leaves us better prepared to face a greater challenge. You cannot blame yourself for a path Aslan wished you tread, my love," she declared softly, bringing her hand up to the side of his face briefly before stepping away. He stared after her for a moment before turning and pulling himself up the rungs to the open maw of the dragon figurehead, her words echoing in his mind.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Eustace climbed higher into the darkness, momentarily closing his eyes as he flew higher than the island's darkness and warm sunlight washed over him, before uttering a groan of pain as he felt the sword's mark again. He could sense he was dying; unless something happened, he would be dead, and his friends would be helpless. He could see Ramandu's Island in the distance and wondered if he could fly the distance with the sword in his side, paining him every downward stroke of his wings.

He realized he would never be able to make that distance as he started gliding closer to the water. He searched the great blue expanse anxiously, hoping for a place to land. Before the next wave of agony passed over him, he noticed a small islet not far away from Dark Island. Sighing, closing his eyes, and giving into the biting pain, he stopped struggling and fell towards it.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Edmund climbed into the dragon head, and as he slid down into its mouth, pulled his torch from his belt. He found it slightly amusing - in a twisted way - how valuable this light had become to his Narnian adventures. He'd used it as a signal, and now he was using it to attract the attention of a monster that just might kill him. Resolving himself and exhaling to steady his nerves and erratically beating heart – a futile attempt – he stood up, pulling Rhindon from its sheath and pointing his light out into the darkness until it played upon the sea serpent's eyes and head.

"Come on, try and kill me!" he taunted when the monster pulled away from terrorizing the crew to rid itself of the aggravating light shining in its eyes. "Come on, I'm right here!" he shouted, motioning to himself with his sword.

Rearing back, the serpent shrieked, diving without warning for the figurehead, fleshy, slime-ridden mouth open wide, rows of jagged teeth illuminated by the torch Edmund held in a garish display of ferocity. Edmund realized that the monster would try and attack him and pulled back into the figurehead as the serpent bit down on it, splintering the wood. He ignored the cries of Caspian and Lucy as the serpent reared back to view its handiwork, and her stood once again on the now ruined prow. The monster uttered a fiendish shriek of surprise as he climbed from the precarious perch and onto the dragon's head.

Lucy watched her brother, at first too shocked to see him alive to realize that the monster was leaning towards him. Abruptly she was brought to the stark reality of the situation when she noticed that the serpent was trying to grab her brother again.

"Still here!" As Edmund shouted those words defiantly in the serpent's face, Lucy loosed the arrow she had strung minutes ago as her brother climbed up the figurehead to steadier footing. She did not doubt her shot and had faith in the accuracy of the bow Aslan had made for Susan, given her by Father Christmas. As the man had said the day Susan had been given the weapon, it did not miss its mark. The sea serpent screeched as the arrow struck its eye.

And then everything began happening at once. Caspian shouted, the monster made one final attempt at grabbing Edmund, Serene was knocked from the ship as it collided with the rock, and Lucy, unsteady on her feet, fell down the stairs as the serpent began to unravel itself from the mast. She looked up and screamed as the beast's tail pushed her across the deck and through the broken section of railing into the water.

Edmund turned sharply when he heard his sister's cry, which was his mistake. He removed his hand from the dragon figurehead's wooden horns to find his sister in the chaos below as the Treader made impact with the rocks. He tottered there, nearly righted himself, and then fell. The wind was knocked from him as he landed on the serpent's writhing body before falling hard on his stomach to the deck. He gasped for a breath, turning over onto his side as the serpent dove into the water, leaving the Dawn Treader no longer encumbered and free.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Eustace let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes for a longer and longer period of time before opening them to stare at the island swathed in darkness. As he inhaled, he forced himself to look at the island, if only once more.

"I guess this is what dying feels like," he mused to himself. His mind was starting to cloud, and he couldn't seem to muster the energy it took to order his thoughts in a reasonable manner. With a resigned sigh, he opened his eyes to find he was not alone.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Lucy gasped, trying to grasp the wet rock for the fourth time, struggling to breathe as another wave from the still-rocking ship rolled over her and broke against the rocks. Finally, she managed to pull herself up. Taking in lungful's of air and pushing back the loose wet strands of hair from her face, she turned to watch the Treader make a valiant attempt to remain upright as the serpent writhed and plunged beneath the waves in anger.

She slowly stood, her legs shaking, to find some way to a better protected ledge or a bit of shoreline that was not in reach of the raging serpent in the water. As she precariously jumped onto another nearby rock, a cry of pain assailed her ears, coming from farther down the shore. Lucy hesitantly clambered over the rock and stones, trying not to slip back into the surf, to discover the source of the noise.

And there was Arran, standing in front of Nithalazaar, watching the broken Star moan and cringe as he was afflicted with some invisible pain. As Nithalazaar groaned, Lucy heard the serpent utter a strange shriek-like gasp behind her. It was then that she realized how much of Nithalazaar was in his magic. The thought scared her, wondering how much darkness must be in his heart to make him so hateful and ready to kill.

As Nithalazaar regained control, the serpent once again chased after the Dawn Treader and began its attack anew. Lucy turned to look back at the Stars standing on the rocky shore. Suddenly both turned to stare into the darkness, and as Nithalazaar whispered something under his breath, Arran dove towards him, trying to stop whatever he was doing. Serene struggled from the shadows, stumbling as green mist chased after her in whorls and tendrils, whispering in a way Lucy found chilling.

She held back a cry when the mist somehow grabbed Serene and seemed to be growing stronger with every enchantment she shouted at it. Nithalazaar pushed Arran away roughly and walked rapidly toward Serene, his lips moving in an unintelligible spell. Lucy covered her mouth with her hand as tears burned at the corners of her eyes when the enchantress collapsed onto the ground, her face and arms paling to a white color Lucy had never seen before on a living human being.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Eustace struggled with the last of his strength to stand before the lion. Even though he was dying, he wanted to show some manner of respect to whom he had recently learnt was the King of all kings. The lion stared into Eustace's wide, blue and gold dragon eyes.

The dragon-boy had never seen eyes so full of compassion, pity, and sorrow. He felt he might cry if he stared into them much longer, but another part of him felt he could stare into those golden depths for an eternity and know nothing but peace. They regarded one another with an understanding, the lion and the dragon, as Eustace's eyes slowly closed.

He could see the world fading just a bit around the edges; as he felt himself fall adrift into the soothing darkness, he reached out with his mind to Aslan.

"Thank you for all you have done for me, though I cannot fathom it; I thank you for what you have let me experience. Please, my friends have trusted you longer, seen you, and known you far greater a time than I. Rescue them from that vile thing that dares call himself a Star; save them, because they have always believed you would. I do not deserve to be saved from what is coming to me."

As he closed his eyes, a roar echoed around him, on and on, and suddenly his vision was filled with light. Light was all around him, warming him, enclosing him in love, peace, hope and rest. He opened his eyes, reached out, and touched it, only to find that it was thick and of substance, like water. As he stood or lay there, he could not tell which, a voice seemed to come to him as if in a dream. Lovingly it whispered to him.

"For ones such as you, Eustace, my salvation was meant for. Those who understand what they have done, that they cannot possibly attain my love after what has been in their hearts, what they have committed against me. For you have I died, for you have I suffered, because I wish no ill towards my family. You I will save, because you know what you have done and do not hide it from me. Son of Adam, take the sword and lay it at my table. Do not stop; do not listen to anything that might hope to sway you from your path. I give you life, son of Adam!"

As the voice faded into the powerful roar, Eustace thought it almost sounded as if the speaker of the voice was smiling. Slowly, the light dimmed to simple mid-day light around him. He fell to the ground, landing on some dead leaves. He raised his head when he heard a clang beside him of metal falling on stone. Jerking to his knees unsteadily, checking to see if he still had the wound in his side, he looked around.

There was the sword. All thought passed from his mind as he grabbed it, thinking one thing: lay the sword on Aslan's Table.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Edmund gasped, wiping the water from his face and brushing back his drenched hair from his eyes. Beside him, Caspian stood, staring at the serpent as it loomed up from the darkness. Suddenly a strange noise assailed their ears, and the serpent began to change. Edmund stared into the monster's eyes, and the monster stared back, hissing and uttering a strange gurgling noise. Caspian looked from Edmund to the monster and realized that his friend was not going to step from its path.

"Edmund, move!" Caspian grabbed his arm and jerked him to the side as the beast lunged. Edmund might have had no qualms about sacrificing himself, but Caspian was certain Susan and Lucy would never forgive him if he had let Edmund do such a thing.

They fell to the deck as the serpent's body rocked the ship. Caspian had had enough of this; he was tired of fighting battles when talking would suffice, and he was losing his temper because of Edmund's self-sacrifice attempt. Without putting much thought into it, Caspian pushed his hand along the deck, feeling for something, anything, to hit this damned creature before him with. His hand found the hilt of a sword and he grasped it tightly. Pulling his arm forward, he took one swift stroke to a leg or feeler, whatever these thousands of tiny appendages were, and chopped it off.

As the monster recoiled, squealing with pain, the limb cut from it began to dissolve into a sickly green mist and fade away. His eyes widened, feeling an almost delirious excitement build up inside himself at the sight.

"We can beat this." His realization caused Edmund to turn back to him.

"Yes," he agreed. He turned to look at the vile creature as it started chewing at the sail. "But we'll need to get it closer." His eyes asked Caspian what his voice did not; could he do something about that while Edmund risked his life?

Caspian only nodded before jumping to his feet. "Ready the harpoons!" he shouted, a call that Drinian echoed from his place near the helm. Edmund ran from where he had been standing and grabbed a torn ratline to climb to the lookout's post atop the mast; something told him the monster would come up to meet him if only Caspian and his men could position its head.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Gavan and Zephyr met as the serpent began changing form. The brothers did not speak, because both knew what the other was thinking. Arran, where had he gone? Gavan glanced back at the serpent. "Lucy's gone as well; I think she might have been pushed overboard when we struck the serpent against the rocks," he told his brother, an apprehensive light in his eyes for her safety as well as his brother's.

"Arran communicated with me briefly, he's fighting Nithalazaar, and he says that Serene has been injured. Gavan, you know how he is, we must find him before Nithalazaar takes what light he has left," Zephyr admitted to his brother, finally conceding that they could not stay with their mortal friends any longer.

"You're right. I don't believe they have need of us anymore, however; they have finally realized how this beast can be beaten," Gavan remarked with a smile, turning to stare up at Edmund who had begun climbing to the lookout.

"Come, then!" Zephyr urged, whispering spells under his breath.

Gavan followed suit.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

"You cannot defeat me! The witch's magic was stronger than I'd imagined; I don't feel the pain of that hideous serpent every time they beat against it with their useless sticks of metal," Nithalazaar remarked, uttering a spell directed at Arran as he spoke. The pirate barely dodged the flames that followed Nithalazaar's words. Arran closed his eyes briefly before moving back into the open.

"Perhaps not, but I know of one who can." Arran had felt Lucy's presence long ago and realized that if she somehow found the courage inside herself, she could easily bring this sorcerer to his knees. But she would need a reason to fight; fear was not enough of a motive; Arran was certain of this.

"There is no person or being on that vessel who equals my powers; I did not feel one!" Nithalazaar contradicted, sending another flash of light Arran's way.

"Your heart is so black; your light so fragmented; it is no wonder you cannot sense the power I speak of! But I thought you might nevertheless; still, it gives me hope you have not; it means the bearer of this power will remain undetected by you until they see fit to reveal themselves." Arran smiled, knowing that would bother the broken Star to no end.

"You're lying! I know you, Arran; you lie to please yourself, and I will not believe such falsehoods!" Nithalazaar shouted spells in rapid succession. Arran ducked back behind a rock as the spells became weapons or fire. Nithalazaar gritted his teeth and followed after Arran. As he did so, he slowly pulled the dagger he'd stolen from Eustace out of his inner robe. The long, slim blade glinted unnaturally in his light.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Eustace ran through the ruins in the daylight, aware of the possibility that the mist could try to stop him; Nithalazaar was not one to give up so easily. He held the sword in both hands; it had always surprised him how heavy the weapons were since his cousin and Caspian could hold them and brandish them high as if they weighed naught more than a good-sized stick.

He paused, trying to catch his breath, as he arrived at the last bridge before the table. Briefly, he wondered where Ramandu was, but he knew he didn't have time to shout aloud for the resting Star; he had to lay this sword at the table with the others to save his friends. Gasping and stumbling on legs shaky from his sprint and near-death experience as a dragon, he arrived at the table. Instantly, the blade in his hand seemed to shine a blinding blue color. He slowly stretched out his arm, nearly dropping the blade because of its weight, to place it with the others that had started clattering on the table.

As he did, he heard whispers echoing behind him. He knew what that was, so he forced himself to move closer to the table, but as he did so, something pulled him back. He swung the sword wildly into the green mist, trying to keep it from taking the weapon from him. It hissed viciously before enveloping him.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Edmund pulled hard against the rope to keep from plummeting to the deck as the serpent shook violently against the ship to rid itself of the harpoons Caspian and the crew had embedded into its flesh. Pulling himself into the lookout, he turned to the monster, only to be knocked off his feet again by a sudden rocking of the ship. Trying to ignore the throbbing pain that was starting in his shoulder, he stood.

"Edmund, Edmund…"

He stiffened upon hearing the whisper before turning his head slightly to the left to see what was calling him. And there she was; would he never be rid of her nightmare? He stared at her, the whimsical, mist-green form that was telling him that he could always be something better beside her. But this time, it was different, this time; he was not going to take her advice.

As he turned away, she whispered again, "What are you trying to prove? That you're a good man, a good king even after all you have done?" Her voice was compassionate, understanding. Edmund hesitated.

"I can give you all you long for. You want to be king; I could make you that; I could end this and make you so much more than you are; just take my hand." He stared at the outstretched arm, at her long, tapered fingers beckoning gently, her eyes beseeching and earnest. Somewhere in the fog that clouded his mind, he heard Caspian shouting for him to do something; he couldn't remember what, try as he might. All he could do was stare at Her.

Below him, men cried out; he could hear wood being smashed and broken; nearby the monster screamed. He wanted more than anything to be out of this nightmare that he had caused, should he take her hand?

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Eustace gasped for a breath, fighting off hazy images without really looking. Aslan had given him a responsibility, a vital one, and he was not about to forsake it. He jumped to his feet and thrust the sword across the table as the mist dragged him down. "For my friends, for my family, for Aslan, and for Narnia!" he thought viciously, watching the swords become brighter than sunlight. And then his world went black as the mist threw him against a stone pillar.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

"Oh, Edmund… Just give in," Jadis stared at him with impossibly green eyes. But that was where the mist had lost. Green eyes belonged to his Serene, not this figure before him. As he looked at the Witch's outstretched hand, his sword shone blue from the end of the hilt to the point of the blade. Edmund glanced up at Jadis, who was staring from him to the sword anxiously.

"Liar." He turned back to the serpent, everything becoming clear around him.

"Edmund, do it!" Caspian's voice begged him from the darkened deck below.

"I'm here!" he shouted to the monster, facing his nightmare head-on. "I'm right here, Nithalazaar; come kill me!" The monster stopped struggling, a crazed light coming into its dull eyes. As the beast moved to devour him, Edmund plunged Rhindon into its flesh, relishing for the first time in years the sound of death cries.

"No!" the mist wailed, turning from Jadis's form into a shrieking, wailing mass that vanished as he plunged the blade deeper into the sea serpent before removing it with a satisfied jerk. On the deck below, Caspian and the crew released the ropes that had been attached to the harpoons to keep the monster close to the ship.

Edmund steadied his breathing as he watched the serpent slowly sink to the bottom. But as the crew and kings watched the monster screech its final cry, a blinding light filled the darkness, a flash that was powerful and then vanished in an instant. Everyone turned to the shore where Nithalazaar had stood.

~|:Xo0oX:|~

Lucy forced herself to keep from screaming when she saw the long dagger Nithalazaar held as he followed Arran. When Arran stepped from behind a boulder, back into Nithalazaar's ill light, an overwhelming sense of foreboding filled her, and it was all she could do to keep her tears from falling.

Arran jerked when he heard the serpent cry out in death, and for a moment Nithalazaar looked greatly pained, but it passed. "You may have laid that sword at Aslan's Table, but I am stronger now, thanks to your Witch; I will not be so easily defeated. But you, Arran, you will die like you truly deserve!"

With more swiftness than Lucy had ever seen possessed by any being, Nithalazaar leapt at Arran and plunged the dagger into his chest, pulling back without the weapon in his hand. Arran groaned, wrapping his fingers around the hilt, his hair paling to an unbelievable white more rapidly than in Narrowhaven. As he fell to the ground, Gavan and Zephyr ran from the shadows.

They shouted when they saw their brother, in more disbelief that fear, but before they could even start toward him, light surrounded the Star, and Lucy couldn't stare at the place he had fallen. The only thing she could hear was a song sung in a cold, high language and Nithalazaar's chilling laugh. And then, she felt something change inside of her.

"Aslan?" she gasped, opening her tear-filled eyes and looking at the rock surrounding her. Suddenly the words swirled around her, and she felt warmth, the kind she felt when she sensed Aslan or was near the great lion's side.

"You could bring the most powerful of sorcerers' to their knees with the magic you hold."

"You have great power, power which can hold sway over the darkest force; do not forget."

"Do not take anything at what it appears to be, for the inside often as not bear's the greater worth."

"Well, putting it bluntly, we've been waiting ever so long for a girl like yourself, see. A girl from foreign parts with magic in her voice, that's you Missy."

The words suddenly made sense. They had not been praising her; Gavan had not been trying to flatter her; Arran had been honest – he wasn't lying when he had said those words – she realized that the Dufflepuds had been talking about her magic because they thought she knew it, too. But she had never really understood until now. She had magic, but not like Serene or the Stars. She realized that hers was her faith in Aslan. It was her belief.

As these realizations hit her, she remembered something else Arran had told her. "Perhaps one day, you will need to use your power, and when that day comes, I pray I fight on your side."

Tears stung her eyes as she remembered his death, his face as Nithalazaar thrust that dagger into his heart, and she felt braver and fiercer than she had ever felt. Aslan was with her; why should she fear a coward who only understood pain? If he could not understand Aslan and his ways, then she must stop him from spreading his darkness to others who were unsure of where the lines had been marked. With resolve and Aslan's words echoing in her mind, she stood and slowly climbed down the boulders to face Nithalazaar, who was now moving toward Zephyr and Gavan.

"Nithalazaar, why must you do this?" she asked, her voice barely wavering as she stood on the rocky shore. The broken Star whirled to face her, and for the first time his eyes held fear.

"Who are you, some useless little girl that thinks she possesses a gift from Aslan?" Nithalazaar mocked, slowly walking toward her, masking his unease.

"I don't think; I know. Aslan is not a demon; he is not some foul monster determined to crush your spirit and bend you to his will. He loves you, as he loves all his family; why can't you see it?"

"Aslan does not know me! He does not care for my pain and suffering; if he did, why then has he abandoned me to this pain; why did he not try to save me from it?" Nithalazaar raged, spreading his arms wide to encompass the whole of Dark Island.

"I don't know, perhaps –" the thought suddenly struck Lucy, and she said slowly, sympathetically. "Perhaps because you didn't really want him to, because you were content in your darkness. Aslan will not force something onto anyone. You can only believe – or not." Lucy quoted Liliandil's words, truly understanding them. "If you have no hope that he will bring you from this, then you have not faith, and if you no faith, what then can you believe but the doubts and uncertainty inside your soul?"

Nithalazaar gasped, turning away from her. "You speak a lie, like the lion himself!" the broken Star fought weakly, backing away from her, unable to stare into her eyes or deny her words.

"I only speak truth; I have never been able to bear the suffering of Narnians, and I cannot stand to see you so lost, Nithalazaar." Lucy smiled sadly, remembering Arran as she took a step closer to the Star. Arran had tried to help Nithalazaar as well; instead of killing him, he had tried to reason.

The scream the Star uttered was full of agony; he shouted a spell, but whatever power Aslan had given her prevented it from hitting its mark. "Please, let Aslan save you; your light has not gone out yet; ask forgiveness while there is time for it," Lucy pleaded, wishing she could rest her hand on Nithalazaar's shoulder or give him some small comfort.

"I will not!" As Nithalazaar straightened and turned to face her, he shouted words Lucy could not understand, unleashing something evil that he had been holding back before. Lucy pulled her hands up reflexively to shield herself, and light poured from her, swarming toward Nithalazaar in a wave of white. When nothing hit her, Lucy slowly lowered her hands.

All around her was light, glorious, golden light, Aslan's light! She smiled, raising her hands as if to touch it and was surprised to find that it was of substance, and her hands passed through it like water or thick down. But as she looked around, her eyes caught sight of something. It was a different light, but it was weak, ill, fading. A strange green emanated from within it. Lucy walked closer to it, trying to discern what it was.

All her trepidation vanished when she saw Nithalazaar's face, his eyes closed as if in sleep. She knelt beside him, wondering what she could do. How she wished she knew something that could save him; there was still a chance for him; he was not gone yet! Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder; turning, she looked up at something that seemed to shine of its own light yet also reflect the light around it.

Slowly, the figure knelt beside her, the outline darkening into a definable figure. Silver robes and silver sleeves pooling in ripples of fabric around him. Long blonde hair, longer than she remembered, fell over his shoulders as he reached out and rested his hand on Nithalazaar's arms crossed over his chest. Lucy placed her hands over his.

"Celmenorath, Avenillian. Brentla inilon-ni calan" Arran whispered the words, and they seemed to fill the air around them, to take substance and swell. Lucy glanced at the Star beside her and the one before her and prayed that Aslan would heal them both. Light filled her vision, and she couldn't think about anything else but the golden, pure light.

A/N:

OK, well, this is really painful. Only two chapters left, you guys. I really don't have much to say, I've just got a bunch of emotions running around right now; it's really bittersweet finishing a story; I bet this is how it feels to finish a movie for actors and directors. Slight relief mixed with quite a bit of sadness.

Now it's time to go back to the real world for awhile; it's a little scary and sad, because I'll never come back to this story in this way. I might read over it, I'll revise it, check for errors, but I'll never be in this place again with this story.

Ah, music to listen to on replay while reading chapter 36: Marcs Warner - Africa[C21FX - Beautiful Inspirational Uplifting] It just really fits the chapter, I listened to it as I wrote. Just something to think about.

But I must give thanks to Jesus girl 4ever, because she has really helped with this story, even though I dragged her into it a bit late, she was still willing to help me fix it! I can't possibly tell her how much this means to me. (I say that a little too much, don't I?)

So, ummm... I really do not have anything to say. Except that the quotes Lucy remembers are from this story's previous chapters. The first one is Gavan's, the second one is Arran's, the third one is Coriakin's, and the fourth one is the Dufflepuds'. (But I think I covered that already.)

"Celmenorath, Avenillian. Brentla inilon-ni calan"

"Come back to the Light, fallen one. Return to us, all is not lost, there is still time for forgiveness."

By the way, I just wanted to mention that the longer a sentence would be in our language, the longer a single word will become in Davanrata. So "Celmenorath" means "Come back to the light" It's all one word. Or I should say, parts of many words that make the sentence.

I'm working on it! I'm no Tolkien, remember! :) Though I would like to talk to him about this subject...

Divanor: lonely friend, lonely one, etc.

(Already covered Aliaani)

Well, that's about it, I should think!

Btw, the name for this chapter is because Nithalazaar was lost to darkness, but Lucy (light) found him. "Light" is literally the meaning of Lucy.

ILoveFanfiction:

Well, I searched the word Phantasms versus Phantom, and found that their basically the same thing. In fact, Phantasm is more correct for the things I created. But thanks for pointing it out! Yeah, I can see what you mean about the Arran and Edmund scene, I thought that entire segment, along with the Arran and Caspian scene was a bit patchy.

Yes, the rest of the story is typed! I'm sad but thrilled! I can't believe how far I've come! I hope you enjoy this chapter, btw, what did you think of Arran?