The Beast Must die: Chapter 11

"Lucy…Lucy…why Lucy…" Susan buried her face against Peter's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Edmund stood silently in the darker corner of the room, looking down into space, not moving, trying so hard not to feel…He mustn't cry now…He must look strong like Peter was! Peter was strong, why couldn't he be strong too? No, I must look strong… I mustn't cry. Instead of letting it flow down his face, Edmund dammed his sorrow up deep inside, held it in till he felt he would explode. The search parties had already been assembled, planning to look for her the entire night if they had to; he could hear the drawbridge being taken up as the last group ventured off into the moonless night. Edmund closed his eyes again…he mustn't cry…

Peter stood, holding Susan gently as she sobbed on his shoulder. "what were you thinking, Peter, this is all your fault! You should have protected her, she's your sister and she's gone, maybe even…no, we'll find her! This is all your fault, all my fault." A young faun maid entered the room, Edmund noticed her first, watching her stand in the doorway waiting to speak…finally she did.

"Your Majesties, there is a messenger who has just arrived and wishes to speak with you." Susan stood up and hastily brushed away her tears, Peter answered solemnly.

"We will see him in the Courtyard."

The few torches that weren't taken by the search parties were now lit and flickered dimly in the courtyard. Edmund finished lighting the last one, dropped the flint in his pocket, and ran to join his brother and sister who now stood before the drawbridge as it slowly descended. As Edmund scurried to the group, he noticed somebody else doing the same…Aslan!

"Aslan, this must be important!" By the time they were all four of them together in the center of the courtyard, The drawbridge was down, and the company beheld a small weasel slowly making it's way to them. Under the dim stars and by the light of the few torches they could make out it looked in rather rough shape. It's fur was matted and soiled, but what they all noticed most was it's eyes…he had none.

That is to say he had no normal eyes, what one might expect on a weasel, instead where his eyes were supposed to be there exuded a deep purplish-red light. They seemed to glow, Edmund thought, much like headlights on an automobile, except carlights are always dead solid monotone…this light seemed very much alive. Once it got closer, it began to speak.
"I bring a message for the Three Pevensies of Cair Paravel and the Great Lion Aslan…" it stopped now, a safe distance from them. The wind brought the stench of rotting flesh to their noses, Edmund was the first to realize the weasel was actually a rotting corpse. Turning to face them, the weasel spoke, with a voice not his own:

"The Queen Lucy has been taken to the Stone Table, and is in the custody of the One. Aslan the Lion must come for her, only Aslan, and Aslan alone. If he does not come by dawn tomorrow, Lucy will die…If anybody attempts to accompany him, Lucy will die…Aslan, you will come and collect the Queen…here endeth my message."

With that, the glow in his eyes throbbed, flickered, and like a candle starved of air, faded away to nothingness. With it gone, the weasel fell to the ground, no longer a messenger, but a still, rotting dead forest animal once again. Susan knelt down to see it, a wave of sympathy washed over her, suddenly Aslan's massive shadow covered them both.

"It would appear it is once again at rest, Susan, but you should burn the body, just to be safe. I will go to the Stone Table and retrieve dear Lucy, The centaurs and the rest of the search party will return shortly. By dawn I will be back here with your sister, if all goes well…" With that, the great lion turned and charged off into the night. Almost before the three could blink, he was gone.

"What does this all mean?" Susan stood up and turned to her two brothers. "Oh Peter is Lucy going to be alright?" Peter tried to be as comforting as he could, but the same question weighed on his own heart. Edmund looked up, taking a step toward the dead weasel now crumpled up on the courtyard ground.

"All the guards and most of the servants are gone searching, I'll burn this poor thing myself" he said.

You always were a bit of a pyro, Ed Peter again kicked himself inwardly…at this time of all times he still had to keep coming up with smart remarks about his little brother.

Peter led Susan inside as Ed hurried over to the wall and grabbed a torch, as he returned, Peter and Susan turned to go.

"We all may as well try and get some sleep now. There's nothing more we can do, and like Aslan said, Lucy should be back here in the morning…Edmund, what's wrong with your torch?"

Ed looked, and noticed his torch had flickered out…must have been a freak gust of wind. Edmund threw it on the ground in frustration.

"Fine, I'll just toss this thing in the big fireplace… He knelt down and scooped up the weasel's remains and carried it towards one of the many courtyard doors leading into the rest of the castle. He looked down at the corpse… were his eyes glowing again? No, it must have been his imagination. As he walked out of the lighted courtyard to the doors, the darkness of the night closed around him…and, when in a strange land, holding a dead forest animal, the darkness can do strange things to a boy's mind. Edmund slowly felt more and more tired…certainly the stress of the day must have been wearing on him…as he walked, the courtyard was getting darker, still darker…Edmund was sure it was as if the darkness were stretching the distance out between him and the door… courtyard darkening, stretching…then it started to spin.

Edmund hit the marble floor hard, collapsing in a heap. Peter and Susan rushed to his side, Peter turned him over, Susan was calling his name. The corpse rolled out from Edmunds arms, and now stared blankly up at them, a twisted smirk lay frozen on its rotting lips. Susan didn't notice, she was still calling...
"Edmund! I say Edmund what's wrong!"

"Susan he's breathing, he should be okay…should be… Su-" Both older Pevensies joined their fallen brother on the courtyard floor. Eventually the last torch flickered out and the courtyard was curtained in total darkness, save the few stars, so far above.

From this darkness, three hooded figures watched the still forms; finally a fourth rose up from behind them and spoke:

"It is done. Take the Majesties to the Sanctum, keep them with the others, and hurry! The centaurs will be returning soon!

Out from the shadows the brethren crept, under the cover of pure darkness they stole into the courtyard, picked up Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and began dragging them away. The pure darkness allowed them to see perfectly, and from the shadows one hooded man watched the whole thing. Slowly a smile spread across his aged, wrinkled face.

"All has been set. The time has come. What has been set in motion cannot be undone…by dawn tomorrow there shall be no sunrise…"

"…and all Narnia shall be mine!"