"Couldn't this have waited till the morning?" Eustace whined as the others began to climb out of the longboat.
Kathleen grabbed the hand of the sailor that was sitting across from her. He allowed her to put weight on him as she stepped off the boat. She was a little wobbly when setting foot on solid ground again. She tried to straighten her back and tilt her chin up for balance but it didn't help much as she walked down the dock. As she reached the end of the dock, just before the mainland, she unknowingly walked at a slight angle. What surprised her was Edmund holding his arm out, steading her gently.
He held on to her shoulder before they could collide, "You okay?"
Kathleen couldn't say anything because Lucy called their attention. "Listen," they did, yet he heard nothing. "Where is everyone?"
Caspian and Lucy had reached Edmund and Kathleen by the stairs that lead to the front fort of the Lone Islands. The fort was made of yellow stone while the railing was done by chains, linked together by short pillars. The second level had the same pillars one after another, most likely a way so people won't fall into the ocean, or to the lower level on the stone. There were wagons and supplies in the sand, waiting to be used. The island was eerier in the mysterious silence.
She turned from the fort to Edmund's hand that was still on her shoulder. He was looking around as well. "Uh," He turned back to her. She pierced her lips together. A moment ago, Reepicheep called Eustace something that made him fall on the floor as he tried to get off the boat by himself. What was it again?
"Jelly legs," Kathleen said in a breath, slowly taking up a step backward to Lucy, "That's all it is." Edmund dropped his hand. He stood for a second before walking behind her and his sister.
There was almost a beauty in the Island if it weren't for the ominous feeling that Kathleen and everyone else was getting. There were no people by the docks. No horses by the wagon. No footsteps in the sand. It truly did seem that the whole Island was abandoned.
Climbing up the stairs that led to the port, Kathleen had noticed that Caspian had drowned out his crossbow. So had Reepicheep with his sword. The others had their hands by their weapons so she did the same. They walked cautiously as if waiting for something to appear from behind the fort. The whole thing made her feel anxious. She almost screamed as a bell tolled throughout the island. It echoed off the walls and down to the docks where the crew stood.
So they weren't alone.
Most of the sailors had their weapons drawn. Everyone had become more alert than before. Caspian aimed his crossbow at the high tower of the town. Kathleen felt her heart pounding in her chest as birds were fluttering away from their nest.
"Reepicheep," Caspian called, after he lowered his weapon, "stay here with Drinian's men and secure the place." The skies had begun to get darker as he walked towards to open archway to the city. "We'll head-on. If we don't come back by dawn, send a party."
It was like Kathleen's feet were moving on their own. She didn't know what else to do. Edmund and Lucy had their sword and dagger drawn and as they went forward. Edmund was actually ahead of Caspian, as if eager to go on. Though, he must be. If the men that they were searching for were under Caspian's responsibility as King of Narnia, then isn't it Edmund and Lucy's as well?
And now there was the mysterious empty island to think of as well. The bell couldn't have gone off on its own? Maybe if the rope managing the bell snapped for some unknown reason, the bell still would not have chimed. Even if it did for some mysterious reason, and the Island had indeed become inhabitable, shouldn't word have gotten the Caspian beforehand? There was a story from America about an entire Colony's popular disappearing. To this day, theories fly but no one is sure what happened to them. Kathleen supposes if it could happen in her world, it could possibly happen in Narnia due to the tales of magic she would overhear, but even so...
Where is everyone?
The royals and two strangers walked through the streets of the town. There was no one in sight. Just like the dock, there were supplies laid out, such as hay and wheel barrels, but nothing says that they had been in use. As promised, Kathleen kept to the side of the royals. They made it up to a central plaza and yet still had not found anyone.
"Yeah, looks like nobody's in, so do you think we should head back?" Eustace asked from across the plaza, yet Kathleen had barely heard him. On one side of the plaza was a fortified building, lined with rocks and hay. Within the closest stack of hay, she had noticed and metal object. One of the many forgotten lanterns that were scattered throughout the city.
"Do you want to come here and guard... something?" Edmund called back, extremely uncomfortable with his idea. He must have only offered because he didn't think anyone was around. Kathleen wasn't so sure anymore with her latest discovery. The lantern had material inside. She picked it up and saw some type of dust that other items didn't have.
"Ah, yes," Eustace said in reassurance as he ran to Edmund. "Good idea, cousin. Very, um... logical."
Lucy had walked to Kathleen's side and said that she should be closer to herself and the others. Looking up, she noticed that her finding was a few yards further away from the others. Not wanting to go back on her word, she nodded and put the lantern down. Something didn't feel right. She couldn't smell the smoke from the lantern, but it didn't smell clean either. It smelt, damp.
She walked with Lucy to Edmund and Caspian, who were by a tall iron door. They had given each other a look before Caspian was stepping toward Eustace. He took something from his side and handed it to Eustace. This was a slight that Kathleen would have never imagined.
Eustace was holding a dagger.
It seemed like he couldn't believe it either. He just blinked at the weapon rapidly as Edmund stood by the door. Kathleen noticed that the others still had their weapons drawn out, so she followed suit and took out her own short sword, listening to Eustace's overly confident voice.
"I've got it. I've got it." He said, turned around, then quickly back at the other. "Don't worry." she said with one of his hands up, "I've got it."
Kathleen tried to make her smile not look out of pity to the younger boy. She tried to make it as if she felt safe with the boy standing "guard", even if there was nothing to guard. Hopefully. She grabbed her short sword tighter, remembering everything that Caspian had shown her. Loose arm. Fluid. Balance. Keep the sword up. Stand your ground.
While practicing, Edmund asked in an undertone if their little demonstration was enough for Kathleen to be holding a sword already. She thought about saying that another lesson or two would have made her more comfortable, but that would want to make Edmund become her personal shield. She can't let him try to defend her while he was trying to defend himself. She wouldn't forgive herself if he got hurt because of her. So instead, she matched his volume and just said yes. Caspian added the small training they had in the armory, agreeing when Kathleen said that she was a fast learner.
While Kathleen blushed lightly at the compliment, Edmund blushed for a different reason, though Kathleen wasn't sure what. He turned too quickly for her to read his face.
"Only if you're sure you trained what you could." He was holding something back, yet again, she didn't know what.
She nodded, then realized that his back was towards her. "Yes." she said, "I'm sure."
"And when we get back to the ship, you'll train properly?" Edmund's shoulders tensed as he continued rather quickly. "Not that how you learned was improper. You truly are a fast learner, it's just," he paused for a breath, "I do believe I may be wrong about this."
She nodded again, "I promise, Edmund. When we get back to the ship, I will have a proper lesson in swordplay. That is, of course, if the instructor doesn't decide to show off."
Edmund's shoulders slumped as soft chuckles echoed in the church. Maybe they weren't quite as they thought. "Okay," he said as he turned to face the others, stifling a smile. "I trust you," he was looking at Kathleen, who was too shocked to respond. "And you too Caspian. Thank you." Caspian gave his a single nod before Edmund continued the lead in the stone building.
As they walked through the door, the back of Kathleen's mind wondered by what he meant by that. He trusted her. He didn't know her very well, or at least, that was what she believed. She knew Edmund from his cousin. Eustace would talk about Edmund, but he would not use the most positive of words. And the idea of Eustace talking about her to Edmund because he wanted to was unimaginable. More so than a world inside a wardrobe. Yet, even so, she was more surprised at herself. What she said to Edmund just slipped out. She didn't think ahead if he would react or respond badly like she normally would when talking to a person. She just said it. It felt nice.
But she had to keep her thoughts slightly away from a person's choice of words, theater it was her own or others. Right now, she had to focus on her surroundings. It would help if she could actually figure out where she was.
The building they entered was exquisite in all fairness. Dusty and maybe a little spooky, but still exquisite. When entering, the first thing to be seen is what was straight ahead. Large bells that could be made as the same material as the door. There were a little more than a dozen bells hanging from the ceiling, some swaying a few yards above the ground. One almost touched the top of the building while another could be seen inside perfectly. Another hung as if someone could just stand right under it. At the sides of the room stood tall, brooding statues of kings. The necks of the statues were craning in at different levels as if they desperately want to listen to someone's secrets. There were limited windows, which means limited light, but luckily pieces of the roof were missing. Kathleen had read about this type of buildings that were in the fourth to the sixth century. They were inside a church. A dusty, spooky, exquisite church.
"Uh, I'm ready to go when you are," Eustace called from outside. He wasn't the only one who was ready to leave.
They walked further into the church. Edmund had lit up his torch to help with the limited light. In the center of the church, stood a wide podium with stacks of books and candles. The candle's tip was still black and there wasn't much wax buildup. At the top of the podium, was an open book with lines etched across. The open book seemed to be holding some type of list. The edge of the pages had numbers, scattering between one hundred to two hundred fifty. There was an ink pen in the crease of the book. That's when Kathleen noticed the lack of dust the book had. Chills ran up her spine.
The others had noticed the book too. Edmunds shined his torch on the book. The more she stared, the tighter her grip had gotten.
"Who are these people?" Lucy asked."Why have they been crossed out?" Edmund asked, not looking away from the book.
"These numbers," Kathleen pointed out, noticing how familiar they were to her family's logbook at home. She gulped, "They look like a fee."
"Slave traders," said Caspian. The Pevensies were just as horrified as the Lewis girl was.
Slave trading? In Narnia?
No one had a chance to say anything further because the bells in the church began to ring. Not just one, all the ones that were surrounding the book, one after another. People were coming out of them. Sliding down the rope with swords in their mouths and leaping into an attack. It was a trap.
The royals and Kathleen spread out, Kathleen keeping by the side of who she was closest to, which happened to be Lucy.
"Look out!" She could hear Caspian shout. Over her shoulder, she saw the King shoot his crossbow and hitting a man that was coming down from a bell. He fell with a grunt.
At first, she didn't know what to do. Her mind was in a panic. Lucy had pulled her to the back of the podium, hoping to get her away from the sight, but the man that Caspian shot was right in front of her. He laid on the ground, unmoving.
Things were moving in a blur as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Is this what it is actually like in Narnia? War after war and humans being sold off as objects? Was every day truly a risk of some kind? What about what she heard Edmund and Lucy say in England? The amazing adventures, and balls, and happy ending of Narnia. Was that all a lie? A thought came to her mind. Lucy said that her first visit to Narnia was over a thousand years in Narnia time, yet barely one for their world. Had she missed her opportunity? Had all this been for nothing?
Time resumed as she saw a silver glint coming at her. She was able to dodge it at the last moment, almost letting the sword hit Lucy. Kathleen's eyes watered. The man that went after her swung again, and again, she dodged it, this time purposely moving away from where Lucy was. The man swung again, but this time with more anger. He didn't seem to see the man that fell from the bell and tripped over him. Kathleen would have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire.
The man got up. His face became red as he flared his nostrils. Short-tempered, Kathleen thought grimly. The man yelled and charged toward Kathleen. Short-tempered and easy to predict.
Seeing as it was Kathleen's first sword fight, she found it extremely lucky that he was doing something she actually knew how to defend herself. Unfortunately for her, there wasn't enough room for her to properly defend herself as she did with Caspian. Kathleen brought her sword up as the man brought his sword down. Her back was at the podium as the man pushed down even more. The perfect equation for her balance was a little harder to figure out. Her arms and legs were burning to push up while her back was being pushed downwards. Too much on one part and she could slip and meet the same faith as the man on the floor. The thought made her focus even more and began to feel herself getting away from the stand. This made the man push even harder. Her entire body was burning now. She felt her arms wanting to buckle but she pressed on. She had to think of a way to use his power against him. She grunted and held her ground. She could always just go around the situation.
She didn't hesitate. With a huff, she let the man's power overtake her own for only a split second, and within that second, Kathleen found a bell diagonal to use as a spot, then took a step to the same direction and then turned away, making the man fall forward to the podium, scattering books on the floor. The sight made the ballerina feel a rush all over her.
It didn't last very long. As the man was getting up again, a scream bounced off the walls. The fighting stopped simultaneously. Everyone was searching for the sound by the now shut door. Edmund and Lucy were first expecting to see Kathleen struggling for her life by the iron gate, but were stressed at the sight of Eustace being pressed with the dagger that Caspian had lent him to his neck. The man that was holding him was older, wearing clothes that seemed much too extravagant for the rest of the Island. The man had a sandy brown cap on his head and wore beaded necklaces above his clothes. His beard had a few grey hairs that had no use in hiding.
Poor Eustace looked as if he was about to wet his pants.
"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again," the man in the cap said as he walked towards the other, pulling Eustace along. "I say you should drop your weapons."
"Like a girl?!" Eustace cried.
"Now!" He pushed the knife closer to Eustace's neck.
Kathleen slowly put down her short sword, not taking her eyes off Eustace. She tried to ignore the acid taste in her throat.
"Eustace," Edmund spat, not making Eustace feel any better.
"Put them in irons." The Man in the Cap ordered.
The anxiety was coming to Kathleen again. "What?" She whispers in a rush.
The man that she fought came towards her and she instinctively took a step back. Something pressed behind her made her stand firmly in place. The bell. Her breath was quickening.
"Don't worry, little lady," said the man she fought. In one hand he held a pair of iron cuffs, while the other had the sword she was using moments ago. Her neck felt like needles, growing as he came closer. "We'll take good care of you. Just like you and your friends did to us." He yanked her forward as she let out a yelp.
"Get your hands off me!" She heard Lucy shout.
Kathleen watched Lucy struggling as her two captors were walking her forwards. In a book she read, it said that fighting back was one of the best ways to lose interest to a thief. Though the situation was much different from getting away from a pick-pocket. Still, one has to do what they have to do.
"Takes these three to the market." The Man in the Cap lazily gestured to Eustace and the girls.
Something else took over in Kathleen. It wasn't the bubble from earlier, it was a sinking feeling.
Fear.
She didn't realize she said the word out loud until the captor from behind her told her to shut up. She widened her eyes and began to resist the men pull from the iron cuffs. Another man came up from behind her and pushed her forwards, making her let out a yelp.
Edmund had turned when hearing the clangs of irons, and a scared voice that wasn't in a whisper.
The Man in the Cap switched his grip on Eustace from holding a knife to his neck to pinching his ear.
"Listen to me, you insolent fool! I am your King!" Caspian bellowed. His voice was raw and raspy with anger.
"You know," taunted the man who was holding Edmund, "I wonder who much that pretty little lady friend wil-" he didn't finish his sentence. Edmund pushed everything he had in his shoulder that the man foolishly let loose. It wasn't much though. The man held a grip on Edmund's shirt and slapped him with the back of his hand.
The two men were dragging Kathleen as the events unfolded. She gasped as the hand made contact with Edmund's face. She was grateful that the man who was holding him didn't have any rings.
"You're going to pay for that." Edmund spat as the man went behind him, wrapping one of his arms around his chest and shoulders.
"Actually..." a voice came from behind the statues. A figure walked away from a part of the church that was in the shadows and into the remaining sunset light. "Someone else is going to pay." The identity of the voice was revealed to be a man, a few years older than the one holding Eustace. He wore the same style as the Man in the Cap, but this man wore all black. No one moved in his presence. "For all of you."
