The silence went on as they docked on the island. Kathleen was the first one out and helped pull the longboat to shore. After that, she made her way to the other longboat with the kitchen sailors, picked up a basket, and ventured to the island.
Before the crew set a course to the island, the men told Kathleen what to do once they docked. Grab a basket and pick a direction on the island. They were to meet back at the campsite in a few hours and see what they had collected once they were together again.
Kathleen felt the stares on her back as she walked away. It felt like she could hear a pin drop when she stepped back on the main deck earlier. She wanted to get away from their judgemental stares. She supposed that the row with Edmund had the other crewmen think she was fragile or sensitive, but they were wrong. Thinking about it made her head buzz, but that wasn't going to stop her from doing her job. She wanted to get away from everyone. Get away from everyone's side glances. Maybe she could get another book from Caspian's collection? Find a story to escape for a while. Read until she was at least ready to face Edmund alone. Still, thinking made her head feel worse.
"Do you really think you could find some food?" Kathleen jumped as Eustace's voice appeared out of nowhere. "It's a volcanic island. You won't find much."
Kathleen sighed as he adjusted her grip on the basket, "Well, 'not much' is better than nothing at all." She picked up the pace.
"Well then, if you do find something, you should test it. Although one test subject wouldn't be enough. There could be a control or variable in whatever you find. Best to take me along to find accurate results."
Kathleen stopped and turned to the younger boy. His face transformed to what it had been when he was watching people on the Lone Islands being taken away. "You shouldn't try to come along if you just want to eat what we find."
He took a step back, "What? I didn't - I mean, I couldn't-"
Kathleen faced fully to Eustace, "Yes! We both know you would. Look, if you want to help, may you please do it somewhere else?"
Eustace was taken back, but quickly composed himself as he turned up his nose, "Fine then, but if you end up sick Lewis, don't come crying to me." He sneered before turned away.
Kathleen sighed then immediately frowned at herself as she watched Eustace stomp away. It happened again. She had been thinking of searching on her own, but she never meant for the words to come out, especially the way that they did. To be honest, she wasn't completely thinking about it. That first sentence, maybe, but the words after that...
For a fact, she knew she had to apologize, but she also knew that Eustace wouldn't want to do anything for the next hour or so. He needed space to cool down; and so did she. Kathleen pressed her hand to her temple as she continued to venture further from the campsite.
It wasn't long. Soon enough, Kathleen came across several raising rocks between the foothill of the mountain and sand clearings. Kathleen chose the side of the hill where there were more rocks and less sand. As she approached the hillside, the ground rumbled softly from the volcano on the other side. From geography class, she remembered learning that the lowland of volcanic soil is what's worst for vegetation. The richest of soil is on the volcano itself. There could be a huge chance of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers, which a lot of them would be at the top of the mountain. That meant one thing.
Kathleen would need to start climbing.
She searched around the base of the mountain, looking for somewhere to start a climb, and gave a small cheer when she found a ramp. The only thing was the ramp heading uphill started a few feet above where she was, so she would have to climb a little bit to begin her search. And that's what she did.
She first thought of how to keep her basket with her while still being able to use both hands to climb. She could throw the basket, but could damage it. She could use her teeth, but then the basket would be between her chest and the rocks. Then she thought of putting it on her head. The placement took some time, but she was finally able to balance the inside of it on the top of her head while the rest of it covered her hair and back. Slowly, she reached for each sturdy stone, testing it first before putting all her weight on it. It took longer than she expected, mainly to keep the balance of the basket on her head. Eventually, she was able to reach the beginning of the hill.
Kathleen took a few breaths before heading up. It took a few minutes but she walked up, she realized that she had only been walking in a curve as she searched for food. The ramp seemed to be created as a large spiral around the volcano. The good thing about this was the hill had been growing wider the farther up she went. The bad thing was that there was no sign of vegetation. The plants that she was able to find were dead moss. Still, up she went, hoping that some sort of plant life will make itself known.
As the hill took a sharp turn into a rocky clearing, Kathleen noticed how high up she was. She could see the ocean as well as the boats stationed onshore. As she looked around for the continuation of the hill, she noticed three large pointed rocks surrounding a hole on the rocky floor. As she got closer she saw a rope was tied around one of them. With a gasp, she dropped the basket and ran to the edge of the clearing. She scanned her eyes for Edmund or Caspian, but she couldn't tell the difference between the men from where she was. Scanning again, she saw a smaller figure with hair that seemed to be on the side.
"Lucy!" Kathleen yelled, instantly getting her attention. "Come up!" She yelled, motioning her hands so that Lucy understood to meet her.
Lucy ran to the base of the volcano, along with two other people behind her. It soon hit Kathleen that they wouldn't know how to reach her unless they made the same decision that she did. She motioned them to follow her to her left side. With a few deep breaths, she readied herself to run down the hill to meet the others. As she began to run, she tried to pace herself. Running downhill was dangerous, especially with the sand being scattered the further up the mountain went.
As she turned to her first turn of a spiral, she heard her name being called. She looked for the source and saw Lucy, along with Edmund and Caspian a little behind her from the mountain.
"Are you okay?" Lucy called out in a breath.
"Yes! I'm fine." Kathleen called back between her breathing.
"Why did you call? Is everything all right?" Caspian said as he and Edmund reached Lucy.
"Yes. I," she huffed for another breath before yelling out, "I think I found something! About the Lost Lords! I think they may have come this way."
At first, the Royals didn't say anything. They just stared at Kathleen with mouths open.
Edmund was the first to break out of the spell, "How did you get up there?"
"I climbed! There should be a hillside leading up to the volcano to your left, but you're going to have to climb to get to it!" The others below jogged to their left, confirming her findings. "Climb up and follow the path. It starts narrow but it will open up. I'll meet you at the top!" With that, she walked back up the spiral and waited for the three royals to meet her there. As she tried to catch her breath, she walked around the area, looking for any signs of life she may have missed. Although she found none, she figured she would still have to wait for the others at the top before continuing the food search.
Kathleen turned back to the three rocks and laid on her stomach between two. The hole in the center was large enough for a small minotaur. It was some kind of underground cavern. She could see the distance between the drop from where she was. It was short enough where the rope was definitely required. If not, one would run the risk of breaking their ankle if they were to jump in.
The smell was different inside the cavern. It still smelled like dust, but it was cooler than the rest of the island. She pushed herself up as she heard shuffles from behind.
Standing up, Kathleen dusted off the sand from her clothes, "You made it up all right?"
"Yes, we did," Lucy said, trying to catch her breath. "Bit steep on the way up though."
"Sorry, should have warned you." Kathleen said, dusting off her trousers, "Think about how easy it would be on the way down?"
"Funny," Caspian said in a deadpan voice, making the others smile.
"Is that what you wanted to show us," Edmund said as he pointed to the rope that was tied around the rock.
Kathleen dropped her smile and pressed her lips together, "Yes, um," she walked over to the rocks, "I thought someone or something would be down there, or else the rope still wouldn't be here. It could be a Lord making a stop just like we did."
Lucy bent down, trying to get a better view of the underground cavern, "What do you suppose it down there."
Kathleen shrugged again and bent down to Lucy's level as Caspian dropped a rock inside the hole. Caspian and Edmund then when down the girl's level as they watched the rock tumble away.
Edmund stood up swiftly, testing the rope, "Let's find out." Slowly, he went between Lucy and Kathleen with the rope in hand, then he turned around and began his descent.
As Edmund went lower to the cave, Lucy held on to the rope, in case it was to snap for whatever reason. Once Edmund reached the floor of the cave, he gave a nod to the others and walked deeper in.
One by one, the others went down the rope into the discovered cavern. It turned out that there were other holes from above, but they were too small for any person to fit. Although, it did brighten up the underground floor.
Kathleen was the last one to descend the rope. Her suspicion was right. It was cooler in the cavern than it was above, and it wasn't just because it was underground. In the center of the cavern was a pool of water. It was so still that Kathleen didn't notice it at first. The only thing that made the water noticeable was that there was some sort of moss and a gold statue in it.
It was a life-size statue of a gold man. His hand was reaching out as if he was going to drink some of the water. Maybe the statue had been placed on the rock and it somehow fell over?
Caspian had asked what it was and Edmund gave the same answer that Kathleen had been thinking. He stepped back from the pool and went to the nearest wall, tearing a long branch from the cracks. He came back to the edge of the pool and dipped the end of it in the water. Before he was able to make a connection with the statue, he pulled the branch out of the water. The end of it was shimmering. Soon the branch was turning morphing into a different color. It was turning into gold, and it was quickly spending all over the branch. Before it could make a connection with Edmund, he let out a yell, dropping the branch into the pool. Everyone stood in silence as they watched the now solid gold branch sank to the bottom.
Kathleen bent down on the ledge that was overlooking the water, "Well," she said as she tried to process what just happened, "cannot bring that to the crew." The others turned to Kathleen with amused faces then to each other.
She lowered her head as Caspian spoke, "He must have fallen in." He stepped to the edge to get a closer look at the fallen man.
Lucy walked over to the two boys as she looked sadly to the water, "Poor man."
"You mean 'poor Lord'," Edmund said, gesturing to the detailed shield that laid next to the fallen man.
"The crest of Lord Restimar," Caspian said as he looked at the golden body in regret. Lord Restimar was only the second Lord Caspian had been able to find since the voyage began, and it had been too late.
"And his sword!" Edmund said as he pointed to a sword much similar to the one on his belt. Unlike Lord Restimar and his shield, the sword still held its original color. The statement made Kathleen stand up.
Caspian's voice dropped, "We need it." He walked over to Edmund, who unsheathed his sword and angled in the water. As the sword went underwater, it too still kept its silver blade, which gave a spark of hope the those who stood by the pool's edge.
"Be careful," Lucy said to her brother.
Kathleen bunched a portion of her vest in her fist as Edmund lunged slowly over the edge and stretched his arm over the water. Caspian took a stronghold of Edmund's sleeve and wrist as the Just King was able to hook his blade between the blade and hilt of the Lord's sword.
"Your sword hasn't turned to gold," Lucy announced softly. Kathleen stepped closer to the others to see for herself. As Caspian took the blade from Edmund's creative hook, he held it closer to himself.
"Both the swords are magical," Caspian said as he examined. Kathleen took a step closer to him, examing the new sword.
Lucy continued to stare in sorrow at the golden Lord. "He mustn't have known what hit him."
"Maybe," Edmund said in thought, "Or maybe he was onto something." He laid down his sword and walked closer to the edge. He moved his head around, searching for something.
Caspian lowered the Lord's sword, "What are you talking about?" he asked.
Edmund didn't respond to him at first. He went on his knees and found a conch shell the size of his hand. He then quickly dipped one edge of the shell into the water then pulled it back out, placing it on the sand. Like the branch, the once dull shell turned to gold on one edge and soon spread throughout the whole thing. Edmund picked up the shell in admiration as the gold shine reflected on his face.
Kathleen began to worry, "Edmund," she took a small step to him, "what are you thinking?"
He didn't take his eyes of the shell, "Whoever has access to this pool could be the most powerful person in the world." He took a breath from his maddening eureka, "Lucy, we'd we so rich. No one could tell us what to do or whom to live with." He stood up and was face to face with Kathleen. "Kathleen, you'd never have to worry about payments. You can dance for as long as you wish."
Kathleen tilted her head and took a long look at Edmund. His notion was serious, but his eyes were fogged. She could tell that he believed every word he was saying, but at the same time, it was as though something had taken over him. It was like he had lost all impulse control and said whatever he thought. "Edmund..."
"You can't take anything from Narnia," Caspian said in a soft yet serious tone.
Edmund rolled his eyes, "Says who?"
"I do."
For a split second, crashing waves were echoing in the distance.
Edmund turned his head toward Caspian then back to Kathleen who stood still. He let out a small huff and slowly reached his sword. "I'm not your subject." He took a step around Kathleen as if she was stale bread.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?" Caspian watched as Edmund circled him. "To challenge me. You doubt my leadership."
Edmund took a step closer as Caspian took a step back, "You doubt yourself."
"You're a child!" insulted the current King.
The Just King insulted right back, "And you're a spineless sap!"
Kathleen became confused about the words between the two boys, and so did Lucy. The Valiant Queen went to put her hand on Edmund's, but he grabbed her arm and pushed her away.
"I'm tired of playing second fiddle. First, it was Peter, and now it's you." Edmund's tone was growing more and more venomous.
Kathleen took a step back. Why is this happening? There is no way Edmund would challenge Caspian; not for a question for leadership. And there was no way Caspian would push back, and he would definitely not call Edmund a child. It was as if they were throwing every negative thought they could think of at each other's faces and not caring about the consequences it could bring. It was as if they weren't even realizing what was coming out of their mouths.
Just like her with Eustace. And maybe with Edmund...?
Kathleen quickly turned back to the pool of water. She tried to press her clammy hands against the sides of her trousers, but that was when she noticed something strange. The moss acted differently in the water than how moss on Their World acted. The moss in the pool acted more like waves should. Almost as if it was a green cloud in the water. Or the fuzzy fog in her mind. The thought made a breath get caught in her throat. She threw a panicked look to Lucy and whispered one would to her.
"Mist."
Lucy widens her eyes and turned to the boys. Edmund was still releasing all bits of anger and doubt onto Caspian.
"You know I'm braver than both of you. Why do you get Peter's sword and why does he get to bring something back? Why should you get Kathleen's notice and get to command the ship? I deserve a kingdom of my own! I. Deserve. To rule!"
Kathleen's heart was racing. Caspian hadn't said anything as Edmund was raging on with his words. She couldn't tell who she was more scared of, and it was only a matter of time before it became worse. Slowly and carefully, she walked closer behind Edmund, hoping to be able to get his attention long enough to pull him away from the argument and then far away from the cave. She heard what he said about her notice to Caspian and under the usual circumstance, she could have a blush and tell him that she had no feelings for the older King, but neither of them was in their right minds at the moment, so her words would just go through one ear and out the other. She continued her small steps closer to the Just King.
"If you think you're so brave, prove it!" Caspian shoved a hand to Edmund's chest, crashing his body to Kathleen making her fall on her side, face inches away from the pool.
The two swung their blades at each other wildly, though it didn't last long. As they prepared to lunge at each other, Lucy stepped right between them. "No!" She cried making the two boys stop immediately. "Stop it! Both of you!" The two boys looked at her confused. "Look at yourselves. Can't you see what's happening? This place has tempted you. It's bewitching you." Caspian looked between Lucy and the other King and Edmund did the same. "This is exactly what Coriakin was talking about."
Lucy turned to Kathleen and sucked in a breath. Kathleen still laid where she fell. She was in too much of a shock to move, seeing how close she was to the water. Lucy walked up to her and reached out her hand. Kathleen took her hand slowly and stood up, shuffling away from the pool. "Let's just get out of here."
Kathleen didn't move as Lucy walked back to the rope, her eyes not leaving the water. Caspian followed a moment later, but she didn't see him as he walked behind her, stopping to say something but continued his way without a word. Soon it was just Edmund and herself, both staring at their own reflection in the pool.
"Kathleen, I'm-" Edmund started but Kathleen just looked at him. Her face broke him on the inside. She was not crying and she was not shaking, but her eyes. They were dark green, darker than he remembers and they were wide. Her fists were tightly clenched and her chest was slowly rising up and down.
He did this and he hated himself for doing so.
Kathleen's mouth was slightly agape as her eyebrows furrowed. She closed her mouth then looked at him. With the only noise, she made was the crunching sand beneath her boots, she took a side step away from the water and made her way to the rope. She bit her lip and turned away, almost not hearing the small splash behind her.
