Chapter 3: The Beginning of Uncle Andrew's Troubles
"LET GO! LET GO!" Polly screamed as they entered the Wood Between Worlds.
"I'm not touching you!" insisted Digory.
Then their heads popped out of the pool into the sunny silence of the Wood. To the children, it seemed even richer and warmer and more peaceful than the horrible world that they'd just left. All around them were the trunks that grew close together, and above them were the leaves that blocked out the sky. There were dozens upon dozens of other pools all around, and the forest never seemed to end.
Before the children had fallen into a half-asleep daze and would have again, if there wasn't something keeping them wide awake this time. The Queen and Princess (or Witches, if you'd prefer) had come through with them. The Queen came up holding Polly's hair, and the Princess had grabbed the hem of the blond girl's blue dress. Polly had been shouting because of the Witch's hold on her hair.
There in the Wood, Queen Jadis looked different. She was paler; in fact, she was so pale that her beauty had faded She was bent over and gasping for breath as if she was stifled. The children were not frightened of her now.
Dione, on the other hand, seemed to flourish. Her eyes seemed brighter and her skin practically glowed. She looked far more alive than her sister did, and the children were glad that she'd been brought through.
"Let go! Let go of my hair," demanded Polly. "What do you mean by it?"
"Here! Let go of her hair at once!" Digory chimed in, helping Polly to untangle the Witch's fingers from her hair.
Dione had already released Polly's drees and climbed out of the pool as soon as she'd seen the trees. She felt powerful here, like she was overflowing with Magic. She was entranced by the whispers of the trees and didn't notice the children struggling with her sister.
In the end, the children overpowered the Witch, which terrified the woman. Never had she been so weak as to be overpowered by children.
"Quick, Digory!" cried Polly. "Change rings and into the home pool." Polly grabbed hold of the Princess, determined to bring her along, she'd been nothing but sweet. This motion brought Dione out of her daze, just as her sister began to plead.
"Help! Help! Mercy!" pleaded Jadis, her voice faint as she weakly staggered after them. "Take me with you. You cannot mean to leave me in this horrible place. It is killing me."
"It's a reason of state," Polly explained spitefully "Like when you killed all those people in your own world. Do be quick, Digory."
They put on their green rings, the ones that would let them enter a pool, but Dione freed her hand from Polly's grasp.
"I know she killed all our people, but she's the only family that I have left." Dione looked back at her weakened sister, remorse painted in her green eyes. "I cannot bear to leave her here alone. If you're going to leave her, I'll stay too."
"Oh bother! What are we to do?" Digory did feel a little sorry for the Queen, and he also didn't want to leave the Princess here. He'd rather like for her to meet his mother. With her magic, she might be able to heal her.
Polly hesitated for a moment. She could try to trick the Princess into the pool, but that wasn't very nice, so instead, she addressed Digory.
"Oh don't be such an ass." Polly knew he was feeling bad for the Queen. "Ten to one she's only shamming. Do come on." They located the pool that they'd marked earlier, so that they could get back and jumped in.
But when they jumped, Digory felt as if a large, cold finger and thumb had caught his ear; and both children thought that they heard someone yell, though they couldn't make out the words.
As they sank deeper into the pool, the shapes of the children's world began to appear and the grip on Digory's ear grew tighter. Digory struggled and kicked as the Witch regained her strength, but it was useless as they appeared back in the attic with Uncle Andrew.
The man was tall and thin, with a clean-shaven face and a pointed nose. His eyes were bright under his mop of grey hair. And, upon seeing Jadis, he could do nothing but stare. The children stared too, but more in horror than awe, like Uncle Andrew.
The Witch had gotten over her faintness and there in that new world, with ordinary things around her, she took one's breath away. She'd been alarming on Charn, but in London she was terrifying. They had not realized how large she actually was until now, when she truly seemed to tower over them.
"Hardly human" was what Digory thought when he looked at her, and he was probably right, since it is believed that there was giant's blood in the royal family of Charn, though it seemed Dione did not inherit that trait.
But Jadis' height was nothing compared to her beauty, fierceness or wildness. She looked more alive than anyone you'd see in London.
Dione seemed just as alive as her sister, without the intimidating elements that her sister possessed. She looked a little ill from her trip through the pool, having grabbed her sister's arm, but still beautiful in a softer, sweeter way. But Uncle Andrew didn't seem to notice her.
He was too busy bowing and rubbing his hands and looking terrified. He seemed so small beside the Witch. But afterward, Polly noted that there had been something similar in his and Jadis' face, something in the expression. The similarity was the 'Mark' that Jadis could not find on Digory's face, the one that all wicked Magicians share, the Mark that Dione lacked as well.
After seeing Jadis and Uncle Andrew together, neither of the children would ever be afraid of him again. And Digory could not believe he'd ever thought his Uncle a Magician when Jadis and Dione were the real things.
Uncle Andrew was trying to say something polite, but he couldn't form the words. He'd dabbled in Magic, leaving the dangerous tasks to others, and nothing like this had ever happened to him before.
"Where is the Magician who has called me into this world?" Jadis demanded and though her voice wasn't loud, the room quivered when she spoke.
"Ah – ah – Madam," Uncle Andrew finally found his voice, "I am most honored – highly gratified – a most unexpected pleasure – if only I had had the opportunity of making any preparations – I – I –"
Amid all the stuttering and babbling, Dione realized that this was Uncle Andrew. Her sister would not be impressed at all.
"Where is the Magician, fool?" Jadis wanted answers, not half-formed welcomes.
"I – I am, Madam." Uncle Andrew managed to say. "I hope you will excuse any – er – liberty these naughty children may have taken. I assure you, there was no intention –"
"You?" Jadis asked, disbelief colored her terrible voice. She crossed the room in a single stride, seizing the old man by his hair and pulled his hair back, so that she might study his face like she'd done to Digory on Charn. Once she was done with the nervous man, Jadis released Uncle Andrew so suddenly that he fell back against the wall.
"I see," the Witch said scornfully, "you are a Magician – of a sort. Stand up dog, and don't sprawl there as if you were speaking to your equals. How do you come to know Magic? You are not of royal blood, I'll swear."
"Well – ah – not perhaps in the strict sense," the man stammered. "Not exactly royal, Ma'am. The Ketterlys are, however, a very old family. An old Dorsetshire family, Ma'am."
"Peace," Jadis calmed the old man down, "I see what you are. You are a little, peddling Magician who works by rules and books. There is no real Magic in your blood and heart. Your kind was made an end of in our world a thousand years ago. But her I shall allow you to be my servant."
"I should be most happy – delighted to be of service – pleasure, I assure you."
"Peace! You talk far too much." Jadis exclaimed, exasperated with the stuttering fool in front of her. "Listen to your first task. I see that we are in a large city. Procure for my sister and me at once a chariot or a flying carpet or a well–trained dragon, or whatever is usual for royal and noble persons in your land Then bring me to places where we can get clothes and jewels and slaves fit for our rank. Tomorrow I begin the conquest of the world."
"I – I – I'll go and order a cab at once," gasped Uncle Andrew.
"Stop," Jadis demanded when he'd reached the door. "Do not dream of treachery. My eyes can see through walls and into the hearts of men. They will be on you wherever you go. At the first sign of disobedience I will lay such spells on you that anything you sit down on will feel like red hot iron and whenever you lie in a bed there will be invisible blocks of ice at your feet. Now go."
He went out, looking very much like a kicked dog with his tail between his legs.
The children were scared that Jadis would say something about what had happened in the wood. They half hid behind Dione, who spread her arms out to protect them. But she never mentioned it then or after. It was as if her mind wouldn't let her remember the quiet stillness of the wood, no matter the length of time she spent there.
Now that she was left with Dione and the children, she took no notice of the children, which was like her. She tended to only notice those people that could help her get what she wanted, Dione being an exception. On Charn, Digory had woken them and been a way to leave. Now she had Uncle Andrew to do her bidding.
The room was silent, save the tapping of Jadis' foot and Dione was too afraid to say anything. The tapping of Jadis' foot increased in tempo, indicating her impatience.
"What is the old fool doing?" she mumbled to herself. "I should have brought a whip." She stalked out of the attic after the poor man, without glancing at the children. "Dione, I'll be back. Stay here," Jadis called as she left. She didn't know what this world might hold, and she would not risk her younger sister to its unknown dangers.
"Whew!" Polly signed. "And now I must get home. It's frightfully late. I shall catch it."
"Well do come back as soon as you can," insisted Digory. "This is simply ghastly, having her here. We must make some sort of plan. Terribly sorry to be rude," Digory turned towards Dione.
"No, I understand." Dione put her hand on Digory's shoulder. "She's very abrasive and demanding. She's always been like that, but she always did care for family."
"Coming up with a plan is up to your Uncle now," Polly said, earning a nod from Digory. "It was he who started all this messing about with Magic."
"All the same, you will come back, won't you?" Digory asked. "Hang it all, you can't leave me alone in a scrape like this."
"I shall go home by the tunnel," Polly said, ice in her tone. "That'll be the quickest way. And if you want me to come back, hadn't you better say you're sorry?"
"Sorry?" exclaimed Digory. "Well now, if that isn't just like a girl! What have I done?"
"Oh nothing of course," replied Polly, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Only nearly screwed m wrist off in that room with all the waxworks, like a cowardly bully. Only struck the bell with the hammer, like a silly idiot. Only turned back in the wood so that she had time to catch hold of you before we jumped into our pool. That's all."
"Oh," Digory was surprised. "Well, all right, I'll say I'm sorry. And I really am sorry about what happened in the waxworks room, but we did meet Princess Dione. There: I've said I'm sorry. And now, do be decent and come back. I shall be in a frightful hole if you don't."
"I don't see what's going to happen to you. It's Mr. Ketterley who's going to sit on red hot chairs and have ice in his bed, isn't it?"
"It isn't that sort of thing," Digory explained. "What I'm bothered about is Mother. Suppose that creature went into her room. She might frighten her to death."
"Oh, I see," Polly's tone changed to understanding. "All right. We'll call it Pax. I'll come back – if I can. But I must go now."
With that, she crawled through the little door in the wall that led to a crawl space connecting the homes. The tunnel that the two children had explored hours ago now felt tame and homey, instead of mysterious and adventurous.
"Would my sister truly scare your mother to death?" Dione inquired.
"She might," Digory said. "You see, my mother has been sick, that's part of the reason we're here in London. It's because there's so many doctors here."
"Would I scare her to death?" Dione would hat to cause anyone's accidental death. She had been trained to defend herself on Charn, there were plenty of people who wanted the royal family gone, and she had defended herself in the past.
"No, I don't think you'd scare her at all."
"May I meet your mother?" Dione asked. "She must be a wonderful woman to have raised such a wonderful boy."
Digory blushed before saying, "Follow me. I'll take you to meet her."
While this was happening, Uncle Andrew had gone to his room and had a couple of drinks before changing into his best clothes. He then went downstairs, telling a maid to fetch a cab, before he went to the sitting room to ask his sister, Letty, for some money. He had to ask his sister for money because he had none, spending it all on cigars and brandy, while his sister paid off his debts. But she refused. Uncle Andrew told her it was for guests who had just arrived, but of course, there hadn't been a ring at the door, so Letty refused again.
Then Jadis burst through the door, enraged.