Chapter 2
Edmund took off his armor and chain mail and flung it onto the floor. He crushed his hands into fists, his chest heaving in and out. This is not what he had asked for. Why was Peter acting like such an ass? His brother usually played fair, and this was not fair. It was unfair judgment of Lara. Caspian trusted her, so why couldn't he? Edmund shook his head, running his hand through his dark brown hair.
"Edmund?" Lucy asked quietly, as she tried her best to open the door with out it squeaking. She stopped when it was about a quarter of the way open. "I know you're upset with Peter, but don't be. He was just trying to be fair."
Edmund looked at Lucy fiercely. "I know, Lu, know get out." He paused, thinking that his words were a little harsh. "Please…I just need to be alone."
"Alright." She said, shutting the door behind her. Edmund felt a little guilty for telling his sister off, but he wasn't in the mood for any company. So he sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. He tapped his feet against the floor. He thought about the war that was coming, and felt a little apprehensive. He wasn't sure if he and his siblings were ready for this.
The door opened and before he even saw who it was, he grabbed his helmet, and threw it at the door, hoping, yelling "Get out!". All he heard was a small metallic thump, and he looked up. Lara was standing there, a smirk on her face and the helmet in her right hand.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll just leave." She said, backing out.
Edmund blushed in embarrassment. "No, no, I'm sorry. Please, stay, if you want."
"Alright." She moved over to survey the room. "Nice room you have."
"Is that sarcasm?"
"Not exactly." She looked at him with almost a melancholy look to her face, and then sat down in the chair by the fireplace.
He laughed. "Of course." When he noticed that her expression had not changed, he frowned. "Listen, Lara, I'm sorry about…the duel today. I had no idea that Peter would even consider an idea like that, let alone even go through with it."
She looked up at him, her brown eyes hard. "No, that's alright. I'm sure he was just trying to make sure I was trustworthy. After all, he does seem like your average male chauvinist." She waved her hand in the air for emphasis.
"Erm, no, that's not Pete. I'll guarantee you that." He licked his lips and clenched his jaw.
"Well, then, pardon my ignorance." She looked back into the fire, a little smile playing on her lips. It looked like she was wagering with her thoughts. Once or twice, her mouth twitched like she was going to say something, but she didn't. Finally, she looked at him and got out of the chair. "Listen. You're a really good fighter. And you have the attitude that proves you'll be fair. This may seem strange, but I have this…erm…feeling about you. I want to show you something. Come with me." She didn't even wait for his answer, but started for the door. As he followed her out the room, he noted her slightly strange behavior. She was acting…evasive, or elusive. But then again, not that many trusted her, so being uptight was understandable.
She led him along the corridor, down a flight of stairs, and into a tunnel and then into a dark room with only a curtain for a door. "In here." She whispered, gesturing him to duck into the room. Once he did, he looked around. There was only one torch in the corner of the room. Lara walked over and grabbed it. She tilted it into a small crevice in the wall, and the flame licked around the room, until the room was filled with light. In the center of the room was a dark blue rug with gold threads. There was a tapestry on the wall facing Edmund, depicting the scene of he and his sibling's being crowned over a thousand years ago. For some strange reason, it gave him the chills.
"What is this place?" He asked.
"Nowhere." She said a slight jocularly.
He looked at her. "Excuse me?"
"It's nowhere. Technically, it doesn't exist. I created it just for this purpose."
Now he was both nervous and suspicious. "For what purpose?"
She smiled. "This." All of a sudden, her hand burst into flame. She threw her arm back and then launched it forward, sending the fire spiraling out into the center of the room. When she held her arm down, only a small spark of fire resided on her index finger. He still felt the heat on his face.
When he didn't say anything, she looked at her, trying to hold back her smile. "Weren't expecting that?"
"Not at all." He walked over to the spot where the fire had been a second before. He touched the hard, cold stone and furrowed his brow. Lara walked over to him and tapped her feet on the ground. "How is that cold?"
"It just is."
He looked up at her. "Show me how."
She smiled and stepped back. "Alright. Get up." He pushed himself up with his knee. He stood inside the darkly lit room and faced her.
"Give me your hand." He did, reluctantly. She grabbed it in hers, palm up. She stared at it a while, biting her bottom lip. Finally, she inhaled slowly. She looked up at him, then breathed on his hand. He felt a small tingling begin on the tips of his fingers. It soon spread to the rest of his arm. He stared at his hand. For a moment, it looked like it was glowing. Suddenly, his hand felt like it was on fire. He stumbled backward, holding his elbow.
"Ah!" He grunted. The burning sensation was beginning to spread to his shoulder.
Lara walked over to him and grabbed his forearm. She yanked it up so that it was perpendicular to his burning shoulder. She gripped it tightly and licked her lips. "Concentrate, Edmund. Push the fire into your hand. Now." His arm was now shaking with the pain. But he tried anyway.
He concentrated hard. He mentally and physically pushed the fire into his hand. He tried to concentrate on the fire being at the tips of his fingers. All of a sudden, he felt the heat begin traveling towards his hand. He pushed harder and tried to keep it there. Lara braced her feet on the ground. "Now, release the fire." He grunted. He didn't know if he could do it. He thought hard with his mind to release the fire. The more he thought, the stronger the pain became.
"I…can't…do…it." He said, wincing as the pain seared through his hand.
"Yes you can. Do it!"
He thought and thought and pushed and pushed. The pain finally reached what he thought was it's peak as a tingling shattered his fingers. Suddenly, the fire came out of his hand, but he didn't see it because his eyes were blinded by the pain that he didn't expect to come. He screamed as the fire released itself into the room. Then, just as fast as it came, it was gone. He gasped at the sudden absence of the heat and pain.
Lara let go of his arm and smiled. "That's better." She looked at him and put her hands on her hips. "I don't think you're in the mood to try more."
He gasped and grasped his arm. "Ouch." He looked up at her through his hair and shook his head. "But do you have anything that'll fix my arm?" He tried stretching his fingers, but they were too sore to move. She nodded her head touched his arm. She closed her eyes, the tips of her fingers turning a light ice blue. He felt a cold sensation ripple up his arm, and soon the pain was gone. She let go of him arm and winced. "You alright?" He asked, genuine concern in his eyes.
She clasped her hands in front of her stomach a little too tightly. "Yes. Is there anything else you would…shit." She turned around and hunched over slightly. He stepped forward and bent down.
"You sure you're okay?"
She touched her hand to her head, smiled, and nodded her head vigorously. He furrowed his brow and touched her back. He felt a small feeling go from his hand to her back. All of a sudden, she stood up, shook her hand, and shook her head. She flicked the hair out of her eyes and stared at him bewilderedly. "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You…I…Listen. I never expected you to be able to do the fire trick. For someone like me, whose been playing around with these sorts of things for years; that was just a parlor trick. Nothing all that lucrative. I honestly had no remembrance that the fire would cause you that much pain. But when I tried to heal you, I had to take the fire away from you. And trying to cure a magical injury-especially if said injury is self-inflicted-takes a lot of skill, and a lot of energy. I felt very weak after that. But when you touched me, it all went away; the extreme fatigue, the burns. How?"
"How what?"
"How did you do that?"
"I don't know. I just…I just felt like I had to do something, and then I touched you, and I felt something move from my hand into you."
She looked at him, her eyes still and calm. She took one steady breath then said,
"Okay. May I try one more thing?"
"I guess. What is it?"
"Well," She began, walking across to the center of the room to stand on the rug. She turned around to face him. "it's not that easy to explain. It's something very traditional. Very…Narnian. Something that you probably might have experienced when you were a King. Have you ever heard of the Magus Lumen?" Edmund shook his head. "It sounds sort of…superstitious. Actually, it is. When the elves were still around, they used to have this special belief that if a Son of Adam ever held magic in his hands, ever showed signs that there was magic inside of him, then lights would appear in the sky. I'm not sure I really ever believed it."
"Do you now?"
She made a face like she wasn't sure. "Not really. Most of the elves never really believed it either. They didn't think that humans, excuse me, Son of Adam, would ever be able to create magic from their own person. I just never believed it, just because I never did. But that doesn't mean I don't want to try."
Now he was feeling a little apprehensive. What he had seen so far was enough to make him believe that magic was real. But this new belief…the Magus Lumen she had said. He knew that it sounded fictitious. Even when he had been King, elves wouldn't have known about humans. They were scarce. But he shouldn't be one to question the things he did not know. "What did you have in mind?"
All she did was smile.
Susan was standing by her brother, her arms crossed. "You're so civil, Pete. Way to go."
He turned sharply on his heel to face her. "Well I'm sorry I can't always be so rational like you! Always acting like an adult!"
She stuck out her bottom lip. "And you're so helpful yourself."
"I'm just trying to make sure that she doesn't end up killing us all, that's all."
"Oh, that's all is it?" She stuck her arms out above her head. "And when we first came here, you were the first to trust Lucy that there really was a land inside the wardrobe! And now you refuse to believe that one elf, who has…somewhat magical qualities, is completely untrustworthy? How funny, Peter. Mother taught us better then that."
He huffed. "I'm pretty sure Mum didn't even know that magical creatures existed when she taught us that lesson, Susan!"
Susan narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. "We trusted Caspian. And he's a Telmerain. And plus, she won that duel that so honorably forced her to compete."
Peter's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "What? You're the one who came up with the idea! And then telling me it's all my fault."
She took a step back, her cheeks reddening. "How was I supposed to know you'd go along with it?"
"Because."
"Peter, you're being a real jerk to everyone. People that you don't even know already hate you."
"That's besides the point."
"Oh, is it?" She shook her head once, to clear her mind of any cynical thoughts. "Is that the way to win the war? By getting no one on your side? Can't you see the truth? We need Lara. There are not many other alternatives."
He stepped back, sneering. "Are you saying that all these Narnians aren't on my side? They aren't willing to fight for me?"
"No. But they're willing to fight for Caspian. The only reason that they listen to you is because they're afraid of you. When Dad went away to war, all you did was become more grumpy. Learn to grow up."
"Me? Grow up? I'm not the one stuck in this fantasy world where everyone can just get along! I decide who I trust and who I don't!"
"You may not trust her, Peter," she said, her voice hushed yet severe, "but you should at least act like it. Then you may just come out with having your brother back." Susan turned and stormed out of the room, almost running into Caspian. The prince watched her exit, then entered.
"Your majesty…"
"Just call me Peter."
"Alright. Peter. I could not help but overhear yours and Queen Susan's argument. I must vouch for my friend. I have known her for quite a while, and she would never do anything to betray the crown."
"Are you sure she's just a friend?" Peter looked up at Caspian through his blonde locks. "Or is there something more intimate pressuring you to keep her here?"
Caspian was taken aback. He knew the King to be terribly unkind at some points, but not always in this fashion. "No. And I'm surprised someone like you would ask such a question. She is but a friend and nothing more. It is always disheartening to hear that someone of such high status, and supposed forgiveness and compassion, does not want someone he does not know, to fight in his army." He turned to leave, but turned around and walked up to Peter, their noses touching. "I agree with Queen Susan. You do need Lara on your side. She can do things that you never, ever, thought possible. And you would throw away that advantage because you might be a tad afraid? Well, Peter, you might as well go back to wherever you came from. Because Narnia would be better off without you." At that, he walked out of the room, making sure the door slammed hard.
"Damn." Peter said, banging his fists against the wall. Did no one understand that he was just trying to prevent a disaster?
The brunette and the red head stood outside, their cloaks billowing in the wind. They weren't out there long after the duel, but the skies had suddenly turned violently overcast. Edmund looked out at the field from underneath the red cloth of his hood. "I think this is a sign. Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
Lara shook her head but he couldn't see. She too looked out over the field with a troubled look on her face. The only thing she was worried about however, was that what she had in mind wouldn't work. "No, it's still a good idea. Now, take off your cloak."
He looked at her. "Are you mad? What if it starts to storm?"
"Oh, there's no worry of that." She paused. "But wearing a cloak will work just as well." She sighed and walked a little farther into the field, with Edmund following her. Once they had gone around twenty meters, they stopped. She pulled something out of the folds of her robe and held it out for Edmund to see. It looked like a small vial, filled with a dark substance. He swallowed and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. "This," she said, holding the vial up to the sky. What little light there was reflected onto the grass, creating a small circle of colors "is a light refracting liquid. It looks like blood, but isn't. It's just very thick."
He laughed hesitantly. "I can see that. But what's it for?"
"Just something I'd though I'd teach you really quick. It's something that you might need." She twirled it in her fingers before holding it back up to the sky. "It takes whatever light there is in the sky, and changes its properties, so that is looks like this." With her other hand, she pointed down at the ground. "Do you know how to read the stars?"
"A little." He said, trying to remember what he learned from when he had been King. "Not much."
"Well, you should start remembering. But, this is something that the elves invented. It uses the light from the sky, and even more so. It is so strong, it can sense the light coming from the stars. It reflects that light back down onto the ground. So even if it is day, you can see the stars and read them, and know which way to go." She pointed at several small, yellowish pinpricks that were being reflected onto the grass. "Those are stars. If you know how to read them, you will know how to follow them…using this." She handed it to him, but he shook his head.
"It's not mine."
"Yes. It is. Now it is. I already have one."
He took it and put it into one of the pockets that one of the female centaurs had sow in there earlier this week.
"Now, let us do what we set out here to do." She pulled back her hood, her red hair billowing in the slight breeze. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear and looked up at Edmund through her lashes. He fidgeted under her scrutinizing gaze until she finally looked away. "Okay. I'm not exactly sure how to do this. There isn't really a ritual or anything. It's supposed to just…happen."
"Great." He whispered, but apparently it hadn't gone unnoticed, because she cast him a sidelong glance.
She straightened her shoulders and held out her hands in front of her, her fingers splayed. Her lips were tights and her eyes were closed. Every few moments her ears twitched. He watched her carefully. Then, he felt a small vibration come from the ground beneath him. He looked around frantically, wondering if maybe the trees had come back to life. Then he saw something that he hadn't seen before in the distance. A small brown smudge had appeared, and it was growing larger. So was the vibration. Lara appeared completely unfazed, but she was now watching the smudge too, only her right hand out. He looked from her to the smudge and back again. As she moved her hand closer to herself, the smudged grew larger and the tremors grew more violent.
"Hold on." She said. She suddenly swept her hand in a wide arch, and right before his eyes, a range of rocks appeared, shooting out of the ground right in front of him. The wind pushed back his hair, and he could see clearly that Lara was the one making this happen. She waved her hand up, and Edmund braced his feet on the ground, completely stunned and motionless when a large stone came shooting up only a few inches from his freckled nose. Then, as quick as it had been there, it was gone.
She turned to face him, no emotion playing on her face. She looked calm, like she hadn't just done something beyond imagining.
"That was…extraordinary." He said, a little out of breath.
"Now you try something."
He looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "Sure."
"Just close your eyes, face the wind, and concentrate." He did as he was told, and closed his eyes. Then he turned to face the wind. He felt inside of himself for that feeling that he had felt earlier. The one that he had felt when he had healed Lara of her pains. The small fleeting feeling of…magic. It had felt golden, almost. It had felt cool and smooth. It had a special tingling to it, but the good kind. He concentrated and looked for that feeling inside of him. He tried to get his mind to go deeper. "Feel for it. It's there. I can tell. Look in your heart." He did. He shut his eyes tighter, letting the wind whip his hood off of his head. He let the wind flip his hair around, but he couldn't really feel it. He had gone farther into his mind that ever before. He was looking for that feeling. The cool, smooth, tingling feeling that he had felt before.
And then there it was. Somewhere inside of him, he had found it. He tried to grab hold of it with his mind, and drag it out. He latched onto it, feeling how strong it was. His mind pulled and yanked and tried to push it outwards.
Lara watched with fascination. She could see that Edmund was struggling with something. She knew that he had found. That one little piece of magic that kept so many people going, no matter whether they knew they had it or not. She touched his elbow and his eyes flew open; his arms shaking, his fore head sweating, his fingers twitching. She could feel the magic pulsing underneath his skin and she backed away, knowing that it was best not to interfere.
He stood there, looking at himself. He had dragged the magic all the way out, and now he could feel it everywhere on his body. He looked up into the sky and remembered what Lara had said about the Magus Lumen. When the elves were still around, they used to have this special belief that if a Son of Adam ever held magic in his hands, ever showed signs that there was magic inside of him, then lights would appear in the sky. He also remembered that she hadn't really believed that it could work. He decided that he would test that belief.
He closed his eyes, letting the feeling overwhelm him. Because of the fire trick, he now knew now to push the magic out of himself. He concentrated, pushing the magic to his fingertips. They pulsed with the pressure of the magic in the small area. If he didn't concentrate on it, he could feel it begin to seep back into the rest of his body. He breathed in deeply, and pushed one last time.
He swept his hand out in front of him, pushing as hard as he could with his mind. He opened his eyes and watched in both trepidation and awe. The sky turned a bright red and crackled fiercely. He stood there, his hands out in front of him, his whole body shaking. The sky turned green, blue, red, purple, pink, and then back to gray. But huge sparks danced across the clouds, like multicolored hues of lightening. His hands were trembling, and when he looked back at them, little sparks of the same color as were in the sky, were dancing around from fingertip to finger tip. But there was still more magic inside of him. He pushed one last time, harder then he had before. The sky flashed black and a loud noise, more frightening then thunder echoed across the sky.
He fell back against the grass, his chest heaving in and out. He heard Lara laughing in the distance and he saw her feet jumping up and down in the grass. He pushed himself up to his elbows and looked at her. He felt tired, but good. "You did it!" Lara said, helping him up. "I was right! I knew it! You have incredible talent, Edmund." She grabbed his forearm and began a running start back into the fortress when she suddenly stopped, all traces of happiness gone.
"What?" Edmund asked.
"That." She said, pointing to one of the tiers with her other hand. His gaze followed the invisible line she made with her hand to the tier.
"Oh."
On the tier stood Caspian, Susan, Peter, and Lucy.
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