The next morning was extremely difficult for Makeeda to endure. She woke up in pain, her eyes burning, her stomach in knots. Her body had a serious case of tremors as she was unable to stop the shaking that went through her. It took all of the courage she could muster to step outside, and even that wasn't enough when she saw Edmund's face. He looked tired, as if he'd been up all night as well, though he didn't look at her. He avoided her, like he had been since he'd arrived. He spent a lot of his time polishing his new sword to get the rocks off of it. Lord Bern had hidden it away, allowing the blade to grow old.

The day grew old after what seemed like years, but not before Eustace and Reepicheep had a spar of their own. Reepicheep had won, quite easily, but Eustace seemed eager to learn. By the end of the day, they had found another island. Caspian sent men to the land, though they decided to spend the night on shore. It was difficult for Makeeda to do so. She wouldn't lay next to Edmund, causing questions to rise about their distances with each other. Lucy had already noticed this though, asking Makeeda about it before they laid down for the night. Makeeda told her that they were simply growing apart, but Lucy didn't seem convinced. After reading to keep her mind away from Edmund, Makeeda fell asleep for the night, wishing she could have stayed on the ship by herself.

She had fallen asleep for a short time before she was yanked from her nightmares. She was grateful, regardless, but terrified as the invisible beast took her away from the shore that the crew rested on. After a few moments, they let her go, and she clambered to her feet, lighting up her hands with magic. They swatted her hands down, and she let the magic fade.

"There is no escape." a gruff voice said.
"What are you?!" she demanded.
"We are terrifying invisible beasts."
"If you cold see us, you would be really intimidated." another voice said.
"You forgot to mention, that we are very large."
"Well what do you want?" Makeeda asked.
"You. You'll do what we ask."
"She will."
"Well put."
"Yeah."

Makeeda bit back a snarl, wondering who they thought they were to talk to her in such a tone.

"Or what?" she said.
"Or death."
"I wouldn't be much use to you dead, now would I?"
"Fair point, she has."
"Alright, then we'll just kill your friends."
"Good idea."

Makeeda closed her eyes, sighing in annoyance.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, looking around.
"You will enter the house of the Oppressor." they said, pushing her forward.
"What house?" she said, before doors opened to reveal the inside of a mansion. She smiled at the magic, though it was unfamiliar to her.
"Upstairs, you'll find the Book of Incantations. Recite the spell that makes the unseen seen."
"Well put, chief, well put!"
"Yeah!"

Makeeda looked inside hesitantly, then looked back.

"Go on, we haven't got all day!"
"Remember what will happen to your friends!"
"You've been warned."
"Right."
"Why don't you do it yourselves?" she asked. "Why me?"
"We can't read."
"Can't write either, as a matter of fact."
"Why didn't you just say so?" she asked, turning back to the house.
"Beware of the Oppressor, he's very oppressive."
"What makes the unseen seen, got it?"
"Don't forget."
"Yeah."
"Right."

Makeeda stepped forward, the doors closing behind her. She wandered upstairs, listening closely for any signs of movement inside the mansion. After reaching the book, she pried at it, unable to open the latch. She watched as a little figurine blew into a horn beside the book, and she blew a breath across the book's cover. The jumbled letters moved to form the title, The Book of Incantations. She smiled, admiring the small amount of magic that was shown here. She opened the book, flipping to a blank, dark page, with white letters on the left side.

"With these words, the tongue must sew, for all around there to be snow." she read aloud. She felt a chill around her, and when she looked up, there was snow everywhere. She smiled at the sight, not seeing snow for over a thousand years now. She looked back to the book, which was now covered in snowflakes. She blew them off, making the pages in the book flip quickly. She slammed her hand down, making the pages stop. She felt a weird sensation, incoherent whispers filling the room. She looked down at the page, shaking off the eerie feeling. "A spell for the strong, a spell for the brave, to make you invincible, gives you the power you crave. A spell for the quiet, to give you a say. A spell for the fainthearted, to keep weakness at bay."

She looked down at her hands as they glowed, feeling a strange power run through her, as if her powers were now heightened. She reached her hand out, tables and chairs in the rooms rattling at her magic. It left her quickly, though, and she looked back down at the page. She tore it out, causing the book's pages to flip violently again. She heard a voice say her name, and after looking around to find no one, she turned back to the book. The pages had stopped, and she put the torn page in her pocket.

"A spell to make the unseen seen." she said. "Like the 'p' in psychology, the 'h' in psychiatry, invisible ink and the truth in theology, a spell to make the unseen seen. The spell is complete. Now all is visible."

She saw a man walking around the place, a book in his hand, flipping through the pages before he saw her.

"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am Makeeda. I was sent here by invisible beasts, to recite the spell to make the unseen seen."

The man sighed, as if he had figured this was the case.

"I am Coriakin. This is my mansion, my island. Welcome."
"I am sorry to have intruded."
"Please, your majesty, I take no offense. It is an honor to have you here. I saw your ship. Surely, there are more of you."
"Yes…. You know me?"
"Of course I know you." he smiled. "Come. I imagine your friends are searching for you. I have information that will be valuable to them."

He led her back down the stairs, glancing at her frequently.

"You are admired among people like myself."

She looked up to him.

"Why?"
"I, too, am a sorcerer."
"It's a pleasure to meet another holder of magic then." she replied with a smile.

She followed him outside. She saw the crew, with Caspian and Edmund, talking to creatures that were short like dwarves, but with only one very large foot.

"Makeeda." Edmund said with a small sigh, sheathing his sword in relief to see her. Caspian did the same.
"Your majesties." Coriakin said, bowing to them.
"Caspian and Edmund." Makeeda said, introducing them. "This is Coriakin. It's his island."

Caspian and Edmund both bowed in return before the little man protested.

"That's what he thinks." he said. "You have wronged us, magician."
"I have not wronged you. I made you invisible for your own protection."
"That's oppressive!"
"I have not oppressed you."
"You could have, if you'd wanted to."
"Be gone." he said, throwing a white substance at them.

It made the creatures leave the area without the ability to stop bouncing away.

"What was that?" Makeeda questioned.
"Lint, but don't tell them."
"What were those things?" Eustace asked.
"Dufflepuds." Coriakin replied, walking back into the mansion.
"Right, of course, silly me." Eustace said, walking with them.

Makeeda made sure to walk beside her magician kin, rather than walking with Caspian, Lucy or Edmund. He led them up the stairs, taking them somewhere private to talk.

"What did you mean when you said you'd made them invisible for their own good?" Makeeda asked.
"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil."
"You mean the mist?" Edmund asked.
"I mean what lies behind the mist."

They stepped into a room where Coriakin laid out a magical map. On it, there were scenes from Narnia's golden age, including the battle with the White Witch. Makeeda, Lucy and Edmund all smiled, remembering the events from the first hand experience.

"That's quite beautiful…." Eustace said, his face showing actual happiness at the sight of the map's display. He looked up to meet Lucy's gaze, and his face altered quickly. "I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world."

They smiled, looking back down at the map.

"Here is the source of your troubles." Coriakin said, and the map traveled to a dark, green-filled island. "Dark Island. A place where evil lurks. It can take any form. It can make your deepest fears come true. It seeks to corrupt any goodness, to steal the light from this world."
"How do we stop it?" Lucy asked.
"You must break its spell." He turned to Edmund. "That sword you carry, there are six others."
"Have you seen them?" he asked.
"Yes."
"The six lords, they passed through here?" Caspian asked.
"Indeed."
"Where were they headed?"
"Where I sent them. To break the spell, you must follow the blue star, to Ramandu's Island. There, the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's table. Only then can their true magical power be released." Coriakin explained. "But beware… you are all about to be tested."
"Tested?" Makeeda asked.

He looked at her now.

"Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand. It will do everything in its power to tempt you." he told her. As if he could sense her worry, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Be strong. Do not fall to temptation. To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."