A/N-So I was very busy over the weekend, and thus was late in posting the second chapter for the weekend. To make up, here's that chapter, and there is a bonus entry to the Book of Dragons, so make sure to check that out too!
Chapter 16
Romandil
The day moved by quickly as we worked moving the ship. The dragons often traded places so some of them could rest at any given time. Flying for many hours on end isn't so hard on them, but pulling the ship behind them took its toll. Plus, each needed time to go out for fish runs to keep their energy up, though as a whole we never stopped moving forward. Eustace was the only one who didn't take a break, staying at his position at the prow and pulling forward. I took a couple rest stops as well, though not as many as the other dragons, and at one point during my rest, I was called to the deck by Caspian.
"I…was wanting to thank you, and apologize, for some of our actions before," he said. "With what happened on the last island, I was starting to think you were nothing more than another mischief maker, but now, I'm seeing we would have been stuck without you and your friends." He glanced forward to Eustace. "And I'll admit, it's been easier on everyone with him off the ship most of the time." I smiled and nodded. "Well, I don't blame the thoughts you had. I effectively turned Eustace's life upside down for the moment, so suspicion is rather normal. I can come off as a bit harsh sometimes I'll admit too." Caspian nodded back, then looked around before leaning toward me.
"Don't tell Lucy I said this," he whispered, "but I think this is the most helpful that boy has been the whole trip too." I grinned and started chuckling at that, nodding my head in agreement, before he dismissed me and I returned to my previous position pushing the ship along.
As the sun began to dip toward the horizon once more and evening set in, from up ahead at the bow I heard Eustace call out, ::I think I see it!:: Immediately, Stormfly conveyed the message to everyone on deck, and soon after everyone below scurried up top as well, myself included. Sure enough, up ahead the "blue star" had stopped moving in the sky, hovering over a dark spot on the ocean. As we continued to race forward, the spot grew larger, until it could be recognized as a moderately sized island.
"We're almost there," I whispered to myself, before looking around. For once, I could see no signs of danger, and above the deck, strong westerly winds were filling the sails once more as well. We reached the island soon enough, and as the dragons let go of the ropes the crew dropped the anchor into the waves, securing a position offshore. I smirked as I overheard Reepicheep congratulation Eustace and keeping the boy's spirits up.
The island itself was actually rather large up close, though not quite the size of Berk. A good half of it was flanked by sheer cliffs and small waterfalls cascading over the sides. Any place that was flat enough was covered over by thick, subtropical forest; we were no longer very far north at all. The Vikings mounted their dragons as the crew launched the rowboats, and we all headed ashore together.
Near one end of the island was a small beach. As if visitors were expected, a small, half-hidden path snaked up the slope toward the interior of the island. "Looks like this place has people somewhere," Fishlegs commented to me. "Hopefully we'll find someone friendly." "Not all people are very friendly to outsiders though, Fish," I replied. "We've been lucky so far."
We headed up the path, the dragons having to stay either on the beach or hovering above the thick canopy of trees. Along the path were strewn pieces of what looked like ruins: we passed stone walls crumbling down onto the dirt, under ancient arches, and past statues too faded to make out. On some of them, however, when I looked closely, there were still faint symbols, some far more recently carved but many markings familiar: the letters of the English language, Latin, even Asian pictographs, but most prominent were a myriad of Hebrew letters, stretching all across the walls. These were from all around the world.
"There's something strange going on here," I whispered to Hiccup. He nodded as he took in the carvings, and gripped the hilt of his carved sword.
We passed through a series of arches, each just a little more taken care of than the last, and eventually wandered into a clearing. In the middle lay a massive table carved of granite, and laid out on top, a veritable banquet. "Good gosh, look at it all!" the twins both exclaimed simultaneously, heading forward immediately to sample the delicacies set before us.
"Wait," Drinian ordered, everyone glancing at him and Ruff and Tuff looking like they'd been slapped. "Something's not right here," he elaborated. Caspian nodded, and motioned toward the other end of the table. Lucy and Edmund followed him while Hiccup and I skirted the other side, walking toward a space that was clear of food. Lying on top was a knife, carved of blackest obsidian, and screaming familiarity.
"Edmund, Peter, do you recognize this?" I queried. They both walked up to the table's edge and peered at the weapon. Edmund was the first to look up at me.
"This is the stone knife," he exclaimed. "This must be Aslan's table!" I raised an eyebrow in partial question. "Surely you know who he is?" Edmund asked, noting my expression. I nodded. "Yes, but not how much of it was fact, and how much was truly fiction." "Well, Aslan was temporarily defeated by the witch Jadis, and this knife was her symbol for that victory," Peter elaborated. "That was just before we went into battle against her, our first in this place. Aslan must have placed it here after the war."
"What is that?" We turned to see Susan gesturing to something past us, at the very end of the table. I turned to look, Edmund turning on his flashlight and pointing it in the same direction, illuminating three odd lumps arranged around the table. We couldn't quite make it out in the evening gloom, even with Ed's light, so I held up my hand and heated it up like a Fireworm's skin, until it glowed white. Then, we could discern the strange objects.
They were three old men, covered in cobwebs and leaves.
Metallic sounds immediately pervaded the space as nearly everyone unsheathed a sword or other weapon on instinct, including me. When the men didn't react, I stepped closer, Edmund and Caspian following. The men were completely still, covered in more than just the webs and leaves, but also thin vines and broken twigs from the nearby trees and trailing plants. Caspian slowly angled his sword down toward one of them, until it came in contact with a large ring on the man's hand. On it, a symbol not terribly different from the crests we had seen on previous islands, and people.
"This is Lord Ravilian," he said, then slowly pointed to the others. "That msut be Lord Mavermore, and then Lord Argos." I warily bent forward to inspect their predicament, and as I did so, a faint breath of air hit me in the face. Surprised, I leapt back.
"They're breathing!" I hissed in shock. Caspian looked at me in surprise, and then bent forward toward the other two men. Their chests rose and fell steadily too. "So are these two. They're… they're under a spell or something, a trance." I let out a breath of concern, and began glancing around to find a possible cause.
"It's the food!" Thuggory yelled suddenly, causing the whole crew to fall back away from the table. The twins looked up anxiously, half-eaten pears in both of their hands. "No, no I don't think it's that," I said. "If this is the table we're looking for, it should be the one thing that wouldn't have any black magic over it. Hard to have a catalyst that's been neutralized."
Lucy's eyes suddenly lit up at my remark. "Wait a minute. If this is Aslan's table, then there should be…." She trailed off as she stepped up to where we were, and began cleaning off the leaves and twigs that had fallen around where the obsidian knife lay. Sure enough, surrounding it were 7 sword-shaped grooves, cut into the stone and edged in some sort of unidentifiable metal. "Get the swords!" she exclaimed.
Peter threw the first one to me, the sword he'd been holding on to since the Lone Islands, and I caught it by the hilt and set it down in the first indent on the table. Edmund and Caspian both laid down the ones they carried, and at that point I noticed electric sparks appearing between the swords and the metal edging. But, it was more important to get the rest of the swords, so we carefully cleared the brush away from the sleeping men, and found their swords still hanging for their belts. Once they'd all been carefully laid in place, the electric sparks I'd seen coalesced into a constant stream, and the swords and metal began to heat up and glow in a soft yellowish light. The connections between the indents filled with the same light, and somewhere beneath the table, a slow whirring sound emanated. But, one slot was still empty, and like electricity trying to cross a broken circuit, the energy couldn't quite fill its place.
"We're still missing one," Susan stated somewhat pointlessly. Camicazi nodded and stepped forward, gesturing to the obsidian knife, which all of the swords pointed to now in the center of the circle. "Without the last one, the catalyst won't react, will it?" she muttered dejectedly.
From below the cliffs, back by the beach, Silverwings yelled out, ::Hawken, look up!:: I did, toward the sky, and my eyes widened. "Hey guys, look up!" I stated loudly, everyone following my gaze. The blue "star" we'd been following was moving, and what's more, it was getting closer to us.
Everyone drew a sword in caution as the "star" raced like a bullet down toward us, and as it came close enough, my draconic eyes caught a flurry of what looked like translucent wings fluttering and flaring out as whatever it was neared. We backed up as it came slowly down, but it didn't land in our clearing. Instead, the object descended beyond the trees, and disappeared from view. The light dimmed, and a few moments later, someone stepped into view from down a path we had not traversed.
It was a blonde woman, dressed in a flowing gown wrapped by a belt that looked like it was made out of gold. At her waist, a shining polished sword and scabbard hung. What caught everyone's eyes, however, was the pair of nearly see-through feathery looking wings that extended in a wide arc above her head. As she came closer, they folded down further and disappeared behind her back. The woman stopped in front of us, smiled, and then spoke.
"Be at peace, travelers, I mean you no harm." She tapped her foot on the ground, and with a flash, sparks appeared and lit the candles all across the table. "I am Lilianda, guardian of the island of Romandil, named for my grandfather." She looked at us curiously. "After your long journey, surely you are hungry?" she asked. "Please, eat. The food here is for those like you."
"Then what happened to them?" Tuffnut blurted out, gesturing to the three old men. Lilianda glanced at them, and nodded. "These men were half mad when they reached here, weak and easily influenced. Evil reached them before I could, and they've been set under a trance. I have nothing that can break them out of it, as it is linked to the power they are amassing now."
Reassured, the rest of the crew moved forward toward the free food. Caspian, Edmund and Peter headed toward Lilianda instead. "Are… are you a star?" Ed asked. Lilianda chuckled and shook her head. "No, what you saw was a device Coriakin built many, many years ago. We use it as a signal, a guide, or I can use it to travel. Though it certainly looks like a star, it is a messenger." She glanced curiously at the three, as if knowing what they were going to say next.
"You are most beautiful," Caspian said, and I muffled a groan. Lilianda pursed her lips. "If that is a distraction, I'm sure we can change that," she said. In response the trio simultaneously yelled, "NO!" I snickered, amused at their daze. Beauty is skin deep, I was never greatly affected by looks, but it was fun to watch others trip over someone attractive.
Lilianda ignored the loud response and gestured to us four, then the other two Pevensies, Hiccup, and Astrid. "Follow me," she ordered, and turned around, walking down the path she had come from. On her back, we finally saw a glimpse of the little device we had followed, thin wings compactly folded up and still faintly glowing.
She maneuvered down the path, passing over hard stone but barely making a sound, while the rest of us trudged noisily along behind her. We followed her to a ledge, overlooking the ocean below and giving a clear view for miles. Visible in the distance was another large island, seemingly alive as it heaved with black and flashed with ominous lights.
"There is the source of our troubles," Lilianda said. "Servants of Lucifer, gathering there to prepare for a direct overtaking of the surrounding lands. They have not taken here yet only because I still stand over this place, but before long I will not be able to fight against them either." She pointed back toward the table. "Their plan has been in motion for centuries, only now has it manifested visibly. The leader of this army knew there was a power that could end all their work in a moment's time, and so split the opposing power into those swords you placed upon the table, in hopes that you would not find them all." She looked directly at us now. "No one alive knows what the power the demons wield is, but if you do not find that seventh sword, then Lucifer's army will be too strong to hold back from this land before long."
"And who is this Lucifer, exactly?" Hiccup asked quietly from behind Caspian. "A modern name for Satan, or the devil," I answered. "Evil incarnate. Demons are the fallen who follow him, and are those we've dealt with already this trip."
"Then we certainly must hurry," Caspian stated. "Lilianda, do you know where the seventh sword is?" Lilianda nodded, and pointed to the island in the distance. "It is within the dark island. The final lord you originally sought was cast wayward by a storm and wrecked there, and they keep him captive within as a precaution, placed somewhere we do not know." She turned to us again. "You will need great courage and strength, for they will do all they can to tear you apart, if not physically then mentally and spiritually. Be strong my friends." She looked directly at me. "They will try to come down upon you especially, as a direct servant of God. You have been clearly marked to them and they will try to take you any way they can." She laid a hand on my shoulder. "I cannot join you, for I still protect this island, but I tell you, follow your heart. I pray strength for all of you."
She stepped back, and the device awakened, wings unfurling above her. "Will we see you again?" Peter asked, still somewhat enraptured by her. Lilianda smiled. "You might. The future is not known. Goodbye for now, however." Then, with one sweep of the wings she lifted upward, light from the wings nearly blinding us as she disappeared over the forest.
I looked at Caspian, waiting for some sort of action. "We'll head out in the morning," he decided. "It is far too late tonight, and this will be unlike anything else we've ever done, so we will need our rest." He looked pointedly at me and then Hiccup. "Get the dragons to eat and rest well tonight, and make sure your friends are battle-ready." He fell silent, and all our heads turned once more to the pulsing clouds hovering over the dark island.
"Something very bad is going to happen, isn't it?" Edmund muttered. I nodded. "Yes, probably very bad indeed."
A/N-Only 6 chapters left! Have any questions about the occurrences in this chapter? Leave a review, I may answer them; many mysteries have yet to be solved here.
Until next time, stay tuned: a fight is imminent.