Chapter 57- preparations before the storm
Back on the mainland, things were escalating. Martian, Hagrid, Alestomeria, Tuvok and the other officials had ordered a STRICT search up and down the castle and surrounding areas for Alcina for arrest and on-the-spot death sentence. Because Betelgeuse, Rigel, Cilan and Puss had somehow failed to alert Martian of the suspect being Alcina, Hagrid and Alestomeria themselves had told the lead Little Green Man everything that the four had told them including her connection to the Pleasure Dome and the kidnappings of kids to be shipped off to there, her assassination plans against the four Monarchs, High King Peter's poisoning and how she was the mastermind behind all this trouble and immediately, Martian had ordered an IMMEDIATE search for Alcina and if she is found, she was to be immediately put to death either by sword or, if the finder is a Nine-Tailed Kitsune, a blast of foxfire. And now the search for the Imposter had begun. For King Edmund and Queen Susan, the stress of everything that was happening was beginning to take their toll on them, especially what was happening with their older brother, High King Peter who was now in a critical condition with Jadis' Poisoning reaching its worse stages such as animalistic behaviour, vomiting and derangement. Because he was now exhibiting violent behaviour, the carers had strapped him down to his bed using belts and strong vines to restrain him and prevent him from potentially hurting himself and the others. Martian had been obtaining updates on his condition and now that he was entering the worsening stages of the poisoning, the Little Green Man was beginning to get very worried; it was clear that the High King's days were becoming more and more numbered and soon, a painful death will be inevitable. Martian had hoped that the other eight quest goer groups would arrive back soon with the other eight ingredients; Kushanku's group had done just that with the Sky Domain's rainbowberries. Once all nine ingredients were brought in, the Nine-Realms Potion will be immediately made and administered to High King Peter right away. That was the plan. Queen Susan and King Edmund had been kept from hearing about their older brother's worsening condition as they had to keep the throne running and it was important that they stayed strong until the other eight quest goer groups returned with the other eight ingredients for their brother's ONLY antidote.
The rainbowberry quest goers including Kushanku, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, Squea'tagnan, Sordward and Shielbert, after they had rested up from their dangerous trip, had joined the other soldiers to either prepare for battle against any surviving minion of Jadis or the search for Alcina. Kushanku's proper mourning for his now-deceased wife Alexandrite will have to come later. However, the Cair Paravel workers were not the only ones preparing for battle. In her hidden lab under her den, Dimitrescu and some of her assistants were also making preparations. Among these was making some poisons and weapons for the upcoming battle and one of these weapons was a type of poison that also affected the mind when injected into a victim, but it was not the Snow Angel's Cure potion, Toxo-Cream or the red sleeping gas. This poison was another type of psychological weapon and it was sometimes used by the White Witch in her tortures and experiments. Dimitrescu looked on as some Candy Woodland Creatures, Blue Mice and Hags processed this liquid and loaded some small arrows, darts, with it. These darts will be fired through hollow tubes, blowpipes, at victims for long-range attacks. An evil titter escaped the Fox-Witch's mouth hidden behind her golden mask as she watched the weapons get made, alongside other types of poison weapons including spray bottles and hollowed out swords designed to not only inflict a slash wound but also inject the victims hit with poison as well.
Sometime later
A small group of Talking Beasts and Humanoids stood in a clearing not too far away from Cair Paravel, their paws and hands clutching swords and other weapons. Kushanku, despite his grief over losing Alexandrite, had his paws gripping his signature weapon, the GC sword-within-a-sword while the Warrior Mice group Athos, Porthos, Aramis, Squea'tagnan, Sordward and Shielbert stood around, their paws also clutching their weapons. Also present were Rattus and Mjölnir, the latter who had his paws clutching his electrically charged war hammer ready for battle, and also Neutrophil, Basophil and Eosinophil. As the group stood on patrol, Kushanku wore a worried look on his face but it was not from the grief over the loss of his wife while Mjölnir's face was one of smugness. He was happy that a certain creature faithful to the Witch had got its comeuppance after it had killed his family.
"I heard from Wan and his group that the Cartoon Shadow Cat is now unable to travel freely by day due to the sunlight being crippling to it as a result of eating those Garden of Youth apples," the Lightning Pika sniggered, "Got it REAL good, it did."
"I think the Great Lion has done it justice for all the atrocities it has committed throughout the Age of Winter up until now," said Basophil without any snigger.
"Yes, but it is still EXTREMELY dangerous at night," said Athos, "It will need to be driven out of the Country of Narnia for good."
"The Cartoon Shadow Cat will suffer for the rest of its time in existence the consequences of eating those apples," added Neutrophil, "Not only has it got its weakness to sunlight, water and pleasant smells to deal with but its clawed shoulder and a semi-immortal life of misery and pain as well."
"It looks like the Guardian Phoenix has unintentionally inflicted the Cartoon Cat Creature with a wound that will NEVER, EVER heal for as long as it lives," put in Basophil. He had witnessed the Internal Avian Guardian of the Garden of Youth claw the Cartoon Shadow Cat (then disguised as a Dog) over the shoulder before its escape over the hedge, driven out by it and the Secondary Azure Dragon Guardian, Ladon.
"I have read that injuries obtained from the Garden of Youth Phoenix are rendered as crippling, agonising and permanent, especially if you've eaten even ONE PIECE of the Garden's apples," said Porthos, "I'm surprised that the White Witch had managed to escape that Bird's wrath when she stole an apple during that Son of Adam's visit to get one for the Tree of Protection."
The others nodded in agreement before Eosinophil changed the subject. She had been observing Martian and three other Little Green Men, a Grey Man and a red Fox with eight tails, Tuvok, as they talked. A look of solemn and worry was present on their faces.
"Have you guys seen the look on Tuvok's face?" the She-Terror Bird called to the others, "He looks so INCREDIBLY distraught."
The others came in and gazed at Tuvok to see that Eosinophil was right. Tuvok clearly WAS distraught. His ears were down and his eyes were sad. Then a growly voice spoke, pulling the group's attention to the speaker, "It's because High King Peter's condition is worsening and only eight of the nine ingredients required to make the exclusive Potion are present."
The speaker, Tauro the Minotaur, walked in.
"Which ingredient is yet t' turn up still, Tauro?" asked Rattus.
"I think it's the Cardinal Root carrot," replied the Minotaur as he stopped. His Bull's head's gaze then turned to Martian's group, "Martian has been trying to contact the group in charge of bringing that special vegetable here but to no avail and we have been assuming the worst."
"We have had to deal with trouble with those surviving minions of the White Witch ourselves," said Kushanku sourly, "and believe me, they had been UTTERLY determined to take our ingredients for the potion."
"Teal'c had barely escaped slaughter from a group of Hidebehinds and Giants with that starfruit," said Neutrophil, "But Ahhuayo hadn't been as fortunate. His family, especially Larimar one of his granddaughters, are gonna be UTTERLY grieving for him once this is all over."
"We have only lost a few of our group members among them my wife Alexandrite," said Kushanku and with that, he took a moment to recollect himself from his grief of losing his wife of decades of marriage.
"Could the Cardinal-Root carrot group have been captured or worse?" asked Sordward.
"We don't know," said Tauro, "But it would seem likely."
Kushanku, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, Squea'tagnan, Sordward, Shielbert, Rattus, Mjölnir, Neutrophil, Basophil and Eosinophil and the others with them, among them several Curupira, Red Dwarfs, two Fairies and a Brownie, breathed sad sighs and hoped that the Cardinal-Root carrot quest goers were alright. However, this was NOT at all true.
As Martian's group continued to talk about High King Peter's worsening condition and the missing carrot, Martian once again tried to contact the quest goer group led mostly by a creature called a Serleopard (Leopard-like creatures that had long necks like Snakes) and their escorts through the communicator screen; he placed the octahedron crystal on the floor and tried to get it to rise and flatten into the screen. However, the only thing that the octahedron did was flash red. If the communicator screen on the other end was destroyed or out of action, all the screen crystals would do was lie on the ground and flash, equivalent to our phones simply going to voicemail when the receiver was not available to take our call. Martian gazed with worry at the flashing octahedron and shook his head in sadness and fading hope.
"Can you get a response from Hissy-Spot the lead Serleopard, Martian?" asked Tuvok. Martian picked up the octahedron, turned it off and returned it to his satchel.
"No, not at all, Tuvok," the lead Green Man spoke, "I'm beginning to assume that something has happened to them. After all, these surviving minions of the White Witch are hard at work in destroying what the King Lion has accomplished here."
Then a Green Flower Mandrake, a female came in. She tried her luck in keeping Martian's hope fires regarding the Cardinal-Root carrot quest goer group lead by the Serleopard named Hissy-Spot and their return with the ingredient burning.
"They'll turn up, Martian," said she, "They'll turn up, I know they will."
"High King Peter does not have much time left, Petal," Martian replied, "The Nine-Realms Potion CANNOT work unless all NINE of its ingredients are combined," the Green Man shook his head, fluster and worry for High King Peter beginning to flare, "It's clear the opposition, especially Alcina, is KEEN in stopping this country's High King from receiving his antidote..."
The Green Flower Mandrake, Petal then backed away, her attempts to keep Martian's hopes up proving to be futile. Then a Talking Poggle came in and was about to speak when suddenly, a call rang out, alerting Martian and company and pulling their attention to the caller, another group walking up the hill. At the front of the group was a Gold-Fleeced Sheep and in his hoof-hands was a special golden bag. Flanking the sheep was a black Magical Bear Yokai called a Onikuma which resembled large Black Bears but had silvery markings in their jet black coat and magical abilities like the fairly common telekinesis as well as immense physical strength such that they could lift and throw large boulders, and another Serleopard.
"We've managed to retrieve this bag containing the carrot from that pack of Ice Giants after we had found and slaughtered them," explained the Gold-Fleeced Sheep, Chrystós and with that, he held up the golden bag containing the missing ingredient to High King Peter's ONLY antidote.
"We believe those Ice Giants have managed to overpower and slaughter the quest goers during their return journey back to here from the Four Cardinal Kingdoms' Realm and have successfully nabbed the carrot from them," added the Onikuma.
"And Cedar-Legs the Toraton had found this clutched in the hands of one of the dead Giants," added the Serleapoard. Jubilation immediately swept through Martian's group and also Kushanku and company nearby for they had been watching and listening to the conversation. However, they had been UTTERLY horrified at what had happened to Hissy-Spot's group.
"Get that carrot to the other eight ingredients in Hagrid's lab, get the potion pot and the other required equipment and start combining those ingredients into the potion for High King Peter NOW," Martian seriously and urgently ordered. Chrystós and company immediately obeyed and rushed off to Cair Paravel with the golden bag containing the Cardinal-Root carrot. Tuvok had dashed off ahead of them to command some potioneers or potion makers to get ready to make the Nine-Realms Potion. Martian then turned to the others and told them to get ready for battle or continue the search for Alcina and they also dispersed to do just these. Kushanku and company nearby did the same. However, the Cardinal-Root carrot's arrival had not gone unheard. A spy hiding in the trees and had been watching all of this, a Mimicbird, then abandoned its perch and hiding place and flew off to a certain destination with the report.
Meanwhile
In her secret lab under her den, Dimitrescu the Fox-Witch went about her gathered minions, all of them armed, and her own weapons, doing the final checks ready for the final phase of attack on Cair Paravel. Once she had finished the final checks, she began to issue her minions instructions.
"Soon, all nine ingredients for the Nine-Realms Potion will be altogether and ready to be combined in the castle," she said to them, "Once that that is so, we will go into battle and carry out our final plans to bring back our Angel of Salvation and TRUE Goddess of the Highlands, Her Majesty Queen Jadis and dispose of the remaining three Monarchs. You lot distract their servants while some of us enter the castle to get the potion which will be essential to the process of resurrecting our true Queen," she then turned and nodded to a group of Hags and evil Nekomata still loyal to the White Witch, "You lot set up the resurrection sight where our Queen will be raised. Wait there while we obtain the Nine-Realms Potion. Do you have the replica of her wand one of the Ice Giants has managed to craft?"
One of the Nekomata answered by raising its paw holding a stick ending in an icicle-like point like the stick the White Witch owned and was the main source of her power such as her petrification spells. Dimitrescu's eyes visible through the eyeholes of her golden mask shifted as she formed a satisfied look.
"Excellent," she tittered gleefully, "That will be an essential tool in generating an ice wall that will summon her spirit. In order to restore her to her flesh-and-blood form, we will need the Nine-Realms Potion and some blood from the King. Blood from the Queens will NOT work for this process; the blood MUST come from a Son of Adam."
A Neko-Cabbit came forward with a vial topped with a hollow needle fashioned from a thorny plant with hollowed spikes for the task to which Dimitrescu nodded. It was to find King Edmund, jab the needle into him and collect a sample of his blood. Collecting blood from a knife-inflicted cut would be too risky and Dimitrescu wanted it to be quick and sneaky. Then the Fox-Witch stood back to deliver the final instructions to her group and the command to go into battle when suddenly, a squawk rang out at the elevation platform shaft, pulling the attention of the group in that direction. A Black Songbird with a crest appeared and perched onto one of the display cylinders.
"I believe that Mimicbird has something important to report, our Mistress," said one of the Stinger-Rats. Dimitrescu went forward to the Mimicbird as it began to play back the report in the voices of some of the characters. It did so word-for-word and in the EXACT voice tones of what it had mimicked, such as Martian and Chrystós which Dimitrescu identified right away for she had got to know them under her Alcina the Fox guise. Mimicbirds, along with the Siren-Heads, were like organic recorders, being able to record and play back threads of sentences word-for-ford and in the EXACT voice tones of the targets they had recorded. In fact, their vocal talents put even the talents most Parrots and even male Lyrebirds, also known for almost precisely imitating ANY sound from other animal calls to manmade sounds like an axe hitting a tree to chop it down to shame. This ability was what made Mimicbirds and Siren-Heads so dangerous as their ability to mimic the exact voice tones of their targets allowed their allies and their main Mistress, the White Witch, to recognise the speakers. Their vocal talents were also effective in psychological torture in which they mimicked the sounds of their targets' friends and loved ones in their EXACT voice tones being tortured, making Mimicbirds and Siren-Heads effective torturers and lures into traps and these creatures had being doing this often with a lot of victims during the Age of Winter. Then as soon as the Mimicbird had finished its report by playing back what Martian, Chrystós and several others have spoken about the demise of the Ice Giants and the Cardinal-Root carrot, and that all nine ingredients were finally together and ready to be combined into the Potion, a sneering chuckle escaped Dimitrescu's hidden mouth.
"Excellent, my little Mimicbird," the Fox-Witch and Jadis' apprentice crooned, "JUST the report I would like to hear," her voice then soured at anger at the Ice Giants' failure to fight off the search-and-destroy team that had managed to slay them and take the carrot, "But as for those Giant Frost numbskulls... USELESS!"
Some of Dimitrescu's minions flinched when their Mistress forced out the final word. Then the wicked group took up their weapons and left the underground lab to face their enemies at Cair Paravel and carry out their tasks. Dimitrescu herself had also armed herself with her weapons and potions to also take part in the battle.
