WAR OF HEARTS ━ prince caspian x

sixteen

˗ˏˋCHAPTER SIXTEENˊˎ-

***

"YOU KNOW, I'M really getting tired of all of you leaving me behind—" Eustace's voice rang out from behind, Wren spared a quick glance back, watching as he stopped short after pushing through the tree leaves, widening his eyes at the sight of the odd looking creatures surrounding the crew.

"It's the pig. The pig's come back!"

"This place just gets weirder and weirder," he mumbled, bewilderedly.

"Weird?" One repeated. "Him calling us weird?

The one-footed creatures suddenly went haywire, and began bouncing around like maniacs as a man in a long cloak walked out of the house with Lucy. Wren felt herself grow even more confused.

The Oppressor bowed down. "Your Majesty."

"Caspian, Edmund, and Wren," Lucy introduced, though Wren had no idea why the younger girl had decided to include her in that introduction. She wasn't royalty—not yet, but nobody fixed her statement, instead, Caspian smiled as if he'd been hoping for some type of opening like that. "This is Coriakin, his island."

"That's what he thinks!" One of the creature said. "You have wronged us, magician."

"I have not wronged you," the man defended. "I made you invisible for your own protection."

"Protection?! That's oppressive!"

"I have not oppressed you."

"But you could've...If you wanted to."

"Begone," he said, and he chucked some white fuzz at the creatures, making them scurry away.

Eustace shot the man a confused look. "What were those?"

"Dufflepuds," the Oppresser (Wren didn't know his true name, so she decided to refer to him as that until she did) replied. He very quickly ushered them into the house, as if he knew they were in a rush, and they all followed him without complaint. Most of the crew went back to shore at Caspian's word, and they were down to about six people now.

"What did you mean when you said you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy questioned as they walked through the halls of the mansion.

"It seemed the easiest way to protect them from the evil," he answered.

Edmund and Caspian shared a look from besides Wren. "You mean the mist?"

The Oppressor stopped. "I mean what lies behind the mist."

Wren tried not to shudder at that, and stepped into the room. Her eyes widened, gaze landing on the books that were rotating mid-air, and the galaxy particles that were shaped on the windows. They gathered around as the Oppressor took out a rolled up piece of parchment, and threw it onto the floor. It was at least ten feet long. Wren watched as it transformed to life, showing an image of the ocean, big puffy clouds floating above the body of water.

"There is the source of your troubles," he said, and the map shifted to show a location that was filled with green mist. "The Dark Island. A place where evil lurks. It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true. It seeks to corrupt all goodness...to steal the light from this world."

"How do we stop it?" Lucy asked.

"You must break its spell." The Oppressor turned to Edmund. "That sword you carry—there are six others."

"Have you seen them?" Edmund wondered.

"Yes."

"The six lords," Caspian realized. "They passed through here." It wasn't a question. "Where were they headed?"