After breakfast the landing party prepares to head out. Cross-country it goes, and Lucy wishes she would have done more for her stamina back home. The queen is even more thankful for the training with Luna that she joins regularly. Besides the effort to walk through the unruly land, Lucy enjoys looking around. After entering the forest, they walk through dense thickets before the trees and lower plants spread and leave more space to breathe. Then, she can watch birds and squirrels, even a group of deer unhindered. Much to her dismay, quite a few insects buzz around – no butterflies, unfortunately. Lucy squeaks as a big beetle lands on her arm, its deep hum silenced for a moment. Frantically, she shakes her arm to get rid of the insect. She only realizes the noises she makes when the others turn to her. It is Eustace who comes to her aid, snatching the beetle with his fingers – Lucy respects that he can do this. She would freak out if she was to touch an insect. Edmund only laughs instead of helping, even though he knows full well his sister is afraid of the crawling, humming, whirring animals. So, while Eustace observes the bug in his hand, Lucy glares at her brother. Then she shuffles to the front to Caspian, Drinian and Luna as soon as the beetle is removed from her arm.

» I don't think these exist in... our world, « the blond boy exclaims,

» What is it? « He holds it in front of Pittencream's face who is unfortunate enough to stand closest to him. The sailor grimaces and scowls at the boy, pushing the hand with the bug away from his face.

» If ya find an insect at sea, ye can ask me, « he grumbles and walks ahead. Fandir raises an eyebrow at his companion booting away. He steps closer, grabbing Eustace's arm to take a look at his find. The beetle is as big as the first link of a thumb, mostly black but with blue shimmering wings. Its belly is covered in hazel brown hair with white tips.

» Hm, maybe a Blue Pronk*, « he suggests,

» They're rare, I've only seen one once. « The beetle squirms a bit and Eustace releases it. It plops to the ground, lingering for a moment before it leaps into the air like a grasshopper, opens its little wings and flies off. Eustace pulls out his journal and scribbles something down, planning on drawing the newly discovered insect later.

Soon, the forest clears entirely, giving way to gentle grassland. They have been walking slightly upwards for a while, now the hills are visible. Lefthand, the forest didn't yet claim the hills – the ones they saw as they sailed into the bay. To the right, the woods stretch as far as the group can see, seeming to get denser.

» Sire! « Rhince calls out. Halion and he walked ahead and found a path that seems beaten from regular use. Caspian and Drinian observe how its serpentines draw over the hills like a brown snake. Luna tenses, her hand coming to rest on the hilt of her sword.

» Seems like someone's living 'ere, « Rhince says. Drinian grumbles to himself,

» Then why didn't they show themselves? « Caspian's gaze wanders over the land ahead, searching for other signs of life. From the corner of his eye, he notices Luna stepping next to him. Her back is straight, her shoulders drawn up ever so slightly. She doesn't need to spell it out; she doesn't like this. After the people, and things they encountered so far, he can only hope this will end peacefully – yet he doesn't trust that hope. But what if one of the lords is here?

» We'll follow the path, « the king decides.

Luna has only a vague idea of how long they follow this mysterious path. It draws closer to the mountains that tower on the other side of the island – at least, she suspects it to be the other side, it could also be the middle. Anyway, the warrior is on high alert. She is determined to not let anything take her by surprise, not again. Together with Reepicheep and Drinian she silently agreed to stay close to the kings and queen. The path bends towards the right, a group of trees blocks the view of what lays beyond. Yet, there is smoke, a grey column like those from a chimney. It can't be a simple fireplace as the smoke would be darker. Her hand shoots out to stop Caspian from going any further. As her fingers curl around his bicep, he looks around for an imminent danger before turning to his guardian. She points at her discovery while Drinian shushes the others.

» They could be friendly and not even know we're here, « Caspian is fully aware of how naïve that sounds.

» They could also be very unfriendly, « Reep emphasizes the 'un',

» Shall I look ahead? Scout out whatever we're facing? « Luna nods at him to appreciate his offer. He would be perfect as he is small enough to go unseen. While Caspian considers, she looks around, counting heads as she is used to. After counting again, she freezes.

» Where's Lucy? « Her voice is quiet, but the people closest to her hear it. Someone calls out for the queen but is shushed immediately. Edmund turns in a circle and still can't see her anywhere.

» There! « Someone shouts – quietly enough – and points in the direction they came from. There, Lucy is sprinting towards them. She skids to a halt as soon as she reaches the group. Her brother pats her back while she tries to catch her breath, bent forward, hands on her knees.

» Are you alright? « Ed asks,

» Where have you been? « Red-faced, the queen ignores his questions,

» We need to go! Now! « The urgency in her strained voice lets everyone perk up.

» Why? What happened? « Caspian steps towards her. Lucy takes a deep breath,

» I heard someone, they- they said they want to ambush us at the beach! «

» Did you see who it was? « Ed already loosens his sword in its sheath.

» Or what? « adds Luna. The Queen of Narnia's Golden Age only shakes her head.

» Alright, let's get back quickly, « Caspian urges,

» Maybe we're there before them! «

» Can you run? « Ed asks his sister, taking her hand. She inflates her cheeks, nodding. So, everyone breaks into a run. Usually, neither Caspian nor Luna would deem it wise to run headfirst into what might as well be a trap. Yet, they don't know what they are up against. As they are so few, they will probably need the rest of the crew who stayed on the Dawn Treader.

~

Running over the grassland is easy enough, but the forest is a challenge. Roots, stones and logs need to be avoided. All that while going downhill. Luna stays close to Caspian, but as Lucy, Eustace, and Reep fall back, the king wants to help them. Both, Drinian and Luna, tell him to continue. They will gather everyone as soon as they reach the shore. There they can regroup and get into formation against whoever Lucy overheard. It may have been wiser to stay together, but in this somewhat headless run the landing party scattered like chickens – making themselves easy targets to be picked off one by one. That is why Luna struggles. Not so much from running; she is torn between protecting her king and helping the others get on. Yet, it would only take one arrow to strike someone down. She can't stop, can't turn back.

Lucy, once again, curses herself for not at least taking longer walks. Running such a long distance is hard, all the more, with Eustace clinging to her hand. Forgotten is the surrounding beauty, her mind is set on putting one foot in front of the other. Edmund scolds their cousin, Eustace talks back – with the little breath he has left – both of them falling into old habits where, in truth, they worry. Reepicheep struggles as well. He may be fast and an experienced fighter but keeping this speed for a longer period is close to impossible for the mouse.

» Man up, Eustace! « Edmund tells the boy. The blond is close to tears, completely out of breath, exhausted, and sweaty. He wants to bite back but can't afford to waste energy. As Lucy stumbles slightly, he finally lets go of her. He stops as he doesn't see Reep. His friend ran next to him up to this point. He turns to find him farther up, jumping over a fallen tree trunk. Eustace pants and is afraid out of his mind of what is after them, or waits for them, or whatever. Yet, he remains where he is until his friend caught up to him. Without uttering a single word, he picks Reep up and continues running. The furry knight gasps for breath, unable to complain about being treated like a teddy bear.

Then, they break out of the forest. Caspian jumps through a bush and lands on sand, Luna is at his side. They both stop short as they notice where they landed; there's a large footprint in the sand.

» Stop! « They shout in unison,

» Back to the trees! « Too late. Halion runs at the very front. Suddenly, he is knocked back as if he ran against a wall. With an 'Uff!' he stumbles backwards and lands in the sand. Then, a spear appears from nowhere and embeds itself right in front of the poor sailor. Luna's senses are heightened. She would like to breathe quickly and deeply but forces herself to slow down. Drawing her sword, she steps in front of Caspian, placing herself between her king and whatever danger this is like the shield she is supposed to be. Except of the spear and the footprints, there is nothing to be seen. The bay lays quiet. The landing party skidded to a halt, rotting together around Drinian who walks towards Halion to help him up. The tall man seems a bit dizzy. Caspian has drawn his sword as well, placing his other hand on Luna's shoulder.

» Let's go to them, « he tells her quietly. He leaves her no choice as to move with him.

» Not one step further, masters, not one step further! « a voice sounds out. Other voices affirm that their chief is telling the truth. It sends everyone into a frantic mess of looking around, drawing (more) weapons and forming a circle around the weakest. Caspian and Luna stop, they almost reached the others. Confused gazes are exchanged.

» Show yourselves! « Reepicheep calls out, wriggling from Eustace's grip,

» Show yaselves and fight man to man! «

» We're over fifty and you can't see us, « the voice states, sounding the tiniest bit amused – like a child, happy about a successful prank. Luna tightens her grip on her sword, eyeing every movement she can make out – only, there is none, not from their opponents.

» We could just move back slowly, « Eustace whispers, regarding the spear in front of them in visible discomfort.

» We won't hide, « Reep hisses, rising his rapier.

» We can't hide from something we don't see, « Luna adds, shaking her head.

» The lass is right, « the voice agrees. It sounds deep, a bit raspy, clearly a man's voice – or at least male.

» And how right she is! « Another voice confirms. So there really are more of them, Luna notes. The number of footprints already told her that, however.

» She couldn't have said it better, « yet another voice says. Luna raises an eyebrow, those people – or whatever they are – are strange. Now, Caspian has heard enough. He steps forward, ignoring Luna's glare about his carelessness.

» What do you want from us? « The king' voice is unwavering, not betraying any emotion. Unlike Luna, he is not in a fighting stance. Yet, his muscles are tense, like a cat shortly before it ducks and gets ready to jump. Luna's hand brushes over his arm briefly – a small gesture to reassure him, to let him know that she is here.

» That's a longer story, « the first voice explains,

» In short, we need one of your lassies to do something for us. « Immediately, Reep is at the front, staring vigorously at, well, nothing.

» Should this be anything against honour or safety of- « the indignation of the tall mouse is cut off by Caspian,

» I'll ask again, what is it that you want? « Reepicheep glances over to them, rage dances in his dark eyes as well as the will to defend them until death.

» Maybe we should sit down for this, « the chief-voice suggests. The crew of the Dawn Treader remains as they are while they hear something shuffle around. Drinian observes the spots where the sand shifts under someone's weight.

» We've not always been invisible, you know? « The voice explains now,

» Quite the opposite, we were really observable, « other voices cut in,

» Indeed, we were visibly visible. «

» Go on, Chief, you're doing great! «

» Well, « the first speaker clears his throat,

» Then the magician put a spell on us, now look at us! « The Narnians can't help but chuckle at that. They certainly would look if there was someone to look at.

» Yes, Chief, keep it up! « Someone encourages.

» The magician is a tyrant! « Says another.

» Yes, a very tyrannic one, « yet another adds.

» Now, your girl shall go up and read the spell from the magic book that will make us visible again, «the Chief concludes.

» And what about the magician? « Asks Lucy, slipping through the men to the front. Luna lifts her head a bit. She can't let her friend do this alone. She edges closer to her.

» He's invisible as well, or dead, we don't know, « would they be able to, they would have seen the chief shrug nonchalantly.

» What if we don't do your bidding? « Edmund steps forward, towering by his sister. A moment of silence passes in which no one dares to move.

» Then, we must kill you, unfortunately, as we've sworn to do, « the chief explains. Instantly, everyone grips their weapons tighter.

» Give us a moment, « Caspian rather tells than asks their opponents and Lucy and Edmund step closer. Luna exchanges a look with the only other woman.

» I'll go, « the warrior announces to the friends, not letting Lucy speak,

» You're a queen. This isn't safe. « Caspian remains quiet, trying to suppress the urge to pull Luna towards him to protect her.

» No, « Lucy argues,

» I won't let you do this for me. « Ed doesn't know what to do; let his sister or his friend face whatever lurks in the shadows or fight fifty invisible beings. Caspian weighs his options as well.

» You're not going anywhere, « he says quietly, placing a hand on Luna's arm,

» Neither of you. «

» You don't have to do this, « Edmund affirms, but his tone is hesitant. The Just King rolls the situation around in his head, trying to view it from different perspectives. Meanwhile Luna sighs. She hoped for Ed to speak his mind as he usually does – sarcastic but honest.

» Oh really? Then what do you suggest? « She asks snarky,

» Trying to fight off those Invisibles? This isn't a fight we can win, Cas. « She catches his gaze, reading the reluctance in his eyes. Yet, he knows she is right.

» Now, have you decided? « The chief-voice asks. Caspian closes his eyes for a moment, his hand lingers on Luna's arm. Edmund watches his friends with a frown while Lucy slips away. Everyone perks up as she speaks,

» Yes, I'll go. Show me the way. «

*Blue Pronks or Blue Pronk(er) do not exist and only sprung from my imagination. 'Pronk' means 'leaping in the air with an arched back and stiff legs, like an antelope'.