Gallowglass (Prequal to The Narnian Warriors Saga)

Chapter Two

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖊𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖗𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖉

Digory and Polly were facing one another across the pillar where the bell hung, still trembling, though it no longer gave out any note. Aquila was facing the front of the room where the Queen was unfreezing with her sword drawn, until she remembered what Silas told her during her training. 'Know your foe before you engage, not much is known about the queen but the fact that she is dangerous and old,' she sheathed her sword. The shuffle of the Queen's robes caused the other two children to turn as quick as lightning. In one swift beautiful motion Queen Jadis was rising from her chair. Tall, about as tall as Silas if not more so, graceful, beautiful and very much alive. She looked round the room and saw the damage and saw the children, but you could not guess from her face what she thought of anything or whether she was surprised. She came forward with long, swift strides. Aquila felt the same chill she always felt from her eyes shooting through her body. Every muscle and bone screamed at her to run.

"Who has awakened me? Who has broken the spell?" she asked. Her voice was as terrifyingly beautiful as her.

"I think it must have been me," said Digory.

"You!" said Queen Jadis, laying her hand on his shoulder — a large white, beautiful hand, Aquila knew she could break him.

"You? But you are only a child, a common child. Anyone can see at a glance that you have no drop of royal or noble blood in your veins. How did a boy such as you dare to enter this house?"

"We've come from another world; by Magic," said Polly, who thought it was time the Queen took some notice of her as well as of Digory, Aquila was happy to vanish but she knew she couldn't leave Digory and Polly to the monster of woman. Especially not when she didn't know how they had even gotten there.

The Queen didn't even look at Polly or Aquila, "Is this true?"

"Yes, it is," he said.

The Queen put her other hand under his chin and forced it up so that she could see his face better. Digory tried to stare back but he soon had to let his eyes drop. There was something about hers that overpowered him. He looked past her to Aquila who was glaring at him fiercely like he had just destroyed her whole life. He didn't even know who she was, not even her name but her purple eyes scared him something fierce.

After the Queen had studied him for well over a minute, she let go of his chin and said: "You are no magician. The mark of it is not on you. You must be only the servant of a magician. It is by another's magic that you have traveled here."

"It was my Uncle Andrew," said Digory. Aquila committed the name to memory. At the moment, not in the room but from somewhere very close, there was first a slight rumbling, then a creaking, and then a roar of falling stone, and the floor shook. "There is great peril here," said the Queen. "The whole palace is breaking up. If we are not out of it in a few minutes we shall be buried under the ruin." She spoke as calmly as if she had been merely mentioning the time of day. "Come," she added, and held out a hand to each of the children.

Polly, who Aquila was liking much more than Digory, would not have let her hand be taken if she could have helped it much like the young warrior. But the Queen's movements were as quick as could be. Before Polly knew what was happening her left hand had been caught in a hand so much larger and stronger than her own that she could do nothing about it. Queen Jadis' hands were bigger than any normal person and she was able to catch Aquila in the same hand she held Polly. Aquila just contained herself from stabbing the queen. She reached her free hand down to her thigh and pulled a dagger out of the holster and handed it to Polly. The blonde looked at her in shock, taking the dagger carefully and very confused. Aquila gave her a stern look warning her to keep it in her pocket. She slipped it in the pocket with the green ring.