(Edmunds POV)

A rustling sound outside of the small room caused Emmy and I both to spin around. Nesarose ignored the noise as though she knew exactly what it was and had heard it a million times, smiling lightly to herself as she felt us both jump.

The three of us sat together in the middle of the room, watching Nesarose as she drew shapes into the dirt with a small stick, entertaining herself easily. One thing I had quickly learned about this little girl was that she was much wiser than she seemed, almost like she had been around for years, and I got the weird feeling that she had. She didnt talk much, she didnt need to, her eyes spoke for her. 

She turned her small head towards the door, smiling even brighter as Dorothy jumped down off of the ladder with a thud. "I went to the place you said your family was, but there was no one there."

My blood ran cold as the words left her mouth, causing goosebumps to spread out across my body. I was sure they were fine, even though the only thing I could think about was that Glinda had gotten them. Emmy seemed to be thinking the same thing as me, speaking the words I had thought aloud. 

"Its possible." Dorothy responded. She must have noticed our panicked faces, as she quickly shook her head. "Though I highly doubt thats what happened."

"Why do you say that?" Emmy asked, rising to her feet. I mimicked her actions, dusting my hands off on my thighs before glancing to Nesarose as she began to speak.

"Glinda is not one to take immediate action like that. She would lie in wait for the perfect time to strike."

I stared at the little girl in front of me who had stood and joined the conversation. After a few seconds of collecting my thoughts I finally spoke. "Okay, but," I glanced to Emmy. "Can we agree that we know someone who just might be impatient enough to follow us here and catch us off guard?"

"But thats impossible." Emmy shook her head in dismay. "There were only two rings and we have both."

"Am I missing something?" Dorothy exclaimed, exasperatingly. 

"Do you know why Aslan needs Nesaroses' help?" 

Dorothy nodded. "The witches. What if they replicated one of the rings?" 

"Is that even possible?" I frowned, glancing to Nesarose as she took a deep breath.

"With the right kind of magic, anything is possible. Though there are not many who possess enough raw magic to duplicate such a thing, there are objects that are able to harness enough power." 

"Like the staff of echo island?" I spoke hesitantly, cold shivers running down my spine once again as the small girl nodded. 

"Yes, if it actually existed it would be the perfect thing." 

"But it does exist." I turned to Emmy as she spoke. "Isnt that what you told me about? The last time you were in Narnia, Peter got taken to Echo Island by Black Beard who wanted to use a drop of his blood to free the staff and rule Narnia."

I nodded. "Mallymkin said they used Peters bloody clothes to free the White Witch. What if they got more than one drop?"

"If that is what happened," Dorothy spoke up. "Your friends may be in more danger than we thought."