Hey ppl! This fic is my own sequel to Abhorsen. It continues right after
the last sentence in the book, which is this:
Then she wandered off, following a zigzag path along the border between Life and Death, her tail wagging so hard, the tip of it beat the river into a froth behind her.
Now, on with the story!
-Ancelstirre-
Lirael slowly looked around through half-lidded eyes. Everything was blurred, and she thought something was wrong with her vision till she realized there was tears in her eyes. Then it all came back to her. Binding Orannis. Yrael's rescue. And last of all, the one that hurt the most, losing the Disreputable Dog, otherwise known as one of the Seven, Kibeth. Tears burned in Lirael's eyes as she remembered, wanting to sob, but not wanting anyone to hear her. She had loved the dog. She had never really admitted it before, always showing her affections in other ways. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, softly, but it still startled her. She looked up into the face of the Abhorsen. Sabriel. Her half-sister. Lirael stopped crying. She had to be strong. She was after all, the Abhorsen-in-waiting.
"I know what it feels like to suffer such a loss," whispered Sabriel so softly that none but Lirael heard.
"I must go to the Dog," Lirael suddenly rasped, startling those around her. "I must get her. She is in Death, but she cannot die. I will bring her with me and we can live together forever. I must get her!" With that, Lirael felt for the border between Life and Death, knowing she was being foolish and somewhat childish.
"No!" Sabriel said quickly. "It is too dangerous after Orannis has just been bound. Kibeth can look after herself. She has done so since The Beginning. You know that just as well as I do. Kibeth would not want you to put yourself in more danger.
It hurt Lirael for Sabriel to call her companion, her best friend of more than five years Kibeth, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she suddenly lunged forward, surprising everybody, and her body became ice.
Sabriel followed her, but at a distance. Lirael did not notice.
-Death-
Lirael felt the current of the water trying to pull her under. She started to force her will against the river, then decided against it. She knew she was doing the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life, but she laid in the river. She had embarrassed herself in front of her friends and enemies. Now Lirael had lost the Dog. The river gladly pulled her under and she started towards the First Gate.
Sabriel was about to jump forward and grab her when suddenly a dark shape appeared. It had red flames for eyes and huge teeth with flames running down them. The shape was a dark shadow, faintly outlined in silver, resembling a.dog. Sabriel started to draw Saraneth until she realized who it was. She stood in the river, quietly observing the course of events.
"Mistress!" shouted Kibeth, but Lirael only faintly heard her under the roar of the rushing river. "Mistress, what have you done?" the Dog sounded angry, and Lirael was taken by surprise. She had expected some other emotion. When she realized that the emotion she had wanted was pity, Lirael felt ashamed of herself. The Dog roughly dragged her out of the river. She was very upset. She bit Lirael like she had many times before when Lirael had contemplated suicide, but this time harder. "Mistress! You are the Abhorsen-in-waiting! You have a responsibility. I am ashamed to even think that you would abandon that responsibility, just for me. I came to you because you needed me, needed a friend. I helped you through all the hard times, and remained your loyal friend and companion. I helped you through all the gates of death, guiding you the whole way. Is this how you repay me? Are you saying I helped you in vain?"
Lirael looked up, expecting to see a very angry dog, but was surprised when she saw the Dog was crying. Lirael had never seen that happen before and was afraid and ashamed of herself at the same time. Slowly, the flaming tears because wet, and the Dog resumed her shape.
"I am sorry Mistress," the Dog half-whispered. "I was very angry. Will you forgive me?" She came over and solemnly licked the stub that was Lirael's handless arm. Lirael did not realize she had been in pain until the pain suddenly subsided and the bleeding stopped. The bruises were gone.
"Oh, Dog!" Lirael sobbed. She ran over and wrapped her arms around the Dog's neck, literally flinging herself on her. Her sobbing became silent weeping. "You had right to be mad at me," she said in a rasping whisper. "You did not help me in vain and I am eternally grateful for that. I now realize that we must part. Will I ever see you again?"
"I do not know," said Kibeth, "if we will meet again in Life, or in Death, or perhaps we will meet in some other time or world not yet known to us. I do know that we will meet again, though. You will never be forgotten, Lirael, Abhorsen-in-waiting, Daughter of the Clayr. You have found the place where you belong, and your family. Remember me." Kibeth slowly resumed her Free Magic shape, with Charter marks also in her build. She started fading away.
"You will never be forgotten, Disreputable Dog, Kibeth!" Lirael shouted. "I will remember you always, and I look forward to our next meeting, whenever that may be." Kibeth had given Lirael the strength she had needed to move on. Confident once again, ready to take on Life and live it to the fullest, she emerged back in to her own body, shaking off the icicles. Sabriel smiled at her, and Lirael knew that she knew the events of what had just happened.
-Ancelstirre-
Lirael felt something soft brush against her leg. She looked down and saw Mogget, or Yrael, as he had revealed himself to be. The Eighth of the Nine who had begun it all. He was a cat, Lirael realized, but he had no collar. Mogget was unbound, free from his long years of servitude. A startling thought came to Lirael as she realized she had enjoyed Mogget's companionship, sardonic as the cat may have been. Suddenly, the cat jumped up on her shoulder, startling her.
"Just because I helped you here does not mean that I will ever help you again, nor do I want to. I am free from the servitude of the Abhorsens. Oh, how I waited so long for this moment! I am finally free, free to do whatever, I want. The secrets I could reveal to you. If I wanted to that is." the white cat stretched, jumped down, and then winked at Lirael.
"What is it?" Asked Lirael slowly, trying not to show too much interest. She didn't want to provoke him. She knew he still had something up his sleeve, though. Well, as far as cats could go with sleeves that is.
"Oh, nothing," yawned Mogget. "Just that, if you think Orannis was bad, just wait till you see some of my old friends."
"What?" asked Lirael, startled. Mogget had spoke with such venom that she was suddenly afraid.
"Hmmmm..let's just say it's best not to get on my bad side," purred Mogget softly. "If you know what's good for you."
"Is that a threat?" demanded Lirael. But that cat had already gone to sleep. Lirael decided not to tell anybody what the cat had said.
"We might as well all sleep here," groaned Touchstone. "We all can hardly move, and we need our sleep. Each of us has had an awakening, even if you do not know it."
"The Seven are the bells of the necromancer, or the Abhorsen," Lirael heard Ellimere mumble in her sleep. "We bound Orannis, the Ninth, and freed Yrael, the Eighth. Kibeth was one of the two who did not put herself into the charter. But what about Astarael? I fear she will rise again. Her time has come for destruction."
Lirael, startled, looked over at Ellimere. The Princess's eyes were rolled into the back of her head during this.vision.When Lirael looked again, the Princess was sound asleep. Lirael shrugged it off, figuring it to be just a bad dream that Ellimere was having. As she went to sleep though, she couldn't help hearing Ellimere's words over and over again. She then fell into a restless sleep.
Then she wandered off, following a zigzag path along the border between Life and Death, her tail wagging so hard, the tip of it beat the river into a froth behind her.
Now, on with the story!
-Ancelstirre-
Lirael slowly looked around through half-lidded eyes. Everything was blurred, and she thought something was wrong with her vision till she realized there was tears in her eyes. Then it all came back to her. Binding Orannis. Yrael's rescue. And last of all, the one that hurt the most, losing the Disreputable Dog, otherwise known as one of the Seven, Kibeth. Tears burned in Lirael's eyes as she remembered, wanting to sob, but not wanting anyone to hear her. She had loved the dog. She had never really admitted it before, always showing her affections in other ways. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, softly, but it still startled her. She looked up into the face of the Abhorsen. Sabriel. Her half-sister. Lirael stopped crying. She had to be strong. She was after all, the Abhorsen-in-waiting.
"I know what it feels like to suffer such a loss," whispered Sabriel so softly that none but Lirael heard.
"I must go to the Dog," Lirael suddenly rasped, startling those around her. "I must get her. She is in Death, but she cannot die. I will bring her with me and we can live together forever. I must get her!" With that, Lirael felt for the border between Life and Death, knowing she was being foolish and somewhat childish.
"No!" Sabriel said quickly. "It is too dangerous after Orannis has just been bound. Kibeth can look after herself. She has done so since The Beginning. You know that just as well as I do. Kibeth would not want you to put yourself in more danger.
It hurt Lirael for Sabriel to call her companion, her best friend of more than five years Kibeth, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she suddenly lunged forward, surprising everybody, and her body became ice.
Sabriel followed her, but at a distance. Lirael did not notice.
-Death-
Lirael felt the current of the water trying to pull her under. She started to force her will against the river, then decided against it. She knew she was doing the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life, but she laid in the river. She had embarrassed herself in front of her friends and enemies. Now Lirael had lost the Dog. The river gladly pulled her under and she started towards the First Gate.
Sabriel was about to jump forward and grab her when suddenly a dark shape appeared. It had red flames for eyes and huge teeth with flames running down them. The shape was a dark shadow, faintly outlined in silver, resembling a.dog. Sabriel started to draw Saraneth until she realized who it was. She stood in the river, quietly observing the course of events.
"Mistress!" shouted Kibeth, but Lirael only faintly heard her under the roar of the rushing river. "Mistress, what have you done?" the Dog sounded angry, and Lirael was taken by surprise. She had expected some other emotion. When she realized that the emotion she had wanted was pity, Lirael felt ashamed of herself. The Dog roughly dragged her out of the river. She was very upset. She bit Lirael like she had many times before when Lirael had contemplated suicide, but this time harder. "Mistress! You are the Abhorsen-in-waiting! You have a responsibility. I am ashamed to even think that you would abandon that responsibility, just for me. I came to you because you needed me, needed a friend. I helped you through all the hard times, and remained your loyal friend and companion. I helped you through all the gates of death, guiding you the whole way. Is this how you repay me? Are you saying I helped you in vain?"
Lirael looked up, expecting to see a very angry dog, but was surprised when she saw the Dog was crying. Lirael had never seen that happen before and was afraid and ashamed of herself at the same time. Slowly, the flaming tears because wet, and the Dog resumed her shape.
"I am sorry Mistress," the Dog half-whispered. "I was very angry. Will you forgive me?" She came over and solemnly licked the stub that was Lirael's handless arm. Lirael did not realize she had been in pain until the pain suddenly subsided and the bleeding stopped. The bruises were gone.
"Oh, Dog!" Lirael sobbed. She ran over and wrapped her arms around the Dog's neck, literally flinging herself on her. Her sobbing became silent weeping. "You had right to be mad at me," she said in a rasping whisper. "You did not help me in vain and I am eternally grateful for that. I now realize that we must part. Will I ever see you again?"
"I do not know," said Kibeth, "if we will meet again in Life, or in Death, or perhaps we will meet in some other time or world not yet known to us. I do know that we will meet again, though. You will never be forgotten, Lirael, Abhorsen-in-waiting, Daughter of the Clayr. You have found the place where you belong, and your family. Remember me." Kibeth slowly resumed her Free Magic shape, with Charter marks also in her build. She started fading away.
"You will never be forgotten, Disreputable Dog, Kibeth!" Lirael shouted. "I will remember you always, and I look forward to our next meeting, whenever that may be." Kibeth had given Lirael the strength she had needed to move on. Confident once again, ready to take on Life and live it to the fullest, she emerged back in to her own body, shaking off the icicles. Sabriel smiled at her, and Lirael knew that she knew the events of what had just happened.
-Ancelstirre-
Lirael felt something soft brush against her leg. She looked down and saw Mogget, or Yrael, as he had revealed himself to be. The Eighth of the Nine who had begun it all. He was a cat, Lirael realized, but he had no collar. Mogget was unbound, free from his long years of servitude. A startling thought came to Lirael as she realized she had enjoyed Mogget's companionship, sardonic as the cat may have been. Suddenly, the cat jumped up on her shoulder, startling her.
"Just because I helped you here does not mean that I will ever help you again, nor do I want to. I am free from the servitude of the Abhorsens. Oh, how I waited so long for this moment! I am finally free, free to do whatever, I want. The secrets I could reveal to you. If I wanted to that is." the white cat stretched, jumped down, and then winked at Lirael.
"What is it?" Asked Lirael slowly, trying not to show too much interest. She didn't want to provoke him. She knew he still had something up his sleeve, though. Well, as far as cats could go with sleeves that is.
"Oh, nothing," yawned Mogget. "Just that, if you think Orannis was bad, just wait till you see some of my old friends."
"What?" asked Lirael, startled. Mogget had spoke with such venom that she was suddenly afraid.
"Hmmmm..let's just say it's best not to get on my bad side," purred Mogget softly. "If you know what's good for you."
"Is that a threat?" demanded Lirael. But that cat had already gone to sleep. Lirael decided not to tell anybody what the cat had said.
"We might as well all sleep here," groaned Touchstone. "We all can hardly move, and we need our sleep. Each of us has had an awakening, even if you do not know it."
"The Seven are the bells of the necromancer, or the Abhorsen," Lirael heard Ellimere mumble in her sleep. "We bound Orannis, the Ninth, and freed Yrael, the Eighth. Kibeth was one of the two who did not put herself into the charter. But what about Astarael? I fear she will rise again. Her time has come for destruction."
Lirael, startled, looked over at Ellimere. The Princess's eyes were rolled into the back of her head during this.vision.When Lirael looked again, the Princess was sound asleep. Lirael shrugged it off, figuring it to be just a bad dream that Ellimere was having. As she went to sleep though, she couldn't help hearing Ellimere's words over and over again. She then fell into a restless sleep.