Chapter 1

Lirael look up at the sky and shielded her eyes from the bright summer sun that beat down on the Old Kingdom, burning her cheeks. It was a great relief after the darkness of the fog that had dissipated over an hour ago. Finally feeling safe she sheathed her sword and began her long journey back to the Aborsen's house.

The day had been full of death and she could still feel it with her sense of death. There had been at least 200 dead hands to meet her at Edge as a Greater dead had tried to come back into life, using the hands to subdue all those that would oppose her.

Lirael Look at the broken corpses around her that were now being cleansed with the charter fire that 20 charter mages were casting upon them. They had only just arrived as the last dead hand had been sent back into death and the sound of Kibeth the walker still rang in the air.

Being the Aborsen was a hard, cold life for one as young as she, but Lirael did her job well and took comfort in the fact that it removed the pain of not being a true Clayr, as even now on the eve of her 20th birthday she still had not awakened to the Sight, though this no longer bothered her often as she had been told that it never would.

She looked down at her dog shaped companion and motion that they were leaving. The Disreputable Dog lopped after her, briefly turning and sniffing the air for more dead.

A young girl with short dark blonde hair shifted under the weight of three heavy blankets as she rose to wakefulness. As she opened her grey eyes she thought she was stuck under many dead bodies. She often thought that as she woke each morning in this house she did not know. It was on the other side of the wall in Ancelstierre as she could barely feel the charter.

Her name was Syanrael, a name of the Old Kingdom where she was born. She had lived in Ancelstierre for most of her childhood until she turned twelve. Now a full woman of eighteen she was a master Charter mage that would put even the King and Queen to shame. And as her senses cleared from sleep she realised her leg was badly damaged from the fall she had a few days prior.

Since she had had time to rest and had most of her strength back she cast a very strong healing spell onto her leg. Easing herself back onto the pillows she drifted back into sleep as she had used more energy that cast those Charter marks than she intended….

That's all for now thanks for reading…

Can't really do more coz I'm at work…