*Chapter One: Princess Aneka and Prince Sameth
Meet*
" Excuse me. Are you Prince Sameth?" a young lady asked. She rode upon a bay horse and was starring at the Prince with quizzical eyes. It'd been three months and four days since the prince had fought beside his parents, aunt, sister, two of the Clayr, Lirael's dog, and Mogget.
"Why do you ask?" Prince Sameth asked. He was very weary from his travels. He'd just returned from Ancelstriere.
"I'm Aneka. Princess of the Mountains. I can explain if you have time. You look rather tired. Have you had a hard days ride?" She asked concerned. He was riding on a horse same as she. Except his was black and had one white socked hoof.
"Yes. I am Prince Sameth and I'm fine." He lied. "go ahead. Explain." He replied dismounting his horse and tying the reins to a low tree branch. Aneka too dismounted and made her horse stay. She didn't have reins for it. She always rode bare back. She sat down on the grassy knoll beside him.
"Inside me runs all blood. All magic. I'm apart of the Wall. Apart of the Charter. I can see the future and the past. I know what is going to happen tomorrow or this very minute. My family's blood runs in the Wall making it the magic it is. The Abhorsen's Bells are apart of me too." Aneka explained. Sam jumped up from where he had been. **This is that girl they told me would come. They said she'd come to me, but why now? Why did they want me to go to Ancelstriere? ** Sam asked himself.
"How can you be? Give me some proof. I don't believe you!" Sam exclaimed. He was confused at all of this. His mind was racing. The Clayr said she'd give him proof when asked to give some.
"Prince Sameth please sit back down. Don't attract attention to yourself." Aneka said calmly.
"You are not who you say you are! You can't beher!" He said loudly. Aneka was taken aback. **What was he talking about? Who was this girl' he keeps talking about? Could the Clayr have seen me with him? Could there be danger up ahead? ** Aneka thought to herself.
"I am who I say I am Sameth and if you can't accept that then that's your problem. Who is this girl you're talking about anyway?" Aneka asked rasing her voice too. Sam looked at her forehead and saw the Charter mark blazing. He reached out and touched it. Aneka tensed, but then she reached out and touched his forehead too. She could feel the familiar spiral of free magic there. He too could feel the endless spiral of the Charter, but also felt something foreign. He could feel the tanginess of free magic. Yet with her the free magic didn't make you gag. It was pure free magic. Something he'd never come across or ever heard of. He wasn't even sure it really existed. Well, he guessed it did now. He felt calm somehow. "See. I am who I say I am." Aneka said softly.
"The Clayr saw you. They said I'd find you." Sam said calmly dropping his hand. Aneka did too. For some reason he felt alive now. He had a feeling she was who she said she was.
"Hmmm . . . so I'm the girl you had to find? Why? Is there something up ahead a danger we should know about? Why didn't I know? By the way, did you get the hemispheres buried in a safe place? Is Chlorr beyond the Ninth Gate? Did you make Lirael a new hand?" Aneka asked.
" Yes I did all those things. I don't know if there is a danger up ahead. Please just call me Sam. How do you know about Chlorr?" He asked instead. He was confused. Aneka got quiet and looked at the sky to the west. She saw a flock of Gore Crows tear into a messenger bird and she flinched. She didn't want to answer him at all.
"I was there, but I couldn't help. I was trapped and was just released three months ago." Aneka said softly. Sam sat back down next to her.
"How were you trapped?" Sam asked curiously. He felt he shouldn't upset her anymore than he had to. He too had seen the gore crows.
"In my place. I can travel form one place to another very quickly. Hedge trapped me using my blood, because I'd used my blood to make it. Anyway. After he died, it took me awhile to get out and I had to do a lot of spells. It's made me a little weak." Aneka said sounding far away from herself.
"How could you see us?" Sam asked.
"That is for me to know and you to never find out." Aneka replied cheerfully. She smiled. He saw that one of her canine teeth stuck out to the side. Her smile was pretty.
"Well, then how did we do?" Sam asked quietly. He was curious as to her point of view on things. All things considered . . . from his point of view things had gone ok. Except that Lirael had lost her hand.
"If it wasn't for Mogget you would all be gone." Aneka said.
"He did do the right thing." Sam said softly.
"You did such a good job. Your work is great. Everyone did a good job. Hearing the bells, Dogs bark, and Yral sing . . . oh they were music to my ears! Still I cried. I felt the pain of everyone too." Aneka whispered tears coming to her eyes.
"She died a hero." Sam said. Aneka tensed and looked up. The flock was hurtling toward them at rapid speed. Aneka called her horse to her and grabbed her bow and arrows. She let lose four at once and took out six of the dozen. The next four arrows she let loose killed the rest. Sam scowled. He'd just been shown up. And by a woman! He felt rather stupid. Why had she beaten him to the draw? *Because she's been at this a lot more than you. She practiced every chance she got!* He smiled now. "That was good, but you could work on your aim a little."Sam suggested. He'd grabbed his sword. He could feel the dead spirits going back to Death.
"I'm not that bad. Let's see how you do." Aneka said. She whistled bringing the gore crows back to life. The hurtled toward them once more. Sam killed them all.
"I'm just as good as you." Sam smirked.
"True. Well, I must go." Aneka said turning to leave.
"Wait!" Sam called.
"What?" Aneka asked.
"Why do you have to leave?" he asked.
" Look if I don't, I'll never leave. The whole time I was trapped I was whispering I love you."Aneka said. She ran her hands through her long hair. "I fell in love with you Sam. If I don't leave now I might never leave. Everything you did. All the power you poses. I...I have to go." Aneka said dropping the bow and turning around. She waved her hand in the air once and a black 'door' opened. Sam's mouth dropped open and as soon as he came out of hi stupor he tried to stop her.
"Aneka don't!" Sam exclaimed. She stepped inside leaving her horse behind. He felt panicked now. Worse than ever. A sick feeling rose in the pit of his stomach. He was shocked at what she just said. She loved him. It was the first time anyone had said something like that to him besides his parents.
" Excuse me. Are you Prince Sameth?" a young lady asked. She rode upon a bay horse and was starring at the Prince with quizzical eyes. It'd been three months and four days since the prince had fought beside his parents, aunt, sister, two of the Clayr, Lirael's dog, and Mogget.
"Why do you ask?" Prince Sameth asked. He was very weary from his travels. He'd just returned from Ancelstriere.
"I'm Aneka. Princess of the Mountains. I can explain if you have time. You look rather tired. Have you had a hard days ride?" She asked concerned. He was riding on a horse same as she. Except his was black and had one white socked hoof.
"Yes. I am Prince Sameth and I'm fine." He lied. "go ahead. Explain." He replied dismounting his horse and tying the reins to a low tree branch. Aneka too dismounted and made her horse stay. She didn't have reins for it. She always rode bare back. She sat down on the grassy knoll beside him.
"Inside me runs all blood. All magic. I'm apart of the Wall. Apart of the Charter. I can see the future and the past. I know what is going to happen tomorrow or this very minute. My family's blood runs in the Wall making it the magic it is. The Abhorsen's Bells are apart of me too." Aneka explained. Sam jumped up from where he had been. **This is that girl they told me would come. They said she'd come to me, but why now? Why did they want me to go to Ancelstriere? ** Sam asked himself.
"How can you be? Give me some proof. I don't believe you!" Sam exclaimed. He was confused at all of this. His mind was racing. The Clayr said she'd give him proof when asked to give some.
"Prince Sameth please sit back down. Don't attract attention to yourself." Aneka said calmly.
"You are not who you say you are! You can't beher!" He said loudly. Aneka was taken aback. **What was he talking about? Who was this girl' he keeps talking about? Could the Clayr have seen me with him? Could there be danger up ahead? ** Aneka thought to herself.
"I am who I say I am Sameth and if you can't accept that then that's your problem. Who is this girl you're talking about anyway?" Aneka asked rasing her voice too. Sam looked at her forehead and saw the Charter mark blazing. He reached out and touched it. Aneka tensed, but then she reached out and touched his forehead too. She could feel the familiar spiral of free magic there. He too could feel the endless spiral of the Charter, but also felt something foreign. He could feel the tanginess of free magic. Yet with her the free magic didn't make you gag. It was pure free magic. Something he'd never come across or ever heard of. He wasn't even sure it really existed. Well, he guessed it did now. He felt calm somehow. "See. I am who I say I am." Aneka said softly.
"The Clayr saw you. They said I'd find you." Sam said calmly dropping his hand. Aneka did too. For some reason he felt alive now. He had a feeling she was who she said she was.
"Hmmm . . . so I'm the girl you had to find? Why? Is there something up ahead a danger we should know about? Why didn't I know? By the way, did you get the hemispheres buried in a safe place? Is Chlorr beyond the Ninth Gate? Did you make Lirael a new hand?" Aneka asked.
" Yes I did all those things. I don't know if there is a danger up ahead. Please just call me Sam. How do you know about Chlorr?" He asked instead. He was confused. Aneka got quiet and looked at the sky to the west. She saw a flock of Gore Crows tear into a messenger bird and she flinched. She didn't want to answer him at all.
"I was there, but I couldn't help. I was trapped and was just released three months ago." Aneka said softly. Sam sat back down next to her.
"How were you trapped?" Sam asked curiously. He felt he shouldn't upset her anymore than he had to. He too had seen the gore crows.
"In my place. I can travel form one place to another very quickly. Hedge trapped me using my blood, because I'd used my blood to make it. Anyway. After he died, it took me awhile to get out and I had to do a lot of spells. It's made me a little weak." Aneka said sounding far away from herself.
"How could you see us?" Sam asked.
"That is for me to know and you to never find out." Aneka replied cheerfully. She smiled. He saw that one of her canine teeth stuck out to the side. Her smile was pretty.
"Well, then how did we do?" Sam asked quietly. He was curious as to her point of view on things. All things considered . . . from his point of view things had gone ok. Except that Lirael had lost her hand.
"If it wasn't for Mogget you would all be gone." Aneka said.
"He did do the right thing." Sam said softly.
"You did such a good job. Your work is great. Everyone did a good job. Hearing the bells, Dogs bark, and Yral sing . . . oh they were music to my ears! Still I cried. I felt the pain of everyone too." Aneka whispered tears coming to her eyes.
"She died a hero." Sam said. Aneka tensed and looked up. The flock was hurtling toward them at rapid speed. Aneka called her horse to her and grabbed her bow and arrows. She let lose four at once and took out six of the dozen. The next four arrows she let loose killed the rest. Sam scowled. He'd just been shown up. And by a woman! He felt rather stupid. Why had she beaten him to the draw? *Because she's been at this a lot more than you. She practiced every chance she got!* He smiled now. "That was good, but you could work on your aim a little."Sam suggested. He'd grabbed his sword. He could feel the dead spirits going back to Death.
"I'm not that bad. Let's see how you do." Aneka said. She whistled bringing the gore crows back to life. The hurtled toward them once more. Sam killed them all.
"I'm just as good as you." Sam smirked.
"True. Well, I must go." Aneka said turning to leave.
"Wait!" Sam called.
"What?" Aneka asked.
"Why do you have to leave?" he asked.
" Look if I don't, I'll never leave. The whole time I was trapped I was whispering I love you."Aneka said. She ran her hands through her long hair. "I fell in love with you Sam. If I don't leave now I might never leave. Everything you did. All the power you poses. I...I have to go." Aneka said dropping the bow and turning around. She waved her hand in the air once and a black 'door' opened. Sam's mouth dropped open and as soon as he came out of hi stupor he tried to stop her.
"Aneka don't!" Sam exclaimed. She stepped inside leaving her horse behind. He felt panicked now. Worse than ever. A sick feeling rose in the pit of his stomach. He was shocked at what she just said. She loved him. It was the first time anyone had said something like that to him besides his parents.