1 Chapter 2
It was approximately 1 hour later. Sabriel and Touchstone were at the dungeon, getting ready to question Barb. "You may see the prisoner now," said Colonel Blank, chief of the dungeon.
"Thank you," replied Sabriel nicely. "It shouldn't take more than an hour or two." With that, Sabriel and Touchstone pushed past the guards, and to Barb's cell, where he would be locked in chains. They entered the room, and the hairs on their backs stood on end. With no further warning, Barb jumped up from his position, and onto Sabriel.
He clawed at her for about a second, before he was viciously ripped off by Touchstone. The King unsheathed his sword, which was flowing with Charter marks, and sliced it right through the decaying form which was once Barb. Sabriel then stood up and took out the bells. The strong powerful voice of Saraneth rang, followed by the walking powers of Kibeth. Within a minute, the creature was gone, and everyone in the building was with Queen Sabriel and King Touchstone.
"Abhorsen! King! Are you alright?" It was the voices of many, all asking the same question. Curious people were peering in to see what happened. Sabriel and Touchstone stood up, and turned around, just in time to see the Colonel rushing in.
"We're fine, we're fine!" shouted Touchstone, trying to be heard over the noise and commotion. "Colonel we must speak to you!" With that, the Colonel came bounding over to Sabriel and Touchstone, and led them through the crowd to his office.
"Now, what happened in there?!" asked Colonel Blank eagerly, his eyes staring intently at the two. "Are you sure your ok? We heard bells!"
"Yes, Colonel, we're fine. But the matter is that we ran into a Dead creature! A creature that was Barb only hours ago!" Sabriel threw her hair back, and continued. "That obviously means he was murdered! How could you not notice someone sneaking in, and killing one of your own prisoners? Let alone the fact that you can sense both Death, and Life being ripped out of someone!"
"Well, just for your information, I just got back in an hour ago, and everything was fine," retorted the Colonel, a little offended at the accusation. "Maybe it happened while I was gone."
"How would the crew on duty not notice someone coming in then?" asked Touchstone. "Or perhaps it was someone in your crew?"
"Possibly. But why would they want to kill him?" asked the Colonel.
"To keep him from talking," started Sabriel. "A Living servant of the Dead hired to keep Barb's mouth shut. I've seen it before."
"Yes, and to attack us at the time of questioning, for a second chance," added Touchstone. "I suppose we should go investigate your crew." Everyone in the room nodded at the idea, and the three of them got up, heading to the steel door. The Colonel opened the door, and the three were in the hallway, where things had calmed down a bit.
"Everybody! May I have your attention!" cried Colonel Blank. "One of you.is a mole. One of the Dead's servants hired to kill that man! Reveal yourself!" Not a second after the Colonel finished, a uniformed figure bolted out the door.
"Well that must be our man. Let's go, Sabriel, Colonel, and of course the Royal Guard!" yelled Touchstone, ordering the capture of the man. So the group ran out after the man, chasing his barely visible figure through the streets. Sabriel, who had a sudden burst of energy, caught up to the man, and jumped on him, pulling both her and the man down onto the paved ground of the streets of Belisaere. She turned him over and looked at his face just as the others arrived.
He was a rather atrocious looking man, Sabriel noted. He had greasy black hair, a nose that was obviously broken out of its original shape many times, and a beard that hadn't been shaved since who knows when. A member from the Royal Guard pulled Sabriel out of her thoughts as he handcuffed the man, and led him back down the streets to the Guard station. Once inside, the man was brought into Blank's office, tied to a chair, and left with Sabriel, Touchstone, and Colonel Blank.
"Walkins!" exclaimed the Colonel, at sight of the man. "Your Highnesses, this Christopher Walkins, recently hired as a Guardsman. Obviously those weren't his intentions."
"Well Mr. Walkins," started Touchstone, the anger returning to his eyes. "Spill it. What do you know?"
"N-nothing. Nothing at all sir!" replied the "guard" nervously.
"Then why did you run away? Why didn't you notice someone sneaking in on your shift, or the Life being ripped out of someone? Or is that Charter mark you bear false?" asked Touchstone, glancing at the man's Charter mark.
"Well, I guess we'll have to see if it's real or not," stated Sabriel, as she leaned in towards Walkins. The moment she touched his Charter mark, it crumbled off his forehead, a clear sign of its corruptness. "Sir, tell us everything, and we just might spare you."
It was approximately 1 hour later. Sabriel and Touchstone were at the dungeon, getting ready to question Barb. "You may see the prisoner now," said Colonel Blank, chief of the dungeon.
"Thank you," replied Sabriel nicely. "It shouldn't take more than an hour or two." With that, Sabriel and Touchstone pushed past the guards, and to Barb's cell, where he would be locked in chains. They entered the room, and the hairs on their backs stood on end. With no further warning, Barb jumped up from his position, and onto Sabriel.
He clawed at her for about a second, before he was viciously ripped off by Touchstone. The King unsheathed his sword, which was flowing with Charter marks, and sliced it right through the decaying form which was once Barb. Sabriel then stood up and took out the bells. The strong powerful voice of Saraneth rang, followed by the walking powers of Kibeth. Within a minute, the creature was gone, and everyone in the building was with Queen Sabriel and King Touchstone.
"Abhorsen! King! Are you alright?" It was the voices of many, all asking the same question. Curious people were peering in to see what happened. Sabriel and Touchstone stood up, and turned around, just in time to see the Colonel rushing in.
"We're fine, we're fine!" shouted Touchstone, trying to be heard over the noise and commotion. "Colonel we must speak to you!" With that, the Colonel came bounding over to Sabriel and Touchstone, and led them through the crowd to his office.
"Now, what happened in there?!" asked Colonel Blank eagerly, his eyes staring intently at the two. "Are you sure your ok? We heard bells!"
"Yes, Colonel, we're fine. But the matter is that we ran into a Dead creature! A creature that was Barb only hours ago!" Sabriel threw her hair back, and continued. "That obviously means he was murdered! How could you not notice someone sneaking in, and killing one of your own prisoners? Let alone the fact that you can sense both Death, and Life being ripped out of someone!"
"Well, just for your information, I just got back in an hour ago, and everything was fine," retorted the Colonel, a little offended at the accusation. "Maybe it happened while I was gone."
"How would the crew on duty not notice someone coming in then?" asked Touchstone. "Or perhaps it was someone in your crew?"
"Possibly. But why would they want to kill him?" asked the Colonel.
"To keep him from talking," started Sabriel. "A Living servant of the Dead hired to keep Barb's mouth shut. I've seen it before."
"Yes, and to attack us at the time of questioning, for a second chance," added Touchstone. "I suppose we should go investigate your crew." Everyone in the room nodded at the idea, and the three of them got up, heading to the steel door. The Colonel opened the door, and the three were in the hallway, where things had calmed down a bit.
"Everybody! May I have your attention!" cried Colonel Blank. "One of you.is a mole. One of the Dead's servants hired to kill that man! Reveal yourself!" Not a second after the Colonel finished, a uniformed figure bolted out the door.
"Well that must be our man. Let's go, Sabriel, Colonel, and of course the Royal Guard!" yelled Touchstone, ordering the capture of the man. So the group ran out after the man, chasing his barely visible figure through the streets. Sabriel, who had a sudden burst of energy, caught up to the man, and jumped on him, pulling both her and the man down onto the paved ground of the streets of Belisaere. She turned him over and looked at his face just as the others arrived.
He was a rather atrocious looking man, Sabriel noted. He had greasy black hair, a nose that was obviously broken out of its original shape many times, and a beard that hadn't been shaved since who knows when. A member from the Royal Guard pulled Sabriel out of her thoughts as he handcuffed the man, and led him back down the streets to the Guard station. Once inside, the man was brought into Blank's office, tied to a chair, and left with Sabriel, Touchstone, and Colonel Blank.
"Walkins!" exclaimed the Colonel, at sight of the man. "Your Highnesses, this Christopher Walkins, recently hired as a Guardsman. Obviously those weren't his intentions."
"Well Mr. Walkins," started Touchstone, the anger returning to his eyes. "Spill it. What do you know?"
"N-nothing. Nothing at all sir!" replied the "guard" nervously.
"Then why did you run away? Why didn't you notice someone sneaking in on your shift, or the Life being ripped out of someone? Or is that Charter mark you bear false?" asked Touchstone, glancing at the man's Charter mark.
"Well, I guess we'll have to see if it's real or not," stated Sabriel, as she leaned in towards Walkins. The moment she touched his Charter mark, it crumbled off his forehead, a clear sign of its corruptness. "Sir, tell us everything, and we just might spare you."