*Chapter Two: Aneka's Dilemma*
Aneka emerged from the black door into her room. She threw herself onto her bed. A white cat crawled up to her and licked her face. She jumped up off the bed falling on the floor. She moved as far away as possible.
"Aneka. You should have stayed." It said. Aneka had been through enough these days. She didn't need to be bugged by a stupid cat.
"W...who are you?" she asked. She tucked her hair behind her ears.
" I'm Mogget. The Abhorsen's cat. Well, servant, or so they say." He replied jumping off the bed.
"Oh. Well, don't sneak up on me like that. I've not had much fun these past few months. Being trapped in something you've created for yourself . . . not cool." Aneka said getting up and brushing herself off. She picked Mogget up as well and then sat down on the bed to pet him. "What now?" She asked herself out loud.
"Come now . . . stop messing up my fur!" Mogget grumbled jumping down. Aneka lay back to stare up at the ceiling. She thought of the dream she'd had three nights ago. Something had tried to help her, tried to tell her something was up. She sighed.
"Come on Mogget." She said getting up to go to the palace library. Mogget went along with her. She got there just as the librarian was about to leave. The librarian bowed.
"The ladies' books are in the back corner." She said.
"I'm not looking for pleasure reading. I'm here to look at the books of our past. You know the records of the castle." Aneka said.
"The women are not allowed to use those books Princess Aneka. It was forbidden by the third generation King." the librarian said shuffling her feet.
"Oh? So that's where all of this started. Well I don't give a damn. You show me where they are. This could mean life or death to our people." Aneka lied.
"Princess Aneka I can't. Not without permission from the King." She said. Aneka narrowed her eyes.
"Like I said. I don't give a damn who can look at those books. I can handle it just as well as every man out there. Maybe even more so. Now let me see them."Aneka said loudly. The librarian sighed and took her back to where the records were kept. Aneka spent three hours going through the records until she came to the records of a woman prophet. The only recordings of any woman prophet in their history. The woman's voice seemed to fill the room as Aneka read:
" Her hair will be long and dark brown. She will have the sight and lead us to a better life. She'll unite the kingdoms. Keep the powers alive. Lead us through the generations. Keep us alive. She's the one who is whole. The one with it all. Her entire heritage. Her name . . . Princess Aneka. I know I'll never meet her. So to my Princess. I love you. Keep it together. Don't give up. You'll understand all of this once you find it. Don't die Princess. Your father will figure it out in the end . . . "
The woman's voice cut off right then. Aneka knew why. There was blood on the page. They'd murdered her, because she was the only woman to receive the sight. Aneka took that book and three others with her back to her room. She put them in a pack and put it on her back along with supplies she might need. She left her room with Mogget riding on the inside. She got to her father's chambers and burst through.
"Why the hell did you kill her?" she screamed. Her father looked at her like she'd committed a sin. She hadn't told him about her ordeal the past three months ago.
'Why did you come barging into my chambers like this?" He asked. Aneka just stared at him as if she hated him.
"Mine first." She replied coldly. Her father sighed.
"She had to die. It wasn't even my decision! It was your great-great- great-great-great-great grandfather's. Women weren't regarded as fit to have the sight." He said.
"As it is now. I had to order the librarian to let me into that section. If you don't start treating the women in this society better, you will be rebelled against. I am not going to rule a kingdom where men think they're all high and mighty. Millions of our people could die Father" Aneka said her temper flaring.
"You won't be running the kingdom your husband will. We've never trusted women in all our lives. So why start now?" the king asked.
"Looks like I won't get married then. Unless I get to choose my husband." Aneka said.
"All you'll go for is the love and good looks in a man. You won't look at the fact he might have money or have a father who is one of the leading rulers of a country." the King flared.
"Like I care if he's rich. Just as long as he doesn't treat me like trash." Aneka said. She waved her hand in the air and stormed through her door . Her father just continued to yell after her.
***
Sam took both horses with him to Abhorsen's house. He went straight to the library after putting the horses in the stable.
"Sam?" Lirael hollered. She thought she had heard him return from his travels.
"I'm in the library!" he hollered as well. She went into the library.
"What's wrong?" She asked once she'd seen him looking through the books on the shelf. He selected one and sat down to look at it.
"Nothing." He muttered reading. There was nothing in here about pure free magic. Nothing at all.
"I know that look Sam. You're distracted." Lirael said. She crossed her arms in front or her.
"So. Aren't I always?" He asked. He continued looking through the book in his hands.
"Well, you haven't been as of late." Lirael said softly. Sam sighed. He was going to end up getting pissed at his aunt before she shut-up. He was always worried about her and everything else in his life. His parents had been gone for six or seven months now on royal business elsewhere. Now on top of all that this girl was practically dropped in his lap and he had to find out what was going on.
"I'm just reading. Why don't you go back to the Glacier Aunt Lirael?" Sam said getting up to put the book back. He left the room. Lirael stood there. *Maybe Sam is right. Maybe I should go to the Glacier. * Lirael thought to herself. Sam walked out of the house and into the sunshine. He'd made Lirael a new hand. Chlorr was beyond the Ninth Gate and the Hemispheres were buried somewhere safely. *Aneka. Why you? * Sam thought to himself. He wandered around the island awhile. Why was she worried about Chlorr? Why had she confessed to him like that? Lirael walked out packed and ready to go.
"Sam . I leave you in charge. I'm going home to visit my family." Lirael said.
"You don't have to leave Lirael. I was just distracted. You were right. I'm sorry." Sam tried to apologize.
"I'm leaving Sam . I miss them."Lirael said softly.
"Lirael wait!" Sam hollered. She stopped. "Look in the books at the glacier and see if there is anything in them about pure free magic. Please." He said. She nodded her consent and left. Sam went back inside. A black space appeared in front of him and Aneka walked out.
Aneka emerged from the black door into her room. She threw herself onto her bed. A white cat crawled up to her and licked her face. She jumped up off the bed falling on the floor. She moved as far away as possible.
"Aneka. You should have stayed." It said. Aneka had been through enough these days. She didn't need to be bugged by a stupid cat.
"W...who are you?" she asked. She tucked her hair behind her ears.
" I'm Mogget. The Abhorsen's cat. Well, servant, or so they say." He replied jumping off the bed.
"Oh. Well, don't sneak up on me like that. I've not had much fun these past few months. Being trapped in something you've created for yourself . . . not cool." Aneka said getting up and brushing herself off. She picked Mogget up as well and then sat down on the bed to pet him. "What now?" She asked herself out loud.
"Come now . . . stop messing up my fur!" Mogget grumbled jumping down. Aneka lay back to stare up at the ceiling. She thought of the dream she'd had three nights ago. Something had tried to help her, tried to tell her something was up. She sighed.
"Come on Mogget." She said getting up to go to the palace library. Mogget went along with her. She got there just as the librarian was about to leave. The librarian bowed.
"The ladies' books are in the back corner." She said.
"I'm not looking for pleasure reading. I'm here to look at the books of our past. You know the records of the castle." Aneka said.
"The women are not allowed to use those books Princess Aneka. It was forbidden by the third generation King." the librarian said shuffling her feet.
"Oh? So that's where all of this started. Well I don't give a damn. You show me where they are. This could mean life or death to our people." Aneka lied.
"Princess Aneka I can't. Not without permission from the King." She said. Aneka narrowed her eyes.
"Like I said. I don't give a damn who can look at those books. I can handle it just as well as every man out there. Maybe even more so. Now let me see them."Aneka said loudly. The librarian sighed and took her back to where the records were kept. Aneka spent three hours going through the records until she came to the records of a woman prophet. The only recordings of any woman prophet in their history. The woman's voice seemed to fill the room as Aneka read:
" Her hair will be long and dark brown. She will have the sight and lead us to a better life. She'll unite the kingdoms. Keep the powers alive. Lead us through the generations. Keep us alive. She's the one who is whole. The one with it all. Her entire heritage. Her name . . . Princess Aneka. I know I'll never meet her. So to my Princess. I love you. Keep it together. Don't give up. You'll understand all of this once you find it. Don't die Princess. Your father will figure it out in the end . . . "
The woman's voice cut off right then. Aneka knew why. There was blood on the page. They'd murdered her, because she was the only woman to receive the sight. Aneka took that book and three others with her back to her room. She put them in a pack and put it on her back along with supplies she might need. She left her room with Mogget riding on the inside. She got to her father's chambers and burst through.
"Why the hell did you kill her?" she screamed. Her father looked at her like she'd committed a sin. She hadn't told him about her ordeal the past three months ago.
'Why did you come barging into my chambers like this?" He asked. Aneka just stared at him as if she hated him.
"Mine first." She replied coldly. Her father sighed.
"She had to die. It wasn't even my decision! It was your great-great- great-great-great-great grandfather's. Women weren't regarded as fit to have the sight." He said.
"As it is now. I had to order the librarian to let me into that section. If you don't start treating the women in this society better, you will be rebelled against. I am not going to rule a kingdom where men think they're all high and mighty. Millions of our people could die Father" Aneka said her temper flaring.
"You won't be running the kingdom your husband will. We've never trusted women in all our lives. So why start now?" the king asked.
"Looks like I won't get married then. Unless I get to choose my husband." Aneka said.
"All you'll go for is the love and good looks in a man. You won't look at the fact he might have money or have a father who is one of the leading rulers of a country." the King flared.
"Like I care if he's rich. Just as long as he doesn't treat me like trash." Aneka said. She waved her hand in the air and stormed through her door . Her father just continued to yell after her.
***
Sam took both horses with him to Abhorsen's house. He went straight to the library after putting the horses in the stable.
"Sam?" Lirael hollered. She thought she had heard him return from his travels.
"I'm in the library!" he hollered as well. She went into the library.
"What's wrong?" She asked once she'd seen him looking through the books on the shelf. He selected one and sat down to look at it.
"Nothing." He muttered reading. There was nothing in here about pure free magic. Nothing at all.
"I know that look Sam. You're distracted." Lirael said. She crossed her arms in front or her.
"So. Aren't I always?" He asked. He continued looking through the book in his hands.
"Well, you haven't been as of late." Lirael said softly. Sam sighed. He was going to end up getting pissed at his aunt before she shut-up. He was always worried about her and everything else in his life. His parents had been gone for six or seven months now on royal business elsewhere. Now on top of all that this girl was practically dropped in his lap and he had to find out what was going on.
"I'm just reading. Why don't you go back to the Glacier Aunt Lirael?" Sam said getting up to put the book back. He left the room. Lirael stood there. *Maybe Sam is right. Maybe I should go to the Glacier. * Lirael thought to herself. Sam walked out of the house and into the sunshine. He'd made Lirael a new hand. Chlorr was beyond the Ninth Gate and the Hemispheres were buried somewhere safely. *Aneka. Why you? * Sam thought to himself. He wandered around the island awhile. Why was she worried about Chlorr? Why had she confessed to him like that? Lirael walked out packed and ready to go.
"Sam . I leave you in charge. I'm going home to visit my family." Lirael said.
"You don't have to leave Lirael. I was just distracted. You were right. I'm sorry." Sam tried to apologize.
"I'm leaving Sam . I miss them."Lirael said softly.
"Lirael wait!" Sam hollered. She stopped. "Look in the books at the glacier and see if there is anything in them about pure free magic. Please." He said. She nodded her consent and left. Sam went back inside. A black space appeared in front of him and Aneka walked out.
