Chapter2 To Dinner! When she was walking to the dining room she heard a crash in a room to her left, curious she opened the door and found another corridor a small distance down the hall she saw a young man she didn't recognize cursing as he tried to help a sending pick up a smashed plate and several sets of silverware as he straightened up he caught sight of her and she caught sight of a tight fitting wide red leather bracelet around his left wrist when he saw her he jumped and smiled as he said "Ah! Lriael if you need help finding the dining hall I would be happy to help you", "no thank you I know where to go" replied Lriael "but I heard the crash and wondered because sending's don't usually drop things and, well, who are you?" "Of course" said the young and fairly tall man "you wouldn't know me, you can call me Stoneburner and I suppose I should call you Malady Abhorsen In Waiting or mistress, but no mistress far to demeaning to my status as Stoneburner, do you mind if I call you Lriael?" "Not at all milord Stoneburner I would be honored to be addressed as such from one so high in rank as yourself" "I do believe I sense a trace of sarcasm in your tone Lriael and as I said Stoneburner is my rank so there's really no need for all the milord's and such" as he executed a flourishing bow the faint reek of free magic made itself known, it was not powerfully present but it was enough to notice, Lriael's head jerked about seeking the source and eventually settled on Stoneburner's red leather bracelet when he saw her pointed stare at the band on his left arm he sighed and answered the question still forming on her lips "only a little, the band is for containing not controlling not like Mogget's collar" still curious Lriael asked "so are you a free magic being like Mogget?" "Yes and no" he responded "free magic is not a part of my physical human form but if you were to look into death where I am standing you would see something resembling a..." he broke off because frost had begun to form on he face and icicles on her eyebrows. Yes Lriael had gone into death and what she saw was hedge, no it wasn't it looked like what hedge was before he passed the 9th gate but subtly deferent, more human than free magic, well now that she was nice and wary of this kind young man that appeared out of no ware she thought she should return to life and eat. "As I was saying until I was so rudely interrupted" smiled Stoneburner as he saw Lriael blink frost out of her eyes and start wiping icicles out of her hair, "the band only keeps the free magic in me contained in death until I call upon it in life so I don't start compulsively destroying anything charter related" Lriael suddenly felt very small and weak without her bells or sword not to mention hungry so she said "I really want to know more about you but I'm starving and dinners waiting so lets go" "yes" said Stoneburner "that's a good idea, lets go" "after you" replied Lriael and with a grin they set off to the dining hall. Upon entering the dining hall Lriael saw Sameth his parents and his sister standing in a corner exchanging polite frivolous conversation with nick and the two daughters of the Clayr Sanar and Ryelle. Over setting the table with food were sending's and a tall young woman who could be none other than Stoneburner's sister or even his twin not only was she tall like him with the same light brown blondish hair but she also wore the same kind of red leather bracelet and even she noticed had similar weapons it was almost hard to tell that Stoneburner was wearing the amount of weapons she now saw he was carrying on each hip was a rapier strapped sideways across the small of his back was a short sword and diagonally across his back hung a somewhat large broadsword, it was hung upside down so that his right hand could reach over to his left side instead of over his shoulder and partially concealed under a flap of buttoned down cloth was an assortment of throwing knives easily accessible. Lriael was appalled she had not noticed the wide variety of weapons Stoneburner carried until she had compared him to his sister he moved with such ease and grace with all the weapons that you could hardly tell that they were not just a part of him
When they were noticed by the others conversation halted and everyone moved towards the table except for Sameth who hollered "Lriael! I made something for you" as he presented the small box to her she slid the lid off and found a golden hand crawling with charter marks, she jumped as someone very close behind her gasped in surprise, it was the young woman Lriael recognized as Stoneburner's sister. Taking the chance to compare Stoneburner and his sister side by side she saw that they were indeed dressed and armed very similarly, there height was identical and so was the color of there hair and eyes the girl was armed with two rapiers and a brace of throwing knives across her waist and an elaborately designed and decorated scimitar hung upside-down across her back like her brothers. Lriael's mind returned to the present as the young woman choked out a startled "that's Wallmaker material", oblivious to the distress of the woman Sameth continued "try it on Lriael it should work" "What do you mean by that?" asked Lriael "Just put it on you'll see" "Can you help me?" "Sure" Sameth helped roll Lriael's sleeve back and place the golden hand on her stub of a hand when it was on the hand seemed to contract around her and a strange warmth filled the new hand tingling at the fingertips, which she could suddenly feel she tried experimentally to move her fingers and they moved just like a real hand. She almost cried she was so overwhelmed with gratitude for what Sameth had done for her, she wrapped him up in a hug so fierce he almost choked "thank you Sameth" she whispered, "thank you".