Chapter 3: Planning and Slavery

Touchstone entered the room. The scene before him made him start crying... again. Lirael lay with her head on Sabriel's chest. Frost rimmed Lirael's body, and the part of Sabriel she was in contact with.

As Touchstone entered, there was a sharp crackling, as Lirael returned to life. She looked at her brother-in-law, he looked tired, and depressed.

Touchstone asked, his voice wavering, he couldn't bear to think of life without his beloved Sabriel.

She's not passing the ninth gate anytime soon. Lirael began, Touchstones face lit up at this. But, she's enslaved by something... in the sixth precinct. She gave me orders on how to get her back into life.

Touchstone nodded. Then the two of them sat down in front of the fire and began to plan how to best to follow the directions, and get Sabriel back.

Sabriel was jerked back to the sixth gate with ferocity by her strange captor. He snarled at her saying something along the lines of stupid paper boats. He then turned to face the sixth gate, and called a name into the depths.

Sabriel shuddered at this cry. She didn't realize she was still clutching Lirael's paper boat to her chest. When she did, she tucked it under her sword belt.

A necromancer strode out of the gate, the spell that let him pass still glowing on his tongue. He went to Eloah, and the two exchanged many hurried whispers. Sabriel realized that she should be trying to get away, but something held her feet in place.

Finally Mordecai turned and began to approach her, drawing a bell as he did so. When Sabriel saw what it was, she opened her mouth to say something, but Mordecai had already rung it, and Sabriel found she couldn't say anything.

The bell was Dyrim, the speaker. Who could give speech to a silent tongue, or still a speaking one forever.

Lirael and Touchstone decided that they would fly up to Clayr glacier by paperwing, taking Sam, Ellimere, Yrael, and Sabriel's body with them. Sam, Ellimere and Yrael (back to his white cat shape, for simple transportation problems) would fly in one of the paperwings, Lirael, Touchstone, and Sabriel's body would go in the other.

Only when they reached the paperwing landing platform did Lirael realize something. The only person here who knew how to fly a paperwing was Sam. Touchstone was to terrified, and Lirael had to ride with him. She was about to ask Sam how it was done, When Yrael stuck his head out of the pack and said,

Lirael, look at the Mirror, it will show you what to do. Then more quietly, as though to himself That's how Sabriel learned, and look at what a great flyer she is...was...will be.... He retreated back inside.

When everyone was loaded into the paperwings, Lirael looked at the mirror on hers. At first she didn't see anything. So she leaned closer, so close that her breath fogged the glass.

Then charter marks began to appear. Ones for raising and lowering the wind, controlling the craft, and many other things. When they had finished, Lirael straightened up, nodded at Sam, and the two began to whistle up the marks to call a wind that would carry them to Clayr's glacier.

Eloah stood, laughing to himself. He was watching the Abhorsen try and regain her voice. She was using everything from charter magic, to her own Dyrim. But because she could not speak, no spells came to her. And because she was technically dead, her bell would not sing.

Eloah was worried though. Who had summoned the Abhorsen? What had she told them? Eloah hoped that it wasn't how to free her. He hadn't told the Abhorsen, but if she was in that...messenger...helper...form, she would have been able to say anything. He shuddered. Well, he thought, if someone does try to free her, they'll just have to deal with me. And if they bring Eladoni, well, I'll just have to deal with him.

A/N He he. So the plot thickens. Please review. No reviews, and I'll be sad...