Chapter five: Araniel's Rage.
As Araniel and Lirael walked into the room just below the bell hall, both summoned white-blue shields for best defence against the charter fires that burnt within the chamber. Smokeless infernos that attacked viciously to protect the bells that hung above.
"Anet! Carlew! Ferhan! Hailas! Laignu!" incanted Araniel, five glowing marks forming in front of her, "Sze!" this further mark sent the blades spinning around the two women, allowing a defence that would hold the flames for a while.
Araniel summoned the final marks that would open the gateway, she and Lirael quickly ascended the ladder that descended through the roof before the flames engulfed them.
As the stone floor reformed around their feet, Lirael surveyed the room.
All the walls were lined with windows affording the best view over the area surrounding the guild. In the west window the distant smoke of Annden chimneys could be seen. But to begin with Lirael saw none of this. She was completely absorbed in the bells.
She walked along them, feeling their power, their familiarity to the bells that she wore across her chest and the masterful craft and long labour that had gone into their creation. She touched all of the bells in turn, save two. She could not have touched Astarael even if she had wanted to, and the memory of her friend Kibeth had made use this bell as little as possible.
Araniel, while she was very interested in death, did not find excitement in the bells.
Thus she stood at the window, looking down the spit towards the southerly wood, and the distant mountain range of Aunden.
She looked down to the shore of the sea, and it was here that she saw a battle.
A partial unit of the royal guard were on the beach, charging towards the spit that lead to the guild isle. They were being hunted dead and a necromancer, they had evidently been at a village as they were helping people not of a uniform to get first to the island. It was not a battle, but a merciless slaughter.
The necromancer had held back, firing spells at the legs of guards, leaving them to be eaten alive by the dead. About to turn and run back down to the castle, Araniel saw what she thought only foul creatures of death would do.
The necromancer sent a spell of death towards a child, a girl of about 10 with short dark hair. It was a slow and painful death that he had inflicted, and one which could not be reversed.
Indescribable fury welled up within Araniel, summoning the defences of the castle she spat marks towards the sea, boiling fires of hatred rose upon her lips as she sent the stallion sendings on a murderous rampage.
They reared up out of the water, striking up torrents of steam and sparks as their manes and tails blazed with the white hot rage of charter fire.
The herd of sendings galloped up the beach, fires completely destroying all of the dead before they headed for the necromancer, charging with the fire and abandoned fury which sent him crashing into the far reaches of death, only to be consumed by a denizen of the sixth gate as his physical form was incinerated.
As the remnants of the necromancer's spirit crossed the ninth gate, Araniel was leaving the castle and running through the grounds. Accompanied by Lirael and a dozen apprentices she had alerted.
The guards and villagers stumbled through the gates as they arrived, only to collapse from exhaustion.
"Healing marks! Quickly!" ordered Araniel, drawing marks from the charters limitless flow and sending them to the wounded.
Making sure that an apprentice attended each person. Araniel then went to the girl whose fate was all but sealed.
Sweating and screaming, the girl clung to a woman who Araniel supposed to be her mother.
Araniel swiftly drew four marks from the charter, holding them in her mind and filling them with power before firing them in rapid succession. The first to reach the child was a cool spell. It would numb the pain, the second checked for any other injuries. The third repaired any minor afflictions such as grazes and cuts. The fourth mark wrapped itself around the source of the girl's anguish.
Isolating the master mark that pained her. The mark's power had not been lost as the necromancer's life went. But it had been weakened.
Araniel used her influence over the charter to try to stop the mark. But it could not be merely snuffed out. Lirael put her hand on Araniel's shoulder, but she refused to admit defeat.
Then an idea came to her, forming marks in her mind, she moved the mark of death from the girls forehead down her body. Once it was held in her lower leg. Araniel formed a complex master mark in her mind.
Releasing marks for sleep, numbness, cutting, separation, sealing and healing into a ring she placed around the leg. Whilst all of the time keeping the mark held in the leg by sheer force of power. The amputation spell worked quickly, leaving only a stump left of the girl's leg which was healing in seconds.
The girl's eyes slowly opened, her pain gone.
"She'll be fine." Araniel told the mother softly.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" wept the mother. Fresh tears of joy breaking out as she embraced her daughter.
At this point, the masters arrived at the gate.
Duties forgotten, they went to the wounded, releasing powerful healing marks to speed the apprentices work.
The losses had been great, half of the guard unit had been annihilated as had the better part of the village population.
The village had been ambushed in the night, the chief mage had been sacrificed on the charter stone to break it. This portal to death had been used to bring out more dead. The survivors had been chased by the dead for a day and a half until they arrived at the guild isle.
Once their immediate injuries had been healed, the survivors were taken the out buildings to rest.
After they had been attended to, Lirael and Araniel went with the masters to the meeting hall to discuss what was to be done.
"The stone must be restored." began a lower master, voicing the immediate and obvious action.
"I fear that my presence here, coupled with the trouble brooding at Hafmet is the source of this. I will start for Hafmet in two days, and I will repair the charter stone on my way."
"Our thanks Abhorsen. We will send a unit of our own warriors with you as far as the village, we do not know whether any dead still linger there." the master replied.
He then sat down, the matter seemed closed.
"Masters," Araniel began tentatively, "As the Abhorsen's guard unit has been decimated, I wish to accompany her. I have not been awarded the Amkr so I am not tied to the guild. I can defend myself physically and magically and I am keen to travel."
"I would be pleased to have Araniel's company with me." interjected Lirael, she realised that the masters cared for Araniel dearly and would not wish to send her into danger. "Both in defence and council."
"I do not wish to see you go." the master replied." But since it is not only yours but the Abhorsen's wish, I give my consent. You must equip yourselves from the armoury. It is important you are prepared."
Araniel could have embraced all of the masters were it not frowned upon.
She finally had here wish, to go on an adventure, without the restraints of the guild.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, more will be up very soon (hope)
just a little hint: the next chapter is called New Gifts
hope you enjoy it
charterfire