A Stroll in Death.
The guards had taken the opportunity when the dead were knocked back to quickly destroy their physical forms, but their spirits fled away as Lirael was too absorbed in the mordicant to banish them.
The fiery infernos that raged in it's eyes and mouth had intensified, distorting the air so it shimmered. It paced assessing its enemies.
"Araniel, defend the others," Lirael asked softly, "then draw a diamond of protection around my body, I'm going into death."
Before the mordicant could move, Lirael drew Saraneth and Kibeth in one liquid motion. Ringing them in an unconventional spiral motion. The deep commanding tone and the contrary swinging melody throwing both Lirael and the mordicant into death.
Araniel acted quickly, pulling the chain from around her neck, she threw the diamond hoop amidst the guards so it threw up protections. Drawing a swift diamond of protection around Lirael, she turned to the charter stone. Looking towards it Araniel started walking, and half expecting to hit her head on the black granite, kept walking until she felt a cold current pulling at her legs.
The grey clouded sky dropped mist onto the river, obscuring Araniel's view of Lirael and the mordicant.
When Araniel traversed her way downstream, she realised that the current was not drawing so strongly on her legs, but the mist was moving fast, pulled downriver by the crashing force that Araniel could just hear, muted by the pallor of death's atmosphere.
Escaping through the folds of mist, Araniel set her eyes of the battling pair before her.
Lirael was sweating despite the freezing water. Her black hair fell around her shoulders, the tie that held it back had fallen away.
In her outstretched hand she held a pillbox sized bell, holding the mordicant from attacking by a constant calming melody. But holding the sword kept her form drawing a second bell.
Araniel chose to distract the mordicant herself.
Drawing an arrow from her quiver, she set it into her bow. The arrow flew straight and true.
Striking the mordicant in the side, sending up a plume of sparks and steam.
The rowan shaft had been treated in the sea of Saere, the barbed crystal point glowed with marks for purity and destruction.
Lirael, in a triumphant flourish, sheathed what had once been Nehima, and drew Saraneth.
Ringing the sleeper and commander in a complex pattern sent the mordicant into a hypnotised stupor, then the sound of Kibeth sent it underwater, a trail of steam marking its path through the first gate and through to the ninth.
After watching this, Lirael turned, replacing Saraneth and Ranna.
"Araniel?" Lirael stared in disbelief, taking a deep breath she continued, "we'll talk back in life."
Araniel was first to reach the border.
Shielding her eyes against the harsh sunlight, Araniel whispered a spell that brought the diamond hoop flying into her hand while she brushed the ice off her hair and clothes.
Dropping Lirael's diamond, Araniel retied the chain around her neck and waited.
The ice covering Lirael cracked as she emerged from death, the confused look still present on her face.
At first she seemed lost for words, but then asked, "have you walked in death before? Or used free magic?"
Araniel shook her head.
"Mogget better be able to explain this."
The trip to the Abhorsen house was uneventful, but made shorter by Araniel keeping her personal horse Jhara. She carried the equipment and food so everyone could walk faster.
Even so it took 8 days. But when they got to the foot of the great stair case, a messenger hawk arrived, landing on Lirael's arm and relaying the message in a deep but calm voice which belonged to King Touchstone.
"Lirael, its Touchstone I hope this finds you soon. My spies have informed me that an army of dead is heading for Belisaire. They are lead by a trio of necromancers. They are meant to arrive in the dark of the moon. I fear that I will need your help, and the help of the guards that I sent with you please come soon. Touchstone."
"The dark of the moon in is eight days, you should leave now. Me and Araniel will come on later in the paperwing."
Throwing a large purse to the head guard, Lirael continued, "Use that to hire horses if they do not lend you them in my or the King's name."
The guards bowed, silent as ever, and turned to leave. Araniel quickly caught up with them and lent them Jhara; she would not tire as easily as the horses they would hire. They again bowed their thanks and marched on swiftly.
Lirael handed Araniel her bags and they walked up into the mountain. Araniel stopping for a minute to marvel at the crossing of the Ratterlin then almost slipping as she tried to catch up with Lirael's broad stride.
Once they entered the whitewashed doorway and went into the courtyard. They were met by a small white cat who leapt onto Lirael's shoulder for a better view.
"So this is the free mage?" Mogget questioned his voice imperious as always but with an underlying respectful current, "You two took your time."
"The what?" Araniel returned, Mogget evidently no introduction to her.
"You are the woman who wounded the mordicant with free magic? You walked in death and assisted the Abhorsen?"
"Yes, but only very recently and I don't know what a free mage is."
"I'm not surprised, I never thought those guildsmen could do anything properly, for a start some of the guildsmen freshly out thought they'd try their luck at trapping me," he chuckled, a slightly strange noise, scratchy through his feline form. "They didn't last long but it was funny watching them dance." He paused enjoying a memory. "But your education will have to wait, for now we have more pressing matters."
Leaping down and looking towards Lirael, he became more serious.
"Lirael, He is awake."
After giving their bags to a cream robed sending, they walked across the great hall and down a long staircase down into the cellars. Through a long collection of corridors they came to a second stair that lead to one room. In front of the rowan door stood a black robed sending who brandished a long spelled blade, after bowing to Lirael he stepped aside, the door opening.
Lirael took a deep breath, and with a hand on her bandolier to steady her nerves, she walked through the heavy set of guardian spells into the room.
The chamber was dark granite, powerful spells for containment and entrapment flowed over the stone like water leaving no part untouched.
In the centre of the room a small black cat prowled, who began speaking in a harsh voice once it saw Lirael.
"Release me from this disgusting collar at once! I am Prince Rogir and I demand respect and liberation!"
Since Sabriel had been killed by Orrannis, Lirael had summoned her spirit using the boat spell, and consequently knew everything about being the Abhorsen, her now beloved sister and family, and of course the tale of Kerrigor.
"Well since your body has now been destroyed, you have no right to a royal title. Your illegitimate brother now rules the Old Kingdom and you are condemned to spend eternity in this room in the form you now inhabit." Lirael finished her information with satisfaction. Had this feline abomination succeeded in his plans she would have no family and would be trapped in the Clayr's Glacier, if it had not been destroyed by Orrannis.
"Insolent child," Kerrigor paused, "Wait. You are not the Abhorsen I should have killed. She must be dead. Excellent!"
At this Mogget lost control, growing to the size of a white tiger, his fur stood on end as he released a colossal roar. This in turn sent a force that sent Kerrigor flying into the wall across the room. The black fur on his leg replaced by large red blisters as he brushed the guardian spells. Lirael meanwhile drew Saraneth, its deep voice making Kerrigor stop in his tracks, unable to lick his wound.
"Why have you awakened?" asked Lirael calmly.
"One of my followers has continued my quest," began the cat in a monotone voice, "the plan was agreed before I was broken. I do not know his name."
Having aquired the information she wanted, Lirael sent Kerrigor into a Ranna induced slumber.
After returning to the ground floor, Lirael retired for a bath and advised Araniel to do the same, but she did so in a slightly vacant state, deep in thought a sending took Araniel to a bedroom and gave her a scrubbing, the ferocity of which was easily made up for by the sensation of the hot water and the feeling of cleanliness.
Freshly clothed, Araniel walked out into the gardens, as it was autumn, the trees seemed burning with an aurora of orange and gold, the weeping willow trees that sat near the walls seeming to stream fire onto the still lush lawn. Coming to a central point in the garden, she took a seat on top of a covered well and looked into the sky that seemed smaller from the garden, due to the large fresh white walls. She saw two spots…
"Gore crows, well created but nearly entirely rotten."
Araniel's mindset changed, drawn from her happy state of mind that the bath had returned her to she felt rage and disgust rising like bile, but it wasn't bile. The spell she had worked before was now obvious to her, the words in that harsh tongue glowing in her mind.
"Use the spell, we both know you want to." His voice was kinder than usual, with the slight patronizing tone that isn't noticed by the younger party.
"Why? Lirael told me that you always have an agenda, well nearly always."
"I just want the spies dead." She thought his tone would have been as deceptive as a cat's even if he was unbound.
Araniel turned, suspicious as it was it was still as much encouragement as she needed. Holding up her hand towards the crows, she spoke the almost familiar words, enjoying the sensation like strong spirits on her tongue as a bolt of black edged crimson shot and decimated one of the crows.
When she turned around, happy, Mogget was walking back towards the house. Pausing but not turning round to say.
"Well done my niece."
OK hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, to jordan sorry but mogget will not be unbound till the next chapter or possibly later
please review!
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