Disclaimer: All materials of the Old Kingdom, including characters, objects, places, aspects, powers, possessions, events, themes, bloodlines, concepts, and everything else, belongs to Garth Nix.
This begins after Abhorsen, after Lirael and the other seven defeat Orannis.
Please do not use any part of text without explicit permission from author or original author Garth Nix, be it ideology, plot, character, objects, places, aspects, powers, possessions, events, themes, bloodlines, concepts, etcetera.
Chong Jiat's becoming something like an editor helping me oO wow, thanks. Boon Siong commentates too, yay! Seventh Chapter up, sorry for taking so long! But Eighth Chapter will take even longer I'm afraid! See below for reasons!
I thought I might dedicate Chapters (I dedicated an earlier chapter to Ms Choh already) so this Chapter's for Chong Jiat, 'cause he says it's one of my better chapters! Enjoy!
Clayr Revelations
Sabriel stirred, and frost fell off her prone body. Her vision cleared, as her last lucid memory was of diving into Life with Lirael. She looked about, and noted that there were barely any Clayr nearby, which was rather unusual. Her sword and Saraneth were still ready, and she sighed. Apparently her vacation was over.
She stowed the big bell and her sword, and cleared her mind. The diamond of protection was still running strongly, and she had no wish to break it and waste the energy. Utilizing a technique Sameth had taught her and Lirael to conserve energy when hunting the Dead, she called the individual marks back to her palm. A brief, relaxing sensation came over her, soothing her, and she felt somewhat renewed. Then she strode out of where the diamond used to be. Sabriel noted that on a bookshelf nearby there was a pulsating Charter spell, and touched it.
"Abhorsen. This is Chief Librarian Vancelle." A gruff, rough voice erupted from the shining marks, a voice invested with experience and authority. "Your presence is required at the Observatory. All the Awakened Clayr are already there, and your presence is required. Please proceed with haste. Although it is strictly not allowed, we have bent the ancient rules. This spell contains information which will allow you to make your way to the Observatory."
The spell shimmered, then dissolved, individual marks sputtering on the ground. At the same time, her vision blurred and her hearing seemed to fail. Sabriel felt semiconscious, as if something was purposely weakening her faculties, and her legs were walking of their own accord. She realized that the Clayr were doing her a great favor and placing much trust in her, and did not attempt to counter the spell.
After a while, she was aware that her legs had stopped, and that the air had grown frigid. A Clayr spoke then. "I am the Axe-Guard. I will proceed to blindfold you." As she did so, another Clayr came forward to check her Charter mark. Satisfied, both Clayr backed off and Sabriel's feet started walking again. She was walking down steps and into tunnels she had no knowledge of. Suddenly, she came to a halt, and her blindfold was removed. The spell also released its hold on her.
"Welcome, cousin." Two Clayr intoned, their circlet of silver and moonstones extruding a pale light. It was Sanar and Ryelle, and Sabriel grinned. However, they did not respond in kind, instead saying, "We have no time. Please observe." Sanar said, "Ready?" and the rest of the Clayr – at least a thousand – chanted, "Yes." Sanar had no need to shout – her voice reverberated in the icy dungeon.
"Wait! I need to go help Touchstone –"
"Watch." Sanar and Ryelle suddenly looked very pale, and their eyes were fixed on the ceiling. All the Clayr were now looking upwards, as well. Sabriel hesitated, then looked up. The ceiling was like a gigantic icy mirror which was showing her scenes.
A few scenes flashed past – a scene of a battle between Touchstone and his company and a dark Free Magic creature, a scene of Lirael flying towards the Royal Palace in a Paperwing, a scene of Ganel under invasion and soldiers fighting the Dead and Free Magic creatures, a scene of Lirael at Abhorsen's House. Another vision, of a shining bird-shaped creature flying above Touchstone, and of a woman above Sabriel, a woman above Lirael, a hooded man above Sameth, a gigantic polar bear above the Clayr, and a Dog. Then, a scene of those Seven in Death – with Sabriel, Lirael, Sam, and Touchstone – and they were all anxiously speaking together. But Sabriel could not discern the words.
After what seemed an eternity, the visions halted. The Clayr turned to Sabriel, and Ryelle – or was it Sanar? – spoke. "You will have to Awaken, as will all of us. We will all Awaken when necessary, and the final war will commence. All the Bloodlines will be involved, for there is no escape from this final battle. It is all or nothing."
Sanar then continued, "You will have to stay here and await the arrival of Lirael. You both will have to scour for critical information, and there is a trial. Only then will we have the knowledge to resummon the Bright Shiners to our aid."
"But what of Touchstone?"
"The King is safe. Ranna preserved him and Belgaer, and his attackers were not well prepared. However, what works against us is the same as before – the Destroyer of all Life, the Ninth Bright Shiner."
"What!?"
"It is impossible to prevent him from coming together again – the future seems fixed on this. It is the third, and final, confrontation between all, and only the power of the Bright Shiners, all the Bright Shiners, may stop him."
Sabriel was confused. "The Eight." She looked at the Clayr, then asked. "What do you mean by 'Ranna preserved him'?"
"His inner power, Ranna's power, Awakened within him. However, Ranna's power has become dormant once more. To fully Awaken, it requires the presence of Mosrael, the Waker."
"I don't get you." Sabriel was clearly bewildered by the sudden flow of information.
Suddenly, Sabriel realized that the Observatory was empty save of the three women. Just then, Sanar and Ryelle's eyes regained their usual clarity.
"We're afraid that that is all we See, for now, but –"
"- it is imperative that you stay in the Glacier –"
"- and await the arrival of our sister, Lirael –"
"- to obtain critical information on Awakenings."
"Lirael will arrive after a visit to Abhorsen's House. She has to visit, or all is lost." The two Clayr intoned together.
Both Clayr then turned, leaving a very baffled Sabriel to attempt to unwind the perplexing tangle of information. Then, a notion occurred to Sabriel.
"Wait! How do I get out of here?" However, the entire hall was now devoid of Clayr. Grumbling to herself, Sabriel walked and thought of how she might get out of the Observatory, when she realized she was in a corridor leading to the Library. She looked back, and there was no ice, no Observatory. Sabriel sighed and shooked her head, resigned to the fact that she would never fully understand the intricacies of the Clayr's Glacier.
Lirael looked sorrowfully down at the direction of Ganel as her Paperwing soared past. She could smell the whiff of Free Magic, for she wasn't very high up yet, but she resisted rushing down to help. The stench of Free Magic was strong, suggesting the presence of many Free Magic creatures, spells, or features, and she had no desire of confronting all of that after having completed a sprint across seven precincts of Death, fighting two necromancers, bound within a gate by Ranna and Saraneth, fighting Dead, and flying the Paperwing by night all without a good rest in between.
Lirael noticed that it was dawn already, which meant that a few hours, at least, or perhaps even days, had been lost. Who knew how long she had been trapped in Death. Lirael shuddered to think of the experience – besides the crippling fear and dread, and the sensation of Greater Dead lurking nearby, she had felt as if months had been stripped away. She dreaded finding out at the Royal Palace – for that was where she was headed now – that King Touchstone was dead already, dead months ago. She would never be absolved from her guilt then.
Suddenly, a sensation made her skin crawl. Lirael fought a sudden urge to bank right. She lost control of her wind-spell for a split second, and the wind howled, causing a monstrous force to pick the Paperwing and fling it veering North-East. Horrified, Lirael attempted to control the turbulent Charter marks by summoning marks for calm and peace to counterbalance the wild wind-summoning marks. They were nearly under control and the wind lessening greatly in strength when the urge – almost like a hunger – came again, even more strongly.
"What the –" Lirael cursed, but the damage was done – the wind was wilder than before. Lirael had no notion of how to salvage the situation this time – the magic involved was now beyond her weary self, and she found it simple to sleep, and slip quietly into Death.
The First Precinct was calm, and felt like home. Lirael wanted nothing more than to let the current flow and carry her along, as she directed the current. A warm, fuzzy feeling rose in Lirael, one that seemed distantly familiar. She let the feeling carry on, and was content to lie down and rest, until she smelled the whiff of Free Magic. Immediately, Lirael gathered her senses and, shocked, Lirael drew Saraneth, looking about. Her messy hair hung from her head as a dark mass – indeed, she looked more dangerous than the Dead spirits floating into Death, and would likely have looked more dangerous than any resident of the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and even Sixth precincts. Her long, silky hair was wild, and her eyes were fiery. The once-resplendent clothes that she wore (for she had left the Palace in courtly gowns after a report of an attack on Callibe, with Sabriel) were now tattered, ragged, and worn – the result of friction under her armored clothes. She realized she must have looked quite a sight – not unlike a vagabond, rogue and the like.
However, there were no Free Magic creatures she could frighten – none that she could sense, and none that she could see, and none that she could hear, and none that she could smell, anyway. Lirael wondered for a moment where the stench had come from, then gasped, remembering her dire situation in Life. She frantically dashed into Life – and instinctively covered her eyes with her left hand. The sun was rising already, and her right hand still clutched Saraneth tightly.
The Paperwing had landed, relatively unharmed, at the Long Cliffs. Where she had originally started out, and the exact opposite of the direction she – and the wind – had been headed. How in the Charter had she come here? She suddenly realized that, without her guiding the wind, the Paperwing had managed to fly here by itself. It didn't even have a guide. And she had been certain they would have crashed in the Great Sickle Wood. What in the Charter was happening?
Eerily, she realized that this was nearby Abhorsen's house. As soon as that thought entered her mind, the sudden urge came again – frantic and demanding. Lirael protested to herself – she needed to save the King! Then, she realized that whatever threatened the King was probably over – it was noon, already, and the sun was high up. Besides, she could have spent a year in Death – as a mere snooze like that had taken a couple of hours!
"All right", sighed Lirael, more to affirm her decision and to test her voice than anything else to anyone in particular. However, she had to know what happened to Touchstone, her brother-in-law. Or step-brother-in-law. It was all very confusing to a bamboozled Lirael, who never did get the hang of all the relations, unless she was pressed, unlike her Clayr cousins. Or second cousins, or third cousins, or aunts or second aunts or third aunts… Lirael shook her head free of those sticky spiderweb-like thoughts, and, drawing Thyme, brought forth the marks for protection and scalding and fire for her armor – to be insulated against the Dead – then the marks for a large diamond of protection encompassing the Paperwing. Then, drawing the Dark Mirror from her Paperwing – she always kept it in a bag pack close to her – she strode into Death.
Why does Lirael need to go into Abhorsen's house? What awaits her? And what did it mean when Orannis claimed that "Astarael" had "partially awakened" already?
How was Lirael saved, when the wind-spells were out of control? This question I'll not be answering explicitly. However, inferences can be made!
Finally, I'm happy to announce that I'll be starring Mogget/Yrael/Cat-thing/Puss in the next chapter! Look forward to it… after I finish my homework & project work! (:
Note to self- write a Fic for Gundam Seed, weave in more Themes in this Fic (we just had an eye-popping lesson about Justice & Mercy with Ms Clarinda Choh, and all the irony in light of Portia's "very famous" speech – search 'Clarinda Choh' and 'british council' on net and read her essay! She's still teaching the same school – I'm in that school!), getting a Sniper in Ragnarok Online, writing more Fics (possibly Animorphs and Ray Bradbury and definitely Cardcaptor Sakura), etc!
In exuberance, yongzhi93