In Halls Long and Lands Destroyed
This news came with a shock to Lirael and the crowd. How could the Chief know about the Stilken? And, moreover, how could the Chief know that she had bound it? Surely the Dog hadn't woken the librarian and told her? However, she was the Disreputable Dog, and who knows what that might mean?
"When you returned Binder, you neglected to retrieve the 'just in case' note left in my chambers. It was placed under Nehima's stand, and I didn't notice it until a few days ago. Such forgetting is a poor quality for a librarian, but in this case I'm glad you did. If you hadn't, we would never have known what killed poor Ness."
The Chief went on about how Ness had ignored the rules about only going into the old levels in groups and eventually came to the sunburst door which she entered. Lirael heard no more after that. Images of the Stilken and Ness chased each other through her mind for what seemed like hours, but it was only seconds later when the true realization hit home. Surely even the highly corrosive Free Magic that the Stilken was made of couldn't have penetrated such a Charter spell as she had laid upon the silver bottle so quickly? Besides that, Ness was barely a competent Charter mage. She probably wouldn't be able to break the spell Lirael had cast on the door. let alone free the Stilken from its prison within the bottle. Then the last piece of memory from that horrible night slipped into place. Right before she had retrieved the book In the Skin of a Lyon, she had slipped the bottle into the pocket of her waistcoat. Unless it had fallen out while she slept, the bottle and Stilken it contained would be at the Abhorsen's house.
"...Really though, you should have mentioned in the note that Stilkens can burn you so badly. When we found her, Ness had singed off her eyebrows and lashes along with half her hair. We couldn't bear to move her body, for it was still too hot to touch."
It was then that Lirael knew she must speak. No matter what panic might ensue, the truth of the matter had to be told. She related the memory to the crowd, ending with an offer to check the entirety of both rooms for the troublesome bottle. Though she strongly doubted it would be found, and was concerned about the description of the body, Lirael led Nick down the long corridors to the Library.
"So," said Nick as they traversed down the endless spiral around which the Library was based. "Are you really as old as you claim? You don't look twenty-three, let alone thirty-five. "
"No, not really," replied Lirael. "I only said that because I didn't want to enter into anything, as seemed to be the true question when Sameth asked me that. But now, since he knows that I'm his aunt, I suppose I can admit it. I'm actually only nineteen."
"Oh," he sighed. With one word, he seemed to have withdrawn himself from any type of conversation.
Normally, Lirael would have been glad to not have to speak, but she truly hoped she hadn't offended him.
Before exiting the house, Mogget paused to find a small jacket. He would have to become a dwarf if he was to carry the sword back to Sameth, and it would be nearly winter in Ancelstierre. The only coat that was anywhere close to his size was Lirael's old waistcoat that she had traded in for the black of an Abhorsen. Mogget scowled, looking distastefully at the tiny hole scattered like dust across its surface. It would have to do, he decided. As he left the house, he transformed back to his usual cat shape, and along with his body the Waistcoat shrank until it fit lightly around his torso. It would grow back to its usual size when he next became the dwarf. Until then, it would be keeping him slightly warmer than necessary.
Mogget ran swiftly to Ancelstierre, far faster than any normal cat could have possibly achieved. He paused only to catch a fish from the occasional stream, for he sensed that his mistress-in-waiting would need her hand soon. When he finally crossed the wall into Ancelstierre, it was still early evening in the Old Kingdom, but in Ancelstierre it was the middle of the night. Mogget continued his dash down to Forwin Mill and the demolished lightning farm, and there saw what he was to retrieve.
In truth, it was a sword no more, but a strange lump of slightly glowing metal. The luminescence had probably served to scare off any who had wished to explore the area, or take the metal. It was guarded by the hand as well, for who would dare go near such an obvious omen of death? Illuminated by the faint light, the hand was truly ominous. As Mogget became the albino, he felt that it would only be right to take the hand back with the sword. He bent over, reaching for the sword with one hand, the badly burnt appendage with the other.
With a loud crack and an explosion that tore the waistcoat to shreds, the Stilken escaped from its silver prison!
A/N Yes, it's slightly annoying to have nearly the same ending on two consecutive chapters, but it has to be done for a later part. Sorry for the long wait on this update!