Lirael emerged from Alliel's fountain with an extremely disgruntled expression. She'd had to tip the table on its end to get back out, but that wasn't the reason behind her rage. She marched to the house, half-shouted at Nick to get in the study and stay there until she arrived, then went up to the observatory. As was his usual when he wasn't making sarcastic remarks, Mogget was napping on the cushioned stool by the telescope. The Abhorsen grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him all the way to the study in the same fashion, ignoring the yowls and scratches he gave her.

"Tell-me-everything!" Her tone implied certain torture, but her eyes held the natural curiosity of every librarian. She took a moment to calm herself before continuing. "Or at least everything about the Bright Shiners.

"Fine," the cat mumbled, but began his tale.

"In the beginning, there were ten of us. After the tenth went mad and destroyed herself along with a good bit of the world, we agreed to limit our powers. Each decided to control the point of Life we though most important. Ranna chose sleep, which also allowed her to control time, to an extent. Mosrael wished to bring the tenth back, so she chose resurrection. Kibeth, for reason only she knows, picked motion. For Dyrim, it was speech. Saraneth wanted control. And Astarael took over Death. That's the ones you know of, and use."

"But there's more." Nick was the one now pressing for his information.

"Yes. Those were the ones who eventually chose to leave this world, and so left their powers in the people they most trusted, or just gave a tiny bit to everybody."

"Again, we knew. Tell us something new."

"I'm about to. When Mosrael brought back Liane, then tenth shiner, there was nothing that could contain her. Only nine bodies could ever hold us, and those were all occupied. So she got squeezed in with Orannis. Now back to the choosing of powers. If the first seven had chosen all the more basic, but powerful elements, so the rest of us had to get a bit more creative. I chose the ability to revoke what anybody else says. Or at least what any Bright Shiner says. Saraneth binds something, I can free it. Mosrael raises somebody, I can kill them. Except Orannis and Liane. Since they chose after me, their powers are not subject to revoking. Orannis, as you've seen, is the destroyer. He can wipe out a whole planet if not restricted within the hour. And Liane, having already felt Death's touch, wanted to live forever. She can be destroyed by no force but her own.

We separated for a time, and when we next met, the Seven had chosen to leave. It was then that the bells were made. Silver always had been one of the most powerful metals, so that was what they were to be made of. Besides that, the price of silver was high enough that not just anybody could construct bells as we did. They left the knowledge of the bell's making to the Abhorsen, as well as the original set of bells.

But Orannis, Liane, and I didn't give our bells to the Abhorsen, or anyone, for that matter. Orannis used the heat of his destroying fire to meld his bell and Liane's together, then wrapped it around them. I, however,, was neither as greedy or stupid as he. By using his bell metal so, he would never have to share his power, but there was only one person to guard it. If it were to be taken from him, he would have to use physical force or risk going mad to get it back. I both disguised and hid mine."

"And where is it now?" Both Lirael and Nick were both on the edge of their seats, leaning forward as though the feline's voice was hardly audible.

"Considering Orannis has yet to be completely destroyed, and my power will be needed to perform that task, I may as well tell you. You'll never get much of it anyway. Not without my help.

When the Seven caught me, they left my binding in the hands of the then Abhorsen. Only Saraneth had a part in it, and all he did was secure the spell. Well, Kalliel was a bumbling idiot, and forgot to add in a charm to prevent me from changing the collar.

So I did. Until this time, I had kept my share of silver well hidden in a secret chamber inside the House. I took just a smidgen of it and shaped it to look like the bell that the Abhorsen had attached to the collar. Then I just switched the two. Nobody noticed, and so it stayed that way for millennia. Until Sabriel removed the collar, in fact."

"But then, shouldn't it have reformed into the ring?"

"No," Mogget answered sharply. "The ring was made entirely of Saraneth's metal. That was how I used the the metal from the old bell on my collar. Joen was so happy about my gift, he forgot to ask where it came from."

"And what of the rest?" Lirael, well used to Mogget's plots, had the feeling he was trying to hide the location of the rest of his bell.

"You'd have better luck keeping Kibeth still that getting your hands on that."

"Just tell me where it is. Now."

"Fine. I used free Magic to slightly soften the silver, then jammed it between two rocks in the Ratterlin."

"Where in the Ratterlin, Mogget? ANd why on earth would you soften it?"

"I softened it so it would erode faster. As for where, I believe I will let you guess. That's all I know."

Lirael groaned. "Mogget..."

But all he did was trot away, too quickly to be grabbed again, but still slow enough to tease them.

"Well, we may as well start with what we know." That was Nick, always the voice of reason. "The first bit is in Holehallow."