The paperwing skimmed across the sky with the light breeze. Far below, a gem glittered in the waving grass. Nose tilting down, the paperwing and its passenger prepared to land. As the altitude dropped, details became clearer, and the gems became clearly defined webs. Below those webs were deep pits, and in one such hole was part of Yrael's bell.
The belly of the paperwing touched down with a thud, and skidded a few feet, coming to a rest beside a pit. Lirael vaulted over the craft's side and strolled to the very edge of the hole. Looking down, the sinkhole appeared to be covered by a gigantic spider web. As she touched the webbing, though, she could feel spells of strength, catching, and many others. But something wasn't quite right. The chain of marks felt.… torn. Upon closer inspection, Lirael found the strands had a large rent along one of the edges. What could have caused a hole so big worried her, but it was better than finding the whole spell picked apart, she supposed.
"Right. The metal should be just down in that hole."
"Of course, Mogget. And I'm just going to climb down this sheer wall to get to it. I'll be back in a minute."
"I'm going down too if you didn't realize. But now would be a good time for you to get moving."
"Oh. Well, then would you care to share your wisdom concerning the best way to get down without dying?"
"Certainly." Mogget gave her his evil smirk. "I intend to stay in that pack on your back until you're close to the floor, then jump out so I can avoid the multiple injuries you'll certainly gain."
Lirael huffed and went back to searching for a safer way down. there. A strand of spell-web hanging down, glinting in the late afternoon sun. If she could jump, and manage to catch it, she should be able to safely swing down. If it would hold he weight.
Lirael took a deep breath and leaped. She almost forgot to keep her eyes open, but that tiny glint in the darkness of the pit was her only chance to survive now. One more foot, and she'd be able to reach it. Half a foot. She wasn't going to make it. Her fingers futilely stretched out as she passed below it. In one last attempt for her life, she reached above her head with her left hand...and caught a finger hold.
Lirael's downward momentum dragged her down quickly, ripping the ancient spell and net. The strand she grasped was tearing from the rest of the web above her, and getting longer as it did so. She couldn't tell which would happen first; the strand pull completely free of the rest of the webbing. or her land on the ground. Lirael stared at the thin cord of light, watching it unravel. She didn't even see the wall coming until she hit it, face-first. She crumpled to the ground, only two feet below her now.
Mogget was beside her when she came to, an evil sort of told-you-so look on his white furred face.
"Shut up, Mogget."
"I never said anything."
"Whatever," Lirael muttered, checking her body for any fractures or gashes. Her nose felt horrid, and she'd managed to split her lip, but otherwise she was fine.
Satisfied that she wouldn't collapse upon standing, Lirael turned to examine her surroundings. From what she could see, the pit wasn't any of those that Sabriel had once described to her. It was smaller, for one, and had several hallways branching out from it. As she rose, Lirael caught a brief glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye. Seconds later, a voice thick with Charter magic echoed through her prison. "The corrupt of the Charter walks the halls!"
Mogget trotted to her resting place, every hair bristling. "Didn't you hear that? Come on, we must find somewhere more defendable!"
She let herself be dragged forward by the cat-turned-dwarf. Her thoughts were spinning in a tight circle, picking up speed at every rotation. 'corrupt...but the Charter can't be corrupted! Only Free Magic can truly be used for bad! But it said Charter...'
"This will have to do."
Lirael came out of her reverie long enough to look around the chamber. This one had no spelled webbing above it, and there was a large pile of ash to one side. "I don't like the looks of that," she said, pointing to it.
"Would you rather be somewhere where you can be attacked from every side at once? Besides, here is where you might find part of my bell."
The last sentence alone was more than enough to make her stay. Lirael dropped to her knees and employed her senses, both normal and magical, in attempt to find some of the fragments.
"Mogget, what did it mean by corrupt in the Charter?"
"Since the magic itself cannot be perverted, it must mean one of the Blood who has turned to worse things."
"Oh. Who do you think it was then?"
"There's only two people it could be. As a Shiner, I know when someone leaves one thing for another." Lirael could have sworn she saw him puff up with self-importance. "Chlorr is one, a-"
"That's possible. Nobody knows where she is, and she hasn't been seen since before the breaking."
"And Katrel is the other."
"Katrel! Your senses must be getting old! There's no way Katrel could have left the Charter. He's an Abhorsen for Charter's sake! Abhorsens never leave their work."
"And all this time I'd thought you were too smart to be blinded by love. It seems even I am wrong about some things."
"But it can't be-" Lirael was kneeling now, looking plaintively at the dwarf.
"Think about it. Is Chlorr really that short?And yes, I know you saw him earlier. I did too."
"Let's just get the metal and get out of here."
"Very well. It's near the ashes."
As Lirael passed by the cinders, she had a sudden temptation to throw them into the air. 'This must be the wreck from Sabriel's paperwing.' She gathered up a few in a satchel.
After placing fragments of silver in a separate pouch, she persuaded Mogget to lead her to the hidden staircase. They set up a light jog back through the forest and meadow, careful not to fall into any pits. Once they were airborne, Lirael reached into a deep pocket. Checking that it didn't contain silver, she upended the little bag over the craft's side.
The paperwing lurched, then settled back into the wind to give an unimaginably smooth ride. It was faster, too, as though the enchanted paper was flying on its own, with nothing to weigh it down.
A/N There you go, a nice little fuzzy bit for New Year's. Just wait, there's more history, lies, and suspicions coming soon.… Just as soon as I write them! Don't worry, it won't take too long ; )