A/N: Okay, I'm trying to get back to posting a chapter every week or so, and we'll see if that actually happens! We're roughly two-thirds of the way through the story, and I really want to get it all up and posted. So here we are! Special thanks to Vanilla Bean CEO for reviewing the last chapter. It's great to see that I haven't lost all of my readers!

Mosrael's Choice

Nehima pushed back the hood of her fur-trimmed cloak with an air of finality. She had just come to an important conclusion: Lady Tirelle and her daughters were every one of them mad as hatters. Anyone who decided that the inside of a glacier, of all things, was the perfect place to live had to be crazy.

"Master Nehima!"

The blonde Wallmaker turned, and gave a genuine smile. "Master Malfas," she replied as she warmly embraced her friend and colleague. "How are you?"

"Freezing," groused the bearded man, but his eyes were twinkling. He raised a mittened hand and waved expansively at their surroundings. "So? What do you think?"

Nehima gazed around the cavernous halls carved from solid ice. "It's… blue."

The older man rolled his eyes. "Astute observation, Master Nehima."

"Oh, all right." The woman took another, longer look at her surroundings. The vaulted ceilings carved from ice were exquisite, and the floor was polished so that it shone like glass. "It's… quite impressive," she admitted grudgingly. "It doesn't hold a candle to the Wall, though."

"This place is far from finished," Malfas explained, wiping frost from his beard. "We're constructing the living quarters near the top of the glacier, and we haven't even delved into the caves below yet. As for the enormous library, it's no more than lines on a diagram. Be sure to tell all of that to Ghidreth when you give her your report. Let her know I need more workers."

"I'll tell her," Nehima promised. She turned to take another look at the room, and stopped when she spotted two young women. They were blonde, pretty, and as alike as mirrors. They were also gliding towards her as if they were on wheels. Nehima wondered to herself how they managed to do that.

"Hello," they chorused. Nehima looked up at them both. She was a short woman, but these twins seemed unnaturally tall. That combined with their gliding was downright eerie.

"Welcome to the Clayr's Glacier," one of the women said. "I'm Cimeri, one of the Lady Clayr's daughters. And this is–"

"–Berithi," said the second woman. "We apologize for it not being more comfortable, but–"

"–we're still experimenting with Charter marks for warmth–"

"–which won't melt the cave. Would you like something hot to drink?"

"Tea, perhaps?"

"Coffee?"

"Warm milk?"

"Soup?"

"What would you like?" they asked in unison. By this time, Nehima was suspecting that she had strained her own neck by looking back and forth between the two sisters. On top of the bizarre gliding and unnatural tallness, she was also unnerved by their downright weird manner of talking. This was a strange place, with even stranger people. And to think that she was related to them!

"Okay," she muttered to herself under her breath, "Get a hold of yourself, Nehima. Do not freak out… Do not freak out…"

"Hello, Master Nehima."

The blonde Wallmaker turned and was very glad indeed to see the Clayr. "Lady Tirelle!" she practically shouted in relief. "It's so good to see you!"

The Seer raised an eyebrow, and glanced at her twin daughters. "Been frightening our visitors again?" she asked mildly. Cimeri and Berithi just gave identical enigmatic smiles, and started to glide away. "And take those ice skates off," Tirelle added. Nehima stared at the twins, who grinned and lifted their skirts to skate away on the icy floors. These girls really had strange senses of humour.

Tirelle took the Wallmaker by the arm and steered her through to another room before she could ask any questions. This was smaller, and furnished with comfortable chairs in front of a roaring fireplace. Except the flames were made of red-hot Charter marks, and freezing spells were placed in the corners of the room to keep the walls from melting.

"As you see, we've been having some trouble with heating the place," explained Tirelle. She adjusted her sword before sitting down, and the Wallmaker realized that she was wearing the sword Nehima. It was a strange moment indeed for the younger woman.

"Maybe we could get the Wallmakers working on that," mused Nehima. "Malfas works more in the construction area of Charter Magic." Now that she was in a comfortable setting and the creepy twins were gone, Nehima was regaining her usual confidence. "You should have told me about this problem before; I could've come up with a solution by now," she observed, peeling off her fur mittens.

"Perhaps you should return after you give your report to the Wallmaker," Tirelle remarked as she poured tea. Nehima thought of spending months in the same place as those twins, and shuddered. "We'd be happy to have you," the Clayr was continuing. "You are family, after all."

Nehima shrugged as she accepted a cup of tea. "Only a second cousin."

"Third cousin."

"Right," the younger woman smiled. "You're the one who likes to keep track of these things."

Tirelle lifted her own cup to her lips, and remarked, "Family is important. I like to keep track of all my relations. And relations are about to become even more important for this family."

The Wallmaker's ears perked up. "What's going to happen?" she asked eagerly.

The Clayr's blue eyes were sparkling. "You're the first person I'm telling," she said. "It's wonderful news. You see, about a moon ago one of the Bright Shiners made contact with me."

"No!" Nehima gasped, her mouth hanging open. She had never seen a Bright Shiner before. Felio had told her about Belgaer and Ranna during the making of the Great Stones, but to the majority of the people in the Kingdom the Seven were legends.

Tirelle leaned forward and took Nehima's hands in hers. "It was Mosrael," she continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He told me that he had made a choice. It was time for him to leave this world, and he spent many years deciding how to pass on his powers."

"It can't be," cried the younger woman. "Tirelle, he chose you–?"

"No," the Clayr interrupted, shaking her head. "He chose my daughters." Her face was alight with happiness, and the Wallmaker leaned back in her chair. For a moment it was as if all of the strength had drained from her body. "I told the girls that it was their decision, of course," chattered Tirelle, "But I don't think I've ever been so fortunate. To think that my daughters will be the founders of the Third Bloodline!"

Nehima recovered her powers of speech. "He is giving his powers to all of them?" she asked in disbelief.

"Of course. It was more than I could have ever hoped for. Mosrael will perform the rite within the month."

"That soon?" said Nehima. "Are you sure you've thought about this?"

Tirelle laughed. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Of course I've thought about this! I've thought of nothing else since Mosrael spoke to me."

The Wallmaker flung her braid over her shoulder in a businesslike way. "I didn't mean that," she said impatiently. "Have you considered what's been happening lately? The Freemen are still at large, and they're still attacking the First and Second Bloodlines. We've had to triple the guards on the Royal Family, and reinforce the wards on Abhorsen's House and around the Great Stones. Two Lesser Stones have already been broken with the blood of Charter Mages. We fixed them of course, but still…" She gestured helplessly with her hands. "What I mean is, once Mosrael gives his power to your daughters, they will be in very grave danger."

The Clayr had turned nearly as white as her dress. She removed her moonstone circlet with a shaking hand and ran her fingers through her hair. "I have considered that," the older woman said quietly. "We will be safe this far north. And besides," she gave a small smile, "with Mosrael's gift in their blood, my daughters will be able to see any danger coming to them before it happens."

Nehima was sceptical, and was about to argue when an image of Felio popped into her head. She could just picture him shaking his finger at her in remonstrance, pale eyes stern. There was grey in his messy black hair and his face was lined, but he still looked very much like the young Master Wallmaker she had come to love. Felio was patient and compassionate and everything that was good. He wouldn't argue with the Clayr over how to take care of her own daughters. It was none of her business, really, and Nehima forced a smile and let the moment pass.

After chatting about other subjects, Nehima left to continue her inspection of the glacier to evaluate Malfas' progress. She passed many Wallmakers during her examination, cheerfully greeting some and glaring at others. She ignored the whispers of "bighead" and "know-it-all" that followed her, identifying each hushed voice so that she could visit retribution upon them later.

In a roughly-hewn corridor she ran into a young blonde woman. Literally. The slight girl was knocked off her feet, but Nehima managed to catch herself against the wall. "Sorry about that," she said briskly, pulling the girl back up again and brushing her off.

"That's all right," the young woman said shyly. She peered at the Wallmaker with brilliant green eyes. "You're Master Nehima, aren't you?" she asked.

"Guilty as charged," Nehima muttered. "And you're one of Tirelle's daughters."

"I'm Saranim."

Nehima was terrible at names, and peered at the girl. Although this young woman was at least twenty, Nehima did not like children and wasn't feeling too warmly towards this little Clayr-spawn. "Which one are you?" she demanded. "Number three or four?"

"Six. The twins are numbers three and four."

The Wallmaker smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Oh, of course! How could I ever forget the twins?"

Saranim crossed her arms and smiled impishly. "They pulled the old ice-skating trick on you, didn't they?"

Nehima decided not to answer. This kid looked all nice and innocent, but that remark had been decidedly bratty. "So where are the rest of your sisters?"

"Neryl is supervising the construction, Gressa is practicing her archery, the twins are probably scaring a couple of Wallmakers, and Eligora is playing in the snow."

"That's only six," said Nehima, wiggling her fingers. "There are seven of you."

"Penemue is in Belisaere."

"Right!"

"She'll be here in a month. You know, for the Bright Shiner thing. Her children are going to stay at the palace."

The Wallmaker looked at the younger woman sharply. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

Saranim thought for a moment, and finally looked up. "Yes."

"Good," Nehima said, nodding. "You should be." She turned to continue her inspection, leaving the young woman staring after her in the corridor.

Perhaps she was being harsh, but the girl deserved the truth.

Penemue's description of her visions suddenly sprang to Nehima's mind: "The first shows a man in blue, standing alone before a burning body. The other shows a man in red, also before a burning body. I do not know which choice leads to which end, but either way somebody will die."

It looked like they had some hard tasks ahead of them, and now the Clayr's family was involved. She only hoped that Tirelle's daughters wouldn't end up paying the price for their mother's foolishness.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. The next couple of chapters will spend some more time with Tirelle and her daughters. And yes, we will meet Mosrael. Bet you can't guess what he looks like!

Thanks for reading, reviews are always nice, and have a Happy Halloween!