Thanks to everyone who reviewed! On with the next chapter...
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Shiners or any of the Old Kingdom. Also, I don't own a particular part of this chapter (guess which bit that is!) I do own Arael, however, and the plot line. :-)
Mosrael sat bolt upright in her bed, breathing fast. She had imagined that voice, she told herself as she concentrated on slowing her breathing. It was not real. She had just had a nightmare; that was what it had been. Just a nightmare.
But then again, it had seemed so much like the beginning of one of those visions she sometimes had...
Forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths, Mosrael quietly got out of her bed and crept to the door of her room. Kibeth, Dyrim and Belgaer would probably still be awake, but Mosrael didn't want them to know that she was too. They would ask why she was awake, and she didn't think she could give them a suitable explanation.
The words she had heard kept repeating themselves in her head, making her more and more confused as she walked silently through the palace. 'And now another Seven comes, all a-clamour, to lock Orannis once more in metal...' Another Seven... But there couldn't be another Seven, Mosrael thought. It wasn't possible. And it had definitely been Orannis' voice she had heard, but that too was impossible. Unless, of course, someone was stupid enough to release him. But no-one would do that... would they?
Melting herself into the shadows, Mosrael made her way to the palace grounds. She needed to find some ice so she could try and See more, if there was more to be Seen. It had rained briefly at some point during the evening, and there were a few half-frozen puddles on the ground, so Mosrael chose one in a dark corner and whispered the names of the Charter marks to fully freeze it, and then muttered another spell to make the ice smooth. Then, she knelt down beside the puddle and stared into it.
The picture came slowly, growing gradually more focused until Mosrael could clearly make out seven people and a dog, all standing in a ring around a sphere of darkness that looked horribly familiar. This was the same scene that had briefly flashed through her mind as she had slept, accompanied by Orannis' unmistakable voice. The dog was instantly recognisable as Kibeth and, although Mosrael could tell that the all the people were human, something about them was strangely familiar too. Each of them held a silver handbell, and Mosrael could feel the individual powers in the metal, although she had no idea of where the bells had come from or how or when they had been created.
Tongues of flame were spreading out from the sphere towards the people in the ring. Then one of them, a young woman with long, raven hair and a Charter-spelled sword resting on her right shoulder, spoke.
'I stand for Astarael against you.'
As she spoke, she drew a Charter mark in front of her which repelled the flames a little, but Mosrael hardly noticed it. She just stared at the girl, a little unnerved by her: she looked practically identical to Astarael, albeit wearing very different clothes.
'I stand for Saraneth against you,' announced another woman, sketching a Charter mark with the tip of her sword. Mosrael couldn't help but stare at this woman too: she was the spitting image of Saraneth.
'I stand for Belgaer against you,' said another voice – a male voice this time. His drew his Charter mark quickly, his grey eyes – very much like Belgaer's – flashing angrily.
'I stand for Dyrim against you,' declared the next person in the ring: another dark-haired young woman, who did remind Mosrael very much of Dyrim.
Kibeth spoke next, but Mosrael didn't pay much attention to what she was saying. Her gaze had already wandered to the next humans in the circle, two blonde women, holding one bell between them. It was like looking in a mirror, Mosrael thought, feeling even more unnerved. They even wore circlets similar to the one of Charter marks on Mosrael's head.
'We stand as one, for Mosrael against you,' the women said in unison, drawing their Charter mark together.
'I am Torrigan, called Touchstone, and I stand for Ranna against you,' the final person in the ring – a man – said. As he drew his Charter mark in front of him, he let the tiny bell he held sound. The two blonde women rand their bell next, then Kibeth began to bark in a steady rhythm. The remaining people swung their bells, and Mosrael instantly recognised the song the combined voices were singing. She felt an urge to join in, but her part was already being sung.
The Charter marks in front of the people glowed brighter, and then expanded, spreading sideways to join together in a silver band around Orannis. The girl with the sword – the one who looked so much like Astarael – spoke the rest of the binding spell, and Mosrael flinched slightly as she heard those words spoken again, painful memories leaping to the forefront of her mind.
The silver ring tightened, and Mosrael pulled herself out of the vision. She could guess the rest, and she didn't want to see it. For several minutes, she just sat on the grass, her eyes closed as the vision replayed itself in her mind. Another Seven. That at least made some sense now, although not enough for Mosrael's liking. She still didn't understand how what she had just Seen was even possible. There aren't seven of us anymore, she thought, feeling the stab of pain that always accompanied that thought.
She stared back at the ice, hoping that some other vision would appear and explain everything, but nothing came. Sighing heavily, Mosrael stood up, smoothed her white skirt, and headed back inside the palace. She didn't know whether to tell any of the others about her vision. It would worry them a lot, she knew, but they did had a right to know. Perhaps one of them would be able to make more sense of it. Or perhaps not. And mentioning certain things in front of Ranna would not be a good idea at all. Thinking about it, it would probably be best if she kept it to herself for now. She would tell them, but not yet.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something smashing and then someone cursing under their breath. The noises came from somewhere nearby and, forgetting that she was not supposed to be wandering around in the middle of the night, Mosrael decided to investigate. She didn't have to look very far: just around the corner, she saw a decorative plant on the ground, a large piece of its porcelain pot broken off and lying next to it. A dark-haired figure stood close to the plant, trying to tug her cloak free from where it had caught on the window frame.
'Lady Arael?' Mosrael whispered as she recognised the person as the king's younger sister, the one who had arrived late to the feast.
Arael whirled around, looking terrified, but she relaxed a little when she saw Mosrael.
'Mosrael!' she whispered back. 'I'm sorry! For a moment, I thought you were my sister!'
'What are you doing?' Mosrael asked, momentarily forgetting that it was probably rude to question the king's sister in this way.
'Sneaking in through a window,' Arael admitted, looking very sheepish. She didn't seem to mind the informality of this exchange.
'I can see that,' replied Mosrael, the corners of her mouth creeping up in an amused smile. 'Why are you sneaking in through a window?'
'I was... um... sleepwalking,' Arael replied, returning to freeing her cloak.
Mosrael raised her eyebrows. 'Do you normally carry a sword with you when you sleepwalk?'
Arael froze and looked down, realising all too late that the sword she wore at her side, previously hidden under her cloak, was now clearly visible.
'Are you going to tell me what you are really doing?' Mosrael asked, easily unhooking Arael's cloak for her.
'Do you promise not to say anything about this to anyone?' Arael asked.
Mosrael nodded, trying to ignore the sudden memory of a similar promise she had made a long time ago. This situation was very different. 'I promise.'
'I was returning from a training session with one of the guards,' Arael explained quietly.
'Why do you train at night?' asked Mosrael. 'Surely, it would be easier to train during the day, when all the guards practise.'
'Anstyr won't allow women to learn swordcraft, so I can't train with them,' Arael replied. 'The training sessions I have are a complete secret. The only people who know about them are myself and Terin, the guard I train with. And you, of course. Please, Mosrael, you can't say anything about this to Anstyr, or Merenne, or Nehima, or anybody.'
'I won't,' Mosrael assured her. 'Your secret is safe with me.'
Arael smiled gratefully, and then bent down to set the plant back in its corner, picking up the broken fragment of the pot and fitting it back into place. Then, she turned the pot around until the broken part was hidden from view and kicked the spilled soil into the shadows.
'What are you doing, if you don't mind me asking?' Arael asked as she straightened up.
'I couldn't sleep,' Mosrael answered, well aware of the fact that this was a poor excuse.
Arael folded her arms across her chest and raised one eyebrow. 'Are you going to tell me what you are really doing?' she asked, echoing Mosrael's earlier question.
Mosrael grinned at her. 'No.'
Arael wondered why she hadn't thought of giving that response herself. 'I told you what I was doing,' she protested as she and Mosrael started to walk along the corridor.
'That was your choice, my lady,' Mosrael replied, still grinning. 'Why don't you ask the king to let you train with the guards properly?'
Arael sighed. 'I did ask. Three years ago, when I first decided that I wanted to learn how to fight. He said no.'
'Have you asked him more recently?'
'No. There wouldn't be any point. I know exactly what he would say: It is not proper for an sixteen-year-old princess to be handling a weapon,' Arael said, imitating Anstyr's voice perfectly.
'I see,' Mosrael replied. 'I take it he would be angry if he ever found about these secret practice sessions you have been having?'
'Definitely,' Arael said, nodding. 'Nehima would be too. Although she never likes anything I do.'
'Such as going out on your horse without taking any guards with you,' Mosrael teased.
'And missing my lessons, and falling asleep in Petty Court, and conveniently forgetting to turn up to Petty Court, and going down to the harbour and coming back soaked with sea-spray, and not bothering to have my hair done properly in the mornings...'
Mosrael laughed. 'I don't think it would suit you to have your hair styled like Nehima has hers.'
'It doesn't,' Arael replied. 'That's why I always leave it loose or just tied back if I need it out of the way.' She paused and frowned. 'I don't usually say things like that to guests,' she commented. She had been very open with Mosrael, telling her things that she never normally told anyone. 'I must apologise if you found me rude.'
'Not at all,' Mosrael replied, smiling. 'I suppose this is a rather unusual situation, anyway.'
'It is,' Arael agreed, then decided to change the subject. 'I hope you don't mind, but Ranna will be seeing to Merenne a lot, now that she is in her final month of pregnancy, so she won't be able to be with you much. If you would like, I could show you and your sisters around the palace tomorrow morning. I would show you the rest of the city as well, but I expect Nehima will want me to sit in the Petty Court with her at some point.' She made a face at that thought.
Mosrael laughed. 'We would love that. Although,' she added, improvising quickly, 'Astarael will probably not be there. She is... um... a little unwell at the moment. She caught a mild chill the day before we arrived here, and I think she would prefer to remain in bed tomorrow.'
'That's a shame,' Arael replied. 'Will she want one of the healers to see her?'
'I don't think so. She just needs to rest and keep warm.'
'If you are sure,' Arael said. She and Mosrael stopped walking as they came to the place where the corridor divided into two: one leading to the royal chambers, and the other to the guest quarters. 'Well, would it be alright if the rest of you met me in the Great Hall after breakfast tomorrow morning?'
Mosrael nodded. 'That is fine.'
'Good,' Arael replied. 'Have a good night, Mosrael.'
'Good night, my lady,' Mosrael answered. Then she turned down the corridor that lead to the guest rooms and, instead of going into her own room, she quietly opened Dyrim's door and slipped inside. As she had expected, Dyrim was wide awake, sitting on her bed and staring at the ceiling.
'What are you staring at?' Mosrael asked.
'I'm wondering whether to put Charter lights in the ceiling,' Dyrim replied. 'Candles really aren't that bright.'
'You know Ranna won't let you do that,' Mosrael said, shaking her head. 'Although I do know what you mean. Charter lights would be a lot better.'
'Belgaer has already put some in her ceiling,' Dyrim commented.
'Ranna won't be happy about that.'
'That's why no-one had told Ranna yet,' Belgaer said, grinning as she slipped into the room.
'So, we are getting a tour of the palace tomorrow, are we?' Dyrim asked eagerly.
'How did you know about that?' Mosrael asked. 'I haven't mentioned it yet.'
'I seem to have developed a talent for reading humans' minds,' Dyrim answered. 'Arael was the only human around who wasn't asleep, and so I decided to–'
'You are so nosey,' Mosrael cut in, rolling her eyes.
'So is Kibeth,' Dyrim pointed out. 'Although I suppose you don't know. She's gone to explore various people's rooms.'
'The royal chambers are the nicest,' Kibeth said brightly, entering the room in her dog form and leaping onto Dyrim's bed, 'but that's to be expected. Nehima's room is far too neat – I keep getting tempted to mess it up for her – and Arael nearly caught me in her room. For some reason she was only just coming in. She keeps a sword under her bed. Did you know that? I saw her put it there.'
'She wants that kept secret,' Mosrael said firmly.
'I think we all know now,' Dyrim shrugged. 'Kibeth hasn't exactly kept it to herself, has she? But we can all keep secrets, so we won't tell any of the humans.'
'Can you be a little quieter?' Ranna asked sleepily, appearing in the doorway. 'And, Kibeth, please don't go into people's private rooms. It's not polite.'
'I'm not polite,' Kibeth grinned, jumping down from the bed and licking Ranna across the face.
'We all know that,' said Dyrim.
'Please, stay in your human forms!' Ranna exclaimed under her breath, pushing Kibeth down and wiping the dog saliva off her face. 'How much trouble do you think we would get into if–'
'I thought the humans would be less suspicious if they saw a dog wandering around than they would if they saw a human. I wouldn't want to end up in a similar situation to the one Mosrael found herself in earlier, when she got caught sneaking around.'
Ranna had a sudden urge to smack her head against the wall. 'No wandering about,' she said firmly. 'Any of you. And, please, remember to be quiet! I am trying to sleep!'
'Alright, Ranna, we will be quiet,' Dyrim grinned. 'We know that humans need their sleep.'
She, Kibeth, Belgaer and Mosrael burst out laughing, and Ranna glared at them before returning to her room. She would have countered with something along the lines of 'you have all been acting convincingly human as well,' but she knew full well that she and Astarael were the only ones who had not misbehaved already. And they had only been in Belisaere for one evening! Charter knew how long it would be before someone discovered their secret.
Anyone want to guess how long it will be before someone finds out?
Please review!
