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master_trovenSerenitiel stood on the edge of the precipice looking over the Hands work at digging up the two spheres that would bring the Destroyer back into the world. Her hair, long reddish brown with more waves than curls, was tied back loosely behind her and it crackled with the static from the constant lightening strikes in the air. Her eyes were a thoughtful sapphire color, bright and intelligent. She was the only daughter of Hedge, the necromancer who was in charge of this … project. But she was also so much more, at least on her mother’s side. There she was descended from all three bloodlines, Clayr, royal and Abhorsen. All thanks to a bastard child of Kerrigor. A bastard child who’s great grand child had a child with an Abhorsen who’s great grand child had a child with a Clayr. A Clayr who had foolishly fell for Hedge. Her mother was long dead though. But she left her child with gifts of sight and a set of bells. Bells that she got from the Abhorsen’s house, gifted to her by the Sendings there. Bells that she added too. Secretly, for if her father knew, he would be furious with her. An eight bell she made her self and called Yarel for some reason. It cause confusion in the listener, leaving them open to the influence of the other bells. It worked only for her.
Moodily she turned from watching the Hands work and walked back up to the tent she shared with her father. There she turned over the jar she had found. The jar that held the sliver of metal that once was in Nicholas Sayre. She remembered Nick, the poor boy from across the Wall who didn’t believe in magic. But she had shown him the truth of it. And he was devoted to her, up until he vanished a few weeks ago. That had sent her father into a right row. Up until she had found the jar.
The problem was, she couldn’t get the jar open. It had no lid. And though it looked like it was made of glass it would not break. It was also resistant to both Charter and Free Magic. Sighing she put the jar back and opened up one of her books to read.
She had only been reading a few minutes when footsteps broke her concentration. Looking up, expecting to see her father, she saw Nick walking towards the tent with some weather beaten stranger. Delighted at seeing Nick, she tossed down her book and leapt into his arms.
"Nick!" she cried happily, bouncing up and throwing her arms around him, "You've returned! I've been so worried about you!"
“Serenitiel!” Nick said hugging her back, “I’ve missed you!”
“Where have you been? Father’s been in an uproar since you left. He’s been positively untolerable!” she asked, snuggling into his arms.
"I've been... busy." Nick nodded and played with her beautiful hair. "It was heart-wrenching to be away for so long, I'm sorry!"
And then the stranger spoke, clearing his throat. “Okay, now that’s enough with that,” he said putting a possessive hand on Nick’s shoulder. Serenitiel looked up at him. He looked like a man in forties but there was something wrong about him. Inhuman. He must be some sort of Free Magic Creature, she decided. He felt like one.
“A free magic creature! Where did you find him, Nick?” she asked, looking up into his pale blue eyes. Eyes that seemed so much more alive now that he didn’t have that fragment in him. It made her feel almost sorry for him.
“He’s not…” and Nick blinked a few times as if he was clearing the fog from his mind, “All right, who are you and what did you do to my mind?” he asked and pushed her away.
She frowned and looked frightened, looking at him and then the creature. “It’s me! Serenitiel! I didn't do anything to your mind. Are you feeling well? I'll go get my father, you just wait here.” And she ran off to find her father, quickly before something worse happened to Nick.
She found him by the spheres themselves, deep in concentration. At least he wasn’t in Death. “Father! Come quickly! Nick has returned!” she called out running towards him. This got his attention immediately.
“He has?”
“Yes, he has! He’s back in the tent! Please do hurry; I don’t think he’s well.”
Hedge left his Hands and ran over to her letting her take him by the arm and drag him back by to the tent.
“Not well, how ever do you mean?”
“He didn’t recognize me. It was like something was affecting his mind.”
“That’s not good.” Hedge said, picking up speed. Serenitiel rushed with him.
“There was a free magic creature with him too. It looked like a man, but it wasn’t one. It was very powerful; I think that’s what’s affecting Nick’s mind.”
They had reached the tent as she said this, and the creature was standing there with his sword, of all things, drawn, standing almost protectively in front of Nick. How very strange for the creature to do.
“I’ll have to do something about it,” her father said, drawing bells as he walked into the tent.
“Hello, again. We just keep on running into each other don’t we,” the creature said with a mock smile, but he was watching both of them like a wolf. His odd brown eyes following their every move.
“So we do,” Hedge growled and swung Saraneth concentrating on the creature. A creature he obviously knew. Serentitel thought back to when Nick disappeared. She remembered her father saying something about some sort of creature with Nick. This must be that creature!
Quietly she pulled out her eighth bell and rung it, keeping behind her father, watching the creature. It was a powerful one, struggling against the will of the bells.
Nick frowned as it was happening, “Alexander?” he said worriedly, “What’s wrong?”
This would never do. She slipped over to Nick, tucking her eighth bell away, and tugged on the boy’s arm. “Daddy’s just getting him under control. They’re very dangerous.”
“He’s not dangerous!” Nick protested, “He’s very nice.” And he tried to tug his arm away from her.
Meanwhile Hedge had brought out Ranna to add a web of sleep around the creature, dubbed Alexander by Nick.
“He won’t be dangerous when daddy is done with him. I promise he’ll be okay.” She tugged at Nick again and then, to make him move she put power into her voice, “Nick Please, come with me!”
She felt Nick obey her, mumbling, as he came, “No really, I’m madly in love with him and I don’t want him hurt.”
“He won’t be hurt, I promise.” She soothed, trying to calm him down. In love with the creature! Why… that was… impossible, wasn’t it?
It didn’t matter; the creature had to be bound. She remembered the white cat at the Abhorsen’s house. Mogget. He had spoken to her and he was similar to this Alexander, wasn’t he? Mogget had a collar around him that bound him in cat form. Perhaps she could do something similar.
She quickly imagined the Charter, looking for all the right marks she would need. Marks of binding, definitely, and powerful ones too, because he was a powerful creature. She remembered what Mogget’s collar had looked like and drew the charter marks to match it. They came to her easily now and she lined them up in her mind before the final Master Marks. Stepping bravely forward, she dropped the marks around Alexander’s head. They flowed through her, tingling with bits of free magic, but mostly the golden warmth of the Charter. Alexander gave a startled cry as the magic touched him and started to scramble at his neck. Power flashed around him as he did so, old power, but she held him and held the marks, forcing them upon him. The Charter would bind him. She willed it. And what she willed, she did. Slowly he started to change. It was a weird to look at. An almost melting shifting motion. He grew smaller and furrier until all that was left was a rather large and lanky wolf with scars over his muzzle and a thick leather collar around his neck. The wolf shook himself and looked like he was about to lunge, but she stopped that with a simple, “No! Sit!”
The wolf sat.
“Alexander!” Nick cried out and he went to the wolf, kneeling by it, running his hands through its fur. The wolf whined and licked at his face. He turned back to Serentitel, anger in his eyes. It frightened her for a brief moment, but she stood strong under his glare, “What did you do to him?” he demanded.
“She bound him,” Hedge said, looking at her with approval. “Bound him to her service and to mine.”
“No! Let him go!” And Nick leapt up to tackle Hedge, but the necromancer thrust him aside.
“Why shouldn’t I kill you now?” he asked, drawing his sword.
Serentitel looked at Nick and then at the wolf and back to Nick again, “Father, don’t! We still need him!” and she glanced over at the unbreakable jar. “Besides, he won’t be any trouble as long as we have Zander under our control.” And she pointed to the wolf. He was no longer Alexander, but something less than that, so he should have less than the name he had.
Hedge was silent for a long moment. “Very well.” And he turned to walk away. “I want that jar opened by the time I get back,” he said and then left the tent.
Moodily she turned from watching the Hands work and walked back up to the tent she shared with her father. There she turned over the jar she had found. The jar that held the sliver of metal that once was in Nicholas Sayre. She remembered Nick, the poor boy from across the Wall who didn’t believe in magic. But she had shown him the truth of it. And he was devoted to her, up until he vanished a few weeks ago. That had sent her father into a right row. Up until she had found the jar.
The problem was, she couldn’t get the jar open. It had no lid. And though it looked like it was made of glass it would not break. It was also resistant to both Charter and Free Magic. Sighing she put the jar back and opened up one of her books to read.
She had only been reading a few minutes when footsteps broke her concentration. Looking up, expecting to see her father, she saw Nick walking towards the tent with some weather beaten stranger. Delighted at seeing Nick, she tossed down her book and leapt into his arms.
"Nick!" she cried happily, bouncing up and throwing her arms around him, "You've returned! I've been so worried about you!"
“Serenitiel!” Nick said hugging her back, “I’ve missed you!”
“Where have you been? Father’s been in an uproar since you left. He’s been positively untolerable!” she asked, snuggling into his arms.
"I've been... busy." Nick nodded and played with her beautiful hair. "It was heart-wrenching to be away for so long, I'm sorry!"
And then the stranger spoke, clearing his throat. “Okay, now that’s enough with that,” he said putting a possessive hand on Nick’s shoulder. Serenitiel looked up at him. He looked like a man in forties but there was something wrong about him. Inhuman. He must be some sort of Free Magic Creature, she decided. He felt like one.
“A free magic creature! Where did you find him, Nick?” she asked, looking up into his pale blue eyes. Eyes that seemed so much more alive now that he didn’t have that fragment in him. It made her feel almost sorry for him.
“He’s not…” and Nick blinked a few times as if he was clearing the fog from his mind, “All right, who are you and what did you do to my mind?” he asked and pushed her away.
She frowned and looked frightened, looking at him and then the creature. “It’s me! Serenitiel! I didn't do anything to your mind. Are you feeling well? I'll go get my father, you just wait here.” And she ran off to find her father, quickly before something worse happened to Nick.
She found him by the spheres themselves, deep in concentration. At least he wasn’t in Death. “Father! Come quickly! Nick has returned!” she called out running towards him. This got his attention immediately.
“He has?”
“Yes, he has! He’s back in the tent! Please do hurry; I don’t think he’s well.”
Hedge left his Hands and ran over to her letting her take him by the arm and drag him back by to the tent.
“Not well, how ever do you mean?”
“He didn’t recognize me. It was like something was affecting his mind.”
“That’s not good.” Hedge said, picking up speed. Serenitiel rushed with him.
“There was a free magic creature with him too. It looked like a man, but it wasn’t one. It was very powerful; I think that’s what’s affecting Nick’s mind.”
They had reached the tent as she said this, and the creature was standing there with his sword, of all things, drawn, standing almost protectively in front of Nick. How very strange for the creature to do.
“I’ll have to do something about it,” her father said, drawing bells as he walked into the tent.
“Hello, again. We just keep on running into each other don’t we,” the creature said with a mock smile, but he was watching both of them like a wolf. His odd brown eyes following their every move.
“So we do,” Hedge growled and swung Saraneth concentrating on the creature. A creature he obviously knew. Serentitel thought back to when Nick disappeared. She remembered her father saying something about some sort of creature with Nick. This must be that creature!
Quietly she pulled out her eighth bell and rung it, keeping behind her father, watching the creature. It was a powerful one, struggling against the will of the bells.
Nick frowned as it was happening, “Alexander?” he said worriedly, “What’s wrong?”
This would never do. She slipped over to Nick, tucking her eighth bell away, and tugged on the boy’s arm. “Daddy’s just getting him under control. They’re very dangerous.”
“He’s not dangerous!” Nick protested, “He’s very nice.” And he tried to tug his arm away from her.
Meanwhile Hedge had brought out Ranna to add a web of sleep around the creature, dubbed Alexander by Nick.
“He won’t be dangerous when daddy is done with him. I promise he’ll be okay.” She tugged at Nick again and then, to make him move she put power into her voice, “Nick Please, come with me!”
She felt Nick obey her, mumbling, as he came, “No really, I’m madly in love with him and I don’t want him hurt.”
“He won’t be hurt, I promise.” She soothed, trying to calm him down. In love with the creature! Why… that was… impossible, wasn’t it?
It didn’t matter; the creature had to be bound. She remembered the white cat at the Abhorsen’s house. Mogget. He had spoken to her and he was similar to this Alexander, wasn’t he? Mogget had a collar around him that bound him in cat form. Perhaps she could do something similar.
She quickly imagined the Charter, looking for all the right marks she would need. Marks of binding, definitely, and powerful ones too, because he was a powerful creature. She remembered what Mogget’s collar had looked like and drew the charter marks to match it. They came to her easily now and she lined them up in her mind before the final Master Marks. Stepping bravely forward, she dropped the marks around Alexander’s head. They flowed through her, tingling with bits of free magic, but mostly the golden warmth of the Charter. Alexander gave a startled cry as the magic touched him and started to scramble at his neck. Power flashed around him as he did so, old power, but she held him and held the marks, forcing them upon him. The Charter would bind him. She willed it. And what she willed, she did. Slowly he started to change. It was a weird to look at. An almost melting shifting motion. He grew smaller and furrier until all that was left was a rather large and lanky wolf with scars over his muzzle and a thick leather collar around his neck. The wolf shook himself and looked like he was about to lunge, but she stopped that with a simple, “No! Sit!”
The wolf sat.
“Alexander!” Nick cried out and he went to the wolf, kneeling by it, running his hands through its fur. The wolf whined and licked at his face. He turned back to Serentitel, anger in his eyes. It frightened her for a brief moment, but she stood strong under his glare, “What did you do to him?” he demanded.
“She bound him,” Hedge said, looking at her with approval. “Bound him to her service and to mine.”
“No! Let him go!” And Nick leapt up to tackle Hedge, but the necromancer thrust him aside.
“Why shouldn’t I kill you now?” he asked, drawing his sword.
Serentitel looked at Nick and then at the wolf and back to Nick again, “Father, don’t! We still need him!” and she glanced over at the unbreakable jar. “Besides, he won’t be any trouble as long as we have Zander under our control.” And she pointed to the wolf. He was no longer Alexander, but something less than that, so he should have less than the name he had.
Hedge was silent for a long moment. “Very well.” And he turned to walk away. “I want that jar opened by the time I get back,” he said and then left the tent.
