The Path (a Sabriel fanfiction) Chapter 12
Summary: Sabriel's father is a young Abhorsen-in-Waiting. His aunt, the Abhorsen, brings him along on a strange mission. Who is the girl they are protecting? What does this mean for the future of the Kingdom? Terciel x Sabriel's Mother.
Warning: PG13 violence, character death
Chapter 11 is here: blackat16.livejournal.com/3013.html
Start from the beginning here: blackat16.livejournal.com/302.html
Or go to the master list: blackat16.livejournal.com/3611.html
For a moment, while the necromancer reeled from the pain and betrayal, his Hands stood idle. Without a strong will commanding them, they were confused and directionless. In that brief window of opportunity, Abhorsen tore through them mercilessly, cutting a path through to Andrael and her father.
She grabbed Andrael by the wrist and threw her so hard towards Terciel that her feet left the ground. The youths were left with their backs against the great, locked gate as the Hands surged into motion once more and encircled Abhorsen, leaving her alone in the middle of the fray.
With the necromancer’s pain and confusion channeled through them, the Hands lashed out wildly and indiscriminately. Many of them fell upon Terciel and Andrael, clawing and gnashing their teeth. Terciel blew frantically into his Saraneth pipe while slashing at his attackers with his sword. Beside him, Andrael grappled with two Hands, turning her anger and heartbreak into berserker strength. Her defiant screams were drowned out by the overwhelming sound of battle.
Even as he fought the unwinnable battle for his life, Terciel couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his teacher. Abhorsen, astride her horse, floated above the sea of Dead. Though their hands reached up for her on all sides, they fell easily under her sword and bells. She crashed through the waves of Hands that rose up against her, scattering their broken bodies over the rocks and snow, sailing over them and towards their master. The necromancer threw more and more Hands between himself and she, trying to buy himself time, but his soul was already having difficulty staying in his damaged body, and his orders were chaotic and confused. She would win, Terciel knew. Nothing could stand against her. But it would be too late, because he was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the onslaught of Dead. By the time Abhorsen reached the necromancer, he and Andrael would be dead.
But then, even as she wielded her sword and bells, Abhorsen also began chanting Charter marks. Terciel tried to concentrate on his own battle even as he watched the marks dance around her, weaving themselves into a spell. Marks for unlocking, and movement, and unsticking, and opening. He barely had time to wonder what she was doing before the grinding and squealing of frozen gears rang out behind him, and the massive gate at their backs began to inch slowly open. Soon, Terciel and Andrael were standing with their backs to a gap just large enough for a person to slip through.
But dividing her attention had cost Abhorsen her concentration. At that moment a Hand managed to duck her blade, climb up the side of her horse, and sink its teeth into her neck.
“ABHORSEN!” Terciel cried, and he began to run out into the melee to help her. But a skinny arm around his waist stopped him before he had taken a step. It was Andrael, and she was pulling him backwards through the gate, into the safety of the city.
He fought to free himself, but she held him with a desperate, iron grip. “I have to help her!” he choked.
“She’s trying to save us, you fool!” Andrael panted into his ear, “Don’t throw your life away!”
More and more Hands latched onto Abhorsen, tearing at her with their nails and teeth. Her blue surcoat looked black from the blood spattering it, and it hung in ribbons from her armor. But even with their weight dangling from her arms, Abhorsen continued to swing her sword. Each slice separated limbs from bodies, and the distance between her and the necromancer continued to shrink.
When the last Hand in her path had fallen, and Abhorsen finally stood face-to-face with her nemesis, she chanced a fleeting look toward the gate. Her eyes found Terciel’s just as Andrael dragged him completely over the threshold and into the city. Before the Hands could follow them through, Abhorsen let go of her end of the string of Charter marks holding the door, and it slammed shut with a bone-shaking boom. The last thing Terciel saw before the gates shut was his aunt, his teacher, the Abhorsen, bringing her sword down on the necromancer before her. At the same time, the weight of dozens of Hands finally overcame her, and she fell from her horse into the waiting hands of the Dead.
The force of the gate shutting had thrown Terciel and Andrael to the ground. Andrael quickly scrambled to her feet, checking to make sure no Hands had made it inside. But Terciel lay in the snow. His legs seemed to have forgotten how to stand, and his lungs how to draw breath. He had seen so much death. It had been a part of him since he was a child. He had learned early that allies, friends, family, and even the Charter were fragile and transient things. But the one constant in his life had been Abhorsen. She had been so certain, and so unshakeable, that she had seemed immortal. In a world that made no sense, as long as he followed her he had direction.
So he followed her one last time.
Andrael saw Terciel’s eyes close, and heard the crackle of the blood on his clothes freezing solid in an instant. “No, don’t!” she tried to say, but he was already gone. Where her face had been there was only the gray light of the First Precinct, and the roar of the river replaced her voice in his ears.
“Good. You’re here,” said a familiar voice. Terciel spun to see Abhorsen standing beside him, staring at him with the same intense, appraising eyes he knew so well. He was about to abandon all dignity and throw his arms around her, but one stern glance stopped him. “Don’t get so emotional, Terciel,” she said, “You knew this day was coming.”
“But not so soon!” he blurted out, “I thought I had more time. I’m not ready!”
“Of course you’re ready,” Abhorsen snapped, not unkindly, “I didn’t train an imbecile. You finished the Book of the Dead years ago. You can use all seven bells. You’re a better-than-adequate Charter mage. There have been many Abhorsens who took up the mantle with far less preparation and warning than you got. And they didn’t whine about it either.”
“I’m not whining about that, I…” he shouted, barely holding back his grief, “I’m not ready to lose you! You’re all I have left!”
“What about the girl?” said Abhorsen calmly, “Isn’t she coming with you?” She smirked at his speechlessness.
“How did you…” he tried.
“You two are quite a bit less subtle than you’d like to think,” said Abhorsen, “And I’m a good deal less deaf.”
“It’s nice to see that dying hasn’t prevented you from being smug,” Terciel sighed.
Abhorsen finally showed a bit of tenderness, clapping a hand on her apprentice’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to make light, Terciel,” she said, “I know you’re hurt. But you’ve been hurt before, and one day you’ll wake up and this will just be another loss on a long list. You have the skills to survive in this world. You have powerful allies. You live in the safest house in the Kingdom, and you’re in love. That’s not a bad way to be, so don’t look so sad.”
“But how will I know what to do without you to lead me?” he said. Abhorsen lifted her hand off his shoulder to smack him lightly upside the head.
“You can think for yourself, can’t you?” she said, “You figure it out; it’s your problem now. It was my problem for thirty-six years, but now I’m done. The only thing I have left to do is make sure that necromancer’s spirit passes through the Ninth gate, and then follow him through myself. Understand?”
Terciel nodded. Abhorsen unclipped her sword from her belt and handed it to him. Then she lifted her bell bandolier off of her shoulders and draped it over his. With a few tugs at his clothing, she straightened him up. When she looked him over there was pride in her eyes. “Look at that,” she said quietly, “I made you into a real Abhorsen, didn’t I?”
Terciel couldn’t see what she saw in him at that moment. But he was surprised to see something new in his teacher. Having taken off her weapons and her surcoat, never to put them back on, she suddenly looked so light and carefree. Her tired, lined face sparkled with some hidden youthful vigor. Terciel realized that he was catching a glimpse of a woman he had never known, who had given up her own name decades ago to be an avatar of the Charter.
“I would have thought you’d be angry to be dead,” he said absently, “You always hated surprises.”
“Well,” she said sheepishly, “It wasn’t much of a surprise after the Clayr told me how and when it would happen.”
Terciel’s jaw dropped. “They told you?” he demanded, “Then you could have found a way to stop it!”
She shook her head. “They were very clear on that point at least,” she said, “To save the Kingdom, I had to take Andrael to the gates of Sindle and die there. Now the rest is up to her.”
“But that’s so… unfair!” said Terciel. She only laughed.
“I’ll admit that that was my first reaction as well,” she said, “But we both know that there are worse things than death. And as for me… I’m starting to like the idea.”
“Of dying?”
“Of something new. This is the path I’ve been on since I was born. I didn’t choose it. I didn’t even particularly like it. But I made the best of it, and now I’m walking the very last stretch. After all the death I’ve seen, I’m looking forward to a little rest.”
With a happy sigh, she began to wade towards the First gate. But Terciel still couldn’t let her go. Neither of them had ever been the kind of people to talk at length about their feelings. They just assumed that certain things were understood. But it didn’t seem right, somehow, to leave so much unsaid. “Wait,” Terciel said, and the former Abhorsen turned to listen, “Mother died when I was so young, and you’ve taken care of me… You were more than a teacher to me. For a long time, I’ve thought of you as… a mother.”
In two strides, she returned to him and pulled him into an embrace so tight that the bell bandolier dug into his chest. She whispered into his ear, “Wherever it is that I’m going, I’ll miss you too.” Then she let go just as quickly, and it was almost as if it had never happened.
They went their separate ways, she into the cold depths of Death and he back into Life, where the cold reached his bones but not his soul. He opened his eyes to see Andrael staring down at him, worried. He sat up slowly, adjusting to the strange weight of the bells on his chest. Andrael saw them there, and her face told him that she understood. She took his hand and helped pull him to his feet.
Some of the people of the town had ventured out of their houses, investigating the noise. They stood watching the pair at the gate, waiting to see if they would attack. Terciel stepped forward. It was his first step on a path that had been waiting for him since he had first cracked open the Book of the Dead.
“I am Abhorsen,” he said, “You’re safe now.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment.
The epilogue is here: blackat16.livejournal.com/3444.html
Warning: PG13 violence, character death
Chapter 11 is here: blackat16.livejournal.com/3013.html
Start from the beginning here: blackat16.livejournal.com/302.html
Or go to the master list: blackat16.livejournal.com/3611.html
For a moment, while the necromancer reeled from the pain and betrayal, his Hands stood idle. Without a strong will commanding them, they were confused and directionless. In that brief window of opportunity, Abhorsen tore through them mercilessly, cutting a path through to Andrael and her father.
She grabbed Andrael by the wrist and threw her so hard towards Terciel that her feet left the ground. The youths were left with their backs against the great, locked gate as the Hands surged into motion once more and encircled Abhorsen, leaving her alone in the middle of the fray.
With the necromancer’s pain and confusion channeled through them, the Hands lashed out wildly and indiscriminately. Many of them fell upon Terciel and Andrael, clawing and gnashing their teeth. Terciel blew frantically into his Saraneth pipe while slashing at his attackers with his sword. Beside him, Andrael grappled with two Hands, turning her anger and heartbreak into berserker strength. Her defiant screams were drowned out by the overwhelming sound of battle.
Even as he fought the unwinnable battle for his life, Terciel couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his teacher. Abhorsen, astride her horse, floated above the sea of Dead. Though their hands reached up for her on all sides, they fell easily under her sword and bells. She crashed through the waves of Hands that rose up against her, scattering their broken bodies over the rocks and snow, sailing over them and towards their master. The necromancer threw more and more Hands between himself and she, trying to buy himself time, but his soul was already having difficulty staying in his damaged body, and his orders were chaotic and confused. She would win, Terciel knew. Nothing could stand against her. But it would be too late, because he was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the onslaught of Dead. By the time Abhorsen reached the necromancer, he and Andrael would be dead.
But then, even as she wielded her sword and bells, Abhorsen also began chanting Charter marks. Terciel tried to concentrate on his own battle even as he watched the marks dance around her, weaving themselves into a spell. Marks for unlocking, and movement, and unsticking, and opening. He barely had time to wonder what she was doing before the grinding and squealing of frozen gears rang out behind him, and the massive gate at their backs began to inch slowly open. Soon, Terciel and Andrael were standing with their backs to a gap just large enough for a person to slip through.
But dividing her attention had cost Abhorsen her concentration. At that moment a Hand managed to duck her blade, climb up the side of her horse, and sink its teeth into her neck.
“ABHORSEN!” Terciel cried, and he began to run out into the melee to help her. But a skinny arm around his waist stopped him before he had taken a step. It was Andrael, and she was pulling him backwards through the gate, into the safety of the city.
He fought to free himself, but she held him with a desperate, iron grip. “I have to help her!” he choked.
“She’s trying to save us, you fool!” Andrael panted into his ear, “Don’t throw your life away!”
More and more Hands latched onto Abhorsen, tearing at her with their nails and teeth. Her blue surcoat looked black from the blood spattering it, and it hung in ribbons from her armor. But even with their weight dangling from her arms, Abhorsen continued to swing her sword. Each slice separated limbs from bodies, and the distance between her and the necromancer continued to shrink.
When the last Hand in her path had fallen, and Abhorsen finally stood face-to-face with her nemesis, she chanced a fleeting look toward the gate. Her eyes found Terciel’s just as Andrael dragged him completely over the threshold and into the city. Before the Hands could follow them through, Abhorsen let go of her end of the string of Charter marks holding the door, and it slammed shut with a bone-shaking boom. The last thing Terciel saw before the gates shut was his aunt, his teacher, the Abhorsen, bringing her sword down on the necromancer before her. At the same time, the weight of dozens of Hands finally overcame her, and she fell from her horse into the waiting hands of the Dead.
The force of the gate shutting had thrown Terciel and Andrael to the ground. Andrael quickly scrambled to her feet, checking to make sure no Hands had made it inside. But Terciel lay in the snow. His legs seemed to have forgotten how to stand, and his lungs how to draw breath. He had seen so much death. It had been a part of him since he was a child. He had learned early that allies, friends, family, and even the Charter were fragile and transient things. But the one constant in his life had been Abhorsen. She had been so certain, and so unshakeable, that she had seemed immortal. In a world that made no sense, as long as he followed her he had direction.
So he followed her one last time.
Andrael saw Terciel’s eyes close, and heard the crackle of the blood on his clothes freezing solid in an instant. “No, don’t!” she tried to say, but he was already gone. Where her face had been there was only the gray light of the First Precinct, and the roar of the river replaced her voice in his ears.
“Good. You’re here,” said a familiar voice. Terciel spun to see Abhorsen standing beside him, staring at him with the same intense, appraising eyes he knew so well. He was about to abandon all dignity and throw his arms around her, but one stern glance stopped him. “Don’t get so emotional, Terciel,” she said, “You knew this day was coming.”
“But not so soon!” he blurted out, “I thought I had more time. I’m not ready!”
“Of course you’re ready,” Abhorsen snapped, not unkindly, “I didn’t train an imbecile. You finished the Book of the Dead years ago. You can use all seven bells. You’re a better-than-adequate Charter mage. There have been many Abhorsens who took up the mantle with far less preparation and warning than you got. And they didn’t whine about it either.”
“I’m not whining about that, I…” he shouted, barely holding back his grief, “I’m not ready to lose you! You’re all I have left!”
“What about the girl?” said Abhorsen calmly, “Isn’t she coming with you?” She smirked at his speechlessness.
“How did you…” he tried.
“You two are quite a bit less subtle than you’d like to think,” said Abhorsen, “And I’m a good deal less deaf.”
“It’s nice to see that dying hasn’t prevented you from being smug,” Terciel sighed.
Abhorsen finally showed a bit of tenderness, clapping a hand on her apprentice’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to make light, Terciel,” she said, “I know you’re hurt. But you’ve been hurt before, and one day you’ll wake up and this will just be another loss on a long list. You have the skills to survive in this world. You have powerful allies. You live in the safest house in the Kingdom, and you’re in love. That’s not a bad way to be, so don’t look so sad.”
“But how will I know what to do without you to lead me?” he said. Abhorsen lifted her hand off his shoulder to smack him lightly upside the head.
“You can think for yourself, can’t you?” she said, “You figure it out; it’s your problem now. It was my problem for thirty-six years, but now I’m done. The only thing I have left to do is make sure that necromancer’s spirit passes through the Ninth gate, and then follow him through myself. Understand?”
Terciel nodded. Abhorsen unclipped her sword from her belt and handed it to him. Then she lifted her bell bandolier off of her shoulders and draped it over his. With a few tugs at his clothing, she straightened him up. When she looked him over there was pride in her eyes. “Look at that,” she said quietly, “I made you into a real Abhorsen, didn’t I?”
Terciel couldn’t see what she saw in him at that moment. But he was surprised to see something new in his teacher. Having taken off her weapons and her surcoat, never to put them back on, she suddenly looked so light and carefree. Her tired, lined face sparkled with some hidden youthful vigor. Terciel realized that he was catching a glimpse of a woman he had never known, who had given up her own name decades ago to be an avatar of the Charter.
“I would have thought you’d be angry to be dead,” he said absently, “You always hated surprises.”
“Well,” she said sheepishly, “It wasn’t much of a surprise after the Clayr told me how and when it would happen.”
Terciel’s jaw dropped. “They told you?” he demanded, “Then you could have found a way to stop it!”
She shook her head. “They were very clear on that point at least,” she said, “To save the Kingdom, I had to take Andrael to the gates of Sindle and die there. Now the rest is up to her.”
“But that’s so… unfair!” said Terciel. She only laughed.
“I’ll admit that that was my first reaction as well,” she said, “But we both know that there are worse things than death. And as for me… I’m starting to like the idea.”
“Of dying?”
“Of something new. This is the path I’ve been on since I was born. I didn’t choose it. I didn’t even particularly like it. But I made the best of it, and now I’m walking the very last stretch. After all the death I’ve seen, I’m looking forward to a little rest.”
With a happy sigh, she began to wade towards the First gate. But Terciel still couldn’t let her go. Neither of them had ever been the kind of people to talk at length about their feelings. They just assumed that certain things were understood. But it didn’t seem right, somehow, to leave so much unsaid. “Wait,” Terciel said, and the former Abhorsen turned to listen, “Mother died when I was so young, and you’ve taken care of me… You were more than a teacher to me. For a long time, I’ve thought of you as… a mother.”
In two strides, she returned to him and pulled him into an embrace so tight that the bell bandolier dug into his chest. She whispered into his ear, “Wherever it is that I’m going, I’ll miss you too.” Then she let go just as quickly, and it was almost as if it had never happened.
They went their separate ways, she into the cold depths of Death and he back into Life, where the cold reached his bones but not his soul. He opened his eyes to see Andrael staring down at him, worried. He sat up slowly, adjusting to the strange weight of the bells on his chest. Andrael saw them there, and her face told him that she understood. She took his hand and helped pull him to his feet.
Some of the people of the town had ventured out of their houses, investigating the noise. They stood watching the pair at the gate, waiting to see if they would attack. Terciel stepped forward. It was his first step on a path that had been waiting for him since he had first cracked open the Book of the Dead.
“I am Abhorsen,” he said, “You’re safe now.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment.
The epilogue is here: blackat16.livejournal.com/3444.html