“Beg pardon, sir,” said ting at to ty officer’s compliments and can you come straight away?”
Colonel doerrupted s morning, and ried several times during to finis was a sign ache.
“’s happening?” he asked, resignedly.
ever o be good.
“An aircraft, sir,” replied te, stolidly.
“From Army hQ? Dropping a message cylinder?”
“I don’t kno’s on the all.”
“!” exclaimed and stempting to rus, all at time.
“Impossible!”
But, ed and got doo tion Post—an octagonal strongpoint t t out ter to y yards of t quite clearly ernoon o setting on t ty tant airborne s he Old Kingdom.
ty Officer cillery spotter’s binoculars, of tion.
to to ter Garrison—tapped he shoulder.
“Jorbert. Mind if I have a look?”
tantly, and en lollipop.
“It’s definitely an aircraft, sir,” ening up as otally silent, like a glider, but it’s clearly poed, too. t, sir.”
ans took up tance. For a moment, see t, and ily panned left and rig ed, almost in a landing approach.
“Sound stand-to,” ion struck t o t—pere.
ed by Jorbert to a sergeant, and t, to be taken up by sentries, duty NCOs, and eventually to of the Officer’s Mess.
It ly , till to t distance. Sabriel, ter of Ab, o stand-do s clattering on ts and corporals sing—and it mig really be Sabriel. t of the full moon . . .
“Jorbert!” o tern.
“Go and give tal Sergeant-Major my compliments, and ask o personally organize a section of ts— and take a closer look at t aircraft.”
“Oenant Jorbert, obviously taking to include least for a moment.
“tell me, Mr. Jorbert,” a transfer to the Flying Corps?”
“ell, yes, sir,” replied Jorbert. “Eigimes . . .”
“Just remember,” errupting ture, not a flying macs pilots may be ted t s all. Not felloors, knig.”
Jorbert nodded, unmilitarily, saluted, and turned on his heel.
“And don’t forget your s time you’re on duty, officer,” er him.
“ anyone told you your revolver mig work?”
Jorbert nodded again, flus saluted, ttled off doion trencion Post, a corporal ing ty years’ service, and a Cer mark on o ser pedigree, s ting back of the young officer.
“errupted sentially dangerous appearance of an aircraft.
“ater on to issue a s as tarily inco a smile. Before ually laug t, o trencion o go beyond the all.
it his smile.
to a perfect landing in a flurry of snooucone sat in it, s cloak, respectively, t to stand knee-deep in tightly packed snow.
toucone smiled at Sabriel, red and eyebroed.
“e made it.”
“So far,” replied Sabriel, ierran side. tone, and it , gone. Dark enougo be wandering around.
toucone’s smile faded as ook so Sabriel. S, but it —another reminder of loss.
“I’d better get too,” so retrieve t. touc t.
out, s sno. Beads of dark, t of its cover. Silently, Sabriel on t of tucked ts of .
“?” asked toucone, trying, and almost succeeding, to sound curious rathan afraid.
“I t’s reacting to t potential o rise. t—”
“Soucone interrupted ing to tended line to a deliberate, steady pace. t least, recognized their backs.
“It’s all rig stab of nervousness toucomacierran side—still, I migs way . . .”
Quickly, s taken everyt, t above its t seemed to look up at her as she spoke.
“Go no to risk you being dragged into Ancelstierre and taken apart.
Fly o, to Aber falls.”
Sepped back, and formed ter marks t o lift it t into le, and tcing along till it leapt into t t note.
“I say!” exclaimed a voice. “?”
Sabriel turned to see a young, out-of-breatierran officer, tenant looking lonely on raps.
y yards in front of t of t seem frigcepped forward.
“! You are my prisoners!”
“Actually, ravelers,” replied Sabriel, tand still. “Is t Colonel horyse I can see behind you?”
Jorbert turned o ake, and turned back just in time to see Sabriel and toucone smiling, t-and-out laugc eacher’s arms.
“’s so funny?” demanded Lieutenant Jorbert, as till tears ran doheir cheeks.
“Noturing to o encircle Sabriel and toucone, esting ter tisfied, ly sill topped ter.
to t an arm around eaco t, toierre and sunshine.
Jorbert, left to cover tly asked t was so funny?”
“You al Sergeant-Major taion, t , two, mark my words.”
t only RSMs completely h a judicious, and long delayed “Sir.”
t blanket as tepped out of to tive of an Ancelstierran autumn. S toucone falter at umble, aring blindly upo the sun.
“You botone someto eat, or some sleep first?”
“Someto eat, certainly,” Sabriel replied, trying to give eful smile. “But not sleep. time for t. tell me—wwo days ago?”
ser.
S time . . .
“It’s tonight,” he said.
“But I’ve been in t least sixteen days . . .”
“time is strange bethe kingdoms,”
rols s for ter eiger . . .”
“t voice, coming from the pole,”
toucone interrupted, as t to a narroion trencer Magic in the voice . . .”
“Ao ’s ricity runs t, Mr.
toucone. Science, not magic.”
“It be onigly. “No technology will be.”
“Yes, it is ratrong voice. More softly, say anytill to my dugout. t tonighe full moon . . .”
“Of course,” replied Sabriel, wearily. “I’m sorry.”
t of tion trencing trenc tand-to positions. tions stopped as t resumed as soon as turned t zig or zag and of sight.
At last, teps into Colonel . ts stood guard outside—time, Cer Mages from t Scouts, not try. Anoto to fetc-burner, and made tea.
Sabriel drank it feeling much relief.
Ancelstierre, and ter of its society—tea—no longer seemed as solid and dependable as s.
“Noo sleep.”
“My faterday,” Sabriel said, stony-faced. “tes onight.
At moonrise. the moon.”
“I’m sorry to your fatated, t as you are you bind the Dead anew?”
“If t inued.
“But to come. he name Kerrigor, Colonel?”
ea down.
“Your fater Dead, I te?”
“More ter, possibly t,”
Sabriel said bleakly. “As far as I knoo also be a Free Magic adept.”
“And a renegade member of the royal family,”
added toucone, ill , unquencea. “And he is no longer imprisoned. he walks in Life.”
“All tinued.
“But too.
Kerrigor’s mastery of Free Magic, and muc on tinual existence of , long ago, —and in Ancelstierre. Near to be exact.”
“And noc . . .” said errible prescience. Outwardly, aining his feelings.
Inrembling t being transmitted to the mug in his hand.
“hen will he come?”
“it,” replied Sabriel. “it of Deato the all, he may come earlier.”
‘‘the sun—” horyse began.
“Kerrigor can her, bring fog or dense cloud.”
“So owards Sabriel, ioning. “Abhorsen.”
Sabriel felt a already pressed upon so answer.
“Kerrigor’s body is in a spelled sarcopop a little , less ty miles ao get troy the body.”
“And t roy Kerrigor?”
‘‘No,” said Sabriel, sfully.
“But it will weaken here may be a chance . . .”
“Rigill got t, but o move quickly. I take it t Kerrigor and his . . .
forces . . . just pop out at Docky Point?”
“No,” agreed Sabriel. “to emerge in Life in t not to try and stop him.”
“I’m afraid do t.” replied horyse.
“t’s er Garrison is here for.”
“A lot of your soldiers o no purpose toucone. “Simply because t gets in Kerrigor’s royed.”
“So you us to just let tierre?”
“Not exactly,” replied Sabriel. “I o fig a time and a place more of our cer mark, and a little Cer Magic, o destroy Kerrigor’s body. Also, tyfive miles from tly lessened, but many of destroying or damaging t to send to Death.”
“And t of t stand aside and let Kerrigor and er?”
“You probably have a choice.”
“I see,” muttered up, and paced backeps, all t unately, or unfortunately perly acting as ter.
General Asurned souto . . . aemporary situation only—Army o give any sort of o ter mark. So the decision is mine . . .”
opped pacing, and stared back at Sabriel and toucone—but o see somety corrugated iron t . Finally, he spoke.
“Very s—but I ac to escort you to . . . ? Docky Point. But I can’t promise figer.”
“e need you, too, Colonel,” Sabriel said, in t follo Cer Mage the Garrison has.”
“Impossible!” ically.
“I’m in command of ter. My responsibilities lie here.”
“You’ll never be able to explain tonight, anyway,”
Sabriel said. “Not to any general doo anyone he all.”
“I’ll . . . I’ll t it ,” tle of a tray and plates tactfully announcing teps. “Come in!”
tered, steam rising around t tray do past him, bellowing.
“Messenger! I tant, Major tindall and tenant Aire from ts, termaster. In tions Room in ten minutes. Oransport Officer too. And aff to stand by for coding.”