《Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy)》


 Prologue

    It tle more to t t  a cloud in sig, and a steady rain  begun to fall, coming faster tents could be raised.

    t  over to turned face belo in a cloud of  tient.

    traig single movement telling tco knoaggered into t camp  on to t  even as tically small form beside t ss ill.

    “too?” asked one of tcer fresism.”

    up to brusopped, as a pale  motion.

    “Peace!” said a calm voice. “I wish you no harm.”

    te s grip and tepped into t. tc  cer marks, or gone to borings and s, did not relax.

    trode tourned to face tco reveal taken pat, for  e.

    “I am called Ab ripples t  a large and o a pool of stagnant er. “And tism tonight.”

    ter Mage looked doravelers, our life lived under t is often h, lord.”

    “Not as I do,” replied Abe face crinkled at te teet yet dead.”

    tried to meet Ab faltered and looked a ill a woman said, “So.

    It is easily done. Sign t Leovi’s Ford. Join us when you are finished here.”

    ter Mage inclined , and ted ao pack up tance of o move, but filled er reluctance to remain near Abs, and unspoken fears.

    to lay t. You will be needed.”

    t it illness, could be merely sleeping. S to ter Mage.

    “If ter does not—” began t Aberrupted.

    “Let us see er wills.”

    t the child again and sighed.

    took a small bottle from  aloft, crying out a c t er; one t listed all t lived or gre ogether.

    As  came to ttle, pulsing . ter . ouctle to to t over the child.

    A great flas t cried: “By ter t binds all thee—”

    Normally, ts of the name. here, only Abhorsen spoke, and he said: “Sabriel.”

    As tered t’s foreer ed tism.

    “But . . . but ser Mage, gingerly touco make sure truly gone.

    no ansaring across t Abaring at—noted t did not see them.

    Sloo rise from otled to ting to get a nooo afraid to run.

    he child crying, which was good.

    If s gateringent  preparations, and a subsequent dilution of .

    t rong, but  pools and eddies t o drag ers leac, but rong, so took only t tance.

    o listen, and ened fore to pass.

    t Gate , o to, and topped. t yet passed t only because somet anding t of ters, was a se.

    It  s burning o see eyes, and tid stenc—a enc relieved the river.

    Abc  restless, and it squirmed toure, seeking a mot, but it only self, as if t, or caustic.

    Sloo ring it. But thery voice, like a snake on gravel.

    “Spirit of your spirit, Ab spell me wake e, as her has already gone.”

    Abion, and replaced t Gate. o assist you so far?”

    Kerrigor smiled widely, and Ab a glimpse of fires burning deep inside h.

    “One of t unskilled.  realize it ure of an exc sufficient for me to pass t portal. But now, you o help me.”

    “I, we?”

    “Yes,”  if you  the child . . .”

    o to tream and,  jerk, le fists reac to gatuff of Kerrigor like t, tried to detac tiny igo overuse rengtantly caug Abche river and Kerrigor’s grasping hands.

    Stepping back,  so it sounded t true, and tting, alive. Kerrigor flinc to t e.

    “Some fool , as took ers seady flow.

    Abared at te for a time, t,  looked at tared back at ching his own.

    Already, t t er mark  ained   had so burned Kerrigor.

    S tle, and Ab a smile tilting till smiling, urned, and began to te t urn to their living flesh.

    t second before Ab to pick  crackled on ter a birth.

    “ared at e as he.

    “As you  is pertle cold for her—”

    ured at t roared into life, t melting at once, to steam.

    “t ill morning,” said Abhorsen.

    “take o my house. I shall have need of a nurse.ill you come?”

    tated, and looked to ter Mage, o meet  ttle girl bawling in her arms.

    “You are . . . you are . . .” whe midwife.

    “A necromancer?” said Ab. I loved t s. Sabriel is our c see the kinship?”

    t  forook Sabriel from . tened and, in a few seconds, was asleep.

    “Yes,” said ter Sabriel. But you must find a -nurse . . .”

    “And I daresay muc my  a place for—”

    ter Mage cleared , and moved around the fire.

    “If you seek a man er,” antly, “I so serve, for I s o leave my fellow wanderers.”

    “Per o,” replied Ab a sudden t. “I  to travel, and t of t  felt t of my feet.”

    “Your tle, t was no longer cold.

    “Yes,” said Ab not of t raise to rest. And t  rest, I bind—or try to. I am Abhorsen . . .”

    t e of surprise, “Father of Sabriel.”

 chapter 1

    t es before. Its pink eyes ained its clean urally clean fur, for it  escaped from a bat still smelt faintly of lavender er.

    A tall, curiously pale young ood over t. -black ly over her face.

    So ion navy blazer. t, coupled , stockings and sensible sified e under t cro.

    t ionably, dead. Sabriel looked up from it and back along t left to an imposing pair of e, in gilt letters of mock Got tes to yverley College. Smaller letters added t tablisy.”

    A small figure e, nimbly avoiding t o stop sucivities. S fe and started running, ails flying, so gain momentum, but as cruising speed ablis, and screamed.

    “Bunny!”

    Sabriel flincated for a moment, t do’s side and reac o touc bets long ears.  as if surned to stone. A faint ed lips, like t formed on ips and rimed t beneat and knees.

    tip for, and topple to at t minute  and s er, so restrain t—a rabbit nos eyes brigo be off as s bath.

    “Bunny!” sood up,  by ts neck. “O . . .”

    Sered as Sabriel  over and blood stained ant hands.

    “h,” Sabriel replied wearily.

    “A scratc’s already closed up.”

    Jacint Sabriel, t the back of her eyes.

    “t anytammered Jacint did you . . .”

    “I didn’t,” snapped Sabriel. “But perell me  of bounds?”

    “Ced to a more normal situation.

    “You see . . .”

    “No excuses,” recited Sabriel. “Remember  Assembly on Monday.”

    “It’s not an excuse,” insisted Jacint’s a reason.”

    “You can explain it to Mrs. Umbrade then.”

    “O! You know I was only c—”

    Sabriel , and gestured back to tes.

    “If you’re back inside es, I  e time. t be locked till I go back inside.”

    Jacintc cill se, t tremors take ill s over, s of  and Jacint so muc  lead to? It  step from bringing back a rabbit to bringing back a person.

    orse, it  t rig turned it ure of pocer symbols as tepped from deato life. S even needed bells, or tus of a necromancer.

    Only a wle and her will.

    Deat came after deat mystery to Sabriel. S wis was.

    It  term at yverley—t t. Sed already, coming first in Englis in Music, tics, seventing Arts and fourtiquette. S in Magic, but t  printed on tificate. Magic only ierre close to t o be quite beyond t existed at all, and persons of repute did not mention it.

    yverley College y miles from tation, and taugo tudents s.

    Sabriel’s fat for t reason o seek a boarding sc first year, in Old Kingdom silver deniers t stood up to surreptitious touch cold iron.

    ter, o visit er t Midsummer and Mider, staying for several days on each occasion and always bringing more silver.

    Understandably, tress icularly since sroubled by ations, as most other girls would be. Once Mrs.

    Umbrade roubled by t Sabriel saually t teac  to kno it ot fact t some parents o ers scment.

    Mrs. Umbrade certainly didn’t  to knocracing its movements from ted ts into tides and ot  any one time on bothe all.

    Ab the moon.

    On ts, Sabriel o sneak into t ttle on tea and read a book until teristic inguis out tric ligtled tters—all necessary preparations, it seemed, for  sending to appear in the spare armchair.

    Sabriel icularly looking foro  t November. It  to end and sed to discuss ure. Mrs. Umbrade ed o go to university, but t meant moving furtal visitations ed to actual p  . On to university aying ually all arted sc ter eraction, particularly y tinct sage around yverley College.

    And tage of losing  by a lessening of y for deathe dead . . .

    Sabriel ed, book in ea balanced precariously on t  midnig appeared. Sabriel ers to peer out t t ely t t  time in   appeared and s suddenly uneasy.

    Sabriel rarely t about  noories came to mind and dim memories of hen . . .

    “Sabriel! Sabriel!”

    A cerrupted , quickly follotle of t of  teacup and unlocked the door.

    A young girl stood on ting cap from side to side in trembling e h fear.

    “Ol? Is Sussen sick again?”

    “No,” sobbed to it   me, so I looked . . .”

    “!” exclaimed Sabriel, alarmed. No one opened outside doors in t, not to the Old Kingdom.

    “I’m sorry,” cried Ol mean to. I don’t kno Rebece and Ila— it ried to get in. I slammed the door . . .”

    Sabriel teacup aside and pus Olment of good c and broke into a run, slapping on t sco dormitory. As s, screams broke out inside, rapidly crescendoing to an erical cy girls in tory—most of t Form, all under took a deep breatepped into ting stance. Even before s th.

    tory  to t toeps. It o be locked inside and out, but locks rarely prevailed against the Old Kingdom.

    tensely dark sood t a man-s of t, carefully cars. It ures at all, but ted from side to side, as if  did possess worked in a narrow range.

    Curiously, it carried an absolutely mundane sack in one four-fingered ark contrast to its own surreal flesh.

    Sabriel’s ed gesture, draer t intimated sleep, quiet and rest. ited botory and dreer symbols, draogether.

    Instantly, every girl in topped screaming and sloo her bed.

    ture’s opped moving and Sabriel knes attention ered on  moved, lifting one clumsy leg and s foring for a moment, ttle past t. A lumbering, rolling motion, t made an eerie, s. As it passed eacric lig out.

    Sabriel let o er of ture’s torso, feeling tuff of s or tools, but t led to only a moment’s ation before s o Deatill on truder.

    t, grey and  ill stretco an entirely flat ance, s Gate. Sure’s true s  carried to t elligent. But to it t, and Sabriel felt tc came from ture’s back and ran into the river.

    Somee, or even furt umbilical rested in t. As long as ted ture otally under trol of its master,  as it sa.

    Sometugged at Sabriel’s pantly tco t feeling of nausea rising in h-chilled body.

    “ is it?” said a calm voice, close to Sabriel’s ear. An old voice, tinged er Magic—Miss Greenrix of the school.

    “It’s a Dead servant—a spirit form,” replied  Sabriel, tention back on ture. It er t free will.

    Somet it back to t’s controlled from beyond t Gate.”

    “ rix.  Sabriel felt ter symbols gatongue—symbols t ructive poh.

    “It’s not obviously malign, nor  attempted any actual ies. So explaining purely necromantic aspects of magic to Miss Greenrix auger Magic, but necromancy ely not on ted to kno necromancy from hemselves.

    “Don’t do anyt. I tempt to speak .”

    ting into o pull  ed ion,  danger, t merely a pleasing vibration about t.

    ture   bot es, and too, s sounds he handclap.

    t tepped back, putting boto its ears. As it did so, it dropped tarted in surprise.

    S noticed t expected it to be te ted in bothe dead.

    Sure suddenly bent foro ter,  found it almost at once, but not  losing its footing. As t forced ture under. Sabriel breat slide as  cried out: “Sabriel! My messenger!  take the voice was Abhorsen’s.

    Sabriel ran fororied again. t took ture completely under.

    Sabriel looked after it,  Gate suddenly increase as it alarted to slog back against t to a point o life. tomacruly Abo return to the living.

    And t meant rapped by somet se.

    Once again, a ention ened on t need to look to kno ture s manifestation into ts spirit  t Gate. Only a pile of grave mold o be s aside in the morning.

    “ did you do?” asked trix, as Sabriel brusals falling from o t lay in front of her knees.

    “It ook it.”

    S met  out, still scabbarded, and put it to one side. S need to dra to see ter symbols etcs blade—ted crossguard o lery. It was Abhorsen’s sword.

    t next , a ly of beesubular leat, starting tle; groill t to be ,  and pulled out a tiny silver bell,  gently, but till se t someer the sound was gone.

    “Fatruments,” whispered Sabriel.

    “tools of a necromancer.”

    “But ter marks engraved on terjected trix, wion.

    “Necromancy is Free Magic, not governed by ter . . .”

    “Fat,” replied Sabriel distantly, still staring at t raising.  of ter.”

    “You’re going to be leaving us, aren’t you?”

    trix said suddenly, as Sabriel replaced tood up, s, in tion of the all . . .”

    “Yes. Into tion. “Someto Fat I’ll find er I bear.”

    Soucer mark on  it migrix nodded and touco terns of time. As it faded, rustling noises and faint ory.

    “I’ll s to trix said firmly. “You’d better go and . . .

    prepare for tomorrow.”

    Sabriel nodded and left, trying to fix icalities of t could o her.

    Sake a cab as early as possible into Bain, t too tierre perimeter t faced ternoon . . .

    Bes kept jumping back to Ab could o trap  could so do about it, even if s to the Old Kingdom?

 chapter ii

    ter in Ancelstierre ran from coast to coast, parallel to t. Concertina ing steel pickets; forerlocking netrence pillboxes. Many of trong points o control t, and almost as mucretcrenche rear.

    In fact, ter ierre out of t  preventing ther way.

    Anyto cross tained enougo assume to become invisible and simply go s, ar bombs—  all, particularly he Old Kingdom.

    Due to ty of tecierran soldiers of ter garrison tledress, s and carried extremely old-fass in er garrison only,” ory kly painted regimental or personal signs. Camouflage  considered an issue at ticular posting.

    Sabriel coon of young soldiers marc ted for tourists ao stampede out t door, and  of trange duties. Most s from far to t over t t of as reality. ential bremosporm.

    tself looked normal enoug teland of renc like any ot. It one and old, about forty feet ed. Notil tion set in t it  state of preservation. And for t, tones craer marks—marks in constant motion, ting and turning, sliding and rearranging tone.

    tion of strangeness lay beyond t ierre side, and t Sabriel could see snoeadily beered rigo topped, as if some mighe sky.

    Sabriel ced by letterpress, type  ridges in tten annotations ten in a  o be expected  under tive calendars for eacry.

    Ancelstierre umn. Likely to be cool.”

    ter. Bound to be snowing. Skis or snowshoes.”

    t tourist left, eager to reacion platform. Alt discouraged tourists, and tion for ty miles of to come and vieoed well beer.

    Even ten cancelled, for oourists oo see it start again just as mysteriously as it stopped.

    ties also made some sligo travel from Ancelstierre to ter siated teps ry skis, stocks and sening to go in different directions. A large sign next to top proclaimed:  PERIMEtER COMMAND NORter Zone is strictly forbidden.

    Anyone attempting to cross ter Zone  warning.

    Autravelers must report to ter Command h.Q.

    REMEMBER— NO ARNING ILL BE MADE Sabriel read te erest, and felt a quickening sense of excitement start hin her.

    ive of a c s a sense of mystery and er Magic s around umened parade ground, and t warning sign. And muchan yverley College.&lt;u&gt;ｈｔｔｐ://ｗｗｗ?９9ｌｉｂ?nｅｔ&lt;/u&gt;

    But t feeling of ement  came laced  s s migo  might have already happened . . .

    ting  in tion of a bitumen parade ground, lined e-painted rocks, and a number of unprepossessing , tion trenc sank into to trencifications t confronted the all.

    Sabriel studied t of one trenc foro to be carrying spears rater  for modern  manned by people expecting sometion  t ter o admit t ter  from any otested border. Up until a  century or so ago, tierre side. A lo a successful one.

    Recalling t conversation,  a loion of , s o be loose pickets betina —tall constructs more like trunks of small trees stripped of every branco  s place hey were.

    Sabriel ill staring at t very pleasant voice erupted a little way be ear.

    “ do you t loiter about o tower!”

    Sabriel urned as quickly as socks t. Andreo a large but fairly young soldier, acial ambition t  Sabriel alc, and ely catalogued  of natural bureaucrat currently disguised as a soldier.

    “I am a citizen of tly, staring back into e augo instruct lesser domestic servants in Etiquette IV. “I am returning there.”

    “Papers!” demanded ter a moment’s ation at the words “Old Kingdom.”

    Sabriel gave a frosty smile (also part of Miss Prionte’s curriculum) and made a ritual movement ips of c  of unic. Finger-sketcierre passport, as  tierre Perimeter Command issued to people ries: a  printed by letterpress on ist’s sketcead of a pograps from toes in a purple ink.

    t said not Sabriel, as ook ts, t it rick. Or per didn’t notice. Maybe Cer Magic he all.

    ts carefully, but  real interest. Sabriel no certain t ant from t. arted to er mark for a snatcco flick t of o  before  w was going on.

    But, in t second of motion, s ter Magic to eittering of umen.  o side. Soldiers  of ts and out of trencs in t the shoulder.

    Several of t ser Mages. t o steps, tie o  strongly cast.

    Instinctively, Sabriel’s mind and o t  ed and fell into t the blow.

    At time, a soldier ran a glinting on tars on .

    “Stop!” ed. “Corporal, step back from her!”

    to ter Magic, blind to t signs, looked up from ures. s, and stumbled back.

    In  it meant to use magic on ter, and sely still, blanking out tly made signs in c before tearing loose and clattering onto towards .

    Sreaks of silver, plated onto tten Cer symbols, and understood. to kill t  her own side.

    ted—an officer, Sabriel realized—bent down and picked up s.

    udied t, t Sabriel. ure of  Sabriel found familiar, t place it—till sher’s eyes.

    Ab they held a similar feeling.

    t, tucked it in  and tilted  back ill gloiously, Sabriel lifted  dissuade   o toucouc to some endless galaxy of stars. But tars er symbols, linked in some great dance t  contained and described ts movement. Sabriel kneion of t s t ty of ter wash over her.

    “An unsullied Cer mark,” to ture or sending.”

    ty catc move, ill staring at Sabriel, as if  .

    “S back to tranger ime ay clear of t stay alive! “So,” aking ts from  and o Sabriel. “You are  ter of Ab of t to call ter Reconaissance Unit and everyone else calls t Scouts—a someley collection of Ancelstierrans wo gain a Cer mark and some small knowledge of magic.”

    “Pleased to meet you, sir,” popped out of Sabriel’s scrained moutifle it. A sc a blush rise in her pale cheeks.

    “Likehe Colonel, bending down.

    “May I take your skis?”

    “If you y.

    tied tocks to tened t ucked t under one muscular arm.

    “I take it you intend to cross into t of ed at t sign on to cer ies, but it s take long.

    Is someone . . . Abo meet you?”

    ered a little as ioned Abrange stutter in so confident a man. Sabriel glanced at

    to t.

    Obviously  a necromancer, but anyone whe bells.

    “Did . . . do you knoher?” she asked.

    “o visit me, twice a year. I guess hrough here.”

    “Yes, I saed  I first met y years ago, wed ern.

    It range time—a very bad time, for me and everyone on ter.”

    ride, boots cras teness of Sabriel’s skin, stark against tumen under t.

    “You’re a necromancer,” ly. “So you’ll probably understand. t  oo many battles, too many dead.

    Before ts doook tral command, t en years, up to t gate on t forty years ago some . . . bureaucrat . . . decreed t t.

    It e of public money. to be, t. Never mind t t, over time, tration of deat everything would . . .”

    “Not stay dead,” interrupted Sabriel quietly.

    “Yes. rouble  beginning. Corpses  stay buried—our people or Old Kingdom creatures. Soldiers killed turn up on parade.

    Creatures prevented from crossing hey were alive.”

    “ did you do?” asked Sabriel. S deal about binding and enforcing true deat not on sucures nearby noively felt terface bet   y miles a yverley College.

    “Our Cer Mages tried to deal  ter symbols to . . . make to destroy times t  . e o rotate troops back to Bain or even furt for to recover from s of mass eria or madness.

    “I  a Cer Mage t I rols into to learn. On one patrol,  a man sitting by a Cer Stone, on top of a  overlooked boter.

    “As erested in ter, trol t  to bear a corrupted Cer, or  , of course. It he Dead.

    “e escorted   kno I imagine it urn, o be granted citizensierre and freedom to cross tainly s after t. In any case,  t fees you can see among the wire . . .”

    “A tes. t explains a lot.”

    “I’m glad you understand,” said till don’t. For one tter er symbols on t ed placing t . . . t gradually disappeared, and no new ones rose.”

    t sign stood next to a communication trencer Garrison  for Sentry.”

    A telep and a bell-comy of ter.

    Colonel , ened for a moment, t. Frowning, imes in quick succession.

    “Anyed for  try. “ever it  ed to Ab makes er an .”

    “I may be less ly. Sated, for it alk about Ab tears coming to inued quickly, to get it over and done o to . . .

    to look for my fato him.”

    “I o carry o t arm, freeing , to return te of tries ion trencs.

    “taking a deep breato stop o sobs. “rapped in Death . . . or . . . or he may even be dead. And his bindings will be broken.”

    “tes?” asked e dying out o he Dead here?”

    “tes play a song only h,”

    replied Sabriel, “continuing a binding laid doied to es will he Dead.

    they will bind no more.”

 chapter III

    “I am not one to blame a messenger for idings,” said ea over to Sabriel, able c  you bring t news I have heard for many years.”

    “At least I am a living messenger . . . and a friendly one,” Sabriel said quietly. S really t beyond o expand o understand t

    to different people. udy at yverley College, cting about ierre tecer Magic and necromancy—ed vieing t only captured one dimension of the man.

    “il Abo Sabriel’s remembrance of eacup in udy disappeared, banisea slopping over in her enamel mug and burning her fingers.

    “O till w?”

    “terated, patiently. “ill the dead are free?”

    Sabriel t back to  grimoire s every  s of it still made her shudder.

    It looked innocuous enougarnis if you looked closely, botcer marks. Marks of binding and blinding, closing and imprisonment. Only a trained necromancer could open t book . . .

    and only an uncorrupted Cer Mage could  close it.  it s, and alook it a the end.

    “It depends,” so consider tion objectively,  letting emotion interfere. Sried to recall t ses, ters on music and ture of sound in truly dead, tes  under t of t full moon. If rapped before te, tinue until ter icularly strong spirit breaks the weakened bonds.”

    “So tell, in time,” said horyse.

    “e een days till it is full.”

    “It is possible I could bind the dead anew,”

    Sabriel said cautiously. “I mean, I  done it on t of scale. But I kno beyond te, to , I must get to hings . . . check some references.”

    “ing look on his face.

    “I don’t know,” replied Sabriel.

    “?”

    “I don’t kno four. I t’s supposed to be a secret.

    Fat just among tty necromancers, Free Magic sorcerers, ches—”

    “You don’t seem disturbed by your lack of directions,” interrupted t time, a  of doubt, even fat into  due to er Mage and necromancer.

    “Fataugo o call a guide wions,” replied Sabriel coolly.

    “And I kno’s less travel away.”

    t silenced  least for t.

    anding cautiously, so   t, o a steel filing cabinet t ing from t oozed betment.

    Opening t iced  out on table.

    “e’ve never been able to get our  —it just looked like a square of calfskin to me. A small magic,  since  teac, per so small . . .

    Anyest version of our patrol map, so it only goes out about ten miles from t. tanding orders strictly forbid us to go further.

    Patrols tend not to come back beyond t distance.

    Maybe t, or maybe . . .”

    one of voice suggested t even nastier to trols, but Sabriel didn’t question ion of t on table and, once again, excitement stirred up hin her.

    “e generally go out along tracing it  sandpapering of a master craftsman. “trols s or sout, till t the all.

    t back to te.”

    “ does ting to a blacked-in square atop one of ther hills.

    “t’s a Cer Stone,” replied the Colonel.

    “Or part of one no ruck by ligrols arted to call it Cloven Crest, and t if possible. Its true name is Barone once carried ter for a village of time, anyill exists it must be furtrols. e’ve never s of inants from it coming souto Cloven Crest. t is, op.

    to seraction s, travelers and so on—but encounters   ty. trols o see even t is, not creatures or Free Magic constructs, or too many of those.”

    “I don’t understand,” muttered Sabriel. “Faten used to talk of villages and toies, in t of remember . . . I think.”

    “Furto tainly,”

    replied tion quite a feoies. e kno t say it h any fondness.”

    Sabriel didn’t ans lay a mig. It  miles afall if s fairly soon, and if it  snooo er Stone did not bode  to Deato tread. Cer Stones en erected en natural dooro t a s t of o he map.

    S ill s ouc of .

    “I er almost your age,” ly. “Back in Corvere,  let o the Old Kingdom.”

    Sabriel met  tain, flickering beacons of adolescence.

    “I am only eigside,”

    souc   ful motion. “But I first ered a Fifte Rester e. een I stalked and banis t came near t, but still . . . A year ago, I turned t feel young anymore.”

    “I am sorry for t,” said t as if  I y t goes  I don’t  imes a path.”

    “‘Does ted, t er Magic, tion in t of her almanac.

    t  page, of the Dead.

    “I’ve  before,” remarked horyse.

    “ does it mean?”

    “I don’t know,” said Sabriel.

    “It ,” added taste of ter marks ill in t’s all t words.”

    “I can’t explain it.” Sabriel stempted a smile. “But I do kno are more to t at t, like: ‘traveler, embrace t, but do not take t.’ I must be on my way.”

    t it y smile. tle ao let , o a  course of action ternatives.

    “Your papers are in order,” ing er of Ab do ot you pass.

    But I can’t  I am ting you out to meet some terrible danger. I can’t even send a patrol out rols already out there.”

    “I expected to go alone,” replied Sabriel. Sed t, but felt a tinge of regret. A protective group of soldiers e a comfort. trange and dangerous land, even if it ement.

    It  take muco rise over it.

    And alure of rouble, trapped and alone in ters of Death . . .

    “Very well,” said !”

    A ed  anding on guard outside t, on teps up into tion trenchey’d heard.

    “Prepare a crossing party,” snapped horyse.

    “A single person to cross. Miss Abhorsen, here.

    And Sergeant, if you or Private Raalk in your sleep about  of your lives!”

    “Yes, sir!” came tunate Private Raed, did seem half-asleep.

    “After you, please,” continued uring tohe door. “May I carry your skis again?”

    took no c came to crossing tood alone under t arce t pierced t arcood or knelt in a reverse arroe, and a dozen sed ts and t ttle faite tools of destruction.

    tual gate in ting  out of teetestimony to some explosion of modern cry or magical force.

    It o Ancelstierre, h.

    One caug it ligill it slid down ured by ongue.

    ter asted no different from any oted snoaste of teen years. Dimly, s  brougo Ancelstierre.

    A ed  of t from te. ting t t self reflected from ting for her.

    itimbers of te.

    Going to sno into ure.

    tones of to call a ones like rain t.

    “t cer marks run on tones, not looking at Sabriel.

    Sabriel stepped out of te and pulled  the snow.

    “I wish your mission every success, Sabriel,”

    continued  oo long.”

    ed, turned smartly to , and , slid s into the bindings.

    teadily, but it  th Road.

    Fortunately, tters to eitime if s to t seemed to be several er in t ierre, sed to reac before dusk.

    taking up  s scabbard, and ter-spell for  decided against it. t up, so te ted, greasy oo warm once s going.

    iticed motion, se arm reac as t sice, concentrating on building up tes, sically flying up t te of the ground.

 chapter iv

    Sabriel found t dead Ancelstierran soldier about six miles from t, fading ernoon.

    t  o topped to look at its dark bulk, rising rocky and treeless from ts peak temporarily , puffy clouds t occasionally let fort.

    If s stopped, sed- of a drift on t as soon as s, tention focused and Sabriel felt th.

    Crossing over, one in t doly brushe snow away.

    to a young man,  of mail over an Ancelstierran uniform of k oucless eyes, and laid t o , so folloo Deater t ion to enter til sely o. ever rapped—or killed—ing to ambushis dead soldier could even be a lure.

    Quasural curiosity to find out exactly er first unclenc  ill —per been taken totally unaer all. tood and dreer marks of fire, cleansing, peace  and sleep in t any t every Cer Mage kne . A gloiplied into many stabbing, darting flames, ter it  and only asaining a corselet of blackened mail.

    Sabriel took t it ted snoo t stuck fast, uprig casting a sed in tedly, Sabriel remembered t tity disc or tag.

    Sing o rebalance s doy disc on one finger, pulling it up to read t  botierre and so unable to and ter Magic fire. to as to eye level and to its component links, pouring beteel coins.

    “Perhey’ll know you from your sword,”

    said Sabriel. range in t of t like a small,  fog.

    “travel  regret,” s look back.”

    Sabriel took her own advice as she skied away.

    ty in  ly academic before and every sense , cold t ticularly so. But t intellectual knoempered by ravelers.

    Noy of the danger was slowly coming home . . .

    opped to look up at Cloven Crest again, neck cricked back to cruck beting up te of the bluffs.

    Stractive destination. As s started to snoo ed snoraced tear trails dos concentration totally centered upon some small mouse or vole creeping across the snow.

    te dropped like a cast stone, and a feer, Sabriel felt some small life snuffed out. At time, s tug of e dined, more people lay dead.

    Sabriel s the hill again.

    According to o Cloven Crest lay in a narrowo bluffs.

    Se clearly  be, but t direction. ever  also still be there.

    t on t t ime freeing t, and noo o reac before nightfall.

    S about ion. Stabbing o tepped out of  ened skis and poles togeto be strapped diagonally across ied terspell on t morning, but it seemed like weeks ago and a world away.

    t done, sarted to pick er of tter drifts. So leave t it looked like ttle snoeep, rocky slopes of Cloven Crest.

    As a final precaution, s, so an inc  and easily w.

    Sabriel expected to find t, but tprints, and coo Cloven Crest.

    t pate gouged out by a stream falling from some deep spring ream several times, epping-stones or tree trunks across ter to save  feet.  ground togetream self a s  gorge, about t y feet long and deep. o build a bridge along tream, rat.

    Sabriel found t of tierran patrol umbled on ter murmuring beneatone arching overhead.

    t soldier, it e clear  a guarantee t ts urn.

    glued to t, Sabriel stepped around t of t bodies and onto ter beneatly iced over, s it  refuge over it.

    Running er ection from dead creatures or t torpid stream  ed snoream  bet er. t t time of year.

    Sabriel sigly, tant, and te everyte t  another.

    Once again, s temptation of to take ture , to reso make these men live again, laugh again, love again . . .

    But  tory term t Free Magic necromancers used for ter revenants, tle of telligence and none of tiative. ts, ted corpses or t S  back.

    Sabriel grimaced as s of S t give tes and free ts.

    All sreat t and, in the bridge.

    It o dusk, and dark already in t stle voice inside  op.

    By time s  to t side too. So dark, so risk a faint, Cerconjured lig ar above .

    A slig one ed consequences, for, as s t burned into brilliance on t of t faded into red embers almost immediately, but left ter marks. One range to Sabriel, but, from two, ss meaning.

    togethey held a message.

    ter Magic about t ter Mages. ter mark on t body on t  .

    tainly hold his message.

    Sabriel toucer mark and t. t dark. A voice came from noal panic.

    “One of ter Dead! It came be from t turn back. It s, ! t Gerren. tell Colonel . . .”

    ever ed to tell Colonel  in t of ood still, listening, as if t be more.

    S ill, nauseous, and took several deep breatten t for all y ually die. termat to deal  not t.

    Souc again, just  ter marks ting t Gerren’s message er   Mage to ill time did its  and bridge rotted or  away by flood.

    Sabriel took a feilled omaco listen once more.

    One of ter Dead  o stop. It  certain t ted.

    Once again, tened.

    tarting tears, so and ter Stone.

    ted and, in tars started to t t into t.

    tself and s cast she snowflecked ground.

 chapter v

    It eady climb to t top of Cloven Crest, teeper and more difficult. trong noo t  t had grown much colder.

    Sabriel considered a Cer-spell for  sired, and t of t cost more topped instead and s   oo large, needing severe buckling-in  and t  it ainly windproof.

    Feeling relatively , ion of teep ted to cutting steps out of te—steps noo sliding a.

    So prone to sliding, t Sabriel reacop  realizing it,  for t of t step.  ually  t a next step.

    Cloven Crest lay before  to form a miniature plateau,  depression in t, cigars, brig, stark  te. trees, no vegetation at all, but in ter of t, a dark grey stone cast a long moonshadow.

    It imes , and looked  it dohe middle.

    Sabriel rue Cer Stone before, but so be  like ter marks running like quicksilver tone, forming and dissolving, only to re-form again, in a neverending story t told of the world.

    ter marks on tone, but till, as frozen as tions, carved into a sculptured stone.

    It   s t about it properly. S of ligter of tone, but forgotten lessons remembered too late told   so. Only some terrible po a Cer Stone.

    So tone, fear rising in oots first groronger and colder, too, out on ting, as its memories of  back remembrance of certain pages of tales of old by little girls in tory, far from the Old Kingdom.

    Fears came ill Sabriel  led to to tone.

    Dark patc it  until Sabriel pus to tone t s .

    umbled back overbalancing into tcone  been cleaned away by rain or snow . . . wone never would be clean.

    A Cer Mage one. Sacrificed by a necromancer to gain access to Deato  break to Life.

    Sabriel bit ill it  and  unconsciously, fidgeted, er marks in nervousness and fear.

    t sort of sacrifice  cer of t noail. It o ten from t green-bound book—or o forget. Only a very po spell. Only a totally evil one  to. And evil breeds evil, evil taints places and makes ttractive to furts of . . .

    “Stop it!” ill s imaginings. It ting colder by te. So make a decision: to camp and call o move on immediately in some random direction in t so summon her guide from somewhere else.

    t part of it all  o enter Deat briefly, to call and converse  o do so ed a semi-permanent entry, as if a door  w migche cold river beyond.

    Sabriel stood for a minute, sening, every sense concentrated, like some small animal t knoor s nearby.  learning Cer Magic from Magistrix Greenower of yverley College.

    At te, s camping  of tion. Soo frigo sleep anyone. But it o call  to o ect er Magic as best ser Deation, summon  directions and get out as quickly as possible. Quicker, even.

    ition. Sabriel dropped uffed some dried fruit and offee in ed tative pose t made Cer Magic easier.

    After bit of trouble offee and eeter marks t  ect ime, and pulled t of ter.

    traced rouglines in t eac of t to o the ground.

    t mark  to troyed stone, and it almost failed. Sabriel o close o force it to leave t ation of t ed the snow.

    Sabriel ignored it, quelling t  bile to ting to truggle er mark.

    S golden lines s and te, if s  sook off ing the bells.

    “Ranna,” souc, t bell. Ranna t, lo brougs wake.

    “Mosrael.” to Deat brougener into Life.

    “Kibet and contrary bell. It could give freedom of movement to one of t gate. Many a necromancer umbled .

    “Dyrim.” A musical bell, of clear and pretty tone. Dyrim  ten lost. But Dyrim could also still a tongue t moved too freely.

    “Belgaer.” Anotricksome bell, t sougo ring of its o necromancers scorned to use. It could restore independent t, memory and all tterns of a living person. Or, slipping in a careless hem.

    “Saranet, lo bell. trengt so the wielder’s will.

    And last, t bell, till, even in t kept it silent.

    “Astarael, the Sorrowful,” whispered Sabriel.

    Astarael  cast everyone o Deathe ringer.

    Sabriel’s ouctled on Saranetrap and s clapper, freed of tly, like the growl of a waking bear.

    Sabriel stilled it,   to tion. Cer marks along t t and flickered into life. Sabriel c, as portents could sometimes be seen in suchings.

    Strange marks raced across transmuting into tion, one t Sabriel kneer into Death.

    Unseen by Sabriel, tion began again, but parts of it  to slay t it usually said. No continued, “the King quenched me, Abhorsen wields me.”

    Sabriel, eyes closed no t t, brig like suns timate cold and, opening  of Death.

    it of epped tiffened, and fog ble eaceadied again, but ter still—and  out.

    tly, but Sabriel set  against t and ignored bot and trating on looking around, alert for a trap or ambus  at ticular entry point to Deater tumbling te, but notrange mewlings.

    No dark, formless stes, s.

    Carefully ion, Sabriel looked all around o one of ts in ayed ready in  , s a paper boat and, still one- out to its proper sifully  luminous in t, it ly round stain at its boed a drop of blood from her finger.

    Sabriel laid it flat on ed it to  as if s fle launc  so breat breasted a ripple, rigself and surged a. In a fe  of sige.

    It ime in  Sabriel  suc. o make t o use to be paid, a price mucer than a drop of blood.

    As events s time, Sabriel kneo expect. Still, illed for a moment some ten or ty, or forty, minutes later—time being slippery in Deats clapper free, ing to be e illed because someone . . . someth.

    Sabriel  ed .

 chapter vi

    Cer Magic on Cloven Crest.

    It  on to t lurked in to t of ter Stone.

    It  least, in t he sun.

    t y  in turies t in ters of Deats o t, demonstrating an incredible o live again. A  didn’t kno possessed before a badly cast ing spear bounced from a rock and clipped its t, just enoug fees of frantic life.

    By s of  self on te for t preyed on lesser spirits, and served or avoided greater ones. Alo life. Its cy spirit erupted from beyond te, smases in turn, till it  ravening into Life. icular spirit errible confusion and a mig t, in t o sneak around triumply into Life.

    ty of recently vacated bodies ed it and ran aer, it found t no even decided to give itself a name. t too difficult for a partially decomposed mouto voice. A male name. t remember s original sex uries before, but its new body was male.

    It o instill fear in ttlements t still existed in ttlements turing and consuming to keep h.

    Cer Magic flared on Cloven Crest again, and t it rong and pure— but . trengt t rong magic meant a strong life. t life, needed it to s to replenis back into Deat tarted climbing tting eyes fixed on tant crest.

    Sabriel saall, pale liging over ter toopped several yards astretched in welcome.

    “Sabriel.”

    to come from mucood, but Sabriel smiled as s ting. Ab t Sabriel t s menstruated.

    tion at yverley College—none at all till you een. tories about menstruation en meant to scare. None of Sabriel’s friends y before ion sered Deatold  t summoned ion and ect   ansill Sabriel o return to Life.

    “he bell.

    t ans t  unexpected. Apart from ing, sions.

    Sabriel  really sure if tation  of ective magic left by her.

    “I don’t ime,” Sabriel continued.

    “I’d love to ask about . . . o at t, I need to kno to Fat . . . I mean Barhedrin Ridge.”

    tened, sures in  taken herself.

    “Go to t begins till it reac t be any cloud. Look to t red star, Uallus, near t of north.

    Follo star till you come to a road t runs from sout to nort. take t road for a mile to t, till you reacer Stone be. A patone leads to tely nortake t ends in a door in to Mosrael. Beyond tunnel, sloping sharply upwards.

    Beyond tunnel lies Ab tarry, do not stop, no matter w happens.”

    “ts.

    “Could you also . . .”

    Sopped as t of ed, “Go!”

    At time, Sabriel felt tection around antly, surned on  o t almost seemed to strengt hen fell away before her urgency.

    Sabriel reac of o Life.

    For a second, sed, suddenly freezing again and tted. A grinning, corpse-like creature  stepping ts arms reaco embrace ing out of a mouturally wide.

    to find ter Mage’s spirit ection. ttle, but it ed over and  see ter marks t danced beneat  a sno very fortunate, particularly as t blazed ill victim icularly young and strong. till and ed arms reaco embrace Sabriel’s neck.

    Just as ed fingers stretced top-t t ing Arts and, later, lost . raigo tent and t ripped to eight inches of air beyond.

    to puso scream again as Cer marks flared on te- sparks plumed between  ered.

    “Abed th one explosive jerk.

    Already, ting ted, Cer Magic burning ted nerves, freezing too- fluid joints. Fire rose in t, but o distract terrible opponent ried to ss skin, and retreat into t.

    “Abhings, alive and dead . . .

    I will o you . . .”

    t the shriek of seagulls.

    ted on and on, eco t, and t it bind  leaked out of t. to paralyzed fleso the bell-ringer.

    Fury seetruggle, but t.

    Sabriel c of t, t ill trying to use t   success. S into Deat  ter Stone loomed nearby and s it as an everpresent fear, like a cold jewel upon .

    In  tarry, do not stop, no matter w happens.”

    Sabriel t -first into t Saranet and o pure, unadulterated fear. After all turies of struggle, rue deat last.

    Sabriel took up a careful stance, o tc srolled it, s back of odd figure eig to eac ttle marcune, a dancing song, a parade.

    t forces grip him.

    Strange, inexorable po made urn to Deat patically, ruggled against t break free.  e, to fall at last truggle and used t of rengto form a semblance of a moutuff, a moutongue of darkness.

    “Curse you!” ell ts of Kerrigor! I will be revenged . . .”

    esque, gulping voice  free will.

    Saranet Kibeting shere was only snow under a long-dead corpse.

    Even t roubled Sabriel. t exactly familiar, toucedly belonged to one of ter Dead. tone did, as if tangible symbols of a ened.

    Sabriel coughe bandolier.

    o self clean, but surning it to t very tired as s t in  s move on immediately. ’s  ecold oo tone.

    too mucoo mucer Magic on t  to reacs blackest. ty over sky. Soon, tars e.

    Quickly, Sabriel scanned t stars t marked t’s Belt. S to car map in cinking as it cast a yello dare use any more Cer Magic till sone. t sly: ts ot. In Ancelstierre, ten degrees  of north.

    Norted, Sabriel started to make o t side of t, looking for t slanted doo t in darkness beloed to reac disappeared. At least teps to ts gentle slope proclaimed a long descent to the valley.

    In fact, it took several umbling and ser flame dancing a little  of oo insubstantial to really ease  er, and s aken for marsion. In any case, it ial he sky.

    So muc, as soar, Uallus. eettering and  be stilled, and a s arted  ing itself t keep moving, sood—particularly as the wind was rising once more . . .

    Sabriel laugly, almost erically, and turned o feel t erly, gaining strengte.

    Colder, yes, but it also cleared t to t—and t cleared broom-stroke of tared at it, took stock of ttle sarted off again, folloar, a  in the back of her mind.

    Do not tarry, do not stop, no matter w happens.

    ted as Sabriel found tter, sime.

    By time Sabriel found ter Stone be, no trace of t aking to ion of ire body. s oo, despite tton fat so t, face and ed. Sifully eaten a little every  no open her frozen jaws.

    For a s time, at tact Cer Stone t rose proudly beer-spell for . But soo tired to maintain it  tance of tone, and ted almost as soon as s’s  , and tion t she was being followed.

    It e, Sabriel   imagination.

    But s in any state to face up to anyt mig be imagined, so so go on.

    Do not tarry, do not stop, no matter w happens.

    ter Stone ter made t climbed Cloven Crest, but steeper. to cut t erode like granite, and t eps, carved ricate patterns.

    somet kno Cer marks, or symbols of any language t soo tired to speculate. Srated on one step at a time, using o puso avoid the flying snow.

    teeper still and Sabriel could see tical mass, a muco t by t s seem to get any closer as tco and fro, rising furthe valley below.

    turned again and tle  reflected back from a  stretco eith had ended.

    Almost sobbing o ttle ligo disclose grey, lic even  lig  jagged, impervious rock, going up and out of iny circle of illumination. to go.

    earily, Sabriel knelt in a patcogetrying to restore circulation, before drailled it carefully and concentrated  mig be  once again Sabriel felt sometried to judge ant t from s.

    ever it mig oo far ao ood up, and rang the bell.

    It made a sound like tens of parrots screec burst into tself into tiplying into thousand birds.

    Sabriel stilled t once and put it a t it fix its attention on  quicken its pace, like co a gallop. It eps at least four or five at a time. S t in  equal pace, but sill  to th and looked down, drawing her sword as she did so.

    ts of snoo step; impossible leaps, t ate up tance betite. It er rod. Sabriel cried out as s, and felt t o fearful pages in ions of evil poured into   t ed  could pass at s body of bog-clay and  placed inside as its guiding force.

    Sabriel  once, but t y miles from tierre, and it had been weak, already fading.

    trong, fiery, ne urned to one side, t running from a dog, but t  t its pointed  ran, a  s of someone falling to the squeal of fingernails on glass.

    Sabriel, a scream someuck and c, turned to t he pommel of her sword.

    “Open! Open!” ser marks raced t not t ones for forcing a door, a spell s like simes tables, but ter marks just  come, and imes ticking in ed Cer marks . . .

    t silence, truck on somet t  been tall and strangely narros dark oak lined er marks dancing tly at , touched Sabriel’s hip.

    Sabriel dropped hing happened.

    Sabriel tugged again, urning to look over  cringing at w she would see.

    t turned t corner and its eyes met  to bear tred and bloodlust glos gaze like a poker left too long in t  floeps, flames dripping from its mout.

    Sabriel, eyes still closed, pushe ring.

    to tely, sed side, s of c in.

    As t reac, and ting itself side-  o pass tal, t an arm inside. Flames boiled from its grey-green fles, and small plumes of black smoke spiraled from tench like burning hair.

    Sabriel, spraare in terror as taloned  for her.

 chapter vii

    But t close; talons failed to rend defenseless flesh.

    Instead, Sabriel felt a sudden surge of Cer Magic and Cer marks flared around tly t t red after-images at ts dancing across her vision.

    Blinking, sep out from tones of tall and obviously strong man, win of Sabriel’s own.

    tling do’s arm, biting out a cten flesree.

    t  it ranger t t s  of his mail-clad body.

    Curiously for mail, it made no sound, no jangling from teel links. A strange body under it too, Sabriel sas and t   all.  every square inciny, constantly moving Cer marks, and Sabriel could see not empty air.

    was a Cer-g, a sending.

    Outside, t eam train venting pressure, test as tself against tered and clouds of t fell from tside.

    turned to face Sabriel and offered its o ook it, looking up at it as ired, frozen legs struggled to make a tento, t, fluid and unsettling. Its face  stay fixed, migrating beties. Some  all bore tougent visages. Its  body and clotly, too,  tails al  er Magic.

    “t pounded the door again.

    “Can . . . do you t . . .  get through?”

    t go o point up t it did not speak.

    Sabriel turned o follos pointing  rose up into darkness. Cer marks illuminated  faded only a little e t taste ter-spells t rode on ty air.

    “I must go on?” asked Sabriel, as it pointed again, more urgently. ts ing e. Be billo, and t  smell of t ed the air.

    ts nose and gave Sabriel a bit of a pus direction, like a parent urging a reluctant co press on. But Sabriel needed no urging. ill burning in arily extinguis  needed to blaze again. S arted to o the passage.

    Ser a feo see ting near ts s tion. Beyond it, ting, breaking around a e.

    t reac migoot  its prey ting a burned all over noed from its moutorrent, and black smoke rose like a second s, eddying in crazy circles as it howled.

    Sabriel looked ating off at a fast  ter and faster, became a jog and t pounded on tone, but it  until s sprinting, t sill back at t,  sruck ion to go back, but it passed before it even became conscious t. Even so, al of she bell handles.

    It one, keeping pace h her.

    Cer marks for ligness, and for many ot knorange marks and many of t Sabriel  a First in magic from an Ancelstierran sc mage in tion of ignorance rong medicines against stupid pride.

    Anoteel striking supernatural flesing off stone.

    Sabriel didn’t need to look back to kno ing t tle of suc a common failing inel variety y to leave t. Once ture got a fe past t c t past.

    t t gave  of speed, but Sabriel kne it . ion,  stiff, muscles ready to cramp, and o bubble han air.

    Ao go on and on, sloping ever up t only s mig be too far a past t little patch of darkness . . .

    Even as t passed t so t tracing of a door  by t. It  the doorkeeper.

    At time, Sabriel became a . But it side, beyond t  a vibration, a s s than heard.

    rucks passing on a road above, Sabriel t, before remembering ant, she sound.

    Some erfall  made so great a sound must be fed by an equally great river.

    Running er! t of it fueled Sabriel  rengt beyond  of speed, s  t tant so find the handle or ring.

    But anotouc, ter marks defined teel ther sending.

    terminate sex, for it s   and back.

    It bourned to reveal brigarligerfall roared the open doorway, accompanied by flecks of flying spray.

    it tepped out.

    t t, before dragging a delicate, silver portcullis do ly came out of t t poer sendings. But door, portcullis and lock , not stop it. test of running er, or timely glare of a noonday sun.

    t lay at  and till many ood on a narro projected out from t least four tle to , a scant fey river self over to make a truly glorious erfall. Sabriel leaned fortle, to look at ters crasing e  could easily swallow ire sch.

    It , coupled er, made o traig make out an island, an island percerfall, dividing to treams. It  a very big island, about tball field, but it rose like a surbulent ers.

    Encircling tone- of six men. Be oo dark to see clearly, but toing, pencil silte, iles t  beginning to catco tence of a ctery and cellar. tudy, Sabriel suddenly remembered, occupied to top floor of toop floor ory, botars and territory.

    It  times, all o remember muc period of ly filled ions of travelers,  teriors of t campsites t all blurred toget even remember terfall, t did stir some recognition—somethe mind of a four-year-old girl.

    Unfortunately, s remember o get to ther-sending had given her—Abhorsen’s Bridge.

    S realized sill ttle gate ugged at ed doeps carved into teps leading rigo the river.

    time, Sabriel didn’t ate. So ter sending and eps. t’s presence  ranger’s rank breat e, ts battering and destruction er roar of ters.

    teps led to t did not end tepping-stones leading out to the island.

    Sabriel eyed t ter. It  an alarming speed. tepping-stones s boisterous s and, even tc s of snow and ice.

    Sabriel cream le by, and pictured its slings ride over to be smas so far below.

    Ss place, and t of t be t  its , of t  sh.

    Ss skidded a little and  seady, bent over in a ing to rebalance, so t stone and ter t, and again, in a mad leapfrog the river.

    , er beopped and looked back.

    t cullis broken and mangled in its grip. te  t  surprising. Defeated, it il ter-spell reneself—er.

    till, but it cure couldn’t cross t made no attempt to do so. In fact, tared at it, t seemed to  t ent to . It ry, guarding  ing for someto o arrive . . .

    Sabriel suppressed a shudder and jumped on.

    t no of age leading up to a gate in te reetops rees, t.

    Birds flerees and totle birds launc  forget tall, flame-etcte of t, brooding on the ledge.

    earily, so t stone and collapsed on teps of tage. Even o a little slit directly to . tage loomed close, as so te and edly fell against it.

    te sco a paved courtyard, t, ty apples. to t door of t against s mouterpoint to te cat t lay coiled on t before the door.

    Sabriel lay on t t, blinking back tears. t tcurned its ly to look at , green eyes.

    “aggered once more to  and ep. So pat t, and froze—for, as t t its s neck and tiny bell t here.

    t terspell on it rongest, most enduring, binding t Sabriel —and ture Saranet , but  a Free Magic creature of ancient power.

    “Ab, its little pink tongue darting. “About time you got here.”

    Sabriel stared at it for a moment, gave a little sort of moan and fell for of exion and dismay.

 chapter viii

    Sabriel ao soft candleligs, deligs. A fire burned briskly in a red-brick fireplace and ery of ed across it, faced ed eac ttered, so Sabriel  time it  t ely Ab  memory ing on tep.

    Gingerly—for even  of travel, fear and fliged o look around and once again met t t  a cat.

    ture  the bed.

    “ are you?” Sabriel asked nervously, suddenly all too a s ss. A sensuous delig a defenseless one. o  and bell-bandolier, carefully draped on a clothe door.

    “I y of names,” replied t. It range voice, . As to  no of Abo remove my collar?”

    Sabriel gave an uneasy smile, and sever Mogget  collar  kept it as a servant of Aber marks on te explicit about t. As far as Sabriel could tell, t e possible t Mogget  as old as t mentioned it, and  so find roubles over.

    “I t not,” said Mogget, combining a careless sretc . . . or  t ely masculine, jumped to t floor and sauntered over to tcrained eye noting t Mogget’s s al of a cat.

    A knock at terrupted udy of t, to attention.

    “It’s only one of ts,” Mogget said, in a patronizing tone. “Cer sendings, and pretty lo t. the milk.”

    Sabriel ignored  sh her for a while.

    tly and a s, robed figure drifted in. It o te a visible face, but t on  underdress draped over one arm, a tos Cer-woven  and a pair of slippers.

    it a   to t ts on Sabriel’s feet. t crossed to a porcelain basin t sat in a silver filigree stand, above a tiled area of to t of t ted a bronze er splas tenc.

    Sabriel wrinkled her nose.

    “ springs,” commented Mogget. “You  smell it after a er  your grandfat? Or great-great-aunt? Ah, memory . . .”

    t stood immobile ed to cut ter slopped over to to Mogget—o  and padded aious distance from ter sending. Just like a real cat, Sabriel t. Peroo, over turies. Ss. t, a plump marmalade feline, s.

    Sabriel t about t slept on t’s Room, and t t iquette class, and tress droning on about silver salvers . . .

    A s anotart, sending furtabs of pain tired muscles.

    ter sending apped t ient for Sabriel to have her wash.

    “ater’s getting cold,” explained Mogget, leaping up to they’ll be serving dinner in half an hour.”

    “tting up and reaco grab slippers and toory to sidling out of bed and into them.

    “t, butting ion of tepped back from t a bar of soap.

    Sabriel so to   before s, tepped forward, wowel off he whole basin over her head.

    Sabriel s, again before s back turned t er and tention to  ed to get soap in Sabriel’s eyes, or suspected an infestation of nits.

    “ are you doing!” Sabriel protested, as trangely cool  e  interest, at s and stomacop it! I’m quite old enougo washank you!”

    But Miss Prionte’s tecic servants didn’t seem to ic sendings. It kept scrubbing, occasionally tipping  er over Sabriel.

    “op it?” stered to Mogget, as still more er cascaded over arted to scrub lower regions.

    “You can’t,” replied Mogget, acle. “ticularly recalcitrant.”

    “ do you . . . oop t!  do you mean, this one?”

    “ts about t.

    “Every Abo heir own.

    Probably because t like ter a feically  possible way.”

    ts scrubbing just long enougo flick some er at Mogget, w  him.

    Just before anot basin-load of er  Sabriel, s s under tail dividing the bedspread.

    “t’s enoug drencer drained out tiled area. t Sabriel, as it stopped ed to towel her dry.

    Sco and tried to finis terattacked by combing ussle. Eventually, bet, and submitted to a manicure and vigorous hair-brushing.

    Siny, repeated silver key motif on t in t  backed one of tters,  second later, Mogget raced t Sabriel t he door behind her.

    Dinner ately room t took up  ed by to ceiling stained-glass  tern end. ter Magic.

    Per at all, Sabriel mused, as sc of toiling figures t iny Cer marks making up tterns.

    It  judging from t  dusk. Sabriel realized s  for a full day, or possibly even two.

    A table nearly as long as tretcly polisable of  some ligrous timber,  cellars, candelabra and ratastic-looking decanters and covered dishes.

    But only t, ruments, te textbook.

    Sra of a pomegranate before, for example.

    One place able and to t of t of a cusool. Sabriel  jumped up on tool and said, “Come on! t serve till you’re seated.”

    “tyrant of t co transparent, as if Cer marks ly etcic one.

    tood grouped around a door—tcang of cooking—  and stared at   to meet any eyes.

    “Yes, t’s  said caustically.

    “Your neress. No’s have dinner.”

    None of till Sabriel stepped forepped foroo, and all dropped to one knee, or ed t t er marks running brigrails around their palms and fingers.

    Sabriel stared for a moment, but it y, and expected o do someturn. So tly pressed eac urn, feeling ter-spells t made t ruly, for some of than Sabriel could guess.

    “I the kindness you have shown me.”

    to be appropriate, or enougo be going on ood, bo about t pulled out Sabriel’s c. It ed iny silver keys, a miracle of needlework.

    Mogget, Sabriel noticed, e napkin, ains.

    “I’ve o eat in tc t said sourly, as t signaled tantalizing odor of spices and  food.

    “I expect it  y, dry  developed a palate to kno. It ainly drinkable.

    major experiments  occasions s Sabriel arted to enjoy h her meals.

    “Anyway, how did you know I was coming?”

    Sabriel asked. “I didn’t knoill . . . till Fat his message.”

    t didn’t ans once, tention focused on te of fis put do circular fis eyes and s.

    Sabriel oo, but omato, garlic and basil sauce.

    “I en times as many of your forebears as you  replied at last.

    “And time, I alheir place.”

    Sabriel saste gone, and put doo clear , but it seemed to have become vinegar, making her cough.

    “ do you mean by ‘fall’?  do you knoher?”

    Mogget looked up at Sabriel, eyes ing eadily, as no normal cat could.

    “ passed te,  is—”

    “No,” interrupted Sabriel. “ be!  be.  be dead . . .”

    “t is o you, as  sent to ime,”

    Mogget continued, ignoring Sabriel’s outburst.

    “And  a necromancer, he was Abhorsen.”

    “I don’t understand,” Sabriel ’s eyes anymore. “I don’t kno knohing.

    ter Magic, even my o itle?”

    “It is. he Abhorsen. Now you are.”

    Sabriel digested taring at te, silver scales and red tomato blurring into a pattern of sable blurred too, and t  try as s, s cross it. S, but to cross, in eition—Aboo ected. But s ting for o cross, but test t of a er s t of a particular pipe tobacco around a corner. Sabriel focused on it and t t separated h.

    Only to ricoc back to Life, as s, to see Mogget, fur bristling, one pao strike again.

    “Fool!”  for you to do so!”

    Sabriel stared at t, unseeing, biting back a sort as srut’s s ing, and probably t would cross as well—and shem alone and weaponless.

    “I’m sorry,” stered, boed  felt tupidly a and muc sears at bay.

    “Fat yet truly dead,” ser a moment. “I felt rapped beyond many gates. I could bring him back.”

    “You must not,” said Mogget firmly, and o carry all t of centuries.

    “You are Ab put to rest. Your path is chosen.”

    “I can  path,” Sabriel replied firmly, raising her head.

    Mogget seemed about to protest again, to ool.

    “Do as you o service. o evil? It is your fatoo—and the Dead who will be merry.”

    “I don’t t blusion in  melting, trickling down around her face.

    “ felt alive. rapped in Deat ill be reviled if I broughen?”

    “No,” said Mogget, calm again. “But  t he lives.”

    “I feel it,” Sabriel said simply. “And I must find out if my feeling is true.”

    “Per is so—trange.” Mogget seemed to be musing to  rangles me, cs . . .”

    “,” Sabriel suddenly pleaded,  reaco touco t’s co knoo know so much!”

    Mogget purred under tc as Sabriel leaned close, s peal of tiny Saranet t Mogget , but a Free Magic creature. For a moment, Sabriel ’s true srue nature.

    “I am t of Ab said at last. “And you are Ab  you must promise me t you  raise your fatruly,  wis.”

    “I cannot promise. But I  act  muc. And I en to you, if you are by me.”

    “I guessed as muc said, ting  is true t you are sadly ignorant, or you  you beyond the all.”

    “ suddenly leaping ion t ion Aby.”

    “, turning tention back to tierre.”

    “ was he afraid of?”

    “Eat your fis, as tc  course. “e’ll talk later. In tudy.”

 chapter ix

    Lanterns lit tudy, old brass lanterns t burned er Magic in place of oil. Smokeless, silent and eternal, t as tric bulbs of Ancelstierre.

    Books lined too tory above.

    A redable sat in ts legs scaled and beady-eyed, ornamental flames licking from t gripped eacabletop.

    An inkable. C, tery black ion on tif.

    table s. “Dragon desk” , and s even reacable.

    Sabriel ran  and t sensation, t doucked under ogeto o ter of table. t among t predator, possibly asleep, possibly ing to spring. Its binding er marks burned in t  closed. the Dead.

    ting mark after mark, and  even recognize most of ter cer four in t book.

    ty cers in each volume.

    Doubtless t  , but sill felt too tired and so get more doalk to Mogget, tudy for an o bed. Even four or five waking oo mucer he loss of consciousness involved in sleep suddenly seemed very appealing.

    Mogget, as if  top of teps and sauntered over to sprastand.

    “I see you  book,” ail flicking backwards and forwards as he spoke.

    “take care you do not read too much.”

    “I’ve already read it all, anyway,” replied Sabriel, sly.

    “Per. “But it isn’t al is several t one.”

    Sabriel so s s t t  bravado— ter, under ion, but  memory ed pages of tome. If it cs contents as  well—sold  s was necessary.

    “My first step must be to find my fat.”

    “I   stated, y. arted licking his paws.

    Sabriel froic sory teac scen  “tion.

    “Just tell me w saw  his plans were.”

    “ you read ed Mogget, in a momentary break from cleaning himself.

    “?” asked Sabriel, excited. A diary remendously helpful.

    “ook it . “I  seen it.”

    “I t you o ion.”

    “t mumbled, moutomacongue alternating between words and cleansing.

    “A messenger came from Belisaere, begging for  could pass them.

    Abed t to it t, Belisaere being Belisaere. But .”

    “Belisaere. t’s a town?”

    “A city. tal. At least it was, will a kingdom.”

    “as?”

    Mogget stopped s. “ did teac sc been a King or Queen for t for ty. t’s wo a darkness from which no one will rise . . .”

    “ter—” Sabriel began, but Mogget interrupted h a yowl of derision.

    “ter crumbles too,” he mewed.

    “it a ruler, Cer Stones broken one by one  Cers ted—”

    “ do you mean, one of t  Cers?” Sabriel interrupted in turn. S for t time, s saug so quiet about tate of the Old Kingdom.

    But Mogget , as if topped , o be trying to form  noth.

    Finally,  tell you. It’s part of my binding, curse it! Suffice to say t to evil, and many are he slide.”

    “And ot it,” said Sabriel. “Like my father. Like me.”

    “It depends  said, as if ed t someone as patently useless as Sabriel  I care—”

    trapdoor opening above topped t in mid-speech.

    Sabriel tensed, looking up to see arted breat it er sending, its black  flopping over t came do unlike ts—s c and back. It boo Sabriel, and pointed up.

    it it ed o look at sometory. Reluctantly, s over to t rapdoor, carrying  toucal rungs.

    Emerging into tory, till lit by t, red ligting sun, giving an illusion of . S  t s it otally . tiled roof rested on transparent iced toget t, complete  draft t reduced its perfection to a more human level.

    A large telescope of gleaming glass and bronze dominated tory, standing triump on a tripod of dark all  observer’s stool stood next to it, and a lectern, a star c still spilled across it. A toe ing carpet lay under all, a carpet t , colorful constellations and hick, richly dyed wool.

    t to ted out tos pallid, Cer-dra .

    Sabriel looked t eye from t-falling sun. e tops of to te an inner quailing about w she would see.

    As s ill there.

    But  so t, Sabriel sensed it , temporarily just an unpleasant statue, a foreground to otive s bustled about in some activity behind.

    Sabriel stared a little longer, t to telescope, narro,  as srated on w was side.

    Unaided, s been certain   t elescope, drawn so close s schem away.

    to a partner’s leg by an iron c in ting presence of t. t of ts or lengtimber, taking teps to the river.

    ts empty, timber left behind.

    Sabriel depressed telescope a little, and almost groion and anger as sogetimber, and ts. As eac o bridge to stepping-stone and locked in place by slaves   o tone.

    ticular part of tion ed by somet lurked eps. A mans of blackest nigte.

    A necromancer’s S t scorned the use of a body.

    As Sabriel c of four boxes  out to t stepping-stone, spiked in place, and to its t felloening t  into ter, e folloer. terfall as its ers took ter, Sabriel felt t.

    t topped , eit tarily made more afraid of ters. But teps moved tos legs like treacle, pouring doep in turn. It gestured for some of to o tepping-stone. to cluster unhe spray.

    tated t t on to stir and rock fortle, so tion gingerly trod on to tepping-stone, taking no scater.

    “Grave dirt,” commented Mogget, elescope. “Carted up by to enougo cross all tones.”

    “Grave dirt,” commented Sabriel bleakly, cs and more timber. “I ten it could negate ter. I t . . . I t I would be safe ime.”

    “ell, you are,” said Mogget. “It’ll take at least until tomorroe, particularly allo overcast. But t means a leader. Still, every Ab may just be a petty necromancer ter brain for strategy t.”

    “I sle Cloven Crest,” Sabriel  said slo said it elling ts of Kerrigor. Do you kno name?”

    “I kno,” spat Mogget, tail quivering straig be I cannot speak of it, except to say it is one of ter Dead, and your fat terrible enemy. Do not say it lives again!”

    “I don’t kno t, ed, as if in turmoil betance.

    “ you tell me more? the binding?”

    “A . . . a perversion of . . . the g . . . g . . . yes,”

    Mogget croaked out . to gro ion, he could say no more.

    “Coils fully. ttle doubt t some evil po  s, if o go by.

    Selescope again and took some  in t lig time  s a pang of sympato deation, only to be brougted  over terfall  fate. truly, terrible place, o slavery and despair.

    “Is t?” selescope around  degrees to look at tepping-stones going too, and anot tered on too many for Sabriel to fighrough alone.

    “It seems not,” she answered herself grimly.

    “ of defenses, t?”

    “t need to fig. “For t is a ratrictive one. And t, t like it.”

    t to omimed somets arm t looked like  a snake hrough grass.

    “’s t?” asked Sabriel, figo break into erical laughter.

    “t?”

    “t. “tself. It can be invoked to rise almost to t of times your  above tepping-stones. Not, till it subsides, in a matter of weeks.”

    “So  out?” asked Sabriel. “I can’t  weeks!”

    “One of your ancestors built a flying device. A Paper, launc over terfall.”

    “Otle voice.

    “If you do  continued, as if  noticed Sabriel’s sudden silence, “t begin tual immediately. ter and tains are many leagues upstream. If ers noomorrow.”

 chapter x

    ters tering against t boxes like storm-borne icebergs ramming anctered, ered; a regular drumming t beat out a   folloriding ice.

    Dead  mercy, desperate to escape truction t came roaring dohe river.

    Sabriel, co t breater instead of air. Some of t least to ternal bondage. Most he Dead.

    t of tly after ting as it came, a erfall. Sabriel  for several seconds before it rounded t bend of t  upon ical er, s crest like marble battlements and all t in its muddy body. It looked enormous, far taller taller even to t before.

    It had been a simple enough summoning.

    Mogget aken o tair, t grerange grotto,  it . A block of pure, blue-ood upon a stone pedestal, boter marks, marks strange and beautiful.

    t’s instruction, ss to ts t of er.” t airs, a sending locked t Sabriel a nig and a cup of  ce.

    But t simple ceremony  seemed totally out of control.

    Sabriel corying to calm   as quickly as omach flipped over.

    Just as t, selescope.

    toerfall  in a crack t sounded as if t she wave.

    But, after a feopped  so a controlled roar, like a sing drunk made aware of company. Sabriel ripod and opened her eyes.

    t, till raged a mere  up to tunnel doors on either bank.

    tepping-stones, t a , carrying debris of all descriptions. trees, buss of buildings, livestock, cs tribute from every riverbank for hundreds of miles.

    Sabriel looked at truction and ined t, or liveliened, upstream? Part of ried to rationalize elling  so do it in order to fig t said so save herself.

    Mogget ime for sucrospection, mourning or pangs of responsibility.   ce, before padding forely inserting .

    “Ow!  did you—”

    “time to e sightseeing,”

    Mogget said. “tern  least half an hour.”

    “I’ve got all . . .” Sabriel began, t  ttom end of trance tunnel, probably as a pile of Mordicant-burned ash.

    “t everyt, knohem.

    You can get dressed, pack up, and ake it you intend to go to Belisaere?”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel sly. Sect a tone of smugness in Mogget’s voice.

    “Do you kno there?”

    Sabriel . Mogget already knehe smugness.

    “Do you have a . . . er . . . map?”

    Sabriel ss as sing to lean for, or perail a  judicious tug. Sudy and asked several of t to be tarmap in toold  must still be , suddenly confused about tities. If soo once   in ty of being Ab ain and solid in  even knoo beset  of Ab seemed to provide more trouble than service.

    “Do you ive to say—anyt migually help?” she snapped.

    Mogget ya seemed to contain the very essence of scorn.

    “ell, yes. Of course. I knoter come h you.”

    “Come s, bent doc’s ears, till he ducked away.

    “Someone o look after you,” Mogget  added. “At least till you’ve groo a real Abhorsen.”

    “t I ill like a map. Since you knory so  be possible for you to—I don’t kno, so I can make a sketching?”

    Mogget coug, and t tle. “You! Drac  ter if I undertook tograpo tudy and put out an inkwell and paper.”

    “As long as I get a useable map I don’t care ilted o c came do trapdoor. A sarcastic meo Mogget o get bet visible means of support.

    “Ink and paper,” t reminded o thick paper.

    Smoot both a quill.”

    Sabriel follo’s instructions, tc  rapidly co surprise as t croucrange s like a dark cloak tongue out in concentration. Mogget seemed to t, t ivory cla from a o dra, a rougline, in s, bold strokes; tures; te process of adding important sites, eacing. Last of all, Mogget marked Abration, before leaning back to admire ed a feo be sure  drying sand over trying to absorb every detail, intent on learning the Old Kingdom.

    “You can look at it later,” Mogget said after a fees, ill bent over table, nose incill in a ter go and get dressed, for a start. Do try to be quick.”

    “I ill looking at t.”

    t a great pile of clot in Sabriel’s room, and four of ttendance to  everytepped inside before tripped  managed to remove ly Cer-traced ickled her sides.

    A feer, ston-like undergarment over  came a linen s, tunic of doeskin and breec of ed plates at t to mention a tom, no doubt designed for riding.

    A brief respite folloo t mig, but t layer for immediate fitting. to a long, armored coat t buckled up at ted.

    t  like anyting Arts lessons at sc s coming doo ailed at s, but it seemed to be entirely made of tiny overlapping plates, muc metal, eit some sort of ceramic, or even stone. Mucer teel, but clearly very strong, as one sending demonstrated, by cutting do riking sparks  leaving a scratch.

    Sabriel t ts completed t as tion. One raised o be a blue and silver striped turban, but Sabriel, pulling it doo just above  to be a clot, made from terial as the armor.

    t a gleaming, deep blue surcoat, dusted  reflected t in all directions. It  to and fro for a moment, t over Sabriel’s ed ticed motion. Sabriel ran s silken expanse and discreetly tried to rip  it in one corner, but, for all its apparent fragility, it  tear.

    Last of all came s and bell-bandolier.

    t to  made no attempt to put ted t—bells across  and so t ion, botroubled by , professional, a traveler ime, sal letter and all.

    S tugged at ed tention to t and, as Sabriel c s, tunic and trousers, dried beef and biscuits, a er bottle, and several small leatakingly opened and so elescope, sulpcarter, medicinal  and a  of otials. t into oilskin pouco an outside pocket.

    Backpack on, Sabriel tried a feo find t t restrict oo muc all in fact, t someto . Soucoes, so simes, before straigo the sendings.

    tead, t, stalking mysteriously towards he room.

    “ell, I’m ready,” Sabriel said.

    Mogget didn’t ans sat at , and made a movement t looked very muco be sick. Sabriel recoiled, disgusted, ted, as a small metallic object fell from Mogget’s mouthe floor.

    “Almost forgot,” said Mogget. “You’ll need to come h you.”

    “ is it?” asked Sabriel, bending doo pick up a ring; a small silver ring,  gre of the band.

    “Old,” replied Mogget, enigmatically. “You’ll  knoo use it. Put it on.”

    Sabriel looked at it closely,  bet to. It felt, and looked, quite ordinary. ter marks on tone or band; it seemed to ions or aura. S it on.

    It felt cold as it slipped doy, into a void t , all substance. ter marks suddenly exploded all around  gripped by ting o noting o o th.

    “Free Magic,” Sabriel said, looking do ted to ter. I don’t understand.”

    “You’ll knoo use it,” Mogget repeated, almost as if it o be learned by rote. t  it till the Paperwing is ready.”

 chapter xi

    t on a juryrigged platform of freseetering out over tern ered around t, readying it for flight.

    Sabriel looked up at it as sairs, an unpleasant feeling rising ing someto t t o be common in Ancelstierre, like t ics at t yverley College Open Day.

    Somethan a mechanical one.

    But t look anytierran airplane. It most closely resembled a canoe ail. On closer inspection, Sabriel sa tral fuselage  apered at eacral .

    ings sprouted on eac-back  looked very flimsy. tail didn’t look mucter.

    Sabriel climbed t feeps ations. truction material ’s name—ts of paper, bonded toget of laminate.

    Painted poripes along tail, it looked pretty, decorative and not at all airhy.

    Only ted on its pointed pro its capacity for flight.

    Sabriel looked at t at terfall beyond. Noers, it looked even more frigens of yards above its lip—a roaring mist to fly t reac even kno erproof.

    “en ellectually, sed t sting in t, to be launc toers—but omaco stay firmly on the ground.

    “Many times,” replied Mogget, easily jumping from tform to t. , till -face propped on t once fle to ternoon. But s c suppose—”

    “No,” said Sabriel, made aion. S  t was all.

    “No. I can’t.”

    “ell,” continued Mogget, after a tful pause, “tary co ride to le, I trust?”

    Sabriel ignored o be musical, o be able to o o sing.

    If t in Deat bells, or otruments, t recourse.

    A sending came and took o le it off, to at t. Anotook Sabriel’s arm and directed o o be a leatrung across t—obviously t’s seat. It didn’t look terribly safe eit Sabriel forced o climb in, after giving o t another sending.

    Surprisingly,  didn’t go ted floor. terial even felt reassuringly solid and, after a minute of squirming, sment, t able. So a receptacle at  took up a position on top of traps  be made  lying down.

    From  belo rim. It glittered in te afternoon sun, and s it resonate er Magic.

    Somet it prompted o breat,  breat stayed misted for a moment, ter mark slohe clouded mirror.

    Sabriel studied it carefully, absorbing its purpose and effect. It told  o raise ting o call the compass rose.

    t t er Magic, infused  o create somet .

    time passed, and t mark faded. to be only a plate of silver glass s, silent, fixing ter marks in  t  of truction. Peroo o create suching.

    “this,” Sabriel asked.

    “ion to me?”

    “A cousin,” purred Mogget, close to her ear.

    “Your great-great-great-great-grandmother’s cousin.

    t of t line. She had no children.”

    Maybe t, running er marks quiescent in t a lot better about t.

    “e’d best  continued. “It oo soon. Do you he marks remembered?”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel firmly. Surned to till it ime for it to be unleasimes task, and for how many Abhorsens.

    “to them. “For all your care and kindness. Goodbye.”

    it last led back in t, gripped t led tes of ting e string of Cer marks in ting to  and lips, and out into the air.

    le sounded clear and true, and a c, groronger as Sabriel exo a merry, joyous trill. Like a bird revelling in fliger marks flo into tself. itling, t seemed to come alive, dancing dorous plumage.

    t so begin.

    trill ended e, and a Cer mark t she sun.

    It danced to to te. A second later, to the sky ahead.

    truggling noo ing ronger still, plucking at ting it for tension, tained pos ion of t last moment when freedom is assured.

    “Let go!” so t and up  into the broad valley beyond.

    It , and cold, a t or more  above t, test er marks shem properly pigeonholed.

    S free, and some fe, washe following wind.

    “turn more to t’s voice suddenly said beurbing he map?”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel. “Sterlin, it’s called, isn’t it? It runs nornor- east most of time.”

    Mogget didn’t reply at once, to be t? e may as  to t branco a delta to camp on tonight.”

    “ just fly on?” asked Sabriel cheerily.

    “e could be in Belisaere by tomorro winds.”

    “t like to fly at night,”

    Mogget said, sly. “Not to mention t you   certainly lose control of tronger  is muc t seems at first. And too conspicuous, anyway. have you no common sense, Abhorsen?”

    “Call me Sabriel,” Sabriel replied, equally sly. “My father is Abhorsen.”

    “As you . tress” sounded extremely sarcastic.

    t  silence, but Sabriel, for , soon lost y of flig all, to see tiny patcs belorip of tiny building. Everyt, seen from afar.

    to sink, and ts fading ligive even prettier, Sabriel felt to descend, felt t t same desire and began to look as well.

    to treams and rivulets t terlin delta, and far off,  Sabriel could see ta, some as large as football fields covered rees and swo armspans of mud.

    Sabriel picked out one of ttisled dohe wind.

    It faded gradually le and to descend, occasionally nudged t by Sabriel’s control of ts oilt of a s yello, being Mogget, looked behem and above.

    Even so,  see til t of t long enougo turn and see t-moving sinctively, ser marks in ling turning to th.

    “Gore croo pursue  their suddenly enlivened prey.

    “Yes,” sed Sabriel, t sure ion rying to gauge  or not. Sesting trol, as Mogget o   results. But sure of Deat gave life to tten, skeletal forms.

    Gore cro last very long in sun and  . A necromancer rapped quite ordinary croual and ceremony, before infusing ted spirit of a single dead man or ruly carrion birds, birds guided by a single, if stupid, intelligence.

    they flew by force of Free Magic, and killed by force of numbers.

    Despite ill closing rapidly. t tripping featrid flesheir spellwoven bones.

    For a moment, Sabriel considered turning to ter of t murder of cro too many gore croo figicularly from an aircraft speeding along several  above t al fall—if t kill he way down.

    “I’ll o summon a greater ,  formation—tstretco snatctle of te bone s lighe sun.

    But till glossily black and gleaming ss of ted Dead spirit in ty sockets of their eyes.

    Mogget didn’t reply. Possibly,  even  feo attack, a strange, heir flesh.

    For a second of panic, Sabriel felt o purse, t tle came, sloic. ter marks felt clumsy and difficult in rying to pus on badly made rollers—t effort, to led notes.

    Unlike ening violence, picking up ting it for ing up a slender boat. Suddenly, t t Sabriel could barely make out ta merged into one continuous blur of motion.

    Eyes closed to protective slits, sriking ion lost, like small black stains against t.

    trying to come back toget tch up.

    Sabriel let out a sig it ies. t a fearful pace, and it arting to veer nort  supposed to do. Sabriel could see t stars tely turning tohe Buckle.

    It  to call up ter marks again, and o ease turn it back to t, but Sabriel managed to cast it. But to ronger, and sed more, till traigoly north.

    Sabriel, , eyes and nose streaming and face frozen, tried again, using all o force ter marks into to le sounded feeble, and ter marks once again vaniso ally lost control.

    In fact, it  as if te effect, for tc spiral, like a ball ts, eacaller t. Sabriel greo salvage enougo keep ried to calm t couldn’t gain to er marks slipped from ill all sely o traps in t as tried its best to ride torm.

    t s up just dropped, and   traps suddenly tig almost clas to stay connected . Jolted by t, Sabriel felt ion burn ao ing  it too s . It fell, nose tilting furtill t vertically, like a o the ground below.

    It ried to put some of rengto t to le  effect, save for a golden sparkle t briefly illuminated e, ely set, and too mucs o in a fees, never to return to t of Life.

    “Loose my collar,” me Sabriel’s ear, folloion of Mogget digging o o her lap. “Loose my collar!”

    Sabriel looked at  t t stupid, starved of oxygen, unable to decide. t of an ancient binding, a terrible guardian of tremendous po o contain an inexpressible evil, or uncontrollable force.

    “trust me!” . “Loose my collar, and remember the ring!”

    Sabriel s, but it  just to  s to all the collar so long ago.

    Surprisingly for suc spell, s little more t was open, and suddenly  heavy, like a lead rope, or a ball and chain.

    Sabriel almost dropped it, but it became ligantial. o exist.

    Mogget sat still, on o gloernal ligill  t gre-s, just a soo brigo look at. It seemed to ate for a moment and Sabriel felt its attention flicker beto almost formed back into t-s into four ss of brilliant , and to slide into the wings.

    te brilliance, and it abruptly stopped its . Sabriel ly for   t  to keep ill.

    Despite t, till falling. Sabriel, o fill treetops suddenly appeared belorange lig clipping tin roof.

    t yards above  still too fast to land  total destruction.

    Mogget, or  s t added bruises on top of bruises.

    For t time, Sabriel felt t t and to skid a little in t grass of the field.

    Mogget braked, and Sabriel cly lay its belly on to w s landing.

    But ted to reveal tly in th.

    too loo rise, and nooo sloo glide over a  least fifty yards across, totom of t below.

 chapter xii

    Sabriel regained consciousness sloo , but t only caug as sruggled to sit up. For t, sigill memory came. It tom of a sink, circular s bored into ture or artifice. From  as t y yards in diameter and a  e its murky dept starlig.

    Pain came next,  no serious injury.

    Sabriel , but everyto work.

    S fe—Mogget, or te force, slo before t—but tual instant of t never  remember it. S to ract  like she was diagnosing someone else.

    t came some time later, and  tion t s  again. it a little sc breeze to carry  of tal doldrums. orking by toucrapped  be state, even a simple Cer-spell for lig of tion, but tcer.

    As tc sank. In t, s only tral cockpit portion of tion. Its orn and crumpled underneat, and tire nose section lay some yards aared up at tc it  yello and laminated paper.

    Sabriel stared at t and sorroc  anot and field of vision.

    More small pieces of tre area. Groaning  of motivating bruised muscles, Sabriel levered  of t to  the ground.

    t area to be man-made; flagstones, carefully laid. Grass ones, and lic  recent  on tones and tom of a sinkhole.

    t t seemed to kickstart s and sarted to  a feance,  ? And ? t reminded o fetche bells.

    urbanned  ated around on  back-to-front. Sloiff neck.

    Balancing  candle on t of t anot and took to ligroyed Paper t, sly touchem.

    “I am sorry,” so make a neo carry on your name.”

    “Sentiment, Ab managed to sound like Mogget and not at all like  time. It ric generators she’d used in yverley College Science classes.

    “ly turning.

    t t.

    Sransferred it to  hand.

    “e fire run out from under t lit te as t, e smoke, totally obscuring .

    No Deatc Sabriel could almost smell tangy, unnatural, nerve-jangling, tainting tural smoke. te fire-lines again, streaming out, converging, roiling, coming togete creature stepped out from the Paperwing.

    Sabriel couldn’t look at it directly, but from taller t starved. It orso and ing, whirling force.

    “Free, save for t said, advancing. All trace of Mogget’s voice   now, submerged in zapping, crackling menace.

    Sabriel  about t. Summoning all er marks to t of oing their names.

    “Anet! Calew! Ferhan!”

    t er t straigly  effect.

    It laugs languid motion seemed to declare it  he Paperwing.

    Sabriel dre to panic as s. ten, c. ions.

    Per t ure’s blazing presence to lig as if it could read ure suddenly started to lose its brilliance, sucking darkness into its s out—a fearful silte, back-lit by the burning Paperwing.

    Desperately, Sabriel tried to remember ructs.

    ioned trix Greeno t. Sabriel kne ture before ilken.

    “Keep ture, advancing again. “Sucy your  oo well.”

    “You saved it from not working forever,”

    Sabriel replied  er all, so per some, if only it could be broug.

    “Sentiment,” till silently sliding for laugendril-like arm suddenly unleasself, snapping across tervening space to strike Sabriel across the face.

    “A memory, no added, as Sabriel staggered back from a second attack, ss, ter-etc ural flesure, but  apart from jarring Sabriel’s arm.

    oo, a y floinging ried to ignore it, tried to use t o get o full operational speed.

    “Memories, yes, many memories,” continued ture. It   soon, and t ten from her hand.

    “Millenia of servitude, Abrickery, treacive in a repulsive, fixedfles t, slo—not quick, not quick at all!”

    A tendril las, loime, trying to trip  over it, blade extended, lunging for ture’s c. But it sruding extra arms as sried to jump back, catching her in mid-leap, drawing her close.

    S  tigs grip, till s its c, s boiling, constantly moving flesiny insects buzzed beter darkness.

    Anot, forcing o look up, till ss ly above  basic anatomy, its eyes s  apparent bottom. It  a mout split tly parted to reveal te glare t it  used as flesh.

    All Cer Magic rapped, t, s kno t Dead. Sally anyic, ligory of anyt might help.

    It ired, concussed mind remembered t was on  he index finger.

    But s knoo do —and ture’s oretcill it e- sparks t fell upon  and face, burning clotiny, tattoo-like scars. t loose on her finger.

    Sabriel instinctively curled  looser still, slipping do looking, Sabriel kneo do.

    “First, t as tant sunburn. It tilted its s moutill ing out.

    Sabriel took one last, careful look, screerrible glare, and flipped thing’s neck.

    For a second, as t increased and s a terrible burning pain against  s like an angry fised minnow.

    On tones again, s one blurry, sore and sears—but still till working.

    S t  long, sinuous neck. t slid, impervious to ture’s desperate attempts to get it off. It ly from its s, trying to force fingers under t tal seemed inimical to ture’s substance, like a  pan to , but could not take han a second.

    t stained it oo, draining dos ting support, leaving gloure fouging and turning, even bucking, as if it could the ring  like a rider from a horse.

    Finally, it gave up and turned to from it, reacoalons groone oling to to fall s by a yard or more.

    “No!” s ing, coiling body lurcstretcalons fell s, as Sabriel crawled, rolled and pushed herself away.

    tracted once more, and a terrible s of anguiser of te-flaming ts arms suddenly so its torso; to to an amorpe, ill-large silver band around ttering like a drop of blood.

    Sabriel stared at it, unable to look aside, or do anyt ting blood. It seemed to  somet undone, somet so provide.

    Nervously craer marks t told  s do. earily, s up on he bellbandolier.

    Saranet beyond rengt so dra out, and to pierce the glowing, silverbound mass.

    to ts oal, ure Saraneth.

    At time, tency. to run, and a red  a red leature silver bell.

    ite mass quivered, and s again, till Sabriel o soget, collared in red leatting up and looking like  to throw up a hairball.

    It  a  a silver ring, ting Mogget’s internal lig rolled to Sabriel, tinkling across tone. S up and slid it back on her finger.

    Mogget’s glo embers, sad memories and asurned, cloaking Sabriel, , not even thinking.

    A little later, s a soft cat nose against ’s mouth.

    “Your nose is still bleeding,” said a familiar, didactic voice. “Lig some blankets out for us to sleep.

    It’s getting cold.”

    “elcome back, Mogget,” whispered Sabriel.

 chapter xiii

    Neit mentioned t  s particularly  to remember a , in an apologetic e ’s alter ego, or  ruction by the wind.

    As sed, dao a level approximating t.

    Sabriel could read and see te clearly, but to indistinct gloom ty or ty yards away.

    Not t t—perer, not ty s  unnel entrances into tunnels ake, as ter in ttle c  noweau near Abhorsen’s house.

    te igated by proximity to titude t could easily be sealevel or belo least a hundred yards deep.

    Still, een of er gurgling by e content to sloucly scorco ice of evilsmelling tanmaril leaves to range sunburn.

    matter o treatment. It  broken—merely ed  too muco clean off completely.

    Mogget, after an ered off to explore, refusing Sabriel’s offer of  for breakfast. Sed , or sometizing, instead. In a  lay tle  ill disturbing.

    Even so, tle disc surrounded by ter circumference of tarted to unnel ick and complaining quietly as every bruise reminded s location.

    Of course, just as sing a candle at tunnel entrance Mogget reappeared behind her.

    “Looking for me?” ly.

    “er, for instance.”

    “Useful?” mused Mogget, rubbing stretc legs.

    “Pereresting, certainly. ater? Yes.”

    “oo ay. “And eresting mean? Dangerous?”

    “Not far, by tunnel,” replied Mogget.

    “ttle danger getting trap and a fes, but not eresting part, you will o see for yourself, Abhorsen.”

    “Sabriel,” said Sabriel automatically, as sried to t least t, but no more t. Every day lost before s mean disaster. So find him soon.

    A Mordicant, S oo clear t some terrible enemy  boter.

    t enemy rapped  o be a very poer Dead creature. Perhis Kerrigor . . .

    “I’ll get my pack,” srudging back, Mogget slipping backen, almost tripping  al getting out of t to inexplicable catness, and didn’t comment.

    As Mogget unnel   long, and its eps and cross-c tle cat exactly across tones, to avoid a cleverly concealed pit.

    it Mogget’s guidance, Sabriel knew she would have fallen in.

    too. Old, inimical spells lay like motunnel, ing to fly up at o surround and c somet reaction and ttled again. A feimes, Sabriel experienced a gly touc to bruser mark on  at tunnel, sing into tips of ting in  before too, merged into stone.

    “ of t visible means of propulsion.

    “Anot said, matter-offactly.

    “It is w Blood . . . ach . . .”

    ence rat is interesting.”

    “ do you mean—” Sabriel began, but s as tugging at , t of ’s fur stood on end, and ated s oill ter marks of binding  and clearly readable, brig ther.

    t, standing at ttom of anoture twilighe sinkhole rim.

    t— per. Despite its size, tire vast pit , o t a quarter of t  a even so, Sabriel o use elescope to see te diamond-pattern  looked flimsy, but ted bird-corpses indicated considerable strengtunate birds o t, eyes greedily intent on food below.

    In tself, tation—mostly stunted trees and malformed bus Sabriel tle attention to spare for trees, for in betced a ship.

    Fourteen open-decked, single-masted longboats, t to catcent  to battle an imaginary tide. tandards, all limp against mast and rigging, but Sabriel didn’t need to see to knorange cargo t bear. Ss of Ancelstierre, close to tales of treasure, adventure and romance range harbor.

    “Funerary ships,” said Sabriel. “Royal ships.”

    Sion t to t  scuffed at tunnel entrance, spells of final deat could only  rulers of the Old Kingdom.

    “t . . .

    ckkk . . . t, after some difficulty.

    , tood on ures, like a circus impresario in we fur.

    Finally,  off into trees.

    “Come on—time h his words.

    Sabriel follo a slo so c bruised, tired and depressed, ser, and sad about the Paperwing.

    to t led ion of ts, leaps and bounds, but too o look in and s feel like so look at ties, t older. Boto Sabriel’s, ooned ions. Eac   turned back on itself in t—tation of ter.

    t. It seemed ser and less ornate,  devoid of black sails. No oars sprang from its sides, and as Sabriel reac lay under its stern, s it e.

    Curious, stle pool of bubbling er and o the bow.

    t too, for t detail.

    Sabriel blustle, for it  likeness, as if a young man ransformed from fleso extbooks.  and tig , ly raised, as if to ward off some evil.

    tail even extended to a circumcised penis,   exactly  not displeasing.

    It rayed and only just realized it. too, and sometred. tle mad. roubled  seemed too o be t of a ter alented.

    “too life-like,” Sabriel muttered, stepping back from to t of , seeking some trap or deception.

    trap, but Sabriel did feel someto t of a Dead revenant, but not tion t s place.

    Sabriel tried to identify it, ual problem no, studying ing ly t doo tiny scars on  of sice. t sign of a baptismal Cer mark on race of veins on his eyelids.

    t inspection led o certainty about ed, but sated about tion t saken, and  in searc. Not t s a lot of fait quarter, given  propensity toion to  again, somet mig  form was probably a welcome relief.

    In fact, no advice at all could be . Sabriel found ail and paddy-paco a dream of dancing mice. Sabriel looked at trac be back to tbalm, explaining bot’s previous mood and  somnolence. So make up her own mind.

    “So,” s. “You are tim of some Free Magic spell and necromantic trickery.

    Your spirit lies neit someo Deat I could find a lot of trouble as rouble I can’t deal  patic state. So her—Abhorsen . . . or any Abhorsen—do in my place?”

    S about it for a ten.

    t last question seemed to make y clear. Sabriel felt sure ’s ural necromancy and Free Magic sorcery.

    S t, pero tbalm. S even consider t ed until ter—perill t day. After all, t ed for many years, ransformed into o  o immediately take on any duty t presented itself . . .

    But for t time since s t problem for o solve. An injustice to be rig stle more tes on th.

    Some sligion remained  and picked up Mogget, placing t near t of the figurehead.

    ened—not t the sinkhole.

    t  difficult to cross into Deat for someto follo place to undertake a minor rescue.

    Once more, sing release.

    time, it   noticeable of ts very nature lulling listeners, beguiling to sleep or inattention.

    Second ts brus ing fingers, but s confident, ready for roll in Deatections of  to Death.

    Cold  less current, but sood erface bet t, and used inuing sligact o  ters of Death.

    Everyt, save for tant gurgling of ter about , and t Gate. Notirred, no s. Cautiously, Sabriel used o feel out anyt migo feel t spark of trapped, but living, spirit of to  here.

    t it seemed furto Deated. Sried to see it, squinting into t made distance impossible to judge, but notever er.

    Sabriel ated, to, carefully feeling fall, guarding against t. tely somet t quite strongly—it o be trapped spirit. Stle voice at t suggested it ure, strong enougo s o the river . . .

    Nevertever it  Ranna sound— a muffled, sleepy peal t carried tion of a yawn, a sigo sleep.

    If t . S o a good position, and reaco ter.

    oucotally unidentifiable.

    Sill  ures. Sometimes a spirit bore little relation to times living spirits became  too  long in Deat terpart of t lived too, someected from Deathe living body was preserved in wood.

    Sabriel gripped t-form under t rose up out of ter like a killer atue.

    Sabriel staggered backricksome eddies— but seadied  could drag her down.

    Ctle, Sabriel began to drag t-form back to was ed.

    t seemed far too strong for t Gate, and tallized spirit—or  was—was muc should be.

    itration bent on staying uprig direction, Sabriel almost didn’t notice tion of noise t marked t Gate. But so be  few days, and ion.

    Sening carefully, caug slosly as it could against t. Moving toch her unawares.

    Obviously, some alarm or summons  beyond t Gate, and alking to.

    Iny, Sabriel looked do  burden. Sure enoug make out a very tton to ter—and to t a controlling t one t  some distant Adept kno unately, sounding Ranna would  was so Life . . .

    Stle, but not too mucending s noticed ter.

    ever it  seemed quite reluctant to close in on her.

    Sabriel quickened tle more, adrenaline and suspense feeding rengt ruso drop t— and  forever.

    ever magic   possibly prevail if  past t Gate. If t , sated a murder rathan a rescue.

    Four steps to Life—t, loer, still creeping, but faster no er Gate, for s identify  once  looked like a cross bet moved in a series of scuttles and sinuous wriggles.

    teps. Sabriel sed  arm completely around t’s c and balancing t on  arm, but sill couldn’t draw he bells.

    to grunt and o a diving, russ long, yelloed tusks surfing ter, its long body undulating along behind.

    Sabriel stepped back, turned, and t into Life, using all o force tant, it seemed t through.

    S nothing else.

    Sabriel found y, ice crystals crunced body. turning  t. ared at  back to sleep.

    Sabriel rolled over, and got to , very, very sloo perform deeds of derring-do and rescue. Still, s. t was back w belonged, back in Life.

    Or so s, till she figurehead.

    It  c all to out.

    Puzzled, soucracing the wood.

    “A kiss,” said Mogget sleepily. “Actually, just a breat you o start kissing someone sometime, I suppose.”

    Sabriel looked at t, est symptom of catbalm-induced lunacy.

    But he seemed sober enough, and serious.

    “A breat  to kiss  just any  be like  remember it, and make assumptions.

    “Like took a deep breatepped back to see w would hing.

    Nothing did.

    “Catbalm!” exclaimed Sabriel, looking at Mogget. “You s—”

    A small sound interrupted  didn’t come from .

    tling bethe issue from an aged, underworked bellows.

    tronger, and , color began to floo ter of fles became flexible, suddenly rising and falling as o pant like a recovering sprinter.

    Sabriel’s. Fine grey eyes, but muzzy and unfocused.  seem to see  sook one step foro Sabriel’s arms.

    Sily to too a sances considerably different t sc from thier and more privileged day-girls.

    “t drunkenly, terribly slurred. o focus on —for t time, and added, “Abhorsen.”

    t to sleep, mout than he did as a fixed-expression figurehead.

    Sabriel looked do rying to ignore curiously fond feelings t o t .

    “I suppose I’d better get ,” santly, as s on earto add tion to  circumstances.

    So get o safety and civilization, at t—if to be found.

    “I can get a blanket if you  to keep staring at  said slyly, twining himself around her ankles in a sensuous pavane.

    Sabriel realized saring, and looked away.

    “No. I’ll get it. And my spare s, I suppose.

    t fit  of c. I’ll be back in a minute.”

    Mogget curned back to tly, t padded over and toucongue to ter mark on t Mogget didn’t flincill it grew dull again.

    “So,” muttered Mogget, tasting ongue by curling it back on itself.  surprised, and more ttle angry. asted taste, ture Saranettle peal t  of celebration.

 chapter xiv

    Grey mist coiling up y of escape, so tig even flex under skin,  blink. And noto see but patcid pool.

    t, pain exploding everyoes to brain and back again. t clearing, mobility returning. No more grey patc blurry colors, sloing into focus. A  tered. No, not a  soo young, not the family . . .

    “t like a mouse creeping from a dusty larder.

    “Abhorsen.”

    ted, o rue unconsciousness and sanity-restoring rest.

    , and felt a moment’s panic , t back  fres filtering do must be soon after daed,  dizzy and stupid, till  tall masts all around, the unfinished ship nearby.

    “tered to himself, frowning.

    no tering-ram effect of a severe   certain  been drinking. t teps.

    Rogir  ting image of a pale, concerned face, bloodied and bruised, black  in a fringe under . A deep blue surcoat, he Abhorsen.

    “S t voice, interrupting ering recollection. “S up before thing.”

    t seem to belong to anytill t the nearby ship.

    te cat curally sharp, green-eyed gaze.

    “ are you?” said tiously flickering from side to side, looking for a aining a s, trousers and some under it ohe rock.

    “Don’t be alarmed,” said t. “I’m but a faitainer of t. For t.”

    t  lift it. Memories o o a magnet. t gave  t-creature was.

    “You ,” esting his guess.

    “?” replied Mogget, yawning.

    “Dear me. I can’t recall it.  he name?”

    A good question, t t remember. erms, but   of as e past. o s in pain and anger.

    “Unusual name,” commented Mogget. “More of a bear’s name, t grooucone?”

    “!” ted. “t’s a fool’s name! how dare—”

    “Is it unfitting?” interrupted Mogget, coolly.

    “You do remember w you’ve done?”

    t t kno since t trying to remember his name.

    to bear it.

    “Yes, I remember,” oucone. But I shall call you—”

    ried again.

    “You can’t say it,” Mogget said. “A spell tied to tion of—but I can’t say it, nor tell anyone ture of it, or o fix it. You  be able to talk about it eits. Certainly, it ed me.”

    “I see,” replied toucone, somberly.  try tell me, whe Kingdom?”

    “No one,” said Mogget.

    “A regency, t is perhaps—”

    “No. No regency. No one reigns. No one rules.

    t first, but it declined . . .

    h help.”

    “ do you mean, ‘at first’?” asked toucone. “ exactly has happened? here have I been?”

    “ted for one y years,” Mogget announced callously.

    “Anarc ty, tempered by s could do. And you, my boy,  of t two hundred years.”

    “the family?”

    “All dead and past te, save one, who should be. You know who I mean.”

    For a moment, to return toucone to ate.  frozen, only t movement of  sinued life. tears started in o meet urned hands.

    Mogget c sympatill ts ween sobs became calmer.

    “t crying over it,” t said y of people rying to put tter to rigury alone, trying to deal ones and t Abainly isn’t lying around crying . Make yourself useful and help her.”

    “Can I?” asked toucone bleakly, wiping .

    “?” snorted Mogget. “Get dressed, for a start. things aboard here for you as well. Swords and suchlike.”

    “But I’m not fit to wield royal—”

    “Just do as you’re told,” Mogget said firmly.

    “t makes you feel better, t era, you’ll find common sense is more important than honor.”

    “Very oucone muttered, humbly.

    ood up and put on t, but couldn’t get trousers past highs.

    “t and leggings in one of ts back  said, after coucone rapped in too-tigher.

    toucone nodded, divested rousers, and clambered up taking care to keep as far a as possible. he gap.

    “You  tell her?” he asked.

    “tell well w?”

    “Abo  it  intentional. My part, I mean. Please, don’t tell her—”

    “Spare me t, in a disgusted tone. “I can’t tell  tell her.

    tion is ory.

    ell you t of our current saga while you dress.”

    Sabriel returned from t ions he blood.

    to reatments. All in all, s about eig normal, raten percent functional, and so  breakfast ot. Not t   ested ter mark on to be unsullied by Free Magic, or necromancy.

    Sed to still be asleep, so s a faint frisson of surprise and suspense co  nearby, precariously draped on the ship’s rail.

    Sy tempered by to be rangers.  dressed. Older and someimidating, particularly since o  of gold-striped red, criped gold, disappearing into turned-dos of russet doeskin. , to put on a red leat aco be giving him some problems.

    ter scabbards near , stabbing points s of t e .

    “Curse t ten paces ae deep, but currently frustrated and peaking emper.

    “Good morning,” said Sabriel.

    ducking to o transform tion into a boing in a descent to one knee.

    “Good morning, milady,”  meeting   from top of his curly-haired head.

    “I’m not ‘milady,’” said Sabriel, iquette principles applied to tuation. “My name is Sabriel.”

    “Sabriel? But you are t sound overly brig, ations.

    Pertle conversation at breakfast after all.

    “No, my fatern look at Mogget, o interfere. “I’m a sort of stand-in. It’s a bit complicated, so I’ll explain later. ’s your name?”

    ated, t remember, milady. Please, call me . . . call me toucone.”

    “toucone?” asked Sabriel. t sounded familiar, but s place it for a moment.

    “toucone? But t’s a jester’s name, a fool’s name. ?”

    “t’s ion.

    “ell, I o call you sometinued. “toucone. You knoradition of a  so bad. I guess you th, of course.”

    “In Deatoucone.  Sabriel’s. Surprisingly, elligent gaze. Perer all, s, as s ic and Free Magic would s.

    I am curious as to w was used on you.”

    toucone looked aain siness, or embarrassment.

    S tion  best.

    “I don’t remember very well,” he said, slowly.

    “t of attack upon the Queen . . .

    an ambus ttom of tairs.

    I remember figer Magic—  treac know how.”

    Sabriel listened carefully,

    a diamond of protection . . . t could , surely ted till it failed. ? And, most importantly, o get placed in t protected of places? Sions for later investigation, for anot ruck   least two hing he knew.

    “You ime,” sly, uncertain about o break t I mean is it’s been a very long time—”

    “two oucone.

    “Your minion told me.”

    “Your family . . .”

    “I , as immobile as t to Sabriel -first.

    “I o fig the Kingdom.”

    Sabriel didn’t take t. But a moment’s t closed o  Mogget, .

    “ old ?” shing her words.

    “tate of the Kingdom, generally speaking,”

    replied t. “Recent events. Our descent y as Abo remedy tuation.”

    “t? S, w may be?”

    “Not specifically,” said Mogget, c he could presume as much.”

    “As you see,” Sabriel said, rat been totally  ierre, so I tle idea about o Cer Magic. I face some dire enemies, probably under tion of one of ter Dead, a necromantic adept. And I’m not out to save t to find my fat  to take your oat, particularly as  met. I am o accompany us to t approximation of civilization, but I  I er t. And, please remember t my name is Sabriel. Not milady. Not Ab’s time for breakfast.”

    it, salked over to arted getting out some oatmeal and a small cooking pot.

    toucone stared after , ttac on tied to  and o t clump of trees.

    Mogget followed cicks for a fire.

    “Sierre,” said t. “S realize refusing your oat. And it’s true enoug her ignorance.

    t’s one of the reasons she needs your help.”

    “I can’t remember mucoucone, snapping a brancy.

    “Except my most recent past. Everyt sure if it’s real or not, learned or imagined. And I  insulted. My oat h much.”

    “But you’ll . It  a question.

    “No,” said toucone. “’s all I’m good for.”

    As Sabriel feared, ttle conversation over breakfast. Mogget  off in searcoucone ook it in turns to eat y, toucone ive. Sabriel started asking a lot of questions, but as andard response  remember,” she soon gave up.

    “I don’t suppose you can remember o get  out of tion, after a particularly long stretch of silence.

    Even to  addressing a miscreant twelve-year-old.

    “No, I’m sorry . . .” toucone began automatically, tary spasm of pleasure. “ait! Yes—I do remember! tair, to t remember w is . . .”

    “thern rim,”

    Sabriel mused. “It  be too o find.

    ance?”

    “I’m not sure,” replied toucone, guardedly, boo calm t ting bigger and bigger inside y memory—after all, t o magical incarceration.

    But t   seemed to be an affectation. or playing tler—or rator trying to impersonate a butler as best  w drew me a map,” salking as muco calm ion.

    “But, as ly  Ab two-hundred-year-old memories . . .”

    Sabriel paused, and bit  eful.

    opped speaking, but no reaction s as ill be carved from wood.

    “ I mean is,” Sabriel continued carefully, “it e to Belisaere, and tant landmarks and locations on the way.”

    S t of t in tective oilskin.

    toucone took one end as s, and ones, welescope case.

    “I t racing  from to a point a little nortterlin river delta.

    “No,” said toucone, sounding decisive for t time, abbing to t’s only ten leagues from t and at titude as Mount Anarson.”

    “Good!” exclaimed Sabriel, smiling, ’s t route to Belisaere, and  take?”

    “I don’t kno conditions, mi . . .

    Sabriel,” toucone replied. er, more subdued. “From  says, tate of anarco. ts, tures . . .”

    “Ignoring all t,” Sabriel asked, “which way did you normally go?”

    “From Nestohe fishing village here,”

    toucone said, pointing at t to t of  post o Callibe, a rest day terior road up t Pass, six days all told to Aunden. A rest day in Aunden, to Orc o tgate of Belisaere.”

    “Even  t days, t’d be eig least six ’s too long. Is ther way?”

    “A s, from Nestoerrupted Mogget, stalking up beo place .”

 chapter xv

    tair o tifice, it seemed to be little more ticularly  patcone t formed t you could  eps winding up behind.

    to take teps t morning, after anot. Sabriel o move on, for s t  sic enougo assess ime. toucone, too, probably needed a rest, s. Sried to coax more information out of eps, but ant to even open ating. After toget in ter Magic. tayed  its presence, brooding in her pack . . .

    toucone stayed at te end of tretcics. Mogget ctering, as if intent on a mouse.

    Luncional failure.

    Dried beef strips, garnisercress from toucone.  back to “milady,” despite Sabriel’s repeated requests to use  didn’t er lunc back to tive activities. Sabriel to oucone to  to ching.

    Dinner  someto. Sabriel tried talking to Mogget, but o be infected oucone’s  reticence, t y. As soon as ten, everyone left togetoucone to t, Mogget nort—and  to sleep on as comfortable a stretch of ground as could be discovered.

    Sabriel . it getting up, s toucone sat beside it, staring into ting t.  ill.

    “Are you all rigly, propping herself up on one elbow.

    toucone started, rocked back on  fell over. For once,  sound like a sulky servant.

    “Not really. I remember , and forget w I s. Forgive me.”

    Sabriel didn’t anso t to her.

    “Please, go back to sleep, milady,” toucone continued, slipping back to he morning.”

    Sabriel opened o say somet tended y, t it, and subsided back under  . Just concentrate on rescuing Fatold  is tant thing.

    Rescue Ab  toucone’s problems, or Mogget’s curious nature.

    Rescue Abhorsen. Rescue Abhorsen. Rescue Abhors . . . rescue . . .

    “ake up!” Mogget said, rig  across ed it in her ear. “ake up!”

    “I’m a ill extremely dark, save for t of test brus above toucone s on his chin and neck.

    “Good morning,” es, milady.”

    Sabriel groaned at t rousers and staggered off to find a suitable buse to the spring.

    ter of ted t kindness, Sabriel exposing o it and ten seconds it took to s, was dressed again.

    Clean, aurned to te oucone ate, e-furred belly. Not for t time, Sabriel  at all.  o eat for amusement, ratenance.

    toucone continued being a servant after breakfast, cleaning pot and spoon, quencting everyt o sopped him.

    “No, toucone. It’s my pack. I’ll carry it, thank you.”

    ated, t to  it on, but sraps and take t.

    er, perone-carved stair, Sabriel  regretted o take till  totally recovered from tair eep, and so narro sy negotiating turns. to jam against tside or inside ter wurned.

    “Perake it in turns to carry tantly,  a sort of alcove to catch.

    toucone, o take the pack.

    “I’ll lead, tly at t on unic, s and unders. Sepped up.

    “No,” said toucone, stepping in her way.

    “tair. I knoo pass them.

    You are t let you past, but I am not sure.”

    “Your memory must be coming back,” Sabriel commented, slig being ted.

    “tell me, is tair tioned whe Queen was ambushed?”

    “No,” toucone replied flatly. ated, t stair was in Belisaere.”

    it, urned, and continued up tairs. Sabriel follo at  s lumbered by  more alert. atcoucone, ster some , feat toucer Magic. Subtle magic, mucunnel beloect and probably muc.

    No sensation of Deatair ime ago.

    Finally, to a large c of double doors to one side. Ligtice t o air and sky.

    “t’s tside door,” toucone said, unnecessarily.  ook Sabriel’s, notle more tub of  bot stitco t of . Sabriel t of joking about t ential for damage, but t better  of it. toucone  ted type.

    “ open?” asked Sabriel, indicating t see any  matter.

    toucone , eyes unfocused and staring, tter little chuckle.

    “I don’t remember! All tair, all the words and signals . . . and now useless! Useless!”

    “At least you got us up teps,” Sabriel pointed out, alarmed by thing.

    “I’d still be sitting by tc bubble, if you  come along.”

    “You would ,”

    toucone muttered. “Or Mogget would.

    ood! Yes, t’s o be—”

    “toucone,” Mogget interrupted, hissing.

    “S up. You’re to be useful, remember?”

    “Yes,” replied toucone, visibly calming . Milady.”

    “Please, please, just Sabriel,” siredly.

    “I’ve only just left sceen! Calling me milady seems ridiculous.”

    “Sabriel,” toucone said tentatively. “I ry to remember. ‘Milady’ is a  . . . it   reminds me of my place in t’s easier for me—”

    “I don’t care  call me milady and stop acting like a ! Just be yourself. Be need a valet, I need a useful . . . friend!”

    “Very oucone said,  at least t  over servile, Sabriel t.

    “No.

    “ any ideas about this door?”

    “Just one,” replied Mogget, sliding bet marked the door.

    “Push. One on each side.”

    “Push?”

    “?” said toucone, sook up a position, braced against t side of t on tal-studded wood.

    Sabriel ated, t t.

    “One, t.

    Sabriel pusoucone on “pus took several seconds to sync bar, climbing from floor to ceiling, dust motes dancing in its progress.

    “It feels strange,” said toucone, te strings.

    “I can  time,   singing.

    “I can see time,” ly t .

    t t of pine trees clearing trils of underground dust. Mogget sneezed quickly times, and ran about in a tig bely and inexplicably as they’d opened.

    tood in a small clearing in t, or plantation, for trees ood in turf and stunted bus battleground.

    “tcoucone. ook several deep breat t is inter, I think—or early Spring?”

    “inter,” replied Sabriel. “It e  seems much milder here.”

    “Most of t of, teau,” Mogget explained. “teau is bet above tal plain. In fact, towe, wly below sea level and has been reclaimed.”

    “Yes,” said toucone. “I remember. Long Dyke, to raise ter—”

    “You’re botive for a change,”

    remarked Sabriel. “ould one of you care to tell me somet to kno Cers?”

    “I can’t,” Mogget and toucone said together.

    toucone continued, ingly, “t someone o ter, migo speak. A cized er mark, but not groo power.”

    “You’re cleverer t,” commented Mogget. “Not t t’s saying much.”

    “A child,” said Sabriel. “hy would a child know?”

    “If you’d ion, you’d knooo,” said Mogget. “A e of good silver, t school of yours.”

    “Per no I kno being at scierre saved my life. But enoug. hich way do we go now?”

    toucone looked at t visible above trees, per of its noon-time zenitoucone looked from it to trees, ted: “East. ter Stones, leading from o tern edge of tcones.”

    tones ill ter t, some sort of animal track t meandered from one stone to t. It  pleasant, tant presence of ter  Stones a reassuring sensation to Sabriel and toucone, wrees.

    tones in all, and none of t a stab of nervous tension every time t to anotark picture alone of Cloven Crest.

    t stone stood on t, atop a granite bluff ty or forty yards ’s eastern edge and the end of high ground.

    tood next to tone and looked out, out toe-crested, restless, alo shore.

    Belo, sunken fields of Nestoained by a netself lay ters of a mile a of sigher side.

    “toucone, in a puzzled tone, as if  believe w he was seeing.

    Sabriel folloually silt and er, sitting tepidly where food once grew.

    indmills, poood silent, trefoil-sill atop scaffolding to-laden breeze blehe sea.

    “But ter-spelled,”

    toucone exclaimed. “to folloo  care . . .”

    “t added, elescope in Sabriel’s pack.

    “Nestoone must be broken,”

    Sabriel said, moutigain stenche village.”

    “A boat  o Belisaere, and I am reasonably confident of my sailing,” toucone remarked. “But if t we . . .”

    “e’ll go do a boat,” Sabriel announced firmly. “he sun is high.”

 chapter xvi

    t-up pat it o ankle-depthigh-high slippages.

    Only tood er, and to, not tooucone o , of course, rode, e fox fur.

    ater and mud, coupled ain pat slo took an o cover less t er in ternoon t of ter, up onto t. At least t, glancing up. ter sun  particularly  and couldn’t be described as glaring, but it ainly deter most kindred of turing out.

    Neverto to eps carved from tar. tled on top of t ty cozy brick cottages, ile roofs, some painted brigen.

    It ely silent, save for t of oucone dreoget so-s passed for a main street, s noered windows.

    Bot uneasy, nervous—a nasty, tingling, creeping sensation climbing up from spine, to nape of neck, to foreer mark.

    Sabriel also felt things.

    Lesser Dead, , lurking  somewhere nearby, in house or cellar.

    At treet, on t point of ter Stone stood on a patcended laone on green turf. A body lay in front of tone,  bound, t across t a clear sign of one.

    Sabriel knelt by ted from tone. It ly ruined, s, but already to Deat feel ts beyond, leaking out around tone, sucking he air.

    too, s beyond tience for nigo fall.

    As sed, ter Mage, dead but t s expected to find the dead person was a woman.

    ide s, but t, t cut, s brown  and blood.

    “t, indicating a bracelet on  ter look. t er marks of greenstone. Dead marks no in tal.

    “Shree or four days ago,”

    Sabriel announced. “tone  time.”

    toucone looked back at ce.  Sabriel noticed t ire body ense, like a compressed jack-in-to spring.

    “ever . . . killed one, didn’t enslave ,”

    Sabriel added quietly, as if to herself.

    “I wonder why?”

    Neit nor toucone answered.

    For a moment, Sabriel considered asking t uous desire for journeys into Deat experience. Instead, s t s of curled-up sleeping position.

    “I don’t know your name,  I e. Farewell.”

    Sood back and dreer marks for t  aone pressed against ler gripping s, clamping  beaded on  t, tongue clumsy, seeming swollen in h.

    t assistance come, strengteadying ed tany, and a spark exploded above ting flame, to a fierce,  spread totally consuming it, to leave only as cargo for the sea winds.

    tra strengtoucone’s ly resting on her shoulder.

    As sraigouc.

    urned around, toucone  drah helping her.

    “toucone rong Cer Mage, perrong as s t of being a Cer Mage—s assumed ing-related marks and spells. Petty magics.

    “e s, proation, carefully avoiding ts from tone.

    “Find a boat, and put to sea before nightfall.”

    “t oucone added quickly, pointing  seemed very keen to leave tone, t Sabriel. But t daylig seemed to dull t. t t and thralk.

    teps in ts t lined tties t out into ter, sered under ter of ing tection from wind and wave.

    ts moored in tied up to tties, or at t even a dingood on teps, looking doemporarily devoid of furt cties; t their business.

    Mogget sat near , sniffing t.

    toucone stood he rear.

    “ noing ty s perpetual tilt against one.

    “t said, eyes slitted against ts  tied up betcrops of rock on t.”

    Sabriel looked, but saill sracted telescope from toucone’s back. ood completely still  as ty village. Playing , but s really mind.  metapugging es.

    telescope, s Mogget ly ion: a glimpse of a ary sig bet nestled on tern side.

    Sing o ter, Sabriel follos lengted, t, er indicated t there, now removed.

    “It looks like to the island,”

    sting telescope doer, to keep running er bet t t idal er—”

    “Let’s go ttered toucone.  , be no be guarding t .

    it furt off doeps, doo to ter. toucone follourning every feeps to c did likeinually looking back, peering up at the houses.

    Beters inccy of scrio marc to ter, still moving errible er. Rotten, corroded  teetal mouths.

    Fart by ligration, anger—and fear. they all knew who had passed.

    One suced by lot and compelled by its peers, gave up its existence in Life  scream, vaniso Deater  o reaces to a final demise. But ter didn’t care about t.

    ter proved to be at least fifteen feet er  ones in front of ttered off into the sea.

    Instantly, toucone rus of Sabriel, and s ter Magic from c circle in t of till a she air.

    Four arroriking the circle, simply vanished.

    tely, striking stones or sea.

    “Arrooucone. “Effective, but o keep going. Do reat?”

    “Not yet,” replied Sabriel. Sirring in tones t marked o be of little t.

    “ed Sabriel. “e are friends!”

    t t loose their nocked arrows.

    “’s title—usually, I mean?  are to toucone, once again s customs.

    “In my day . . .” toucone replied slotention mostly on t, “in my day—Elder—for this size of village.”

    “e ed Sabriel. Sed at t advancing behind her, and added, “Before darkness falls!”

    “ait!” came too, Sabriel realized t.

    turned in a fees, an older man urned ss to quivers. toucone, seeing to maintain t , ted, leaving a momentary rainbow.

    t, as itle, ter. Long ention of terested courage of one already close to death.

    “anding above ters like some prop of legend, he rising breeze.

    “ do you ?”

    Sabriel opened o ans  toucone arted to speak. Loudly.

    “I am toucone, sands before you. Are arrows your welcome for such folk as we?”

    t for a moment,  eyes focused on Sabriel, as if rip ay or illusion by sight alone.

    Sabriel met  out of to toucone.

    “ makes you t a friendly approacter? And since when are you my sworn—”

    Sopped, as t to speak and spat into ter. For a moment, s t t as neitoucone reacted, it .

    “times,” to leave our firesides for t for seaencorangers and travelers are rare in sucimes, and not alhey seem.”

    “I am tantly.

    “Enemy of the Dead.”

    “I remember,” replied the old man, slowly.

    “Abo put dos t t brouger curse him.

    Ab coat you’re en-fathere was a sword, also . . .”

    antly. Sabriel stood, silently, ing for o go on.

    “s to see toucone said, voice flat, after tretcoo far.

    “Oh,” replied Sabriel, flushing.

    It e obvious. Carefully, so as not to alarm t up to ter marks could clearly be seen, silver dancers on the blade.

    “Yes,” sig is ter-spelled.

    She Abhorsen.”

    urned and tottered back too t of a fiser ors!  last!”

    Sabriel glanced at toucone, raising  tion of t toucone met .

    “It is traditional for someone of o be announced by tly. “And table o travel   best, illicit lovers. o mine in suc eyes. You see?”

    “A come back and spread from o  felt a lot like being on te’s severest social put-do about  raveling togetainly, in Ancelstierre, it . But only some t seemed.

    “Lesson tered Mogget from some of ten. I  any fres ill flopping—”

    “Be quiet!” Sabriel interrupted. “You’d better  pretend to be a normal cat for a while.”

    “Very alking ao sit on toucone.

    Sabriel  to reply scatest curve at toucone’s moutoucone? Grinning? Surprised, sort on ongue, t it altogeto stone artling bang.

    “Please cross quickly,” teadied tures in t done.”

    true to  of closing rain mingled  and salty smell of t furt beoucone bringing up the rear.

 chapter xvii

    All to of t s of arccer. ty-six villagers ty-one.

    “ty-til this morning,”

    to Sabriel, as op a piece of very ale bread. “e t o t Monjer Sto’s boy  after daoday, sucked dry like a ouc  paper, t still s souco flakes of . . . something like ash.”

    Sabriel looked around as ting terns, candles and rusapers t added boto t and tmospo teristic accato movement.

    “e to fatalism. Sood alone, accompanied by tragedy. Sabriel guessed s her family.

    s and siblings, too, for s over forty.

    “It’ll take us, one by one,” tinued, matter-of-fact, ainty. Around c looking at o meet o accept her words.

    Most looked at Sabriel and s blind faite confidence, but a gambler’s  a new  change a run of losses.

    “the Abhorsen who came when I was young,”

    tinued—and Sabriel sa at old me t it s t came in t’s caravan. Is it still the Dead?”

    Sabriel t for a moment, ally flicking t stir in t sat by . s strayed to o Belisaere; to be arrayed against rolling mind.

    “I he Dead,”

    s last, speaking clearly so all could  I cannot free the mainland village.

    ter evil at  same evil t er Stone—and I must find and defeat it as soon as I can.  is done, I urn— I er Stone ored.”

    “e understand,” replied t pinued, speaking more to o  Sabriel. “e can survive s. If Callibe  fallen to trade, for vegetables and otuffs.”

    “You cer,”

    toucone said. ood beern bodyguard.

    “try to fill it in ones, or puser by building bridges of boxed grave dirt.”

    “So, o t of t ?”

    Silence fell as tioner spoke, for ted to eady rain, as e afternoon. t inconsequentially, as sion. Rain didn’t destroy, but it  and irritated t  of the rain.

    Sood up  t. ty-one pairs of eyes ce  too many lanterns, candles and tapers. toucone c cing outrying to feel the Dead.

    It , concealed emanation, like an untraceable wten.

    Sabriel concentrated on it, follo, and found it, righe villagers.

    Sraig t c tening intently for  tely somet cloak, s.

    “tell me,” Sabriel said. “Did anyone bring a large box  to t would be .”

    Murmurs and enquiries met tion, neigurning to eactle  floalked, Sabriel  titiously loosening oucone to stay close by tle groups of villagers. Mogget, glancing up from retcalked beoucone’s er a  ts wail of .

    Careful not to alarm ook a zigzag patening to tudied attention, t to be grohe second.

    Closer no tecill alive, but a Dead spirit ringpuller, using . Somet , ted to tical spirits in to keep a primary  alive, slipping off at nigo sate ther living prey—like children.

    “I’m sure I sa, Patar,” to  it ashore. hey, Jall!”

    ed t last, turning to look at someone else across t instant, tar exploded into action, clubbing ioner o t ferocity of a battering ram.

    But Sabriel ed t. Sood before  t  sleeper, from the bandolier.

    Sill o save t.

    Patar slid to a  and urned, but toucone ing Cer marks and silver flames. Sabriel eyed t kno time she asked, she realized.

    t t didn’t  for the unavoidable lullaby.

    Patar suddenly screamed, and stood rigid, to be replaced by grey. t, even o soggy as sucked all t of ant. Nerengt from t took s moved, becoming a large, disgustingly elongated sort of rat. Quicker tural rat, it scuttled toant.

    toucone didn’t miss. -ure just be-s sinuous midsection.

    Pinned to ture s suff  s body, escaping trap.

    Quickly, Sabriel stood over it, Ranna sounding in , lazy tone ec into the shed.

    Before t ceased to  by its sing from t lay like a lump of cill impaled.

    Sabriel replaced Ranna, and dres forceful voice snapped out, sound  of domination over ture. t made no effort to resist, even to make a mouto  it succumb to h.

    S t ated as er  alker sometimes s o irring suspiciously under her hand.

    Best to  a moment, to calm , taking he bandolier.

    So  toucone and Mogget  t ricksome too, but its trickery roublesome.

    “t,” so toucone, alogued as one of to ride ing to some extent, directing it, and slo a makes to find.”

    “ do  nooucone, eyeing taste. It clearly couldn’t be cut up, consumed by fire, or anythink of.

    “I  back to die a true deatill felt uneasy, for ting in rying to sound of its o would make h.

    S  aug, singing a merry tune, a capering jig t almost  jumping too, till so be absolutely still.

    t , toucone t it ting a to ts. t slid back doo bob and spin in t, ever voice it o te.

    “to toucone. S ill deeply embedded in t ser marks moving on the blades.

    “I didn’t realize your swords were ensorcelled,”

    sinued. “they are.”

    Surprise crossed toucone’s face, and confusion.

    “I t you kne  to take t Mogget said you—”

    opped in mid-sentence, as Sabriel let out a felt sigh.

    “ell, any t time he—or she, I suppose—made your sword.”

    “Mine?” asked Sabriel, ly touc about  ion said,  all. So it probably ant past w would know, s.

    Mogget probably , or couldn’t, tell  he would know.

    “I suppose ter wake everybody up,”

    sion about se present.

    “Are toucone, grunting as he floor.

    “I don’t t Mordaut   of poor . . . Patar . . . so its presence  box of grave dirt, ructions before t t . I guess I s to be sure.”

    “Nooucone.

    “No let’s , and organize some people to carry ligter talk to t a boat for the morning.”

    “And a good supply of fis, en wing, he heavy drone of snoring fisher-folk.

    ted seeing strange lig on ter too, and s fire arroo tones, but sas guttered out.

    Sabriel advanced out on ter, and stood near t loosely draped over o t see anyt sronger. t trengto a single creature, only noone as a portal. An instant later, ss particular presence.

    t had found her.

    “toucone,” sing to keep t by night?”

    “Yes,” replied toucone, , tern-liging only . ated, as if  be offering an opinion, t it , and t is very dark.”

    “Mogget can see in tly, moving closer to toucone so t hear her.

    “e o leave immediately,” sending to adjust   pursued me before.”

    “ about toucone, so softly t  sound of reproof under one.

    “t is after me,” muttered Sabriel. S moving aone, questing about, using its oto find  can feel my presence, as I feel it.  will follow.”

    “If ay till morning,” toucone  couldn’t cross this gap.”

    “I said, ‘I tered Sabriel. “It ronger. I can’t be sure—”

    “t t, it  very difficult to destroy,” toucone w much worse?”

    “Mucly.

    t opped moving. to be dampening bots senses and its desire to find ared vainly out into trying to peer past ts of rain, to gain t, as well as ic senses.

    “Riemer,” so ternholders.

    ered flat on er dripping doapult itself off the end of his pudgy nose.

    “Riemer, cell to s anyt comes onto ter—t to go back and talk to your Elder.”

    ts in puddles and teady finger-applause of t least tention stayed ; a malign, stomacer. S ing.

    aiting for to stop, or per to attack from ever its reasons, it gave ttle time to get to a boat, and lead it a couldn’t cross ter gap.

    “ time is loide?” s struck.

    “A about an  six hours, if I’m any judge.”

    to go in t, t t at least ance o t. t. tones o stop their living prey.

    “I’m sorry,” Sabriel said again. “But   and  noerrible Dead creature in t tracks like a  ing dog, and trail it folloay, it ry and come  t may be able to cross ter.

    If I go, it will follow.”

    “Very  is a little t er. Riemer! t—make sure it is stocked and seaake sails from Jaled, if Landalin’s is s or rotten.”

    “tiredness  of awareness.

    Ay.”

    “May ter preserve us all,” added toucone, boo t, solemn figure, so mucall on the wall behind.

    Sabriel turned to go, but a long line of villagers o ted to bosey before o mutter sed  t and guilt, remembering Patar. true, s anot in t have been so clumsy . . .

    to-last person in ttle girl, ied in ts, one on eitoucone opped, and took the girl’s hands in her own.

    “ is your name, little one?” s over  ened first-grader antly reac to t day at yverley College. Sabriel ime.

    “Aline,” said t and lively, too young to be dimmed by tened despair t clouded ts’ gaze. A good c.

    “Noell me  Cer,” Sabriel said, adopting t questioning tone of tor wwice a year.

    “I knotle doubtfully, , like we do in class?”

    Sabriel nodded.

    “e dance around tone, too,” Aline added, confidingly. Sood up straig one foot forook o clasp them behind her back.

    Five Great Cers knit togetone and mortar Four sees all in frozen er.

    “t was very nice.”

    Sened to get out of t into think.

    “So noo o escape the puddles.

    “I still can’t tell you, but you know one’s in your blood.”

    “tantly. “‘t is t talk about it either!”

    But s about tions so ask, as toucone  lay just off tiny, s served the island as a harbor.

    One of t Cers lay in t  saer? S certain t many ans tioning in this seven years.

    toucone pusook t leapt out of Sabriel’s arms, and assumed a figureion near t-sig,  time.

    Back on s suddenly  ecer, cs on bot and island.

    “Bear a bit more to starboard,” said Mogget, in ter the howl faded. “e need more sea-room.”

    toucone o comply.

 chapter xviii

    By t of Nestoired of nautical life. tually non-stop all t time, only putting into s noon for freser, and only t was sunny.

    Nig under sail, or, oucone, o  standing ch.

    Fortunately, ther had been kind.

    It ively uneventful five days.

    too Beardy Point, an unprepossessing peninsula ing features tomed beacream. Devoid of life, it  time, Sabriel could no longer sense t. A good, strong, souterly  too fast a pace for it to follow.

    t to ts rocky cliffs climbing senement, o tens of t late in ternoon, tretco bursting, clinker-built  salted mouths, eyes and bodies.

    It  narrorait t led to t t ricky sailing, so t t o just out of sigo  for t of day.

    “toucone explained, as   yet pulled itself out of tern. “It  to keep pirates and suc of t believe t—I can’t imagine  rung across.”

    “ill it still be tiously, not ing to prevent toucone’s strangely talkative mood.

    “I’m sure of it,” replied toucone. “e’ll see toe s. inding Post, to to th.”

    “Not very imaginative names,” commented Sabriel, unable to errupting.

    It  suco talk! toucone o non-communication for most of t for eig leave mucion.

    “ter toucone. “hich makes sense.”

    “o let vessels past t Belisaere. Could it be like Nestoy abandoned, riddled oucone. “I  t about t. In my time, ter,  s says, ty o anarchy . . .”

    “tfully.

    “So even if , trouble. I tter reverse my surcoat and  wrapping.”

    “ about toucone.

    o dra tig ly nudging tiller to take advantage of a s in to say t.”

    “I’ll just look like a necromancer,” Sabriel replied. “A salty, unwashed necromancer.”

    “I don’t knooucone,  Sabriel  into ty, or ay alive, in—”

    “In your day,” interrupted Mogget, from e post on t t necromancers and  uncommon sights in Belisaere.”

    “I’ll arted to say.

    “If you say so,” toucone said, at time. Clearly,  believe t. Belisaere al, a y, o at least fifty toucone couldn’t imagine it fallen, decayed and in te  kno t totle different from two-hundredyear- old images locked in his memory.

    t confidence took a blooe srait.

    At first, to grealler as  toelescope, Sabriel sa tiful, rosy-pink stone t once must . Noy vanis  top torys, from seven; Boom ood as tall as ever, but sunligerior to be a gutted ruin. toll collector, hing alive.

    t boom-cill stretcrait. , rose green and barnaclebefouled out of ter and up into eaco could be seen in trouger of the deep.

    “e’ll o go in close to t toep t and ro rises,” toucone declared, after studying tes telescope, trying to gauge  even ively s boat, it oo risky, and t  for ide, late in ternoon. At some time in t, peroo its maximum tension. t iceable slippage.

    “Mogget, go to t for anyter. Sabriel, could you please coo guard against attack.”

    Sabriel nodded, pleased t toucone’s stint as captain of t to remove t nonsense out of ,  for , jumped up to t protest, despite t occasionally burst over  diagonally across toriangle of opportunity between shore, sea and chain.

    tepping t. tered by t tide urned, and a tidal race o run from to t mast and sail, tooucone rorengt to keep steerage er a moment, took one of toget yoions.

    Every fe troke, s, Sabriel snatc crumbling sea, and t of t-floe frot gargantuan c the sea’s whim.

    “Port a little,” yo. toucone backed , t jumped down, yelling, “Ship oars and duck!”

    ttling, splasoucone simply lying do some rocked and plunged, and terrible.

    Sabriel, one moment looking up at t sa green, re up, s and touc boom-ch.

    t, and toucone o ted to lie t looking up at t t  up and resumed y as a rower.

    ter che Sea of Saere.

    Sabriel trailed , marveling at its clear turquoise ss color, it ransparent. ter  s tc’s wake.

    S relaxed, momentarily carefree, all troubles t lay aemporarily lost in single-minded contemplation of ter. tant ao Deater Magic ed at sea. For a fees, s about toucone and Mogget. Even s coolness on her hand.

    “e’ll be able to see ty soon,” toucone said, interrupting al oill standing.”

    Sabriel nodded tfully, and sloook ing from a dear friend.

    “It must be difficult for you,” s to  really expecting o answer.

    “two o ruin w.”

    “I didn’t really believe it, till I saoooucone. “No city t I never believed could really change.”

    “No imagination,” said Mogget, sternly. “No ter. A fatal flaw.”

    “Mogget,” Sabriel said indignantly, angry at t for crus anotion.

    “o toucone?”

    Mogget led on his back.

    “I am accurate, not rude,” urning o tudied scorn. “And .”

    “I’m sick of toucone,  kno I don’t?”

    toucone , knuckles iller, eyes focused on tant owers of Belisaere.

    “You’ll o tell me eventually,” said Sabriel, a touc entering her voice.

    “It can’t be t bad, surely?”

    toucone  ated, then spoke.

    “It upidity on my part, not evil, milady.

    t I am partly responsible for the royal line.”

    “!” exclaimed Sabriel. “how could you be?”

    “I am,” continued toucone miserably, iller moved, giving t a crazy zigzag here was a . . .

    t is . . .”

    ook a deep breat up a little straiginued, as if reporting to a senior officer.

    “I don’t kno involves t Cers. art? it son, Rogir, . I  into terests. No terests must ed it t ive, and often away.

    “to  before ter Festival. I o see o be more like  interest in ties t tracted  more time together again; hawking, riding, drinking, dancing.

    “te one afternoon—one cold, crisp afternoon, near sunset—I y, guarding to o come o t Stones are . . . !”

    “Yes,” interrupted Mogget. ired, like an alley cat t oo many. “time.

    e can speak of t Cers, at least for a little  was so.”

    “Go on,” said Sabriel, excitedly. “Let’s take advantage of it ones ones and mortar of t Cer?”

    “Yes,” replied toucone, remotely, as if reciting a lesson, “ever t Cers, put tions: t Stones. All tones draher.

    “t Stones . . . Rogir came and said  t look into.  s take great account of rouble ones. Ser Mage and felt not Cranaque, so sold o  till morning. Rogir turned to me, asked me to intercede, and, Cer rusted he Queen. Finally, she agreed.

    By t time, t. iting,  doo t Stones are.”

    toucone’s voice faded to a winued, and grew hoarse.

    “terrible  it   Stones and t being broken, broken ers, sacrificed by  seconds, t ing across ter. I felt tones breaking and I remember Rogir, stepping up beriking so sly across . o catc I oo slooo slow . . .”

    “So tory you told me at  true,” Sabriel ears rolled down  survive . . .”

    “No,” mumbled toucone. “But I didn’t mean to lie. It was all jumbled up in my head.”

    “ did happen?”

    “two guards were Rogir’s men,”

    toucone continued,  ears, muffled tacked me, but Vlare—one of ting—t mad, battle-mad, berserk. I killed boto tones, ing, dark-coone, t to be broken. I couldn’t reacime, I kne fleraigrue, taking  above t. urned back toransfixed by my s still walking,  vile cup of blood up, as if offering me a drink.

    “‘You may tear t, like some poor-made costume.

    But I cannot die.’ “o  t lay so close beures . . .

    te liging on ter like oil. I turned, saairs; a burning, ting column of ed, or  me till only remember in sches.”

    “You sold me,” Sabriel said, trying to put as muc per o  for t binding spell. tell me, t the Abhorsen?”

    “I don’t knooucone. “Probably.”

    “Almost definitely, I would say,” added Sabriel.

    S Mogget, t column of ting fire. “You oo,  you, Mogget? Unbound, in your other form.”

    “Yes, I . “it time. A very poer of t a little too good-ed to deal reacerrible trouble getting o Belisaere, and in t timely enougo save ters.”

    “ oucone.

    “ happened?”

    “Rogir o Belisaere,” Mogget said o a creen cronies. “But only an Ab, and  there.

    Rogir’s real body  for his physical form.

    “Someake life all time to stay out of Deat ter made it very difficult for o do t anyer.

    o breaking a feones, some o prey on, and t him down.

    So o break t Stones, and for t  t .

    “Because  ac Stones ers tle too late. true, o drive o Deat since rue body inued to exist. Even from Deation of t a royal family,  Cers crippled, corrupting and  really beaten t nig delayed, and for to come back, trying to re-enter Life—”

    “ errupted Sabriel. “ing for generations,  trying to keep in Deater Dead , ter of t.”

    “I do not kno. “Your fat so.”

    “It is oucone said, distantly.

    “Kerrigor .

    his full ceremonial name was Rogirek.”

    “s—must o Belisaere just before  aloud. “I o Life so near the all?”

    “ be near to be close to it,” Mogget said. “You s. to reneer spell t prevents e.”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel, remembering t suppressed it, before it became a racking sob. Inside, s like screaming, crying. Sed to flee back to Ancelstierre, cross t sed  first,  find my father’s body.”

    t, save for t he rigging.

    toucone .

    “to ask.  my spirit in Deathe figurehead?”

    “I never kne.  toucone’s gaze, and it  t  must  you out of t Stones. No memory, not seems too long for a rest cure.

    be nearing ty, and the binding resumes . . .”

    “No, Mogget!” exclaimed Sabriel. “I  to knoo knoion  . . .”

    and a star-  tled gargle  came out.

    “too late,” said Mogget. arted cleaning ongue darting out, brig we fur.

    Sabriel sig at turquoise sea, t te-streaked blue. A lig on ao join a squaing near the surface.

    Everyt tang on ink of fisoucone’s grim past, t of Rogir/Kerrigor and th.

    “e so be very careful,” Sabriel said at last, “and  . . .  you said to tooucone?”

    ely w s.

    “ ter preserves us all.”

 chapter xix

    Sabriel ed Belisaere to be a ruined city, devoid of life, but it  so. By time ts toruly impressive  ringed ty stood, ts, of a size ed as ting elling of  be in Belisaere. “Good sun and s er”  typical greeting in toucone’s time.

    ty’s main . A o a vast pool, easily as big as ty or ty playing fields.  most ed. to tted bey imony to long abandonment.

    Only tern dock looked lively. trading vessels of bygone days, but many small coastal craft, loading and unloading. Derricks s; longss. No opped boottle more tly decorated frameing a patcables for tools for tomers. to be no sage of customers in general, Sabriel noted, as toucone steered for a vacant bert as if time ed.

    toucone let t go slack, and broug into t in time for to lose  an oblique angle into t lined t before s to a bollard, a street urc for her.

    “Penny for t,” he crowd.

    “Penny for t, lady?”

    Sabriel smiled, , and flicked a silver penny at t it, grinned and disappeared into tream of people moving along t precisely  furty. Belisaere  upon four lo tell, only t kno least ty’s area, ed hem.

    t of ty, on truly be said to be infested ten y could be. Even in Ancelstierre, sed anytoen t a big city by Ancelstierran standards, and it didn’t e cars t ly adding to Ancelstierran  noise for t ten years, but Belisaere made up for it ing, selling, buying, singing . . .

    “as it like ted at toucone, as to them.

    “Not really,” ansoucone. “t a market. It er, too, and people were in less of a rush.”

    tood on tcream of y and goods, umult, and smelling all ty replacing the sea breeze.

    Cooking food, ing w could only be sewage . . .

    “It  cleaner,” added toucone.

    “Look, I t find an inn or elry. Someay for t.”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel. Sant to enter tide. t t ion or agreement  stank to  han sewage.

    toucone snagged a passing boy by tinued to eye toget, a silver penny co toucone folloly, and grabbed ioned Mogget after him.

    It  time Sabriel ouc gave ainly,  was a sudden grab . . .

    larger t serestingly calloused and textured. Quickly, s of rated on folloion of the crowd.

    t topped market, along one street of little bootreet of fish and fowl.

    t fish, clear-eyed and wriggling.

    Vendors yelled t buy, and buyers sed offers or amazement at ts, bags and boxes cy ones to be filled er, squid or s from palm to palm, or, occasionally, s into t-poucallholders.

    to gretle quieter.

    talls  trade unted. Sabriel, seeing an expert knife-man beer roed on sting out th.

    Beyond t ty ground. It entionally cleared, first tock, sill s t ran beyond and parallel to trip of eland. ty folk  of ty s, and ter t.

    tion, allos to be guarded—and sure  enougrol of arcop it, tted, ss against to a central arc’s four tiers, and there.

    Smaller arcinued on eacing t’s main c to prevent unautry by t er overhe Dead.

    Sabriel dreig ttention to extort a silver penny from toucone. te—even fourte— soldiers, cer mark, or race of Free Magic.

    Beyond t, streets e rically spouting fountain—ter jetted from tatue, a statue of an impressively crowned man.

    “King Anstyr toucone, pointing at tain. “range sense of s. I’m glad it’s still there.”

    “ better no sizenry  in league he Dead.

    “toucone, indicating t out of reaced blow.

    “Sign of t in ty, lord, lady.”

    turned back from to go on,  rang times, ting into flighe square.

    “’s t?” asked Sabriel. t he bell.”

    “Sunfall,” replied t s as if stating t be cloud coming, or somefing.”

    “Everyone comes in whe sunfall bell sounds?” asked Sabriel.

    “Course!” snorted ts or t you.”

    “I see,” replied Sabriel. “Lead on.”

    Surprisingly, te a pleasant inn. A  fronted onto a smaller square some tain Square. trees in t-smelling leaves and copious amounts of fruit, despite ter Magic, t Sabriel, and sure enouger Stone  trees, and a number of ancient spells of fertility, itude. Sabriel sniffed ted air gratefully, t ing the square.

    Bein bat er. Several large buckets . Sabriel closed to look at tillsteaming er in anticipation.

    “ill t be all, miss?” asked tseying.

    “Yes, t ting inking, s- and salt-encrusted armor and garments t ually stuck to er almost a  sea. Naked, sed  tefully into ter, taking up ted soap to begin removing t.

    toucone’s—voice. ter gurgling, t maid giggling. Sabriel stopped soaping and concentrated on t inct male voice, than one.

    t toucone laug, sharp, moans.

    omanly ones. Sabriel flusted eet time, to ter so s er, all , save for t, echoing in her flooded ears.

    did it matter? S toucone in t  t anotion— contraception—messiness—emotions. trate on planning.

    t  because toucone  young man s out of sc  was none of  even know his real name . . .

    A dull tapping noise on t of ter, just in time to isfied, masculine and dra moan from the wall.

    S to stick ’s pink nose appeared on the rim.

    So s up, er cascading dohere.

    Angrily, ss and said, “ do you ?”

    “I just t t you migo kno toucone’s room is t , indicating t room opposite t  got a bato knoairs in time, getting the local news.”

    “O t o t in tell  be long.”

    ty minutes later, a clean Sabriel, garbed in a borro asleep on top of it), crept on slippered feet ty common room and tapped ty, begrimed toucone on the back, making him spill his beer.

    “Your turn for t  refilled. Mogget’s in t mind.”

    “oucone, as mucion. “I just  to get clean, t’s all.”

    “Good,” replied Sabriel, obscurely. “I’ll organize for dinner to be served in your room, so .”

    In t, t take long, nor  sloively festive occasion. t, clean, o forget past troubles and future fears for a little while.

    But, as soon as t disearragon vinegar— reasserted itself, complete h cares and woe.

    “I t likely place to find my fat . . . t place, he way?”

    “Under toucone.

    “t o enter. All lie beyond t-guarded valley.”

    “You are probably rig your father,”

    Mogget commented from  of blankets in toucone’s bed. “But t is also t dangerous place for us to go.

    Cer Magic ly  our enemy . . .”

    “Kerrigor,” interrupted Sabriel. “But  be to sneak in—”

    “e migo sneak around the edges,”

    said toucone. “t er is very still—sound carries.

    And ter.”

    “If I can find my fat back to ubbornly, “tever confronts us. t is t t a complication t’s followed on.”

    “Or preceded it,” said Mogget. “So, I take it your master plan is to sneak in, as far as ucked a happens?”

    “e’ll go in the middle of a clear, sunny day . . .” Sabriel began.

    “It’s underground,” interrupted Mogget.

    “So o retreat to,” Sabriel continued in a quelling tone.

    “And t ss,” added toucone.

    “At noon, it’s a sort of dim ter.”

    “So,  back to safety ake there.”

    “It sounds like a terribly brilliant plan to me,”

    muttered Mogget. “ty . . .”

    ‘‘Can you tried, and I can’t. I ierre and forget t t eat up everytten Kingdom. Maybe it   at least I’ll be trying someto be and you’re alelling me I’m not!”

    Silence greeted toucone looked a looked at her, yawned and shrugged.

    “As it  thing else.

    I’ve groupid over tupider the Abhorsens I serve.”

    “I t’s as good a plan as any,” toucone said, unexpectedly. ated, though I am afraid.”

    “So am I,” ’s a sunny day tomorrohere.”

    “Yes,” said toucone. “Before oo afraid.”

 chapter xx

    Leaving tbounded quarter of Belisaere proved to be a more difficult business tering it, particularly t to a long-abandoned street of derelict oy.

    t t and efficient toucone ing to be let tten in to a broad-bladed axe. Most of t, deeply curved boheir backs.

    “oucone. “ into t of ty?”

    “Scavengers,” replied toucone. “Some of to last nigioned them.

    Parts of ty o till plenty of loot to be found. A risky business, I think . . .”

    Sabriel nodded tfully and looked back at t of ting by t  , s t soucone probably looked like rival scavengers. After all, o leave tection of s er? S a bit like a ten scavenger. Even fres test items of ill slig cloak t covered , because it  been er   of lemon, for ted soap.

    Sabriel t ting for t clearly ting for someted beting or squatting men picked togeto something resembling a line.

    Sabriel looked over o see o ty ceen. tongued ened to a long central congues occasionally licking against an ear or top of a small head.

    “I oo,” muttered toucone, moving up closer to Sabriel, s. “But I t it ory. t, for to draend to search.”

    “ting!” raged Sabriel.

    “Immoral! t scavengers! e o stop it!”

    Sarted foro blind and confuse t a sed her.

    Mogget, riding on  under rickled down in races, as o her ear.

    “ait! t  profit t is t t of the Dead!”

    Sabriel stood still, sears of rage and anger  s attack. Just stood, che children.

    to te, silent,   even fidget in tanding still, ill to a  dispirited sohe archway.

    Soon, treet, team reet and reflected from armor and tle boy’s blond urning rigaking towards Coiner’s hill.

    Sabriel, toucone and Mogget folloer ten minutes spent negotiating  first, tained leated to see an “official scavenger’s license,” but translated as a request for bribes. t ter of bargaining, doo toucone, and one for t. Strange accounting, Sabriel t, but s stayed silent, not voicing t he was being undervalued.

    Past t, and ter, Sabriel felt te presence of t didn’t reac. aiting for t, whe sun shone.

    In many   counterparts of took . t tite  tims sadly limited. Every morning sao fall back into Death.

    But more always came . . .

    “ting from side to side. “t part—but so many!”

    “Do raigo the reservoir?”

    toucone asked. tion t? S t four rong sunligervened. Little enougime, any t till tomorro less likely  and body could be brougoget  defeat Kerrigor—and Kerrigor o be defeated for to ones of t Cer—  banishe Kingdom . . .

    “e’ll go straigo trying to blank out a sudden fragment of visual memory; sunlig little boy’s rudging feet . . .

    “Pero rescue the way back.”

    toucone led to treets,  an rode up empty, deserted streets, t-nails on t even insects. Just ruin and decay.

    Finally, t ran around top t-out sumbled stone and timber  remained of the Royal Palace.

    “t Regent burned it,” said Mogget, as all topped to look up. “About ty years ago. It ed e all t various visiting Ab up. t  mad and tried to burn t.”

    “ o him?” asked Sabriel.

    “ually,” replied Mogget. “Sook  marked ttempt at governing the Kingdom.”

    “It iful building,” toucone reminisced. “You could see out over t em of vents and ss to catc and the sea breeze.

    ted candles burning . . .”

    ed at a he park fence.

    “e migrance to tal caves in ty steps doo ter, raty from the Palace proper.”

    “One y-six,” said Mogget. “As I recall.”

    toucone so turf of t, but rees nearby, and accordingly, shadows.

    Sabriel follo jumping doer forhe air.

    Sabriel dre left the bells.

    t, but none close. too open in daylight.

    tal caves es’  a fetid pond t ed seven er-spouting statues of bearded tritons. Noten leaves, and t solid h yellow-green slime.

    trances, side by side.

    toucone led to t, central entrance. Marble steps led do t, and marble pillars supported trance ceiling.

    “It only goes back about forty paces into toucone explained, as t trance, sulpcenco t for picnics in high summer.

    t t may be locked, but so a Cerspell.

    teps are directly bety straig t ss. And it’s narrow.”

    “I’ll go first t belied ttering in omac sense any Dead, but there . . .”

    “Very oucone, after a moment’s ation.

    “You don’t o come, you kno out, as tood in front of the sunshine.

    S a as pale as a Death-leeched necromancer.

    errible t e ion, Sabriel didn’t believe it

    an Abhorsen.

    “I do o,” toucone replied.  o. I’ll never be free of my memories, oto do sometter ones. I need to . . . seek redemption. Besides, I am still a member of t is my duty.”

    “So be it,” said Sabriel. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.”

    “I am too—in a strange sort of oucone, and , but not quite, smiled.

    “I’m not,” interrupted Mogget, decidedly.

    “Let’s get on . e’re ing sunlight.”

    t opened easily to Sabriel’s spell, ter symbols of unlocking and opening flo t  to cast. Even up ones of t Cer exerted an influence t disrupted Cer Magic.

    t candleligeps, leading straigurns, just a straigair leading into darkness.

    Sabriel trod gingerly, feeling t stone crumble under s, so so keep ep. toucone close be from ing Sabriel’s seps in front, so sed and distorted, sliding into t.

    S, someep. A c cut into he impression of a cold expanse.

    teps ended in a door, rectangular  cone columns rose up like a forest to support a roof sixty feet above  stone, but er as cold and still as stone. Around ts of sunlig doerpoint to ting columns, leaving discs of liger. tudy of lig ter remained unknown, cloaked in heavy darkness.

    Sabriel felt toucone touchen she heard his whisper.

    “It’s about -deep. try and slip in as quietly as possible. ake your candle.”

    Sabriel nodded, passed t do step, before sloer.

    It  not unbearable. Despite Sabriel’s care, ripples spread out from er, and tiniest splas touctom, and sifled a gasp. Not from t  from tones of t Cer. It   of gastric flu, bringing stomac and dizziness. Bent over, sc tep, till t pains subsided to a dull ac  Cloven Crest and Nestowe.

    “ is it?” woucone.

    “Aones,” Sabriel muttered.

    Sook a deep breat aand it. Be careful w in.”

    Sook oucone, er ter. Even foreouctom, and s broke out in lines on  spread from ry.

    Sabriel expected Mogget to jump up on  dislike for toucone, but o toucone artled too, but recovered  draped oucone’s neck, and mely.

    “Keep to tion— t effects near ter.”

    Sabriel raised  and led off, follo rying to break tension of ter as little as possible. But t slos tern, adding to ter, plopping loudly from tely sliding dohe columns.

    S sense any Dead, but s sure  o tones. t, like a constant, too-loud noise; omacaste of bile.

    t reacern corner, directly under one of t ss, ant, save for tiny, soft glohe candles.

    “A cloud,”  will pass.”

    to tiny outline of lig came pouring back down.

    Relieved, to -east  it  fresurned. More clouds folloill ts of ligerspersed by long stretcotal dark.

    t ted by passage do tional fear t tayed too long, and o a niging, life-hungry Dead.

    toucone felt too, made more bitter by ones broken. ter till sa—a single frozen moment of time t  get out of his head.

    Despite t   luminescence off to , someer. Sed it out to toucone.

    “t. “But it’s at least forty paces toer.”

    Sabriel didn’t ans faint lig sensation across t came wed  school.

    Leaving t ter, a V-line of ripples beoucone looked again, ting t rose in ed doses of an emetic. oo, and could no longer properly feel .

    t about ty paces out, teadily opped, toucone lifting tack. But t. t came from a diamond of protection, ter, lines of force sparkling bethem.

    In tood, empty stretc rimed ures, and ice girdled  ter around  Sabriel  about w was.

    “Fater, to join t sounds of t dripping.

 chapter xxi

    “te,” said toucone. “e  be able to move him.”

    “Yes. I kno  t of o tones. “I to go into Deatc back.”

    “!” exclaimed toucone. ter, as the echoes rang, “here?”

    “If  our oection . . .”

    Sabriel continued, t  danger at bay.”

    “Most danger,” toucone said grimly, looking around, trying to peer past tigtle globe of light.

    “It rap us  it, so close to tones. I kno I couldn’t do it alone, at t.”

    “e so combine our strengths.

    t keep ch, we should manage.”

    “ do you t?” asked toucone, turning  ttle animal on his shoulder.

    “I roubles,” grumbled Mogget.

    “And I trap. But since o be done.”

    “I don’t like it,” woucone.

    Just standing to tones took most of rengto enter Deatempting fate.  migal made by tones? For t matter,  ansion, studying ter. toucone  folloantly, forcing o move in s steps, minimizing the splash and ripple of his wake.

    Sabriel snuffed out  it t, t her open palm.

    “Put your s did not invite conversation or argument. toucone ated—

    boter. Instinctively, tle tigo give h.

    “Mogget—keep cructed.

    So visualize t mark, t of the four cardinal wards.

    toucone took a quick look around, too, draion.

    Pain s to Sabriel’s. to focus. t  spread up above ing tic pains. But o just one  tion of a diamond of protection.

    Finally, t mark floook root in the reservoir floor.

    it opening to face t mark.

    till, and boting and s finally began its gloence. Sabriel’s  and feverisoucone’s flesed violently beting  and serrible  rengtchen recovered.

    t mark rial of endurance.

    Sabriel lost concentration for a moment, so toucone o  making  unpleasant otally out of control. t mark floer.

    Desperation gave truggled  for ill it almost squirmed  from t. But at t moment, Sabriel spent all to free oucone pus of two  and sorrow.

    tly doo brilliance, brilliance dulled by ter. Lines of Cer-fire ran from it to t mark, from East mark to Souto est mark and back again. te.

    Immediately, t a lessening of terrible presence of tones. tcurned to toucone’s legs and feet. Mogget stirred and stretc significant movement aking up position around toucone’s neck.

    “A good casting,” Sabriel said quietly, looking at through eyes half-lidded in weariness.

    “Better t one I cast.”

    “I don’t knotered toucone, staring do terfire.

    ill or under a raig he fanged end of a snake.

    S artled, and aring at tion of  for t time,   lines of care, and ttle sad around till shere were yellowing bruises on her cheekbones.

    Siful and toucone realized t  of erms of  as a  all . . .

    “I’d better be going,” said Sabriel, suddenly embarrassed by toucone’s stare.   to traps t h.

    “Let me oucone. ood close, fumbling iff leat spent on tection, he bells.

    Sabriel looked doempted to kiss t center, a tiny part marking ter  s.

    trap came undone, and toucone  stepped back. Sabriel dreilling the bell.

    “It probably  be a long  for you,” sime moves strangely in Deat back in too, so you and Mogget should leave . . .”

    “I’ll be ing,” replied toucone firmly.

    “ time it is down here anyway?”

    “And I’ll , it seems,” added Mogget.

    “Unless I  to s of . May ter be h you, Sabriel.”

    “And ill couldn’t sense any of t t . . .

    “e’ll need it to be  replied sourly. “One her.”

    “I ,”  turned to face tarted to raise ions to enter Death.

    Suddenly, toucone slos almost  t rathan her cheek.

    “For luck,” toucone said nervously.

    “Sabriel.”

    So t tionless form. A second later, ice crystals began to crack out of  ran in lines dohe sword and bell.

    toucone cill it greoo cold, treated to tice of turned outed to er-fire as if rolling ttlements of a castle.

    Mogget coo, from  ernal luminescence.

    Boten turned to gaze at Sabriel.

    to Deatoo easy—by tones.

    Sabriel felt tes, proclaiming easy entry to Life for any   Dead nearby. Fortunately, t of tones—tug of the river.

    Sabriel started forely, carefully scanning t t in ters. But notoacked, save tant t.

    So t Gate, ing just beyond t t stretc as far as so eit mist, turbulent rapids going to t, and on to te.

    Remembering pages from t seetongue h raw power.

    t parted, revealing a series of erfalls t appeared to drop into an unending blackness. Sabriel spoke some more ured to t and left h her sword.

    A pating terfall like a finger drater. Sabriel stepped out onto it, and ers cras closed up and, as  ed to make  step, th disappeared.

    t . t current. t oo.

    Not total darkness promised at terfalls, but t quality in its greyness. A blurring effect, t made it difficult to see furtouch.

    Sabriel continued carefully, using o probe tted by many necromancers and not a ferust o tread confidently a speed.

    Al. test trace of  it  to Life. So go on.

    te ially an enormous  least t , and  ligo o its rim. Sabriel icularly careful e—so sense ts tug against  an early age. Sopped ried to focus on tly raging whirlpool.

    A faint squelcurn, s full arm-stretc circle of Cer-spelled steel. It struck Dead spirit-fles jumped back, at t scream, but se oo close.

    t stepped back, its ly severed neck. It  to begin   trailed dos knees, into ts  all, possessed a mouteet s eyepits, a ceristic of te.

    It snarled and brougs long, ske of ter to try and straigs tempting to rest it back atop the cleanly hewn neck.

    Sabriel struck again, and to t, te across ter. t o te.

    tood arted to cautiously step sides remaining  of it.

    Sabriel c cautiously, debating o bind it to o send it on its o final deat using t everytes at least—and s  t.

    took anotep, and fell sideo a deep  scrabbled ter, but couldn’t pull itself up and out. It only succeeded in getting across into t,  into te.

    Once again, Sabriel recited o  of ering range  in this place of leeching cold.

    iters of te sloilled. tex separated out into a long spiral path, winding downwards.

    Sabriel, c rode out to tarted doo swirl again.

    t to Sabriel it seemed only a matter of minutes before s into t.

    tricksome place. ter  ter too—still grey, but you could see fart. Even tous current  of a tickle around t.

    But t  time, Sabriel broke into a run, sprinting as fast as soe, just visible in tance. It  Gate—a erfall concealed in a .

    Be announced t gave  Sabriel didn’t spare t. Notand t. You simply ran as fast as possible, o reac gate—whichever way you were going.

    ts er sound. Sabriel didn’t look, but only ran faster. Looking over ion of a second, and t migo reace, stunned flotsam for t beyond . . .

    toucone stared out past tice, listening. ant dripping.

    Somettempting to be surreptitious.   too, from tensing of cat paws on his shoulder.

    “Can you see anyt into till  blocking t from ts, t tervals of sunlig, in any case, too far ao benefit from a sudden return of sun.

    “Yes,”  of tair.

    the reservoir walls.”

    toucone looked at Sabriel, no, like a ering statue.  like shaking her shoulder, screaming for help . . .

    “ kind of Dead are t kno t S of ty, and Mordicants, like t  of them all.

    Except for w Rogir  . . .

    “tered Mogget. “All ty putrescent ones, too. t just walking.”

    toucone stared again, trying by so see—but till er. too still for   as a foolision. Any suced s.

    “ are tilting t.  o eady, but ttle flame flickered, clear evidence of tiny s ran down his arm.

    “Just lining up along the walls, in ranks,”

    Mogget  like an honor guard . . .”

    “Cer preserve us,” toucone croaked,  in  of absolute dread and terrible foreboding. “Rogir . . . Kerrigor.

    be here . . . and he’s coming . . .”

 chapter xxii

    Sabriel reace just a fume up and out of rils h acrid fumes.

    ted ts, and Sabriel stepped s cargo of Dead doo terfall beyond. Sabriel ed a moment more, for to appear, to t.

    tively easy area to traverse. t rong again, but predictable. t unned and rus’s wave.

    Sabriel rengto suppress t. S noion.

    , or past te, in t.

    Stle again, eager to find alk  once Father was freed . . .

    But  in t. Sabriel reace  feeling any intensification of e erfall, of sorts, but it  cloaked in mist. It looked like ter from a small ter of only t do Sabriel kne if you approaco drag trongest spirit down.

    Sed  to launco t  top and look around.

    terfall stretco eit if so try and s lengt  ually looped back on itself, but as tars or anyto fix one’s position, you’d never kno or gate.

    ? Everyone  into Deat of it. Not side tered  t -forms, or rare beings like t, hem.

    Nevert an urge to  to te, to turn on erfall. It ifiable urge, and t made range constructs and incompre come from one of them.

    Sated, t it, t into ter,  parallel to terfall. It mig migion .

    “t and  stairs, too,” said Mogget. “More hands.”

    “ about th—where we came in?”

    asked toucone, looking nervously from side to side, ears straining to ening to t into to form up in trange, regimented lines.

    “Not yet,” replied Mogget. “t stair ends in sunligo go the park.”

    “t be muc,” muttered toucone, looking at t-ss. Some sunsered by clouds, but it  enougo cause tress, or lift toucone’s spirits.

    “hink he will come?”

    asked toucone. Mogget didn’t need to ask who “he” was.

    “Soon,” replied t, in a matter-of-fact tone.

    “I al rap.”

    “So  out of it?” asked toucone, trying to keep eady. ing a strong desire to leave tection and run for tair, splas ted over, immobile . . .

    “I’m not sure ,  tatues nearby. “It depends on Sabriel and her.”

    “ can we do?”

    “Defend ourselves if tacked, I suppose,”

    dra, as if stating to a tiresome co ter t Kerrigor doesn’t come before Sabriel returns.”

    “ if oucone, staring  into t if he does?”

    But Mogget . All toucone arving rats creeping up to a sleeping drunk’s dinner.

    Sabriel  same niggling sensation prompted o stop, to look out into terfall itself, and ther.

    Somee itself, so only er.

    “Fat sed to rus first, s  , several times.

    Sabriel folloerfall, arms reaco pull itself out of te. Sepped for tated. It  to yverley College. S ly—almost a smile.

    Sepped back, still cautious. t t cerfall  was  he sway of some power.

    ture finally self out, muscles differently arranged to a raining along t stood on t, bulky ing from side to side, to  familiar rolling gait. Several paces aopped, and pointed at its mouts ja no sound issued from its red and fless back, doo ters of te.

    Sabriel t for a moment, t to ring tated—for to sound Dyrim  t it fall. Dyrim rang, s and clear, several notes sounding from t one peal, mixing togetions overheard in a crowd.

    Sabriel rang t -tc toure, o t peal. Sound seemed to envelope ter, circling around its ed mouth.

    t could try and sound of its o once, and so the bells.

    t to find a foolisrained necromancer, but even so, tcantly, like a c ouch.

    ture’s mout ongue, a e fles  it  spoke he voice of Abhorsen.

    “Sabriel! I both hoped and feared you would come.”

    “Fat rapped spirit rature.

    “Father . . .”

    Sarted to cry. Sroubles, only to find rapped, trapped beyond y to free  even kno it o imprison someone e! “Sabriel! er! e ime for tears. here is your physical body?”

    “In t to yours. Inside a diamond of protection.”

    “And the Dead? Kerrigor?”

    “t  Kerrigor is somew know where.”

    “Yes, I kneered Ab move quickly.

    Sabriel, do you remember o ring taneously? Mosrael and Kibeth?”

    “t time? S was possible—or hpiece. “Remember.

    the Dead.”

    Slo came back, pages floating doo conscious memory, like leaves from a sree. ter combinations, if enougo  ter . . .

    “Yes,” said Sabriel, slowly. “I remember.

    Mosrael and Kibethey free you?”

    the answer was slow in coming.

    “Yes. For a time. Enougo do  be done. Quickly, now.”

    Sabriel nodded, trying not to t ruly live again.

    Consciously, so barricade this knowledge from her mind.

    Sion than alone.

    Silled ying  and emotion, concentrating solely on them.

    Mosrael ser circle above . o a discordant, grating, but energetic tone. Sabriel found oerfall, despite all s to keep still. A force like ted giant moved  ep forward.

    At time, erfall of te. , and retc still Sabriel stepped on, till so ters, the bells filling her ears, forcing her onwards.

    t foring o t. ter embraced on te.

    “ell done,” said Ab and e coy. “Once trapped, it o send t o Life, before Kerrigor can complete hink. Come on!”

    ly. Sabriel follo ions bursting up in  looking at  tures, t tubble just s of clote  of silver keys.  quite as tall as she remembered.

    “Fatrying to talk, keep up c time. “ is  is Kerrigor’s plan? I don’t understand.  I broughings?”

    “ slowing.

    “In Death?”

    “You knoested Sabriel.

    “t be t  hing works! hy! hy?”

    “t I sent you to Ancelstierre for to keep you safe. I  your moto keep you safe in to keep you eit our ically a prisoner. I couldn’t keep you ting , to do so.

    t good ime— kno I do now.”

    “hy?” asked Sabriel.

    “Kerrigor’s body,” replied Abo give ruly dead because ’s like an anc alones  body—but none of us ever found it, including me, because ed it is in Ancelstierre. Obviously, someed it by no o it o do the spell, or shall I?”

    te.   for  immediately spoke t strange ant, like a far-off observer.

    Steps rose before tting terfall and t. Abook t a time, s s tiredness in ed muscles.

    “Ready to run?” asked Abook  teps and  into ted mists, a curiously formal gesture t reminded tle girl, demanding to be properly escorted  out on one of ations.

    ter and faster, till Sabriel t umble tering to a  in a tangle of sword and bells.

    But s someing t e, so the whirlpool.

    “As I aking teps t a time as ly as  ill an Ab various times, as far back as te, but t poning tronger all time, as lesser Cer Stones eriorated— and we grew weaker.”

    “ion oo quickly, particularly he run.

    “t Cer bloodlines,” replied Abo all intents and purposes means Ab extinct. And t of t of construct left over after t t Stones.”

    trode confidently out into t, Sabriel close at ing, probing advance, Abically jogged along, obviously folloe.

    ell,  landmarks or any obvious signs, Sabriel  ty-odd years traversing Deat as easy.

    “So,” continued Abo finish Kerrigor once and for all.

    t you to roy it, and t form—, you can get t of ate, and , repair t Cer Stones . . .”

    “t . . . a in Death?”

    “A bastard son, actually, and possibly crazy,”

    Ab really listening. “But ? Oh, yes, yes he is . . . you said was . . . you mean—”

    “Yes,” said Sabriel, unoucone. And ing in the reservoir.

    Near tones. it.”

    Ab time, clearly taken aback.

    “All our plans go astray, it seems,” o to use my blood to break a Great Stone, but I managed to protect myself, so ented rapping me in Death.

    you o my body, and  I  trapped as securely as , and planned a reverse.

    But noo break t Cer—”

    “ection,” Sabriel said, suddenly feeling afraid for toucone.

    “t may not suffice,” replied Abronger every day aking trengtones. o break even trongest Cer Magic defenses. rong enough now.

    But tell me of t?”

    “Mogget?” repeated Sabriel, surprised again.

    “But I met  our e cat,  carries a miniature Saraneth.”

    “Mogget,” said Abrying to get able morsel. “t is t, or t creation, or t even ook t?  of albino do me, and ically never left t of protection for t hurry.”

    “I t ed off again. S mean to be bad-  tempered, but t felt reunion beter. o notice  as a repository for numerous revelations and as an agent to deal h Kerrigor.

    Abopped, and gato a quick, one-armed embrace.  strong, but Sabriel felt anoty temporarily born of lig doomed to fade at nightfall.

    “I  been an ideal parent, I know,”

    Ably. “None of us ever are.

    y to many people rides rougies; difficulties and enemies crus softness; our er, and I  noime—a beats, no more— and I must tle against a terrible enemy.

    Our parts no fater, but one old Ab behere is always my love.”

    “A beats . . .” ed forogeto Gate, t Precinct, Life—and the reservoir.

 chapter xxiii

    toucone could see ty ing and clapping, decayed ing togeteady, slo all the back of his head on edge.

    A gly noise, ing ioning mouths.

    toucone  once, in a quiet sea.

    t close to ood, forming a great mass of sing soucone couldn’t make out ill Mogget, -sight, explained.

    “to to make a corridor,” ttle cat o us.”

    “Can you see tair?”

    toucone asked. rescent, stinking corpses lined up in mockery of a parade. I s.

    t been a delay of two hundred years . . .

    “Yes, I can,” continued Mogget, all beast s flesy flames. A Mordicant. It’s croucer, looking back and up like a dog to its master. Fog is rolling doairs be—a Free Magic trick, t one. I wonder wo impress?”

    “Rogir al,” toucone stated, as if  be commenting on someone at a dinner party. “o be looking at  as Kerrigor, no different Dead.”

    “O . “Very different.

    y.

    erribly rus like t.”

    toucone srying not to t t.  of to t fog, a mad attack—but even if  ter-spelled t on ter, at ts of empo of ting rising in volume.

    toucone squinted, confirming ing across ter beto they’d made.

    “oucone, surprised by  like ed a mile,  going thump . . .

    A terrible oucone leapt back, nearly  dislodging Mogget. t of tampeding to s as it ran.

    toucone sed, or screamed— sure—t s bot, crouco receive t deep in ter.

    “t!” yelled Mogget, toucone to till-frosted Sabriel.

    toucone barely ime to absorb tion, and a split-second image of somet collided ection, and toucone’s out-t swords.

    Silver sparks exploded  drooucone and t back several yards. toucone lost ing, and  under, er bubbling into ill-screaming mouth.

    would be on omach muscles.

    fle of ter, s guard again, but tact, and t retreating, backing aopped t toucone didn’t recognize, till ter drained out of his ears.

    It er, coming closer and closer, till treating Mordicant , and lost to sight.

    “Did my tle brothe fog.

    “O’s claws on  ioningly.

    “Sometouc, I t’s happening?”

    tood at tried to stop t Gate.

    Per of two Abhorsens . . .

    Noed. Sabriel didn’t know why.

    Someo be able to see into Life, or to  o a non-existent door.

    Sabriel, on tood like a soldier, keeping cones made t of Deattractive o Life, and sed to find many Dead rying to take advantage of t it  so. to be alone in tureless river, ter.

    Abrating even o a are and toucly on the arm.

    “It is almost time,” ly. “ you to take . . . toucone . . .

    and run for tairs. Do not stop for anyt all. Once outside, climb up to top of to t Yard.

    It’s just an empty field nooucone  tc got there—”

    “A Papererrupted Sabriel. “But I cras.”

    “there are several around,” replied Abhorsen.

    “t—ty-sixtaugo construct t so tell you ierre. Fly as close to troy it!”

    “ will you be doing?” whispered Sabriel.

    “ meeting her gaze. “Give me your sword, and . . .

    Astarael.”

    tarael the Sorrowful.

    eeper.

    Sabriel didn’t move, made no motion to o its poucrap. arted to undo trap t arael, but Sabriel’s  tightly.

    “t be anotogether—”

    “No,” said Ably pus go, and ook Astarael carefully from t couldn’t sound. “Does the walker?”

    Numbly, Sabriel y hands hung open by her sides.

    “I o te,” Ably. “I knos and s. I do not kno everyt lives must go time. t is t governs our  it also governs us. You are ty-t taug time to die.”

    for. For a moment, sood like a stringed puppet at rest, t , feeling t fabric of . So diminisill once again stle girl, running to  tes. As sing of . Only noime-  piece, counting ing till it ime for o die.

    Siging around stretc go.

    turned toget into Life.

    Kerrigor laug rose to a manic crescendo, before suddenly cutting to an ominous silence. ter noed forainty. toucone, drencly droc aut nerves of a mouse captivated by a gliding snake. Some it o see teness of t by filtered sunlig ty paces or more from the edge . . .

    A cracking noise beart, and turn, a jolt of fear suddenly overlaid urning  to Life! Ice flakes fell from ture flurries, and to several small floes and drifted away.

    toucone blinked as t fell ayhe sword and bell.

    “ter!” exclaimed toucone, as their eyes and moved.

    But no one  instant a terrible scream of rage and fury burst out of t out across ter.

    toucone turned again, and t croucs eyes and long mouter.

    Be, ed s bogclay ood somet mig of as a man.

    Staring, toucone sa Kerrigor ried to make tly ined look like t eitaste ood at least seven feet tall, ed and narroed. oo too long, and o ear.  bear looking at, for ts burning  eyes at all.

    But sometle of take a man, make retc . . .

    t lauguated by the snap of his closing jaws.

    ted as his body.

    “I am fortunate. three!”

    toucone kept staring, ill someten,  like . ed Kerrigor and tterfas, t, the golden cup . . .

    A urned ook  sword from his grasp. he suddenly refocused, gasping for air again, and saw Sabriel.

    S s o close in then, his vision narrowing, like a halfremembered dream.

    time devoid of frost. ermined, but ion as toucone oc  , going into danger . . . t Mogget too . . . yes, urn and go back, put Mogget’s collar back on, try and fight Kerrigor . . .

    “Run! Damn you! Run!” screamed Sabriel, as urned.  of rance , for t tection. Unurning o run faster, t dead, numbed by savage pins and needles. ing, and drumming, drumming fast. too, raised loud, ec cavern. t, and a strange buzzing, crackling sound t  rathan heard.

    tair, but Sabriel didn’t slacken  of total darkness.

    toucone lost  again, and tumbled up teps togetriking sparks from tone. Still tumult from being, all magnified by ter and tness of tting ty of perfection.

    It started softly, like a tuning fork ligruck, but gree, blorumpeter of inexible breatill t tarael.

    Sabriel and toucone botopped, almost in mid-stride. t a terrible urge to leave to s baggage. ts—tial selves—ed to go, to go into Deato trongest current, to be carried to the very end.

    “t audible te. Soucone dying,  to  to expect to Death.

    “Fig!” so slap he face. “Live!”

    Still e, sing y blood filling bot rate again, concentrate on Life, on living.

    urned  igill te of Astarael slowly died.

    Silence came at last. Gingerly, t eacoucone s Sabriel lit a candle before   eac. Sabriel’s eyes , toucone’s mouth bloody.

    “ ?” toucone asked huskily.

    “Astarael,” replied Sabriel. “t calls everyone o Death.”

    “Kerrigor . . .”

    “ill royed.”

    “Your fatoucone mumbled. “Mogget?”

    “Dad’s dead,” said Sabriel.  o tears. “e. Mogget—I don’t know.”

    S to pick up taken from toucone.

    “Come on,” so get up to t Yard. Quickly.”

    “t Yard?” asked toucone, retrieving  he Palace?”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel. “Let’s go.”

 chapter xxiv

    to t tle past noon. tumbled out onto teps of turnal animals prematurely flus of an underground warren.

    Sabriel looked around at t, sunlit trees, tain.

    Everyted c .

    S too, losing focus in treating lines of clouds just edging about t. Gone forever . . .

    “tern part of Palace he blueness.

    “?”

    “to t Yard.”

    It oucone talking. Sabriel closed old o concentrate, to get a grip on t toucone.

    reaked from , plastered flat, armor and cloter dripped doill , angled to the ground.

    “You didn’t tell me you ional tone. S ing on trange in  s o do anyt it.

    “I’m not,” toucone replied, s t my fatook up er ’s deating accident before I o t Yard?”

    “I suppose so,” Sabriel said dully. “Fating for us to tell us wo go.”

    “I see,” said toucone.  Sabriel’s vacant eyes, took ing and oddly floppy arm, and steered orees t marked a pato tern end of tly, increasing oucone sped up, till tically jogging. toucone was pusion.

    A feo more laarted up tco top.

    t tones  maintenance, and te deep ruts and   in one and s fell, toucone just catc to break s of tness cutting through her dumb despair.

    “hy are we running?”

    “those scavengers are following us,”

    toucone replied sly, pointing back t te.”

    Sabriel looked alking.

    t Sabriel and toucone could not escape to be t of casual beaters, easily driving tupid prey to a definite end. One of toucone cure t distance made unclear, but entions were clear. ile.

    “I he Dead,”

    Sabriel said bleakly, revulsion in those words.

    “to do t lends its aid to the living . . .”

    “toucone, as t off again, building up from a fast o a jog. “t t, unlike towe.”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel. “I here . . .”

    S need to expand upon . Neiting, or mucer Magic, and nine bo ure, and the reservoir . . .

    teeper, and t and ragged, o spare for oucone coug ill soo. t mig take an arroo finisters.

    t anyway.

    “Not . . . mucoucone gasped as turned at tcired legs gaining a fe, before starting t incline.

    Sabriel started to laugter, coug ill a lot furtruck o toucone, carrying boto tones. A long-s arrow s mark.

    “Sabriel!” toucone sed, voice ed  Cer Magic explode into life  gre  and dooo over-gifted marksman.

    Eig ips, greo ts, and s out, leaving rails of after-image in t second later, a scream from beloestified to t least one target.

    Numbly, Sabriel ill rengt and lifted ion. Stle as ted in  toucone didn’t seem to notice.  an animal-like carted to run up to an in. Frot from  over o Sabriel. Every vein and muscle in , and  h unseeing energy.

    op otal dismemberment. Sabriel  surned o , too disturbed to look on ting face t bore so little resemblance to toucone s at least he enemy . . .

    On umbled stones of -like precision.  red as a fire engine noing as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.

    Sabriel, forgetting   , started sing at o come out of the rage.

    “toucone! e’re safe! Put me doop! Please, stop!”

    ration bent on teo side like a scentfollowing hound.

    “toucone! toucone!” Sabriel sobbed, beating on   aop!”

    Still ones falling aair, jumping gaping ed , and Sabriel breat  it viciously, till tten wood collapsed and ers.

    Beyond tumbledoall unted, selfsoree rising above t at tern edge, percinct siltes bordered ernoon sun t was sinking down behem.

    toucone broke into a gait t could only be described as a gallop, parting t up to tanding figures, gently placed Sabriel on to ching.

    Sabriel tried to crao  t s  up and look at the Paperwings.

    “, t be the King.”

    Sabriel stared, dry-mout o see t, piercing blue eyes. te linen dresses, h long, open sleeves.

    Fres made Sabriel feel extremely dirty and uncivilized, in y armor. Like tical. Very pretty.

    twins.

    t dooucone’s. Sabriel felt Cer Magic sloer rising in a spring—t floo aking a and pain of the arrow.

    Next to oucone’s breato t of sleep.

    “tried to smile, but seemed to  t. “the Dead . . . behind us.”

    “e kno ten   minutes be. e saomorrow.”

    “Ao , t  t to find out  really confusing.

    “traig o sloes. t feel ly—just older, as if it ruck a ead of minutes.

    “Fat you cching for where Kerrigor has his body.”

    “Yes,” replied t us exactly.

    e’ve only been alloo be today, because  Papers . . .”

    “Or actually, Ryelle is . . .” one of ting at t since so fly wo Paperwings were needed, so . . .”

    “Sanar came too,” Ryelle continued, pointing back at er.

    “Bot mucime. You can take ted it in t  first, there’s Kerrigor’s body.”

    “Yes,” said Sabriel. o deal ter ly felt, so bear it.

    “ierre,” said twins.

    “But our vision is  he place names.

    e’ll o so remember.”

    “Yes,” agreed Sabriel, feeling like a dull student promising to deal ion quite beyond her. “Yes.”

    teete and even. One, possibly Ryelle—Sabriel  t a bottle made of clear green glass out from telltale flaser Magic s  been t of her sleeve.

    “Ready?” taneously, and, “Yes,” before tion rated Sabriel’s tired brain.

    Ryelle unstoppered ttle  “pop,” and in one quick motion, poured out tents along a al line. Sanar, equally quickly, dreer—and it froze in mid-air, to form a pane of transparent ice. A frozen  of Sabriel.

    “atcapped t clouded over at t touceadied into a moving vision—muc from a traveling car. yverley College  Sabriel o see quite a fe in color, and sural sounds as clearly as if shere.

    typical Ancelstierran farmland—a long field of , ractor stopped in tance, its driver cting op a cart, -anding  stolidly, peering out their blinkers.

    toc conversation, and continued—folloed e of greater importance. tever it o it, till t filled the ice-window. “yverley ? miles,”

    it read, directing travelers along ting doowards yverley village.

    A feer, to sable’s trim ern. All landmarks knoo Sabriel. Srated even more carefully, for surely t of reference, o parts of Ancelstierre wo her.

    But ture still moved slo a   turned off ted . A nice  enougo be sure, covered by a cork tree plantation, e old trees. Its only point of interest angular cairn upon top . . . tones, square-cut and tigogetively recent folly, Sabriel remembered from tory lessons. A little less ted it once, but something had changed her mind . . .

    tone, doar, zigzagging around to t its . For an instant t completely dark, t came. A bronze sarcopal craer marks. ting marks, penetrated thed in Free Magic.

    ted, moving y to t so focus, a face t s Kerrigor once ures clearly s oucone.

    Sabriel stared, sickened and fascinated by ties beto greyness, greyness accompanied by ruser. Death.

    Sometrous  t, a jagged cutting of darkness, formless and featureless, save for t burned ural flame. It seemed to see orm clouds reaching forward.

    “Ab!” screamed Kerrigor. “Your blood will gusones . . .”

    to come t suddenly, to a pile of s-melting slush.

    “You saoget  a question. Sabriel nodded, ss still on t on t led to tion known as Kerrigor? “e es,” announced Sanar.

    “till t to your Paperwing, shall we?”

    “Yes, please,” replied Sabriel. Despite t of Kerrigor’s ra form, te sense of purpose. Kerrigor’s body ierre. S and destroy it, and t. But to get to t . . .

    ted toucone up, grunting . ime, and noer from  te to manage well enough.

    “e o tening we and blue below.

    “Cousin?” Sabriel murmured. “I suppose , aren’t we?”

    “Blood relatives, all t Cers,” the clan dwindles . . .”

    “Do you alo happen?”

    Sabriel asked, as tly looucone into t, and strapped s normally used for securing luggage.

    Boter! Our family is t numerous of t is spread among many. Our visions come in snatcers, glimpses and s, ts strengto narrow our sig oday.

    tomorroo dreams and confusion, not knoes . . .”

    Suddenly, ture. Seful for their care.

    it— but perers in toucone would be . . .

    “tes,” repeated bot took to toucone’s slightly snoring form.

    After a second’s t, suffed in t cloak.

    toucone’s s into t, but t of its contents o be abandoned.

    “Next stop, ttered as so t, trying not to t w would o land somewween.

    t, and, as Sabriel did up raps, so reaming out into trengt, tossing black ing tails and jostling their wings.

    Sabriel took a breater tling, and stroked ted paper of t Papero mind, broken and burning in ths of holehallow.

    “I ter togeto  note, t er Magic in t.

    A second later, t from t to to circle , of green and silver,  turned to t. turned south.

    toucone, o tion of flying, groggily muttered, “ happened?”

    “e’re going to Ancelstierre,” Sabriel sed.

    “Across to find Kerrigor’s body—and destroy it!”

    “Ooucone, whe all.” “Good.”

 chapter xxv

    “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.”

 chapter xxvi

    Everyter tea  too rapidly for ted Sabriel and toucone. Judging from tside, soldiers ions, ed lunco digest, elling to get moving.

    It  player in t, as sumbled out of tion trenco t  s really feel part of it. S toucone lig  o be even worse for him.

    ites, tled across toing line of trucks, an open staff car and trange steelplated contraptions. Lozenge-surrets on eiterpillar tracks.

    tanks, Sabriel realized. A relatively recent invention. Like trucks, t, but top whe Old Kingdom. Or when Kerrigor came . . .

    o taff car, opened tured for to get in.

    “Are you coming antly, as stled back in ts, figiredness t tened immediate sleep.

    “Yes,” replied  his own answer, and suddenly far away.

    “Yes, I am.”

    “You ,” said toucone, looking up from ing down. “ did you see?”

    “t in t seat, and nodded to teran of ts,  invisible on en forehead.

    “ do you mean?” asked Sabriel, but ion  as tarter sctered into life, a tenor accompaniment to trucks and tanks.

    toucone jumped at tion, t Sabriel, ed her fingers on his arm, as if calming a child.

    “ did hing’?” asked Sabriel.

    toucone looked at ion vying for first place in ook raced a line across e, ending sort of line.

    “Otered Sabriel. S tending just past  rim.

    “er t . . . somewcoucone’s ill e as hing . . . everyone . . .”

    tarted fororcycle outriders and follourn, carefully spaced out every anks, racks screecook a side road up to t on to yverley . It fall. t Docky Point before six in ternoon.

    Sabriel  for t ten miles, ill clutcigoucone’s.  silently too, but c as t tary zone, looking at tierre, te cars and  pulled off t of tary policemen on motorcycles.

    “I’m all rigly, as to pass town of Bain.

    toucone nodded, still caring at treet. toared back, for it o see soldiers in full Perimeter battle equipment, s and soucone he Old Kingdom.

    “e o stop by tation, and endent,”  to an imposing ric lanterns  t, and a sturdy sign proclaiming it to be ters of tabulary.

    ood up,  of ted out and daseps, a curiously incongruous figure in mail and kable descending teps looked ready to stop  stopped ead and saluted.

    “I’m all riged. “You can let go of my hand.”

    toucone smiled, and flexed tle in  puzzled, too, ill t on t, little fingers just touching.

    In any otoainly aff car o took one look, sa tural caution, or a touc,  ters, not merely eel and iron, but also ious, took to ts sandy islets,  even pretending to be fishing.

    five minutes later, accompanied by a tall, serious-looking man oo-small pince-nez clinging to turned to th considerable skill.

    A fees later, before t t buildings of too ring bes later, anoto t, there were bells ringing all around.

    “Quick o tendent must ice in t.”

    “toucone.

    to feel more at rouble.  no fear from it—but ter facing time,  t h any fear.

    “Yes,” replied fall.

    Lock all doors and ry to strangers. S inside and out. Prepare candles and lanterns for y fails.

    ear silver. If caugdoors, find running er.”

    “e used to recite t in the junior classes,”

    Sabriel said. “But I don’t too many people remember it, even the people around here.”

    “You’d be surprised, ma’am,” interrupted t of t rung like ty years, but plenty of folk remember. tell anyone  fret about t.”

    “I ary flaso to the survivors huddled in fishdrying sheds on a rocky island. “I hope so.”

    “ill oucone. oo, but  it would only be a ool for w Rogir had become . . .

    “About an  t, I shink,”

    replied  ty miles an raption—quite remarkable. to me, anyway.

    I’m so used to ter, and t rol, anyway.

    I’d o see more of it . . . gone furth . . .”

    “You  ion, even to oucone didn’t say anyt reply, so ter t, soon catcruck convoy, overtaking eacill t again. But aking up the warning.

    As ed, t yverley village just before six. trucks stopped in a line all ttage to t before topped,  quickly forming up into ranks on truck parked under a telepo connect tary policeman  to eaco redirect traffic. Sabriel and toucone got out of ted.

    “It’s not muc from toucone said, co tions, ts sing, ted p.”

    “I’d o see you in the Royal Guard,”

    Sabriel said. “And tones were broken.”

    “In my day, you mean,” said toucone. “I oo. It imes I t life oo slooo predictable. I’d prefer t now . . .”

    “I used to t at sc the Old Kingdom.

    Proper Cer Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be—”

    “Rescued?”

    “Married,” replied Sabriel, absently. Sent on cting bad neelephone.

    toucone didn’t speak. Everyto sering on Sabriel, ernoon sun. I love . But if I say thing now, I may never . . .

    elepo a signaler, and turned tooucone c o be alone o say someto say anything.

    Per five seconds together . . .

    I am not afraid, o himself.

    “I love you,”  mind.”

    Sabriel looked back at  despite  ill ture—but seeing toucone staring appre her somehow gave her hope.

    “I don’t mind,” sooo, Cer  now is—”

    “telepo ter Crossing Point just  out,” ing above to talk. “A fog started rolling across t reacrenc four forty-six. After t, none of t speaking to ty Officer t young cerested in your aircraft.  about to reacion. t silent.”

    “So,” said Sabriel. “Kerrigor didn’t  till sundown. her.”

    “From timings given by ter,”

    ever’s in it— is moving sout around ty miles an ’ll reac seven. Dark,  to come.”

    “Let’s go to Docky Point starts from behe pub.

    Shall I lead?”

    “Best not,” replied urned, and sed some orders, accompanied by considerable ing. itaking to Docky Point. First, t Scouts, arcer Mages all. t platoon of infantry, bayonets fixed, rifles at t t into an arrooons, and telephone wire from a large and cumbersome drum.

    It  among trees, tly as ting by s, only tread and ttle of armor or equipment disturbing t.

    Sunsrees, ric already losing its ter-colored  aste and no potency.

    toop of t Scouts  on up. toon of infantry folloour around to toons moved to t and sout, forming a defensive triangle around toucone and tinued on.

    trees fell a ty yards from top of tles taking t t point, t-sized square of grey-green stones. ts , four of tones out his purpose.

    As Sabriel and toucone came up, tone fell h.

    At time, every Cer Mage present felt a sligheir ears, and a wave of dizziness.

    “Did you feel t?” asked   o ears t they all had.

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel. to a lesser extent, it  of feeling tones caused in t   closer to the sarcophagus.”

    “?”

    “Four blocks deep, I t . . . from an odd perspective.”

    ed to to  keep prying aones. t to it  Sabriel noticed t looking at tion of ts were Cer Mages, of various power—all knew w sundown would bring.

    In fifteen minutes, ts, men in ties, ly sick and ing furted to keeping lunches down and quelling shaking limbs.

    Surprisingly, given tate, Sabriel and toucone found it relatively easy to resist ting from t didn’t compare  time.

    ,  break, and treated doo tree line, elep sitting on turned drum. ook it, but turned to Sabriel before the charging handle.

    “Are tions to be made before  blocks? Magical ones, I mean.”

    Sabriel t for a moment,  to to spell it open—I’ll need everyone’s . tes on tion spell. tance too. en cast Cer Magic in concert?”

    “Unfortunately, no,” replied horyse, frowning.

    “Because t officially admit tence of Cer Magic, everyone aught.”

    “Never mind,” Sabriel said, trying to sound confident, a everyone around ening. “e’ll manage.”

    “Good,” replied  made , t Sabriel. Sried to smile too, but ain about t. It felt too much like a grimace of pain.

    “ell, let’s see   to,” inued, still smiling. “ to, Sergeant?”

    “Bain Police,” replied t, o ask Corporal Synge to sc the village.”

    “Good,” replied  me to Bain. No, tell Nort get to me. Yes, t’s right, Corporal.

    tabulary? It’s Colonel  to speak to Cendent Dingley . . . yes. endent. s of a strange, dense fog . . .  investigate. Get everyone in. Ster tever is in . . . Yes, extraordinarily dangerous . . .

    hello! hello!”

    t doed back up the hill.

    “t of Bain. It must be going mucer. Is it possible t t o?”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel and toucone, together.

    “e’d better get a move on t cy minutes.”

 chapter xxvii

    t blocks came a by sing, aggered back, ac to combat t seemed to eat at te-blond moustaccill stretco take him away.

    Sabriel looked at t, unsettling s sick too, allic taste in h.

    “e  open,” s. “trongly protected. I t toucone taking my o form a line reinforcement of ter Magic. Does everyone knoer marks for the opening spell?”

    the soldiers nodded, or said, “Yes, ma’am.”

    One said, “Yes, Abhorsen.”

    Sabriel looked at  affected by the Free Magic.

    “You can call me Sabriel, if you ,” srangely unsettled by w he had called her.

    t like ayed properly bloody dead.”

    “tainly.

    S — you could alell—but e . . .

    “,” said toucone. ured for o go in front of ly bow.

    “Let’s finis o do, Abhorsen.”

    Sabriel boion t  tual about it. to took a deep breattling into a determined mold.

    Beginning to form ter marks of opening in ook toucone’s os dark, serior in stark contrast  tles and tumbled stones. Beoucone urned to take enant Aire’s, Aire gripping a Sergeant’s, t teen Cer Mages in all, if only t rank.

    Sabriel felt ter Magic er and brigill s lost o tep bringing t all-too-familiar nausea, trollable s trong in ronger the sickness.

    S ter Magic go.

    Instantly, t, and a terrible scream ec, and Sabriel snatcered. A second later, steam billo all around t gouts of scalding steam, forcing Sabriel out, tumbling out of the hill.

    Sabriel and toucone oget five yards dorance to toucone’s stomacle, but botill for a moment, drained by trengt tinged .

    Around themselves up.

    “It didn’t open,” Sabriel said, in a quiet, matter-of-fact voice. “e don’t he skill—”

    S  . . . I wishing . . .”

    toucone , ter Mages—it he marks were reinforced enough.”

    “More Cer Mages,” Sabriel said tiredly.

    “e’re on the all . . .”

    “ about your scoucone, and t up, disrupting  dole.

    “toucone! I s . . . t be ty-five girls er mark and the basic skills.”

    “Good,” muttered toucone, from tle. Sabriel put out  on  odor of crusles.

    o lose  fell back down again.

    “t  to involve t . . .”

    “terrupted toucone. “t Ancelstierre  isn’t like t  last once Kerrigor breaks tones.”

    “t we were grown women.”

    “e need toucone, again.

    “Yes,” said Sabriel, turning back to of men gato tronger Cer Mages, peering back torance and thin.

    “t toucone  reminded me w more Cer Mages.”

    her, urgency in his face.

    “here?”

    “yverley College. My old sceacrix Green’s less than a mile away.”

    “I don’t t time to get a message t t tting sun, t c, t. “But . . .

    do you t o move the sarcophagus?”

    Sabriel t about tective spell t sered, t of t.

    to stop us moving ts of tand t it—”

    “And yverly College—it’s an old, solid building?”

    “More like a castle to defend this hill.”

    “Running er . . . No? t oo muco ! Private Macking, run doo Major tindall and tell  I  o move in tes.

    e’re going back to trucks, to yverley College—it’s on t a mile . . .”

    “Sout,” Sabriel provided.

    “Sout. Repeat t back.”

    Private Macking repeated to get aurned to the longservice corporal and said, “Corporal Anshey.

    You look pretty fit. Do you t a rope around t coffin?”

    “Reckon so, sir,” replied Corporal Ansacured o ther soldiers.

    “Come on you blokes, get yer ropes out.”

    ty minutes later, ted by sed from a local farmer. As Sabriel ed, dragging it y yards of trucks stopped t out electric liged telephone.

    Curiously, t seem overly frige its bronze surface sluggisomacer marks. S a  not a panicked one either.

    “e’ll o drive to toucone, as t ts can and the sickness much longer.”

    toucone seettering. “I’m not sure I can, either.”

    Nevert rope coucone climbed up to t and picked up t to  omac to rise into  look back at the sarcophagus.

    toucone said “tcco t up, and sook up t  a quick pace.

    “Is t as . . .” Sabriel said anxiously.

    to cover, and the horizon.

    “It’s a oucone ans to speak. “e’ll be t goes.”

    to buzz and cioned t Kerrigor mig did. Sabriel found  catcing  surface of t s . time s a glimpse of some tree’s pale bark, or a c. as t fog curling doer disc by time trucks turn off turning up t led to t-iron gates of yverley College.  Sabriel for a moment. But t rue. It ter part of  t . It ies.

    But like raveled.

    Electric ligly in tique glass lanterns on eite, but to mere sparks as ts strange cargo drove tes s   es to be locked before full dark. t   alerted o something else . . .

    “trucks and op near te-like doors to t’s stopped.”

    toucone brougo a , and listened, cocking an ear torue enoughe yverley village bell.

    “It is a mile,” antly. “Peroo far, the wind . . .”

    “No,” said Sabriel. S till on here was no wind.

    “You could al the sarcophagus inside, quickly!”

    So anding on teps outside tially open door, talking to an obscured figure  closer, edging ting soldiers, s ress.

    “enant-General Farnsley, I’ll have you know—Sabriel!”

    t of Sabriel in sucrange garb and circumstance seemed to momentarily stun Mrs.

    Umbrade. In t second of fisioned to est, treams of armed men rusartled figure like a flood around an island.

    “Mrs. Umbrade!” Sabriel sed. “I need to talk to Miss Greenly, and tter get t of taff up to top floors of tower.”

    Mrs. Umbrade stood, gulping like a goldfisill horyse suddenly loomed over her and snapped, “Move, woman!”

    Almost before h closed, she was gone.

    Sabriel looked back to c toucone ing of then followed her in.

    trance rucks outside, stacking the walls. Khaki-colored boxes marked “. Ball”

    or “BE P Grenade,” piled up beneatures of prizelettered boards of merit and scic brilliance.

    to t ters and piling pe ttered windows.

    Mrs. Umbrade ill in motion at trance ling along to of obviously nervous staff. Beair, s. Beair, and just able to see, orial fift doubt t t of to  tion .

    Just as Mrs. Umbrade reacaff, all ts  out. For a moment, total, s, ting, craso ther.

    Sabriel stood er from a s t,  t t t t greo tes and cast a steady yellos down by Mrs.

    Umbrade, and Sabriel recognized trix Green recognition, a sligurning of just one side of s  because Kerrigor ric substation, and t he village.

    As expected, Mrs. Umbrade  telling eac going on about rudeness and some General. Sabriel sarix beall, bent figure of tress, and waved.

    “And I  to ly laid ty on the back of her neck.

    “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Sabriel said, standing next to temporarily frozen form of tress.

    “But temporarily taking over. I am assisting Colonel o come doo t rix Greenudents, staff, gardeners, everyone—must go to top floors of toill daomorrow.”

    “ics Mistress. “’s all t?”

    “Sometly, cly be attacked by the Dead.”

    “So to my students?”

    Miss Greenwo frigeachers.

    Sion, and then added, “Abhorsen.”

    “to everyone,” Sabriel said bleakly. “But  ter Mages  even a chance . . .”

    “ell,” replied Miss Greenter get organized tcs— tter take cion to  to. Mrs. S round up Cook and t some freser, food and candles, too. Mr. Arkler, if you o fetche gymnasium . . .”

    Seeing t all rol, Sabriel sigside, past soldiers stringing oil lamps up in te t ill ligside, t sunlighe day.

    toucone and ts  noo glos os in blood. Apart from ts pulling t close to it. Soldiers ions on tying trip flares.

    But in all tion, ty circle around tening coffin of Rogir.

    Sabriel ooucone, feeling tance in ing at t of going any closer to t seemed to  radiate stronger  t fled. In tronger, its magic more forceful and malign.

    “Pull!” sed toucone, he soldiers. “Pull!”

    Sloones, inco steps, ting it over teps.

    Sabriel decided to leave toucone to it, and tle o es. Sood tcive against t of Kerrigor.

    And an unfamilar srange to ouc he allmaker.

    t reminded .

    strange combination of irascible companion to truct so kill t aarael . . .

    I left t not t  muc. I am t ignorant Aburies, and per sorely tried . . .

    A clatter of ss interrupted s, follo arcing up into ts yellorail reacos follo burst into a  slos , stretco the dark as far as she could see.

 chapter xxviii

    Sabriel forced o o to a screaming run. Lots of soldiers could see ill placing lanterns out in lines, radiating out from teps, and several soldiers ing to bounce it out. t her as she passed.

    t slipping off to t it, but sed outside, looking out. After a moment, s anding next to  by terns, half in shadow.

    “t at tes,”

    soo quickly to be calm.

    “I kno firing . Six men and a corporal.”

    Sabriel nodded. S t puncomac to notice, to .

    Suddenly, s somet  a deat tood bolt uprigruly dohe fog!”

    S a second later. ty looked around, startled, ted for teps and teams cocked tripodmounted mache newly made sandbag walls.

    “Second floor, stand ready!” ed, and above s of fifty rifles  of ts step back outside, and take up position beo snatc came to t . . .

    In tant quiet, t. ind in trees out past tarting to rise as ts beginning to c—ts, no longer joined by gristle; t, bones like ic flesh.

    “hands,” she said, nervously. “hundreds of hands.”

    Even as s tes, t second’s crasoly parody of a war cry.

    “Fire!”

    In tant’s delay after t terrible fear t t  out a terrible, barking roar, red tracer rounds flinging out, ricocing from terrible violence. Bullets tore Dead flesered bone, knocked t still till terally torn apart,  broken into pieces, he wire.

    t before it could entirely cease, anotumbling, craeumbling over till t of t t of t steps. Some, still  vestige of elligence, retreated, only to be caug gouts of flame from he second floor.

    “Sabriel—get inside!”  of till more bullets to till.

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel, looking out at t of bodies, terns and lumps of ply cence  even so, truction made han any Free Magic . . .

    S inside, s vast mob of  to Deat— but it oo late. And opped by phey came in small numbers . . .

    and t was as likely as an early dawn . . .

    t treaked  Cer marks, draea from t co figrolled nervousness about t bravado exactly, just a strange mixture of competence and cynicism. ever it  made Sabriel  all.

    “Evening, miss.”

    “Good to ically never h!”

    “on’t need us at te.”

    “Not like ter, is it, ma’am?”

    “Good luck al cigar case, miss.”

    “Good luck to all of you,” replied Sabriel, trying to smile in anso tarted again, and s ttention  nearly as casual as tended, Sabriel t as so t hall.

    ened.

    ting across t ther end.

    ts ea. Magistrix Greenalking to toucone in ty or so girls—young e o t her like a bizarre parody of a school dance.

    Beone ered   be mistaken for extremely  not if you  kne o ter of ted.

    “Cer Mages! Please come here.”

    ty to the sarcophagus.

    Sabriel looked at tudents, t and open, a tement at tant from t too, s, seeing respect and someter marks on tic replicas, t  to be caughis . . .

    Sabriel opened o speak, and t on cue.

    In the girls giggled nervously.

    Sabriel,  many deat once, and a familiar dread touch cold fingers. Kerrigor was closing in.

    It  a lessening of t. Faintly, ss and even . . . screams . . . from outside.

    ting h older weapons now.

    “Quickly,” so make a  ring around trix, if you enant, please put your men in among the girls . . .”

    Anyime, t t.

    t, it ruction. Men moved quickly to took their hands purposefully.

    In a feer Mages.

    Linked by touc need to speak. She ring.

    toucone, to , a familiar and poo , less po not  skill—and so on, righe ring.

    Sloo t of ill it started to project inex of a o stream about treaks rotating clock, er and greater speed.

    Still Sabriel kept ter Magic floo ter, draer Mages could produce. Soldiers and sco t tayed linked, te.

    Sloself began turning on tform, eam jetted forts lid, but t ill so spin faster and faster, till it eam and yolk-yello.

    t suddenly stopped, to le over ter Mages’ o ty paces away.

    ter Magic  too, as if earts success, and ticipants still on t.

    avering, ill tigoucone and trix, Sabriel tottered over to the sarcophagus and looked in.

    “artled  glance back up at toucone, “ like you!”

    Before toucone could anseel classide in ting gres still standing dreo t before terrified soldiers, hemselves down, and sobbed, or laughed, or shook in silence.

    Beill rol. Instead of running on, t the bar in place.

    “ed back toerror. t about who “he”

    was.

    “Quick, tes!” Sabriel snapped. S over t look too closely at toucone.

    Sired, and till Free Magic  protections around t t mark soon lingered in toucone ransferred o o  up and linked  a stirring of relief. to make it— Kerrigor’s royed, and ter part of  . . .

    t, red dust blowing in like a solid wave, knocking everyone down in blinding, choking ruin.

    Sabriel lay on tried to get up. t and grit in erns . Blind, s around  tillscalding bronze of the sarcophagus.

    “t be paid,” said a crackling, in tones of Kerrigor . . . but terrible speec in he Paperwing burned.

    Blinking furiously, Sabriel cra didn’t speak again immediately, but s  closing in, t its passage.

    “I must deliver my last burden,” ture said. “turn to retribution.”

    Sabriel blinked again, tears streaming doears and t rays of moonligreaming ttered ure blurred  of pulverized bricks.

    All Sabriel’s senses were screaming inside her.

    Free Magic, the Dead, danger all around . . .

    ture t  blazed a little more t ter t  equally missing toing, whirling energies.

    A soldier suddenly leapt up be, driving a so its back. It iced, but t into we flames.

    iten lump of metal, scorche floor.

    “I bring you Abure said, dropping a long, dimly seen object to one  side. “And tarael.”

    t, it laid carefully doing momentarily before it o t.

    “Come forime t we begun.”

    tcing, and it started to move around the sarcophagus.

    Sabriel loosened ts racing. Kerrigor  till migime to turn ture back into Mogget, and complete tes . . .

    “Stop!”

    tilian tongue, but t. Sabriel stood still, against ried looking past it, lidding  t, trying to puzzle out  t so see.

    It  a sea of darkness.  tures in t ink-splase fire, and a ya h flickering coals of a red as dark as drying blood.

    “Ab like lava mixed tle.

    “You will leave o me.”

    t-te sparks falling like tiny stars in its wake.

    “I ed too long to alloo be taken by anot c still . t fle Kerrigor, a sric comet ling into to ance like a enderizing meat.

    For a moment, no one moved, stack. tendrils of bitter nig attacker, c y of an octopus strangling a brigurtle.

    Desperately, Sabriel looked around for toucone and Magistrix Green ill falling slo air, like some deadly rust-colored gas, tims of its c truck by bricks, or ers from the pews.

    Sabriel sarix first, lying a little ailetto-like splinter from a stered pe through her.

    Soucone  a pile of broken masonry. ed t.

    Sabriel o epping betc, hopeless wounded.

    “My leg is broken,” toucone said, . ilted oh. Live a normal life . . .”

    “I can’t,” replied Sabriel softly. “I am th your broken leg?”

    “Sabriel . . .”

    But Sabriel urned aiced  still. But t, its voice silent. It  ring true until cleaned, ience, magic and steady nerves. Sabriel stared at it for a second, tly placed it back dohe floor.

    up, and cer marks floime, t run tion, but said: “t no Dead s th.”

    “t took up tion, and looked doo t was Kerrigor.

 chapter xxix

    Kerrigor seemed to  .  cloud of darkness e again, e fire, no dazzling brilliance fighin.

    ill, and Sabriel ’s brief  ion came.

    Kerrigor ing, like a glutton after an overly ambitious meal.

    Sabriel s t, bile tainting  t o be better. Botoucone aken alive, and kept t ill t ts yahe reservoir . . .

    S image.

    to be someto be he Old Kingdom . . .

    perer Magic. Sed t a single bell could s? It  falling ttered ed, last  attract ttention. the hall . . .

    Even in darkness, till. Sabriel craps t   none entered the hall.

    till men to fig upon.

    on in ter’s business.

    traps came undone. Kerrigor didn’t move, .

    In one quick motion, Sabriel she bells.

    Kerrigor did move tly, aller too, stretcill  reaced ceiling. o full, raging, flaming fury, and he spoke.

    “toys, Aboo late. Mucoo late.”

    It  just  froze Sabriel’s nerves, caug ely, sruggled to ring t s were locked in place . . .

    tantalizingly sloill oue of roug, enctoirs.

    Someone—a girl quietly coug  breatouc caress. A small spark of golden Cer Magic came from t dying touco Sabriel’s veins, traveling ups, freeing muscles. At last it reacs and  .

    It  true sound it sook t—but it .

    Kerrigor slid back, and le more twice Sabriel’s .

    But  subject to Sabriel’s will.

    Saranet bound h had only forced him back.

    Sabriel rang trating on t counterpoint beto tion, he would walk where she willed . . .

    And for a second,  into Deat into he bells faded, Kerrigor changed.

    Fiery eyes and mouto eacen o a narroo t ers for a moment, traigo th.

    it scream, Saranetars,  craso turned to dust, drifting through Sabriel’s fingers like smoke.

    Sabriel stared at y ill feeling t of bell-handles . . .

    t any conscious t, t in  before so it, Rogir stood up and looked at  eyes of Kerrigor.

    “An inconvenience,”  .”

    Sabriel lunged at e sparks as it struck, punc to project out t Kerrigor only laugill  teel. Sabriel tugged at t it  come free.

    “No s no ruled before ter,  po made t no, my he breaking!”

    , and pulled to , till t  ried to let go, but oo quick, one ccibly, Kerrigor drew owards him.

    “ill you sleep, unknoill t Stones are ready for your blood?” ep of the way?”

    Sabriel stared back, meeting  time. Surely, test spark of blazing , and felt t expanding? “  his magically preserved flesh.

    “Your lover craoic sig I s kiss . . .”

    t  sill feel tal expanding . . .

    Kerrigor’s blistered lips moved to surned  t second, and felt, dry, corpse-like flesh slide across her cheek.

    “A sisterly kiss,” cly before—but it is not enough . . .”

    Again,  just  a force grip  back to face , as if in passionate expectation.

    But  arm was free.

    Kerrigor’s  forhe ring was around his neck.

    Sabriel felt t back, trying to  Kerrigor didn’t let go of  not anxious.   up to touc tips.

    “ is this? Some relic of . . .”

    tricted, cutting t too ing as it tried to escape. two flaming eyes looked down in disbelief.

    “Impossible,” croaked Kerrigor. Snarling, o the floor.

    In tion , th a sound like a rasp on hardwood.

    Sly as a snake, arm and s out, striking to the wooden floor beyond.

    Pain exploded, and Sabriel screamed, body convulsing around the blade in one awful reflexive curve.

    Kerrigor left ion, and advanced upon toucone.

    Sabriel, ter from one of the pews.

    “Rogir,” toucone said. “Rogir . . .”

    ter came dorangled so a world of her own, a world of pain.

    S t of omac nooucone dead—s lay  bleed.

    t felt toucone die.

    Ser . Kerrigor er—but to  fell, like an apple corer punc out of tting corpse.

    Kerrigor struggled and s to side, seeking to cast off t  more fleso fall aill no fles a raging column of darkness, constrained by a silver ring.

    tself like a demoliso become a mound of rippling s t t o matcal.

    ter marks on t Sabriel couldn’t read t focus, and it oo dark. t  seemed to ill, s must be done. Saranet to t t t Sabriel, careless— but I must complete t, and almost dre—but no, t .

    Ranna ed it against  for a moment, gatrengtransfixed he bell.

    Ranna sounded s, and felt comforting, like a long-expected bed. t, to tled  ceased truggles, and lay themselves down.

    to Deat fell into a healing sleep.

    t  into tinct orial ring of silver. One e.

    Gradually, ted into tinct forms— ts, joined at t like Siamese twins.

    t in ted. t texture till ting a miniature bell, a miniature Ranna.

    ts sat side by side. One black, one s moving, and eac up a silver ring. ts yao to sleep.

    toucone c, silver flas. t Sabriel’s side, but s pick till clutc it , resting beloing the moonshadow of a cross upon her face.

    Sometoucone’s mind. A voice, a messenger’s voice, speaking to her.

    “idings. the Abhorsen is dead.”

    Epilogue Deat, and wondered will sill lying down.

    In ter, being carried along by t.

    For a moment, sarted to struggle, then she relaxed.

    “Everyone and everytime to die . . .”

    ss cares seemed far aoucone lived, and t made hing.

    Kerrigor ed, imprisoned if not made truly dead. e, and rest forever . . .

    Somet of ter and set .

    “t your time,” said a voice, a voice echers.

    Sabriel blinked, for ter. More t. Not Dead spirits, but somet. t instantly recognizable, for all he silver keys. Every one was an Abhorsen.

    “Go back,” they chorused. “Go back.”

    “I can’t,” sobbed Sabriel. “I’m dead! I  trength . . .”

    “You are t Ab pass til trengthin you. Live, Abhorsen, live . . .”

    Suddenly, srengto crao Life,  dropping back at t. One of tly toucant before s th behind.

    A face so vieoucone’s, staring do  ant, raucous bells t seemed out of place, till so magic, Free or Cer. But ty miles from the all . . .

    “Live, Sabriel, live,” toucone tering, ears  noticed hers opening.

    Sabriel smiled, to side, ake toucone to realize.

    tric ligs of terns out again. ted, tending to t and grave mold.

    t side on teps; Magistrix Green he soldiers . . .

    o closer regions, to ts, t to he floor.

    “Sabriel!”

    toucone iced. Sabriel turned o ed iously.

    a . typically, toucone hing for his own leg.

    “Sabriel,” he said again. “You’re alive!”

    “Yes,” said Sabriel, h some surprise. “I am.”

    e: ting a Book Gartes on  to tBound e-book edition of Sabriel t ing a book,  from many oters and different to to !,” tion to ing.

    to me, tages to ing a book, t times, or even take over for far longer tages are: ting, and revising. tage, t runs concurrently aying motivated.

    t of my books seem to stem from a single image or t t lodges in my brain and sloo somet needs to be expressed.

    t t may be a “ and sno. Many ots, conscious or ot, upon, and over t single image, boting of the book.

    typically I seem to t a book for a year or so before I actually start ing. In tage, I often e a fes in my “ideas”

    notebook. At tage, I merely put do points or mnemonics t er on, particularly if tation period for a book is several years. titles are also o jot do title can be very useful as the book can grow.

    Planning For all my longer e cer outlines so I can ing from ter on. Actually, ing a cer outline is a great discipline for t tory and it also provides a road map or central skeleton you can come back to if you get lost. I often e tial cer first to get tus for tory going and te tline.

    Usually, I o e a revised cer outline times in ting t once again it does focus tory is going and  to go.

    riting  S stories, articles, and items on my e I type straigo ter (mostly a Macintos ord. e t.

    Noerman fountain pen (for S-tips earlier. I erested to see t Stepe one of  novels erman fountain pen. edly found t tual style of the book.

    tages of ing long least for me. First of all, I e in relatively small ebooks able t of computer, particularly since you can take t o consider poteries, or printouts. Parts of Sabriel, for example, ten on a trip t. Parts of Sten at the beach.

    tage of ing long ebook, I ree as I type, so t printout is actually a second draft. Sometimes I c quite a lot, sometimes not so muc it gives me a distinctive and separate stage where I can revise.

    t page of t cer of Sabriel (as opposed to te earlier, before I did my cer outline) ually -  ten in a spiral-bound notebook,  and pasted into my preferred black and red notebook ( /” x  /” or mm x mm “sewn memo book”).

    At typing stage, I cleaned up ting a bit and it er, but in t least, it stayed muc page and compare it to te.

    o revising.

    Revising As I said, ten  my first major stage of revision.

    o go t least tages after t. t of t print out typed cer. I go t and make ce later. tage (and sometimes a time as  is finis time. I leave t big, beautiful pile of printout on t doions as I go.

    Finally, I bundle to my Australian and U.S. publis for tion(s),  for reing. Sometimes  times t, and I argue about to alter text. Basically, I try and keep an open mind, since t.

    Staying Motivated I’m often asked by aspiring ers  a year or more in ing a full-length novel.

    My stock ans I never sit doo e a novel today.” I sit doo e a cer,” or “revise a cer,”

    or “finiser.” t ’s only ever ,-,  are te goal.

    As a furtivational gimmick, I al utility e t dootal of e in t of my first notebook for t hose red and black numbers).

    I also e doening to as I e and anyt migeresting to look back upon. Like t t I uploaded my first  is a relatively small t it , particularly as  more and more cers appear and total gro very encouraging, particularly in t to take ty of time.

    Summary  sum up my ing p remember e, revise” one is from Robert  e if you don’t read.”

    “Just e one cer at a time and one day you’ll be surprised by your own finished novel.”

    “riting anytter t ing somet.”

    “Read, e, revise, submit, repeat.”

    “Expect rejection, but don’t let it stop you submitting again.”

    “Submit t  t draft. Al again before you send it.”

    About tralia. After taking ing from ty of Canberra, o try, steadily devolving from sales rep t, until in  or inational publiser a period traveling in Eastern Europe, t, and Asia in ,  publiso ing communications consultant. In , o to become a part-time literary agent. e walk from Coogee Beacs of books.

    Garther books, Sabriel, Lirael, and Shade’s Chldren.