All to of t s of arccer. ty-six villagers ty-one.

        “ty-til this m,”

        to Sabriel, as op a piece of very ale bread. “e t o t Moo’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, dles and rusapers t added boto t and tmospo teristic aovement.

        “e to fatalism. Sood alone, apanied by tragedy. Sabriel guessed s her family.

        s and siblings, too, for s over forty.

        “It’ll take us, one by oinued, matter-of-fact, ainty. Around c looking at o meet o accept her words.

        Most looked at Sabriel and s blind faite fidence, but a gambler’s    a new    ge 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 flig 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 ot free the mainland village.

        ter evil at    same evil t er Stone—and I must find a it as soon as I .    is done, I urn— I er Stone ored.”

        “e uand,” replied t pinued, speaking more to o    Sabriel. “e    survive s. If Callibe    fallen to trade, fetables and otuffs.”

        “You cer,”

        toue 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 insequentially, 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, dles and tapers. toue g    to feel the Dead.

        It , cealed emanation, like an untraceable wten.

        Sabriel trated on it, follo, and found it, righe villagers.

        Sraig t ing ily 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 oue to stay close by tle groups of villagers. Mogget, glang up from retcalked beoue’s er a    ts wail of .

        Careful not to alarm ook a zigzag patening to tudied attention, t to be grohe sed.

        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 a, 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 toue 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 stid, to be replaced by grey. t, even o soggy as sucked all t of ant.    from t took s moved, being a large, disgustingly elongated sort of rat. Quicker tural rat, it scuttled toant.

        toue didn’t miss. -ure just be-s sinuous midse.

        Pio ture s suff    s body, esg trap.

        Quickly, Sabriel stood over it, Ranna sounding in , lazy tone eto the shed.

        Before t ceased to    by its sing from t lay like a lump of cill impaled.

        Sabriel replaced Ranna, and dres forceful voiapped out, sound    of dominatioure. t made no effort to resist, even to make a mouto    it succumb to h.

        S t ated as er    alker sometimes s    suspiciously under her hand.

        Best to    a moment, to calm , taking he bandolier.

        So    toue and Mogget    t rie too, but its trickery roublesome.

        “t,” so toue, alogued as one of to ride ing to some extent, direg it, and slo a makes to find.”

        “ do    nooue, eyeing taste. It clearly couldn’t be cut up, ed 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 , toue t it ting a to ts. t slid back doo bob and spin in t, ever voice it o te.

        “to toue. 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 toue’s face, and fusion.

        “I t you ko 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 toue, grunting as he floor.

        “I don’t t Mordaut     of poor . . . Patar . . . so its presence    box of grave dirt, rus before t t . I guess I s to be sure.”

        “Nooue.

        “’s , and anize some people to carry ligter talk to t a boat for the m.”

        “And a good supply of fis, en wing, he heavy drone of sn fisher-folk.

        ted seeing strange lig ooo, and s fire arroo tones, but sas guttered out.

        Sabriel advanced out on ter, and stood    loosely draped over o t see anyt sro trengto a single creature, only noone as a portal. An instant later, ss particular presence.

        t had found her.

        “toue,” sing to keep t by night?”

        “Yes,” replied toue, , tern-liging only . ated, as if    be    an opinion, t it , and t is very dark.”

        “Mogget    see in tly, moving closer to toue so t hear her.

        “e o leave immediately,” sending to adjust     pursued me before.”

        “ about toue, so softly t    sound of reproof under one.

        “t is after me,” muttered Sabriel. S moving aone, questing about, using its oto find     feel my presence, as I feel it.    will follow.”

        “If ay till m,” toue    couldn’t cross this gap.”

        “I said, ‘I tered Sabriel. “It ronger. I ’t be sure—”

        “t t, it    very difficult to destroy,” toue w much worse?”

        “Mucly.

        t opped moving. to be dampening bots senses and its desire to find ared vainly out int to peer past ts of rain, to gain t, as well as ises.

        “Riemer,” so ternholders.

        ered flat on er dripping doapult itself off the end of his pudgy nose.

        “Riemer, cell to s anyt es onto ter—t to go bad 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 a. 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 e    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 toue, boo t, solemn figure, so mucall on the wall behind.

        Sabriel turo 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 ooue 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 tooo,” Aline added, fidingly. 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.”

        Seo get out of t into think.

        “So noo o escape the puddles.

        “I still ’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 toue    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.

        toue pusook t leapt out of Sabriel’s arms, and assumed a figureio-sig,    time.

        Ba s suddenly    ecer,    bot and island.

        “Bear a bit more to starboard,” said Mogget, ihe howl faded. “e need more sea-room.”

        toue o ply.
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