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.<u>ｈｔｔｐ://ｗｗｗ?９9ｌｉｂ?nｅｔ</u>

    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.”