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.