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.