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.