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

    “ty-til this morning,”

    to Sabriel, as op a piece of very ale bread. “e t o t Monjer Sto’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, candles and rusapers t added boto t and tmospo teristic accato movement.

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

    s and siblings, too, for s over forty.

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

    Most looked at Sabriel and s blind faite confidence, but a gambler’s  a new  change 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 flicking 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 cannot free the mainland village.

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

    “e understand,” replied t pinued, speaking more to o  Sabriel. “e can survive s. If Callibe  fallen to trade, for vegetables and otuffs.”

    “You cer,”

    toucone 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 inconsequentially, 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, candles and tapers. toucone c cing outrying to feel the Dead.

    It , concealed emanation, like an untraceable wten.

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

    Sraig t c tening intently 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 oucone to stay close by tle groups of villagers. Mogget, glancing up from retcalked beoucone’s er a  ts wail of .

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

    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 action, 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 toucone 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 stood rigid, to be replaced by grey. t, even o soggy as sucked all t of ant. Nerengt from t took s moved, becoming a large, disgustingly elongated sort of rat. Quicker tural rat, it scuttled toant.

    toucone didn’t miss. -ure just be-s sinuous midsection.

    Pinned to ture s suff  s body, escaping trap.

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

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

    Sabriel replaced Ranna, and dres forceful voice snapped out, sound  of domination over ture. t made no effort to resist, even to make a mouto  it succumb to h.

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

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

    So  toucone and Mogget  t ricksome too, but its trickery roublesome.

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

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

    “to toucone. 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 toucone’s face, and confusion.

    “I t you kne  to 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 toucone, grunting as he floor.

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

    “Nooucone.

    “No let’s , and organize some people to carry ligter talk to t a boat for the morning.”

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

    ted seeing strange lig on ter too, and s fire arroo tones, but sas guttered out.

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

    t had found her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    “If ay till morning,” toucone  couldn’t cross this gap.”

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

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

    “Mucly.

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

    “Riemer,” so ternholders.

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

    “Riemer, cell to s anyt comes onto ter—t to go back and 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 ance o t. 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 come  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 toucone, boo t, solemn figure, so mucall on the wall behind.

    Sabriel turned to 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 on eitoucone 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 tone, too,” Aline added, confidingly. 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.”

    Sened to get out of t into think.

    “So noo o escape the puddles.

    “I still can’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 toucone  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.

    toucone pusook t leapt out of Sabriel’s arms, and assumed a figureion near t-sig,  time.

    Back on s suddenly  ecer, cs on bot and island.

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

    toucone o comply.