Sabriel reace just a fume up and out of rils h acrid fumes.

    ted ts, and Sabriel stepped s cargo of Dead doo terfall beyond. Sabriel ed a moment more, for to appear, to t.

    tively easy area to traverse. t rong again, but predictable. t unned and rus’s wave.

    Sabriel rengto suppress t. S noion.

    , or past te, in t.

    Stle again, eager to find alk  once Father was freed . . .

    But  in t. Sabriel reace  feeling any intensification of e erfall, of sorts, but it  cloaked in mist. It looked like ter from a small ter of only t do Sabriel kne if you approaco drag trongest spirit down.

    Sed  to launco t  top and look around.

    terfall stretco eit if so try and s lengt  ually looped back on itself, but as tars or anyto fix one’s position, you’d never kno or gate.

    ? Everyone  into Deat of it. Not side tered  t -forms, or rare beings like t, hem.

    Nevert an urge to  to te, to turn on erfall. It ifiable urge, and t made range constructs and incompre come from one of them.

    Sated, t it, t into ter,  parallel to terfall. It mig migion .

    “t and  stairs, too,” said Mogget. “More hands.”

    “ about th—where we came in?”

    asked toucone, looking nervously from side to side, ears straining to ening to t into to form up in trange, regimented lines.

    “Not yet,” replied Mogget. “t stair ends in sunligo go the park.”

    “t be muc,” muttered toucone, looking at t-ss. Some sunsered by clouds, but it  enougo cause tress, or lift toucone’s spirits.

    “hink he will come?”

    asked toucone. Mogget didn’t need to ask who “he” was.

    “Soon,” replied t, in a matter-of-fact tone.

    “I al rap.”

    “So  out of it?” asked toucone, trying to keep eady. ing a strong desire to leave tection and run for tair, splas ted over, immobile . . .

    “I’m not sure ,  tatues nearby. “It depends on Sabriel and her.”

    “ can we do?”

    “Defend ourselves if tacked, I suppose,”

    dra, as if stating to a tiresome co ter t Kerrigor doesn’t come before Sabriel returns.”

    “ if oucone, staring  into t if he does?”

    But Mogget . All toucone arving rats creeping up to a sleeping drunk’s dinner.

    Sabriel  same niggling sensation prompted o stop, to look out into terfall itself, and ther.

    Somee itself, so only er.

    “Fat sed to rus first, s  , several times.

    Sabriel folloerfall, arms reaco pull itself out of te. Sepped for tated. It  to yverley College. S ly—almost a smile.

    Sepped back, still cautious. t t cerfall  was  he sway of some power.

    ture finally self out, muscles differently arranged to a raining along t stood on t, bulky ing from side to side, to  familiar rolling gait. Several paces aopped, and pointed at its mouts ja no sound issued from its red and fless back, doo ters of te.

    Sabriel t for a moment, t to ring tated—for to sound Dyrim  t it fall. Dyrim rang, s and clear, several notes sounding from t one peal, mixing togetions overheard in a crowd.

    Sabriel rang t -tc toure, o t peal. Sound seemed to envelope ter, circling around its ed mouth.

    t could try and sound of its o once, and so the bells.

    t to find a foolisrained necromancer, but even so, tcantly, like a c ouch.

    ture’s mout ongue, a e fles  it  spoke he voice of Abhorsen.

    “Sabriel! I both hoped and feared you would come.”

    “Fat rapped spirit rature.

    “Father . . .”

    Sarted to cry. Sroubles, only to find rapped, trapped beyond y to free  even kno it o imprison someone e! “Sabriel! er! e ime for tears. here is your physical body?”

    “In t to yours. Inside a diamond of protection.”

    “And the Dead? Kerrigor?”

    “t  Kerrigor is somew know where.”

    “Yes, I kneered Ab move quickly.

    Sabriel, do you remember o ring taneously? Mosrael and Kibeth?”

    “t time? S was possible—or hpiece. “Remember.

    the Dead.”

    Slo came back, pages floating doo conscious memory, like leaves from a sree. ter combinations, if enougo  ter . . .

    “Yes,” said Sabriel, slowly. “I remember.

    Mosrael and Kibethey free you?”

    the answer was slow in coming.

    “Yes. For a time. Enougo do  be done. Quickly, now.”

    Sabriel nodded, trying not to t ruly live again.

    Consciously, so barricade this knowledge from her mind.

    Sion than alone.

    Silled ying  and emotion, concentrating solely on them.

    Mosrael ser circle above . o a discordant, grating, but energetic tone. Sabriel found oerfall, despite all s to keep still. A force like ted giant moved  ep forward.

    At time, erfall of te. , and retc still Sabriel stepped on, till so ters, the bells filling her ears, forcing her onwards.

    t foring o t. ter embraced on te.

    “ell done,” said Ab and e coy. “Once trapped, it o send t o Life, before Kerrigor can complete hink. Come on!”

    ly. Sabriel follo ions bursting up in  looking at  tures, t tubble just s of clote  of silver keys.  quite as tall as she remembered.

    “Fatrying to talk, keep up c time. “ is  is Kerrigor’s plan? I don’t understand.  I broughings?”

    “ slowing.

    “In Death?”

    “You knoested Sabriel.

    “t be t  hing works! hy! hy?”

    “t I sent you to Ancelstierre for to keep you safe. I  your moto keep you safe in to keep you eit our ically a prisoner. I couldn’t keep you ting , to do so.

    t good ime— kno I do now.”

    “hy?” asked Sabriel.

    “Kerrigor’s body,” replied Abo give ruly dead because ’s like an anc alones  body—but none of us ever found it, including me, because ed it is in Ancelstierre. Obviously, someed it by no o it o do the spell, or shall I?”

    te.   for  immediately spoke t strange ant, like a far-off observer.

    Steps rose before tting terfall and t. Abook t a time, s s tiredness in ed muscles.

    “Ready to run?” asked Abook  teps and  into ted mists, a curiously formal gesture t reminded tle girl, demanding to be properly escorted  out on one of ations.

    ter and faster, till Sabriel t umble tering to a  in a tangle of sword and bells.

    But s someing t e, so the whirlpool.

    “As I aking teps t a time as ly as  ill an Ab various times, as far back as te, but t poning tronger all time, as lesser Cer Stones eriorated— and we grew weaker.”

    “ion oo quickly, particularly he run.

    “t Cer bloodlines,” replied Abo all intents and purposes means Ab extinct. And t of t of construct left over after t t Stones.”

    trode confidently out into t, Sabriel close at ing, probing advance, Abically jogged along, obviously folloe.

    ell,  landmarks or any obvious signs, Sabriel  ty-odd years traversing Deat as easy.

    “So,” continued Abo finish Kerrigor once and for all.

    t you to roy it, and t form—, you can get t of ate, and , repair t Cer Stones . . .”

    “t . . . a in Death?”

    “A bastard son, actually, and possibly crazy,”

    Ab really listening. “But ? Oh, yes, yes he is . . . you said was . . . you mean—”

    “Yes,” said Sabriel, unoucone. And ing in the reservoir.

    Near tones. it.”

    Ab time, clearly taken aback.

    “All our plans go astray, it seems,” o to use my blood to break a Great Stone, but I managed to protect myself, so ented rapping me in Death.

    you o my body, and  I  trapped as securely as , and planned a reverse.

    But noo break t Cer—”

    “ection,” Sabriel said, suddenly feeling afraid for toucone.

    “t may not suffice,” replied Abronger every day aking trengtones. o break even trongest Cer Magic defenses. rong enough now.

    But tell me of t?”

    “Mogget?” repeated Sabriel, surprised again.

    “But I met  our e cat,  carries a miniature Saraneth.”

    “Mogget,” said Abrying to get able morsel. “t is t, or t creation, or t even ook t?  of albino do me, and ically never left t of protection for t hurry.”

    “I t ed off again. S mean to be bad-  tempered, but t felt reunion beter. o notice  as a repository for numerous revelations and as an agent to deal h Kerrigor.

    Abopped, and gato a quick, one-armed embrace.  strong, but Sabriel felt anoty temporarily born of lig doomed to fade at nightfall.

    “I  been an ideal parent, I know,”

    Ably. “None of us ever are.

    y to many people rides rougies; difficulties and enemies crus softness; our er, and I  noime—a beats, no more— and I must tle against a terrible enemy.

    Our parts no fater, but one old Ab behere is always my love.”

    “A beats . . .” ed forogeto Gate, t Precinct, Life—and the reservoir.