Everyter tea  too rapidly for ted Sabriel and toucone. Judging from tside, soldiers ions, ed lunco digest, elling to get moving.

    It  player in t, as sumbled out of tion trenco t  s really feel part of it. S toucone lig  o be even worse for him.

    ites, tled across toing line of trucks, an open staff car and trange steelplated contraptions. Lozenge-surrets on eiterpillar tracks.

    tanks, Sabriel realized. A relatively recent invention. Like trucks, t, but top whe Old Kingdom. Or when Kerrigor came . . .

    o taff car, opened tured for to get in.

    “Are you coming antly, as stled back in ts, figiredness t tened immediate sleep.

    “Yes,” replied  his own answer, and suddenly far away.

    “Yes, I am.”

    “You ,” said toucone, looking up from ing down. “ did you see?”

    “t in t seat, and nodded to teran of ts,  invisible on en forehead.

    “ do you mean?” asked Sabriel, but ion  as tarter sctered into life, a tenor accompaniment to trucks and tanks.

    toucone jumped at tion, t Sabriel, ed her fingers on his arm, as if calming a child.

    “ did hing’?” asked Sabriel.

    toucone looked at ion vying for first place in ook raced a line across e, ending sort of line.

    “Otered Sabriel. S tending just past  rim.

    “er t . . . somewcoucone’s ill e as hing . . . everyone . . .”

    tarted fororcycle outriders and follourn, carefully spaced out every anks, racks screecook a side road up to t on to yverley . It fall. t Docky Point before six in ternoon.

    Sabriel  for t ten miles, ill clutcigoucone’s.  silently too, but c as t tary zone, looking at tierre, te cars and  pulled off t of tary policemen on motorcycles.

    “I’m all rigly, as to pass town of Bain.

    toucone nodded, still caring at treet. toared back, for it o see soldiers in full Perimeter battle equipment, s and soucone he Old Kingdom.

    “e o stop by tation, and endent,”  to an imposing ric lanterns  t, and a sturdy sign proclaiming it to be ters of tabulary.

    ood up,  of ted out and daseps, a curiously incongruous figure in mail and kable descending teps looked ready to stop  stopped ead and saluted.

    “I’m all riged. “You can let go of my hand.”

    toucone smiled, and flexed tle in  puzzled, too, ill t on t, little fingers just touching.

    In any otoainly aff car o took one look, sa tural caution, or a touc,  ters, not merely eel and iron, but also ious, took to ts sandy islets,  even pretending to be fishing.

    five minutes later, accompanied by a tall, serious-looking man oo-small pince-nez clinging to turned to th considerable skill.

    A fees later, before t t buildings of too ring bes later, anoto t, there were bells ringing all around.

    “Quick o tendent must ice in t.”

    “toucone.

    to feel more at rouble.  no fear from it—but ter facing time,  t h any fear.

    “Yes,” replied fall.

    Lock all doors and ry to strangers. S inside and out. Prepare candles and lanterns for y fails.

    ear silver. If caugdoors, find running er.”

    “e used to recite t in the junior classes,”

    Sabriel said. “But I don’t too many people remember it, even the people around here.”

    “You’d be surprised, ma’am,” interrupted t of t rung like ty years, but plenty of folk remember. tell anyone  fret about t.”

    “I ary flaso to the survivors huddled in fishdrying sheds on a rocky island. “I hope so.”

    “ill oucone. oo, but  it would only be a ool for w Rogir had become . . .

    “About an  t, I shink,”

    replied  ty miles an raption—quite remarkable. to me, anyway.

    I’m so used to ter, and t rol, anyway.

    I’d o see more of it . . . gone furth . . .”

    “You  ion, even to oucone didn’t say anyt reply, so ter t, soon catcruck convoy, overtaking eacill t again. But aking up the warning.

    As ed, t yverley village just before six. trucks stopped in a line all ttage to t before topped,  quickly forming up into ranks on truck parked under a telepo connect tary policeman  to eaco redirect traffic. Sabriel and toucone got out of ted.

    “It’s not muc from toucone said, co tions, ts sing, ted p.”

    “I’d o see you in the Royal Guard,”

    Sabriel said. “And tones were broken.”

    “In my day, you mean,” said toucone. “I oo. It imes I t life oo slooo predictable. I’d prefer t now . . .”

    “I used to t at sc the Old Kingdom.

    Proper Cer Magic. Dead to bind. Princes to be—”

    “Rescued?”

    “Married,” replied Sabriel, absently. Sent on cting bad neelephone.

    toucone didn’t speak. Everyto sering on Sabriel, ernoon sun. I love . But if I say thing now, I may never . . .

    elepo a signaler, and turned tooucone c o be alone o say someto say anything.

    Per five seconds together . . .

    I am not afraid, o himself.

    “I love you,”  mind.”

    Sabriel looked back at  despite  ill ture—but seeing toucone staring appre her somehow gave her hope.

    “I don’t mind,” sooo, Cer  now is—”

    “telepo ter Crossing Point just  out,” ing above to talk. “A fog started rolling across t reacrenc four forty-six. After t, none of t speaking to ty Officer t young cerested in your aircraft.  about to reacion. t silent.”

    “So,” said Sabriel. “Kerrigor didn’t  till sundown. her.”

    “From timings given by ter,”

    ever’s in it— is moving sout around ty miles an ’ll reac seven. Dark,  to come.”

    “Let’s go to Docky Point starts from behe pub.

    Shall I lead?”

    “Best not,” replied urned, and sed some orders, accompanied by considerable ing. itaking to Docky Point. First, t Scouts, arcer Mages all. t platoon of infantry, bayonets fixed, rifles at t t into an arrooons, and telephone wire from a large and cumbersome drum.

    It  among trees, tly as ting by s, only tread and ttle of armor or equipment disturbing t.

    Sunsrees, ric already losing its ter-colored  aste and no potency.

    toop of t Scouts  on up. toon of infantry folloour around to toons moved to t and sout, forming a defensive triangle around toucone and tinued on.

    trees fell a ty yards from top of tles taking t t point, t-sized square of grey-green stones. ts , four of tones out his purpose.

    As Sabriel and toucone came up, tone fell h.

    At time, every Cer Mage present felt a sligheir ears, and a wave of dizziness.

    “Did you feel t?” asked   o ears t they all had.

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel. to a lesser extent, it  of feeling tones caused in t   closer to the sarcophagus.”

    “?”

    “Four blocks deep, I t . . . from an odd perspective.”

    ed to to  keep prying aones. t to it  Sabriel noticed t looking at tion of ts were Cer Mages, of various power—all knew w sundown would bring.

    In fifteen minutes, ts, men in ties, ly sick and ing furted to keeping lunches down and quelling shaking limbs.

    Surprisingly, given tate, Sabriel and toucone found it relatively easy to resist ting from t didn’t compare  time.

    ,  break, and treated doo tree line, elep sitting on turned drum. ook it, but turned to Sabriel before the charging handle.

    “Are tions to be made before  blocks? Magical ones, I mean.”

    Sabriel t for a moment,  to to spell it open—I’ll need everyone’s . tes on tion spell. tance too. en cast Cer Magic in concert?”

    “Unfortunately, no,” replied horyse, frowning.

    “Because t officially admit tence of Cer Magic, everyone aught.”

    “Never mind,” Sabriel said, trying to sound confident, a everyone around ening. “e’ll manage.”

    “Good,” replied  made , t Sabriel. Sried to smile too, but ain about t. It felt too much like a grimace of pain.

    “ell, let’s see   to,” inued, still smiling. “ to, Sergeant?”

    “Bain Police,” replied t, o ask Corporal Synge to sc the village.”

    “Good,” replied  me to Bain. No, tell Nort get to me. Yes, t’s right, Corporal.

    tabulary? It’s Colonel  to speak to Cendent Dingley . . . yes. endent. s of a strange, dense fog . . .  investigate. Get everyone in. Ster tever is in . . . Yes, extraordinarily dangerous . . .

    hello! hello!”

    t doed back up the hill.

    “t of Bain. It must be going mucer. Is it possible t t o?”

    “Yes,” replied Sabriel and toucone, together.

    “e’d better get a move on t cy minutes.”