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鈥減leased to meet you； sir；鈥潯opped out of sabriel鈥檚 school…trained mouth； before she could stifle it。 a schoolgirl鈥檚 answer； she knew； and felt a blush rise in her pale cheeks。
鈥渓ikewise；鈥潯aid the colonel； bending down。
鈥渕ay i take your skis？鈥�
鈥渋f you would be so kind；鈥潯aid sabriel； falling back on formality。
the colonel picked them up with ease； carefully retied the stocks to the skis； refastened the bindings that had e undone and tucked the lot under one muscular arm。
鈥渋 take it you intend to cross into the old kingdom？鈥潯sked horyse； as he found the balancing point of his load and pointed at the scarlet sign on the far side of the parade ground。 鈥渨e鈥檒l have to check in with perimeter hq鈥攖here are a few formalities； but it shouldn鈥檛 take long。
is someone 。 。 。 abhorsen； ing to meet you？鈥�
his voice faltered a little as he mentioned abhorsen； a strange stutter in so confident a man。 sabriel glanced at him and saw that his eyes flickered from the sword at her waist to the bell…bandolier she wore across her chest。
obviously he recognized abhorsen鈥檚 sword and also the significance of the bells。 very few people ever met a necromancer； but anyone who did remembered the bells。
鈥渄id 。 。 。 do you know my father？鈥潯he asked。
鈥渉e used to visit me； twice a year。 i guess he would have e through here。鈥�
鈥測es； i saw him then；鈥潯eplied horyse； as they started walking around the edge of the parade ground。 鈥渂ut i first met him more than twenty years ago； when i was posted here as a subaltern。
it was a strange time鈥攁 very bad time； for me and everyone on the perimeter。鈥�
he paused in mid…stride； boots crashing； and his eyes once again looked at the bells； and the whiteness of sabriel鈥檚 skin； stark against the black of her hair； black as the bitumen under the feet。
鈥測ou鈥檙e a necromancer；鈥潯e said bluntly。 鈥渟o you鈥檒l probably understand。 this crossing point has seen too many battles； too many dead。
before those idiots down south took things under central mand； the crossing point was moved every ten years； up to the next gate on the wall。 but forty years ago some 。 。 。 bureaucrat 。 。 。 decreed that there would be no movement。
it was a waste of public money。 this was； and is to be； the only crossing point。 never mind the fact that； over time； there would be such a concentration of death； mixed with free magic leaking over the wall； that everything would 。 。 。鈥�
鈥渘ot stay dead；鈥潯nterrupted sabriel quietly。
鈥測es。 when i arrived； the trouble was just beginning。 corpses wouldn鈥檛 stay buried鈥攐ur people or old kingdom creatures。 soldiers killed the day before would turn up on parade。
creatures prevented from crossing would rise up and do more damage than they did when they were alive。鈥�
鈥渨hat did you do？鈥潯sked sabriel。 she knew a great deal about binding and enforcing true death； but not on such a scale。 there were no dead creatures nearby now； for she always instinctively felt the interface between life and death around her； and it was no different here than it had been forty miles away at wyverley college。
鈥渙ur charter mages tried to deal with the problem； but there were no specific charter symbols to 。 。 。 make them dead 。 。 。 only to destroy their physical shape。 sometimes that was enough and sometimes it wasn鈥檛。 we had to rotate troops back to bain or even further just for them to recover from what hq liked to think of as bouts of mass hysteria or madness。
鈥渋 wasn鈥檛 a charter mage then； but i was going with patrols into the old kingdom； beginning to learn。 on one patrol； we met a man sitting by a charter stone； on top of a hill that overlooked both the wall and the perimeter。
鈥渁s he was obviously interested in the perimeter； the officer in charge of the patrol thought we should question him and kill him if he turned out to bear a corrupted charter； or was some free magic thing in the shape of a man。 but we didn鈥檛； of course。 it was abhorsen； and he was ing to us； because he鈥檇 heard about the dead。
鈥渨e escorted him in and he met with the general manding the garrison。 i don鈥檛 know what they agreed； but i imagine it was for abhorsen to bind the dead and； in return； he was to be granted citizenship of ancelstierre and freedom to cross the wall。 he certainly had the two passports after that。 in any case； he spent the next few months carving the wind flutes you can see among the wire 。 。 。鈥�
鈥渁h！鈥潯xclaimed sabriel。 鈥渋 wondered what they were。 wind flutes。 that explains a lot。鈥�
鈥渋鈥檓 glad you understand；鈥潯aid the colonel。 鈥渋 still don鈥檛。 for one thing； they make no sound no matter how hard the wind blows through them。 they have charter symbols on them i had never seen before he carved them； and have never seen again anywhere else。 but when he started placing them 。 。 。 one a night 。 。 。 the dead just gradually disappeared； and no new ones rose。鈥�
they reached the far end of the parade ground； where another scarlet sign stood next to a munication trench； proclaiming： 鈥減erimeter garrison hq。 call and wait for sentry。鈥�
a telephone handset and a bell…chain proclaimed the usual dichotomy of the perimeter。
colonel horyse picked up the handset； wound the handle； listened for a moment； then replaced it。 frowning； he pulled the bell…chain three times in quick succession。
鈥渁nyway；鈥潯e continued； as they waited for the sentry。 鈥渨hatever it was； it worked。 so we are deeply indebted to abhorsen； and that makes his daughter an honored guest。鈥�
鈥渋 may be less honored and more reviled as a messenger of ill omen；鈥潯aid sabriel quietly。 she hesitated； for it was hard to talk about abhorsen without tears ing to her eyes； then continued quickly； to get it over and done with。 鈥渢he reason i am going into the old kingdom is to 。 。 。
to look for my father。 something has happened to him。鈥�
鈥渋 had hoped there was another reason for you to carry his sword；鈥潯aid horyse。 he moved the skis into the crook of his left arm； freeing his right； to return the salute of the two sentries who were running at the double up the munication trench； hobnails clacking on the wooden slats。
鈥渢here is worse； i think；鈥潯dded sabriel； taking a deep breath to stop her voice from breaking into sobs。 鈥渉e is trapped in death 。 。 。 or 。 。 。 or he may even be dead。 and his bindings will be broken。鈥�
鈥渢he wind flutes？鈥潯sked horyse； grounding the end of the skis； his salute dying out halfway to his head。 鈥渁ll the dead here？鈥�
鈥渢he flutes play a song only heard in death；鈥�
replied sabriel； 鈥渃ontinuing a binding laid down by abhorsen。 but the bound are tied to him； and the flutes will have no power if 。 。 。 they will have no power if abhorsen is now among the dead。
they will bind no more。鈥�
w w w。 xiao shuotxt。 co m
chapter III
灏彛昏t；xt；澶诲爞
鈥渋 am not one to blame a messenger for her tidings；鈥潯aid horyse； as he handed a cup of tea over to sabriel； who was sitting on what looked like the only fortable chair in the dugout which was the colonel鈥檚 headquarters； 鈥渂ut you bring the worst news i have heard for many years。鈥�
鈥渁t least i am a living messenger 。 。 。 and a friendly one；鈥潯abriel said quietly。 she hadn鈥檛 really thought beyond her own concern for her father。 now； she was beginning to expand her knowledge of him； to understand that he was more than just her father； that he was many different things to different people。 her simple image of him鈥攔elaxing in the armchair of her study at wyverley college； chatting about her schoolwork； ancelstierre technology； charter magic and necromancy鈥攚as a limited view； like a painting that only captured one dimension of the man。
鈥渉ow long do we have until abhorsen鈥檚 bindings are broken？鈥潯sked horyse； breaking into sabriel鈥檚 remembrance of her father。 the image she had of her father reaching for a teacup in her study disappeared； banished by real tea slopping over in her enamel mug and burning her fingers。
鈥渙h！ excuse me。 i wasn鈥檛 thinking 。 。 。 how long till what？鈥�
鈥渢he binding of the dead；鈥潯he colonel reiterated； patiently。 鈥渉ow long till the bindings fail； and the dead are free？鈥�
sabriel thought back to her father鈥檚 lessons； and the ancient grimoire she鈥檇 spent every holiday slowly memorizing。 the book of the dead it was called and parts of it still made her shudder。
it looked innocuous enough； bound in green leather； with tarnished silver clasps。 but if you looked closely； both leather and silver were etched with charter marks。 marks of binding and blinding； closing and imprisonment。 only a trained necromancer could open that book 。 。 。
and only an uncorrupted charter mage could close it。 her father had brought it with him on his visits； and always took it away again at the end。
鈥渋t depends；鈥潯he said slowly； forcing herself to consider the question objectively； without letting emotion interfere。 she tried to recall the pages that showed the carving of the wind flutes； the chapters on music and the nature of sound in the binding of the dead。 鈥渋f father 。 。 。 if abhorsen is 。 。 。 truly dead； the wind flutes wi