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outh glued shut with dried and clotting blood。 it seemed to her that something was left undone; something that she had to provide。
nervously crawling closer; she saw that there were now marks on the ring; charter marks that told her what she must do。 wearily; she got up on her knees and fumbled with the bellbandolier。
saraneth was heavy; almost beyond her strength; but she managed to draw it out; and the deep; pelling voice rang through the sinkhole; seeming to pierce the glowing; silverbound mass。
the ring hummed in answer to the bell and exuded a pear…shaped drop of its own metal; which cooled to bee a miniature saraneth。
at the same time; the ring changed color and consistency。 the ruby鈥檚 color seemed to run; and a red wash spread through the silver。 it was now dull and ordinary; no longer a silver band; but a red leather collar; with a miniature silver bell。
with this change; the white mass quivered; and shone bright again; till sabriel had to shield her eyes once more。 when the shadows grew together again; she looked back; and there was mogget; collared in red leather; sitting up and looking like he was about to throw up a hairball。
it wasn鈥檛 a hairball; but a silver ring; the ruby reflecting mogget鈥檚 internal light。 it rolled to sabriel; tinkling across the stone。 she picked it up and slid it back on her finger。
mogget鈥檚 glow faded; and the burning paperwing was now only faint embers; sad memories and ash。 darkness returned; cloaking sabriel; wrapping her up with all her hurts and fears。 she sat; silent; not even thinking。
a little later; she felt a soft cat nose against her folded hands; and a candle; damp from mogget鈥檚 mouth。
鈥測our nose is still bleeding;鈥潯aid a familiar; didactic voice。 鈥渓ight the candle; pinch your nose; and get some blankets out for us to sleep。
it鈥檚 getting cold。鈥
鈥渨ele back; mogget;鈥潯hispered sabriel。
www//c o m
chapter xiii
灏彙‘t。xt。澶e爞
neither sabriel nor mogget mentioned the happenings of the previous night when they awoke。 sabriel; bathing her seriously swollen nose in an inch of water from her canteen; found that she didn鈥檛 particularly want to remember a waking nightmare; and mogget was quiet; in an apologetic way。 despite what happened later; freeing mogget鈥檚 alter ego; or whatever it was; had saved them from certain destruction by the wind。
as she鈥檇 expected; dawn had brought some light to the sinkhole; and as the day progressed; this had grown to a level approximating twilight。
sabriel could read and see things close by quite clearly; but they merged into indistinct gloom twenty or thirty yards away。
not that the sinkhole was much larger than that鈥攑erhaps a hundred yards in diameter; not the fifty she鈥檇 guessed at when she was ing down。 the entire floor of it was paved; with a circular drain in the middle; and there were several tunnel entrances into the sheer rock walls鈥攖unnels which sabriel knew she would eventually have to take; as there was no water in the sinkhole。 there seemed little chance of rain; either。 it was cool; but nowhere near as cold as the plateau near abhorsen鈥檚 house。
the climate was mitigated by proximity to the ocean; and an altitude that could easily be sealevel or below; for in daylight sabriel could see that the sinkhole was at least a hundred yards deep。
still; with a half…full canteen of water gurgling by her side; sabriel was quite content to slouch upon her slightly scorched pack and apply herbal creams to her bruises; and a poultice of evilsmelling tanmaril leaves to her strange sunburn。
her nose was a different matter when it came to treatment。 it wasn鈥檛 broken鈥攎erely hideous; swollen and encrusted with dried blood; which hurt too much to clean off pletely。
mogget; after an hour or so of sheepish silence; sauntered off to explore; refusing sabriel鈥檚 offer of hard cakes and dried meat for breakfast。 she expected he鈥檇 find a rat; or something equally appetizing; instead。 in a way; she was quite pleased he was gone。 the memory of the free magic beast that lay within the little white cat was still disturbing。
even so; when the sun had risen to bee a little disc surrounded by the greater circumference of the sinkhole鈥檚 rim; she started to wonder why he hadn鈥檛 e back。 levering herself up; she limped over to the tunnel he鈥檇 chosen; using her sword as a walking stick and plaining quietly as every bruise reminded her of its location。
of course; just as she was lighting a candle at the tunnel entrance mogget reappeared behind her。
鈥渓ooking for me?鈥潯e mewed; innocently。
鈥渨ho else?鈥潯eplied sabriel。 鈥渉ave you found anything? anything useful; i mean。 water; for instance。鈥
鈥渦seful?鈥潯used mogget; rubbing his chin back along his two outstretched front legs。
鈥減erhaps。 interesting; certainly。 water? yes。鈥
鈥渉ow far away?鈥潯sked sabriel; all too aware of her bruise…limited mobility。 鈥渁nd what does interesting mean? dangerous?鈥
鈥渘ot far; by this tunnel;鈥潯eplied mogget。
鈥渢here is a little danger getting there鈥攁 trap and a few other oddments; but nothing that will harm you。 as to the interesting part; you will have to see for yourself; abhorsen。鈥
鈥渟abriel;鈥潯aid sabriel automatically; as she tried to think ahead。 she needed at least two days鈥櫋est; but no more than that。 every day lost before she found her father鈥檚 corporeal body might mean disaster。 she simply had to find him soon。
a mordicant; shadow hands; gore crows鈥攊t was now all too clear that some terrible enemy was arrayed against both father and daughter。
that enemy had already trapped her father; so it had to be a very powerful necromancer; or some greater dead creature。 perhaps this kerrigor 。 。 。
鈥渋鈥檒l get my pack;鈥潯he decided; trudging back; mogget slipping backwards and forwards across her path like a kitten; almost tripping her; but always just getting out of the way。 sabriel put this down to inexplicable catness; and didn鈥檛 ment。
as mogget had promised; the tunnel wasn鈥檛 long; and its well…made steps and cross…hatched floor made passage easy; save for the part where sabriel had to follow the little cat exactly across the stones; to avoid a cleverly concealed pit。
without mogget鈥檚 guidance; sabriel knew she would have fallen in。
there were magical wardings too。 old; inimical spells lay like moths in the corners of the tunnel; waiting to fly up at her; to surround and choke her with power鈥攂ut something checked their first reaction and they settled again。 a few times; sabriel experienced a ghostly touch; like a hand reaching out to brush the charter mark on her forehead; and almost at the end of the tunnel; she saw two guard sendings melting into the rock; the tips of their halberds glinting in her candlelight before they; too; merged into stone。
鈥渨here are we going?鈥潯he whispered; nervously; as the door in front of them slowly creaked open鈥攚ithout visible means of propulsion。
鈥渁nother sinkhole;鈥潯ogget said; matter…offactly。
鈥渋t is where the first blood 。 。 。 ach 。 。 。鈥
he choked; hissed; and then rephrased his sentence rather drably; with 鈥渋t is i