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the man who’d shouted—an officer； sabriel realized—bent down and picked up her passports。
he studied them for a moment； then looked up at sabriel。 his eyes were pale blue and held a mixture of harshness and passion that sabriel found familiar； though she couldn’t place it—till she remembered her father’s eyes。
abhorsen’s eyes were so dark brown they seemed black； but they held a similar feeling。
the officer closed the passport； tucked it in his belt and tilted his helmet back with two fingers； revealing a charter mark still glowing with some residual charm of warding。 cautiously； sabriel lifted her hand； and then； as he didn’t dissuade her； reached out with two fingers to touch the mark。 as she did so； he reached forward and touched her own—sabriel felt the familiar swirl of energy； and the feeling of falling into some endless galaxy of stars。 but the stars here were charter symbols； linked in some great dance that had no beginning or end； but contained and described the world in its movement。 sabriel knew only a small fraction of the symbols； but she knew what they danced； and she felt the purity of the charter wash over her。
“an unsullied charter mark；” the officer pronounced loudly； as their fingers fell back to their sides。 “she is no creature or sending。”
the soldiers fell back； sheathing swords and clicking on safety catches。 only the red…faced corporal didn’t move； his eyes still staring at sabriel； as if he was unsure what he was looking at。
“show’s over； corporal；” said the officer； his voice and eyes now harsh。 “get back to the pay office。 you’ll see stranger happenings than this in your time here—stay clear of them and you might stay alive！ “so；” he said； taking the documents from his belt and handing them back to sabriel。 “you are the daughter of abhorsen。 i am colonel horyse； the mander of a small part of the garrison here—a unit the army likes to call the northern perimeter reconaissance unit and everyone else calls the crossing point scouts—a somewhat motley collection of ancelstierrans who’ve managed to gain a charter mark and some small knowledge of magic。”
“pleased to meet you； sir；” popped out of sabriel’s school…trained mouth； before she could stifle it。 a schoolgirl’s answer； she knew； and felt a blush rise in her pale cheeks。
“likewise；” said the colonel； bending down。
“may i take your skis？”
“if you would be so kind；” said 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。
“i take it you intend to cross into the old kingdom？” asked horyse； as he found the balancing point of his load and pointed at the scarlet sign on the far side of the parade ground。 “we’ll have to check in with perimeter hq—there are a few formalities； but it shouldn’t take long。
is someone 。 。 。 abhorsen； ing to meet you？”
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’s sword and also the significance of the bells。 very few people ever met a necromancer； but anyone who did remembered the bells。
“did 。 。 。 do you know my father？” she asked。
“he used to visit me； twice a year。 i guess he would have e through here。”
“yes； i saw him then；” replied horyse； as they started walking around the edge of the parade ground。 “but i first met him more than twenty years ago； when i was posted here as a subaltern。
it was a strange time—a very bad time； for me and everyone on the perimeter。”
he paused in mid…stride； boots crashing； and his eyes once again looked at the bells； and the whiteness of sabriel’s skin； stark against the black of her hair； black as the bitumen under the feet。
“you’re a necromancer；” he said bluntly。 “so you’ll 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 。 。 。”
“not stay dead；” interrupted sabriel quietly。
“yes。 when i arrived； the trouble was just beginning。 corpses wouldn’t stay buried—our 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。”
“what did you do？” asked 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。
“our 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’t。 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。
“i wasn’t 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。
“as 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’t； of course。 it was abhorsen； and he was ing to us； because he’d heard about the dead。
“we escort