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鈥渒eep thinking; abhorsen;鈥潯aughed the creature; advancing again。 鈥渟uch a pity your head doesn鈥檛 work too well。鈥
鈥測ou saved it from not working forever;鈥
sabriel replied warily。 it had braked the paperwing; after all; so perhaps there was some good in it somewhere; some remnant of mogget; if only it could be brought out。
鈥渟entiment;鈥潯he thing replied; still silently sliding forward。 it laughed again and a dark; tendril…like arm suddenly unleashed itself; snapping across the intervening space to strike sabriel across the face。
鈥渁 memory; now purged;鈥潯t added; as sabriel staggered back from a second attack; sword flashing across to parry。 unlike the silver spell darts; the charter…etched blade did connect with the unnatural flesh of the creature; but had no effect apart from jarring sabriel鈥檚 arm。
her nose was bleeding too; a warm and salty flow; stinging her wind…chafed lips。 she tried to ignore it; tried to use the pain of what was probably a broken nose to get her mind back to full operational speed。
鈥渕emories; yes; many memories;鈥潯ontinued the creature。 it was circling around her now; pushing her back the way they鈥檇 e; back towards the fading fire of the paperwing。 that would burn out soon; and then there would only be darkness; for sabriel鈥檚 candle was now a lump of blown…out wax; falling forgotten from her hand。
鈥渕illenia of servitude; abhorsen。 chained by trickery; treachery 。 。 。 captive in a repulsive; fixedflesh shape 。 。 。 but there will be payment; slow payment鈥攏ot quick; not quick at all!鈥
a tendril lashed out; low this time; trying to trip her。 sabriel leapt over it; blade extended; lunging for the creature鈥檚 chest。 but it shimmied aside; extruding extra arms as she tried to jump back; catching her in mid…leap; drawing her close。
sword…arm pinioned at her side; it tightened its grip; till she was close against its chest; her face a finger…width from its boiling; constantly moving flesh; as if a billion tiny insects buzzed behind a membrane of utter darkness。
another arm gripped the back of her helmet; forcing her to look up; till she saw its head; directly above her。 a thing of most basic anatomy; its eyes were like the sinkhole; deep pits without apparent bottom。 it had no nose; but a mouth that split the horrid face in two; a mouth slightly parted to reveal the burning blue…white glare that it had first used as flesh。
all charter magic had fled from sabriel鈥檚 mind。 her sword was trapped; the bells likewise; and even if they weren鈥檛; she didn鈥檛 know how to use them properly against things not dead。 she ran over them mentally anyway; in a frantic; lightning inventory of anything that might help。
it was then her tired; concussed mind remembered the ring。 it was on her left hand; her free hand; cool silver on the index finger。
but she didn鈥檛 know what to do with it鈥攁nd the creature鈥檚 head was bowing down towards her own; its neck stretching impossibly long; till it was like a snake鈥檚 head rearing above her; the mouth opening wider; growing brighter; fizzing with white…hot sparks that fell upon her helmet and face; burning cloth and skin; leaving tiny; tattoo…like scars。 the ring felt loose on her finger。
sabriel instinctively curled her hand; and the ring felt looser still; slipping down her finger; expanding; growing; till without looking; sabriel knew she held a silver hoop as wide or wider than the creature鈥檚 slender head。 and she suddenly knew what to do。
鈥渇irst; the plucking of an eye;鈥潯aid the thing; breath as hot as the falling sparks; scorching her face with instant sunburn。 it tilted its head sideways and opened its mouth still wider; lower jaw dislocating out。
sabriel took one last; careful look; screwed her eyes tight against the terrible glare; and flipped the silver hoop up; and she hoped; over the thing鈥檚 neck。
for a second; as the heat increased and she felt a terrible burning pain against her eye; sabriel thought she鈥檇 missed。 then the hoop was wrenched from her hand and she was thrown away; hurled out like an angry fisherman鈥檚 rejected minnow。
on the cool flagstones again; she opened her eyes; the left one blurry; sore and swimming with tears鈥攂ut still there and still working。
she had put the silver hoop over the thing鈥檚 head; and it was slowly sliding down that long; sinuous neck。 the ring was shrinking again as it slid; impervious to the creature鈥檚 desperate attempts to get it off。 it had six or seven hands now; formed directly from its shoulders; all squirming about; trying to force fingers under the ring。 but the metal seemed inimical to the creature鈥檚 substance; like a hot pan to human fingers; for the fingers flinched and danced around it; but could not take hold for longer than a second。
the darkness that stained it was ebbing too; draining down through its thrashing; twisting support; leaving glowing whiteness behind。 still the creature fought with the ring; blazing hands forming and re…forming; body twisting and turning; even bucking; as if it could throw the ring like a rider from a horse。
finally; it gave up and turned towards sabriel; screaming and crackling。 two long arms sprang out from it; reaching towards sabriel鈥檚 sprawling body; talons growing from the hands; raking the stone with deep gouges as they scrabbled towards her; like spiders scuttling to their prey鈥敗nly to fall short by a yard or more。
鈥渘o!鈥潯owled the thing; and its whole twisting; coiling body lurched forward; killing arms outstretched。 again; the talons fell short; as sabriel crawled; rolled and pushed herself away。
then the silver ring contracted once more; and a terrible shout of anguish; rage and despair came from the very center of the white…flaming thing。 its arms suddenly shrank back to its torso; the head fell into the shoulders; and the whole body sank into an amorphous blob of shimmering white; with a single; still…large silver band around the middle; the ruby glittering like a drop of blood。
sabriel stared at it; unable to look aside; or do anything else; even quell the flow from her bleeding nose; which now covered half her face and chin; her mouth