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still he slipped away。 desperate; she grabbed him by the ears; and kissed him savagely; biting his lip; the salty blood filling both their mouths。 his eyes cleared; and she felt him concentrate again; concentrate on life; on living。
his sword fell; and he brought his arms up around her and returned her kiss。 then he put his head on her shoulder; and she on his; and they held each other tightly till the single note of astarael slowly died。
silence came at last。 gingerly; they let each other go。 touchstone shakily groped around for his sword; but sabriel lit a candle before he could cut his fingers in the dark。 they looked at each other in the flickering light。 sabriel鈥檚 eyes were wet; touchstone鈥檚 mouth bloody。
鈥渨hat was that?鈥潯ouchstone asked huskily。
鈥渁starael;鈥潯eplied sabriel。 鈥渢he final bell。 it calls everyone who hears it into death。鈥
鈥渒errigor 。 。 。鈥
鈥渉e鈥檒l e back;鈥潯hispered sabriel。 鈥渉e鈥檒l always e back; till his real body鈥檚 destroyed。鈥
鈥測our father?鈥潯ouchstone mumbled。 鈥渕ogget?鈥
鈥渄ad鈥檚 dead;鈥潯aid sabriel。 her face was posed; but her eyes overflowed into tears。 鈥渉e鈥檒l go quickly beyond the final gate。 mogget鈥攊 don鈥檛 know。鈥
she fingered the silver ring on her hand; frowned; and bent to pick up the sword she鈥檇 taken from touchstone。
鈥渆 on;鈥潯he ordered。 鈥渨e have to get up to the west yard。 quickly。鈥
鈥渢he west yard?鈥潯sked touchstone; retrieving his own sword。 he was confused and sick; but he forced himself up。 鈥渙f the palace?鈥
鈥測es;鈥潯eplied sabriel。 鈥渓et鈥檚 go。鈥
ww锛枫=
chapter xxiv
銆傚皬%璇碸t*xt…澶e爞
the sunshine was harsh to their eyes; for it was surprisingly only a little past noon。 they stumbled out onto the marble steps of the cave; blinking like nocturnal animals prematurely flushed out of an underground warren。
sabriel looked around at the quiet; sunlit trees; the placid expanse of grass; the clogged fountain。
everything seemed so normal; so far removed from the crazed and twisted chamber of horrors that was the reservoir; deep beneath their feet。
she looked at the sky; too; losing focus in the blue; retreating lines of clouds just edging about the fuzzy periphery of her vision。 my father is dead; she thought。 gone forever 。 。 。
鈥渢he road winds around the south…western part of palace hill;鈥潯 voice said; somewhere near her; beyond the blueness。
鈥渨hat?鈥
鈥渢he road。 up to the west yard。鈥
it was touchstone talking。 sabriel closed her eyes; told herself to concentrate; to get a grip on the here and now。 she opened her eyes and looked at touchstone。
he was a mess。 face blood…streaked from his bleeding lip; hair wet; plastered flat; armor and clothes darkly sodden。 water dripped down the sword he still held out; angled to the ground。
鈥測ou didn鈥檛 tell me you were a prince;鈥潯abriel said; in a conversational tone。 she might have been menting on the weather。 her voice sounded strange in her own ears; but she didn鈥檛 have the energy to do anything about it。
鈥渋鈥檓 not;鈥潯ouchstone replied; shrugging。 he looked up at the sky while he spoke。 鈥渢he queen was my mother; but my father was an obscure northern noble; who 鈥榯ook up with her鈥櫋 few years after her consort鈥檚 death。 he was killed in a hunting accident before i was born 。 。 。 look; shouldn鈥檛 we be going? to the west yard?鈥
鈥渋 suppose so;鈥潯abriel said dully。 鈥渇ather said there will be a paperwing waiting for us there; and the clayr; to tell us where to go。鈥
鈥渋 see;鈥潯aid touchstone。 he came closer; and peered at sabriel鈥檚 vacant eyes; then took her unresisting and oddly floppy arm; and steered her towards the line of beech trees that marked a path to the western end of the park。 sabriel walked obediently; increasing her pace as touchstone sped up; till they were practically jogging。 touchstone was pushing on her arm; with many backward glances; sabriel moving with a sleepwalker鈥檚 jerky animation。
a few hundred yards from the ornamental caves; the beeches gave way to more lawn; and a road started up the side of palace hill; switchbacking twice to the top。
the road was well paved; but the flagstones had pushed up; or sunk down; over two decades without maintenance; and there were some quite deep ruts and holes。 sabriel caught her foot in one and she almost fell; touchstone just catching her。 but this small shock seemed to break her from the effects of the larger shock; and she found a new alertness cutting through her dumb despair。
鈥渨hy are we running?鈥
鈥渢hose scavengers are following us;鈥
touchstone replied shortly; pointing back through the park。 鈥渢he ones who had the children at the gate。鈥
sabriel looked where he pointed and; sure enough; there were figures slowly moving through the beech…lined path。 all nine were there; close together; laughing and talking。
they seemed confident sabriel and touchstone could not escape them; and their mood looked to be that of casual beaters; easily driving their stupid prey to a definite end。 one of them saw sabriel and touchstone watching and used a gesture that distance made unclear; but was probably obscene。 laughter carried to them; borne by the breeze。 the men鈥檚 intentions were clear。 hostile。
鈥渋 wonder if they deal with the dead;鈥
sabriel said bleakly; revulsion in those words。
鈥渢o do their deeds when sunlight lends its aid to the living 。 。 。鈥
鈥渢hey mean no good; anyway;鈥潯aid touchstone; as they set off again; building up from a fast walk to a jog。 鈥渢hey have bows and i bet they can shoot; unlike the villagers of nestowe。鈥
鈥測es;鈥潯eplied sabriel。 鈥渋 hope there is a paperwing up there 。 。 。鈥
she didn鈥檛 need to expand upon what would happen if it wasn鈥檛。 neither of them were in any shape for fighting; or much charter magic; and nine bowmen could easily finish them off鈥攐r capture them。 if the men were working for kerrigor; it would be capture; and the knife; down in the dark of the reservoir 。 。 。
the road grew steeper; and they jogged in silence; breath ing fast and ragged; with none to spare for words。 touchstone