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It laughed, a series of rises and falls like a dog screauid motion see of Sabriel than it had in burning the Paperwing

Sabriel drew her sword and backed away, determined not to panic as she had done when faced by the Mordicant Her head flicked backwards and forwards, neck pain forgotten, checking the ground behind her andoptions Perhaps one of the bells--but that wouldher candle Could she count on the creature’s blazing presence to light her way?

Almost as if it could read her mind, the creature suddenly started to lose its brilliance, sucking darkness into its swirling body like a sponge soaking up ink Within a few seconds, Sabriel could barely low of the burning Paperwing

Desperately, Sabriel tried to reic elementals and constructs Her father had rarely htly delved into the subject Sabriel knew the binding spells for two of the lesser kindred of Free Magic beings, but the creature before her was neither Margrue nor Stilken

"Keep thinking, Abhorsen," laughed the creature, advancing again "Such a pity your head doesn’t work too well"

"You saved it fro forever," Sabriel replied warily It had braked the Paperwing, after all, so perhaps there was soet, if only it could be brought out

"Senti forward It laughed again and a dark, tendril-like ar space to strike Sabriel across the face

"A ered back fro 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 fro too, a war her wind-chafed lips She tried to ignore it, tried to use the pain of as probably a broken nose to get her mind back to full operational speed

"Memories, yes,around her now, pushing her back the way they’d co That would burn out soon, and then there would only be darkness, for Sabriel’s candle was now a luotten from her hand

"Millenia of servitude, Abhorsen Chained by trickery, treacherycaptive in a repulsive, fixed-flesh shapebut there will be payment, slow payment--not quick, not quick at all!"

A tendril lashed out, low this ti to trip her Sabriel leapt over it, blade extended, lunging for the creature’s chest But it shi extra ar her inher close

Sword-arrip, till she was close against its chest, her face a finger-width fro flesh, as if a billion tiny insects buzzed behind a ripped the back of her hel 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 htly parted to reveal the burning blue-white glare that it had first used as flesh

All Charter Magic had fled from Sabriel’s mind Her sas trapped, the bells likewise, and even if they weren’t, she didn’t kno to use thes not Dead She ran over the inventory of anything that ht help

It was then her tired, concussedIt was on her left hand, her free hand, cool silver on the index finger

But she didn’t knohat to do with it--and the creature’s head was bowing doards her own, its neck stretching i above her, thehite-hot sparks that fell upon her hel 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’s slender head And she suddenly knehat to do

"First, the plucking of an eye," said the thing, breath as hot as the falling sparks, scorching her face with instant sunburn It tilted its head sideways and opened itsout

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’s neck

For a second, as the heat increased and she felt a terrible burning pain against her eye, Sabriel thought she’d missed Then the hoop renched frory fisherain, she opened her eyes, the left one blurry, sore and swi

She had put the silver hoop over the thing’s head, and it was slowly sliding down that long, sinuous neck The ring was shrinking again as it slid, iet it off It had six or seven hands now, for to force fingers under the ring But the metal seemed inimical to the creature’s substance, like a hot pan to huers 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 glohiteness behind Still the creature fought with the ring, blazing hands for, as if it could throw the ring like a rider froave up and turned towards Sabriel, screa towards Sabriel’s sprawling body, talons growing froes as they scrabbled towards her, like spiders scuttling to their prey--only to fall short by a yard or , coiling body lurched forward, killing arain, the talons fell short, as Sabriel crawled, rolled and pushed herself away