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"She is long gone," replied the Dog "Though I suppose soer"

"She?" asked Lirael and Saarden?" asked the Dog Sameth nodded, while Lirael tried to remember if she’d seen a well as they’d crossed the island to the House She did vaguely recall catching a glimpse of roses, many roses sprawled across trellises that rose up past the eastern side of the lawn closest to the House

"It is possible to cli cli us to even deeper caves There is a way through them to the base of the waterfall Then ill have to cliain, but I expect ill be able to do that farther west, bypassing Chlorr and her minions"

"The well is full of water," said Sa "Have you ever looked in it?"

"Well, no," said Sam "It’s covered, I think"

"Who is the ‘she’ you mentioned?" asked Lirael fir was avoiding an issue

"So "Soht be some remnant of her there"

"What do you mean, ‘someone’?" asked Lirael sternly "How could someone have lived deep underneath Abhorsen’s House?"

"I refuse to go anywhere near that well," interjected Mogget "I suppose it was Kalliel who thought to dig into forbidden ground What use to add our bones to his in soaze flicked across to Saretted it instantly, for it showed her own doubts and fears Now that she was the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, she had to set an example Sam had been open about his fear of Death and the Dead, and his desire to hide out here in the heavily protected House But he had overcome his fear, at least for no could Sam continue to be brave if she didn’t set an example?

Lirael was also his aunt She didn’t feel like an aunt, but she supposed that it carried certain responsibilities towards a nephew, even one as only a few years younger than herself

"Dog!" ordered Lirael "Answer me plainly for once Whoor whatis down there?"

"Well, it’s difficult to put into words," said the Dog She shuffled her front paws again "Particularly since there’s probably no one down there at all If there is, I suppose that you would call her a leftover from the creation of the Charter, as a stature But if she is there, or some part of her, then it’s possible she is as she hich is dangerous in a veryeleo and really I’ you what other people have said or written or thought"

"Why would she be down there?" asked Sameth "Why under Abhorsen’s House?"

"She’s not exactly anywhere," replied the Dog, as now scratching at her nose with one paw and totally failing to meet anybody’s eyes "Part of her power is invested here, so if she were to be anywhere, it’s likely to be here, and that’s where if she were anywhere she’d be"

"Mogget?" asked Lirael "Can you translate anything the Dog has said?"

Mogget didn’t answer His eyes were shut So’s answer he had curled up and gone to sleep

"Mogget!" repeated Lirael

"He sleeps," said the Dog "Ranna has called him into slumber"

"I think he only listens to Ranna when he feels like it," said Saor sleeps"But I ahter hand than Saraneth, but she holds tightly when she or’s power lay in his followers His art was to draw upon them, and his downfall was to depend upon it"

"What do you ic sorcerer who became one of the Greater Dead?"

"He was"For he had the royal blood Mastery of others ran deep in hior found the iance to hih the brand he burned upon their flesh If Sabriel had not accidentally used a most ancient charor would have triumphed For a time, at least"

"Why only for a tior in the first place

"I think he would eventually have done what your friend Nicholas is doing now," said the Dog "And dug up so to that

"We’re wasting ti on the western bank again She could feel h there were plenty enough of those Rotting sentries, wreathed in fog Waiting for their enemy to come out

Lirael took a deep breath and made her decision

"If you think we should clio Hopefully ill not encounter whatever remnant of power lurks below Or perhaps she will be friendly, and we can talk-- "

"No!" barked the Dog, surprising everyone Even Mogget opened an eye but, seeing Saain

"What?" asked Lirael

"If she is there, which is very unlikely, you"You must not listen to her or touch her in any way"