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"H his collar against Lirael’s hand She let go just before he could slip out of the leather band, and Ranna’s warning chi "If you listen, I’ll tell you--"

"Mogget!" growled the Dog, stalking over to breathe in the cat’s face

"Arielle Saith you, near the Wall," said Mogget quickly "She was sitting in her Paperwing, and I was handing her a package--I had a different form in those days, you understand In fact, I probably wouldn’t have reain after my forced conversation under the House It’s funny how in s differently I suppose I had to forget in order to not ree!" pleaded Lirael

Mogget nodded and licked his mouth Clearly he would proceed only in his own tie," he continued "She was looking into the mist above the waterfall There was a rainbow there that day, but she did not see it I saw her eyes cloud with the Sight, and she said, ‘You will stand by rown, as I will not Tell Lirael thatthatwill bewill have beenno choice of mine I have linked her life and hter on a path that will li Tell her also that I love her, and will always love her, and that leaving her will be the death of et’s voice she heard It was her mother’s When the cat finished, she looked up at the red-washed sky above and the glittering stars beyond the Wall, and a single tear ran down her cheek, leaving a trail of silver, caught by the last lamour," said Sam, who had been so intent on his spells that he had totally et said "You just need to step into it Make sure you keep your eyes closed"

Lirael turned to see the glowing outline hanging in the air and stumbled towards it She had her eyes closed well before she walked into the spell The golden fire spread across her face like war hands and brushed away her tears

Chapter Fifteen

The Peri out there," whispered Lance Corporal Horrocks, as he looked out over the sights of his Lewin un "Should I let ’eeant Evans whispered back "Don’t you know anything? If it’s a haunt or a Ghliuts out! Scazlo--get back and tell the Lieutenant so’s up The rest of you, pass the word to fix bayonets, quiet like And don’t nobody do nothing unless I say so"

Evans looked again himself as Scazlo hurried back down the co trench there was the click of bayonets being fixed as quietly as possible Evans hi his bow and loaded a flare pistol with a red cartridge Red was the sign for an incursion fron if it worked, he thought There was a warood for taking the chill out of the icyhad yet to fully banish the past winter, but it alsoelse technological , looks like a dog," whispered Horrocks again, his trigger finger slowly curling back frouard

Evans peered into the darkness, trying to ht, but he did have extraordinary night vision A lot better than Evans He couldn’t see anything, but there were tin cans tinkling together on the wire Soh

Horrocks’s finger was inside the trigger guard now, the safety off, a full drum of ammunition on top, a round in the chae

Then he suddenly sighed, his trigger finger caain, and he leaned back froer whispering "Scouts An officer and soed head And one of thes," corrected Evans auto about what to do He’d never heard of Old Kingdo the shape of an Ancelstierran officer or an Ar Old Kingdo horrors, yes But there was always a first time--

"What’s up, Evans?" asked a voice behind him, and he felt an internal relief he would never show Lieutenant Tindallstaff officer He kneas what on the Perimeter--and he had the Charter mark on his forehead to prove it

"Movement in front, about fifty yards out," he reported "Horrocks thinks he can see a couple of Scouts, one wounded"

"And a snored hi up to peer over the parapet hi, whoever they were But he could sense no inibut if they were Crossing Point Scouts, they would both be Charter Mages as well

"Have you tried a flare?" he asked "White?"

"No, sir," said Evans "Wind’s northerly Didn’t think it would work"

"Very well," said the Lieutenant "Warn the ht out in front Everyone to stand ready for my orders"

"Yes, sir!" confirmed Evans He turned to the ht in front! Pass it on"

As the word rippled down the line, thestep, tension evident in their postures Evans couldn’t see all the platoon--it was too dark--but he knew his corporals at each end would sort the now," said Lieutenant Tindall A faint Charter an to brighten, he threw it overarm like a cricket ball, directly out in front

The white spark becah the air, till it beca unnaturally over No Man’s Land In its harsh light all shadoere banished, and two figures could clearly be seen following the narrow zigzagged trail through the wire entangle with them, and both wore the khaki uniforms of the Ancelstierran Army under the mail coats that were peculiar to the Peri gear and weapons also proclaimed them to be members of the Northern Perimeter Reconnaissance Unit, or as they were better known, the Crossing Point Scouts