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"Tiet sepulchrally, frightening the life out of the telephone operator The little cat juh I expect it will be slow going, dragging the heet there first"

"I’d better get in touch with my parents," said Sam "Can you patch into the civilian telephone system?"

"Ah," said the Major He rubbed his nose and seeht you would have known It happened alo"

"What?"

"I’m sorry, son," said the Major He braced himself to attention and said, "Your parents are dead They were murdered in Corvere by Corolini’s radicals A bomb Their car was totally destroyed"

Sam listened blank faced to the Major’s words Then he slid down the wall and put his head in his hands

Lirael touched Saht Only Mogget seemed unaffected by the news He sat next to the switchboard operator, his green eyes sparkling

Lirael spent the next few seconds walling off the news, pushing it down to where she had always pushed her distress, so If she lived, she would weep for the sister she had never known, as she would weep for Touchstone, and herin the world But now there was no ti, since many other sisters, brothers,whatSaet to Forwin Mill before Hedge does!"

"We can’t," said Saive up--"

He stopped himself in mid sentence, let his hands fall from his face, and stood up, but hunched over as if there were a pain in his gut He stood there silently for almost a minute Then he took the feather-coin out of his sleeve and flipped it It spun up to the ceiling of the blockhouse and hung there Saainst the wall to watch it, his body still crooked but his head craned back

Eventually he stopped looking at the spinning coin and straightened up, until he was standing at attention opposite Lirael He didn’t snap his fingers to recall the coin

"I’m sorry," he whispered There were tears in his eyes, but he blinked theht now"

He bent his head to Lirael and added, "Abhorsen"

Lirael shut her eyes for a ht it all ho

"Yes," she said, accepting the title and everything that ith it "I aet"

"I’ll coally order the coh most of ’em would probably volunteer"

"I don’t understand!" protested Lirael "Who cares what’s legal? Your whole country could be destroyed! Everybody killed everywhere! Don’t you understand?"

"I understand It’s just not that sian Then he paused, and his red face went blotchy and pale at the teht were trying to break free Then it cleared Carefully he put his hand into his pocket, then suddenly withdrew it and punched his newly brass-knuckled fist into the Bakelite exchange board, its delicate internalwith a rush of sparks and smoke

"Dao After all, the politicos can only shoot me for it later if in As for you, Private, if you mention a word of this to anyone, I’ll feed you to the cat thing here Understand?"

"Yuet

"Yes, sir!"as he tried to se of his switchboard with a fire blanket

But the Major hadn’t paused for his answer He was already out the door, shouting at sooing!"

"Trucks?" asked Lirael as they rushed out after hions," said Sam mechanically The words came out of his mouth slowly, as if he had to reet us to Forwin Mill ht well do so," said the Dog, lifting her nose and sniffing "The wind is veering to the southwest and it’s getting colder But look to the west!"

They looked The western horizon was lit by bright flashes of lightning, and there was the dull ruet watched too, froreen eyes were calculating, and Lirael noticed he was counting quietly aloud Then he sniffed with a disgruntled tone

"How far did that boy say Forwin Mill was?" he asked, noting Lirael’s look

"About thirty ues," said Lirael at the saues away Hedge and his cargothe Wall!"

Second Interlude

THE BLUE POSTAL Service van crunched its gears as it slowed to take the turnoff from the road into the bricked drive Then it had to slow even ates that were noruns and swords on the other side Arirls in white tennis dresses or hockey tunics, who looked as if they should be holding racquets or hockey sticks rather than weapons Two of them kept their rifles trained on the driver while another two caate in the wall, the nad blades they held at the ready catching the light of the late-afternoon sun

The driver of the van looked up at the gilt, e" and the smaller inscription belohich said, "Established in 1652 for Young Ladies of Quality"