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sabriel (the abhorsen trilogy)_加斯·尼克斯-第29部分

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awareness of her enemies; like a darkness always clouding the edge of her vision。 鈥渨e will go now。 my good wishes stay with you; and my hopes for your safety。鈥

鈥渕ay the charter preserve us all;鈥潯dded touchstone; bowing to the old man。 the elder bowed back; a bent; solemn figure; so much smaller than his shadow; looming tall on the wall behind。

sabriel turned to go; but a long line of villagers was forming on the way to the door。 all of them wanted to bow or curtsey before her; to mutter shy thank…yous and farewells。 sabriel accepted  them with embarrassment and guilt; remembering patar。 true; she had banished the dead; but another life had been lost in the doing。 her father would not have been so clumsy 。 。 。

the second…to…last person in the line was a little girl; her black hair tied in two plaits; one on either side of her head。 seeing her made sabriel remember something touchstone had said。 she stopped; and took the girl鈥檚 hands in her own。

鈥渨hat is your name; little one?鈥潯he asked; smiling。 a feeling of d茅j脿 vu swept over her as the small fingers met hers鈥攖he memory of a frightened first…grader hesitantly reaching out to the older pupil who would be her guide for the first day at wyverley college。 sabriel had experienced both sides; in her time。

鈥渁line;鈥潯aid the girl; smiling back。 her eyes were bright and lively; too young to be dimmed by the frightened despair that clouded the adults鈥櫋aze。 a good choice; sabriel thought。

鈥渘ow; tell me what you have learned in your lessons about the great charter;鈥潯abriel said; adopting the familiar; motherly and generally irrelevant questioning tone of the school inspector who鈥檇 descended on every class in wyverley twice a year。

鈥渋 know the rhyme 。 。 。鈥潯eplied aline; a little doubtfully; her small forehead crinkling。 鈥渟hall i sing it; like we do in class?鈥

sabriel nodded。

鈥渨e dance around the stone; too;鈥潯line added; confidingly。 she stood up straighter; put one foot forward; and took her hands away to clasp them behind her back。

five great charters knit the land together linked; hand in hand one in the people who wear the crown two in the folk who keep the dead down three and five became stone and mortar four sees all in frozen water。

鈥渢hank you; aline;鈥潯abriel said。 鈥渢hat was very nice。鈥

she ruffled the child鈥檚 hair and hastened through the final farewells; suddenly keen to get out of the smoke and the fish…smell; out into the clean; rainy air where she could think。

鈥渟o now you know;鈥潯hispered mogget; jumping up into her arms to escape the puddles。

鈥渋 still can鈥檛 tell you; but you know one鈥檚 in your blood。鈥

鈥渢wo;鈥潯eplied sabriel distantly。 鈥溾榯wo in the folk who keep the dead down。鈥櫋o what is the 。 。 。 ah 。 。 。 i can鈥檛 talk about it either!鈥

but she thought about the questions she鈥檇 like to ask; as touchstone helped her aboard the small fishing vessel that lay just off the tiny; shell…laden beach that served the island as a harbor。

one of the great charters lay in the royal blood。 the second lay in abhorsen鈥檚。 what were three and five; and four that saw all in frozen water? she felt certain that many answers could be found in belisaere。 her father could probably answer more; for many things that were bound in life were unraveled in death。 and there was her mother…sending; for that third and final questioning in this seven years。

touchstone pushed off; clambered aboard and took the oars。 mogget leapt out of sabriel鈥檚 arms; and assumed a figurehead position near the prow; serving as a night…sighted lookout; while mocking touchstone at the same time。

back on shore; the mordicant suddenly howled; a long; piercing cry that echoed far across the water; chilling hearts on both boat and island。

鈥渂ear a bit more to starboard;鈥潯aid mogget; in the silence after the howl faded。 鈥渨e need more sea…room。鈥

touchstone was quick to ply。





chapter xviii

灏忥伎璇磘xt澶╋伎鍫
by the morning of the sixth day out of nestowe; sabriel was heartily tired of nautical life。 they鈥檇 sailed virtually non…stop all that time; only putting into shore at noon for fresh water; and only then when it was sunny。

nights were spent under sail; or; when exhaustion claimed touchstone; hove…to with a sea anchor; the unsleeping mogget standing watch。

fortunately; the weather had been kind。

it had been a relatively uneventful five days。

two days from nestowe to beardy point; an unprepossessing peninsula whose only interesting features were a sandy…bottomed beach and a clear stream。 devoid of life; it was also devoid of the dead。 here; for the first time; sabriel could no longer sense the pursuing mordicant。 a good; strong; south…easterly had propelled them; reaching northwards; at too fast a pace for it to follow。

three days from beardy point to the island of ilgard; its rocky cliffs climbing sheer from the sea; a grey and pockmarked tenement; home to tens of thousands of seabirds。 they passed it late in the afternoon; their single sail stretched to bursting; clinker…built hull heeling well over; bow slicing up a column of spray that salted mouths; eyes and bodies。

it was half a day from ilgard to the belis mouth; that narrow strait that led to the sea of saere。 but that was tricky sailing; so they spent the night hove…to just out of sight of ilgard; to wait for the light of day。

鈥渢here is a boom…chain across the belis mouth;鈥潯ouchstone explained; as he raised the sail and sabriel hauled the sea anchor in over the bow。 the sun was rising behind him; but had not yet pulled itself out of the sea; so he was no more than a dim shadow in the stern。 鈥渋t was built to keep pirates and suchlike out of the sea of saere。 you won鈥檛 believe the size of it鈥攊 can鈥檛 imagine how it was forged; or strung across。鈥

鈥渨ill it still be there?鈥潯abriel asked; cautiously; not wanting to prevent touchstone鈥檚 strangely talkative mood。

鈥渋鈥檓 sure of it;鈥潯eplied touchstone。 鈥渨e鈥檒l see the towers on the opposite shores first。 winding post; to the south; and boom hook to the north。鈥

鈥渘ot very imaginative names;鈥潯ented sabriel; unable to help herself from interrupting。

it was just such a pleasure to talk! touchstone had lapsed back into non…munication for most of the voyage; though he did have a good excuse鈥攈andling the fishing boat for eighteen hours a day; even in good weather; didn鈥檛 leave much energy for conversation。

鈥渢hey鈥檙e named after their purpose;鈥潯eplied touchstone。 鈥渨hich makes sense。鈥

鈥渨ho decides whether to let vessels past the chain?鈥潯sked sabriel。 already; she was thinking ahead; wondering about belisaere。 could it be like nestowe鈥攖he city abandoned; riddled with the dead? 鈥渁h;鈥潯aid touchstone。 鈥渋 hadn鈥檛 thought about that。 in my time; there was a royal boom master; with a force of guards and a squadron of small; picket ships。 if; as mogget says; the city has fallen into anarchy 。 。 。鈥

鈥渢here may also be people working for; or in alliance with; the dead;鈥潯abriel added thoughtfully。

鈥渟o even if we cross the boom in daylight; there could be trouble。 i think i鈥檇 better reverse my surcoat and hide my helmet wrapping。鈥

鈥渨hat about the bells?鈥潯sked touchstone。

he leaned past her; to draw the main sheet tighter; right hand slightly nudging the tiller to take advantage of a shift in the wind。 鈥渢hey鈥檙e fairly obvious; to say the least。鈥

鈥渋鈥檒l just look like a necromancer;鈥潯abriel replied。 鈥渁 salty; unwashed necromancer。鈥

鈥渋 don鈥檛 know;鈥潯aid touchstone; who couldn鈥檛 see that sabriel was joking。 鈥渘o necromancer would be let into the city; or would stay alive; in鈥斺

鈥渋n your day;鈥潯nterrupted mogget; from his favorite post on the bow。 鈥渂ut this is now; and i am sure that necromancers and worse are not unmon sights in belisaere。鈥

鈥渋鈥檒l wear a cloak鈥斺潯abriel started to say。

鈥渋f you say so;鈥潯ouchstone said; at the same time。 clearly; he didn鈥檛 believe the cat。 belisaere was the royal capital; a huge city; home to at least fifty thousand people。 touchstone couldn鈥檛 imagine it fallen; decayed and in the hands of the  dead。 despite his own inner fears and secret knowledge; he couldn鈥檛 help but be confident that the belisaere they were sailing towards would be little different from the two…hundredyear… old images locked in his memory。

that confidence took a blow as the belis mouth towers became visible above the blue line of the horizon; on opposite shores of the strait。

at first; the towers were no more than dark smudges; that grew taller as wind and wave carried the boat towards them。 through her telescope; sabriel saw that they were made from a beautiful; rosy…pink stone that once must have been magnificent。 now they were largely blackened by fire; their majesty vanished。 winding post had lost the top three storys; from seven; boom hook stood as tall as ever; but sunlight shone through gaping holes; showing the interior to be a gutted ruin。 there was no sign of any garrison; toll collector; windlass mules; or anything alive。

the great boom…chain still stretched across the strait。 huge iron links; each as wide and long as the fishing boat; rose green and barnaclebefouled out of the water and up into each of the towers。 glimpses of it could be seen in the  middle of the mouth; when the swell dipped; and a length of chain shone slick and green in the wave trough; like some lurking monster of the deep。

鈥渨e鈥檒l have to go in close to the winding post tower; unstep the mast and row under the chain where it rises;鈥潯ouchstone declared; after studying the chain for several minutes through the telescope; trying to gauge whether it had sunk enough to allow them passage。 but even with their relatively shallow…draft boat; it would be too risky; and they daren鈥檛 wait for high tide; late in the afternoon。 at some time in the past; perhaps when the towers were abandoned; the chain had been winched up to its maximum tension。 the engineers who鈥檇 made it would have been pleased; for there seemed to be no noticeable slippage。

鈥渕ogget; go to the bow and keep a lookout for anything in the water。 sabriel; could you please watch the shore and the tower; to guard against attack。鈥

sabriel nodded; pleased that touchstone鈥檚 stint as captain of their small vessel had done a lot to remove the servant nonsense out of him and make him more like a normal person。 mogget;  for his part; jumped up to the bow without protest; despite the spray that occasionally burst over his head as they cut diagonally across the swell鈥攖owards the small triangle of opportunity between shore; sea and chain。

they came in as close as they dared before unstepping the mast。 the swell had diminished; for the belis mouth was well…sheltered by the two arms of land; but the tide had turned; and a tidal race was beginning to run from the ocean to the saere sea。 so; even without mast and sail; they were borne rapidly towards the chain; touchstone rowing with all his strength just to keep steerage way。 after a moment; this clearly became impossible; so sabriel took one of the oars; and they rowed together; with mogget 
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