- They find a hidden staircase and begin their journey out of the sinkhole; Touchstone is reluctant to talk about his past, and Mogget is not particularly into sharing either.
- Sabriel's frustration reaches its limit when Touchstone won't stop calling her milady, though, and she says: "Don't call me milady and stop acting like a halfwit! Just be yourself. Behave normally. I don't need a valet, I need a useful… friend!" (15.39).
- At last they force open the exit and find themselves in a place called the Watchwood.
- Sabriel asks for more background on the Charters that form the basis of Charter magic, but Mogget and Touchstone both tell her that they are bound by a spell and can't speak on that topic—however, Touchstone theorizes that a child bound with the Charter mark might still be able to talk about it.
- They follow a series of Charter Stones to a seaside town called Nestowe, only to find the town's fields flooded. Sabriel can sense the presence of Dead in the village, but decides to go to the town to get a boat anyway.