- They sail for five uneventful days. On the sixth day, Touchstone explains the huge Boom Chain that stretches across the strait in front of Belisaere, and they discuss what the city might be like since he was last there.
- After a tricky passage under the Boom Chain, they sail into the Sea of Saere. Sabriel confronts Mogget and asks why he's always so rude to Touchstone, but Mogget says that Touchstone "deserves it" (18.37) and Touchstone confesses that he believes himself to be "responsible for the failing of the Kingdom, the end of the Royal Line" (18.42).
- Touchstone launches into an explanation of his past: the Queen had four children, and he was childhood friends with her oldest son, Rogir. Rogir's interests became somewhat disturbing over time though, including the study of Free Magic.
- As Touchstone tells this story, they realize that the spell binding them from speaking about the details of the Great Charter doesn't work while at sea, so Sabriel takes advantage of this to get the following critical information from Mogget: "The people […] who made the Great Charters, put three in bloodlines and two in physical constructions: the Wall and the Great Stones" (18.51).
- Touchstone witnessed a plot by Rogir to break the Great Stones with the blood of Rogir's own sisters—and Rogir also killed the queen. In the battle, Touchstone went berserk and killed two guards. He impaled Rogir on his sword, but it did no good, and Rogir told him he "cannot die" (18.59). Touchstone remembers an Abhorsen at the battle, but doesn't remember anything else; Mogget admits to being there as well.
- Mogget explains that Rogir was already dead during the battle, with his real body hidden elsewhere. In his quest for power, Rogir wanted to break the Charter entirely so he could gain more Life for himself. To do so, he needed to break the Charter stones with royal blood, and he managed to break two out of six before being driven back into Death in the battle. He's now trying to return.
- Sabriel realizes Rogir is Kerrigor, the evil creature who controls the Mordicant chasing her—she also guesses his body must be somewhere near the Wall. In order to defeat him, she wants to find her father's body and get help.
- Mogget guesses that the Abhorsen of the time must have saved Touchstone by putting him on the prow of the ship.