He's the first person who's seemed even slightly alarmed by what she can do- most people are either simply curious, familiar with magic, or a little bit amazed.

"It's the Charter," Sabriel explains, "It's a force that contains and describes- well, everything. Everything that lives, has lived, or might yet be, and the bonds that tie them together."

Being able to reach it, even in this strange place, is reassuring, even if there are aspects of it, and her connection to it, that Sabriel doesn't fully understand. What does it mean, that one of the Great Charters lies in her blood?

"It's a form of magic. So Charter mages draw on the marks that describe what they want to do- like healing."