I see. [Sabriel felt no need to push a stranger to reveal information, but she memorized the name anyway.]

The Dead are- spirits, warped from what they were in life. They steal life from the living to stay out of Death- and sometimes inhabit corpses. [AND WITH THAT LOVELY TIDBIT Sabriel awkwardly pulled out a thin book with a picture of a fluffy white kitten on the front cover.

It was wearing a pink ribbon around its neck.]

I thought we'd start with something simple.