In the stillness of the night, only familiar sounds such as wind rustling through trees and chirping crickets could be heard, creating a quiet atmosphere. As darkness deepened, the atmosphere shifted with an unsettling sense of anticipation.
"Sabriel heard it--the massed grinding of Dead joints, no longer joined by gristle; the padding of Dead feet, bones like hobnails clicking through necrotic flesh." This chilling description reveals her awareness of a disturbing presence of the Dead, emphasizing the eerie and supernatural tension in the scene.