“You know him?”
“I fougunguska campaign. hell, Ive known lorek for years.
Bears are difficult critters no matter ake.
Say, are any of you gentlemen in the mood for a game of hazard?”
A pack of cards h a snapping noise.
“Noing and folding t of pocket you object to giving a simple texan traveler to joust eboard combat. do you say, gentlemen?”
Gyptians prided ty erested and pulled t to play and for akes, Pantalaimon, o ly as a squirrel.
Soo, of course, and Lyra ly, “Go straigo tell . As soon as ts going on, theyll move his armor somewhere else.”
Lyra got up, taking iced; Lee Scoresby he cards, and every suspicious eye was on his hands.
In t, fading ternoon, so t. It o do, but s uneasy about it, and afraid, too.
Outside t of te s bear ood by te to cling a gas-engined tractor t al covering of ted and buckled and one runner bent uped tal off as if it urned it t in o test it for some quality or otting a rear pa in suc ts sprang out and tored. Leaning it against ted t of tractor on its side before bending to examine the crumpled runner.
As sig a bolt of cold fear strike at forty yards from ance in a bound or t turned and ran a Pantalaimon said, “Stop! Let me go and talk to him.”
ern, and before so t. te a little hen became a badger.
S ood by t get near to pull.
S angry and miserable. o t ormenting feeling p, part intense sadness and love. And s ested it ense relief.
ugged a little harder.
“Dont, Pan!”
But stop. tcionless. t grew more and more unbearable, and a sob of longing rose in .
“Pan—”
te, scrambling over too a and sprang up into ogetigtle sh.
“I t you really would—”
“No—”
“I couldnt believe —”
And tears aed and face t sadness again; it oget at Jordan.
t tary bear. sucir of pity and gentleness for s reac to toucted pelt, and only a sense of courtesy toed her.
“lorek Byrnison,” she said.
“ell?”
“Lord Faa and Farder Coram o try and get your armor for you.”
move or speak. It heir chances.
“I knoold you, maybe you could get it by yourself, I dont know.”
“ is?”
“I got a symbol reader. I t to tell you, lorek Byrnison, seeing as tricked you out of it in t place. I dont ts rigve done t. Lord Faas going to argue probably t let you he kids from Bolvangar?”
“Yes.”
“I...” S mean to be nosy, but s you just make some more armor out of tal here, lorek Byrnison?”
“Because its ing tended a cla t like a can opener. “My armor is made of sky iron, made for me. A bears armor is as your daemon is your soul. You migake ing Pantalaimon—”and replace . t is the difference. Now, where is my armor?”
“Listen, you got to promise not to take vengeance. taking it, but you just got to put up .”
“All riger no ake it, either.
If t, they die.”
“Its s old in it, and rying to conjure it out. But ts w is.”
ood , so t t of t yello creature coming off .
“I must ill sunset,” o ter ill oes work.”
“t , because from of vie o t.
o all fours.
“Its true,” s your name, child?”
“Lyra Belacqua.”
“t, Lyra Belacqua,” he said.
urned and lurcly across t Lyra couldnt keep up, even running. Salaimon fleo c and called doo tell o follow.
Iorek Byrnison bounded out of t and along treet before turning into treet of to tyard of till air and a sentry marciffly up and do treet ime o gats, but lorek Byrnison urning a corner near the harbor.
People stopped to ctled out of ry fired t off doer t by skidding on ter seizing t railings. Lyra far be into tyard to see s t, ling doreet tory urning to follohe bear.
ts , and made of costly bricks. teps led up to t door, earing of more ry ated outside, t to gat of reet, o act, and fired a s into the air before running in.
A moment later, to sile slid off t ran out, terrified, er her.
Anot came from inside ted roar made t scream. As if fired from a cannon, t ling out, ter of feated, and turned to see a squad of armed policemen ols and some far beout, fussy figure of the sysselman.
A rending, splintering sound made t t ground level, obviously opening on a cellar, earing ry and stood to face t ore open completely, and out climbed lorek Byrnison, the bear in armor.
it it, , errifying. It -red, and crudely riveted toget ss and plates of dented discolored metal t scraped and screec ed like s for eyes, and it left t of earing and biting.
try fired several ss, and too, but lorek Byrnison merely ss off like raindrops, and lunged forry could escape, and knocked o ted at t, but lorek Byrnison took no more notice of ry to pa free, the bear.
it even ted for in t appeared bet and t plate over e fur dimly bety edges of metal. Salaimon instantly fleo t and became a , crouco defend lorek Byrnison ill, and their fire.
“lorek!” sone. “Listen! You o, right.
ell, no. Do as I ask. Dont fig turn around and you, lorek, you cant stay come doo t even look back. Farder Coram and Lord Faa, let talking, t all righ me....”
trys and aso ted, and about calming and gentling epped away beside Lyra.
No one else moved. tcurn a t daemon, and to make room as lorek Byrnison padded of t Lyras side and made for the harbor.
see t rose up safely he way.
ened t ting it clang on tians came out of t sometcs on t of it in a a o anyone o ter and slipped into it a ripple, and vanished.
“s ony Costa, voices from treets above, as too the harbor.
Lyra told him, as clearly as she could.
“But left he ground?
t back, as soons t here!”
Lyra , too, for around t policemen, and t and ty or ty onlookers, rying to keep up.
But ing on ting on te knee pistol Lyra ing at tomache sysselman.
“Seems to me you aint taken very good care of my friends armor,” ionally. “ t! And I be surprised to find mot, too. No stand anybody move till tion. Or I guess you could all go o you.”
“tony, pointing to a ramp at ter, dragging someth him.
Once ss of er flying in all directions, till anding up t to take t in eet along to w was a dead seal.
“lorek,” said t, standing up lazily and keeping ol firmly fixed on the sysselman. “howdy.”
tced as flat and tore off strips of blubber, o tes moved over one another.
“Are you o Lee Scoresby as he worked.
“Sure. I guess h hired hands, lorek.”
“o texan.
“Packed awo sledges,” he boss.”
Joogeth four armed policemen.
“Bear!” said to depart in t let me tell you t if you appear os again, you reated mercilessly.”
lorek Byrnison took not test notice, but continued to rub ttention ask reminding Lyra of ion to Pantalaimon. Just as the bear had said:
tourned and drifted ao ch.
Jo o ians!”
to move. tco get under eams races.
Joime to move out, friends. ere all assembled nohe road lies open. Mr. Scoresby, you all a loaded?”
“Ready to go, Lord Faa.”
“And you, lorek Byrnison?”
“he bear.
ing to e t, ed teet onto t oniso see ly : ts of metal an inc o place as if t took e, and time t.
So in less tion s ars and a glaring moon, ttered over ts and stones until t too a quiet cruncimber, and to step out eagerly, and tion became s and smooth.
Lyra, only o Pantalaimon:
“Can you see lorek?”
“o her wolverine-fur hood.
Aains to ts began to gloremble. Lyra sa a sleepy t o be speeding nortalaimon struggled against it oo strong; ell en, or a dream, or some kind of ; but sometrain of sledges, srees, and it put him uneasily in mind of a monkey.