Ss clattered and t spilled in, and s at once, alaimon ly in .
As soon as t o lift t and t in, s his side, saying:
“take me to lofur Raknison. Youll be in trouble if you dont. Its very urgent.”
from easy to read bears expressions, but he looked angry.
“Its about lorek Byrnison,” s o know.”
“tell me is, and Ill pass the bear.
“t be rig for someone else to kno mean to be rude, but you see, its t to kno.”
Perted. At any rate, into th me.”
into teful. ted and tars glittering above tyard. to speak to her.
“You cannot see lofur Raknison till s to see you.”
“But t, to tell s about lorek Byrnison. Im sure y to kno, but all t tell it to anyone else, dont you see? It be polite. been polite.”
t seemed to carry some ify tly to make erpretation of t: lofur Raknison roducing so many ne none of tain yet o be tainty in order to get to lofur.
So t bear retreated to consult t into tate quarters time. It o breatural stinks o in a corridor, teroom, tside a large door, o look around at terous decoration: t plasterrodden h.
Finally t from , and more of t t eacion: a golden necklace, a erns and skuas percer cornice, and so snatc bits of fis of one anots in the chandeliers.
And on a dais at ty t e for strengt like so many ot ed e soons of gilt t looked like tinsel on a mountainside.
Sitting on t bear saller and bulkier t which she had never seen in loreks.
o see a man looking out of of man s at Mrs. Coulters, a subtle politician used to porengt; e big enougo carry tion; on didnt look preposterous, it looked barbaric and magnificent.
Soo feeble for words.
But stle closer, because so, and t lofur a cat sit there—or a daemon.
It uffed doll, a manikin stupid er of rougo ending hen she knew she was safe.
So talaimon keeping quiet and still in .
“Our greetings to you, great King,” sly. “Or I mean my greetings, not his.”
“Not it full of expressive tones and subtleties. of o dislodge t clustered there.
“lorek Byrnisons, Your Majesty,” s sometant and secret to tell you, and I t to tell you in private, really.”
“Somet lorek Byrnison?”
So epping carefully over ttered floor, and brus her face.
“Somet daemons,” s only he could hear.
read t t erested. Suddenly o t to tling again on ts.
y but for lofur Raknison and Lyra, urned to her eagerly.
“ell?” ell me daemons?”
“I am a daemon, Your Majesty,” she said.
opped still.
“hose?” he said.
“lorek Byrnisons,” was her answer.
It dangerous te clearly t only onis prevented once. S on:
“Please, Your Majesty, let me tell you all about it first before you harm me.
Ive come my o t could you. In fact, I to s o get a daemon, but it ss why I came.”
“ a daemon? And s easy. I can go far from cs like t. And as for me, it Bolvangar. Youve er must old you about it, but s tell you everytting...” he said.
“Yes, cutting, ts part of it, intercision. But too, like making artificial daemons. And experimenting on animals.
it, to see if t was me. My name is Lyra.
Just like wll be o ly w hes doing and where he is and—” “here is he now?”
“On Svalbard. as does ?
be mad! ell tear o pieces!”
“s me. o get me back. But I dont to be to be yours. Because once t Bolvangar decided not to do t experiment ever again. lorek Byrnison o be the only bear who ever had a daemon.
And you. ts w o Svalbard for.”
t tal in tinkled, and every bird in t room shrieked, and Lyras ears rang.
But so it.
“ts e and strong as o leave ell you, because I dont ougo be you. And taking me a kno old you, and you mig figve been outcast; I mean, not fig kill , Id just go out like a ligh him.”
“But you—how can—”
“I can become your daemon,” s only if you defeat lorek Byrnison in single combat. trengto you, and my mind o yours, and s; and you can send me miles ao spy for you, or keep me o capture Bolvangar, if you like, and make te more daemons for your favorite bears; or if youd ratroy Bolvangar forever. e could do anytogether!”
All time salaimon in rembling ill as mouse form he had ever assumed.
lofur Raknison ement.
“Single combat?” figcast! be? the only way?”
“Its t , because lofur Raknison seemed bigger and more fierce every minute. Dearly as srong as really believe t t among giant bears. But it ance by fire all. Suddenly lofur Raknison turned. “Prove it!” you are a daemon!” “All rig, easy. I can find out anyt you kno only a daemon o find out.”
“tell me creature I killed.” “Ill o go into a room by myself to do to see , but until ts got to be private.”
“teroom beo t, and come out whe answer.”
Lyra opened t by one torcy but for a cabinet of maaining some tarniss. Sook out ter and asked: “here is lorek now?”
“Four er.” “ell Ive done?” “You must trust him.”
S anxiously of ired ted t s doing er told o do: s trusting him.
S t t aside and asked tion lofur Raknison ed. creature her.
S lofur ing expedition, and ary bear. t, and lofur self er t t up by turally lofur concealed trut it but lofur himself, and now Lyra knew as well.
S ter aell it.
“Flatter alaimon. “ts all s.”
So Lyra opened ting for riumph, slyness, apprehension, and greed.
“ell?”
S do of o touc foreparonger, for bears -handed.
“I beg your pardon, lofur Raknison!” s knorong and great!”
“s tion!”
“t creature you killed s be. Only a god o do t.”
“You know! You can see!”
“Yes, because I am a daemon, like I said.”
“tell me one t did ter promise me when she was here?”
Once again Lyra into ty room and consulted ter before returning he answer.
“S s terium in Geneva to agree t you could be baptized as a Cian, even t got a daemon then.
ell, Im afraid t s done t, lofur Raknison, and quite ly I dont to t if you didnt , and s telling you trut in any case ized if you ed to, because no one could argue t and t be able to turn you down.”
“Yes...true. ts ed her, and she deceived me?”
“Yes, s s matter anymore. Excuse me, lofur Raknison, I mind me telling you, but lorek Byrnisons only four ter tell your guard bears not to attack o figo be alloo come to the palace.”
“Yes...”
“And maybe end I still belong to lost or somet knoend. Are you going to tell t me being loreks daemon and to you w him?”
“I dont know.... should I do?”
“I dont tter mention it yet. Once ogets best to do and decide t you need to do noo all to let lorek figcast. Because t understand, and to find a reason for t. I mean, t you tell t if t, theyll admire you even more.”
“Yes. sell them?”
“tell tell t to make your kingdom com-pletely secure, youve called lorek Byrnison o fig look like your idea t o call hing.”
“Yes...”
t bear oxicating, and if Pantalaimon nipped o remind all ion.
But so epped modestly back to c as ted direction, prepared t ground for lorek Byrnison; and mean, was oward w sell for his life.