Lyra alaimon s , and s up to and o t even in ted Arctic; t a stir of ill t not tiniest ripple broke on t.
ill lay curled up fast asleep, o protect tucked it around ending t saking care to avoid s, curled up just as be .
Carrying till sleepy Pantalaimon, s dotle wake him.
quot;ttle people,quot; Pantalaimon said.
quot;I dont like em,quot; said Lyra decisively. quot;I t arap quot;em in a net or somet ts it, ;
quot;e got a net,quot; ;or somet t. c;
Pantalaimon e by minute into t et edge of t cleared t reac toucc floialys, standing by ills chem.
quot;t; said Lyra, quot;t make us do . t to follo t;
quot;If t ; said Pantalaimon, meaning ;and got tings ready to stick in us, ill’d o do ;
Lyra t about it. Ser, tly, lolling drool of tered ream... And t cly been reminded elseed.
quot;Suppose t , t; s;suppose t ed cter make em t, if ;
S ter it rument out and laid it on its black velvet clottle by little, Lyra drifted into t trance in e edness bet rid of the spies?
to dart t, almost too fast to see, and some part of Lyras aed tops and sa once t t said.
It told try, because your lives depend on them.
t a s on and asked: to the dead?
the knife.
And finally santly, to do?
Yes, said ter instantly. Yes.
S of rance, and tucked t oo: insects irring, and a very sligling tems growing he dune.
S ter ao ill, alaimon as large as ing the Gallivespians.
tone apparatus, and when hed finished, Lyra said:
quot;You been talking to Lord Asriel?quot;
quot;to ative,quot; said tialys.
quot;e ent going.quot;
quot;ts old ;
quot; did ;
quot;t yours.quot;
quot;Suit yourself,quot; s;Are you married to t lady?quot;
quot;No. e are colleagues.quot;
quot; any c;
quot;No.quot;
tialys continued to pack tone resonator aing up graceful and slotle sand. till asleep, teth dew.
quot;Are t; Lyra said.
quot;e kno; tialys replied, not very to talk quietly to too softly for Lyra to sco refreser must be different for t to Pantalaimon: imagine drops t! to get into; t of elastic rind, like a balloon.
By time ill oo, to look for t once, fully focused on him.
he looked away and found Lyra.
quot;I to tell you somet; s;Come over here, away from...”
quot;If you go a; said tialyss clear voice, quot;you must leave t leave t talk to eac;
quot;Cant e?quot; Lyra said indignantly. quot;e dont you listening to ;
quot;t leave t;
ter all, and certainly t be able to use it. ill rummaged in ter bottle and a couple of biscuits, and o Lyra, he dune.
quot;I asked ter,quot; sold ;and it said ry and escape from ttle people, because to save our lives. So maybe uck ;
quot;old t o do?quot;
quot;No! And I , eitell Lord Asriel on t speaking-fiddle and op us, so to just go, and not talk about it in front of t;
quot;t; ill pointed out. quot;t be good at listening and ter not mention it at all. e kno talk about it, and to put up and come along.quot;
quot;t oo far off. ill, I asked too. It said to follo t.quot;
quot;Sounds easy,quot; ;But I bet it isnt. Dyou knoold me?quot;
quot;No. to say good-bye, for you, but
you could do it. But old me w;
quot;t of my mot; ;So Ive got to put of my mind. But... its like a crocodile, you do, you cant ...quot;
quot;ell, you cut t nig,quot; she said.
quot;Yeaired, I t follo;
quot;ts all it said.quot;
quot;Mig t muc. e ougo find someto take or somet Ill find a art looking properly.quot;
quot;All rig; said Lyra, quite o be moving again, h Pan and ill, alive and awake.
to tting alertly by their backs.
quot;e so knoend,quot; said Salmakia.
quot;ell, coming to Lord Asriel any; said ill. quot;eve got someto do first.quot;
quot;And ell us is, since its clear stop you from doing it?quot;
quot;No,quot; said Lyra, quot;because youd just go and tell to come along kno;
quot;Certainly not,quot; said tialys.
quot;e some kind of guarantee,quot; said ill. quot;Youre spies, so youre bound to be dis, ts your trade. e need to knorust you. Last nigoo tired and t it, but to stop you ing till inging us to make us lodestone t easily. So o ee t you . A promise isnt enoug;
trembled their honor.
tialys, controlling ;e dont accept one-sided demands. You must give somet tell us entions are, and tone resonator into your care. You must let me o send a message, but you o use it your agreement. t ee. And noell us w;
ill and Lyra exco confirm it.
quot;All rig; Lyra said, quot;ts fair. So o t kno t. ts o do.quot;
t y.
t; you say doesnt make sense. ts all. t;
quot;I t t rue, as ; said ill. quot;But no sure. At least .quot;
quot;But w;
Lyra looked at ill and saw him nod.
quot;ell,quot; s;before I met ill, long before I o danger, and I o find . Nor er. If to o do all, ts my friend matter to it matters to me. to us. So ts to do.quot;
quot;C; said tialys, quot;o live on after t?quot;
quot;ere going to go and find out,quot; said Lyra. quot;And noold you, Ill take your resonator lodestone.quot;
S alaimon stood, tail so reinforce ialys unslung t in h.
quot;And ion ake?quot; said the Chevalier.
quot;e dont kno; Lyra told ;e dont kno it, any more t go t;
quot;First t; ill said, quot; to get some er and some more food, someto carry. So Im going to find a off.quot;
tialys and Salmakia mounted t insects e, and Lyra, c for t time, saraordinary fineness of tirrups, tiny saddles.
ill took temptation made ouc card still; elepher…
tone, and nearly stopped. If he end.
After a fes ried again. Instead of trying not to to Im just going to look away whis...
And t time it s later all of tanding in and prosperous farmyard in some nortry like one-flagged yard and clean and a roable doors stood open. t. tive and vigorous t it sounded like a macables.
Lyra and looked, and came back at once, looking pale.
quot;to , and recovered, quot;four dead ;
quot;Look,quot; said ill, s;or maybe better not.quot;
ing at t edged tc seen a mans legs, one , protruding from t part of the bushes.
Lyra didnt to look, but ill to see if till alive and needed help. he came back shaking his head, looking uneasy.
t the farmhouse door, which was ajar.
tialys darted back and said, quot;It smells ser in t; and ted furtbuildings.
ill folloce cable, and a tle stood cold. Next door try, he silence was oppressive.
Lyra said quietly, quot;ill, is t;
t o ;No, I dont ts one of rye bread, tll be good, its lig;
aken o table.
quot;ell?quot; said Lyra, seeing tialys raise ;You s you take.quot;
At t moment Salmakia came in table in a sric blue.
quot;t; s;on foot, es ;
And as ss on gravel, and a voice issuing orders, and tal.
quot;t; said ill.
in t. And at once ion. to be sliding along a very smoot sank til o cut. But it ant, like o ail as tanding in.
quot;s ; said Lyra.
t it t. Just as ted ted to pus someter all. to perc a pressure in t and ted, and ttle riders o stroke ts o calm their fears.
But after a feruggle, t o see) and closed it, sting their own world.
quot;ill,quot; said Lyra, and urned to see t tchem.
jolted. It ten minutes before, stark dead in t cut.
most of time in t no te scable rembling , ill o see, act.
o speak, but no . All at ill and Lyra.
Lyra said, quot;Excuse us for being in your artled you. Im Lyra, and tialys and tell us your name and w;
t seemed to bring to his senses, and a shudder passed over him, as if he were waking from a dream.
quot;Im dead,quot; ;Im lying out t dead. s my t. s ;
Lyra stepped closer to ill o as a mouse. As for trying to control t insects seemed to
ed c.
But t notice till trying to understand w had happened.
quot;Are you a g?quot; ill said cautiously.
t ried to take it, but ingle of cold was all .
o e.
quot;truly,quot; ;I am dead... Im dead, and Im going to ;
quot;; said Lyra, quot;ogets your name?quot;
quot;Dirk Jansen I ; ;but already I... I dont knoo do... Dont kno;
ill opened tcouched.
A little groan broke from Dirk Jansens t, as if t anymore. ted out of t up er ttering little cries.
quot;I cant stay stay,quot; ;But t t to go...quot;
quot;; said Lyra.
quot;Do to go. Cant stay ;
Salmakia fleo perctle cla;tion.quot;
quot;t; said ill, and swung his rucksack over his shoulder.
Dirk Jansen o left and rigumbling over little ruts and stones on t had known so well.
Lyra came after ill, and Pantalaimon became a kestrel and flew up as high as he could, making Lyra gasp.
quot;t,quot; ;t;
And soon too: ty or so men, ogets, o a stumbling run, and t to greet him.
quot;Even if t kno; Lyra said. quot;e better just go ;
quot;Dyou t; said ill.
quot;Cant tell. If you sa;
quot;Its o say. t look normal, exactly...to see in my to outside tic bag, and o anyone or inside. And no one ever looked at o pretend . t like s and I never kne;
quot;I dont t; said Lyra doubtfully.
quot;Any be t been killed, tve done it, and s just like t itd be a lot different...quot;
quot;ill, its fading,quot; s;Look!quot;
Scopped and looked around, and s. Not long before epped to ttagazze, tood outside at midday and c dayligil a sort of eerie t as clear as in full daylig t to see it by, as if all trengt of a dying sun.
odder, because tion as well and becoming blurred.
quot;Its not like going blind, even,quot; said Lyra, frig;because its not t see ts like t;
t of t green of trees and t farmhouse ...
to notice, too, and ing and hers arms for reassurance.
t t red-and-yelloric blue of ttle riders, and ill and Lyra, and Pantalaimon, wrel-shaped close above.
to t of t s. ill and Lyra took a step too fear, for ts o approach.
ill called out, quot;Dont be afraid. ere not going to you. ; quot;
t t man among their guide.
quot;ere going I cant remember learning it. Seems as if its along t ;
quot;Mama,quot; said a c;ting dark in time?quot;
quot; fret,quot; t;Cant make anytter by fretting. ere dead, I expect.quot;
quot;But ;I dont to be dead, Mama!quot;
quot;ere going to see Grandpa,quot; tely.
But t be consoled and bitterly. Ot t to ely t on, and on, and on.
tialys o Salmakia before skimming acs brig got smaller and smaller. t on ills hand.
quot;to see ting it. t .quot;
quot;But ;If I to stay in t lost.quot;
quot;t; ill said, guessing. quot;Its .quot;
quot;No, t; said t;Some instinct is dra;
And indeed ts t of sigy storm ening, but tric tension
t comes aorm. ts eadily, and traig featureless.
From time to time one of t ill or Lyra, or at t dragonfly and its rider, as if t man said:
quot;You, you boy and girl. You aint dead. You aint gs. you coming along ;
quot;e came t,quot; Lyra told ;I dont knoo escape from t seemed to find ourselves ;
quot; to t to go?quot; said ill.
quot;I expect old,quot; said t confidently. quot;te out teous, I dare say. Its no good praying nos too late for t. You s w;
It e clear o be in, and quite clear, too, t it be a big one. ts arguing.
And on trudging in silence under a sky t o a dull iron gray and remained t getting any darker. to t and rig il a little spark appeared ao o meet h a cry of pleasure.
to the children.
quot;toialys. quot;It looks like a refugee camp, but its obviously been turies or more. And I t, but ts covered in mist. I could e, from every direction, people like ts...quot;
ts tened as mucy. to tled into a dull trance, and Lyra ed to so urge to struggle and .
quot;o ; she said.
even guess. As t on to t and rigy-colored smoke o add its darkness to t all empty-ing over tohe smoke.
table matter, se, t got. t a patc, and ts growing anywhere were rank weeds and coarse grayish grass.
Aer, . It rose like a cliff to merge came t tialys o.
Bete , t tohe dead.