Sugged at ing ried to respond, but  he

    strength. he could only walk.

    quot;All rig; ; get to trees. too far ao t temple place. If  for long enougo cut ter all.quot;

    Pantalaimon darted ao hlessly, making him pause.

    ill could almost see tugging and tumbled to see, and to il tone pavement around temple.

    ttle portico o find tatues of goddesses in nicer a spiral staircase of o lock taircase and onto t ake t over ty; for ting t   iled roof ran dole slope all around to tter.

    As t, t beanta-lizingly close; and t ty, oo t. ttlements, and ill felt a jolt of sickness as  here.

    But time to take in t to deal oemple, screaming ement. tol and fired ts toemple. they came on again, yelling:

    quot;t;

    quot;Murderers!quot;

    quot;e gonna kill you!quot;

    quot;You got our knife!quot;

    quot;You don come from ;

    quot;You gonna die!quot;

    ill took no notice.  already, and sly cut a small o see  once. Lyra looked too, and fell back in disappointment. ty feet or so in traffic.

    quot;Of course,quot; ill said bitterly, quot;uck. ell o s all.quot;

    Anot cemple and reinforced t, enormously loud, and anotook anotone, and tairs began to s ones climbed up.

    Lyra  ill still o top step as if it o  up, taircase began to bend under t of t, and t s off, but time by accident, it seemed.

    Someone , and time, and ill looked doo see a tangle of er and dust and blood.

    t individual cide. they surged below him and

    leaped up in fury, snatcening, screaming, spitting, but t reach.

    to to, leaving several pinned beneatairs or dazed and struggling to get up from trewn floor.

    ill soon realized side to to see t pair of iles and pulling up. Someone s.

    But tiled ridges  ones scrambled up on alaimon  cate. But still them.

    Someone ;Kill! Kill! Kill!quot; and to stamp and tiles in r t quite dare come closer, faced by tile broke, and tanding on it slipped and fell, but t at Lyra.

    S stered on ticed t t, and o Lyra no boys  once, but t  Lyra jabbed t her fiercely, and she fell back again.

    ill s s , and ruck and s replacing to the roof from below.

    triped t-s appeared, but  tol, or per y.

    oget o happen:

    to fig o be brutal and deadly.

    quot;Come on,quot; said ill, passionate for ttle. quot;Come on, t;

    Anot.

    But trangest t urned to see.

    quot;Kaisa!quot; cried Lyra joyfully, for it was Serafina Pekkalas daemon.

    t filled turned an incriped t-s. to cry in alarm too, because the sky.

    As Lyra satle black s of ted h glee.

    quot;Serafina Pekkala! emple—quot;

    And ly after, and t t once—s at temple roof above tonis all t, and o take its place.   t s? ere ter?

    And  a mob no longer—just a lot of frige after t of t temple, and tches above.

    ill looked up in oo amazed to speak, but Lyra , quot;Serafina Pekkala! o kill us! Come do;

    But Serafina and to circle oing  o ter on tiles belohe sill.

    quot;Greetings, Lyra,quot; ;Serafina Pekkala cant come to ters—a ing up over t you see t;

    quot;No! e cant see em at all!quot;

    quot;Already  one c risk any more. Can you get do;

    quot;If  ;

    quot;Enougrouble coming, and bigger. Get do you can and trees.quot;

    tiles to tter. It   le slope a Lyra jumped and trying to protect ing badly. railed beried to roll it up, t his side.

    quot;Lyra, w; Kaisa said.

    quot;Its ill. ;

    quot;ers avoiding you?quot; tly to ill.

    By time ill  kno see them.

    No, !quot; And ood up, struck by a t. quot;; ; one?quot;

    ten paces a; said t;t  to come any closer, ts obvious.quot;

    ill took out t direction, and h surprise.

    But ill couldnt do  t a caken aback not so mucounding gracefulness, ty of  so far from being young.

    quot;Your name is ill?quot; she said.

    quot;Yes, but—quot;

    quot;ers afraid of you?quot;

    quot;Because of t one? tell me! I  to kill it!quot;

    But Lyra came running before tch could answer.

    quot;Serafina Pekkala!quot; scig tc loud, and kissed top of ;O? e o kill us—did you see t o die and—o Id never see

    you again!quot;

    Serafina Pekkala looked over Lyras o ering a little  ill.

    quot;Noen,quot; s;t far a. ters  follo see us s a ;

    And so to c figures rees.

    quot;Oll be all rig Serafina Pekkalas ; said Lyra. quot;I never t Id see  at t time, didnt s like before, at Bolvangar....quot;

    Ctering ten t, so. ill follole more blood ried not to t it.

    It took not  an ers, because ill o stop and rest several times.  roasting, and Serafina Pekkala stirring somet.

    quot;Let me see your ;  to ill, and  his hand.

    Pantalaimon, cat-formed, c ill looked a of ilated fingers.

    tcly to eac; ;

    ill reac to ly.  it .

    quot;to  ; said Serafina Pekkala. quot;Very  will be ready wime, you s;

    Stle aining a  potion ed by ly curned to Lyra, .

    quot;No; s;tell me  t t;

    So Lyra took a deep breath and began.