And  o bleed again.

    it, s more ied tig time roubled.   to question  ?

    It o  t oo.

    As darkness fell, o lie doly  purring.

    -formed,  or talaimon?quot;

    t stir. Pantalaimon ;

    quot;Pan, am I going to die?quot;

    quot;tc let you die. Nor ;

    quot;But t   to lose. And its bleeding again, and it  stop. Im frig;

    quot;Lyra doesnt t;

    quot;Doesnt s;

    quot;S fig;

    quot;I suppose I better try not to seem frig; ill said.  for a minute or so, and t;I t friend I ever ;

    quot;S about you as ; whe daemon.

    Presently ill closed his eyes.

    Lyra lay unmoving, but  ing hard.

    became a ely dark, and ing more t up carefully and sa far ao toast some bread on a forked stick. ting on a spit as o sit nearby, Serafina Pekkala flew down.

    quot;ill,quot; s;eat t;

    S bitter-tasting leaves someringent, but  more ater for it.

    te ted birds, seasoning tc some blueberries sche fire.

    talked quietly; some of to spy, and one  up at once.

    quot;Mr. Scoresbys balloon?quot; she said.

    quot;t, but it oo far ao see ;

    Lyra clapped ;If Mr. Scoresbys coming,quot; s;o fly, ill! Os o ;

    tca Kamainen ening, ed robin daemon brigion of Lee Scoresby   out on. Scanislaus Grumman and c into to prevent heir own.

    Serafina migiced, but someted cly to t bird. But it  a bird; tc at once for a daemon. Serafina Pekkala stood up, gazing intently into the sky.

    quot;I ts Ruta Skadi,quot; she said.

    t still, tilting to training to hear.

    And t t, all tco t t is,  trings, guarding ill and Lyra.

    Someaking place. And only seconds later, it seemed, t, t and scream of voices raised in pain or anger or command.

    And time to jump, a creature fell from t t —a beast of leatted fur t Lyra recognized as a cliff-g, or something similar.

    It ruded from its side, but still it lurc Lyra. tc s, because s ill ; and ures  its lungs  fell dead.

    turned t  glaring up s-ruscurns and s and fors, let alone aim and s, anding.

    Anot and tream or on tark dead; and t fled, skirling and cluttering into toh.

    A fes later Serafina Pekkala landed ciful cement.

    tc and spat.

    quot;Not from our ; s;nor from tions. t;

    Lyra returned olidly, t a quickening of , for Ruta Skadi lived so brilliantly in  s up a responding the nerves of anyone close by.

    tcurned to ill, and  tingle of intensity, but like Lyra rolled ill   and smiled.

    it into to clean it of t in tream.

    Ruta Skadi ;Serafina Pekkala, I am learning so mucy. Im ;

    Se like an animal, tearing at ted birds and cramming o  doream. e, some of tc a t up a ch.

    t came to sit near Ruta Skadi to  sell told  to Lord Asriels fortress.

    quot;Sisters, it is test castle you can imagine: ramparts of basalt, rearing to tion, and on te.  ime, for eons. ers, even t  be? I dont kno understand. I time,  run fast or sloo his will.

    quot;And coming to tress are oo, and armed creatures suc birds ures too outlandiso . And otcers; did you kno? I spoke to c profoundly different, for tc-lifes, and too, men-c;

    ale co listen  Serafina believed her, and urged her on.

    quot;Did you see Lord Asriel, Ruta Skadi? Did you find your o ;

    quot;Yes, I did, and it  easy, because  ter of so many circles of activity, and s t I made myself invisible and found my o  co sleep.quot;

    Every c , and neit. So Ruta Skadi o tell, and s on: quot;And toget rue y, and he laughed.

    quot;Do t in Siberia, told old , and  our o seek .

    quot;And ed us to join ers. to join  ty. I  to rebel s of ty did in  of terrible mutilations I old me of many more ies dealt out in tys name—of ure cers. Yes, ches like ourselves ...

    quot;ies and ted in ty, all designed to destroy truthfulness of life.

    quot;Oers, I longed to to t I kne consult you first, and to our alk to leva Kasku and Reina Miti and tch queens.

    quot;So I left  before Id flo ains, and I o take refuge on a clifftop.

    Kno of creatures whe darkness I heard voices.

    quot;It seemed t Id stumbled on ting place of t of all cliff-gs. inking carrion from far belohey were asking him for guidance.

    quot; Grandfathey said, how far back does your memory go?

    quot; ay, way back. Back long before  and cracked and frail.

    quot; Is it true t test battle ever knoher?

    quot; Yes, cer battle t one, even. Fine feasting for all of us.

    ty for every g in every world.

    quot; And o defeat ty?

    quot; Lord Asriels army numbers millions, t told them, assembled from every world.

    Its a greater army t fougy before, and its better led. As for ty,  ty is age-old, far older even troops are frig  for one t got Aesatr.

    it Aesatr, o defeat. And t for years, my children!

    quot;And inking old bone t to h glee.

    quot;Notr, but all I could  asking, If Lord Asriel needs Aesatr, w he call him?

    quot;And t said, Lord Asriel kno Aesatr t is the joke! Laugh long and loud—

    quot;But as I tried to get closer to to learn more, my poers, I couldnt , and I o flee, back into teer me, and t of there.

    quot;But its clear t Lord Asriel needs us, sisters. tr is, Lord Asriel needs us! I  be anxious—cs agree no council of all tc;

    Serafina Pekkala looked at ill, and it seemed to  s  Ruta Skadi.

    quot;Not us,quot; s;Our task noo ask is to guide ill to   stay ;

    Ruta Skadi tossed iently. quot;ell, if you must,quot; she said.

    ill lay doalaimon curled at cened sleepily to tches.

    Ruta Skadi tle ream, and Serafina Pekkala  h her.

    quot;A; said tvian queen quietly. quot;est commander tail of , to make or! But ;

    quot;Maybe its not a er. e knotle as t. Maybe t  means god destroyer. Did you kno?quot;

    quot;t miger all, Serafina Pekkala! And if it does, tronger o kill ter, s of ty are sacrificing co t;

    quot;t,quot; said Serafina Pekkala, quot;t t is, I dont kno;

    quot;And t world does ;

    Serafina Pekkala told  ill. quot;I dont kno,quot; s;but  tells  t is ask. And, sister, ried to  ried t it didnt ent ts too  o gro;

    quot;range,quot; said Ruta Skadi. quot;o ;

    to tell trut; said Serafina Pekkala, quot;I  dared.quot;

    t quietly by tream. time  past; stars set, and otars rose; a little cry came from t it corm, and tning play over t it was a long way off.

    Later Ruta Skadi said, quot;t of t so play? Is t? Sant because so  ,  it?quot;

    quot;ts  as for later, yes, far more t.  c t s an end to destiny. ell,  er, and  t kno. tcorturing on t a Yambe-Akka came to ime.

    quot;But Im t Lyra mig you s speak of—ttr.

    Not tc t t sleeping c ty. er be so anxious to find ;

    quot;Mrs. Coulter ; said Ruta Skadi. quot;Of course, and Lyra is their child....

    Serafina Pekkala, if I  a c;

    quot;er,quot; said Serafina. quot;Listen... and  lig;

    tood, alarmed t somet t from t fireligely like firelight.

    t feet, arroo trings, and stopped suddenly.

    All tc surrounding them.

    And tood sometc ood ravel vast distances in order to be close to sometant, and ly for t of time, s presence. t iful pilgrims of rarefied liganding around ty face and tartan skirt and the wounded hand who was frowning in his sleep.

    tir at Lyras neck. Pantalaimon, a sno as a dream. Pantalaimon seemed to accept ttention as Lyras due, and presently he curled up again and closed his eyes.

    Finally one of tures spread oo, and terpenetrated ance, s t, until the grass.

    tcook to ter anoto til t already ting stars toh.

    Serafina and Ruta Skadi sprang to t t far behind.

    quot;ere tures you saa Skadi?quot; said Serafina as tc flames diminisohe horizon.

    quot;Bigger, I t t? All t.

    t be so different from ours.... Serafina Pekkala, Im leaving you noo call all tcoget again, it ime. Go ;

    ta Skadi turned and sped southward.

    Serafina curned to see t of t not compassion for t c miss, never to feel t, or tingle of tarligtle to join the grass.