So find a stranger salaimon sprang awake and growled, srembling.

    “Miss—miss—get up quickly. I dont knoo do.  no orders. I think hes mad, miss.”

    “? s happening?”

    “Lord Asriel, miss.  in a delirium since you  to bed. Ive never seen  of instruments and batteries in a sledge and . But  the boy, miss!”

    “Roger? aken Roger?”

    “old me to o argue—I never  on asking for you, miss—but Lord Asriel ed  came to t believe ed you gone?”

    Lyras  s “Yes? Yes?” she said.

    “It hing and—”

    Noo stifle some knowledge from her own consciousness.

    S out of bed, and ering it, but it  felt as if ttering  links body and daemon is immensely poo bridge tween worlds needed a p of energy....

    S realized w shed done.

    Sruggled all to bring someto Lord Asriel, t ed; and it  ter at all.  ed was a child.

    S him Roger.

    t  send for you!” il sepped aside and shown him Roger.

    Oter anguis sime sly o betray him....

    Lyra sion. It couldnt be true.

    tried to comfort   knoremity of grief, and could only pat her shoulder nervously.

    “lorek—” s aside. “ill outside?”

    the old man shrugged helplessly.

    “rembling all over h weakness and fear. “help me dress.

    I got to go. No quick!”

    told  imperious ears and rembling. alaimon paced tail,  sparking, tened to bring iff, reeking furs and o ttons  trike  like a sears at once on her cheeks.

    “lorek!” she called. “lorek Byrnison! Come, because I need you!”

    tal, and t spilling from t ts, te fur beloal, and ed to embrace  from , ipped fur.

    “ell?” he said.

    “e got to catcaken Roger and o—I darent think—oh, lorek, I beg you, go quick, my dear!”

    “Come then,” he said, and she leaped on his back.

    to ask racks of traig from tyard and over to folloion  to sit balanced irely automatic. le on ter tes sed under hm.

    Behem.

    t it cast over t as it  silver and profound black. tracks of Lord Asriels sledge ran straigoark pointed sting up into a sky as black as ters velvet clotself—or ouc on t peak? Lyra peered araining alaimon flew as h an owls clear vision.

    “Yes,”  a moment later; “its Lord Asriel, and he back....”

    Lyra felt lorek Byrnison c tention. ing o cast left and right.

    “ is it?” Lyra said.

    say. ening intently, but serious, vastly distant rustling and crackling. It , conjured a radiating glo of tmospo be a display more brilliant and extraordinary t seen, as if t aking place beloed to lig  as.

    But none of ttention   ter all, t  loreks attention. anding stock-still no around freely. Sometroubling him.

    Lyra looked around, back across t open plain leading to Lord Asriels oumbled mountains tense. t veils trembled and raced to one side, and jagged curtains folded and unfolded above, increasing in size and brilliance every minute; arcs and loops sangible forces.

    “itcurned in joy and relief.

    But a  to gasp s and sanding  he snow.

    Impossible.! s  it rue, for anottered off tanding above  Serafina Pekkalas co s and soaring up again, and Lyra sh every word she knew.