“t! t off and excommunicate anyone wries!”

    “too many people  to. t be able to prevent terium, turies of darkness! Look at t ligs t on your skin, now!”

    “tronger t know—”

    “I dont knoter trong t it isnt strong enoug  now.”

    “Is t ed? to ch sin and darkness?”

    “I ed to break out, Marisa! And I  trees   on your hair, on your face....”

    Lord Asriel pusers urned o tc daring to move a muscle.

    to Lord Asriel as if sressed.

    “No—no—they know where Ive gone-”

    “t of this world!”

    “I darent—”

    “You? Dare not? Your cher.”

    “take han mine, Asriel.”

    “Not so. You took ried to mold ed hen.”

    “Soo coarse, too stubborn. Id left it too late....But where is she now?

    I folloeps up....”

    “You  ill? tried to wice s away.

    If I were hird chance.”

    ill clasping ensed suddenly and dre it seemed more like cruelty t to see a strange sigense, crouc pressing in the snow.

    Mrs. Coulter pulled fiercely back from t t—”

    “Come , poh me!”

    “e couldnt ogether, you and I.”

    “No? You and I could take to pieces and put it toget and stifle it forever! And youd like to be part of t great  lie to me about it. Lie about everyt tion Board, lie about your lovers—yes, I kno Boreal, and I care not t t dont lie about ruly ....”

    And tened toget fur of her neck, and she growled a deep rumble of pleasure.

    “If I dont come, youll try and destroy me,” said Mrs. Coulter, breaking away.

    “ to destroy you?”  of tay erest at once. Dont flatter yourself t Id give you a seconds t. Noay and work your misch me.”

    Mrs. Coulter ated; o s s e beautiful sadness in them.

    “No,” she said. “No.”

    t again. Lord Asriel reacrong fingers into turned  anoto Mrs. Coulters arms, making little sounds of distress, reac to ters face ears. Lyra could see ting; they were real.

    turned, s sobs, and moved doain and out of Lyras sight.

    Lyra cohe sky.

    Suc of wonders she had never seen.

    ty y and silent looked neing to be occupied; or asleep, ing to be  ing transparent, glistening in less eyes.

    S oo; sorn out , s o Roger. And to ricking her: how dare he?

    Sill alaimon   il  clao to make her. She blinked.

    “? ?”

    “Dust!” he said.

    “ are you talking about?”

    “Dust. o find t and destroy it, isnt he?”

    “ts w he said.”

    “And tion Board and ter and all, t to destroy it too, dont they?”

    “Yeaop it affecting people...hy?”

    “Because if t is bad, it must be good.”

    S speak. A little ement leaped in .

    Pantalaimon  on:

    “eve alk about Dust, and t, and you kno  Dust must be bad too, because t  isnt?  if its—”

    S if its really good...”

    S  eyes ablaze ement.

    S dizzy, as if turning beneath her.

    If Dust  o be sought and welcomed and cherished...

    “e could look for it too, Pan!” she said.

    t o hear.

    “e could get to it before  on, “and....”

    task silenced t the blazing sky.

    Sy and vastness of ttle teries above them.

    “e could,” Pantalaimon insisted. “e came all t .”

    “e got it  it all  Roger. e t imes. “e got it wrong,” she said.

    “Next time ter next time.”

    “And  follow us and help. Nor could Farder Coram or Serafina Pekkala, or Lee Scoresby or no one.”

    “Just us, t matter. ere not alone, any like....”

    S not like tony Makarios; not like t daemons at Bolvangar; ill one being; both of us are one.

    “And  ter,” s to do it, Pan. ell go up t, and o do.”

    Rogers body lay still in  ly.

    “And ,” she said.

    Surned aeries. But t alone.

    So Lyra and urned aoo the sky.