quot;Oedious.quot;

    quot;Can you, t;

    quot;I could...quot;

    quot;Do it no me see.quot;

    to condense and so a little vortex in midair, and to t ills feet.

    quot;Fly to my s; said ill.

    tone:

    quot;I ss absolutely necessary. Its unspeakably ing.quot;

    quot;too bad,quot; said ill. quot; in fussing or arguing. Just do it.quot;

    t. Before t back taking tive.

    quot;; he said.

    quot;Follo;

    quot;t oo, in t;

    Next day ill ed for t part of loion, but found none. tion in ty broiness ant smudge of darker green,  and t its , ried and failed to sleep among some low bussore and weary.

    quot;Slo; said Balthamos sourly.

    quot;I cant ,quot; said ill. quot;If you cant say anyt speak at all.quot;

    By time , t imes, startling a bird t flew up shrieking from somewhere nearby.

    quot;t  living today,quot; ill said.

    quot;o camp?quot; said Balthamos.

    trees.  ill could see of ulant.

    ill said, quot;Ill o stop . I can ream, see if you can find it.quot;

    trudged on, tle, o follo  co stop soon, or to stop  a choice.

    quot;Left,quot; said Balt;A stream and a dead tree for fire;

    ill follo ream splasly beto a narrotle crees. Beside tream, a grassy bank extended a little o bush.

    Before  ,  about collecting o a useful lengtrying to get t.  kno o go about it, and ed several matco coax to life.

    tcience.

    Once te tmeal biscuits, some dried meat, and some Kendal Mint Cake, er. Balt nearby, silent, and finally ill said:

    quot;Are you going to cime? Im not going anyw;

    quot;Im ing for Baruc;

    quot;ould you like some food?quot;

    Baltly: empted.

    quot;I mean, I dont kno at all,quot; ill said, quot;but if youd like somet;

    quot; is t...quot; said tidiously, indicating t Cake.

    quot;Mostly sugar, I t. ;

    ill broke off a square and  out. Balt up,

    and cool against ills palm.

    quot;I t; ;One piece is quite enoug;

    and nibbled quietly. ill found t if  t at tronger impression of him.

    quot;; ;Can e ;

    quot;I feel t urns, alking is best.quot;

    And barely ten minutes later t sound of s came to tood up eagerly. t moment, to tual affection. More tion: th a passion.

    Baruc do a cloud of smoke drifted past t  of outlining t  time. Baltly be mingled y disdain ender, ardent sympature could let  ts. But s in Baruc o t of all knoher.

    quot;Did you find out  for news.

    quot;Yes,quot; said Baruc;t is turned into rainbo mistake it. tive in a cave among trees, kept asleep by t;

    quot;Asleep? And t;

    quot;Alone, yes. In ;

    quot;And Lyras not ;

    quot;No. Just asleep, and dreaming. Let me s;

    itraced a map in took ebook and copied it exactly. It sine s identical mountain peaks.

    quot;No; said t; side of ter runs t. t;

    ; and tting closer in eacime, so t ill felt  difficulty, provided t undra and tains. tting bet it couldnt abolisance hem.

    quot;t; Baruc;orn by to t wer ;

    quot;Do t; said ill. quot;And ss  understand. ;

    quot;It seems so.quot;

    ill folded t tin cup on tones at to  some er, and noo it, stirring it ick, and o drink.

    A burning stick settled in t bird called.

    Suddenly, for no reason ill could see, botion.  sa do t from ch

    someto t and up, and so did this.

    quot;Put out t; Balthamos whispered.

    ill scooped up some eart once truck into o she cloak around himself and looked up again.

    And noo see: above t  the moon.

    ;t? Could it be?quot;

    quot; is it?quot; ill whispered.

    Baruc;take your knife and...”

    Before led out of to Baltion of a second Baruc on it, and Balting to free  t in t ruggled together.

    use too quickly. Instead, ook tric torcc on.

    None of ted t. ttacker to  ill could see  ronger th.

    quot;ill!quot; cried Balt;t a  …quot;

    And at t ttacker tore himself free of Baruchs hands, and cried:

    quot;Lord Regent! I !quot;

    later to t ill dropped orc for using t beating o  til te, remembering even in t sensations true fles. ronger tronger even t po rue: o the ground.

    ttacker ill sing in t ear-splitting voice: quot;Lord Regent! to me, to me!quot;

    ill managed to glance upirring and s gleam, someth energy, like plasma.

    Balt;ill, come a through, before he comes...”

    But truggling o irely. Baruco tackers head back and back.

    quot;No!quot; cried Balt;No! No!quot;

    ill, stacker rying to s again, but Barucremor, like a mig too loo  soms of ted the marrow in ills bones.

    quot; sobbing, and noc;Please, please, ill...”

    ill looked up.

    ting, and t first, but as it

    came closer second by second, traigakable malevolence.

    quot;ill, you must,quot; said Barucly.

    ill stood up, meaning to say quot;ig; but even as to  t like mist, and then he was gone. ill looked around, feeling foolish and sick.

    quot;Did I kill ; he said shakily.

    quot;You o,quot; said Baruc;But now...”

    quot;I e t; said ill passionately, quot;truly, truly, I e t stop?quot;

    quot;e must go,quot; said Baltly. quot;Quickly ill, quickly, please...”

    tally afraid.

    ill felt in tip of t of t sly, and looked up: t oterrifying. Even from t distance, and even in t urgent second or so, ill felt o t, brutal, and merciless intellect.

    And o hurl...

    And in t it took to c and turn uprigo fling t incoget a s it  her world.

    t moon. Giant fernlike trees greended for miles along t was  and humid.

    quot;?quot; said ill, trembling, facing two angels.

    quot;t atron,quot; said Balt;You should have...”

    quot;Metatron? tack? And dont lie to me.quot;

    quot;e must tell ; said Baruco ;You s;

    quot;Yes, I s; Balt;but I ;

    quot;tell me no; said ill. quot;And remember, its no good telling me ters to me, none. Only Lyra matters, and my mot,quot; o Balt;is t of all tapion, as you called it.quot;

    Baruc;I tell you our information. ill, take you to Lord Asriel. e discovered a secret of tys  s ; ;t;

    quot;t  universe.quot;

    tood on , and ting. t; tterly alone.

    quot;tell me, t; said ill. quot;tell me about Metatron, and  is.  angel call ? And y? Is ;

    do t h him.

    Baltly, quot;ty, God, tor, ty, tor.  angel, true, t po  as  is only a name for er begins to understand itself. Matter loves matter. It seeks to know more

    about itself, and Dust is formed. t angels condensed out of Dust, and ty  of all. old ter  ed t it er  trutill. And ty still reigns in tatron is .

    quot;But as for ain,  tell you t of it. e so eac t to ;

    quot;tell me  keep me in t;

    quot;e found our o tain,quot; said Baruc once  on: quot;Im sorry; erms too easily. Its sometimes called t. Its not fixed, you see; it moves from place to place.  goes, t of tadel, y   surrounded by clouds, but as time passed,  for tadel is knoain.quot;

    quot; did you find t;

    quot;ty  t of tain. e couldnt get close, although we saw him. his power...”

    quot;ed muc; Balterrupted, quot;to Metatron. Youve seen w  is more, he knife. I did say...”

    quot;Balt; said Barucly, quot;dont c be blamed for not kno took us so long to find out.quot;

    Balthamos looked away.

    ill said, quot;So youre not going to tell me t of yours? All rigell me tead: w ;

    Balthamos looked back, in surprise.

    Baruc;ell, t is, and o Balt t  of Baruc dark to us.quot;

    quot;It is a prison camp,quot; said Balt;ty establis in t to kno in time.quot;

    quot;My fat died, ts s a ;

    Balt Baruch, who shrugged.

    quot;And  on.

    quot;Its impossible to say,quot; said Baruc;Everyt it is secret. Even t knoell t t ts a lie. If people really kne;

    quot;And my fat ;

    quot;it a doubt, and so less millions w;

    ill found ion trembling.

    quot;And ly to Lord Asriel  secret,  is,quot; ;instead of looking for me?quot;

    quot;e  sure,quot; said Balt;t  entions. take us seriously? But if en. tent o ;

    quot;ell, Im sorry,quot; said ill, quot;but t sounds feeble to me. If you ,

    you  need an excuse to see Lord Asriel.quot;

    quot;t; said Baruc;e kne Metatron ed to make sure t fall into o come to Lord Asriel first, t least...”

    quot;Os not going to ; said ill. quot;Youre making it o reac easier. S important tting ely. ell, Im not.  you just go to Lord Asriel and leave me alone? Make en. You could fly to o find Lyra first, come  do t, just go, just leave me.quot;

    quot;But you need me,quot; said Baltiffly, quot;because I can pretend to be your daemon, and in Lyras and out ot;

    ill oo angry to speak.  up and y steps a, deep sand, and topped, for t and y unning.

    urned around to see talking closely togeto  proud, too.

    Baruc;e are sorry. I so Lord Asriel and give ion, and ask o send you o find er. It ime, if I navigate truly.quot;

    quot;And I say ; said Balthamos.

    quot;ell,quot; said ill, quot;t;

    t and cool, like thamos.

    quot;If o; ill said, quot;will you find us?”

    quot;I s; said Barucepped hack.

    t into tly into ttered stars. Balter e longing.

    quot;S; urning to ill.

    quot;Sleep ; said ill.

    quot;tc for danger. ill, I

    burden, and I s cry to be kinder from no;

    So ill lay do, tc t tle comfort.

    —

    get us out of ;

    understand. he spread his pale hands and shook his head.

    quot;I dunno ;

    quot;o me,quot; s;and me and ill, o kno tc as surbid skies of tic. S  ter, wo kill; fear of w was o er.

    Meaning ice cap, ts, t sick.