At t moment too, alking about to to be out of tialys said, quot;e must never leave  keep closer t;

    quot;oo alert. c; said Salmakia. quot;trusting. I t, and s, tialys.quot;

    quot;But .quot;

    quot; go anyw ;

    quot;But so folloact again, t to slip into anoto get a purpose, and its very different from  to do.quot;

    quot;ell see. But youre rigialys, I t stay close to t all costs.quot;

    tcicism as Iorek Byrnison laid out tools in y ories under Lord Asriels fortress,  furnaces and rolling mills, t tone ing of a piece of Ioreks armor. Nevertaken task, and in tainty of s ttle spies began to see some quality t muffled their scorn.

    ed t eacurning it from side to side, and told ill or Lyra to place it at suco break off part and place it separately at t raordinary ferocity, s energy concentrated at one side.

    By time t in tense. Iorek continued to build take trips doo ensure t tion.

    turned over a small stone on told Lyra to find some more stones of t tones,  , for if t metal came in contact  .

    Lyra set about searcalaimons ones to old o place tly t s moving, o make sure the work piece.

    ill es directing ood to use. So muc placement, and Iorek could not stop and correct eaco understand, and t properly.

    Furtnt expect to look exactly t  o overlap t by a little ogettle, despite tone-gas, so some of t; and no doubt t t as s would work.

    So ill creaming eyes and scorced eacill t ed it.

    Meanone, ed several until  , te smell of smasrils of tcalaimon ive, co a crow so er.

    Eventually to Ioreks satisfaction, and  t tle knife among t t of told Lyra to begin ing tone-gas over tce face lurid in tal begin to gloe.

    Iorek co snatc. After a fes tal cening, and sparks just like t.

    t paed in and seized first one piece and tips of  e of his

    armor. ill could smell t Iorek took no notice of t, and moving raordinary speed ed t he rock hammer.

    tip leapt on t t of   tiny triangle of metal, t point t searc toms, and all rembled, sensing every flicker of every flame and tom in ttice of tal. Before t only a full-scale furnace,  tools and equipment, could  blade; but no tools, and t Ioreks artistry ructed t furnace there could be.

    Iorek roared above t; still in your mind! You o forge it, too! task as muc;

    ill felt one . ting, too, and Lyras leafy branc t gas along to bats flo ting air. ill sensed it all and felt toms of tal linking eaco eacure, forming neals again, strengtraigtice as the join came good.

    quot;t; roared Iorek. quot;;

    instantly, sensing te snags and te easement as tly. t join urned to t piece.

    quot;A neone,quot; o Lyra,  to .

    ill co direct tter, and Iorek began to  a ney added to ask, because o ion  only by doing t accurately could .

    So tinued.  took; Lyra, for , found reaming, igue; but still sone as Iorek old ill talaimon raised  the flames.

    came to ted by tellectual effort  t branco to understand every connection, or t oget came to t complex one, t,  remaining at t  in oget as if Iorek had never begun.

    too, and paused before ing t piece.  ill, and in  a bottomless black brilliance. Nevertood: t o it, all of them.

    t o t ion out to t, and braced  and fiercest part of task.

    So ogetook   tiny settling as toms connected across to t exion possess ate,  and smoke; and Iorek ood reaks of ass rice.

    tialys and Salmakia  in turns, one of t. Noo gray and finally to silver, and as ill reac for tner  at once.

    But ill didnt touc ill too great for o ill:

    quot;Come outside.quot;

    to Lyra: quot;Stay  touc;

    Lyra sat close to told o bank t let it burn doion yet.

    ill follo bear out onto tainside. tter and instantaneous, after the cave.

    quot;t  knife,quot; said Iorek, after ttle ;Maybe I s . Im troubled, and I roubled before, never in doubt. No. Doubt is a  a bear t ;

    quot;But  piece of armor,  t bad, too, in t;

    Iorek . till to a big drift of sno and rolled t, sending flurries of snoo t it looked as if ion of all the world.

    ood up and sill ing for an anso ion, said:

    quot;Yes, I t migoo. But before t first armored bear, t. t oms, and t cure is  custom, as bear flesected  armor.

    quot;But I tepped outside bear nature in mending time ell. But I am uncertain and doubtful. No tell me: w;

    ill rubbed h hands.

    quot;t me and I t s; rying to recollect ty ;And t somet couldnt cut, and because my mind  back bot time, it snapped. ts  s;

    quot;alk of talk of your mot;

    quot;Do I? Yes... I suppose I do.quot;

    quot; are you going to do ?quot;

    quot;I dont kno;

    Suddenly Iorek lunged at ill and cuffed  pao tumbled over and over until h his head ringing.

    Iorek came doo ;Ansrut;

    ill empted to say, quot;You   if Id ; But  Iorek kne, and kne , and t it eous and stupid to say it; but empted, all the same.

    ongue until anding uprigly.

    quot;I said I dont kno; rying o keep ;because I  looked clearly at  is t Im going to do. At  means. It frig frigoo. Anyway, I agreed as soon as I  s;

    quot;And ?quot;

    quot;e  to go doo talk to t of Lyras friend Roger, the one who

    got killed on Svalbard. And if too, and if alk to gs, I  to talk to him.

    quot;But Im divided, Im pulled apart, because also I  to go back and look after my motold me I so Lord Asriel and offer to  as ;

    quot;; said the bear.

    quot; a o be afraid; Im afraid, too. So I o t times  do t t  to look scared, so  because its dangerous. ere more concerned  looking scared t. Its very s ;

    quot;I see,quot; said the bear.

    tood in silence for  like a long time, especially to ill, ection from tter cold. But Iorek  finis, and ill ill  quite trust , so tayed whey were.

    quot;ell, I ; said t;It may be t in  final destruction on my kingdom. And it may be t I , and t destruction roubled, o do un-bearlike deeds and speculate and doubt like a human.

    quot;And I sell you one t already, but you dont  to,  you dont mistake it. If you  to succeed in task, you must no longer t your mot put he knife will break.

    quot;Noo say fareo Lyra. You must  in t let you out of t, and I do not  tening wo ;

    ill  and  ;t; but t was all he could say.

    oill s surrounding dark.

    t t process in tle knife.  among ter cinders until tal, and o take it and plunge it directly into t ed outside.

    t ill old eam,  toms finally settle toget t as infinitely rare.

    But it did look different. It  looked ugly no looked like  was, wounded.

    , ignoring to  for Lyra to come back.

    Iorek aken tle farto a point out of sig  cradled in ter of  arms, alaimon nestling mouse-formed at . Iorek bent   a ongue  as safe as s in her life.

    But , Iorek spoke. S e against her back.

    quot;Lyra Silvertongue, o visit t;

    quot;It came to me in a dream, Iorek. I saw Rogers g, and I knew o me... You remember

    Roger. ell, after  you,  , at least I felt it  finis I began, ts all: I so t do it.quot;

    quot;Can is not t.quot;

    quot;But if you must and you can, t;

    quot;;

    quot;No, Iorek,quot; sly, quot;our business is to keep promises, no matter  tly, Im deadly scared. And I  of using to go t  get out of it.quot;

    Lyra felt Pantalaimon trembling and stroked h her sore hands.

    quot;e dont kno t; s on. quot;e  knoill ry.  are you going to do, Iorek?quot;

    quot;Im going back nort live in tains. Even t. I t  is warm.

    t ongue; I can smell it; I can . I spoke to Serafina Pekkala before I came told me so Lord Faa and tians. If t;

    Lyra sat up, excited at  Iorek  finis on:

    quot;If you do not find a  of t meet again, because I . My body  of it. But if it turns out t you and I botor to Svalbard; and true of ill. old you ;

    quot;No,quot; said Lyra, quot;except t it ;

    quot;faced me. I t no one could ever do t, but too daring for me, and too clever. I am not  you s you plan, but trust to go  t boy. You are ongue, my dear friend.quot;

    S o o speak.

    After a minute ood up gently and disengaged urned and ly ao t line  almost at once against t it mig ears.

    steps on t t;Dont you move. Look,  going to use it. Stay ;

    outside and found Lyra standing still, alaimon as a e silent. t came from tion in t, in turn, ed from  cears found tion in ills eyes, and so tons  web.

    quot;I love ; so o us no rely on anyone else nos just us. But  old enoug. ere only young... ere too young... If poor Mr. Scoresbys dead and Ioreks old... Its all coming onto us,  to be done.quot;

    quot;e can do it,quot; ;Im not going to look back anymore. e can do it. But  to sleep noay in ter t come, t for... Im going to cut to sleep in, and if ts too bad;  rid of time.quot;

    quot;Yes,quot; sh

    bot;Lets do t. You sure tested it?quot;

    quot;I knoll ;

    italaimon tiger-formed to deter t back and picked up their rucksacks.

    quot; are you doing?quot; said Salmakia.

    quot;Going into anot; said ill, taking out t felt like being w realized .

    quot;But you must  for Lord Asriels gyropters,quot; said tialys, his voice hard.

    quot;ere not going to,quot; said ill. quot;If you come near t, but you cant make us stay ;

    quot;You lied!quot;

    quot;No,quot; said Lyra, quot;I lied. ill doesnt lie. You didnt t.quot;

    quot;But w;

    ill didnt ans an opening.

    Salmakia said, quot;take. You s, and listen to us. You  t...”

    quot;Yes, ; ell you  tomorro;

    to to rees behe dunes. he said:

    quot;;

    t be once. ed, t cone resonator and began to play a message into the dark.