Lyra alaimon s , and s up to  and o t even in ted Arctic; t a stir of ill t not tiniest ripple broke on t.

    ill lay curled up fast asleep, o protect tucked it around ending t saking care to avoid  s, curled up just as  be .

    Carrying till sleepy Pantalaimon, s dotle  wake him.

    quot;ttle people,quot; Pantalaimon said.

    quot;I dont like em,quot; said Lyra decisively. quot;I t arap quot;em in a net or somet ts it, ;

    quot;e  got a net,quot; ;or somet t. c;

    Pantalaimon e by minute into t et edge of t cleared t reac toucc floialys, standing by ills chem.

    quot;t; said Lyra, quot;t make us do . t to follo t;

    quot;If t ; said Pantalaimon, meaning ;and got tings ready to stick in us, ill’d o do ;

    Lyra t about it. Ser, tly, lolling drool of tered ream... And t cly been reminded elseed.

    quot;Suppose t , t; s;suppose t ed  cter make em t, if ;

    S ter  it rument out and laid it on its black velvet clottle by little, Lyra drifted into t trance in e edness bet rid of the spies?

    to dart t, almost too fast to see, and some part of Lyras aed tops and sa once t t said.

    It told  try, because your lives depend on them.

    t  a  s on and asked:  to the dead?

    the knife.

    And finally santly,  to do?

    Yes, said ter instantly. Yes.

    S of rance, and tucked t oo: insects irring, and a very sligling tems growing he dune.

    S ter ao ill, alaimon as large as ing the Gallivespians.

    tone apparatus, and when hed finished, Lyra said:

    quot;You been talking to Lord Asriel?quot;

    quot;to ative,quot; said tialys.

    quot;e ent going.quot;

    quot;ts old ;

    quot; did ;

    quot;t  yours.quot;

    quot;Suit yourself,quot; s;Are you married to t lady?quot;

    quot;No. e are colleagues.quot;

    quot; any c;

    quot;No.quot;

    tialys continued to pack tone resonator aing up graceful and slotle  sand. till asleep, teth dew.

    quot;Are t; Lyra said.

    quot;e kno; tialys replied, not very  to talk quietly to too softly for Lyra to  sco refreser must be different for t to Pantalaimon: imagine drops t! to get into; t of elastic rind, like a balloon.

    By time ill oo,  to look for t once, fully focused on him.

    he looked away and found Lyra.

    quot;I  to tell you somet; s;Come over here, away from...”

    quot;If you go a; said tialyss clear voice, quot;you must leave t leave t talk to eac;

    quot;Cant e?quot; Lyra said indignantly. quot;e dont  you listening to ;

    quot;t leave t;

    ter all, and certainly t be able to use it. ill rummaged in ter bottle and a couple of biscuits, and o Lyra,  he dune.

    quot;I asked ter,quot; sold ;and it said ry and escape from ttle people, because to save our lives. So maybe uck ;

    quot;old t o do?quot;

    quot;No! And I , eitell Lord Asriel on t speaking-fiddle and op us, so  to just go, and not talk about it in front of t;

    quot;t; ill pointed out. quot;t be good at listening and ter not mention it at all. e kno talk about it, and to put up  and come along.quot;

    quot;t oo far off. ill, I asked  too. It said to follo t.quot;

    quot;Sounds easy,quot; ;But I bet it isnt. Dyou knoold me?quot;

    quot;No.  to say good-bye,   for you, but

    you could do it. But old me w;

    quot;t of my mot; ;So Ive got to put  of my mind. But... its like  a crocodile, you do, you cant ...quot;

    quot;ell, you cut t nig,quot; she said.

    quot;Yeaired, I t follo;

    quot;ts all it said.quot;

    quot;Mig t muc. e ougo find someto take  or somet Ill find a art looking properly.quot;

    quot;All rig; said Lyra, quite o be moving again, h Pan and ill, alive and awake.

    to tting alertly by their backs.

    quot;e so knoend,quot; said Salmakia.

    quot;ell,  coming to Lord Asriel any; said ill. quot;eve got someto do first.quot;

    quot;And ell us  is, since its clear  stop you from doing it?quot;

    quot;No,quot; said Lyra, quot;because youd just go and tell to come along  kno;

    quot;Certainly not,quot; said tialys.

    quot;e  some kind of guarantee,quot; said ill. quot;Youre spies, so youre bound to be dis, ts your trade. e need to knorust you. Last nigoo tired and  t it, but to stop you ing till inging us to make us  lodestone t easily. So o ee t you . A promise isnt enoug;

    trembled  their honor.

    tialys, controlling ;e dont accept one-sided demands. You must give somet tell us entions are, and tone resonator into your care. You must let me  o send a message, but you o use it  your agreement. t ee. And noell us w;

    ill and Lyra exco confirm it.

    quot;All rig; Lyra said, quot;ts fair. So o t kno t. ts o do.quot;

    t y.

    t; you say doesnt make sense. ts all. t;

    quot;I t t rue, as ; said ill. quot;But no sure. At least .quot;

    quot;But w;

    Lyra looked at ill and saw him nod.

    quot;ell,quot; s;before I met ill, long before I o danger, and  I  o find  . Nor er. If  to o do  all, ts my friend  matter to  it matters to me. to us. So ts  to do.quot;

    quot;C; said tialys, quot;o live on after t?quot;

    quot;ere going to go and find out,quot; said Lyra. quot;And noold you, Ill take your resonator lodestone.quot;

    S alaimon stood, tail so reinforce ialys unslung t in  h.

    quot;And ion ake?quot; said the Chevalier.

    quot;e dont kno; Lyra told ;e dont kno it, any more t go t;

    quot;First t; ill said, quot; to get some er and some more food, someto carry. So Im going to find a  off.quot;

    tialys and Salmakia mounted t insects e, and Lyra, c for t time, saraordinary fineness of tirrups, tiny saddles.

    ill took temptation made ouc card still; elepher…

    tone, and  nearly stopped. If  he end.

    After a fes ried again. Instead of trying not to to  Im just going to look away whis...

    And t time it s later all of tanding in  and prosperous farmyard in some nortry like one-flagged yard  and clean and a roable doors stood open. t. tive and vigorous t it sounded like a macables.

    Lyra  and looked, and came back at once, looking pale.

    quot;to , and recovered, quot;four dead ;

    quot;Look,quot; said ill, s;or maybe better not.quot;

    ing at t edged tc seen a mans legs, one , protruding from t part of the bushes.

    Lyra didnt  to look, but ill  to see if till alive and needed help. he came back shaking his head, looking uneasy.

    t the farmhouse door, which was ajar.

    tialys darted back and said, quot;It smells ser in t; and ted furtbuildings.

    ill folloce cable, and a tle stood cold. Next door try, he silence was oppressive.

    Lyra said quietly, quot;ill, is t;

    t o  ;No, I dont ts one  of rye bread, tll be good, its lig;

    aken o table.

    quot;ell?quot; said Lyra, seeing tialys raise ;You s you take.quot;

    At t moment Salmakia came in table in a sric blue.

    quot;t; s;on foot, es ;

    And as ss on gravel, and a voice issuing orders, and tal.

    quot;t; said ill.

    in t. And at once ion. to be sliding along a very smoot sank til o cut. But it ant, like o ail as tanding in.

    quot;s ; said Lyra.

    t it  t. Just as ted ted to pus someter  all. to perc  a pressure in t and ted, and ttle riders o stroke ts o calm their fears.

    But after a feruggle, t o see) and closed it, sting their own world.

    quot;ill,quot; said Lyra, and urned to see t tchem.

    jolted. It  ten minutes before, stark dead in t cut.

    most of time in t no te scable rembling , ill o see, act.

    o speak, but no . All  at ill and Lyra.

    Lyra said, quot;Excuse us for being in your  artled you. Im Lyra, and tialys and tell us your name and w;

    t seemed to bring to his senses, and a shudder passed over him, as if he were waking from a dream.

    quot;Im dead,quot; ;Im lying out t dead. s  my t. s ;

    Lyra stepped closer to ill o  as a mouse. As for trying to control t insects seemed to

    ed c.

    But t notice till trying to understand w had happened.

    quot;Are you a g?quot; ill said cautiously.

    t ried to take it, but ingle of cold was all .

    o e.

    quot;truly,quot; ;I am dead... Im dead, and Im going to ;

    quot;; said Lyra, quot;ogets your name?quot;

    quot;Dirk Jansen I ; ;but already I... I dont knoo do... Dont kno;

    ill opened tcouched.

    A little groan broke from Dirk Jansens t, as if t anymore. ted out of t up er ttering little cries.

    quot;I cant stay  stay,quot; ;But t t to go...quot;

    quot;; said Lyra.

    quot;Do to go. Cant stay ;

    Salmakia fleo perctle cla;tion.quot;

    quot;t; said ill, and swung his rucksack over his shoulder.

    Dirk Jansen o left and rigumbling over little ruts and stones on t had known so well.

    Lyra came after ill, and Pantalaimon became a kestrel and flew up as high as he could, making Lyra gasp.

    quot;t,quot; ;t;

    And soon too: ty or so men, ogets, o a stumbling run, and t to greet him.

    quot;Even if t kno; Lyra said. quot;e better just go ;

    quot;Dyou t; said ill.

    quot;Cant tell. If you sa;

    quot;Its o say. t look normal, exactly...to see in my to outside tic bag, and o anyone or  inside. And no one ever looked at o pretend . t like s and I never kne;

    quot;I dont t; said Lyra doubtfully.

    quot;Any be t been killed, tve done it, and s just like t itd be a lot different...quot;

    quot;ill, its fading,quot; s;Look!quot;

    Scopped and looked around, and s. Not long before epped to ttagazze, tood outside at midday and c dayligil a sort of eerie t as clear as in full daylig t to see it by, as if all trengt of a dying sun.

    odder, because tion as well and becoming blurred.

    quot;Its not like going blind, even,quot; said Lyra, frig;because its not t  see ts like t;

    t of t green of trees and t farmhouse ...

    to notice, too, and ing and hers arms for reassurance.

    t t red-and-yelloric blue of ttle riders, and ill and Lyra, and Pantalaimon, wrel-shaped close above.

    to t of t s. ill and Lyra took a step too fear, for ts o approach.

    ill called out, quot;Dont be afraid. ere not going to  you. ; quot;

    t t man among their guide.

    quot;ere going  I cant remember learning it. Seems as if its along t ;

    quot;Mama,quot; said a c;ting dark in time?quot;

    quot; fret,quot; t;Cant make anytter by fretting. ere dead, I expect.quot;

    quot;But ;I dont  to be dead, Mama!quot;

    quot;ere going to see Grandpa,quot; tely.

    But t be consoled and  bitterly. Ot t to ely t on, and on, and on.

    tialys o Salmakia before skimming acs brig got smaller and smaller. t on ills hand.

    quot;to see ting it. t .quot;

    quot;But ;If I  to stay in t  lost.quot;

    quot;t; ill said, guessing. quot;Its .quot;

    quot;No, t; said t;Some instinct is dra;

    And indeed ts  t of sigy storm ening, but tric tension

    t comes aorm. ts eadily, and traig  featureless.

    From time to time one of t ill or Lyra, or at t dragonfly and its rider, as if t man said:

    quot;You, you boy and girl. You aint dead. You aint gs.  you coming along ;

    quot;e came t,quot; Lyra told ;I dont knoo escape from t seemed to find ourselves ;

    quot; to t to go?quot; said ill.

    quot;I expect old,quot; said t confidently. quot;te out teous, I dare say. Its no good praying nos too late for t. You s w;

    It e clear o be in, and quite clear, too, t  it  be a big one. ts   arguing.

    And on trudging in silence under a sky t o a dull iron gray and remained t getting any darker. to t and rig il a little spark appeared ao o meet h a cry of pleasure.

    to the children.

    quot;toialys. quot;It looks like a refugee camp, but its obviously been turies or more. And I t, but ts covered in mist. I could e, from every direction, people like ts...quot;

    ts tened as  mucy. to tled into a dull trance, and Lyra ed to so urge to struggle and .

    quot;o ; she said.

    even guess. As t on to t and rigy-colored smoke o add its darkness to t  all empty-ing over tohe smoke.

    table matter, se, t got. t a patc, and ts growing anywhere were rank weeds and coarse grayish grass.

    Aer, . It rose like a cliff to merge  came t tialys o.

    Bete , t tohe dead.