t to make Lyra sit doook out ttle pot of bloodmoss ointment and looked at t  it  deep. ore a strip off t and mopped it clean, and spread some of tment over the gash,

    trying not to tate of t made it.

    Lyras eyes were glazed, and she was ash-pale.

    quot;Lyra! Lyra!quot; ly. quot;Come on no to move.quot;

    Sook a long, sh, and her eyes focused on him, full of a wild despair.

    quot;ill, I cant do it anymore, I cant do it! I cant tell lies! I t it  it didnt s all I can do, and it doesnt ;

    quot;Its not all you can do. You can read ter, cant you? Come on, lets see ;

    time t ts were.

    t plain t extended far ao t. t by o exist everyrue srue lighe same dingy color.

    Standing on ts and c people, so many t Lyra couldnt guess t least, most of tanding, tting and some lying doless or asleep. No one , or running or playing, turned to look at ty in their wide eyes.

    quot;Gs,quot; s;ts ever died...quot;

    No doubt it  so ills arm, and  little forms darting and skimming over ts,  filled  felt like life.

    Beside till ec people aring at ill and Lyra, and to cro yet to face to do, and it .

    quot;Do you speak our language?quot; ;Can you speak at all?quot;

    Sened and full of pain as y t togets tle po clear voice t o respond.

    But t, pale sound, no more t breatter. And as t forling and desperate, ted to and from in front of to prevent too close. t ce longing, and Lyra kne once s t their own daemons again.

    quot;O daemons,quot; Lyra burst out compassionately; quot;and if my own daemon was roke ouch him, I promise...”

    And s o t gs less or fearful, but tance as fog, poor t and lifeless, to  trong-beating s of travelers, and bot a succession of cold, delicate brusions as ts passed t little by little too; t got an infinite amount of life and o give, and to stop.

    Finally Lyra o plead o hold back.

    S;Please, o tell me o do!quot;

    ts ed by t gloact ly alive. One g girl, en, reaco try and touc, and t Lyra said, quot;Dont be afraid,  come o  you, speak to us, if you can!quot;

    t girl spoke, but in  was only a whisper.

    quot;Did t? Did try and  you?quot;

    quot;Yea; said Lyra, quot;but if ts all t  t;

    quot;O isnt, ohey do worse...”

    quot;?  do t;

    But tant to tell  silent, until one boy said, quot;It ent so bad for ts been  tired after all t time, t fraid you up so much...”

    quot;Its t talking to most,quot; said t girl. quot;Its just.. .Os just eful. t tell you.quot;

    t s all seemed sunk in a let t t never move or speak again.

    quot;Listen,quot; said Lyra, quot;please listen. e came  to find a boy called Roger.  been  a fe if you know w;

    But even as s tay ill t every face, and still t never see more tiny fraction of t despair sit on ｐ://</kbd>

    eetried to  , ts part of it anyway.

    t g girl  lost little whisper.

    quot; to find ; said ill. quot;ell, Lyra s to speak to  t to find as  to find my fatoo, someo speak to o to come and speak to Lyra and to ill. Ask them...”

    But suddenly ts all turned and fled, even ttered by a sudden gust of  ty, and ts of rotten stink, battering hose raucous screams, jeering, mocking, cackling, deriding.

    Lyra so t once, covering ialys and Salmakia skimming to t, and  or to c ting insects, and ing, scoffing   s; but part of e cold and separate, ting, observing. None of ted to come anywhe knife.

    to see  migo sending to skim just over his head. her

    clumsily, and s made turn.  and slashe knife.

    By time t to attack, but ill called: quot;tialys! Come o my ;

    t;atc t ake  t to touc all. e can ignore t;

    Lyra looked up, ures fle or so a t t moment. tle, and to dart t t.

    And it  on ts, too: seeing ill standing unafraid and uno drift back toravelers. tciously, but for all t, trong beats, oo muco resist.

    Lyra stood up to join ill. rickling down  s aside.

    quot;ill,quot; s;Im so glad ;

    one in   s s ready to speak of it yet.

    o sood.

    t girl said, quot;t;

    And bot trangest sensation, as if little g ugging at to make them follow.

    So t off across t great desolate plain, and t t tance, and tch.

    As ts talked to them.

    quot;Excuse me,quot; said one g girl, quot;but ;

    Lyra ead.

    quot;e left our daemons outside,quot; ; ter. Did you ;

    quot;Yes,quot; said t, quot;;

    quot;And tled?quot; said Lyra.

    quot;No, not yet. o t, because I liked  nig s your daemon called?quot;

    Lyra told s pressed fored to talk about their daemons, every one.

    quot;Mine apan...”

    quot;e used to play  see  all, she was ever so good...”

    quot;Once I  my eye and I couldnt see and he way home...”

    quot;ed to settle, but I ed to groo argue...”

    quot;So curl up in my o sleep...”

    quot;Are till t;

    quot;No.  goes out like a candle flame. I seen it or, though, I never said good-bye...”

    quot;t no;

    tling gs ed and eager, travelers.

    ill said, quot;Is t ;

    A t boy of urned to him.

    quot;O; came t;e didnt understand   felt like to be  t;

    quot;I kne; said one girl, quot;I kne daemons, I t t somet never see s t to me, and t forever. rust, someone o do. But I aint got  knoo ;

    quot;t noto ; someone else said. quot;Not;

    quot;You dont kno; said anot;t t o ;

    S ill and Lyra.

    quot;t t ever ; said a g boy. quot;Maybe its all going to c;

    quot; ; said Lyra.

    quot;Go up to t;

    quot;Even if it meant you could only see it once, ill  to do t?quot;

    quot;Yes! Yes! Yes!quot;

    quot;ell, any to find Roger,quot; said Lyra, burning  it o kno.

    On t, slo among table gs. t see it, but tialys and Salmakia, flying above, ctle pale figures all moving  t looked like tion of immense flocks of birds or  ter of t eadily on; not leading, and not follo some into an intention of all the dead.

    ts moving even more quickly ting steeds, exc to rest side by side on a dry, hered branch.

    quot;Do ; said the Lady.

    quot;Since  into t boat, I  as if my  orn out and till beating on t; ;But it ; its still . So somet ttle girls daemon, and sometoo, Salmakia, because your face is drao knos arted t.quot;

    et safely, and took out tone resonator. But o touc wopped.

    quot;No response,quot; he said somberly.

    quot;So ;

    quot;Beyond ainly. ell, o t;

    quot;to t;

    quot;ill ;

    quot;Im sure  oialys, I dont kno;

    quot; survive tion of empted  arise. It  matter anymore.quot;

    quot;Do you to leave  to make?quot;

    ting after t brigongue.  make out est t trong.

    quot;No,quot; ;not yet. ts still to come,  may be.quot;

    quot;t bring o it safely.quot;

    quot;Bring toget;

    t rein, and ed off t once and sped doohe Chevalier close behind.

    But t stop o make sure t, tly because tless, and partly because ted to find out ended.

    Lyra sa a pang of relief t till somet darted and gloy. to keep o urned to ill; but so w o h, he heard her say:

    quot;ill, I  us to take all t kids outside, t em free! ell find Roger and your fats open to tside, and set em all free!quot;

    urned and gave rue smile, so umble and falter inside  least, it felt like t, but  Pantalaimon s ask  it meant. It mig to . Deeply surprised, sold o raigop feeling giddy.

    So t faster t;Roger, Lyras come, Roger, Lyras ; passed from one g to anotric message t one cell in to t.

    And tialys and Salmakia, cruising above on tireless dragonflies, and looking all around as tually noticed a ne. Some tle gyration of activity. Skimming do time, because someteresting s. talking excitedly in t hey were urging someone forward.

    Salmakia fle couldnt land: too great, and none of t o try. S boy , un old, and s:

    quot;Roger? Is t Roger?quot;

    he looked up, bemused, nervous, and nodded.

    Salmakia fleo ogeto Lyra. It e, but by cterns of movement, they finally found her.

    quot;t; said tialys, and called: quot;Lyra! Lyra! Your friend is t;

    Lyra looked up and   insect landed at once, its red and yellos filmy iff and still on eitialys kept  eye level.

    quot;; sement. quot;Is ;

    quot;An ; said t;But old  was  keep going, and soon youll find ;

    tialys sa to stand up straigo find some more energy. Lyra ions: o t did  he way?

    And so on. tialys tried to ansrutiently, and step by step to t to h.