quot;ill,quot; said Lyra, quot; ts out?quot;

    Because tures ting louder and flying closer, and time, as if tself into little clots of malice and giving ts kept looking up fearfully.

    quot;Are ting close?quot; Lyra called to the Lady Salmakia.

    quot;Not far no; s;You could see  rock.quot;

    But Lyra didnt  to e time. Srying  to put on a c every moment in front of  terrible image of ttle dog-Pan abandoned on tty as t closed around , t be hopeful for Roger; she always had been.

    o face, it e suddenly. In among ts, tures   as a g could be. o embrace her.

    But  tle c , it rengto ruly touch again.

    But ;Lyra, I never t Id ever see you again, I t even if you did come do to speak to me...”

    quot;?quot;

    quot;Because I done t my daemon ao figo you! t o get my daemon again, and ;

    quot;But t  your fault, stupid!quot; Lyra said. quot;It  brung you t place, and I s you go back ians. It . Im so sorry, Roger, , it , you ve been ;

    quot;ell,quot; ;I dunno. Maybe I  dead some ot it  your fault, Lyra, see.quot;

    S o believe it; but all t o see ttle cold t so out of reacried to grasp , ty air; but ood and sat down beside her.

    ts tle, leaving t, too, to sit do ts to force tend to the wound.

    But Lyra and Roger o t.

    quot;And you ent dead,quot; ;ill alive? And w;

    quot;Oo leave   to do, it  so muc s, and  stood t looking, o like a murderer, Roger, but I o, or else I couldnt ;

    quot;I been pretending to talk to you all time since I died,quot; ;I been , me and all terrible place, Lyra, its  t till youre resting, you cant never sleep properly, you just sort of doze, and t beside you and t forget em. t t you. to make you feel  tupid ts you ever  you cant get a;

    quot;ell,quot; s;listen.quot;

    Dropping o ttle g, just as so do w Jordan, : s on:

    quot;You probably dont kno tcc a prop me. t knoo anyone about it before. But ian took me to see tcest. o go outside and pick out t piece of cloud-pine out of all to ser.

    quot;ell, I done t, and t  only took a second, it alking to Farder Coram, and t knoo do somet and important, and it o be in another world...

    quot;Only I never spoke of it, and I reckon I must  it, t sort of sunk out of my mind. I never even talked about it h Pan, cause he would have laughed, I reckon.

    quot;But ter on Mrs. Coulter caugrance, and I , and I dreamed of you. And I remembered tian boat mota, you remember, it   on board of, in Jerichem...”

    quot;Yes! And  to Abingdon! t  t never forget t, even if Im down housand years...”

    quot;Yes, but listen,  time, rigians again and ter me and... O, youd be amazed, but tant ta said to me, s cians er people but I was a fire person.

    quot;And  means is s of preparing me for tc sometant to do, and Dr. Lanselius t al I never found out iny ill it  never ask about it... So I never did. I never even t  miger, even.

    quot;But no a sort of proof.  I got to do, Roger, iny is, is I got to s out of t to rescue you all. Im sure its t. It must be. And because Lord Asriel, because of someto die, ll nt tell em yet, promise. I mean you mig last up t...”

    e to speak, so sopped.

    quot;ts just ed to tell you!quot; ;I told em, all told t like you came and rescued t, it anyone can. they

    rue, ted to believe me, but tell.

    quot;For one t;  on, quot;every kid ts ever come arts by saying, I bet my dadll come and get me, or I bet my mum, as soon as sc ent ts t someones going to come and rescue em. Only told em youd come. Only I was rig;

    quot;Yea; s;   ill. ts ill over ts tialys and to tell you, Roger...quot;

    quot;;

    Lyra began to explain, quite unaraig ory of ing  for tle knife.  Roger noticed, he unchanging dead.

    Meanalking quietly.

    quot; are you going to do, you and t; said tialys.

    quot;Open t ts out. ts  t;

    onis on any faces, let alone t respect for t silent for a fes, and tialys said:

    quot;ts test blorike. ty er t;

    quot; it?quot; said t;Itll come at t of now;

    quot;And ; tialys asked ill.

    quot; to get out ourselves, and find our daemons, I suppose. Dont ts enougo t said anyto ts, in case…, in case it doesnt  you say anyto find a c to ract t.quot;

    Instantly to tc insects c t  creatures  w over briger again.

    took up tantly t aunts about opped.  trying to clear his mind.

    ried again, . e ty of t ttle to stop them.

    ell, t it o be like. It  going to get any easier. So ill let  sat til he was ready again.

    time t straigo t rock. o t up and tried again.

    And t   ing.

    Next time  carefully in tting tip searc revealed a ouc. to; everywouc was solid rock.

    Lyra  sometion  to o ills side.

    quot; is it?quot; sly.

    old ;ere going to o move some going to let us. old ts ;

    quot;No. Only Roger, and I told o keep it quiet. ever I tell  not ever get out. Suppose  stuck ;

    quot;t to,  cut a tunnel. Itll take a long time, and I  o, but  ;

    quot;Yea. Course ;

    But s . t go on muc t  quail in ightly, aching for Pan.

    Mean leave Lyra alone.

    quot;Please,quot; said one girl, quot;you  forget us w;

    quot;No,quot; said Lyra, quot;never.quot;

    quot;Youll tell t us?quot;

    quot;I promise. s your name?quot;

    But tten. Surned away, hiding her face, and a boy said:

    quot;Its better to forget, I reckon. Ive forgotten mine. Some ent been ill knoen a  ts t. And t;

    quot;Yea; said anot;tell us about t!quot;

    And more and more of to tell t tten, suco play; and surned to ill and w; s;

    quot;tell t;

    quot;Im scared. After w he harpies...”

    quot;tell trut;

    S fully. In fact, s sick urned back to ts, whronging closer and closer.

    quot;Please!quot; t;Youve just come from tell us, tell us! tell us about t;

    tree not far a a dead trunk s bone o t talk at time, s so as to o sit. ts jostled and so make room.

    tree, tialys landed on ills ed t o listen.

    quot;t; ly, quot;t you migo fig;

    it s s o it. tialys took off again, and tree and sat dos.

    So many dead figures clustered around, pressing  ill o make t  Roger stay close, because  Lyra, listening h a

    passion.

    And Lyra began to talk about the world she knew.

    Sold tory of er it until it o fly again; and  and cob migokay, s tell, and  listened, proud and desperate, nodding and s just rue all rig;

    told t t battle betohe clayburners.

    First s in everyts, t brick beeold t trees along told o split up into great es,  to squiso te of mud, trying to keep it as big as you could  breaking it. Underneat ill , ideal for t people.

    And sten-leaf-mold smell of t, tatoes to eat; and ter slipping slickly over to ts; and tried to pull your foot out of t slap of te paddles in ter.

    As ss croop.

    told o o; and oed and planned and attacked t t one anotle and tearing it dourning tifications into missiles until ter ricably togetly to sole, and none of tter day in all their lives.

    ill, exed. then she had a shock.

    As s, silent all around, and oo: tree ered  her, solemn and spellbound.

    Sood up in sudden fear, but t move.

    quot;You,quot; se, quot;you fle me before, o tell you somets stopping you noear at me  out of me!quot;

    quot;t is t er, en to me. t gs came doo see t in every one, and ill our blood is rank  and our very s are sickened.

    quot;But still, it  o open a o ts out into the air...”

    And   til ts fell silent again.

    quot;Yes,quot; cried No-Name, quot;to lead t!  will we do now? I sell you w we will do: from

    noear and rend every g t comes tred. teland now; we s a ;

    Every single ree and straig ts, making tter in terror. Lyra clung to ills arm and said, quot;t a do it. te us, trayed t  better!quot;

    quot;Quiet,quot; said tialys. quot;Dont despair. Call ten to us.quot;

    So ill cried out, quot;Come back! Come back, every one of you! Come back and listen!quot;

    One by one t for misery, turned and fleo tree, and ts drifted back as  tle tense figure, green-clad and dark- to a rock whey could all see him.

    quot;; ;ter t. Ansions truly, and  I say, and to you outside t ?quot;

    quot;Lies!quot; t;Lies and fantasies!quot;

    quot;Yet ened, every one of you, and you kept silent and still. Again, ;

    quot;Because it rue,quot; said No-Name. quot;Because srut  . Because it rue. Because   broug rue.quot;

    quot;t; said tialys, quot;lets make a bargain ead of seeing only ty and greed of ts t come doo ask all ts to tell you tories of to tell trut oucs ory; every single one t comes doure o tell you about t to o tell you.quot;

    Lyra marveled at ttle spy. o tures as if o give ts? Any one of t, o smas tood, proud and fearless, making a bargain ened, and conferred, turning to one anotheir voices low.

    All ts c.

    turned back.

    quot;ts not enoug; s;e  more t. e ask under tion. e y. e fulfilled tys commands diligently, and for t ake any notice of us, if t into t let t be dispensed y and a task to do, one t  ;

    ted on ttering and raising t a moment later Salmakia leapt up to join t:

    quot;You are quite rigask to do ts important, one t brings task, and its one t only you can do, because you are task o guide ts from to t into they will

    tell you tories as a fair and just payment for t seem rigo you?quot;

    No-Name looked at ers, and t;And o refuse to guide to tell us. If toucion for infants o learn anyt ot guide t.quot;

    quot;t is fair,quot; said Salmakia, and travelers agreed.

    So treaty. And in excory of Lyras t to take travelers and to a part of t unnels and caves,  ts could follow.

    But before t, as loudly as a  of a te face, and he cried:

    quot; ill o o us!quot;

    Otook up tion: quot;Yes, tell us o expect! e  go unless ;

    Lyra turned to ill in despair, but ;tell truter, and tell t it says.quot;

    quot;All rig; she said.

    Sook out trument. t once. S it aood up.

    quot;tll ; s;and its true, perfectly true.  of icles t make you up  apart, just like your daemons did. If youve seen people dying, you kno looks like. But your daemons ent just not of everytoms t o trees and t part of everyts exactly o you, I promise on my  apart, its true, but youll be out in t of everyt;

    No one spoke. t, and t , and no one spoke until a young uries before. So ts:

    quot;old us t y in ts and angels praising ty, in a state of bliss. ts s o give our lives, and oto spend years in solitary prayer, e around us and we never knew.

    quot;Because t a place of res a place of not, or peace.

    quot;But no and Im going to follo, because it  be nottering in tars and t true home and always was.

    quot;So I urge you: come  to t;

    But   aside by t of a man when he said:

    quot;tter message, a sad and cruel joke. Cant you see trut a c of tion and tears. Notisfy us. But ty ed us ternity, to t  ruly!  t lies. Ss to lead you to  your peril. My companions and I of true faiternity singing ty, o tell true.quot;

    Once again urned away in hing.

    Lyra felt beake? Sion on every side. But s trusting Mrs. Coulter because of iful smile and -scented glamour. It o get t o guide  too.

    But ill was s o  roughly.

    quot;You knos not true,quot; ;just as ake no notice! too. And ts make a start.quot;

    So trust rut old her; she knew Pan would have.

    So t off, and ts began to follooo far back for to see, otants of t  marcialys and Salmakia fleo look and o see ty  look  all, beings like tranger gs as well.

    But ill and Lyra rengto look back; all ter the harpies, and hope.

    quot; done it, ill?quot; Lyra  nearly over?quot;

    tell. But t ;Yes, its nearly over, . ell be out soon.quot;