taract of Saint-Jean-les-Eaux plunged bet tern end of a spur of ting station clung to tain above it. It tered  all  not been for t anbaric generators ons of er t roared the gorge.

    It  folloers arrest, and tormy. Near tone front of ting station, a zeppelin sloo a ing s belo made it look as if it anding on several legs of ligself to lie down.

    But t  satisfied; t into eddies and cross-gusts by tain. Besides, transformers oo close: to be s in among tantly fatal. Sleet drummed slant t rigid envelope of t, making a noise t almost droter and raining engines, and obscuring the ground.

    quot;Not ; t sed over t;ell go around t;

    Fatc moved ttle fored trim of tain. t suddenly lengto feel t in t and rain.

    quot;You cant get closer to tation t; said t, leaning foro let o t.

    quot;Not if you  to land,quot; t said.

    quot;Yes,  to land. Very  us do;

    t gave orders for to prepare to moor. Since t to unload  ant to make t secure. t settled back, tapping , gnating t ered.

    From ransverse bulk tcimes during t tle sal meso anyone  in order to  o a place whe risk was unavoidable.

    ening , tcter of booted feet on metal  engineer called some figures to t, igo truts and beams as tilted.

    Finally, sensing from t t t s on tarboard side.

    tions: creecs. Many of ty. On ter sat a, ching from her lap and exuding malice.

    Lord Roke ed for ted across to Mrs. Coulters seat, and .

    quot; are t; she murmured.

    quot;Landing. ere near ting station.quot;

    quot;Are you going to stay ; she whispered.

    quot;Ill stay o .quot;

    S, uncomfortably  in ted cabin, but  take it off.

    quot;Go on, no; sed inside t, finding a fur-lined pocket ucked Mrs. Coulters silk collar inside solicitously, for all tidious couturier attending to e model,  Lord Roke ely .

    in time. Not a minute later a soldier armed o order Mrs. Coulter out of the airship.

    quot;Must I ; she said.

    quot;I  been told to remove t; ;On your feet, please.quot;

    quot;But its o move if I cant o tiff, Ive been sitting  part of a day  moving, and you kno any s really necessary to manacle me. Am I going to try and run a;

    Lord Roke o  interested in its effect on ot a grizzled old warrior.

    quot;ell,quot; said t;Im sure you , maam, but I cant do  been ordered to do. You see t, Im sure. Please stand up, maam, and if you stumble, Ill catc;

    Sood up, and Lord Roke felt  graceful  umble and cry out in alarm, and felt t oo; turning over steadily to generate pos, voices from somewhere nearby giving orders.

    ter leaning ly, and Lord Roke could just make out his reply.

    quot;t, maam, over te,  t I darent ask ;

    quot;O; sty sig. quot;t;

    Lord Roke ed feet moving a;You  t;

    quot;tell me o know w;

    quot;About ten of my paces ao t. A big man. I can see t .quot;

    quot;No good unless I know w;

    quot;Yes. A s, stubby key ape .quot;

    Lord Roke climbed doil  there he clung and looked around.

    t, en brilliantly. But as ing around for so s of   out abruptly.

    o t once and sprang t to, ry and catc.

    In t at t s ton of trousers, o t above t.

    t gave a grunting cry and fell clumsily, grasping rying to breatrying to call out. Lord Roke let go and sprang ahe falling body.

    No one iced: t be seen. But to o ter, and  ss of steel, as big around as ill ape. And to le ual risk of ts.

    And t;You all rig?quot;

    t ts, upor. Lord Roke couldnt : a spring and a kick, and t.

    ling, o lift six ot of taped one  t back on, but even in two men lying unconscious ...

    And as ed t, a s  up.  rengtugging, ing, cra arrived and voices called for lig;S?quot;

    quot;Didnt ;Are t;

    t, secure again, snapped on once more. Lord Roke ock-still,  and rig everyones attention wo men weriously, o il er.

    A second later sly to t for t and ran up to her shoulder.

    quot;; o ;t begun to unload it. Its te on t do anytill take it out, and even then...”

    quot;All rig; ;run. ay c;

    doo  a sound s, slo first so as not to catco ting ao see the way.

    Beinuing roar of ts, t trying to impose some order on tion t s tialys, and didnt envy their waking up.

    But soon s rocks, and all s reflected back from t curved belly of tly t  out again, and all sraining vainly against taract below.

    tation ruggling over to bring a poo the bomb.

    ter  o get out of tuation alive: t ter. to get Lyras  of t it off. Lord Roke er , letting take to t sky; and to tory and c of ttle dark golden curl in ting cion. ly  t ligtering surfaces in tory, not to mention tant coming and going of tec impossible for o do anyt it there.

    So to remove ter t up.

    And t o be even  t intended to do er. tting t tercision: tine. o sever tion beto destroy er. Sed. It , at least, s.

    in t t go on using tinually, because ing, t took a day for tency to build up again. Before long s force, and ts.

    S to ts of a spruce tree t clung to ttled  to look around.

    Beood ting station. ts to o t far as rees. tself, as tic reel on a truck at top of t te tes or less.

    At tood guard, looking out into t-filled dark  te containing t ready for ter could see it clearly in ts, streaming ly tilted on tension crackle and s, esque jump rope.

    Mrs. Coulter ructure: the silver blade above.

    tood at one end of tus. t of it range to ors, ttice of tubing. Nevert complexity tle lock of hing depended.

    to  to te and a ter from taract of Saint-Jean-les-Eaux.

    tumbled foro t looked up to t o tered a piercing yell.

    was he doing?

    A moment later Mrs. Coulter found out. Of all unlikely tc as ed above the wind:

    quot;Searcure of some kind s attacked several of my men already. You can see t and kill it!quot;

    quot;t; said tcone t carried clearly to Mrs. Coulters ser. quot;I can see it in t;

    quot;Never mind t. Find ture and destroy it,quot; said t. quot;It cant be far aoo.”

    tco the air again.

    Suddenly ters ed.

    tc  somet moving.

    quot;Go and bring ; sed from one rock to anottle patcered close to o see, but all the same he was horribly conspicuous.

    Faturned to ting station  t doo it, and tecerminals.

    Mrs. Coulter o do, no im  turned to look over  ense t urned up  into togeting of a saint in tasy of martyrdom. Mrs. Coulter felt a sudden bolt of fear, because sly .

    Darting from rock to rock, the golden monkey reached Lord Roke.

    quot;My left leg is broken,quot; said t;t man stepped on me. Listen carefully...”

    As ted s, Lord Roke explained exactly . tically under t step by step, from so s tle burden.

    Mrs. Coulter, cing  a  to  to tree. An arrouck t arm. At once sc anotumbled doohe monkey.

    And t once, too quickly: t of gunfire, and a cloud of acrid smoke billoer attacked, set Lord Roke doo  as tc t t rock, and Mrs. Coulter grappled directly ch.

    tled furiously among t about tearing all tchs cloud-pine branch.

    Meaning o t, but ruck  quickly. tecments, cers and gauges.

    Out of noc  too tigcore ers grasp, snatcattered pine branc into to join her daemon.

    Mrs. Coulter otack  like claear gas. t of tumbled a, to gat ribbed belly of training at its cables in ts silver sides running ure.

    But ters ears ring: a scream so  even tcer, pitce limbs, black silk, and green tc at t of Fathe rock.

    Mrs. Coulter darted foro see if Lord Roke  t spur chs neck.

    tcill just alive, and ;Somet;

    It made no sense. t epping over o reactle clay.

    t for Fat not to attack: o reac of ting c tried to grab  Mrs. Coulter seized tried to pull  see: to ill gas in the air.

    And all around t was happening?

    ts s noteady, not even tainside. t and Mrs. Coulter fougo cearing, pulling, biting, and sired and rong; but se, too, and s  part of ced t ing, reaching in...

    to emple. Sunned, and t broke free and o t after him.

    And tal clasp! Still more to undo; and Mrs. Coulter  terminals, t, ation, ing ogether.

    tense le cloud of gold:  Lyras  ever it  ble once in ters rigig it clung to t pounded.

    But someto . A terrible clarity o see t tiny details, and tail in t mattered: stuck to one of

    ting chere was a single dark gold hair.

    S o loosen ttle strengt. t passed  clear of t s ore at t against t togetter silence t silver blade s down.

    Somet Mrs. Coulter .

    ting o be surprised at anymore; tention craft stood bely level. ed o t, ignoring the cries of alarm and confusion.

    quot;Is  go off?quot; so say.

    Lord Asriel climbed in beside  in, too, tunned monkey in ook trols and t sprang at once into ter looked do tain slope. Men ing station snaked do, making its o ttering bomb, he cage.

    quot;Lord Roke?quot; said Lord Asriel.

    quot;Dead,quot; she whispered.

    ton, and a lance of flame jetted toossing, sant later to a rose of ention craft,  uncop of to tumble in a er of smoke and flames doainside, gating trees as it , until it plunged into te ers of taract, o the dark.

    Lord Asriel toucrols again and tention craft began to speed a Mrs. Coulter couldnt take cime, gazing ear-filled eyes at til it ical line of orange scratceam, and t hing.