Lord Asriel said, quot;Marisa,  to land.quot;

    A blustery da fortress as tention craft fleer, sore and sick, opened  been asleep. So to made for ts.

    As soon as t  out and ran to join King Ogunern cer entirely. tec once to attend to took no notice of ioned  t solen; it  tower, wo bring her some food and coffee.

    quot;ever you ; s;And t; s on as turned to go: quot;Lord Asriels aletrist, Mr. ...quot;

    quot;Mr. Basilides?quot;

    quot;Yes. Is o come ?quot;

    quot; t, maam. Ill ask o step up ;

    So t s. t s made  some more coals on tove,  op rembling, but t just her flesh.

    ten minutes later trist, ingale daemon on ly. A moment later tray of bread, cer said:

    quot;t?quot;

    quot;I ake some coffee, t;

    quot;Please tell me,quot; s;because Im sure youve been follo;

    ated. tched her arm,

    quot;S; said Basilides carefully, quot;but also...quot;

    quot;Yes? O do you mean?quot;

    quot;Sime I could not interpret rument elling me: it seemed impossible. But t. So ts to come out. As soon as t seems t t s and desirable end for ter tells me t t to deat t task for o accomplis, t of t;

    Mrs. Coulter couldnt speak. So turn ao to conceal tion on her face. Finally she said:

    quot;And  no, I kno predict. Is s;

    quot;S sill all toget;

    quot;And t;

    quot;t  ;

    Mrs. Coulter felt suddenly exed. Sed noto lie doside, ttered in ts.

    quot;t; surning back to t;Im very grateful. Please  me kno  s;

    t. Mrs. Coulter  to lie do try as s keep her eyes closed.

    quot; do you make of t, King?quot; said Lord Asriel.

    celescope at sometern sky. It ain  , t it  at arms lengt it  been t ely still.

    telescope broug closer, but tail: cloud still looks like cloud s magnified.

    quot;tain,quot; said Ogun;Or, ? t?quot;

    quot;it at tatron. tures: ions ao do more t, if t angel t, tered tain to spy. If tle, ends to intervene directly in , Ogun Inquisition, orial Court of Discipline could dream up, staffed by spies and traitors in every ed personally by telligence ts keeping t mountain aloft...ty at least o y o s. t;

    quot;ell, ; said Ogun;Look, is t smoke?quot;

    A drift of gray ain, a slo t it couldnt  ing against t tore at the clouds.

    t o  it ;Angels,quot; he said.

    Lord Asriel came aelescope and stood up, ens of til  part of te figures fle on coming. Lord Asriel rong flocks of blue starlings t  around t  a multitude in all reamed ao th.

    quot;As t?quot; said Lord Asriel, pointing. quot;ts not t;

    tain, and long tattered banners of vapor streamed out in t Lord Asriel  from tside. tumbled, and t parted for a second.

    tain t t for a moment; and to conceal it again.

    King Ogun down his field glasses.

    quot;ts not a mountain,quot; ;I sas ...quot;

    quot;So did I. A  to do t. But as for ...”

    tion, onis, urned and gripped  all but bruised o the bone.

    quot;t got t; ly. quot;t got Zes;

    his friends rough cheek.

    quot;Fe;  on, quot;and s-lived as ronger. ts red, Im sure of it. to ed to t termination, e numbers as you can s!quot;

    quot;Asriel, t;

    quot;e s;

    quot;And suppose  to look for your daug;

    quot;My daug; cried Lord Asriel, exulting. quot;Isnt it someto bring a c into t o trick  of  to go doo t t! And t boy; I  to meet t boy; I  to s aking on ed t did ty and , tatron, did t taking on  involved?quot;

    quot;Lord Asriel,quot; said t;do you understand ance for ture?quot;

    quot;Frankly, no. ts o see Basilides. ;

    quot;to ter. But t; il ed.quot;

    quot;ed before. Send for iel to come to tos convenient. I must give ;

    Madame Oxentiel o take over Lord Rokes responsibilities. King Ogun he gray horizon.

    All t day tain, looking for an opening, but  success. Not or inore at t parting even for a second. to t, gilding tinting tain every s, of apricot and orange. ly from hin.

    arriors , loading ing sigs arrived. Padding silently over tely, singly, came a number of armored  long after of several cime.

    Along to tress glimmered ts, marking ts of spy-angels cruised tirelessly, keeping ch.

    At midnig to in discussion iel teukros Basilides. trist  finisood up, crossed to t at tant gloain ern sky. t; t  urn pale and tremble, and none of te knew o respond.

    Finally Lord Asriel spoke.

    quot;Mr. Basilides,quot; ;you must be very fatigued. I am grateful for all your efforts. Please take some ;

    quot;t; said the reader.

    okay and he glass.

    quot; ; said tiel.

    Lord Asriel came back to table.

    quot;ell,quot; ;it  o survive; and t me if Im summarizing atron is intent on capturing tures to

    folloill t;

    t; form do t daemons?quot;

    quot;t yet fixed, madame,quot; said teukros Basilides. quot;t be any s;

    quot;So,quot; said Lord Asriel, quot;to sum it up: all of us, our Republic, ture of every conscious being, atron?quot;

    quot;t is so.quot;

    Lord Asriel sig isfaction; it ion, and reac made quite unexpected sense.

    quot;Very ; able. quot;t le begins. King Ogunress. Madame Oxentiel, you are to send your people out at once to searcion for toget t point, I understand, to o anoty.quot;

    tiff gray  t, glinting like stainless steel, and ted from Lord Roke spread  by the door.

    quot;No; do you knoatron? ill rengt;

    quot;o prominence long after I ; t;I   o dominate trong indeed, strong in every  angels ron ;

    Ogunell t Lord Asriel ruck by an idea. tention suddenly  focus for an instant, and to t ra censity.

    quot;I see,quot; ;Finally, Xapells us t t only opened an abyss belo also fractured tructure of t t be a o t abyss. I  you to look for it.quot;

    quot; are you going to do?quot; said King Ogunwe harshly.

    quot;Im going to destroy Metatron. But my part is nearly over. Its my daugo live, and its our task to keep all t so find o a safer ;

    quot;And  Mrs. Coulter?quot; said the king.

    Lord Asriel passed a hand over his forehead.

    quot;I  roubled,quot; ;Leave ect ice. ever else so surprise me. But  do, and : ect Lyra until s o being for t. Let us do it as ;

    Mrs. Coulter lay in Lord Asriels bed next door. irred, for s deeply asleep. S of roubled slumber uneasy and h longing.

    up beside  s  to move closer to t ed to icular  they were all doomed.

    Finally so stand up.

    quot;Asriel,quot; so t.

    ly; to propitiate  turn.

    quot;Asriel, ; saking a chair.

    o igue.  doed an elboable. till, tting uprig at Lord Asriels side, cer unblinkingly.

    quot;You didnt ; he said.

    quot;I tle. I couldnt sleep, but I  listening. ;

    quot;No.quot;

    ill  ansion, and  going to, and s.

    quot;e s; s;and broug;

    It  tered test possible gro t, and settled dostretching.

    quot;I cant  of oblivion, Asriel,quot; sinued. quot;Sooner anyt. I used to to be tortured forever, I t t must  as long as you  ter,  it? Better t going into t forever and ever?quot;

    o listen. tention; to respond. She said:

    quot;t terly, and about me... I t you ed and your ing me. Ive never ed you, but I could understand... I could see  I couldnt see ;

    urned hen looked back.

    quot;I remember you said sometrange, on Svalbard, on taintop, just before you left our ; s on. quot;You said: Come roy Dust forever. You remember saying t? But you didnt mean it. You meant te, didnt you? I see noell me ell me you rying to preserve Dust? You could old me trut;

    quot;I ed you to come and join me,quot; , quot;and I t you ;

    quot;Yes,quot; s;ts .quot;

    S sit still, but s really rengto stand up. For a moment s faint,  almost at once ilessly tuation had changed.

    quot;Asriel...quot; she murmured.

    t a tentative  to toucc a elmaria didnt move; er.

    quot;O ; Mrs. Coulter said again. quot;Is t;

    hing.

    Moving like someone in a dream, s to , picked up t lay in t for ol; and  t moment tsteps running up tairs.

    Boturned to look at the orderly who came in and said

    breathlessly:

    quot;Excuse me, my lord, t far from tern gate, in ts, try tried to talk to t t come near. It e or so ago...quot;

    Lord Asriel sat up, transfigured. All tigue . o  and seized coat.

    Ignoring Mrs. Coulter,  around o the orderly:

    quot;tell Madame Oxentiel at once. Put t: t to be tened, or frig...quot;

    Mrs. Coulter  airs. steps oo, tle side.

    le and complex as it y-five years of life.

    quot;Very ; s;I cant see any ot;

    once o , and t, and tly left tairs.