Next day ill and Lyra  out by ttle, eager to be alone  s; t focused on .

    t all day on t of ternoon, ted talked, te, trance of  ting h love.

    In tal, saying little, and because t t to t be a cool breeze. til to t under tide urning.

    t sand at t of t bird calling.

    turned t once, because it  sounded like no creature t belonged to te trilling song, and t from a different direction. Deligried to see t all t ed up again, all time singing and singing in ricones an endlessly varied song.

    And tter of  ttle fountain of sand in front of  bird landed a few yards away.

    Lyra said, quot;Pan... ?quot;

    o tell in t; at any rate, e sand. till circled overill singing, and to join  pearl  of dark red feathers.

    And ill kne o see o t  tig. Sixty years and more ions as brigting t bet as tered t rigo  t dunes.

    Lyra made to move to Pantalaimon spoke.

    quot;Lyra,quot; ;Serafina Pekkala came to us last nigold us all kinds of to guide tians heyll be here...”

    quot;Pan,quot; sressed, quot;o  is it?  is it?quot;

    to e ermine. too, ill felt it tle grip at , and became a cat.

    Before so ;tc listen, listen to us no;

    quot;Yes, you must listen,quot; said Pantalaimon. quot;to explain.quot;

    Beto tell told tion about tures: about  intending it, tco separate and yet still be one being.

    quot;But ts not all,quot; Kirjava said.

    And Pantalaimon said, quot;O ell you ...quot;

    Lyra was bewildered.  ill, and saw  as clear as her own.

    quot;tell us,quot; ;Dont be afraid.quot;

    quot;Its about Dust,quot; said t daemon, and ill marveled to  of ure telling  kno;It  to t you saopped it flo...”

    quot;ill, it  golden lig; Lyra said. quot;t t all floo t ? as it really?quot;

    quot;Yes. But t all time,quot; Pantalaimon  on. quot;And it mustnt. It mustnt all leak as got to stay in t vanis;

    quot;But ; said Lyra.

    Bot ill, and at the knife.

    quot;Every time ; said Kirjava, and again ill felt t little t;every time anyone made an opening bet into tiness outside. tiness too fine to see. But it e big enoug to leak out of. If t up again at once, t time for muco leak out, but t time, Dust  of to not;

    tanding o da it, t a it  like t t seeps into tinguisars: it crept past every barrier t up and under every blind and around tain t it.

    quot;Every opening,quot; Lyra said in a whisper.

    quot;Every single one, t all be closed?quot; said ill.

    quot;Every single one,quot; said Pantalaimon, whispering like Lyra.

    quot;O; said Lyra. quot;No, it cant be true ...”

    quot;And so  leave our o stay in Lyras,quot; said Kirjava, quot;or Pan and Lyra must leave to stay in ours. t;

    t struck in.

    And Lyra cried aloud. Pantalaimons o before ened every small creature t , but it o te  Lyra uttered noion, understood  of trut knohemselves had learned.

    Lyra s and turning ear-streaming face t as if looking for an ansrembling.

    quot;Listen,quot; ;Lyra, listen: ;

    quot;O; sossing , quot; ened, too!quot;

    so ely to o o ;No, no, no...quot;

    quot;Listen,quot; ;Lyra, lets try and remember it exactly. t be a  be a loop;

    ly and made  do once Pantalaimon, frigo  daemon tentatively came close to ill. t touc, but no a o  face against epped delicately onto his lap.

    quot;; people could spend a little time in ot being affected. t  from o go into till  ;

    quot;ttle time, but not a long time,quot; ill said. quot;My faten years. And en years, ts all.quot;

    quot;But  Lord Boreal? Sir C ;

    quot;Yes, but remember, o  s er all, in your  no one else kne.quot;

    quot;ell, !quot;

    quot;e could, except t...quot;

    quot;All t be closed,quot; said Pantalaimon. quot;All of t;

    quot;But ; demanded Lyra.

    quot;An angel told us,quot; said Kirjava. quot;e met an angel. Sold us all about t, and ots true, Lyra.quot;

    quot;S; said Lyra passionately, suspicious.

    quot;It ; said Kirjava.

    quot;Ive never ;

    ill y. quot;Suppose t; ;and  made one  t up immediately, t  leave mucime for Dust to go out?quot;

    quot;Yes!quot;

    quot;ed make it ;  on, quot;and only us two would know...”

    quot;O  ; she said.

    quot;And o tay hy...”

    But tressed, and Kirjava ;No, no.quot;

    And Pantalaimon said, quot;ters... Sold us about ters, too.quot;

    quot;ters?quot; said ill. quot;e satle, for t time.  about t;

    quot;ell,  ;And t time  makes a Specter. Its like a little bit of t floats out and enters ts  open t;

    quot;And t,quot; said Pantalaimon. quot;And on daemons. Because Dust and daemons are sort of similar; groers get bigger and stronger as t;

    ill felt a dull  , and Kirjava pressed  , feeling it, too, and trying to comfort him.

    quot;So every time Ive used t; ;every single time, Ive made anoter come to life?quot;

    ; you dont knos oentions may be good. tentions, too.quot;

    Lyras eyes ch anguish.

    quot;O, ill!quot; s;e cant do t to people, not let oters out, not no;

    quot;All rig; ting to , o . quot;to, one of us o your ;

    S o say, and siful,  even begun to knoo abandon oget?  be living  s be able to live h himself.

    quot;No,quot; salaimon on togetely. quot;Ill do it, ill! ell come to your  doesnt matter if  ill, me and Pan, rong, I bet  a good long time, and tors in your !quot;

    ears on his cheeks.

    quot;Dyou t, Lyra?quot; ;Dyou tc sick and ill and fade ating stronger and more groen years... ts notd pass in a flasies. Its not t far a, Lyra, you and me gro preparing to do all t to do, and t all comes to an end. Do you to live on after you died? Oo t t it, just like you follo ed like yours. No, oget spend togeto spend t.quot;

    Biting cracted anguish.

    opped and turned, and  on: quot;Dyou remember anoto build t for us t any elseoo bitter. I t  meant Lord Asriel and   us,  you and me. e o live in our o;

    quot;Im going to ask ter,quot; Lyra said. quot;tll kno kno before.quot;

    S do en  little bag over ucked t movement ook out t bundle.

    quot;Can you see?quot; , the face were very small.

    quot;I kno it off by . ;

    S over to make a lap. ill lay on one elboc moonliged off te sand, lit up  seemed to dra some ottered, and  ill could  already possess every fiber of his being.

    Lyra took a deep breato turn t after only a fes, sopped and turned trument around.

    quot;rong place,quot; sried again.

    ill, c so  sometration so sink into so quickly. Instead, an un spread gradually over  o symbol, almost at random, instead of darting sly and certainly.

    quot;I dont kno; s;I dont kno I cant seem to see  means...quot;

    Sook a deep, surned trument around. It looked strange and a into ed al, peering at one symbol after anoturned one urned t ill, stricken.

    quot;O; s;I cant do it! Its left me!quot;

    quot;; ;dont fret. Its still t kno be calm and let yourself find it. Dont force it. Just sort of float doo touc...quot;

    S across ook several deep breat oo tense, and   rembling and igried again. Once more s turned t tepped  t didnt kno.

    Surned ao ill and said desperately:

    quot;Its no good, I can tell, its gone forever, it just came o do, for rescuing Roger, and t its over, no everyts just left me... Its gone, ill! Ive lost it! Itll never come back!quot;

    Se abandon. All  kno   s.

    tled and looked up. ill and Lyra sensed it, too, and folloo t o h wings.

    quot;Its t; said Pantalaimon, guessing.

    ly. As tco time  in t prepared for trangeness of ter. hers hands

    tigo of anot t meant not clot. It o tell if s ere and compassionate, and bot as if so ts.

    quot;ill,quot; s;I o ask your ;

    quot;My ;

    quot;I  you to so close t t;

    ill s;Ill s; ;and in return, can you ;

    quot;Not in t. I can see alking about. Your sorroraces in t, but believe me, every single being es t even t po to. to ;

    quot;rembling, quot;er anymore?  I even do t? t s just not t just vanis ;

    quot;You read it by grace,quot; said Xap ;and you can regain it by ;

    quot; take?quot;

    quot;A lifetime.quot;

    quot;t long...quot;

    quot;But your reading ter ter a lifetime of t and effort, because it anding. Grace attained like t is deeper and fuller t comes freely, and furt, it ;

    quot;You mean a full lifetime, dont you?quot; Lyra  just... a fe;

    quot;Yes, I do,quot; said the angel.

    quot;And must all t; said ill. quot;Every single one ?quot;

    quot;Understand t; said Xap;Dust is not a constant. t a fixed quantity t , t all time, by ting, by gaining  on.

    quot;And if you o do t, by o learn and understand about to be kind instead of cruel, and patient instead of y, and cead of surly, and above all o keep to replace  t open.quot;

    ill trembled ement, and  to a single point: to a ne, and t living fully in eitogeter on, t  citizens of to they could do all kinds of good...

    But Lyra was shaking her head.

    quot;No,quot; s ;, ill...”

    And , and in tone, ;No, the dead...”

    quot;e must leave it open for t!quot;

    quot;Yes, ot;

    quot;And  make enoug for the window open...”

    Srembling. S very young as o his side.

    quot;And if ; ;if  to tell t as  to tell people t, Lyra.quot;

    quot;true stories, yes,quot; s;true stories t to  noto tell about it o tell t, ill.quot;

    quot;Alone, t;

    quot;Yes,quot; s;alone.quot;

    And at t a great  some profound convulsion urbed. All  be alone again, and tely precious blessing t o  be taken a at once.  teeper to darken t t tremble and begin to spill,  t mass cras of t against t of s force and ters e; neithem a single inch.

    ed,  eventually it o subside, and ttle calmer after ters ill agitated, and perruly calm again, but t force had gone.

    turned to tood, and t s as sorro soo.

    ill s Ill o open one first, and make anoter. I never kne t;

    quot;e sake care of ters,quot; said Xapook to e steady.  a o  a great factory or c, orage tanks,  every corner, o the air.

    quot;Its strange to t angels dont knoo do t; ill said.

    quot;tion.quot;

    quot;And youre going to close t one,quot; ill said. quot;All except t;

    quot;Yes, t is a promise. But it is conditional, and you knoion.quot;

    quot;Yes, o close?quot; quot;terrible abyss made by t opening Lord Asriel made out of  bot too, some deep under t in ot;

    quot;Barucold me t t to travel beto do t? ill you be confined to one ; quot;No; ; quot;t; Lyra said, quot;is it possible for us to learn?quot; quot;Yes. You could learn to do it, as ills fat uses ty of ion. But t does not mean making t is a form of seeing.quot;

    quot;Not real traveling, t; said Lyra. quot;Just pretend...quot; quot;No,quot; said Xap;notend. Pretending is easy. t mucruer.quot;

    quot;And is it like ter?quot; said ill. quot;Does it take a o learn?quot;

    quot;It takes long practice, yes. You o  as a gift?  is  you aken t steps, and w;

    ill  could be, and at t moment  in to ask.

    quot;I see,quot; ;And o an angel once o our o;

    quot;I dont kno; said Xap;But you s spend your time ing.quot;

    quot;And I s; said ill.

    quot;Yes.quot;

    s ory, turning, c he world where ill belonged.

    quot;ell, Ill s to do,quot; he said.

    So augo feel for t as Giacomo Paradisi  ogettle by little tory disappeared.

    quot;t  made by tle knife,quot; ill said, quot;is it really necessary to close t only escapes t ill Dust exists.quot;

    t;e s t any still remained, you e of time you  to do, mucant and valuable, in your oravel outside it anymore.quot;

    “ o do, t; said ill,   on at once, quot;No, on second t, dont tell me. I s I do. If you say my . And if I do end up doing t, Ill be resentful because itll feel as if I didnt  do it, Ill feel guilty because I sever I do, I ;

    quot;taken t steps to; said Xaphania.

    quot;t out at sea,quot; said Lyra.

    quot;t is to take you omorro;

    tomorro to see Farder Coram, and John Faa, and Serafina Pekkala.

    quot;I s; said t;I  I needed to kno;

    S, cool arms and kissed t to kiss tly into ter she had vanished.

    A fes after stle gasp.

    quot; is it?quot; said ill.

    quot;I never asked  my fat ask ter, eit;

    S down slowly, and  down beside her.

    quot;O; s; to live  to kiss you and lie doill I die, years and years and years a  a memory, just a memory... quot;

    quot;No,quot; ;memorys a poor to s your o kno ay op turning, and everyone else could fall into a sleep...quot;

    quot;Everyone except us! And you and I could live  love eac;

    quot;I er I die, and  about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again...quot;

    quot;Ill be looking for you, ill, every moment, every single moment. And ig notear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you.. .ell live in birds and florees and in clouds and in ttle specks of liging in sunbeams... And o make ne just be able to take one, to take tig;

    t the sky.

    quot;Do you remember,quot; s;o t cafe in Cittagazze, and youd never seen a daemon?quot;

    quot;I couldnt understand w  wraig;

    quot;No, I liked you first.quot;

    quot;You didnt! You foug;

    quot;ell,quot; s;yes. But you attacked me.quot;

    quot;I did not! You came c and attacked me.quot;

    quot;Yes, but I soon stopped.quot;

    quot;Yes, but,quot; ly.

    remble, and te bones of o rise and fall, and ly. roked ender sly sill.

    to sand. Lyra sat up to greet t tantly tell alaimon e find: like a large and po, red-gold in color, lit again. But s of no ordinary size, and rous and ric glints and s-lavender-moonligo see tlety, you o look at her fur.

    quot;A marten,quot; alaimon, quot;a pine marten.quot;

    quot;Pan,quot; Lyra said as o ;youre not going to c anymore, are you?quot;

    quot;No,quot; he said.

    quot;Its funny,quot; s;you remember  you to stop c all...ell, I  mind so muc if you stay like t;

    ill put aken  resolute and peaceful. Knoly  roked the red-gold fur of her daemon.

    Lyra gasped. But  flooded t t to  s protest, because s s ig ill ly w she was.

    And soo, t neit a lovers  no other.

    So, urned sloars blazed above them.