On, said ter. Farther, higher.

    So on tco spy out t routes, because to steeper slopes and rocky footing, and as toravelers   found tangled land of dry gullies, cliffs, and boulder-streion of insects he only sound.

    topping only for sips of er from tskin flasks, and talking little.

    Pantalaimon fle, and ttle sure-footed mountain s tate in illness bad, so t ing toiling on. And since tco stop  too, as if er their own powers.

    At one point to a little lake, a patcense blue scarcely ty yards across among topped to drink and refill to soak t in ter. tayed a fees and moved on, and soon afters  and test, Serafina Pekkala darted doo speak to tated.

    quot;I must leave you for a  know w  call if  need my ;

    quot;Mr. Scoresby?quot; said Lyra, excited and anxious. quot;But w;

    But Serafina  of sigion. Lyra reacomatically for ter to ask  s o do no more than guide ill.

    So ting nearby, ill slowly dripping blood, he burning.

    quot;ill,quot; s;dyou kno;

    quot;Its ake up my fatle. ts all I kno;

    quot; does t mean, taking up le? s a mantle?quot;

    quot;A task, I suppose. ever  to carry on. It makes as muc;

    out of

    say   c comparison  o  safe for  t safe for him.

    But it  Saturday morning in t o ;ell done, er; Im proud of you. Come and rest no;

    ill longed for t so muc   part of  like. So  express t to Lyra no in  o be quite so perceptive. t  w e.

    And s  to  at t moment a ch flew down.

    quot;I can see people be; s;t t;

    quot;Yes, do,quot; said Lyra, quot;but fly lo t;

    ill and Lyra got painfully to t again and clambered on.

    quot;I been cold plenty of times,quot; Lyra said, to take ;but I ent been t, ever. Is it t in your ;

    quot;Not  normally. But tes been cter to be. t people erfering mospting c, and t of control.quot;

    quot;Yea; said Lyra, quot;and it is. And ;

    oo  and ty to reply, and throbbing air.

    Pantalaimon  no on Lyras soo tired to leap or fly. From time to time tcoo o climb to, and fly up to fill t er, and t made its o the rocks.

    And so toward evening.

    tco spy . So crag, and as tting and dra of to ttle blue lake and found a troop of soldiers making camp.

    But  glimpse of told ed to kno from ills tagazze, o see t daemons was a gross and sickening horror.

    t of a tent by tion. Lena Feldt saers edge beside her.

    Lena Feldt cer spoke to t up tents, made fires, boiled er.

    tcroop er on t; but some fortune ecting t  too far for a bo making o make t took ten minutes of deep concentration.

    Confident at last, Lena Feldt  doo found oo o remember, and looked acopped outside tent Mrs. Coulter o, and fitted an arroo ring.

    Sened to to t overlooked the lake.

    Inside tent Mrs. Coulter alking to a man Lena Feldt  seen before: an older man, gray- daemon ting in a canvas coward ly.

    quot;Of course, Carlo,quot; s;Ill tell you anyt do you  to kno;

    quot;ers?quot; t;I didnt t possible, but you  is it?quot;

    quot;Simple,quot; s;t if t me live to all tims tom s desire. As soon as you described to me, I knee t turns out. And a , Carlo,quot; s;I can please you, too, you knoo please you even more?quot;

    quot;Marisa,quot; ;its enougo be close to you....quot;

    quot;No, it isnt, Carlo; you kno isnt. You kno;

    tle black roking t daemon. Little by little t loosened o flootle closer to him.

    quot;A; said t  into to ly along ongue flicked blackly t, and the man sighed.

    quot;Carlo, tell me er ;o find ;

    quot;. O;

    quot; is it, Carlo? s ?quot;

    o resist; ly around t, and running rous fur as h.

    Lena Feldt canding invisible just taut, to it in readiness; ser cood still and silent and wide-eyed.

    But le blue lake. On t in tly trees seemed to ed itself, a grove t sen remor like a conscious intention. But t trees, of course; and  and ed at Mrs. Coulter, one of tacself from its felloed across ter, causing not a single ripple, until it paused a foot from ts daemon was perched.

    quot;You could easily tell me, Carlo,quot; Mrs. Coulter ;You could end to be talking in your sleep, and  tell me  it. I could get it for you... .ouldnt you like me to do t? Just tell me, Carlo. I dont  it. I  t is it? Just tell me, and you s.quot;

    s;Its a knife. tle knife of Cittagazze. You  , Marisa? Some people call it teleutaia mak knife of all. Ot Aesatr.quot;

    quot; does it do, Carlo?  special?quot;

    quot;As t  anyt even its makers kne could do. Notter, spirit, angel, air—noto tle knife. Marisa, its mine, you understand?quot;

    quot;Of course, Carlo. I promise. Let me fill your glass ...quot;

    And as t again and again, squeezing just a little, lifting, stroking as Sir C saruly er secretly tilted a feo t again h wine.

    quot;; s;Lets drink, to eac;

    oxicated. ook the glass and sipped greedily, once, again, and again.

    And t any er stood up and turned and looked Lena Feldt full in the face.

    quot;ell, c; s;did you t know ;

    Lena Feldt oo surprised to move.

    Beruggling to breat empt.

    Lena Feldt tried to sal paralysis ouc make . ttered a little cry.

    quot;Os too late for t,quot; said Mrs. Coulter. quot;Look at tc;

    Lena Feldt turned and satering and s ied of air; fluttering and falling, slumping, failing, er had enveloped him.

    quot;No!quot; sried to move to, but  could see t Mrs. Coulter  didnt surprise o see t ter ers po t auty. Lena Feldt turned back in anguiso the woman.

    quot;Let  ; she cried.

    quot;ell see. Is t;

    quot;Yes!quot;

    quot;And a boy, too? A boy ;

    quot;Yes—I beg you—quot;

    quot;And c;

    quot;ty! Let  ;

    quot;All in tay on t;

    quot;Most in t ;

    quot;ain are topped to rest?quot;

    Lena Feldt told ed any torture but o kno ell me tc t from one of your sisters, but se torture. ell, to save you noell me trut my daug;

    Lena Feldt gasped, quot;S;

    quot;Name  t important t; cried Mrs. Coulter.

    quot;Eve! Mot; stammered Lena Feldt, sobbing.

    quot;A; said Mrs. Coulter.

    And s sigo  last.

    Dimly tc s o cry out: quot; o  ;

    quot;o destroy ; said Mrs. Coulter, quot;to prevent anot I see t oo large to see....quot;

    Sogetly, like a c, y, and time s fall. Ill see to t.quot;

    And Mrs. Coulter dreer feeding on tctle snoing daemon lay tcer moved tocever Lena Feldt rebled and multiplied a  a nausea of t so die of it.  conscious t  at life; o  made of energy and delig of foulness, betrayal, and lassitude. Living ter, and from end to end of t and last and only truth.

    tood, bow in , dead in life.

    So Lena Feldt failed to see or to care about er did next. Ignoring t, tain of to get ready for a nigain.

    t to ter and called to ters.

    t  across ter. S t one by one to ted free like malignant tledoing up into t and borne by ts toc Lena Feldt sa.

    temperature dropped quickly after dark, and  of to keep ry to sleep. At least Lyra didnt o try; se, curled tigalaimon, but ill couldnt find sleep, no matter  ly  up to tably sly tly tly utter exion, and partly her.

    o look after  ed o look after oo, as sed o bandage uck o bed and sing to ake arouble and surround ness and mot o  of tle boy still. So  ill as  ing to wake Lyra.

    But ill  asleep. iff limbs and got up quietly, s   off ain, to calm lessness.

    Bery curned from tco see ill clambering up tly took to t to disturb  to see t o no harm.

    notice.  suco move and keep moving t iced t as if , all day, forever, because not. And as if in sympato stir in t ted ream aside hin.

    find o Lyra, until  on a little plateau almost at top of t seemed. All around ains reac glare of tark black and dead we, and every edge was jagged and every surface bare.

    t  over too, for no gleam of moonlige ill found otal darkness.

    And at t ill felt a grip on  arm.