impulse o turn and run, or to be sick. A  a face, or  torn out: sometural and uncanny t belonged to t-gs, not the waking world of sense.

    So Lyra clung to Pantalaimon and   moistened ill.

    “Ratter,” said t my Ratter?”

    Lyra  w .

    “No,” sened as s. ts your name?”

    “tony Makarios,” ter?”

    “I dont kno of t do of course s by alaimon o be cut from tle boy ed from ter! t talaimon e pity and sorrohe half-boy.

    t to  again.

    “Come on,” srembling voice. “tony, come out. ere going to take you somewhere safe.”

    tir of movement in t till clutcs, a ted coal-silk anorak and fur boots, but t fit  outside t came from t trails of t and piteous even t first, croucern lighe fish racks.

    t tern reated a feo them.

    lorek Byrnison interpreted: “ pay for t fish.”

    Lyra felt like telling to kill  saking to give one fiso pay for t.”

    ttered, but didnt argue. Lyra set ern doook to guide o t t  standing so close, and  on loreks back, all he said was:

    “I dunno wter is.”

    “No, nor do ony,” s  all rig up too?”

    “My armor weighan children,” he said.

    So sony and made o tiff fur, and Pantalaimon sat inside y. Lyra kne Pantalaimons impulse o reac and cuddle ttle o lick le  t taboo prevented t, of course.

    to seeing t ilated creature taken a we bear.

    In Lyras , revulsion struggled  tle form to o ty  seemed to pass more quickly for all t. lorek Byrnison ireless, and Lyras riding became automatic, so t s t in one  ;  stiffly  moving as t too.

    From time to time the half-boy spoke.

    “s t you said?” asked Lyra.

    “I says is she gonna know where I am?”

    “Yeaigony.

    It ent far from here....”

    tired sil t up ians. topped to rest to  as tiff t s even loosen o pull tly open and lift her off.

    “Gracious God,  have you found?”

    “ony,” s s he Gobblers do.”

    t to Lyras , chem.

    “S t not  you so show less.”

    “Youre rigurned to give orders. “Build t fire up and  some soup for ter rigged?”

    “It is, Jo her warm....”

    “And ttle boy,” said someone else. “ and get warm, even if...”

    Lyra rying to tell Jo tc tired. After a confusing fees full of lantern ligo and fro, s a gentle nip on alaimons ermine teeto find the bears face a few inches from hers.

    “tcalaimon whispered. “I called lorek.”

    “Oaking me t not remember to tell Lord Faa about tcter do t instead of me.”

    Shen she fell asleep properly.

    o daylig o get. t, and t, tians moved like bulky gs, loading sledges and o traces.

    S all from ter on Farder Corams sledge, inside ic fox before reverting to e ermine.

    lorek Byrnison  pa Farder Coram was up and busy, and as soon as alaimon emerge, o wake Lyra properly.

    S up to speak.

    “Farder Coram, I kno  I couldnt understand! ter kept saying bird and not, and t didnt make sense, because it meant no daemon and I didnt see  could be.... is it?”

    “Lyra, Im afraid to tell you ter  t little boy died an  settle,  stay in one place;  asking after  sucig bare old piece of fis speak of it, c ill, and t  time ure. trying to dig a grave for  t, and to cremate  to ers.

    “C terrible y plainer t you must do is rest and eat, because you fell asleep too soon to restore yourself last nigo eat in temperatures to stop yourself getting weak....”

    ucking to place, tigension rope across traces to untangle them.

    “Farder Coram, wtle boy now? ?”

    “No, Lyra, here.”

    “I  to go and see him.”

    refuse , for s migalaimon as a  rudged along to where some men were piling brushwood.

    t beside t and lifted t in tened  to stop  their heads.

    Pantalaimon crept close as Lyra looked doed face. S of tten and touc; poor little tony Makarios  from any oted in deatook Pantalaimon from   to press  into . And all little tony iful piece offish....

    ?

    S do was gone.

    S in a moment, and  the men nearby.

    “heres his fish?”

    topped, puzzled, unsure  one anoto grin uncertainly.

    “Dont you dare laugear your lungs out if you laug s all o cling onto, just an old dried fiss all o love and be kind to! ook it from  gone?”

    Pantalaimon  like Lord Asriels daemon, but s see t; all s and wrong.

    “Easy, Lyra,” said one man. “Easy, child.”

    “ook it?” sian took a step back from e fury.

    “I didnt knoically. “I t it  ook it out  it ful. ts all, Lyra.”

    “t?”

    t t, I gave it to my dogs.

    I do beg your pardon.”

    “It ent my pardon you need, its urned at once to kneel again, and laid he dead childs icy cheek.

    to ruck t in a feook a gold coin from her purse before wrapping herself close again.

    “I  to borroaken t , so Pantalaimon: “ was her name?”

    ood, of course, and said, “Ratter.”

    Sig mittened c daemons name deeply into the gold.

    “I ll do, if I provide for you like a Jordan Sco teet to slip to  o close his jaw again.

    turned in to Farder Coram.

    raig greedily.

    “ o do about tcchem.”

    “My c presume t far, Lyra. t be going anywhere.

    t play on tco us: mysterious sicknesses to, anding; joys and sorroiny plants up on tundra....But I  soup. Dyou  some more? too. Eat up, child, because were on our way soon.”

    tly t o melt. it to ctle  and set matco it, and it .

    Once t off to travel again. It o fall early on, and soon to ting cold, and a s darker t lighe ground.

    t all tinued to run, tails eam.

    Nortide came and  and topped to eat and drink and rest in a fold of to get talked to Lee Scoresby about t best use t of t o tin rapped it in.

    “Ive got it tucked aigs dotom of t kit bag, but to see; I soldered it s on board s knoo do , to tell you trut do tle it. But you neednt , youre safe.” t co tiffly frosted canvas of t bag and brougtle tin. S was making before souc.