Lord Asriel said, "Marisa,    to land."

        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. tece to attend to took no notice of io solen; it    tower, w her some food and coffee.

        "ever you ; s;And t; s on as turo go: "Lord Asriels aletrist, Mr. ..."

        "Mr. Basilides?"

        "Yes. Is o e ?"

        " 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:

        "t?"

        "I ake some coffee, t;

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

        ated. tched her arm,

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

        "Yes? O do you mean?"

        "Sime I could not interpret rument elli seemed impossible. But t. So ts to e out. As soon as t seems t t s and desirable end for ter tells me t t to deat t task for o aplis, t of t;

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

        "And    no, I kno predict. Is s;

        "S sill all toget;

        "And t;

        "t    ;

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

        "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.

        " do you make of t, King?" 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.

        "tain," said Ogun;Or, ? t?"

        "it at tatron. tures: ions ao do more t, if t a, 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 telliges keeping t mountain aloft...ty at least o y o s. t;

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

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

        t o    it ;Angels," he said.

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

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

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

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

        King Ogun down his field glasses.

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

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

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

        "t got t; ly. "t got Zes;

        his friends rough cheek.

        "Fe;    on, "and s-lived as ros red, Im sure of it. to ed to t termination, e numbers as you    s!"

        "Asriel, t;

        "e s;

        "And suppose    to look for your daug;

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

        "Lord Asriel," said t;do you uand ance for ture?"

        "Frankly, no. ts o see Basilides. ;

        "to ter. But t; il ed."

        "ed before. Send for iel to e to tos ve. 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 i t parting even for a sed. to t, gilding tinting tain every s, of apricot and e. 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 discussioeukros 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.

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

        "t; said the reader.

        okay and he glass.

        " ; said tiel.

        Lord Asriel came back to table.

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

        folloill t;

        t; form do t daemons?"

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

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

        "t is so."

        Lord Asriel sig isfa; it ion, and reac made quite ued sense.

        "Very ; able. "t le begins. King Ogunress. Madame Oxentiel, you are to send your people out at oo sear fet t point, I uand, to o anoty."

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

        "No; do you knoatron? ill rengt;

        "o prominence long after I ; t;I     o domirong indeed, strong in every    angels ron ;

        Ogu Lord Asriel ruck by aention suddenly    focus for an instant, and to t ra sity.

        "I see," ;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."

        " are you going to do?" said King Ogunwe harshly.

        "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 ;

        "And    Mrs. Coulter?" said the king.

        Lord Asriel passed a hand over his forehead.

        "I    roubled," ;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    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.

        "Asriel," so t.

        ly; to propitiate    turn.

        "Asriel, ; saking a chair.

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

        "You didnt ; he said.

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

        "No."

        ill    ansion, and    going to, and s.

        "e s; s;and broug;

        It    tered test possible gro t, aled dostretg.

        "I t    of oblivion, Asriel," sinued. "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?"

        o listeion; to respond. She said:

        "t terly, and about me... I t you ed and y me. Ive never ed you, but I could uand... I could see    I couldnt see ;

        urned hen looked back.

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

        "I ed you to e and join me," , "and I t you ;

        "Yes," s;ts ."

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

        "Asriel..." she murmured.

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

        "O ; Mrs. Coulter said again. "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.

        Boturo look at the orderly who came in and said

        breathlessly:

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

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

        Ign Mrs. Coulter,    around o the orderly:

        "tell Madame Oxe once. Put t: t to be tened, ..."

        Mrs. Coulter    airs. steps oo, tle side.

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

        "Very ; s;I t see any ot;

        once o , and t, and tly left tairs.
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