And    o bleed again.

        it, s more ied tig time roubled.     to question    ?

        It o    t oo.

        As darkness fell, o lie doly    purring.

        -formed,    or talaimon?"

        t stir. Pantalaimon ;

        "Pan, am I going to die?"

        "tc let you die. Nor ;

        "But t     to lose. And its bleeding again, and it    stop. Im frig;

        "Lyra doesnt t;

        "Doesnt s;

        "S fig;

        "I suppose I better try not to seem frig; ill said.    for a minute or so, and t;I t friend I ever ;

        "S about you as ; whe daemon.

        Presently ill closed his eyes.

        Lyra lay unmoving, but    ing hard.

        became a ely dark, and ing more t up carefully and sa far ao toast some bread on a forked stick. ting on a spit as o sit nearby, Serafina Pekkala flew down.

        "ill," s;eat t;

        S bitter-tasting leaves sent, but    more ater for it.

        te ted birds, seasoning te blueberries sche fire.

        talked quietly; some of to spy, and one    up at once.

        "Mr. Scoresbys balloon?" she said.

        "t, but it oo far ao see ;

        Lyra clapped ;If Mr. Scoresbys ing," s;o fly, ill! Os o ;

        tca Kamainen ening, ed robin daemion of Lee Scoresby     out on. Sislaus Grumman and to to prevent heir own.

        Serafina migiced, but someted cly to t bird. But it    a bird; tc at once for a daemon. Serafina Pekkala stood up, gazing ily into the sky.

        "I ts Ruta Skadi," she said.

        t still, tilting to training to hear.

        And t t, all tco t t is,    trings, guarding ill and Lyra.

        Someaking place. And only seds later, it seemed, t, t and scream of voices raised in pain er or and.

        And time to jump, a creature fell from t t —a beast of leatted fur t Lyra reized as a cliff-g, or something similar.

        It ruded from its side, but still it lurc Lyra. tc s, because s ill ; and ures    its lungs    fell dead.

        tur    glaring up s-russ and s and fors, let alone aim and s, anding.

        Anot and tream or on tark dead; and t fled, skirling and cluttering into toh.

        A fes later Serafina Pekkala landed ciful t.

        td spat.

        "Not from our ; s;nor from tions. t;

        Lyra returned olidly, t a quiing of , for Ruta Skadi lived so brilliantly in    s up a responding the nerves of anyone close by.

        ted to ill, and    tingle of iy, but like Lyra rolled ill     and smiled.

        it into to    it of t in tream.

        Ruta Skadi ;Serafina Pekkala, I am learning so mucy. Im ;

        Se like an animal, tearing at ted birds and cramming o    doream. e, some of tc a t up a ch.

        t came to sit near Ruta Skadi to    sell told    to Lord Asriels fortress.

        "Sisters, it is test castle you    imagine: ramparts of basalt, rearing to tion, and on te.    ime, for eons. ers, even t    be? I dont kno uand. I time,    run fast or sloo his will.

        "And ing to tress are oo, and armed creatures suc birds ures too outlandiso . And otcers; did you kno? I spoke to c profoundly different, for tc-lifes, and too, men-c;

        ale co listen    Serafina believed her, and urged her on.

        "Did you see Lord Asriel, Ruta Skadi? Did you find your o ;

        "Yes, I did, and it    easy, because    ter of so many circles of activity, and s t I made myself invisible and found my o    co sleep."

        Every c , a. So Ruta Skadi o tell, and s on: "And toget rue y, and he laughed.

        "Do t in Siberia, told old , and    our o seek .

        "And ed us to join ers. to join    ty. I    to rebel s of ty did in    of terrible mutilations I old me of many more ies dealt out in tys name—of ure cers. Yes, ches like ourselves ...

        "ies and ted in ty, all desigo destroy truthfulness of life.

        "Oers, I loo to t I kne sult you first, and to our alk to leva Kasku and Reina Miti and tch queens.

        "So I left    before Id flo ains, and I o take refuge on a clifftop.

        Kno of creatures whe darkness I heard voices.

        "It seemed t Id stumbled on ting place of t of all cliff-gs. inking carrion from far belohey were asking him fuidance.

        " Grandfathey said, how far back does your memo?

        " ay, way back. Back long before    and cracked and frail.

        " Is it true t test battle ever knoher?

        " Yes, cer battle t one, even. Fiing for all of us.

        ty for every g in every world.

        " And o defeat ty?

        " Lord Asriels army numbers millions, t told them, assembled from every world.

        Its a greater army t fougy before, and its better led. As for ty,    ty is age-old, far older even troops are frig    for o got Aesatr.

        it Aesatr, o defeat. And t for years, my children!

        "And inking old boo h glee.

        "Notr, but all I could    asking, If Lord Asriel needs Aesatr, w he call him?

        "And t said, Lord Asriel kr t is the joke! Laugh long and loud—

        "But as I tried to get closer to to learn more, my poers, I couldnt , and I o flee, bato teer me, and t of there.

        "But its clear t Lord Asriel needs us, sisters. tr is, Lord Asriel needs us! I    be anxious—cs agree no cil of all tc;

        Serafina Pekkala looked at ill, and it seemed to    s    Ruta Skadi.

        "Not us," s;Our task noo ask is to guide ill to     stay ;

        Ruta Skadi tossed iently. "ell, if you must," she said.

        ill lay doalaimon curled at ed sleepily to tches.

        Ruta Skadi tle ream, and Serafina Pekkala    h her.

        "A; said tvian queen quietly. "est aail of , to make or! But ;

        "Maybe its not a er. e knotle as t. Maybe t    means god destroyer. Did you kno?"

        "t miger all, Serafina Pekkala! And if it does, tronger o kill ter, s of ty are sacrifig co t;

        "t," said Serafina Pekkala, "t t is, I dont kno;

        "And t world does ;

        Serafina Pekkala told    ill. "I dont kno," s;but    tells    t is ask. And, sister, ried to    ried t it dids too    o gro;

        &que," said Ruta Skadi. "o ;

        to tell trut; said Serafina Pekkala, "I    dared."

        t quietly by tream. time    past; stars set, and otars rose; a little cry came from t it , and tning play over t it was a long way off.

        Later Ruta Skadi said, "t of t so play? Is t? Sant because so    ,    it?"

        "ts    as for later, yes, far more t.    c t s ao destiny. ell,    er, and    t kno. tc on t a Yambe-Akka came to ime.

        "But Im t Lyra mig you s speak of—ttr.

        Not tc t t sleeping c ty. er be so anxious to find ;

        "Mrs. Coulter ; said Ruta Skadi. "Of course, and Lyra is their child....

        Serafina Pekkala, if I    a c;

        "er," said Serafina. "Listen... and    lig;

        tood, alarmed t somet t from t fireligely like firelight.

        t feet, arrs, and stopped suddenly.

        All tc surrounding them.

        And tood sometc ood ravel vast distances in order to be close to sometant, and ly for t of time, s prese iful pilgrims of rarefied liganding around ty fad tartan skirt and the wounded hand who was frowning in his sleep.

        tir at Lyras neck. Pantalaimon, a sno as a dream. Pantalaimon seemed to accept ttention as Lyras due, and presently he curled up again and closed his eyes.

        Finally one of tures spread oo, and terpeed ance, s t, until the grass.

        tcook to ter anoto til t already ting stars toh.

        Serafina and Ruta Skadi sprang to t t far behind.

        "ere tures you saa Skadi?" said Serafina as tc flames diminisohe horizon.

        "Bigger, I t t? All t.

        t be so different from ours.... Serafina Pekkala, Im leaving you noo call all tcoget again, it ime. Go ;

        ta Skadi turned and sped southward.

        Serafina ed to see t of t not passion for t c miss, o feel t, or tingle of tarligtle to join the grass.
请记住本书首发域名：966xs.com。966小说手机版阅读网址：wap.966xs.com