away, gazing horrified.

        Sravelers in    of t as scer busy g on—somety tly, daemons    outside. o ter be    turned    indiffere tle son drowning beside him.

        t oo mucer, and as sa Skadi cried out: "Be careful, sister! Be;

        And Serafi just for a moment a    t, and read up for Ruta Skadis o    er be of mist ser, casting about for its lost prey. Ruta Skadi s an arroo t of it,    at all.

        Serafina put t it ers, and treated to ttle band of travelers ed food no flies, tce, and every adult ill. tanding, t    doerrible stillness    of ters drifted aed, Serafina fleting , hy-looking woman whose cheeks were red and whose fair hair was glossy.

        "oman?" said Serafina. t; you ;

        S to notice. , and when away again.

        tctered    tims in dismay.

        ttle knoll some aring at tcogether fearfully.

        "tc; said a ch.

        Sed up to o look back, so see w was going on.

        "ell speak to ; said Serafina, and sprang into the air.

        ers, co t Serafina Pekkala alig before laying it on t of her.

        t gesture s meaning akable. ted, looking from Serafina to tco too,    urning tail and running while his panions perished.

        "; he said.

        "My name is Serafina Pekkala. I am tc is your name?"

        "Joaccreat ;

        "If    make us your enemy?"

        for a fes, aled ;It mig;

        ;but times o t;

        "Because times    are tures y?"

        "ell, ters..." onis;Dont you knoers?"

        "eve never seen t knoo tand."

        "t t; said Joaly toucy of travelers o include a man and a o look after t times are bad noies are ters, and to be no more t;

        Ruta Skadi o it o meet her.

        "But tell me ; Joa. "You didnt ans ;

        "ere looking for a c; said Serafina, "a young girl from our    range c;

        "No. But , making for t;

        "Angels?"

        "troops of t been so on in t years, time ten, or so o say."

        otered ed travelers. ted noing some of the children.

        Serafina folloonig ters, ell us more about t;

        "Certainly I ;

        tove trees s o stay o see ttle oto

        tugging to not uand s. t parents of t before, simply looked bleak and stayed dumb. Serafina picked up ttle boy    figure still standing in ter, indifferent. Serafi ears on her bare skin.

        to tly, ign tears. t in oo seemed immortal and strong aiful.

        Later, as t old Serafina and Ruta Skadi about tory of his world.

        It ies , tilled aile. Merc so and fro on ts of cod and tunny, bass and mullet; ts ran    s and squares of t cities ambassadors from Brasil and Benin, from Eireland and Corea mingled abaco sellers, une bonds. At nig u gardens, and tirred    of jasmine and t mandarone.

        ted o tale of a    so different.

        "But it    ; ;t all    orre degli Angeli, toy , to blame. Ot    on us for some great sin, t about    sin    suddenly out of no it is to live in a ers in it.    rely on anytinuing as it is? At any moment a fat be taken, or a mot; a merc migaken, and erprise fail, and all ors lose t; and rust trust and all tue fell out of our ;

        "; said Serafina. "And ;

        "In ty —Cittagazze. ty of magpies. You kno? Because magpies steal, and ts all e not noteal from ot other worlds.

        torre degli Angeli discovered all o kno t subject.

        t, lets you    isnt ts not a spell but a key t    open even    is, it let ters in. And t still, I uand. to oteal from t t otoo, like ideas, or sacks of , or pencils. t; terly, "t Guild of t;

        " ters ; asked Ruta Skadi.

        "t is test mystery of all. In t repels ters of Indifference. But its more t. C see though we

        t uand er-orps aken; try, and sometimes t to adults to look for food and supplies in a Specter-ridden area, and sometimes t about and sge.

        "So t is our rue parasites: t kill t, t of t of    till retly, till t storm. Su it    sounded as if t; t been a storm like t in memory.

        "And t lasted for days and covered every part of t I knoravel. And ers, o t to sea, but time wherever we go. As you saw for yourselves.

        "Nos your turn. You tell me about your    to e to t;

        Serafina told rut man, and t needed cealing from ened closely, s;I told you about to ot occasionally t of fetfulness; 1    be surprised if travelers from otime to time. e kno angels pass ter all."

        "Angels?" said Serafina. "You mentioo us.    you explain t;

        "You    to kno angels?" said Joac;Very old. Some call tcoo. t beings of fles. Or maybe ter and clearer, I    kno t like us. ts times in to anotill nigs. t from ours, t days too, some say.

        "And    storm, I    by Specters in ty of SantElia, on my    to a birg I s too, closer to go out aark terrified, if you    to kno ever got during t fog, I veo look out, and I sa figure lying    as if I    to see—sacred to look away, and whe figure was gone.

        "ts t I ever came to an angel. But as I told you, , ars, making for t of mighty ships under sail....

        Somet kno may be. t. t I dont knoe     be impossible if t tation    imagi.

        "t;    on, sitting up to stir t;t migter t mig a ogeto t t a blessing t would be, eh! how fresh and happy we could live, free

        of t fearful blig;

        t ared into t played over    troures; he looked grim and sad.

        Ruta Skadi said, "t, do you kno w;

        "I couldnt say. Im not a learned man, you    see t plain enoug ts ts, tering, ts    on s    from."

        cars in theirs:

        t across ts of starliged t matess....

        "Sir," said Serafina, "did you ever ?"

        "Dust? I guess you mean it in some ot on t look! troop of angels no;

        ed to tellation of Op, a tiny cluster of lig drift; t of geese or swans.

        Ruta Skadi stood up.

        "Sister, its time I parted from you," so Serafina. "Im going up to speak to tever to Lord Asriel, Ill go , Ill searc;

        ta Skadi took o t, sped out of the dark alongside her.

        &quoing ; he said.

        "As ed fliers in Oply, Sergi. Lets catc;

        And s be look back at ttle fire in t tc part of ures a, and unless s    against t expanse of starlight.

        So s of took on a clearer shape.

        t as if t as if, c ts a Skadi stayed begto fig armed, but on t even outstrip    came to a chase.

        Making    in case, s;Angels!

        and listen to me! I am tca Skadi, and I    to talk to you!"

        tur    inill tanding uprigion by ting of they

        surrounded    by an invisible sun.

        Sting on    ing rangeness of it, and tered to sit close to th of her body.

        Eactly an individual, a ting play of intelligend feeling t seemed to saneously. t s naked in front of t    so deep.

        Still, s surh head held high.

        "So you are angels," s;or atc;

        "e are follo; said one.

        S sure w mig once.

        "; she said.

        "A mans."

        "Lord Asriels?"

        "It may be."

        ";

        "Because o," came the reply.

        "to ; shem.

        Ruta Skadi    c-lived    s test idea of    beings. Nor did s beyond ary tentacles to test ers of universes s sed to. If so perceive true form, tecture tructures posed of intelligend feeling.

        But ted nothing else: she was very young.

        At oed urbule added to .

        t t. tars    into brilliance as t and moist.

        In t to arangeness    Ruta Skadi saill not t of t some ot from somewhere else.

        tirelessly tirelessly s pace. S a fierce joy possessing    sal presences. And s o    of    and t-voiced bluet daemon, and in ture, plant and animal boted in being of tance as t    so see Lord Asriel again.

        Anot came, and still t some point ty of t for tter, but ca Skadi k of t o anot    guess.

        "Angels!" s; the world I found you in? here

        ;

        "t; came t;Gateo ot you ot."

        Ruta Skadi coulde s o: ce better ttention on tioly. hink.

        tly s;Lord Asriel is in tress ;

        ta Skadi looked    faint glimmer of liginting t, tars above sly as ever against t black of t    by moment, a great mountain range reared its peaks—jagged spears of black rock, migootastrop on t point, lined in brilliaood a regular structure: a ress s    , and    o be measured in flying time.

        Beress, fires glared and furnaces smoked in ta Skadi    mills.

        And from every dire, ss of angels o, and not only angels, but macoo: steel- gliding like albatrosses, glass s under flickering dragonfly    Lord Asriel ains at the world.

        "And is Lord Asriel t; she said.

        "Yes, ; the angels replied.

        "ts fly to meet    be my guard of ;

        Obediently t toress, chem.
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