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Chapter Twelve

The Lost Boy

They traveled for several hours and then stopped to eat While thesnow for water, with lorek Byrnison watching Lee Scoresby roast seal meat close by, John Faa spoke to Lyra

"Lyra, can you see that instrument to read it?" he said

The hter than ht, but it was inconstant However, Lyra’s eyes were keen, and she fu

"Yes, I can see all right," she said "But I knohere most of the symbols are by noay What shall I ask it, Lord Faa?"

"I want to know ar," he said

Without even having to think about it, she found her fingers riffin, and the crucible, and felt her ra round, back, round and on further, like a bee dancing its e to the hive She watched it cal was coan to clear She let it dance on until it was certain

"It’s just like the witch’s dae the station, and they got wires all round it They don’t really expect to be attacked, that’s what the symbol reader says But Lord Faa"

"What, child?"

"It’s a telling e by a lake where the folk are troubled by a ghost"

John Faa shook his head impatiently, and said, "That don’tthese forests Tell ain about them Tartars How many, for instance? What are they armed with?"

Lyra dutifully asked, and reported the answer:

"There’s sixty uns, sort of cannons They got fire throwers too And Their daemons are all wolves, that’s what it says"

That caused a stir aned before

"The Sibirsk regiments have wolf daemons," said one

John Faa said, "I never ers And consult the bear; he’s a shrearrior, that one"

Lyra was ihost - I think it’s the ghost of one of the kids!"

"Well, even if it is, Lyra, I don’t knohat anyone could do about it Sixty Sibirsk riflemen, and fire throwersMr Scoresby, step over here if you would, for a e, Lyra slipped away and spoke to the bear

"lorek, have you traveled this way before?"

"Once," he said in that deep flat voice

"There’s a village near, en’t there?"

"Over the ridge," he said, looking up through the sparse trees

"Is it far?"

"For you or for me?"

"For me," she said

"Too far Not at all far for et there, then?" "I could be there and back three tiot this sys, you see, and it’s told ot to do over in that village, and Lord Faa won’t let et on quick, and 1 know that’s iht not knohat the Gobblers are really doing"

The bear said nothing He was sitting up like a hu into hers down the length of his

Pantalaies later on?"

"I could But I have given my word to Lord Faa to obey hiot his permission?" said Lyra "Then yes"

She turned and ran back through the snow "Lord Faa! If lorek Byrnison takes e, we can find out whatever it is, and then catch the sledges up further on He knows the route," she urged "And I wouldn’t ask, except it’s like what I did before, Farder Coram, you remember, with that chameleon? I didn’t understand it then, but it was true, and we found out soon after I got the sa now I can’t understand properly what it’s saying, only I know it’s iet there and back three times by next moonrise, and I couldn’t be safer than I’d be with hiets Lord Faa’s perhed John Faa was frowning, and his rimly

But before he could speak, the aeronaut put in:

"Lord Faa, if lorek Byrnison takes the little girl, she’ll be as safe as if she was here with us All bears are true, but I’ve known lorek for years, and nothing under the sky will e to take care of her and he’ll do it, make no "

"But why should not soo?" said John Faa

"Well, they’d have to walk," Lyra pointed out, "because you couldn’t run a sledge over that ridge lorek Byrnison can go faster than any h so’s he won’t be slowed down And I proer than I need, and not to give anything away about us, or to get in any danger"

"You’re sure you need to do this? That sy the fool with you?"

"It never does, Lord Faa, and I don’t think it could"

John Faa rubbed his chin

"Well, if all coe than we do now lorek Byrnison," he called, "are you willing to do as this child bids?"

"I do your bidding, Lord Faa Tell me to take the child there, and I will"

"Very well You are to take her where she wishes to go and do as she bids Lyra, I’ you now, you understand?"

"Yes, Lord Faa"

"You go and search for whatever it is, and when you’ve found it, you turn right round and co on by that time, so you’ll have to catch us up"

The bear nodded his great head

"Are there any soldiers in the village?" he said to Lyra

"Will I need my armor? We shall be swifter without it" "No," she said "I’m certain of that, lorek Thank you, Lord Faa, and I proave her a strip of dried seal meat to chew, and with Pantalaireat bear’s back, gripping his fur with her mittens and his narrow muscular back between her knees His fur ondrously thick, and the sense of ihed nothing at all, he turned and loped away in a long swinging run up toward the ridge and into the low trees

It took some time before she was used to the move a bear! And the Aurora aying above theolden arcs and loops, and all around was the bitter arctic cold and the immense silence of the North