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"You could ask," he went on "Do it now Ask where it is, and hoe get there"

She bent over the alethioers moved swiftly A minute later she had the answer

"Yes," she said, "but it’s a strange place, Will So strange Could we really do that? Could we really go to the land of the dead? But - what part of us does that? Because daemons fade ae die - I’ve seen therave and decay, don’t they?"

"Then there must be a third part A different part"

"You know," she said, full of excitement, "I think that must be true! Because I can think about my body and I can think about !"

"Yes And that’s the ghost"

Lyra’s eyes blazed She said, "Maybe we could get Roger’s ghost out Maybe we could rescue him"

"Maybe We could try"

"Yeah, we’ll do it!" she said at once "We’ll go together! That’s exactly e’ll do!"

But if they didn’t get the knifeat all

As soon as his head cleared and his stomach felt calmer, he sat up and called to the little spies They were busy with some minute apparatus nearby

"Who are you?" he said "And whose side are you on?"

Theand shut a wooden box, like a violin case no longer than a walnut The woman spoke first

"We are Gallivespian," she said "I am the Lady Salmakia, and my companion is the Chevalier Tialys We are spies for Lord Asriel"

She was standing on a rock three or four paces away froht Her little voice was perfectly clear and low, her expression confident She wore a loose skirt of soreen, and her spurred feet were bare, like the man’s His costu and his wide trousers reached to , capable, ruthless, and proud

"What world do you come from?" said Lyra "I never seen people like you before"

"Our world has the same problems as yours," said Tialys "We are outlaws Our leader, Lord Roke, heard of Lord Asriel’s revolt and pledged our support"

"And what did you want to do with me?"

"To take you to your father," said the Lady Salunwe to rescue you and the boy and bring you both to his fortress We are here to help"

"Ah, but suppose I don’t want to go to my father? Suppose I don’t trust him?"

"I’m sorry to hear that," she said, "but those are our orders: to take you to hihed out loud at the notion of these tiny peoplesuddenly, the wo his rip, she touched the tip of a spur to his leg Lyra gasped: it was like the shock when the ar had seized him No one should touch someone else’s daemon - it was a violation

But then she saw that Will had swept up the s so he couldn’t use his spurs, and was holding hiain," said the Lady calo of Lyra’s daeue"

Lyra saith a cold thrill that Will was perfectly ready to dash the Gallivespian’s head against the rock And both little people knew it

Sal, and at once he fought free of her grasp and changed into a wildcat, hissing ferociously, fur on end, tail lashing His bared teeth were a hand’s breadth froazed at him with perfect composure After a moment he turned and fled to Lyra’s breast, ermine-shaped, and Will carefully placed Tialys back on the rock beside his partner

"You should show sohtless, insolent child, and several bravein order to make you safe You’d do better to act politely"

"Yes," she said humbly, "I’m sorry, I will Honest"

"As for you - " he went on, turning to Will

But Will interrupted: "As forto be spoken to like that, so don’t try Respect goes tays Now listen carefully You are not in charge here; we are If you want to stay and help, then you do as we say Otherwise, go back to Lord Asriel now There’s no arguing about it"

Lyra could see the pair of the at Will’s hand, which was on the sheath at his belt, and she kneas thinking that while Will had the knife, he was stronger than they were At all costs they mustn’t knoas broken, then

"Very well," said the Chevalier "We shall help you, because that’s the task we’ve been given But you must let us knohat you intend to do"

"That’s fair," said Will "I’ll tell you We’re going back into Lyra’s world as soon as we’ve rested, and we’re going to find a friend of ours, a bear He’s not far away"

"The bear with the arht We’ll help you do that But then you must come with us to Lord Asriel"

"Yes," said Lyra, lying earnestly, "oh yes, we’ll do that then all right"

Pantalaimon was calmer now, and curious, so she let hionfly, as big as the two that were skih the air as they spoke, and darted up to join the back to the Gallivespians, "in your spurs, Imy mother, Mrs Coulter, didn’t you? Will she die?"

"It was only a light sting," said Tialys "A full dose would have killed her, yes, but a small scratch will make her weak and drowsy for half a day or so"

And full ofpain, he knew, but he didn’t tell her that

"I need to talk to Lyra in private," said Will "We’re just going to move away for a minute"

"With that knife," said the Chevalier, "you can cut through from one world to another, isn’t that so?"

"Don’t you trust ht, I’ll leave it here, then If I haven’t got it, I can’t use it"

He unbuckled the sheath and laid it on the rock, and then he and Lyra walked away and sat where they could see the Gallivespians Tialys was looking closely at the knife handle, but he wasn’t touching it

"We’ll just have to put up with them," Will said "As soon as the knife’s mended, we’ll escape"

"They’re so quick, Will," she said "And they wouldn’t care, they’d kill you"

"I just hope Iorek can mend it I hadn’t realized how much we need it"

"He will," she said confidently

She atching Pantalai up tiny o as far as they could, but he was just as fast, and even htly patterned She raised her hand and he settled on it, his long, transparent wings vibrating

"Do you think we can trust them while we sleep?" Will said

"Yes They’re fierce, but I think they’re honest"

They went back to the rock, and Will said to the Gallivespians, "I’"

The Chevalier nodded, and Will curled up at once and fell asleep

Lyra sat down beside him, with Pantalaimon cat-formed and warm in her lap How lucky Will was that she ake now to look after him! He was truly fearless, and she ad and betraying and cheating, which all caht of that, she felt warm and virtuous, because she did it for Will, never for herself

She had intended to look at the alethioain, but to her deep surprise she found herself as weary as if she’d been awake all that time instead of unconscious, and she lay down close by and closed her eyes, just for a brief nap, as she assured herself before she fell asleep