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The two daee, in and out of the shadows, padding cat-for outside the open door of Mary’s house

Cautiously they looked inside and saw only the sleeping woain, toward the shelter tree

Its long branches trailed their fragrant corkscrew leaves alround Very slowly, very careful not to rustle a leaf or snap a fallen twig, the two shapes slipped in through the leaf curtain and sahat they were seeking: the boy and the girl, fast asleep in each other’s arrass and touched the sleepers softly with nose, pahiskers, bathing in the life-giving war infinitely careful not to wake the Will’s fast-healing wound, lifting the lock of hair off Lyra’s face), there was a soft sound behind them

Instantly, in total silence, both daeht eyes, bare white teeth, menace in every line

A woman stood there, outlined by the moon It was not Mary, and when she spoke, they heard her clearly, though her voice made no sound

"Come with me," she said

Pantalai until he could greet her away from the sleepers under the tree

"Serafina Pekkala!" he said joyfully "Where have you been? Do you knohat’s happened?"

"Hush Let’s fly to a place where we can talk," she said, ers

Her branch of cloud-pine lay by the door of Mary’s house, and as she took it up, the two daeale, an owl - and fleith her over the thatched roofs, over the grasslands, over the ridge, and toward the nearest wheel tree grove, as huge as a castle, its crown looking like curds of silver in the ht

There Serafina Pekkala settled on the highest co in the Dust, and the two birds perched nearby

"You won’t be birds for long," she said "Very soon now your shapes will settle Look around and take this sight into your memory"

"What e be?" said Pantalaimon

"You’ll find out sooner than you think Listen," said Serafina Pekkala, "and I’ll tell you some witch-lore that none but witches know The reason I can do that is that you are here withWho are the only people for whom that is possible?"

"Witches," said Pantalai you both on the shores of the world of the dead, Lyra and Will did so it, that witches have done since the first tiion of our north land, a desolate, aboreat catastrophe happened in the childhood of the world, and where nothing has lived since No daeirl must cross it alone and leave her daeo

But having done it, they find that their daear; they are still one whole being; but now they can roa back knowledge

"And you are not severed, are you?"

"No," said Pantalaimon "We are still one But it was so painful, and ere so frightened"

"Well," said Serafina, "the two of the as we do; but thanks to what they did, you and they are witch in all but that"

The two daee

"Does that mean we shall be birds, like witches’ daemons?" said Pantalaimon

"Be patient"

"And how can Will be a witch? I thought all witches were fes We are all learning neays, even witches But one thing hasn’t changed: you must help your huuide thee them toisdom That’s what daemons are for"

They were silent Serafina turned to the nightingale and said, "What is your name?"

"I have no name I didn’t knoas born until I was torn away from his heart"

"Then I shall name you Kirjava"

"Kirjava," said Pantalai the sound "What does it mean?"

"Soon you will see what it means But now," Serafina went on, "youto tell you what you should do"

"No," said Kirjava forcefully

Serafina said gently, "I can hear fro to say"

"We don’t want to hear it!" said Pantalaiale "It’s much too soon"

Serafina was silent, because she agreed with them, and she felt sorrowful She was the wisest one there, and she had to guide theitation subside before she went on

"Where did you go, in your wanderings?" she said

"Through many worlds," said Pantalaih There are ht"

"And you saw - "

"Yes," said Kirjava, "we looked closely, and hat was happening"

"We saw el," said Pantalaimon quickly "Andthe world where the little people co people there, too, who try and kill them"

They told the witchto distract her, and she knew it; but she let them talk, because of the love each one had for the other’s voice

But eventually they ran out of things to tell her, and they fell silent The only sound was the gentle, endless whisper of the leaves, until Serafina Pekkala said:

"You have been keeping away fro that; h the desolate barrens But he came to me eventually, because we loved each other still And they will need you soon to help them do what has to be done next Because you have to tell them what you know"

Pantalaimon cried aloud, a pure, cold owl cry, a sound never heard in that world before In nests and burrows for a long way around, and wherever any s, a new and unforgettable fear ca

Serafina watched fro but compassion until she looked at Will’s dae to the witch Ruta Skadi, who had asked, after seeing Will only once, if Serafina had looked into his eyes; and Serafina had replied that she had not dared to This little brown bird was radiating an implacable ferocity as palpable as heat, and Serafina was afraid of it

Finally Pantalai died away, and Kirjava said:

"And we have to tell theently

Gradually the ferocity left the gaze of the little brown bird, and Serafina could look at her again She saw a desolate sadness in its place

"There is a ship co," Serafina said "I left it to fly here and find you I cayptians, all the way from our world They will be here in another day or so"

The two birds sat close, and in atwo doves

Serafina went on: "This may be the last time you fly I can see a little ahead; I can see that you will both be able to cli as there are trees this size; but I think you will not be birds when your forms settle Take in all that you can, and re to think hard and painfully, and I know you will make the best choice But it is yours to make, and no one else’s"

They didn’t speak She took her branch of cloud-pine and lifted away fro on her skin the coolness of the breeze and the tingle of the starlight and the benevolent sifting of that Dust she had never seen