Lyra rode a strong young bear, and Roger rode anotirelessly ahe rear.
terior of Svalbard ainous, by ravines and steep-sided valleys, and tense. Lyra t back to tians on to Bolvangar; and comfortable t progress noo ratingly c mig t as liged as lorek; or it mig sired to her very soul.
At all events, it ely hard going.
Stle of old iating terms of , and well.
At first, from any of ticians, kings, or troublemakers ant, or trig be valuable to tical fortunes curned to rule in tries; so it mig to treat ty or disrespect.
So Lord Asriel ions on Svalbard no better and no certain tery and spiritual peril surrounding anyt o do ; t of t here were Mrs.
Coulters private communications h lofur Raknison.
Besides, t anyte like Lord Asriels oure. ed even lofur Raknison, arguing forcefully and eloquently, and persuaded to let him choose his own dwelling place.
t one ted oo loir of tion ed, and told t stered and bullied lofur Raknison, and to blocks of coal mined and h large windows of real glass.
t, a prisoner acting like a king.
And t about assembling terials for a laboratory.
itration for books, instruments, cools and equipment. And some ; some openly, some smuggled in by tors ed itled to erials, and tal, ed.
And so ing, ing for to complete task t so terrified tion Board. It e.
Lyras first glimpse of opped at t of a ridge for to move and stretcting dangerously cold and stiff.
“Look up there,” he said.
A umbled rocks and ice, lined against t tars . tood black and gaunt, but at its summit tant gleam of blubber lamps, nor te of anbaric spotlig tha.
t emerged also ss of it itudes; so to see ter than lofur Raknisons vulgar palace.
Lyra and Roger mounted t time, and lorek led toyard t lay deep under snohe building.
Lyra got doing eacumbled toeps up to the door.
O ! S before s, t vestibule to keep tanding under t th his pinscher daemon Anfang.
Lyra wearily pushed back her hood.
“ on: “Not Lyra? Little Lyra? Am I dreaming?”
o open the inner door.
A one grate; s, leat brougo .
Lord Asriels snow-leopard daemon growled.
Lyras fatood t first fierce, triump, and eager; and t; er.
“No! No!”
aggered back and clutc telpiece. Lyra couldnt move.
“Get out!” Lord Asriel cried. “turn around, get out, go! I did not send for you!”
S speak. Simes, and to say:
“No, no, I came because—”
so ward believe ress.
Sep closer to reassure o stand tered out into ter a moment Lord Asriel passed a ly. to return to two.
“Lyra,” is Lyra?”
“Yes, Uncle Asriel,” s t time to go into true relationso bring you ter from ter of Jordan.”
“Yes, of course you did,” his?”
“Its Roger Parslow,” sc—”
“ here?”
“I going to say, tside, us here.
rollesund, and ricked lofur—”
“hos lorek Byrnison?”
“An armored bear. us here.”
“t bato sleep. to noo this bear.”
Lyra felt , or per o tibule and close to t chair.
Only a moment later, it seemed, to her.
“Folloo a toer steamed in t.
“You go first,” said Lyra. “Ill sit outside and alk.”
So Roger, t, got in and en enoug t.
“Im afraid of your uncle,” said Roger ther.”
“Better keep calling oo, sometimes.”
“ come in, all. ill once.”
“ so see someone t expect. saer t time in tiring Room. Its bound to be a shock.”
“No,” said Roger, “its more t. me like a wolf, or summing.”
“Youre imagining it.”
“I ent. Im more scared of er, and ts truth.”
ook out ter.
“Dyou me to ask t it?” Lyra said.
“ell, I dunno. t knoo me everyto Oxford, everyt been not five minutes ao five minutes ao eat, but no furt. And o a kip in a comfortable bed. But after t, I dunno, Lyra. terrible t t knoure. Ill stick to t.”
“Yeaimes I feel like t too.”
So alter in tle longer, it ; s turn talaimon c in silence.
After ten some bread and c er, t to go to bed. Ill so go. he library, Miss Lyra.”
Lyra found Lord Asriel in a room tle in tracting reflections bets of tarlit panorama outside. Lord Asriel, reclining in a large armco come and sit in ther chair facing him.
“Your friend lorek Byrnison is resting outside,” he cold.”
“Did ell you about h lofur Raknison?”
“Not in detail. But I understand t true?”
“Of course its true. lorek never lies.”
“o ed himself your guardian.”
“No. Joold o look after me, and because of t. hes following John Faas orders.”
“o this?”
“Ill tell you if you tell me somet you?”
“Yes. So w?”
“So you sold me before, ts upid s cruel.
difference make if I kneold me and asked me to keep it secret, and I ter if you asked me. Id orn it out of me, if you asked me to keep it secret. But you never. You let ot you never told me.”
“ell you?”
“John Faa.”
“Did ell you about your mother?”
“Yes.”
“t muc for me to tell. I dont t to be interrogated and condemned by an insolent c to youve seen and done on the way here.”
“I brouger, didnt I?” Lyra burst out. So tears. “I looked after it all t and I treasured it, all ts o us, and I learned about using it, and I carried it all t given up and been safe, and you ent even said t youre glad to see me. I dont kno I did, and I kept on going, even in lofur Raknisons stinking palace on going, all on me oricked o figo fainted, as if I o see again. You ent human, Lord Asriel.
You ent my fat treat me like t. Fato love ters, ent t love me, and I dont love you, and ts a fact. I love Farder Coram, and I love lorek Byrnison; I love an armored bear moren I love my fat lorek Byrnison loves me moren you do.”
“You told me yourself hes only following John Faas orders.
If youre going to be sentimental, I s e time talking to you.”
“take your bloody aleter, th lorek.”
“here?”
“Back to t er and tion Board, care. If he wins, well send for Lee Scoresby and Ill sail away in his balloon and—”
“hos Lee Scoresby?”
“An aeronaut. us er. Its all in good order.”
o take it, and s on th.
“And I suppose I ougo tell you t Mrs. Coulters on o Svalbard, and as soon as ss o lofur Raknison, s of soldiers, and to kill us all, by order of terium.”
“theyll never reach us,” he said calmly.
and relaxed t some of y dwindled.
“You dont know,” sainly.
“Yes I do.”
“ anoter, then?”