But they were so weak and sick that he said, "Yes, it's nearly over, we've nearly done it. We'll be out soon." "Never mind that. Find the creature and destroy it," said the President. "It can't be far away. And look for the woman, too.” TWENTY-FOUR - MRS. COULTER IN GENEVA "Lord Faa," said Mary, "the mulefa have asked me to say they will supply everything you need, and that they would be honored if you could all join them this evening to share their meal." He went outside and found Lyra standing still, weeping, with Pantalaimon as a wolf raising his face to the black sky. She was quite silent. The only light came from the pale reflection in the snowbank of the remains of the fire, and that, in turn, was reflected from her wet cheeks, and her tears found their own reflection in Will's eyes, and so those photons wove the two children together in a silent web. "Come, then, Will," said Iorek Byrnison, "and we shall find Lyra." But Will interrupted: "As for me, I'm not going to be spoken to like that, so don't try. Respect goes two ways. 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." "And what I think that means is she was sort of preparing me for the witch-prophecy. I know I got something important to do, and Dr. Lanselius the Consul said it was vital I never found out what my destiny was till it happened, see, I must never ask about it... So I never did. I never even thought what it might be. I never asked the alethiometer, even. Her father, on the path below, took a step forward, and his crow daemon raised her wings once or twice, but he stayed where he was. And then came a cry in a voice that Lyra knew and loved better than any other: "The other day, when you spoke about her so bitterly, and about me... I thought you hated her. I could understand your hating me. I've never hated you, but I could understand... I could see why you might hate me. But I couldn't see why you hated Lyra." She turned to the harpy. Mary went on as best she could: She told me that I should expect the children, and when they would appear, and where. But not why. I must just look after them. Balthamos knew. In his own angel shape, shimmering like a heat haze in the sunlight, he said, "You were foolish to go to her. All you want to do now is see the woman again." "He's working with his books at the moment, ma'am. I'll ask him to step up here when he can." Mindful of those sharp spurs, Will said nothing, though he hadn't the least intention of obeying. There was only one place he was making for, and that was the window behind the bush; so he kept his head low and ran fast, and Lyra and Ama ran behind him. Three hundred years ago in Lyra's world, someone invented the alethiometer. NINETEEN - LYRA AND HER DEATH Something exploded, somewhere, but Mrs. Coulter was beyond feeling it. "So," said Lord Asriel, "to sum it up: all of us, our Republic, the future of every conscious being, we all depend on my daughter's remaining alive, and on keeping her daemon and the boy's out of the hands of Metatron?" "Why?" Lyra sat up and found herself naked. She was indignant for a moment, and then she saw some clean clothes folded beside her on the floor: a shirt of Mary's, a length of soft, light patterned cloth that she could tie into a skirt. She put them on, feeling swamped in the shirt, but at least decent. Lord Asriel sat up, transfigured. All the fatigue had been wiped off his face in a moment. He sprang to his feet and seized his greatcoat. Will enlarged the window as wide as he could, moving across the grass to left and right, making it big enough for six, seven, eight to walk through abreast, out of the land of the dead. They unfolded the cloth and ate some bread and cheese. For some reason their hands were slow and clumsy, and they hardly tasted the food, although the bread was floury and crisp from the hot baking-stones, and the cheese was flaky and salty and very fresh. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Basilides. May I offer you some refreshment?" The Master said, "And so do I." "Do I? Yes... I suppose I do."