She had told Pantalaimon everything, but it was right that he should have some secrets from her, after the way she'd abandoned him. Baruch's voice faded. Lord Asriel's eyes were blazing, but he held his tongue and waited for Baruch to continue. SIX - PREEMPTIVE ABSOLUTION Lyra was moving and murmuring. Will bent down and squeezed her hand, and the other daemon nudged Pantalaimon, lifting his heavy head, whispering to him. Lord Roke mounted his hawk and followed with the others as Lord Asriel set off down the stairs of the tower and out onto the battlements. "What's happening?" Lyra said. "Where are we? Oh, Will, I had this dream..." "Yes, but... I did, yes, but... I want to go to the land of the dead, that's true. But not to die. I don't want to die. I love being alive, and I love my daemon, and ... Daemons don't go down there, do they? I seen 'em vanish and just go out like candles when people die. Do they have daemons in the land of the dead?" "Did you miss God?" asked Will. "No," said Will, for it was true: the edge diminished to a thinness so fine that the eye could not reach it. "Listen," said Will. "So this is your armor," he said. "Well, it doesn't look very strong to me. I don't know if I can trust it. Let me see." "So you see," she said, "I can betray him easily. I can lead you to where he's taking my daughter's daemon, and you can destroy Asriel, and the child will walk unsuspecting into your hands." Will kept walking. He could make himself inconspicuous; it was his greatest talent. By the time he got to them, the men had already lost interest in him. But then a door opened in the biggest house in the road, and a voice called something loudly. "Pan," Lyra said as he flowed up onto her lap, "you're not going to change a lot anymore, are you?