Holding the heavy gun, Will swept his hand sideways and khe golden monkey off his perch, stunning him so that Mrs. Coulter groaned aloud and the monkeys paw relaxed enough to let the tiny woman struggle free.
In a moment she leapt up to the rocks, and the man sprang away from Mrs. Coulter, both of them moving as quickly as grasshoppers. The three children had no time to be astohe man was ed: he felt his panions shoulder and arm tenderly, and embraced her swiftly before calling to Will.
"You! Boy!" he said, and although his voice was small in volume, it was as deep as a grown mans. "Have you got the knife?"
"Of course I have," said Will. If they didnt know it was broken, he wasnt going to tell them.
"You and the girl will have to follow us. Who is the other child?"
"Ama, from the village," said Will.
"Tell her to return there. Move now, before the Swiss e."
Will didate. Whatever these two intended, he and Lyra could still get away through the window hed opened behind the bush oh below.
So he helped her up and watched curiously as the two small figures leapt on, what? Birds? Nonflies, as large as seagulls, which had been waiting in the darkness. Then they darted forward to the cave mouth, where Mrs. Coulter lay. She was half-stunned with pain and drowsy from the Chevaliers sting, but she reached up as they went past her, and cried:
"Lyra! Lyra, my daughter, my dear one! Lyra, dont go! Dont go!"
Lyra looked down at her, anguished; but theepped over her mothers body and loosened Mrs. Coulters feeble clutch from her ahe woman was sobbing now; Will saw the tears glistening on her cheeks.
Croug just beside the cave mouth, the three children waited until there was a brief pause in the shooting, and then followed the dragonflies as they darted dowh. The light had ged: as well as the cold anbaric gleam from the zeppelins floodlights, there was the leaping e of flames.
Will looked bace. In the glare Mrs. Coulters face was a mask ic passion, and her daemon g piteously to her as she k and held out her arms, g:
"Lyra! Lyra, my love! My hearts treasure, my little child, my only one! Oh, Lyra, Lyra, dont go, dont leave me! My darling daughter, youre tearing my heart...」
And a great and furious sob shook Lyra herself, for, after all, Mrs. Coulter was the only mother she would ever have, and Will saw a cascade of tears run down the girls cheeks.
But he had to be ruthless. He pulled at Lyras hand, and as the dragonfly rider darted close to his head, urging them to hurry, he led her at a croug run dowh and away from the cave. In Wills left hand, bleeding again from the blow hed landed on the monkey, was Mrs. Coulters pistol.
"Make for the top of the cliff," said the dragonfly rider, "and give yourself up to the Afris. Theyre your best hope."
Mindful of those sharp spurs, Will said nothing, though he hadnt the least iion 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.
"Halt!"
There was a man, three men, blog the path ahead, uniformed, white men with crossbows and snarling wolf-dog daemons, the Swiss Guard.
"Iorek!" cried Will at once. "Iorek Byrnison!" He could hear the bear crashing and snarling not far away, ahe screams and cries of the soldiers unlucky enough to meet him.
But someone else came from o help the