John Faa and the other leaders had decided that they would make for Trollesund, the main port of Lapland. The witches had a sulate iown, and John Faa khat without their help, or at least their friendly rality, it would be impossible to rescue the captive children.
He explained his idea to Lyra and Farder the day, when Lyras seasiess had abated slightly. The sun was shining brightly and the green waves were dashing against the bows, bearing white streams of foam as they curved away. Out on the deck, with the breeze blowing and the whole sea a-sparkle with light and movement, she felt little siess at all; and noantalaimon had discovered the delights of being a seagull and then a stormy petrel and skimming the wave tops, Lyra was too absorbed by his glee to wallow in landlubberly misery.
John Faa, Farder , and two or three others sat iern of the ship, with the sun full oalking about what to do .
「Now, Farder knows these Lapland witches,」 John Faa said. 「And if I ent mistaken, theres an obligation there.」
「Thats right, John,」 said Farder . 「It were forty years back, but thats nothing to a witch. Some of em live to many times that.」
「What happe this obligation about, Farder ?」 said Adam Stefanski, the man in charge of the fighting troop.
「I saved a witchs life,」 Farder explained. 「She fell out of the air, being pursued by a great red bird like to nothing Id seen before. She fell injured in the marsh and I set out to find her. She was like to drowning, and I got her on board and shot that bird down, and it fell into a bog, to my regret, for it was as big as a bittern, and flame-red.」
「Ah,」 the other men murmured, captured by Farder s story.
「Now, when I got her in the boat,」 he went on, 「I had the most grim shock Id ever known, because that young woman had no daemon.」
It was as if hed said, 「She had no head.」 The very thought was repugnant. The men shuddered, their daemons bristled or shook themselves or cawed harshly, and the men soothed them. Pantalaimo into Lyras arms, their hearts beating together.
「At least,」 Farder said, 「thats what it seemed. Being as shed fell out of the air, I more than suspected she was a witch. She looked exactly like a young woman, thihan some and prettier than most, but not seeing that daemon gave me a hideous turn.」
「Ent they got daemons then, the witches?」 said the other man, Michael zona.
「Their daemons is invisible, I expect,」 said Adam Stefanski. 「He was there all the time, and Farder never saw him.」
「No, youre wrong, Adam,」 said Farder . 「He werent there at all. The witches have the power to separate their-selves from their daemons a mighty sight furthern what we . If need be, they send their daemons far abroad on the wind or the clouds, or down below the o. And this witch I found, she hadnt beeing above an hour when her daemon came a flying back, because hed felt her fear and her injury, of course. And its my belief, though she never admitted to this, that the great red bird I shot was another witchs daemon, in pursuit. Lord! That made me shiver, when I thought of that. Id have stayed my hand; Id have taken any measures on sea or land; but there it was.
Anyway, there was no doubt Id saved her life, and she gave me a token of it, and said I was to call on her help if ever it was needed. And once she sent me help when the Skraelings shot me with a poison arrow. We had other es, too....I havent seen her from that da