Chapter 20 20. Desperate battle

Fighting between armored bears is common, and the causes are always the same.It's uncommon for a bear to kill another bear, and when it does, it's usually due to a miss, or a bear misinterpreting a signal from another bear, like Iorek? Such was the case with Bernison. A brutal murder like Iofur's own father was even rarer. Occasionally, however, cases arose where the only solution to a dispute was to fight to the death, and a whole set of rituals was established for this purpose. The field was swept clean and level when Eofur had just announced that Iorek Bernison was on his way and that a fight was about to take place.The craftsman in charge of making the armor came out from under the fire mine to inspect the armor for Iofal.Every rivet was checked, every link tried, every piece of armor sanded with the finest sand.They paid the same attention to his claws.The gold leaf had been removed from the claws, and the six-inch claws had been honed to such sharpness that they could kill a man in one blow.

Lyra watched, feeling more and more worried in her heart, because Iorek Bernison would not receive such care; besides, he had been running non-stop in the snow and ice for almost Twenty-four hours; maybe he was injured when the balloon went down; and I had drawn him into this fight without his knowledge.Later, Iofur Laknisson tested the sharpness of the claws on a walrus that had just been killed. The walrus skin was torn apart like a piece of paper when the claw passed, and he also tried it on the skull of the walrus. Try your fist (just two blows and the walrus head cracks like an egg).Seeing this, Lyra had to make an excuse to Iofur, and hid alone, crying in fright.

Even Pantalaimon, who usually cheered her up, didn't dare say there was any hope in the matter.All she could do was ask the alethiometer.The alethiometer told her that he would be there in an hour, and told her again to trust Iorek; Yi is blaming herself. By this time, the news had spread among the armored bears, and the battlefield was crowded with bears.The high-level bears occupied the best positions, and a place was designated for the female bears, which of course included Iofur's wife.Lyra was deeply curious about female bears because she knew so little about them, but this was not the time to wander around asking questions.Instead, she stayed close to Eofur Laknisson, watching the courtiers around him displaying their rank above the average bear on the periphery, trying to guess the assortment of clothes they seemed to all be wearing. meanings of feathers, badges and emblems.Some of the highest-ranking bears, she found, were carrying a tiny mannequin like a rag doll of Iofur—perhaps trying to get as many photographs as possible by imitating the fashion started by him. His ass.It was funny to her that they didn't know what to do with their dolls after seeing that Eofur had thrown them away.Should they be thrown away?Are they out of favor now?How should they behave?

The mood was all over the palace, and Lyra was beginning to see it.They were not sure of what they really were, not like Iorek Bernison, who was undisturbed, confident, and unquestionable. They looked at me, I looked at you, and then at Iofur, and there was a continuous atmosphere of anxiety everywhere. They also looked at her with undisguised curiosity, while she stood shyly beside Iofur, saying nothing, dropping her eyes whenever a bear looked at her. By this time, the fog had cleared, and the air was clear; near noon, the polar darkness receded for a while—perhaps by coincidence, this was when Lyra thought Iorek should arrive.She stood tremblingly on a high platform made of thick snow at the edge of the battlefield, looking up at the dark sky, thinking all of her mind, longing for those elegant irregular black figures flying from the sky and take her away; or see the city hidden in the aurora, so that she can walk along the broad avenues in the daylight; The smell of the body and the kitchen... She found herself crying, the tears were almost frozen as they flowed out, and she had to wipe them away with pain.

She is so scared.Bears can't cry, they don't understand what's wrong with her, it's probably a human instinct, it doesn't make any sense.Lyra's hands were still in his pockets, holding Pantalaimon's body tightly, but instead of comforting her as he usually did, he just nuzzled her fingers lightly. Beside Lyra, the blacksmiths put the final touches on Iofur Raknizon's armor.He stood there like a gigantic iron tower, with gleaming iron armor and gold thread inlaid on the smooth metal plate; There is a deep gap in the road, and the lower body is wearing a close-fitting chain mail.It wasn't until seeing all this that Lyra realized that she had betrayed Iorek Bernison, because Iorek didn't have any of these things, and his armor only protected his back and sides.Look at Eofur Laknisson again, he is so neatly dressed and so strong.Like guilt and fear coming together, Laila felt sick.

She said: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, do you remember what I told you just now..." Her voice trembled, appearing so thin and powerless in the empty space.Iofur, who was tearing at the target held before him by the three bears with his sharp claws, turned his big head. "what? What?" "Remember, I said I'd better go find Iorek Bernison first, talk to him, and pretend—" However, before she could finish speaking, several bears on the watchtower started yelling.The other bears understood it all, and immediately began to commotion excitedly.They had seen Iorek.

"Please," said Lyra eagerly, "wait while I cheat him." "Okay, okay, go, go and agitate him!" Iofur Laknisson could hardly speak from anger and agitation. Lyra walked away from him, across the field.The battlefield was empty, and her little footprints were left on the snow.The armored bear on the opposite side of the battlefield moved to both sides, allowing her to pass through the middle.As their gigantic forms moved awkwardly away, the horizon appeared, dark and gloomy against the pale light of the sky.Where is Iorek Bernison?Laila could see nothing.However, this was because the watchtower was so high that they could see what she couldn't see.All she could do was walk forward on the snow.

Iorek spotted her first.After a few vertical leaps and a burst of heavy metal impact, Iorek Bernison was already standing by her side amidst the splashing snowflakes. "Oh, Iorek! I have done a terrible thing! My dear, you have to fight Iofur Raknizon, but you have not prepared - you are tired and hungry, your Armor also-" "What terrible thing?" "I told him you were coming, and I found out from the alethiometer. He was so desperate to be a human, to be a genie, he was going crazy. So I tricked him into thinking I was Your elf, intends to run away from you, to make him an elf, but to do this he must fight you. For, otherwise, Iorek, my dear, they would never let You'll have a chance to duel him, and before you get close they'll burn you to death—"

"You tricked Iofur Laknisson?" "Yes, I tricked him into agreeing to a duel with you, instead of killing you directly like an outcast bear. The winner will become the king of the armored bear. I can only do this, because—" "Your name is Belacova? No, you should be called Lyra? Eloquent," he said. "I want to fight him. Come on, elf." Lyra looked at Iorek Bernison in old armor. He was lean and fierce.Lyra felt herself filled with pride. They walked together toward the great palace of Eofur, where the duel was to be fought, empty and surrounded by high walls.Armored bears were clustered on the battlements, white faces crowded behind every window, and their hulking bodies stood like a thick foggy white wall, dotted with eyes and noses like black dots. on top.The bears standing nearest stepped aside, opening a passage for Iorek Bernison and his elves to pass through.The armored bears focused all their eyes on the two of them.

Iorek stopped.Eofur Laknesson stood on the opposite side of the battlefield.The king stepped down from the high platform covered with snow.Two armored bears confronted each other a few yards apart. Lyra was very close to Iorek, and felt that his body was constantly shaking, like a high-power generator, continuously producing a strong current.She touched his neck, which was exposed under his helmet, and said, "Hit well, Iorek, dear. You are the real king, he is not, he is nothing." After speaking, Lila stepped back. "Every armored bear!" Iorek Bernison said loudly.There was a huge echo from the walls of the hall, and the birds in the nest were startled and flew out.He continued: "The terms of this duel are such that if Iofur Raknizon kills me, then he shall remain king forever, unchallenged and undisputed. If I kill Iofur "Then I am your king, Laknisson. My first order to you is to tear down this palace--this stinking, ridiculous, pompous palace, and throw all the gold and marble In the sea. The only metal that belongs to a armored bear is iron, not gold. Iofur Raknisson has soiled Svalbard, and I am here to disinfect it. I am here to tell you challenge."

Iofur jumped forward a step or two, seemingly struggling to contain himself. "Parkin bears!" cried Iofur, when it was his turn to speak, "Iorek Bernison has returned at my invitation, and I have brought him here. The terms of this duel are given by I decide, these conditions are: If I kill Iorek Bernison, then I will tear his body to pieces, throw him to the cliff ghost, hang his head on my palace, and wipe out the memory of him. memory, whoever mentions his name is guilty of a capital crime..." He went on to finish the terms.Then, the two of them talked on the phone again.It was a rule, a ritual that was strictly observed.Lyra looked at the two of them, they were so diametrically opposed: Iofer was so magnificent, tall and strong, and his body was so magnificent, his armor was so gorgeous, he looked proud and majestic; And Iorek was not as tall as he was—although she never thought Iorek looked thin, and his equipment was very simple, his armor was rusty and pitted.But his armor is his soul, made by himself, fits perfectly, and he and the armor are an inseparable whole.And Eofur was not satisfied with his armor, and he wanted another soul.Iofur is restless, but Iorek is calm and peaceful. Lyra knew, too, that other armored bears were making such comparisons.However, Iorek and Iofur are not just two armored bears, they represent two opposing kingdoms of armored bears, two futures, and two destinations.Iofur had begun to lead them down one of these paths, and Iorek would lead them down another.At this very same moment, one of these futures is about to disappear forever, and another future is about to unfold. Their etiquette contest entered the second stage. The two bears began to circle around on the snow, shaking their heads, and advancing bit by bit.The onlookers were motionless, but their eyes followed them as they moved. At last the two gladiators stopped, and silently said nothing, staring at each other from opposite ends of the field. Suddenly, with a growl, both bears swooped forward at the same time, and the rolled up snow captivated the eye. Like two boulders that were originally firmly placed on two adjacent peaks, they rolled down from the mountainside all at once, faster and faster, leaped over the mountain stream, smashed the trees, and finally—"bang" With a thud, they collided head-on hard, sending stones flying: that's how the two bears collided.The loud impact echoed in the silent air and bounced off the palace walls.Even with rocks, the hit would have been crashed, but neither of them had.They all fell to one side.The first to stand was Iorek.With a twist of his body, he leaped up swiftly to grab Iofur.Eofur's armor was battered, and it was difficult to lift his head. Iorek immediately reached out to grab the unprotected part of his neck, fumbled for the white hair there, and then grabbed the underside of Iofur's helmet with his claws, and pulled it forward violently. Immediately aware of the danger, Iofur roared and swayed—the same way Lyra had seen Iorek himself swaying by the water's edge, throwing the water high into the air.With this flick, he threw Iorek aside and got rid of his attack.Immediately, amidst the screeching sound of twisted metal, Iofur struggled to straighten the metal plate on his back.Then, while Iorek was struggling to stand up, Iofur swooped down on Iorek like a falling snow mountain. Laila felt as if her soul would be blown away by this devastating pounce, and the ground beneath her feet was literally shaken.How could Iorek stand it?He struggled to twist his body, trying to find a point of support on the ground to stand up, but his feet were pointing toward the sky.At this time, Iofur's teeth had already bit down somewhere near Iorek's throat, and hot blood splashed in the air.A drop landed on Lyra's leather coat, and she immediately pressed her hand to show that she loved Iorek. At this time, Iorek's hind claws grabbed the joint of Iofur's chain mail, and tore it suddenly, and the front face of the chain mail fell off completely.Iofur staggered back to the side to check the extent of damage to the armor, and Iorek took the opportunity to get up again. For a moment, the two bears stood each other, panting heavily.Iofur's chains were a liability, and what had been a protection had now become a hindrance: the underside of the chain mail was still connected, wrapped around his hind legs.However, Iorek's condition was worse, he was panting heavily, and blood was bubbling from a wound on his neck. However, before Iofur could get rid of the chain mail that was close to him, Iorek jumped.Leaping on him, he knocked him down with a punch, then jabbed at the part of Iofur's neck that was exposed by the hemming of his helmet.Eofur threw him hard, and the two bears became entangled again.The snow was flying in all directions, making it sometimes difficult to see who had the upper hand. Laila stared intently, not daring to take a breath, her hands clenched tightly together until it hurt.She thought she saw Iofur tearing at a gash in Iorek's stomach—but maybe she was wrong, because after a while, after a violent gust of snowflakes, both bears looked like boxers Standing up straight as if, Iorek struck Iofur's face with a huge hand, and Iofur struck back with equal ferocity. The blow made Lyra shudder.All this is like a giant wielding a heavy hammer with five steel thorns on it... The metal clanged against each other, the giant teeth gnawed at each other, their breathing was unbearably heavy, their feet shook on hard ground.The surrounding snow was spattered with crimson blood, which had been trampled down several yards and turned into crimson mud. At this time, Iofur's armor was already in tatters, the metal plates were torn and twisted, some of the gold inlaid on it were torn off, some were covered with thick blood, and his helmet had been beaten to pieces. Completely gone.Iorek's armor was much better, rough and jagged, but intact, fully withstood the blows of the Bear King's hammer, and blocked those murderous six-inch claws. But in contrast, Iofur was bigger and stronger than Iorek, who was tired, hungry, and bleeding more.His stomach, arms and neck were wounded, and Iofur was bleeding only from his jaw.Lyla wanted so badly to help her dear friend, but what could she do? At this time, the situation was very bad for Iorek.He was limping, and whenever his left front paw hit the ground, they could see it was barely bearing his weight.He never used this paw to attack, and the attack with his right paw was weaker, a gentle caress compared to the crushing punch he had thrown a few minutes ago. Eofur saw it.He started taunting Iorek, calling him a "broken-hand bear," a crying furry kid, a rusty bear, a dying bear, and so on.At the same time, he punched Iorek with a left punch and a right punch, so that Iorek could no longer dodge.Iorek had no choice but to step back, lowering his head to avoid the rain of fists from the cynical Bear King. Laila's eyes filled with tears.Her dear, brave, fearless guard was dying, but she would never betray him, never look at him.If he had seen himself, he would have seen his teary eyes, the concern and trust in his eyes, and the fact that he was definitely not a coward and looked away without fear. So, she still watched, but tears had blurred her vision, and she couldn't see what was going on on the battlefield—but maybe she couldn't see it in the first place.And, no doubt, Iofur didn't see it either. Because at this time, the purpose of Iorek's retreat is to find a clearing without mud as a foothold, to find a solid rock from which he can pounce down from above, his seemingly useless left arm actually retains its strength , still going strong.Normally, you can't fool an armored bear, but, as Lyra told Iorek, Iofur didn't want to be a bear, he wanted to be a man; so Iorek fooled he. Finally, Iorek found what he was looking for: a solid rock embedded deep in the permafrost. He leaned his back against the rock, tensed his hind legs, and waited for his moment. At last the opportunity came—Iofur stood on his hind legs, straightened up high, let out a triumphant cheer, and turned his head mockingly to Iorek's apparently weak left side. It was at this moment that Iorek struck.Like a sea wave that begins to accumulate strength thousands of miles away, it quietly hides in the depths of the sea. Once it reaches the shoal, it will set off a huge wave that soars to the sky, making the residents on the beach tremble with fear, and then with the momentum of thunder, Slamming onto land—that's how Iorek Bernison came to meet Iofur from the bottom up—exploding upward from the solid, dry rock beneath his feet, the left fist went all out, slamming Eofur Laknisson's exposed jaw. It was an earth-shattering punch.The lower part of Iofur's jaw was knocked off, and he flew straight into the air, splashing blood far away. Iofur's red tongue hung limply from the torn throat, dripping with blood.At this moment, King Bear suddenly lost his voice, lost his sharp teeth, and became weak and weak.Iorek has already secured his victory.He threw himself forward, with his teeth on Iofur's throat, swaying from side to side, lifting his huge body off the ground, and kept beating him on the ground, as if Iofur was just a seal by the water's edge. Then Iorek yanked upwards, and Iofur Laknisson died under his teeth. However, the duel was not over, and another ritual was to be performed.Iorek slit open the unprotected chest of the dead king, tearing the skin open, exposing the dense white and red ribs inside, like the bare bones of a capsized ship.Iorek reached into his chest and pulled out Iofur's heart, red and steaming, and ate it before Iofur's subjects. Immediately the armored bears cheered and clamored, and they swarmed forward to pay homage to the conqueror of Iofur. Amidst the uproar, Iorek Bernison said loudly: "Every armored bear! Who is your king?" They shouted in response, like an overwhelming mountain: "Iorek Bernison!" Armored Bears know what they have to do.Every badge, every ribbon, every crown was cast aside, trampled upon with contempt, and forgotten for a moment.Now they were the armored bears of Iorek, real bears, not rootless half-bear monsters tormented by feelings of inferiority.They swarmed into the palace, and with their hands they hurled down the great blocks of marble from the tallest tower, and with their mighty claws shook the high walls of the battlements, and when the stones loosened, they threw them over the precipice and broke them below. On the pier hundreds of feet from them. Iorek didn't look at these, he took off his armor and prepared to bandage his wound.But before he could start Lyra was at his side, stomping the scarlet frozen snow and yelling at the armored bears to stop smashing the palace because it held prisoners.They didn't hear her, but Iorek did, and with a loud shout they stopped. "Is it a human being imprisoned?" Iorek asked. "Yes—Iofur Laknesson locked them in the dungeon—you should let them out first, find a place for them to hide, or they will be crushed to death when the stone falls—" Iorek immediately issued an order, and several bears rushed into the temple to release the prisoners.Lyra turned to Iorek. "I'll help you—I want to make sure you're not badly hurt, Iorek dear—oh, I wish there were bandages or something! You've got a terrible belly wound—" A bear held something hard and green in its mouth and lay on the ground at Iorek's feet.It was covered with frost. "This is blood moss," said Iorek, "Squeeze it into the wound for me, Lyra, then close the flesh of the wound, wrap it in, and put some snow on it until Freeze the wound." He wouldn't let any of the other bears take care of him, although they all wanted to.Besides, Lyra was very dexterous with her hands, and she was desperate to take care of him; so the little man bent over the burly bear king, wrapped blood moss into the wound, and cooled the exposed flesh until The wound no longer bleeds.When she was done, Lyra's cotton gloves were soaked with Iorek's blood, but the bleeding from his wound had finally stopped. At that moment, the prisoners—about a dozen men—came out in a shivering, panic-stricken huddle.Lyra thought about it, and decided that there was no need to speak to the professor, because the poor man was already mad; she would have liked to know who the others were, but there were many other urgent matters to attend to. Lyra didn't want to distract Iorek either, as he was giving orders quickly, sending the armored bears scurrying about.But she was very worried about Roger, about Lee Scoresby and the witches, and she was hungry and tired now... Lyra felt that the most important thing for her was to stay out of other people's business. So she curled up and hid in a secluded corner of the field while Pantalaimon, transformed into a wolverine, kept her warm.Like a bear, she piled snow on her body and fell asleep. Then, something touched her foot lightly, and a strange bear voice said, "Lyla? You are so eloquent. The king wants to see you." Lyra woke up, feeling like she was going to freeze, she couldn't open her eyes because they were frozen when they were closed, but Pantalaimon licked the ice from her eyelashes, and after a while, Then she could see clearly the little bear talking to her under the moonlight. She tried to stand up, but fell twice in succession. "Ride me," said the bear, and crouched on the ground, letting her climb up his broad back.Lila struggled staggeringly, but she didn't fall off. The little bear carried her to a steep cave where many bears gathered. Then a small figure ran towards her from among them, and his daemon flew up to meet Pantalaimon. "Roger!" Lyra called. "Iorek Bernison kept me far away in the snow, and he himself came to you far away—Laila, we fell from the balloon! After you fell, We flew farther, and then Mr. Scoresby deflated the balloon again, and then we hit a hill, and we rolled down the hill, the steepest hill you've ever seen! I don't Know where Mr. Scoresby is now, and don't know where the witches are. It was just me and Iorek Bernison. He came back to you directly along this road. They took his duel Told me everything..." Lyra looked around.The prisoners were building shelters out of driftwood and scrap canvas under the guidance of an old bear.They looked happy to have something to do, and one of them was still striking the flint for a fire. "There's food there," said the little bear who had woken Lyra up. A newly-caught seal lies on the snow.The bear tore it open with its paws and showed Lyra where to find its kidney.Lyra ate one raw: warm, soft, and unexpectedly delicious. "Eat the fat too," said the bear, tearing off a piece of fat for her.Tastes like cream with hazelnuts.Roger hesitated, but finally ate with Lyra.They ate voraciously, and in a few moments Laila was fully awake and beginning to feel warm. She wiped her mouth and looked around, but couldn't see Iorek. "Iorek Bernison is talking to his advisors," said Bear. "He wants to see you after you eat. Come with me." He led the two of them through the snow, over a ledge, and into a clearing where the bear was building a wall of ice out of blocks.Iorek sat in the center, surrounded by a group of elderly bears.Seeing Lyra coming, he rose to meet her. "Lyla? She's a good tongue," he said. "Come and hear what they have to say to me." He didn't explain to the other bears how she got here, maybe they already knew about her, anyway, they made room for her, and treated her with the utmost courtesy, as if she were a queen.Over the North Pole, the aurora swayed gracefully.Sitting next to her friend Iorek Bernison, Lyra took part in the discussion of the armored bears, feeling extremely proud. They now found that Eofur Laknizon's rule over them was as inescapable as a spell. Some attribute it to the influence of Mrs. Coulter.Before Iorek was exiled, she came here to meet Iofur, and gave him various gifts, but Iorek knew nothing about it. "She gave him a medicine," said a bear, "that Iofur smuggled to Jamul Jamulsong, so that he forgot who he was." Lyra figured out that Jamul Jamulsong was the bear killed by Iorek, whose death caused Iorek to be exiled.So, Mrs. Coulter was also behind this incident!But that's not all. "Humans have laws. Some of the things Mrs. Coulter intends to do are not allowed by the law, but human laws do not apply in Svalbard. She wants to build another experimental station here, with Bervan Worse still, Iofur intends to allow her to build, which is completely against the customs of armored bears, because although humans have been here, or been imprisoned here, no one has ever been here. She has lived and worked here. She wants to strengthen her control over Iofur Raknisson bit by bit, and also strengthen his control over us, until we become her puppets who bow and obey, running back and forth. At that time, our only task was to suppress the hatred caused by her..." It was an old bear who spoke, named Sauron Altharsson, who served as an advisor and suffered a lot during the reign of Eofur Raknisson. "Laila, what is she doing now?" asked Iorek Bernison. "What will she do when she hears of Iofur's death?" Laila produced the alethiometer.The light was too dim to see clearly, so Iorek ordered torches to be brought. "How's Mr. Scoresby?" Lyra asked while they waited. "And what about the witches?" "The witches were attacked by another tribe of witches. I don't know if this tribe has formed an alliance with those who cut up the child elves, but they were in large numbers at the time, and they were patrolling the airspace we flew over. They took advantage of the blizzard to attack. Attacked. I don't know what happened to Serafina Pekkala. As for Lee Scoresby, after I fell with this boy, the balloon went up again, and he was on it. But your The alethiometer will tell you what happened to him." At this moment, a bear stopped a pair of sledges, on which was a pot of burning charcoal.He stuck an oily twig into the charcoal, and the twig caught fire immediately.Under the firelight, Lyra turned the needle of the alethiometer and asked about Lee Scoresby. The answer is that he was still in the sky, and was blown to Nova Zambra by the wind. The cliff ghost didn't hurt him, and he also repelled another tribe of witches. Lyra told this to Iorek, who nodded in satisfaction. "If he's still in the air, he's all right," he said. "Where's Mrs. Coulter?" The answer this time was complicated and difficult to understand, and the pointer swung back and forth between the symbols one by one, which made Laila baffled for a long time.The armored bears were very curious, but they restrained their curiosity out of respect for Iorek Bernison, and he had great respect for Lyra.Lyra stopped thinking about them and went back to staring at the alethiometer in a daze. The patterns of how the symbols she had discovered were now frustrating. "It says she... she's flying this way, already knows about us, she's got a zeppelin with machine guns - that's what I think it means - and they're heading to Svaal at the moment The Bart Islands are flying in. Of course, she doesn't know that Iofur Laknizon has been defeated, but she will soon know, because... oh, yes, because some witches will tell her that they are Got the news from the Cliff Ghost. So, Iorek, I guess there are spies all over the sky. She's going to...pretend to help Iofur Laknizon, but in reality she's trying to take his power, and she's still I brought a regiment of Tatars and drove this way from the sea, and I will arrive in a few days. "She also plans to go to the place where Lord Asriel is being held as soon as possible, and have someone kill him, because... now it is clear: Iorek, I have never understood this before! That is why she wanted to kill Asriel Lord Asriel: It is because she knows what he is going to do, and she is very scared. She wants to do it herself, before Lord Asriel, and let her control it... It must be related to the city in the sky, it must be! She Get to that city first! Now, the alethiometer is telling me another thing..." Lyra leaned over the alethiometer, watching the dangling needle excitedly.The pointer was so dizzyingly fast that Roger, who was standing behind Lyra and staring at it, didn't even see it stop. He only knew that Lyra's finger moving the pointer was doing some kind of rapid movement with the following pointer. The erratic dialogue, not like language, is as confusing as the aurora. "Yes, that's right," Lyra said finally, putting the alethiometer on her lap, blinking, and sighing, recovering from her contemplation. “对，我明白真理仪是什么意思了。库尔特夫人又在找我，她想从我这儿要一样东西，因为阿斯里尔勋爵也想要，他们需要这个东西是……是为了这次试验，不管是什么东西……” 说到这儿，莱拉停了下来，深吸了一口气。有什么东西让她觉得心烦意乱，但是她并不知道到底是什么。她肯定，这件如此重要的东西就是真理仪，因为毕竟库尔特夫人曾经想得到它，除此之外还能是什么呢？然而，也许并不是真理仪，因为真理仪在指自己的时候是用的另外一种方式，不是这样的。 “我猜是真理仪，”她伤心地说，“我一直就是这么认为的。我得把它交给阿斯里尔勋爵，不能让库尔特夫人得到它。要是归了她，我们就都活不了了。” 莱拉说着，觉得自己累极了，全身上下没了一丝力气，心情也异常悲哀，觉得也许死亡才是一种解脱。但是，埃欧雷克给她树立了榜样，让她不去这么想。 她把真理仪放到一边，坐直了身子。 “她离这儿有多远？”埃欧雷克问。 “只有几个小时的路程。我想我应该尽快把真理仪去交给阿斯里尔勋爵。” “我跟你一起去，”埃欧雷克说。 莱拉没有反对。埃欧雷克下达命令，组织起一小队武装披甲熊，跟他们一起上路，完成他们北极之行中的最后一段旅程；莱拉静静地坐着，保存精力。她觉得，刚才在对真理仪作最后解释的时候，自己身上好像失去了什么。她闭上眼睛，睡着了，但很快，他们便把她叫醒，然后上路了。