Script: Will Meets IorekScript: Nicholas Wright, published by Nick Hern Books Lyra’s world. Will and Balthamos are travelling. BALTHAMOS: Baruch is dead! Baruch is dead! He flies into the air. WILL: Balthamos! Don’t fly away! Come back! I need you! Balthamos descends. BALTHAMOS: Forgive me, Will. I’m disabled by my grief. But one must persevere, even after you’ve lost the one you love. The noise of explosions is heard, along with angry shouts. Frightened townspeople run into sight, all with daemons. WILL: Could you persevere enough to become a daemon? BALTHAMOS: Perhaps a suitable one. He becomes a dark, mourning bird. A priest appears, urging the townspeople back. PRIEST: People of Kholodnoye! Do not flee the bears! They are children of the devil! Turn and fight them! Drive them from our sacred soil! TOWNSMAN: We’ve only got the one gun, your reverence, and they’ve got a flame-thrower! Others agree. There’s a loud bang. Everyone throws themselves to the ground. Angry bears come in to view, fresh off the boat, shaking their fists at the townspeople. To the priest: WILL: Why are the bears attacking you? PRIEST: They want to refuel their ship. But we don’t deal with scum of that kind. They’re worse than gyptians! Worse than witches! People of Kholodnoye! People of Kholodnoye! Resist the bears! Iorek appears: IOREK: Load the flame-thrower! The flame-thrower comes into view and swivels towards the townspeople. WILL: Stop! IOREK: Who are you, you two-legged shrimp? WILL: My name’s Will Parry. I volunteer to fight you in single combat. If you back down, you gotta put that flame-thrower away. The bears laugh sceptically. To the townspeople: And if I win, you’ve got to agree to sell them fuel. Then they’ll sail on up the river, and they won’t ever bother you again. IOREK: I will not fight you! It would be shameful! You are as weak as a new-born oyster out of its shell. WILL: You’re right! I am! And you’ve got all that armour as well! Make it fairer. Give me one piece of your armour, any bit you like. Your helmet. Then we’ll be evenly matched. Iorek takes off his helmet and hands it to Will. WILL: Is this it? It doesn’t look very strong to me. He draws the knife and slices up the helmet. Total rubbish. I’ll just have to fight you without it. You ready? He holds out the knife in challenge. IOREK: Your knife is too strong a weapon. Boy, you win. The townspeople cheer. Will turns to them: WILL: People of … People! Keep your bargain. Let the bears refuel. The bears disarm the flame-thrower. Drums of fuel are rolled towards the unseen ship. To Will: IOREK: Show me that knife. WILL: I’ll only show it to a bear I heard about once. He’s the friend of Lyra Silvertongue. His name is Iorek Byrnison. IOREK: I am Iorek Byrnison. WILL: I know. Here, take it. | 
