Aboard John Faa's ship

John Faa explains how Tony and Ben managed to capture a Gobbler and get him to talk. They found out that the Gobblers were taking the children up to the North where they’ve got a laboratory, like a hospital, where they do experiments on the children. They don’t know if the children survive the experiments or not.

John Faa explains that when he found out he immediately contacted Father Coram who is a seer and a spirit-talker, and ‘as wise as a tree of owls’. John Faa explains they are headed for the port of Trollesund, on the southernmost tip of the land of ice. John Faa explains they are going to stock up on guns and armaments in Trollesund. He also says that is where Lyra should wait for them. She objects to this. Father Coram challenges John Faa and argues that Lyra should come. He does this because he knows she has the alethiometer with her. But, as John Faa points out, she doesn’t know how to use it. Lyra tries to prove him wrong by asking the alethiometer whether Mrs Coulter will find her or not. The alethiometer reacts wildly to Lyra’s question and she deciphers that Mrs Coulter is sending a ‘flying object’ to find her. John Faa and the Gyptians are dismissive but just then a tiny flying spy appears. As Father Coram explains ‘It’s built of clockwork that won’t never run out, and pinned to the spring, there’s a bad spirit with a spell through its heart. This thing’s so monstrous angry at being cooped up, that if it ever got out, it’d tear and rip and slash the first creature it come across’.