The Subtle Knife

Citation preview

ONE

His Dark Materials Book Two

THE SUBTLE KNIFE

Philip Pullman

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THE CAT AND THE HORNBEAM TREES

Will t ugged at his mot her's hand and said, "Come on, come on. . . " But his mot her hung back. She was st ill af raid. Will looked up and down t he narrow st reet in t he evening light , along t he lit t le t errace of houses, each behind it s t iny garden and it s box hedge, wit h t he sun glaring of f t he windows of one side and leaving t he ot her in shadow. There wasn't much t ime. People would be having t heir meal about now, and soon t here would be ot her children around, t o st are and comment and not ice. It was dangerous t o wait , but all he could do was persuade her, as usual. "Mum, let 's go in and see Mrs. Cooper, " he said. "Look, we're nearly t here. " "Mrs. Cooper?" she said doubt f ully. But he was already ringing t he bell. He had t o put down t he bag t o do it , because his ot her hand st ill held his mot her's. It might have bot hered him at t welve years of age t o be seen holding his mot her's hand, but he knew what would happen t o her if he didn't . The door opened, and t here was t he st ooped elderly f igure of t he piano t eacher, wit h t he scent of lavender wat er about her as he remembered. "Who's t hat ? Is t hat William?" t he old lady said. "I haven't seen you f or over a year. What do you want , dear?" "I want t o come in, please, and bring my mot her, " he said f irmly. Mrs. Cooper looked at t he woman wit h t he unt idy hair and t he dist ract ed half -smile, and at t he boy wit h t he f ierce, unhappy glare in his eyes, t he t ight -set lips, t he j ut t ing j aw. And t hen she saw

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t hat Mrs. Parry, Will's mot her, had put makeup on one eye but not on t he ot her. And she hadn't not iced. And neit her had Will. Somet hing was wrong. "Well. . . " she said, and st epped aside t o make room in t he narrow hall. Will looked up and down t he road bef ore closing t he door, and Mrs. Cooper saw how t ight ly Mrs. Parry was clinging t o her son's hand, and how t enderly he guided her int o t he sit t ing room where t he piano was (of course, t hat was t he only room he knew); and she not iced t hat Mrs. Parry's clot hes smelled slight ly must y, as if t hey'd been t oo long in t he washing machine bef ore drying; and how similar t he t wo of t hem looked as t hey sat on t he sof a wit h t he evening sun f ull on t heir f aces, t heir broad cheekbones, t heir wide eyes, t heir st raight black brows. "What is it , William?" t he old lady said. "What 's t he mat t er?" "My mot her needs somewhere t o st ay f or a f ew days, " he said. "It 's t oo dif f icult t o look af t er her at home j ust now. I don't mean she's ill. She's j ust kind of conf used and muddled, and she get s a bit worried. She won't be hard t o look af t er. She j ust needs someone t o be kind t o her, and I t hink you could do t hat quit e easily, probably. " The woman was looking at her son wit hout seeming t o underst and, and Mrs. Cooper saw a bruise on her cheek. Will hadn't t aken his eyes of f Mrs. Cooper, and his expression was desperat e. "She won't be expensive, " he went on. "I've brought some packet s of f ood, enough t o last , I should t hink. You could have some of it t oo. She won't mind sharing. " "But . . . I don't know if I should . . . Doesn't she need a doct or?" "No! She's not ill. " "But t here must be someone who can. . . I mean, isn't t here a neighbor or someone in t he f amily—" "We haven't got any f amily. Only us. And t he neighbors are t oo busy. " "What about t he social services? I don't mean t o put you of f , dear, but —" "No! No. She j ust needs a bit of help. I can't do it myself f or a lit t le while, but I won't be long. I'm going t o . . . I've got t hings t o do. But I'll be back soon, and I'll t ake her home again, I promise. You won't have t o do it f or long. " The mot her was looking at her son wit h such t rust , and he t urned and smiled at her wit h such love and reassurance, t hat Mrs. Cooper couldn't say no. "Well, " she said, t urning t o Mrs. Parry, "I'm sure it won't mat t er f or a day or so. You can have my daught er's room, dear. She's in Aust ralia. She won't be needing it again. " "Thank you, " said Will, and st ood up as if he were in a hurry t o leave. "But where are you going t o be?" said Mrs. Cooper. "I'm going t o be st aying wit h a f riend, " he said. "I'll phone up as of t en as I can. I've got your number. It 'll be all right " His mot her was looking at him, bewildered. He bent over and kissed her clumsily. "Don't worry, " he said. "Mrs. Cooper will look af t er you bet t er t han me, honest . And I'll phone up and t alk t o you t omorrow. " They hugged t ight ly, and t hen Will kissed her again and gent ly unf ast ened her arms f rom his neck bef ore going t o t he f ront door. Mrs. Cooper could see he was upset , because his eyes were glist ening, but he t urned, remembering his manners, and held out his hand. "Good-bye, " he said, "and t hank you very much. " "William, " she said, "I wish you'd t ell me what t he mat t er is—" "It 's a bit complicat ed, " he said, "but she won't be any t rouble, honest ly. " That wasn't what she meant , and bot h of t hem knew it ; but somehow Will was in charge of t his business, what ever it was. The old lady t hought she'd never seen a child so implacable. He t urned away, already t hinking about t he empt y house.

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The close where Will and his mot her lived was a loop of road in a modern est at e wit h a dozen ident ical houses, of which t heirs was by f ar t he shabbiest . The f ront garden was j ust a pat ch of weedy grass; his mot her had plant ed some shrubs earlier in t he year, but t hey'd shriveled and died f or lack of wat ering. As Will came around t he corner, his cat , Moxie, rose up f rom her f avorit e spot under t he st ill-living hydrangea and st ret ched bef ore greet ing him wit h a sof t meow and but t ing her head against his leg. He picked her up and whispered, "Have t hey come back, Moxie? Have you seen t hem?" The house was silent . In t he last of t he evening light t he man across t he road was washing his car, but he t ook no not ice of Will, and Will didn't look at him. The less not ice people t ook, t he bet t er. Holding Moxie against his chest , he unlocked t he door and went in quickly. Then he list ened very caref ully bef ore put t ing her down. There was not hing t o hear; t he house was empt y. He opened a t in f or Moxie and lef t her t o eat in t he kit chen. How long bef ore t he men came back? There was no way of t elling, so he'd bet t er move quickly. He went upst airs and began t o search. He was looking f or a bat t ered green leat her writ ing case. There are a surprising number of places t o hide somet hing t hat size even in any ordinary modern house; you don't need secret panels and ext ensive cellars in order t o make somet hing hard t o f ind. Will searched his mot her's bedroom f irst , ashamed t o be looking t hrough t he drawers where she kept her underclot hes, and t hen he worked syst emat ically t hrough t he rest of t he rooms upst airs, even his own. Moxie came t o see what he was doing and sat and cleaned herself nearby, f or company. But he didn't f ind it . By t hat t ime it was dark, and he was hungry. He made himself baked beans on t oast and sat at t he kit chen t able wondering about t he best order t o look t hrough t he downst airs rooms. As he was f inishing his meal, t he phone rang. He sat absolut ely st ill, his heart t humping. He count ed: t went y-six rings, and t hen it st opped. He put his plat e in t he suik and st art ed t o search again. Four hours lat er he st ill hadn't f ound t he green leat her case. It was half past one, and he was exhaust ed. He lay on his bed f ully clot hed and f ell asleep at once, his dreams t ense and crowded, his mot her's unhappy, f right ened f ace always t here j ust out of reach. And almost at once, it seemed (t hough he'd been asleep f or nearly t hree hours), he woke up knowing t wo t hings simult aneously. First , he knew where t he case was. And second, he knew t hat t he men were downst airs, opening t he kit chen door. He lif t ed Moxie out of t he way and sof t ly hushed her sleepy prot est . Then he swung his legs over t he side of t he bed and put on his shoes, st raining every nerve t o hear t he sounds f rom downst airs. They were very quiet sounds: a chair being lif t ed and replaced, a short whisper, t he creak of a f loorboard. Moving more silent ly t han t he men were, he lef t his bedroom and t ipt oed t o t he spare room at t he t op of t he st airs. It wasn't quit e pit ch-dark, and in t he ghost ly gray predawn light he could see t he old t readle sewing machine. He'd been t hrough t he room t horoughly only hours bef ore, but he'd f orgot t en t he compart ment at t he side of t he sewing machine, where all t he pat t erns and bobbins were kept . He f elt f or it delicat ely, list ening all t he while. The men were moving about downst airs, and Will could see a dim f licker of light t hat might have been a f lashlight at t he edge of t he door. Then he f ound t he cat ch of t he compart ment and clicked it open, and t here, j ust as he'd known it would be, was t he leat her writ ing case.

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And now what could he do? He crouched in t he dimness, heart pounding, list ening hard. The t wo men were in t he hall downst airs. He heard one of t hem say quiet ly, "Come on. I can hear t he milkman down t he road. " "It 's not here, t hough, " said t he ot her voice. "We'll have t o look upst airs. " "Go on, t hen. Don't hang about . " Will braced himself as he heard t he quiet creak of t he t op st ep. The man was making no noise at all, but he couldn't help t he creak if he wasn't expect ing it . Then t here was a pause. A very t hin beam of f lashlight swept along t he f loor out side. Will saw it t hrough t he crack. Then t he door began t o move. Will wait ed t ill t he man was f ramed in t he open doorway, and t hen exploded up out of t he dark and crashed int o t he int ruder's belly. But neit her of t hem saw t he cat . As t he man had reached t he t op st ep, Moxie had come silent ly out of t he bedroom and st ood wit h raised t ail j ust behind t he man's legs, ready t o rub herself against t hem. The man, who was t rained and f it and hard, could have dealt wit h Will, but t he cat was in t he way, and as t he man t ried t o move back, he t ripped over her. Wit h a sharp gasp he f ell backward down t he st airs and crashed his head brut ally against t he hall t able. Will heard a hideous crack, and didn't st op t o wonder about it . Clut ching t he writ ing case, he swung himself down t he banist er, leaping over t he man's body t hat lay t wit ching and crumpled at t he f oot of t he f light , seized t he t at t ered t ot e bag f rom t he t able, and was out of t he f ront door and away bef ore t he ot her man could do more t han come out of t he living room and st are. Even in his f ear and hast e Will wondered why t he ot her man didn't shout af t er him, or chase him. They'd be af t er him soon, t hough, wit h t heir cars and t heir cell phones. The only t hing t o do was run. He saw t he milkman t urning int o t he close, t he light s of his elect ric cart pallid in t he dawn glimmer t hat was already f illing t he sky. Will j umped over t he f ence int o t he next -door garden, down t he passage beside t he house, over t he next garden wall, across a dew-wet lawn, t hrough t he hedge, and int o t he t angle of shrubs and t rees bet ween t he housing est at e and t he main road. There he crawled under a bush and lay pant ing and t rembling. It was t oo early t o be out on t he road: wait t ill lat er, when t he rush hour st art ed. He couldn't get out of his mind t he crack as t he man's head st ruck t he t able, and t he way his neck was bent so f ar and in such a wrong way, and t he dreadf ul t wit ching of his limbs. The man was dead. He'd killed him. He couldn't get it out of his mind, but he had t o. There was quit e enough t o t hink about . His mot her: would she really be saf e where she was? Mrs. Cooper wouldn't t ell, would she? Even if Will didn't t urn up as he'd said he would? Because he couldn't , now t hat he'd killed someone. And Moxie. Who'd f eed Moxie? Would Moxie worry about where t hey were? Would she t ry t o f ollow t hem? It was get t ing light er by t he minut e. It was light enough already t o check t hrough t he t hings in t he t ot e bag: his mot her's purse, t he lat est let t er f rom t he lawyer, t he road map of sout hern England, chocolat e bars, t oot hpast e, spare socks and pant s. And t he green leat her writ ing case. Everyt hing was t here. Everyt hing was going according t o plan, really. Except t hat he'd killed someone. Will had f irst realized his mot her was dif f erent f rom ot her people, and t hat he had t o look af t er her, when he was seven. They were in a supermarket , and t hey were playing a game: t hey were allowed t o put an it em in t he cart only when no one was looking. It was Will's j ob t o look all

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around and whisper "Now, " and she would snat ch a t in or a packet f rom t he shelf and put it silent ly int o t he cart . When t hings were in t here t hey were saf e, because t hey became invisible. It was a good game, and it went on f or a long t ime, because t his was a Sat urday morning and t he shop was f ull, but t hey were good at it and worked well t oget her. They t rust ed each ot her. Will loved his mot her very much and of t en t old her so, and she t old him t he same. So when t hey reached t he checkout Will was excit ed and happy because t hey'd nearly won. And when his mot her couldn't f ind her purse, t hat was part of t he game t oo, even when she said t he enemies must have st olen it ; but Will was get t ing t ired by t his t ime, and hungry t oo, and Mummy wasn't so happy anymore. She was really f right ened, and t hey went around and around put t ing t hings back on t he shelves, but t his t ime t hey had t o be ext ra caref ul because t he enemies were t racking t hem down by means of her credit card numbers, which t hey knew because t hey had her purse. . . . And Will got more and more f right ened himself . He realized how clever his mot her had been t o make t his real danger int o a game so t hat he wouldn't be alarmed, and how, now t hat he knew t he t rut h, he had t o pret end not t o be f right ened, so as t o reassure her. So t he lit t le boy pret ended it was a game st ill, so she didn't have t o worry t hat he was f right ened, and t hey went home wit hout any shopping, but saf e f rom t he enemies; and t hen Will f ound t he purse on t he hall t able anyway. On Monday t hey went t o t he bank and closed her account , and opened anot her somewhere else, j ust t o be sure. Thus t he danger passed But somet ime during t he next f ew mont hs, Will realized slowly and unwillingly t hat t hose enemies of his mot her's were not in t he world out t here, but in her mind. That made t hem no less real, no less f right ening and dangerous; it j ust meant he had t o prot ect her even more caref ully. And f rom t he moment in t he supermarket when he had realized he must pret end in order not t o worry his mot her, part of Will's mind was always alert t o her anxiet ies. He loved her so much he would have died t o prot ect her. As f or Will's f at her, he had vanished long bef ore Will was able t o remember him. Will was passionat ely curious about his f at her, and he used t o plague his mot her wit h quest ions, most of which she couldn't answer. "Was he a rich man?" "Where did he go?" "Why did he go?" "Is he dead?" "Will he come back?' "What was he like?" The last quest ion was t he only one she could help him wit h. John Parry had been a handsome man, a brave and clever of f icer in t he Royal Marines, who had lef t t he army t o become an explorer and lead expedit ions t o remot e part s of t he world. Will t hrilled t o hear about t his. No f at her could be more excit ing t han an explorer. From t hen on, in all his games he had an invisible companion: he and his f at her were t oget her hacking t hrough t he j ungle, shading t heir eyes t o gaze out across st ormy seas f rom t he deck of t heir schooner, holding up a t orch t o decipher myst erious inscript ions in a bat -inf est ed cave. . . . They were t he best of f riends, t hey saved each ot her's lif e count less t imes, t hey laughed and t alked t oget her over camp-f ires long int o t he night . But t he older he got , t he more Will began t o wonder. Why were t here no pict ures of his f at her in t his part of t he world or t hat , riding wit h f rost -bearded men on Arct ic sledges or examining creeper-covered ruins in t he j ungle? Had not hing survived of t he t rophies and curiosit ies he must have brought home? Was not hing writ t en about him in a book?

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His mot her didn't know. But one t hing she had said st uck in his mind. She said, "One day, you'll f ollow in your f at her's f oot st eps. You're going t o be a great man t oo. You'll t ake up his mant le. " And t hough Will didn't know what t hat meant , he underst ood t he sense of it , and f elt uplif t ed wit h pride and purpose. All his games were going t o come t rue. His f at her was alive, lost somewhere hi t he wild, and he was going t o rescue him and t ake up his mant le. . . . It was wort h living a dif f icult lif e, if you had a great aim like t hat . So he kept his mot her's t rouble secret . There were t imes when she was calmer and clearer t han ot hers, and he t ook care t o learn f rom her t hen how t o shop and cook and keep t he house clean, so t hat he could do it when she was conf used and f right ened. And he learned how t o conceal himself , t oo, how t o remain unnot iced at school, how not t o at t ract at t ent ion f rom t he neighbors, even when his mot her was in such a st at e of f ear and madness t hat she could barely speak. What Will himself f eared more t han anyt hing was t hat t he aut horit ies would f ind out about her, and t ake her away, and put him in a home among st rangers. Any dif f icult y was bet t er t han t hat . Because t here came t imes when t he darkness cleared f rom her mind, and she was happy again, and she laughed at her f ears and blessed him f or looking af t er her so well; and she was so f ull of love and sweet ness t hen t hat he could t hink of no bet t er companion, and want ed not hing more t han t o live wit h her alone f orever. But t hen t he men came. They weren't police, and t hey weren't social services, and t hey weren't criminals—at least as f ar as Will could j udge. They wouldn't t ell him what t hey want ed, in spit e of his ef f ort s t o keep t hem away; t hey'd speak only t o his mot her. And her st at e was f ragile j ust t hen. But he list ened out side t he door, and heard t hem ask about his f at her, and f elt his breat h come more quickly. The men want ed t o know where John Parry had gone, and whet her he'd sent anyt hing back t o her, and when she'd last heard f rom him, and whet her he'd had cont act wit h any f oreign embassies. Will heard his mot her get t ing more and more dist ressed, and f inally he ran int o t he room and t old t hem t o go. He looked so f ierce t hat neit her of t he men laughed, t hough he was so young. They could easily have knocked him down, or held him of f t he f loor wit h one hand, but he was f earless, and his anger was hot and deadly. So t hey lef t . Nat urally, t his episode st rengt hened Will's convict ion: his f at her was in t rouble somewhere, and only he could help. His games weren't childish anymore, and he didn't play so openly. It was coming t rue, and he had t o be wort hy of it . And not long af t erward t he men came back, insist ing t hat Will's mot her had somet hing t o t ell t hem. They came when Will was at school, and one of t hem kept her t alking downst airs while t he ot her searched t he bedrooms. She didn't realize what t hey were doing. But Will came home early and f ound t hem, and once again he blazed at t hem, and once again t hey lef t . They seemed t o know t hat he wouldn't go t o t he police, f or f ear of losing his mot her t o t he aut horit ies, and t hey got more and more persist ent . Finally t hey broke int o t he house when Will had gone t o f et ch his mot her home f rom t he park. It was get t ing worse f or her now, and she believed t hat she had t o t ouch every separat e slat in every separat e bench beside t he pond. Will would help her, t o get it done quicker. When t hey got home t hat day t hey saw t he back of t he men's car disappearing out of t he close, and he got inside t o f ind t hat t hey'd been t hrough t he house and searched most of t he drawers and cupboards. He knew what t hey were af t er. The green leat her case was his mot her's most precious possession;

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he would never dream of looking t hrough it , and he didn't even know where she kept it . But he knew it cont ained let t ers, and he knew she read t hem somet imes, and cried, and it was t hen t hat she t alked about his f at her. So Will supposed t hat t his was what t he men were af t er, and knew he had t o do somet hing about it . He decided f irst t o f ind somewhere saf e f or his mot her t o st ay. He t hought and t hought , but he had no f riends t o ask, and t he neighbors were already suspicious, and t he only person he t hought he could t rust was Mrs. Cooper. Once his mot her was saf ely t here, he was going t o f ind t he green leat her case and look at what was in it , and t hen he was going t o go t o Oxf ord, where he'd f ind t he answer t o some of his quest ions. But t he men came t oo soon. And now he'd killed one of t hem. So t he police would be af t er him t oo. Well, he was good at not being not iced. He'd have t o not be not iced harder t han he'd ever done in his lif e bef ore, and keep it up as long as he could, t ill eit her he f ound his f at her or t hey f ound him. And if t hey f ound him f irst , he didn't care how many more of t hem he killed. Lat er t hat day, t oward midnight in f act , Will was walking out of t he cit y of Oxf ord, f ort y miles away. He was t ired t o his very bones. He had hit chhiked, and ridden on t wo buses, and walked, and reached Oxf ord at six in t he evening, t oo lat e t o do what he needed t o do. He'd eat en at a Burger King and gone t o a cinema t o hide (t hough what t he f ilm was, he f orgot even as he was wat ching it ), and now he was walking along an endless road t hrough t he suburbs, heading nort h. No one had not iced nun so f ar. But he was aware t hat he'd bet t er f ind somewhere t o sleep bef ore long, because t he lat er it got , t he more not iceable he'd be. The t rouble was t hat t here was nowhere t o hide in t he gardens of t he comf ort able houses along t his road, and t here was st ill no sign of open count ry. He came t o a large t raf f ic circle where t he road going nort h crossed t he Oxf ord ring road going east and west . At t his t ime of night t here was very lit t le t raf f ic, and t he road where he st ood was quiet , wit h comf ort able houses set back behind a wide expanse of grass on eit her side. Plant ed along t he grass at t he road's edge were t wo lines of hornbeam t rees, odd-looking t hings wit h perf ect ly symmet rical close-leaf ed crowns, more like children's drawings t han like real t rees. The st reet light s made t he scene look art if icial, like a st age set . Will was st upef ied wit h exhaust ion, and he might have gone on t o t he nort h, or he might have laid his head on t he grass under one of t hose t rees and slept ; but as he st ood t rying t o clear his head, he saw a cat . She was a t abby, like Moxie. She padded out of a garden on t he Oxf ord side of t he road, where Will was st anding. Will put down his t ot e bag and held out his hand, and t he cat came up t o rub her head against his knuckles, j ust as Moxie did. Of course, every cat behaved like t hat , but all t he same Will f elt such a longing f or home t hat t ears scalded his eyes. Event ually t he cat t urned away. This was night , and t here was a t errit ory t o pat rol, t here were mice t o hunt . She padded across t he road and t oward t he bushes j ust beyond t he hornbeam t rees, and t here she st opped. Will, st ill wat ching, saw t he cat behave curiously. She reached out a paw t o pat somet hing in t he air in f ront of her, somet hing quit e invisible t o Will. Then she leaped backward, back arched and f ur on end, t ail held out st if f ly. Will knew cat behavior. He wat ched more alert ly as t he cat approached t he spot again, j ust an empt y pat ch of grass bet ween t he hornbeams and t he bushes of a garden hedge, and pat t ed t he air once more. Again she leaped back, but less f ar and wit h less alarm t his t ime. Af t er anot her f ew seconds of snif f ing, t ouching, and whisker t wit ching, curiosit y overcame wariness.

The cat st epped f orward—and vanished. Will blinked. Then he st ood st ill, close t o t he t runk of t he nearest t ree, as a t ruck came around t he circle and swept it s light s over him. When it had gone past , he crossed t he road, keeping his eyes on t he spot where t he cat had been invest igat ing. It wasn't easy, because t here was not hing t o f ix on, but when he came t o t he place and cast about t o look closely, he saw it . At least , he saw it f rom some angles. It looked as if someone had cut a pat ch out of t he air, about t wo yards f rom t he edge of t he road, a pat ch roughly square in shape and less t han a yard across. If you were level wit h t he pat ch so t hat it was edge-on, it was nearly invisible, and it was complet ely invisible f rom behind. You could see it only f rom t he side nearest t he road, and you couldn't see it easily even f rom t here, because all you could see t hrough it was exact ly t he same kind of t hing t hat lay in f ront of it on t his side: a pat ch of grass lit by a st reet light . But Will knew wit hout t he slight est doubt t hat t hat pat ch of grass on t he ot her side was in a dif f erent world. He couldn't possibly have said why. He knew it at once, as st rongly as he knew t hat f ire burned and kindness was good. He was looking at somet hing prof oundly alien. And f or t hat reason alone, it ent iced him t o st oop and look f urt her. What he saw made his head swim and his heart t hump harder, but he didn't hesit at e: he pushed his t ot e bag t hrough, and t hen scrambled t hrough himself , t hrough t he hole in t he f abric of t his world and int o anot her. He f ound himself st anding under a row of t rees. But not hornbeam t rees: t hese were t all palms, and t hey were growing, like t he t rees in Oxf ord, in a row along t he grass. But t his was t he cent er of a broad boulevard, and at t he side of t he boulevard was a line of caf es and small shops, all bright ly bt , all open, and all ut t erly silent and empt y beneat h a sky t hick wit h st ars. The hot night was laden wit h t he scent of f lowers and wit h t he salt smell of t he sea. Will looked around caref ully. Behind him t he f ull moon shone down over a dist ant prospect of great green hills, and on t he slopes at t he f oot of t he hills t here were houses wit h rich gardens, and an open parkland wit h groves of t rees and t he whit e gleam of a classical t emple. Just beside him was t hat bare pat ch in t he air, as hard t o see f rom t his side as f rom t he ot her, but def init ely t here. He bent t o look t hrough and saw t he road in Oxf ord, his own world. He t urned away wit h a shudder: what ever t his new world was, it had t o be bet t er t han what he'd j ust lef t . Wit h a dawning light -headedness, t he f eeling t hat he was dreaming but awake at t he same t ime, he st ood up and looked around f or t he cat , his guide. She was nowhere in sight . No doubt she was already exploring t hose narrow st reet s and gardens beyond t he caf es whose light s were so invit ing. Will lif t ed up his t at t ered t ot e bag and walked slowly across t he road t oward t hem, moving very caref ully in case it all disappeared. The air of t he place had somet hing Medit erranean or maybe Caribbean about it . Will had never been out of England, so he couldn't compare it wit h anywhere he knew, but it was t he kind of place where people came out lat e at night t o eat and drink, t o dance and enj oy music. Except t hat t here was no one here, and t he silence was immense. On t he f irst corner he reached t here st ood a caf e, wit h lit t le green t ables on t he pavement and a zinc-t opped bar and an espresso machine. On some of t he t ables glasses st ood half -empt y; in one asht ray a cigaret t e had burned down t o t he but t ; a plat e of risot t o st ood next t o a basket of st ale rolls as hard as cardboard. He t ook a bot t le of lemonade f rom t he cooler behind t he bar and t hen t hought f or a moment bef ore dropping a pound coin in t he t ill. As soon as he'd shut t he t ill, he opened it again, realizing t hat t he money in t here might say what t his place was called. The currency was called t he corona, but he couldn't t ell any more t han t hat .

He put t he money back and opened t he bot t le on t he opener f ixed t o t he count er bef ore leaving t he caf e and wandering down t he st reet going away f rom t he boulevard. Lit t le grocery shops and bakeries st ood bet ween j ewelers and f lorist s and bead-curt ained doors opening int o privat e houses, where wrought -iron balconies t hick wit h f lowers overhung t he narrow pavement , and where t he silence, being enclosed, was even more prof ound. The st reet s were leading downward, and bef ore very long t hey opened out ont o a broad avenue where more palm t rees reached high int o t he air, t he underside of t heir leaves glowing in me st reet light s. On t he ot her side of t he avenue was t he sea. Will f ound himself f acing a harbor enclosed f rom t he lef t by a st one breakwat er and f rom t he right by a headland on which a large building wit h st one columns and wide st eps and ornat e balconies st ood f loodlit among f lowering t rees and bushes. In t he harbor one or t wo rowboat s lay st ill at anchor, and beyond t he breakwat er t he st arlight glit t ered on a calm sea. By now Will's exhaust ion had been wiped out . He was wide awake and possessed by wonder. From t ime t o t ime, on his way t hrough t he narrow st reet s, he'd put out a hand t o t ouch a wall or a doorway or t he f lowers in a window box, and f ound t hem solid and convincing. Now he want ed t o t ouch t he whole landscape in f ront of him, because it was t oo wide t o t ake in t hrough his eyes alone. He st ood st ill, breat hing deeply, almost af raid. He discovered t hat he was st ill holding t he bot t le he'd t aken f rom t he caf e. He drank f rom it , and it t ast ed like what it was, ice-cold lemonade; and welcome, t oo, because t he night air was hot . He wandered along t o t he right , past hot els wit h awnings over bright ly lit ent rances and bougainvillea f lowering beside t hem, unt il he came t o t he gardens on t he lit t le headland. The building in t he t rees wit h it s ornat e f acade lit by f loodlight s might have been an opera house. There were pat hs leading here and t here among t he lamp-hung oleander t rees, but not a sound of lif e could be heard: no night birds singing, no insect s, not hing but Will's own f oot st eps. The only sound he could hear came f rom t he regular, quiet breaking of delicat e waves f rom t he beach beyond t he palm t rees at t he edge of t he garden. Will made his way t here. The t ide was half way in, or half way out , and a row of pedal boat s was drawn up on t he sof t whit e sand above t he high-wat er line. Every f ew seconds a t iny wave f olded it self over at t he sea's edge bef ore sliding back neat ly under t he next . Fif t y yards or so out on t he calm wat er was a diving plat f orm. Will sat on t he side of one of t he pedal boat s and kicked of f his shoes, his cheap sneakers t hat were coming apart and cramping his hot f eet . He dropped his socks beside t hem and pushed his t oes deep int o t he sand. A f ew seconds lat er he had t hrown of f t he rest of his clot hes and was walking int o t he sea. The wat er was deliciously bet ween cool and warm. He splashed out t o t he diving plat f orm and pulled himself up t o sit on it s weat her-sof t ened planking and look back at t he cit y. To his right t he harbor lay enclosed by it s breakwat er. Beyond it a mile or so away st ood a red-andwhit e-st riped light house. And beyond t he light house, dist ant cuf f s rose dimly, and beyond t hem, t hose great wide rolling hills he'd seen f rom t he place he'd f irst come t hrough. Closer at hand were t he light -bearing t rees of t he casino gardens, and t he st reet s of t he cit y, and t he wat erf ront wit h it s hot els and caf es and warm-lit shops, all silent , all empt y. And all saf e. No one could f ollow him here; t he men who'd searched t he house would never know; t he police would never f ind him. He had a whole world t o hide in. For t he f irst t ime since he'd run out of his f ront door t hat morning, Will began t o f eel secure. He was t hirst y again, and hungry t oo, because he'd last eat en in anot her world, af t er all. He slipped int o t he wat er and swam back more slowly t o t he beach, where he put on his underpant s

and carried t he rest of his clot hes and t he t ot e bag. He dropped t he empt y bot t le int o t he f irst rubbish bin he f ound and walked baref oot along t he pavement t oward t he harbor. When his skin had dried a lit t le, he pulled on his j eans and looked f or somewhere he'd be likely t o f ind f ood. The hot els were t oo grand. He looked inside t he f irst hot el, but it was so large t hat he f elt uncomf ort able, and he kept moving down t he wat erf ront unt il he f ound a lit t le caf 6 t hat looked like t he right place. He couldn't have said why; it was very similar t o a dozen ot hers, wit h it s f irst -f loor balcony laden wit h f lowerpot s and it s t ables and chairs on t he pavement out side, but it welcomed him. There was a bar wit h phot ographs of boxers on t he wall, and a signed post er of a broadly smiling accordion player. There was a kit chen, and a door beside it t hat opened on t o a narrow f light of st airs, carpet ed in a bright f loral pat t ern. He climbed quiet ly up t o t he narrow landing and opened t he f irst door he came t o. It was t he room at t he f ront . The air was hot and st uf f y, and Will opened t he glass door ont o t he balcony t o let in t he night air. The room it self was small and f urnished wit h t hings t hat were t oo big f or it , and shabby, but it was clean and comf ort able. Hospit able people lived here. There was a lit t le shelf of books, a magazine on t he t able, a couple of phot ographs in f rames. Will lef t and looked in t he ot her rooms: a lit t le bat hroom, a bedroom wit h a double bed. Somet hing made his skin prickle bef ore he opened t he last door. His heart raced. He wasn't sure if he'd heard a sound f rom inside, but somet hing t old him t hat t he room wasn't empt y. He t hought how odd it was t hat t his day had begun wit h someone out side a darkened room, and himself wait ing inside; and now t he posit ions were reversed— And as he st ood wondering, t he door burst open and somet hing came hurt ling at him like a wild beast . But his memory had warned him, and he wasn't st anding quit e close enough t o be knocked over. He f ought hard: knee, head, f ist , and t he st rengt h of his arms against it , him, her— A girl about his own age, f erocious, snarling, wit h ragged dirt y clot hes and t hin bare limbs. She realized what he was at t he same moment , and snat ched herself away f rom his bare chest t o crouch in t he corner of t he dark landing like a cat at bay. And t here was a cat beside her, t o his ast onishment : a large wildcat , as t all as his knee, f ur on end, t eet h bared, t ail erect . She put her hand on t he cat 's back and licked her dry lips, wat ching his every movement . Will st ood up slowly. "Who are you?" "Lyra Silvert ongue, " she said. "Do you live here?" "No, " she said vehement ly. "Then what is t his place? This cit y?" "I don't know. " "Where do you come f rom?" "From my world. It 's j oined on. Where's your daemon?" His eyes widened. Then he saw somet hing ext raordinary happen t o t he cat : it leaped int o her arms, and when it got t here, it changed shape. Now it was a red-brown st oat wit h a cream t hroat and belly, and it glared at him as f erociously as t he girl herself . But t hen anot her shif t in t hings t ook place, because he realized t hat t hey, bot h girl and st oat , were prof oundly af raid of him, as much as if he'd been a ghost . "I haven't got a demon, " he said. "I don't know what you mean. " Then, "Oh! Is t hat your demon?" She st ood up slowly. The st oat curled himself around her neck, and his dark eyes never lef t Will's

f ace. "But you're alive, " she said, half -disbelievingly. "You en't . . . You en't been . . . " "My name's Will Parry, " he said. "I don't know what you mean about demons. In my world demon means . . . it means devil, somet hing evil. " "In your world? You mean t his en't your world?" "No. I j ust f ound. . . a way in. Like your world, I suppose. It must be j oined on. " She relaxed a lit t le, but she st ill wat ched him int ent ly, and he st ayed calm and quiet as if she were a st range cat he was making f riends wit h. "Have you seen anyone else in t his cit y?" he went on. "No. " "How long have you been here?" "Dunno. A f ew days. I can't remember. " "So why did you come here?" "I'm looking f or Dust , " she said. "Looking f or dust ? What , gold dust ? What sort of dust ?" She narrowed her eyes and said not hing. He t urned away t o go downst airs. "I'm hungry, " he said. "Is t here any f ood in t he kit chen?" "I dunno, " she said, and f ollowed, keeping her dist ance f rom him. In t he kit chen Will f ound t he ingredient s f or a casserole of chicken and onions and peppers, but t hey hadn't been cooked, and in t he heat t hey were smelling bad. He swept t hem all int o t he dust bin. "Haven't you eat en anyt hing?" he said, and opened t he f ridge. Lyra came t o look. "I didn't know t his was here, " she said. "Oh! It 's cold. " Her daemon had changed again, and become a huge, bright ly colored but t erf ly, which f lut t ered int o t he f ridge brief ly and out again at once t o set t le on her shoulder. The but t erf ly raised and lowered his wings slowly. Will f elt he shouldn't st are, t hough his head was ringing wit h t he st rangeness of it . "Haven't you seen a f ridge bef ore?" he said. He f ound a can of cola and handed it t o her bef ore t aking out a t ray of eggs. She pressed t he can bet ween her palms wit h pleasure. "Drink it , t hen, " he said. She looked at it , f rowning. She didn't know how t o open it . He snapped t he lid f or her, and t he drink f rot hed out . She licked it suspiciously, and t hen her eyes opened wide. "This is good?" she said, her voice half hoping and half f earf ul. "Yeah. They have Coke in t his world, obviously. Look, I'll drink some t o prove it isn't poison. " He opened anot her can. Once she saw him drink, she f ollowed his example. She was obviously t hirst y. She drank so quickly t hat t he bubbles got up her nose, and she snort ed and belched loudly, and scowled when he looked at her. "I'm going t o make an omelet t e, " he said. "D'you want some?" "I don't know what omelet t e is. " "Well, wat ch and you'll see. Or t here's a can of baked beans, if you'd like. " "I don't know baked beans. " He showed her t he can. She looked f or t he snap-open t op like t he one on t he cola can. "No, you have t o use a can opener, " he said. "Don't t hey have can openers in your world?" "In my world servant s do t he cooking, " she said scornf ully.

"Look in t he drawer over t here. " She rummaged t hrough t he kit chen cut lery while he broke six eggs int o a bowl and whisked t hem wit h a f ork. "That 's it , " he said, wat ching. "Wit h t he red handle. Bring it here. " He pierced t he lid and showed her how t o open t he can. "Now get t hat lit t le saucepan of f t he hook and t ip t hem in, " he t old her. She snif f ed t he beans, and again an expression of pleasure and suspicion ent ered her eyes. She t ipped t he can int o t he saucepan and licked a f inger, wat ching as Will shook salt and pepper int o t he eggs and cut a knob of but t er f rom a package in t he f ridge int o a cast -iron pan. He went int o t he bar t o f ind some mat ches, and when he came back she was dipping her dirt y f inger in t he bowl of beat en eggs and licking it greedily. Her daemon, a cat again, was dipping his paw in it , t oo, but he backed away when Will came near. "It 's not cooked yet , " Will said, t aking it away. "When did you last have a meal?" "At my f at her's house on Svalbard, " she said. "Days and days ago. I don't know. I f ound bread and st uf f here and at e t hat . " He lit t he gas, melt ed t he but t er, poured in t he eggs, and let t hem run all over t he base of it . Her eyes f ollowed everyt hing greedily, wat ching him pull t he eggs up int o sof t ridges in t he cent er as t hey cooked and t ilt t he pan t o let raw egg f low int o t he space. She wat ched him, t oo, looking at his f ace and his working hands and his bare shoulders and his f eet . When t he omelet t e was cooked he f olded it over and cut it in half wit h t he spat ula. "Find a couple of plat es, " he said, and Lyra obedient ly did so. She seemed quit e willing t o t ake orders if she saw t he sense of t hem, so he t old her t o go and clear a t able in f ront of t he caf e. He brought out t he f ood and some knives and f orks f rom a drawer, and t hey sat down t oget her, a lit t le awkwardly. She at e hers in less t han a minut e, and t hen f idget ed, swinging back and f ort h on her chair and plucking at t he plast ic st rips of t he woven seat while he f inished his. Her daemon changed yet again, and became a goldf inch, pecking at invisible crumbs on t he t ablet op. Will at e slowly. He'd given her most of t he beans, but even so he t ook much longer t han she did. The harbor in f ront of t hem, t he light s along t he empt y boulevard, t he st ars in t he dark sky above, all hung in t he huge silence as if not hing else exist ed at all. And all t he t ime he was int ensely aware of t he girl. She was small and slight , but wiry, and she'd f ought like a t iger; his f ist had raised a bruise on her cheek, and she was ignoring it . Her expression was a mixt ure of t he very young—when she f irst t ast ed t he cola—and a kind of deep, sad wariness. Her eyes were pale blue, and her hair would be a darkish blond once it was washed; because she was f ilt hy, and she smelled as if she hadn't bat hed f or days. "Laura? Lara?" Will said. "Lyra. " "Lyra. . . Silvert ongue?" "Yes. " "Where is your world? How did you get here?" She shrugged. "I walked, " she said. "It was all f oggy. I didn't know where I was going. At least , I knew I was going out of my world. But I couldn't see t his one t ill t he f og cleared. Then I f ound myself here. " "What did you say about dust ?" "Dust , yeah. I'm going t o f ind out about it . But t his world seems t o be empt y. There's no one here t o ask. I've been here f or . . . I dunno, t hree days, maybe f our. And t here's no one here. "

"But why do you want t o f ind out about dust ?" "Special Dust , " she said short ly. "Not ordinary dust , obviously. " The daemon changed again. He did so in t he f lick of an eye, and f rom a goldf inch he became a rat , a powerf ul pit ch-black rat wit h red eyes. Will looked at him wit h wide wary eyes, and t he girl saw his glance. "You have got a daemon, " she said decisively. "Inside you. " He didn't know what t o say. "You have, " she went on. "You wouldn't be human else. You'd be . . . half dead. We seen a kid wit h his daemon cut away. You en't like t hat . Even if you don't know you've got a daemon, you have. We was scared at f irst when we saw you. Like you was a night -ghast or somet hing. But t hen we saw you weren't like t hat at all. " "We?" "Me and Pant alaimon. Us. But you, your daemon en't separat e f rom you. It 's you. A part of you. You're part of each ot her. En't t here anyone in your world like us? Are t hey all like you, wit h t heir daemons all hidden away?" Will looked at t he t wo of t hem, t he skinny pale-eyed girl wit h her black rat daemon now sit t ing in her arms, and f elt prof oundly alone. "I'm t ired. I'm going t o bed, " he said. "Are you going t o st ay in t his cit y?" "Dunno. I've got t o f ind out more about what I'm looking f or. There must be some Scholars in t his world. There must be someone who knows about it . " "Maybe not in t his world. But I came here out of a place called Oxf ord. There's plent y of scholars t here, if t hat 's what you want . " "Oxf ord?' she cried. "That 's where I come f rom! " "Is t here an Oxf ord in your world, t hen? You never came f rom my world. " "No, " she said decisively. "Dif f erent worlds. But in my world t here's an Oxf ord t oo. We're bot h speaking English, en't we? St ands t o reason t here's ot her t hings t he same. How did you get t hrough? Is t here a bridge, or what ?" "Just a kind of window in t he air. " "Show me, " she said. It was a command, not a request . He shook his head. "Not now, " he said. "I want t o sleep. Anyway, it 's t he middle of t he night . " "Then show me in t he morning! " "All right , I'll show you. But I've got my own t hings t o do. You'll have t o f ind your scholars by yourself . " "Easy, " she said. "I know all about Scholars. " He put t he plat es t oget her and st ood up. "I cooked, " he said, "so you can wash t he dishes. " She looked incredulous. "Wash t he dishes?" she scof f ed. "There's millions of clean ones lying about ! Anyway, I'm not a servant . I'm not going t o wash t hem. " "So I won't show you t he way t hrough. " "I'll f ind it by myself . " "You won't ; it 's hidden. You'd never f ind it . List en, I don't know how long we can st ay in t his place. We've got t o eat , so we'll eat what 's here, but we'll t idy up af t erward and keep t he place clean, because we ought t o. You wash t hese dishes. We've got t o t reat t his place right . Now I'm going t o bed. I'll have t he ot her room. I'll see you in t he morning. " He went inside, cleaned his t eet h wit h a f inger and some t oot hpast e f rom his t at t ered bag, f ell on

t he double bed, and was asleep in a moment . *

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Lyra wait ed t ill she was sure he was asleep, and t hen t ook t he dishes int o t he kit chen and ran t hem under t he t ap, rubbing hard wit h a clot h unt il t hey looked clean. She did t he same wit h t he knives and f orks, but t he procedure didn't work wit h t he omelet t e pan, so she t ried a bar of yellow soap on it , and picked at it st ubbornly unt il it looked as clean as she t hought it was going t o. Then she dried everyt hing on anot her clot h and st acked it neat ly on t he drainboard. Because she was st ill t hirst y and because she want ed t o t ry opening a can, she snapped open anot her cola and t ook it upst airs. She list ened out side Will's door and, hearing not hing, t ipt oed int o t he ot her room and t ook out t he alet hiomet er f rom under her pillow. She didn't need t o be close t o Will t o ask about him, but she want ed t o look anyway, and she t urned his door handle as quiet ly as she could bef ore going in. There was a light on t he sea f ront out side shining st raight up int o t he room, and in t he glow ref lect ed f rom t he ceiling she looked down at t he sleeping boy. He was f rowning, and his f ace glist ened wit h sweat . He was st rong and st ocky, not as f ormed as a grown man, of course, because he wasn't much older t han she was, but he'd be powerf ul one day. How much easier if his daemon had been visible! She wondered what it s f orm might be, and whet her it was f ixed yet . What ever it s f orm was, it would express a nat ure t hat was savage, and court eous, and unhappy. She t ipt oed t o t he window. In t he glow f rom t he st reet light she caref ully set t he hands of t he alet hiomet er, and relaxed her mind int o t he shape of a quest ion. The needle began t o sweep around t he dial in a series of pauses and swings almost t oo f ast t o wat ch. She had asked: What i s he? A f r i end or an enemy? The alet hiomet er answered: He i s a mur der er . When she saw t he answer, she relaxed at once. He could f ind f ood, and show her how t o reach Oxf ord, and t hose were powers t hat were usef ul, but he might st ill have been unt rust wort hy or cowardly. A murderer was a wort hy companion. She f elt as saf e wit h him as she'd f elt wit h lorek Byrnison, t he armored bear. She swung t he shut t er across t he open window so t he morning sunlight wouldn't st rike in on his f ace, and t ipt oed out .

TWO

AMONG THE WITCHES The wit ch Seraf ina Pekkala, who had rescued Lyra and t he ot her children f rom t he experiment al st at ion at Bolvangar and f lown wit h her t o t he island of Svalbard, was deeply t roubled. In t he at mospheric dist urbances t hat f ollowed Lord Asriel's escape f rom his exile on Svalbard, she and her companions were blown f ar f rom t he island and many miles out over t he f rozen sea. Some of t hem managed t o st ay wit h t he damaged balloon of Lee Scoresby, t he Texan aeronaut , but Seraf ina herself was t ossed high int o t he banks of f og t hat soon came rolling in f rom t he gap t hat

Lord Asriel's experiment had t orn in t he sky. When she f ound herself able t o cont rol her f light once more, her f irst t hought was of Lyra; f or she knew not hing of t he f ight bet ween t he f alse bear-king and t he t rue one, lorek Byrnison, nor of what had happened t o Lyra af t er t hat . So she began t o search f or her, f lying t hrough t he cloudy gold-t inged air on her branch of cloudpine, accompanied by her daemon, Kaisa t he snow goose. They moved back t oward Svalbard and sout h a lit t le, soaring f or several hours under a sky t urbulent wit h st range light s and shadows. Seraf ina Pekkala knew f rom t he unset t ling t ingle of t he light on her skin t hat it came f rom anot her world. Af t er some t ime had passed, Kaisa said, "Look! A wit ch's daemon, lost . . . " Seraf ina Pekkala looked t hrough t he f og banks and saw a t ern, circling and crying in t he chasms of mist y light . They wheeled and f lew t oward him. Seeing t hem come near, t he t ern dart ed up in alarm, but Seraf ina Pekkala signaled f riendship, and he dropped down beside t hem. Seraf ina Pekkala said, "What clan are you f rom?" "Taymyr, " he t old her. "My wit ch is capt ured. Our companions have been driven away! am lost ! " "Who has capt ured your wit ch?" "The woman wit h t he monkey daemon, f rom Bolvangar. . . . Help me! Help us! I am so af raid! " "Was your clan allied wit h t he child cut t ers?" "Yes, unt il we f ound out what t hey were doing. Af t er t he f ight at Bolvangar t hey drove us of f , but my wit ch was t aken prisoner. They have her on a ship. . . . What can I do? She is calling t o me and I can't f ind her! Oh, help, help me! " "Quiet , " said Kaisa, t he goose daemon. "List en down below. " They glided lower, list ening wit h keen ears, and Seraf ina Pekkala soon made out t he beat of a gas engine, muf f led by t he f og. "They can't navigat e a ship in f og like t his, " Kaisa said. "What are t hey doing?" "It 's a smaller engine t han t hat , " said Seraf ina Pekkala, and as she spoke t here came a new sound f rom a dif f erent direct ion: a low, brut al, shuddering blast , like some immense sea creat ure calling f rom t he dept hs. It roared f or several seconds and t hen st opped abrupt ly. "The ship's f oghorn, " said Seraf ina Pekkala. They wheeled low over t he wat er and cast about again f or t he sound of t he engine. Suddenly t hey f ound it , f or t he f og seemed t o have pat ches of dif f erent densit y, and t he wit ch dart ed up out of sight j ust in t ime as a launch came chugging slowly t hrough t he swat hes of damp air. The swell was slow and oily, as if t he wat er was reluct ant t o rise. They swung around and above, t he t ern daemon keeping close like a child t o it s mot her, and wat ched t he st eersman adj ust t he course slight ly as t he f oghorn boomed again. There was a light mount ed on t he bow, but all it lit up was t he f og a f ew yards in f ront . Seraf ina Pekkala said t o t he lost daemon: "Did you say t here are st ill some wit ches helping t hese people?" "I t hink so—a f ew renegade wit ches f rom Volgorsk, unless t hey've f led t oo, " he t old her. "What are you going t o do? Will you look f or my wit ch?" "Yes. But st ay wit h Kaisa f or now. " Seraf ina Pekkala f lew down t oward t he launch, leaving t he daemons out of sight above, and alight ed on t he count er j ust behind t he st eersman. His seagull daemon squawked, and t he man t urned t o look. "You t aken your t ime, en't you?" he said. "Get up ahead and guide us in on t he port side. " She t ook of f again at once. It had worked: t hey st ill had some wit ches helping t hem, and he

t hought she was one. Port was lef t , she remembered, and t he port light was red. She cast about in t he f og unt il she caught it s hazy glow no more t han a hundred yards away. She dart ed back and hovered above t he launch calling direct ions t o t he st eersman, who slowed t he craf t down t o a crawling pace and brought it in t o t he ship's gangway ladder t hat hung j ust above t he wat er line. The st eersman called, and a sailor t hrew a line f rom above, and anot her hurried down t he ladder t o make it f ast t o t he launch. Seraf ina Pekkala f lew up t o t he ship's rail, and ret reat ed t o t he shadows by t he lif eboat s. She could see no ot her wit ches, but t hey were probably pat rolling t he skies; Kaisa would know what t o do. Below, a passenger was leaving t he launch and climbing t he ladder. The f igure was f ur-swat hed, hooded, anonymous; but as it reached t he deck, a golden monkey daemon swung himself light ly up on t he rail and glared around, his black eyes radiat ing malevolence. Seraf ina caught her breat h: t he f igure was Mrs. Coult er. A dark-clot hed man hurried out on deck t o greet her, and looked around as if he were expect ing someone else as well. "Lord Boreal—" he began. But Mrs. Coult er int errupt ed: "He has gone on elsewhere. Have t hey st art ed t he t ort ure?" "Yes, Mrs. Coult er, " was t he reply, "but —" "I ordered t hem t o wait , " she snapped. "Have t hey t aken t o disobeying me? Perhaps t here should be more discipline on t his ship. " She pushed her hood back. Seraf ina Pekkala saw her f ace clearly in t he yellow light : proud, passionat e, and, t o t he wit ch, so young. "Where are t he ot her wit ches?" she demanded. The man f rom t he ship said, "All gone, ma'am. Fl ed t o t heir homeland. " "But a wit ch guided t he launch in, " said Mrs. Coult er. "Where has she gone?" Seraf ina shrank back; obviously t he sailor in t he launch hadn't heard t he lat est st at e of t hings. The cleric looked around, bewildered, but Mrs. Coult er was t oo impat ient , and af t er a cursory glance above and along t he deck, she shook her head and hurried in wit h her daemon t hrough t he open door t hat cast a yellow nimbus on t he air. The man f ollowed. Seraf ina Pekkala looked around t o check her posit ion. She was concealed behind a vent ilat or on t he narrow area of decking bet ween t he rail and t he cent ral superst ruct ure of t he ship; and on t his level, f acing f orward below t he bridge and t he f unnel, was a saloon f rom which windows, not port holes, looked out on t hree sides. That was where t he people had gone in. Light spilled t hickly f rom t he windows ont o t he f og-pearled railing, and dimly showed up t he f oremast and t he canvascovered hat ch. Everyt hing was wringing wet and beginning t o f reeze int o st if f ness. No one could see Seraf ina where she was; but if she want ed t o see any more, she would have t o leave her hiding place. That was t oo bad. Wit h her pine branch she could escape, and wit h her knif e and her bow she could f ight . She hid t he branch behind t he vent ilat or and slipped along t he deck unt il she reached t he f irst window. It was f ogged wit h condensat ion and impossible t o see t hrough, and Seraf ina could hear no voices, eit her. She wit hdrew t o t he shadows again. There was one t hing she could do; she was reluct ant , because it was desperat ely risky, and it would leave her exhaust ed; but it seemed t here was no choice. It was a kind of magic she could work t o make herself unseen. True invisibilit y was impossible, of course: t his was ment al magic, a kind of f iercely held modest y t hat could make t he spell worker not invisible but simply unnot iced. Holding it wit h t he right degree of int ensit y, she could pass t hrough a crowded room, or walk f

beside a solit ary t raveler, wit hout being seen. So now she composed her mind and brought all her concent rat ion t o bear on t he mat t er of alt ering t he way she held herself so as t o def lect at t ent ion complet ely. It t ook some minut es bef ore she was conf ident . She t est ed it by st epping out of her hiding place and int o t he pat h of a sailor coming along t he deck wit h a bag of t ools. He st epped aside t o avoid her wit hout looking at her once. She was ready. She went t o t he door of t he bright ly lit saloon and opened it , f inding t he room empt y. She lef t t he out er door aj ar so t hat she could f lee t hrough it if she needed t o, and saw a door at t he f ar end of t he room t hat opened on t o a f light of st airs leading down int o t he bowels of t he ship. She descended, and f ound herself in a narrow corridor hung wit h whit e-paint ed pipework and illuminat ed wit h anbaric bulkhead light s, which led st raight along t he lengt h of t he hull, wit h doors opening of f it on bot h sides. She walked quiet ly along, list ening, unt il she heard voices. It sounded as if some kind of council was in session. She opened t he door and walked in. A dozen or so people were seat ed around a large t able. One or t wo of t hem looked up f or a moment , gazed at her absent ly, and f orgot her at once. She st ood quiet ly near t he door and wat ched. The meet ing was being chaired by an elderly man in t he robes of a Cardinal, and t he rest of t hem seemed t o be clerics of one sort or anot her, apart f rom Mrs. Coult er, who was t he only woman present . Mrs. Coult er had t hrown her f urs over t he back of t he chair, and her cheeks were f lushed in t he heat of t he ship's int erior. Seraf ina Pekkala looked around caref ully and saw someone else in t he room as well: a t hin-f aced man wit h a f rog daemon, seat ed t o one side at a t able laden wit h leat her-bound books and loose piles of yellowed paper. She t hought at f irst t hat he was a clerk or a secret ary, unt il she saw what he was doing: he was int ent ly gazing at a golden inst rument like a large wat ch or a compass, st opping every minut e or so t o not e what he f ound. Then he would open one of t he books, search laboriously t hrough t he index, and look up a ref erence bef ore writ ing t hat down t oo and t urning back t o t he inst rument . Seraf ina looked back t o t he discussion at t he t able, because she heard t he word wit ch. "She knows somet hing about t he child, " said one of t he clerics. "She conf essed t hat she knows somet hing. All t he wit ches know somet hing about her. " "I am wondering what Mrs. Coult er knows, " said t he Cardinal. "Is t here somet hing she should have t old us bef ore, I wonder?" "You will have t o speak more plainly t han t hat , " said Mrs. Coult er icily. "You f orget I am a woman, Your Eminence, and t hus not so subt le as a prince of t he Church. What is t his t rut h t hat I should have known about t he child?" The Cardinal's expression was f ull of meaning, but he said not hing. There was a pause, and t hen anot her cleric said almost apologet ically: "It seems t hat t here is a prophecy. It concerns t he child, you see, Mrs. Coult er. All t he signs have been f ulf illed. The circumst ances of her birt h, t o begin wit h. The gypt ians know somet hing about her t oo—t hey speak of her in t erms of wit ch oil and marsh f ire, uncanny, you see—hence her success in leading t he gypt ian men t o Bolvangar. And t hen t here's her ast onishing f eat of deposing t he bear-king lof ur Raknison—t his is no ordinary child. Fra Pavel can t ell us more, perhaps. . . . " He glanced at t he t hin-f aced man reading t he alet hiomet er, who blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked at Mrs. Coult er. "You may be aware t hat t his is t he only alet hiomet er lef t , apart f rom t he one in t he child's

possession, " he said. "All t he ot hers have been acquired and dest royed, by order of t he Magist erium. I learn f rom t his inst rument t hat t he child was given hers by t he Mast er of Jordan College, and t hat she learned t o read it by herself , and t hat she can use it wit hout t he books of readings. If it were possible t o disbelieve t he alet hiomet er, I would do so, because t o use t he inst rument wit hout t he books is simply inconceivable t o me. It t akes decades of diligent st udy t o reach any sort of underst anding. She began t o read it wit hin a f ew weeks of acquiring it , and now she has an almost complet e mast ery. She is like no human Scholar I can imagine. " "Where is she now, Fra Pavel?" said t he Cardinal. "In t he ot her world, " said Fra Pavel. "It is already lat e. " "The wit ch knows! " said anot her man, whose muskrat dasmon gnawed unceasingly at a pencil. "It 's all in place but f or t he wit ch's t est imony! I say we should t ort ure her again! " "What is t his prophecy?" demanded Mrs. Coult er, who had been get t ing increasingly angry. "How dare you keep it f rom me?" Her power over t hem was visible. The golden monkey glared around t he t able, and none of t hem could look him in t he f ace. Only t he Cardinal did not f linch. His daemon, a macaw, lif t ed a f oot and scrat ched her head. "The wit ch has hint ed at somet hing ext raordinary, " t he Cardinal said. "I dare not believe what I t hink it means. If it 's t rue, it places on us t he most t errible responsibilit y men and women have ever f aced. But I ask you again, Mrs. Coult er—what do you know of t he child and her f at her?" Mrs. Coult er had lost her f lush. Her f ace was chalk-whit e wit h f ury. "How dare you int errogat e me?" she spat . "And how dare you keep f rom me what you've learned f rom t he wit ch? And, f inally, how dare you assume t hat I am keeping somet hing f rom you? D'you t hink I'm on her side? Or perhaps you t hink I'm on her f at her's side? Perhaps you t hink I should be t ort ured like t he wit ch. Well, we are all under your command, Your Eminence. You have only t o snap your f ingers and you could have me t orn apart . But if you searched every scrap of f lesh f or an answer, you wouldn't f ind one, because I know not hing of t his prophecy, not hing what ever. And I demand t hat you t ell me what you know. My child, my own child, conceived in sin and born in shame, but my child nonet heless, and you keep f rom me what I have every right t o know! " "Please, " said anot her of t he clerics nervously. "Please, Mrs. Coult er, t he wit ch hasn't spoken yet ; we shall learn more f rom her. Cardinal St urrock himself says t hat she's only hint ed at it . " "And suppose t he wit ch doesn't reveal it ?" Mrs. Coult er said. "What t hen? We guess, do we? We shiver and quail and guess?" Fra Pavel said, "No, because t hat is t he quest ion I am now preparing t o put t o t he alet hiomet er. We shall f ind t he answer, whet her f rom t he wit ch or f rom t he books of readings. " "And how long will t hat t ake?" He raised his eyebrows wearily and said, "A considerable t ime. It is an immensely complex quest ion. " "But t he wit ch would t ell us at once, " said Mrs. Coult er. And she rose t o her f eet . As if in awe of her, most of t he men did t oo. Only t he Cardinal and Fra Pavel remained seat ed. Seraf ina Pekkala st ood back, f iercely holding herself unseen. The golden monkey was gnashing his t eet h, and all his shimmering f ur was st anding on end. Mrs. Coult er swung him up t o her shoulder. "So let us go and ask her, " she said. She t urned and swept out int o t he corridor. The men hast ened t o f ollow her, j ost ling and shoving past Seraf ina Pekkala, who had only t ime t o st and quickly aside, her mind in a t urmoil. The last t o go was t he Cardinal.

Seraf ina t ook a f ew seconds t o compose herself , because her agit at ion was beginning t o make her visible. Then she f ollowed t he clerics down t he corridor and int o a smaller room, bare and whit e and hot , where t hey were all clust ered around t he dreadf ul f igure in t he cent er: a wit ch bound t ight ly t o a st eel chair, wit h agony on her gray f ace and her legs t wist ed and broken. Mrs. Coult er st ood over her. Seraf ina t ook up a posit ion by t he door, knowing t hat she could not st ay unseen f or long; t his was t oo hard. "Tell us about t he child, wit ch, " said Mrs. Coult er. "No! " "You will suf f er. " "I have suf f ered enough. " "Oh, t here is more suf f ering t o come. We have a t housand years of experience in t his Church of ours. We can draw out your suf f ering endlessly. Tell us about t he child, " Mrs. Coult er said, and reached down t o break one of t he wit ch's f ingers. It snapped easily. The wit ch cried out , and f or a clear second Seraf ina Pekkala became visible t o everyone, and one or t wo of t he clerics looked at her, puzzled and f earf ul; but t hen she cont rolled herself again, and t hey t urned back t o t he t ort ure. Mrs. Coult er was saying, "If you don't answer I'll break anot her f inger, and t hen anot her. What do you know about t he child? Tell me. " "All right ! Please, please, no more! " "Answer t hen. " There came anot her sickening crack, and t his t ime a f lood of sobbing broke f rom t he wit ch. Seraf ina Pekkala could hardly hold herself back. Then came t hese words, in a shriek: "No, no! I'll t ell you! I beg you, no more! The child who was t o come . . . The wit ches knew who she was bef ore you did. . . . We f ound out her name. . . . " "We know her name. What name do you mean?" "Her t rue name! The name of her dest iny! " "What is t his name? Tell me! " said Mrs. Coult er. "No. . . no. . . " "And how? Found out how?" "There was a t est . . . . If she was able t o pick out one spray of cloud-pine f rom many ot hers, she would be t he child who would come, and it happened at our consul's house at Trollesund, when t he child came wit h t he gypt ian men. . . . The child wit h t he bear. . . " Her voice gave out . Mrs. Coult er gave a lit t le exclamat ion of impat ience, and t here came a loud slap, and a groan. "But what was your prophecy about t his child?" Mrs. Coult er went on, and her voice was all bronze now, and ringing wit h passion. "And what is t his name t hat will make her dest iny clear?" Seraf ina Pekkala moved closer, even among t he t ight t hrong of men around t he wit ch, and none of t hem f elt her presence at t heir very elbows. She must end t his wit ch's suf f ering, and soon, but t he st rain of holding herself unseen was enormous. She t rembled as she t ook t he knif e f rom her waist . The wit ch was sobbing. "She is t he one who came bef ore, and you have hat ed and f eared her ever since! Well, now she has come again, and you f ailed t o f ind her. . . . She was t here on Svalbard—she was wit h Lord Asriel, and you lost her. She escaped, and she will be—" But bef ore she could f inish, t here came an int errupt ion. Through t he open doorway t here f lew a t ern, mad wit h t error, and it beat it s wings brokenly as it crashed t o t he f loor and st ruggled up and dart ed t o t he breast of t he t ort ured wit ch, pressing it self against her, nuzzling, chirruping, crying, and t he wit ch called in anguish, "Yambe-Akka!

Come t o me, come t o me! " No one but Seraf ina Pekkala underst ood. Yambe-Akka was t he goddess who came t o a wit ch when she was about t o die. And Seraf ina was ready. She became visible at once and st epped f orward smiling happily, because Yambe-Akka was merry and light heart ed and her visit s were gif t s of j oy. The wit ch saw her and t urned up her t ear-st ained f ace, and Seraf ina bent t o kiss it and slid her knif e gent ly int o t he wit ch's heart . The t ern daemon looked up wit h dim eyes and vanished. And now Seraf ina Pekkala would have t o f ight her way out . The men were st ill shocked, disbelieving, but Mrs. Coult er recovered her wit s almost at once. "Seize her! Don't let her go! " she cried, but Seraf ina was already at t he door, wit h an arrow nocked in her bowst ring. She swung up t he bow and loosed t he arrow in less t han a second, and t he Cardinal f ell choking and kicking t o t he f loor. Out , along t he corridor t o t he st airs, t urn, nock, loose, and anot her man f ell; and already a loud j arring bell was f illing t he ship wit h it s clangor. Up t he st airs and out ont o t he deck. Two sailors barred her way, and she said, "Down t here! The prisoner has got loose! Get help! " That was enough t o puzzle t hem, and t hey st ood undecided, which gave her t une t o dodge past and seize her cloud-pine f rom where she had hidden it behind t he vent ilat or. "Shoot her! " came a cry in Mrs. Coult er's voice f rom behind, and at once t hree rif les f ired, and t he bullet s st ruck met al and whined of f int o t he f og as Seraf ina leaped on t he branch and urged it up like one of her own arrows. A f ew seconds lat er she was in t he air, in t he t hick of t he f og, saf e, and t hen a great goose shape glided out of t he wrait hs of gray t o her side. "Where t o?" he said. "Away, Kaisa, away, " she said. "I want t o get t he st ench of t hese people out of my nose. " In t rut h, she didn't know where t o go or what t o do next . But t here was one t hing she knew f or cert ain: t here was an arrow in her quiver t hat would f ind it s mark in Mrs. Coult er's t hroat . They t urned sout h, away f rom t hat t roubling ot her-world gleam in t he f og, and as t hey f lew a quest ion began t o f orm more clearly in Seraf ina's mind. What was Lord Asriel doing? Because all t he event s t hat had overt urned t he world had t heir origin in his myst erious act ivit ies. The problem was t hat t he usual sources of her knowledge were nat ural ones. She could t rack any animal, cat ch any f ish, f ind t he rarest berries; and she could read t he signs in t he pine mart en's ent rails, or decipher t he wisdom in t he scales of a perch, or int erpret t he warnings in t he crocus pollen; but t hese were children of nat ure, and t hey t old her nat ural t rut hs. For knowledge about Lord Asriel, she had t o go elsewhere. In t he port of Trollesund, t heir consul Dr. Lanselius maint ained his cont act wit h t he world of men and women, and Seraf ina Pekkala sped t here t hrough t he f og t o see what he could t ell her. Bef ore she went t o his house she circled over t he harbor, where wisps and t endrils of mist drif t ed ghost like on t he icy wat er, and wat ched as t he pilot guided in a large vessel wit h an Af rican regist rat ion. There were several ot her ships riding at anchor out side t he harbor. She had never seen so many. As t he short day f aded, she f lew down and landed in t he back garden of t he consul's house. She t apped on t he window, and Dr. Lanselius himself opened t he door, a f inger t o his lips. "Seraf ina Pekkala, greet ings, " he said. "Come in quickly, and welcome. But you had bet t er not st ay long. " He of f ered her a chair at t he f ireside, having glanced t hrough t he curt ains out of a window t hat f ront ed t he st reet . "You'll have some wine?' She sipped t he golden Tokay and t old him of what she had seen and heard aboard t he ship.

"Do you t hink t hey underst ood what she said about t he child?" he asked. "Not f ully, I t hink. But t hey know she is import ant . As f or t hat woman, I'm af raid of her, Dr. Lanselius. I shall kill her, I t hink, but st ill I'm af raid of her. " "Yes, " he said. "So am I. " And Seraf ina list ened as he t old her of t he rumors t hat had swept t he t own. Amid t he f og of rumor, a f ew f act s had begun t o emerge clearly. 'They say t hat t he Magist erium is assembling t he great est army ever known, and t his is an advance part y. And t here are unpleasant rumors about some of t he soldiers, Seraf ina Pekkala. I've heard about Bolvangar, and what t hey were doing t here—cut t ing children's daemons away, t he most evil work I've ever heard of . Well, it seems t here is a regiment of warriors who have been t reat ed in t he same way. Do you know t he word zombi ? They f ear not hing, because t hey're mindless. There are some in t his t own now. The aut horit ies keep t hem hidden, but word get s out , and t he t ownspeople are t errif ied of t hem. " "What of t he ot her wit ch clans?" said Seraf ina Pekkala. "What news do you have of t hem?" "Most have gone back t o t heir homelands. All t he wit ches are wait ing, Seraf ina Pekkala, wit h f ear in t heir heart s, f or what will happen next . " "And what do you hear of t he Church?" "They're in complet e conf usion. You see, t hey don't know what Lord Asriel int ends t o do. " "Nor do I, " she said, "and I can't imagine what it might be. What do you t hink he's int ending, Dr. Lanselius?" He gent ly rubbed t he head of his serpent daemon wit h his t humb. "He is a scholar, " he said af t er a moment , "but scholarship is not his ruling passion. Nor is st at esmanship. I met him once, and I t hought he had an ardent and powerf ul nat ure, but not a despot ic one. I don't t hink he want s t o rule. . . . I don't know, Seraf ina Pekkala. I suppose his servant might be able t o t ell you. He is a man called Thorold, and he was imprisoned wit h Lord Asriel in t he house on Svalbard. It might be wort h a visit t here t o see if he can t ell you anyt hing; but , of course, he might have gone int o t he ot her world wit h his mast er. " "Thank you. That 's a good idea. . . . I'll do it . And I'll go at once. " She said f arewell t o t he consul and f lew up t hrough t he gat hering dark t o j oin Kaisa in t he clouds. Seraf ina's j ourney t o t he nort h was made harder by t he conf usion in t he world around her. All t he Arct ic peoples had been t hrown int o panic, and so had t he animals, not only by t he f og and t he magnet ic variat ions but by unseasonal crackings of ice and st irrings in t he soil. It was as if t he eart h it self , t he permaf rost , were slowly awakening f rom a long dream of being f rozen. In all t his t urmoil, where sudden shaf t s of uncanny brilliance lanced down t hrough rent s in t owers of f og and t hen vanished as quickly, where herds of muskox were seized by t he urge t o gallop sout h and t hen wheeled immediat ely t o t he west or t he nort h again, where t ight -knit skeins of geese disint egrat ed int o a honking chaos as t he magnet ic f ields t hey f lew by wavered and snapped t his way and t hat , Seraf ina Pekkala sat on her cloud-pine and f lew nort h, t o t he house on t he headland in t he wast es of Svalbard. There she f ound Lord Asriel's servant , Thorold, f ight ing of f a group of clif f -ghast s. She saw t he movement bef ore she came close enough t o see what was happening. There was a swirl of lunging leat hery wings, and a malevolent yowk-yowk-yowk resounding in t he snowy court yard. A single f igure swat hed in f urs f ired a rif le int o t he midst of t hem wit h a gaunt dog daemon snarling and snapping beside him whenever one of t he f ilt hy t hings f lew low enough. She didn't know t he man, but a clif f -ghast was an enemy always. She swung around above and

loosed a dozen arrows int o t he melee. Wit h shrieks and gibberings, t he gang—t oo loosely organized t o be called a t roop—circled, saw t heir new opponent , and f led in conf usion. A minut e lat er t he skies were bare again, and t heir dismayed yowk-yowk-yowk echoed dist ant ly of f t he mount ains bef ore dwindling int o silence. Seraf ina f lew down t o t he court yard and alight ed on t he t rampled, blood-sprinkled snow. The man pushed back his hood, st ill holding his rif le warily, because a wit ch was an enemy somet imes, and she saw an elderly man, long-j awed and grizzled and st eady-eyed. "I am a f riend of Lyra's, " she said. "I hope we can t alk. Look: I lay my bow down. " "Where is t he child?" he said. "In anot her world. I'm concerned f or her saf et y. And I need t o know what Lord Asriel is doing. " He lowered t he rif le and said, "St ep inside, t hen. Look: I lay my rif le down. " The f ormalit ies exchanged, t hey went indoors. Kaisa glided t hrough t he skies above, keeping wat ch, while Thorold brewed some cof f ee and Seraf ina t old him of her involvement wit h Lyra. "She was always a willf ul child, " he said when t hey were seat ed at t he oaken t able in t he glow of a napht ha lamp. "I'd see her every year or so when his lordship visit ed his college. I was f ond of her, mind—you couldn't help it . But what her place was in t he wider scheme of t hings, I don't know. " "What was Lord Asriel planning t o do?" "You don't t hink he t old me, do you, Seraf ina Pekkala? I'm his manservant , t hat 's all. I clean his clot hes and cook his meals and keep his house t idy. I may have learned a t hing or t wo in t he years I been wit h his lordship, but only by picking 'em up accident al. He wouldn't conf ide in me any more t han in his shaving mug. " "Then t ell me t he t hing or t wo you've learned by accident , " she insist ed. Thorold was an elderly man, but he was healt hy and vigorous, and he f elt f lat t ered by t he at t ent ion of t his young wit ch and her beaut y, as any man would. He was shrewd, t hough, t oo, and he knew t he at t ent ion was not really on him but on what he knew; and he was honest , so he did not draw out his t elling f or much longer t han he needed. "I can't t ell you precisely what he's doing, " he said, "because all t he philosophical det ails are beyond my grasp. But I can t ell you what drives his lordship, t hough he doesn't know I know. I've seen t his in a hundred lit t le signs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but t he wit ch people have dif f erent gods f rom ours, en't t hat right ?" "Yes, t hat 's t rue. " "But you know about our God? The God of t he Church, t he one t hey call t he Aut horit y?" "Yes, I do. " "Well, Lord Asriel has never f ound hisself at ease wit h t he doct rines of t he Church, so t o speak. I've seen a spasm of disgust cross his f ace when t hey t alk of t he sacrament s, and at onement , and redempt ion, and suchlike. It 's deat h among our people, Seraf ina Pekkala, t o challenge t he Church, but Lord Asriel's been nursing a rebellion in his heart f or as long as I've served him, t hat 's one t hing I do know. " "A rebellion against t he Church?" "Part ly, aye. There was a t ime when he t hought of making it an issue of f orce, but he t urned away f rom t hat . " "Why? Was t he Church t oo st rong?" "No, " said t he old servant , "t hat wouldn't st op my mast er. Now t his might sound st range t o you, Seraf ina Pekkala, but I know t he man bet t er t han any wif e could know him, bet t er t han a mot her. He's been my mast er and my st udy f or nigh on f ort y years. I can't f ollow him t o t he height of his t hought any more t han I can f ly, but I can see where he's a-heading even if I can't go af t er him.

No, it 's my belief he t urned away f rom a rebellion against t he Church not because t he Church was t oo st rong, but because it was t oo weak t o be wort h t he f ight ing. " "So. . . what is he doing?" "I t hink he's a-waging a higher war t han t hat . I t hink he's aiming a rebellion against t he highest power of all. He's gone a-searching f or t he dwelling place of t he Aut horit y Himself , and he's agoing t o dest roy Him. That 's what I t hink. It shakes my heart t o voice it , ma'am. I hardly dare t hink of it . But I can't put t oget her any ot her st ory t hat makes sense of what he's doing. " Seraf ina sat quiet f or a f ew moment s, absorbing what Thorold had said. Bef ore she could speak, he went on: "'Course, anyone set t ing out t o do a grand t hing like t hat would be t he t arget of t he Church's anger. Goes wit hout saying. It 'd be t he most gigant ic blasphemy, t hat 's what t hey'd say. They'd have him bef ore t he Consist orial Court and sent enced t o deat h bef ore you could blink. I've never spoke of it bef ore and I shan't again; I'd be af raid t o speak it aloud t o you if you weren't a wit ch and beyond t he power of t he Church; but t hat makes sense, and not hing else does. He's a-going t o f ind t he Aut horit y and kill Him. " "Is t hat possible?" said Seraf ina. "Lord Asriel's lif e has been f illed wit h t hings t hat were impossible. I wouldn't like t o say t here was anyt hing he couldn't do. But on t he f ace of it , Seraf ina Pekkala, yes, he's st ark mad. If angels couldn't do it , how can a man dare t o t hink about it ?" "Angels? What are angels?" "Beings of pure spirit , t he Church says. The Church t eaches t hat some of t he angels rebelled bef ore t he world was creat ed, and got f lung out of heaven and int o hell. They f ailed, you see, t hat 's t he point . They couldn't do it . And t hey had t he power of angels. Lord Asriel is j ust a man, wit h human power, no more t han t hat . But his ambit ion is limit less. He dares t o do what men and women don't even dare t o t hink. And look what he's done already: he's t orn open t he sky, he's opened t he way t o anot her world. Who else has ever done t hat ? Who else could t hink of it ? So wit h one part of me, Seraf ina Pekkala, I say he's mad, wicked, deranged. Yet wit h anot her part I t hink, he's Lord Asriel, he's not like ot her men. Maybe . . . if it was ever going t o be possible, it 'd be done by him and by no one else. " "And what will you do, Thorold?" "I'll st ay here and wait . I'll guard t his house t ill he comes back and t ells me dif f erent , or t ill I die. And now I might ask you t he same quest ion, ma'am. " "I'm going t o make sure t he child is saf e, " she said. "It might be t hat I have t o pass t his way again, Thorold. I'm glad t o know t hat you will st ill be here. " "I won't budge, " he t old her. She ref used Thorold's of f er of f ood, and said good-bye. A minut e or so lat er she j oined her goose daemon again, and t he daemon kept silence wit h her as t hey soared and wheeled above t he f oggy mount ains. She was deeply t roubled, and t here was no need t o explain: every st rand of moss, every icy puddle, every midge in her homeland t hrilled against her nerves and called her back. She f elt f ear f or t hem, but f ear of herself , t oo, f or she was having t o change. These were human af f airs she was inquiring int o, t his was a human mat t er; Lord Asriel's god was not hers. Was she becoming human? Was she losing her wit chhood? If she were, she could not do it alone. "Home now, " she said. "We must t alk t o our sist ers, Kaisa. These event s are t oo big f or us alone. " And t hey sped t hrough t he roiling banks of f og t oward Lake Enara and home.

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In t he f orest ed caves beside t he lake t hey f ound t he ot hers of t heir clan, and Lee Scoresby, t oo. The aeronaut had st ruggled t o keep his balloon alof t af t er t he crash at Svalbard, and t he wit ches had guided him t o t heir homeland, where he had begun t o repair t he damage t o his basket and t he gasbag. "Ma'am, I'm very glad t o see you, " he said. "Any news of t he lit t le girl?" "None, Mr. Scoresby. Will you j oin our council t onight and help us discuss what t o do?" The Texan blinked wit h surprise, f or no man had ever been known t o j oin a wit ch council. "I'd be great ly honored, " he said. "I may have a suggest ion or t wo of my own. " All t hrough t hat day t he wit ches came, like f lakes of black snow on t he wings of a st orm, f illing t he skies wit h t he dart ing f lut t er of t heir silk and t he swish of air t hrough t he needles of t heir cloud-pine branches. Men who hunt ed in t he dripping f orest s or f ished among melt ing ice f loes heard t he skywide whisper t hrough t he f og, and if t he sky was clear, t hey would look up t o see t he wit ches f lying, like scraps of darkness drif t ing on a secret t ide. By evening t he pines around t he lake were lit f rom below by a hundred f ires, and t he great est f ire of all was built in f ront of t he gat hering cave. There, once t hey had eat en, t he wit ches assembled. Seraf ina Pekkala sat in t he cent er, t he crown of lit t le scarlet f lowers nest ling among her f air hair. On her lef t sat Lee Scoresby, and on her right , a visit or: t he queen of t he Lat vian wit ches, whose name was Rut a Skadi. She had arrived only an hour bef ore, t o Seraf ina's surprise. Seraf ina had t hought Mrs. Coult er beaut if ul, f or a short -lif e; but Rut a Skadi was as lovely as Mrs. Coult er, wit h an ext ra dimension of t he myst erious, t he uncanny. She had t raf f icked wit h spirit s, and it snowed. She was vivid and passionat e, wit h large black eyes; it was said t hat Lord Asriel himself had been her lover. She wore heavy gold earrings and a crown on her black curly hair ringed wit h t he f angs of snow t igers. Seraf ina's daemon, Kaisa, had learned f rom Rut a Skadi's daemon t hat she had killed t he t igers herself in order t o punish t he Tart ar t ribe who worshiped t hem, because t he t ribesmen had f ailed t o do her honor when she had visit ed t heir t errit ory. Wit hout t heir t iger gods, t he t ribe declined int o f ear and melancholy and begged her t o allow t hem t o worship her inst ead, only t o be rej ect ed wit h cont empt ; f or what good would t heir worship do her? she asked. It had done not hing f or t he t igers. Such was Rut a Skadi: beaut if ul, proud, and pit iless. Seraf ina was not sure why she had come, but made t he queen welcome, and et iquet t e demanded t hat Rut a Skadi should sit on Seraf ina's right . When t hey were all assembled, Seraf ina began t o speak. "Sist ers! You know why we have come t oget her: we must decide what t o do about t hese new event s. The universe is broken wide, and Lord Asriel has opened t he way f rom t his world t o anot her. Should we concern ourselves wit h it , or live our lives as we have done unt il now, looking af t er our own af f airs? Then t here is t he mat t er of t he child Lyra Belacqua, now called Lyra Silvert ongue by King lorek Byrnison. She chose t he right cloud-pine spray at t he house of Dr. Lanselius: she is t he child we have always expect ed, and now she has vanished. "We have t wo guest s, who will t ell us t heir t hought s. First we shall hear Queen Rut a Skadi. " Rut a Skadi st ood. Her whit e arms gleamed in t he f irelight ; her eyes glit t ered so bright ly t hat even t he f art hest wit ch could see t he play of expression on her vivid f ace. "Sist ers, " she began, "let me t ell you what is happening, and who it is t hat we must f ight . For t here is a war coming. I don't know who will j oin wit h us, but I know whom we must f ight . It is t he Magist erium, t he Church. For all it s hist ory— and t hat 's not long by our lives, but it 's many, many

of t heirs—it 's t ried t o suppress and cont rol every nat ural impulse. And when it can't cont rol t hem, it cut s t hem out . Some of you have seen what t hey did at Bolvangar. And t hat was horrible, but it is not t he only such place, not t he only such pract ice. Sist ers, you know only t he nort h; I have t raveled in t he sout h lands. There are churches t here, believe me, t hat cut t heir children t oo, as t he people of Bolvangar did—not in t he same way, but j ust as horribly. They cut t heir sexual organs, yes, bot h boys and girls; t hey cut t hem wit h knives so t hat t hey shan't f eel. That is what t he Church does, and every church is t he same: cont rol, dest roy, oblit erat e every good f eeling. So if a war comes, and t he Church is on one side of it , we must be on t he ot her, no mat t er what st range allies we f ind ourselves bound t o. "What I propose is t hat our clans j oin t oget her and go nort h t o explore t his new world, and see what we can discover t here. If t he child is not t o be f ound in our world, it 's because she will have gone af t er Lord Asriel already. And Lord Asriel is t he key t o t his, believe me. He was my lover once, and I would willingly j oin f orces wit h him, because he hat es t he Church and all it does. "That is what I have t o say. " Rut a Skadi spoke passionat ely, and Seraf ina admired her power and her beaut y. When t he Lat vian queen sat down, Seraf ina t urned t o Lee Scoresby. "Mr. Scoresby is a f riend of t he child's, and t hus a f riend of ours, " she said. "Would you t ell us your t hought s, sir?" The Texan got t o his f eet , whiplash-lean and court eous. He looked as if he were not conscious of t he st rangeness of t he occasion, but he was. His hare daemon, Hest er, crouched beside him, her ears f lat along her back, her golden eyes half closed. "Ma'am, " he said, "I have t o t hank you all f irst f or t he kindness you've shown t o me, and t he help you ext ended t o an aeronaut bat t ered by winds t hat came f rom anot her world. I won't t respass long on your pat ience. "When I was t raveling nort h t o Bolvangar wit h t he gypt ians, t he child Lyra t old me about somet hing t hat happened in t he college she used t o live in, back in Oxf ord. Lord Asriel had shown t he ot her scholars t he severed head of a man called St anislaus Grumman, and t hat kinda persuaded t hem t o give him some money t o come nort h and f ind out what had happened. "Now, t he child was so sure of what she'd seen t hat I didn't like t o quest ion her t oo much. But what she said made a kind of memory come t o my mind, except t hat I couldn't reach it clearly. I knew somet hing about t his Dr. Grumman. And it was only on t he f light here f rom Svalbard t hat I remembered what it was. It was an old hunt er f rom Tungusk who t old me. It seems t hat Grumman knew t he whereabout s of some kind of obj ect t hat gives prot ect ion t o whoever holds it . I don't want t o belit t le t he magic t hat you wit ches can command, but t his t hing, what ever it is, has a kind of power t hat out classes anyt hing I've ever heard of . "And I t hought I might post pone my ret irement t o Texas because of my concern f or t hat child, and search f or Dr. Grumman. You see, I don't t hink he's dead. I t hink Lord Asriel was f ooling t hose scholars. "So I'm going t o Nova Zembla, where I last heard of him alive, and I'm going t o search f or him. I cain't see t he f ut ure, but I can see t he present clear enough. And I'm wit h you in t his war, f or what my bullet s are wort h. But t hat 's t he t ask I'm going t o t ake on, ma'am, " he concluded, t urning back t o Seraf ina Pekkala. "I'm going t o seek out St anislaus Grumman and f ind out what he knows, and if I can f ind t hat obj ect he knows of , I'll t ake it t o Lyra. " Seraf ina said, "Have you been married, Mr. Scoresby? Have you any children?" "No, ma'am, I have no child, t hough I would have liked t o be a f at her. But I underst and your quest ion, and you're right : t hat lit t le girl has had bad luck wit h her t rue parent s, and maybe I can f

make it up t o her. Someone has t o do it , and I'm willing. " "Thank you, Mr. Scoresby, " she said. And she t ook of f her crown, and plucked f rom it one of t he lit t le scarlet f lowers t hat , while she wore t hem, remained as f resh as if t hey had j ust been picked. 'Take t his wit h you, " she said, "and whenever you need my help, hold it in your hand and call t o me. I shall hear you, wherever you are. " "Why, t hank you, ma'am, " he said, surprised. He t ook t he lit t le f lower and t ucked it caref ully int o his breast pocket . "And we shall call up a wind t o help you t o Nova Zembla, " Seraf ina Pekkala t old him. "Now, sist ers, who would like t o speak?" The council proper began. The wit ches were democrat ic, up t o a point ; every wit ch, even t he youngest , had t he right t o speak, but only t heir queen had t he power t o decide. The t alk last ed all night , wit h many passionat e voices f or open war at once, and some ot hers urging caut ion, and a f ew, t hough t hose were t he wisest , suggest ing a mission t o all t he ot her wit ch clans t o urge t hem t o j oin t oget her f or t he f irst t ime. Rut a Skadi agreed wit h t hat , and Seraf ina sent out messengers at once. As f or what t hey should do immediat ely, Seraf ina picked out t went y of her f inest f ight ers and ordered t hem t o prepare t o f ly nort h wit h her, int o t he new world t hat Lord Asriel had opened, and search f or Lyra. "What of you, Queen Rut a Skadi?" Seraf ina said f inally. "What are your plans?" "I shall search f or Lord Asriel, and learn what he's doing f rom his own lips. And it seems t hat t he way he's gone is nort hward t oo. May I come t he f irst part of t he j ourney wit h you, sist er?" "You may, and welcome, " said Seraf ina, who was glad t o have her company. So t hey agreed. But soon af t er t he council had broken up, an elderly wit ch came t o Seraf ina Pekkala and said, "You had bet t er list en t o what Jut a Kamainen has t o say, Queen. She's headst rong, but it might be import ant . " The young wit ch Jut a Kamainen—young by wit ch st andards, t hat is; she was only j ust over a hundred years old—was st ubborn and embarrassed, and her robin daemon was agit at ed, f lying f rom her shoulder t o her hand and circling high above her bef ore set t ling again brief ly on her shoulder. The wit ch's cheeks were plump and red; she had a vivid and passionat e nat ure. Seraf ina didn't know her well. "Queen, " said t he young wit ch, unable t o st ay silent under Seraf ina's gaze, "I know t he man St anislaus Grumman. I used t o love him. But I hat e him now wit h such a f ervor t hat if I see him, I shall kill him. I would have said not hing, but my sist er made me t ell you. " She glanced wit h hat red at t he elder wit ch, who ret urned her look wit h compassion: she knew about love. "Well, " said Seraf ina, "if he is st ill alive, he'll have t o st ay alive unt il Mr. Scoresby f inds him. You had bet t er come wit h us int o t he new world, and t hen t here'll be no danger of your killing him f irst . Forget him, Jut a Kamainen. Love makes us suf f er. But t his t ask of ours is great er t han revenge. Remember t hat . " "Yes, Queen, " said t he young wit ch humbly. And Seraf ina Pekkala and her t went y-one companions and Queen Rut a Skadi of Lat via prepared t o f ly int o t he new world, where no wit ch had ever f lown bef ore.

THREE

A CHILDREN'S WORLD Lyra was awake early. She'd had a horrible dream: she had been given t he vacuum f lask she'd seen her f at her, Lord Asriel, show t o t he Mast er and Scholars of Jordan College. When t hat had really happened, Lyra had been hiding in t he wardrobe, and she'd wat ched as Lord Asriel opened t he f lask t o show t he Scholars t he severed head of St anislaus Grumman, t he lost explorer; but in her dream, Lyra had t o open t he f lask herself , and she didn't want t o. In f act , she was t errif ied. But she had t o do it , whet her she want ed t o or not , and she f elt her hands weakening wit h dread as she undipped t he lid and heard t he air rash int o t he f rozen chamber. Then she lif t ed t he lid away, nearly choking wit h f ear but knowing she had t o—she had t o do it . And t here was not hing inside. The head had gone. There was not hing t o be af raid of . But she awoke all t he same, crying and sweat ing, in t he hot lit t le bedroom f acing t he harbor, wit h t he moonlight st reaming t hrough t he window, and lay in someone else's bed clut ching someone else's pillow, wit h t he ermine Pant alaimon nuzzling her and making soot hing noises. Oh, she was so f right ened! And how odd it was, t hat in real lif e she had been eager t o see t he head of St anislaus Grumman, and had begged Lord Asriel t o open t he f lask again and let her look, and yet in her dream she was so t errif ied. When morning came, she asked t he alet hiomet er what t he dream meant , but all it said was, It was a dream about a head. She t hought of waking t he st range boy, but he was so deeply asleep t hat she decided not t o. Inst ead, she went down t o t he kit chen and t ried t o make an omelet t e, and t went y minut es lat er she sat down at a t able on t he pavement and at e t he blackened, grit t y t hing wit h great pride while t he sparrow Pant alaimon pecked at t he bit s of shell. She heard a sound behind her, and t here was Will, heavy-eyed wit h sleep. "I can make omelet t e, " she said. "I'll make you some if you like. " He looked at her plat e and said, "No, I'll have some cereal. There's st ill some milk in t he f ridge t hat 's all right . They can't have been gone very long, t he people who lived here. " She wat ched him shake corn f lakes int o a bowl and pour milk on t hem—somet hing else she'd never seen bef ore. He carried t he bowl out side and said, "If you don't come f rom t his world, where's your world? How did you get here?" "Over a bridge. My f at her made t his bridge, and . . . I f ollowed him across. But he's gone somewhere else, I don't know where. I don't care. But while I was walking across t here was so much f og, and I got lost , I t hink. I walked around in t he f og f or days j ust eat ing berries and st uf f I f ound. Then one day t he f og cleared, and we was up on t hat clif f back t here—" She gest ured behind her. Will looked along t he shore, past t he light house, and saw t he coast rising in a great series of clif f s t hat disappeared int o t he haze of t he dist ance. "And we saw t he t own here, and came down, but t here was no one here. At least t here were t hings t o eat and beds t o sleep in. We didn't know what t o do next . " "You sure t his isn't anot her part of your world?" '"Course. This en't my world, I know t hat f or cert ain. " Will remembered his own absolut e cert aint y, on seeing t he pat ch of grass t hrough t he window in

t he air, t hat it wasn't in his world, and he nodded. "So t here's t hree worlds at least t hat are j oined on, " he said. "There's millions and millions, " Lyra said. "This ot her daemon t old me. He was a wit ch's daemon. No one can count how many worlds t here are, all in t he same space, but no one could get f rom one t o anot her bef ore my f at her made t his bridge. " "What about t he window I f ound?" "I dunno about t hat . Maybe all t he worlds are st art ing t o move int o one anot her. " "And why are you looking f or dust ?" She looked at him coldly. "I might t ell you somet ime, " she said. "All right . But how are you going t o look f or it ?" "I'm going t o f ind a Scholar who knows about it . " "What , any scholar?" "No. An experiment al t heologian, " she said. "In my Oxf ord, t hey were t he ones who knew about it . St ands t o reason it 'll be t he same in your Oxf ord. I'll go t o Jordan College f irst , because Jordan had t he best ones. " "I never heard of experiment al t heology, " he said. "They know all about element ary part icles and f undament al f orces, " she explained. "And anbaromagnet ism, st uf f like t hat . At omcraf t . " "What -magnet ism?" "Anbaromagnet ism. Like anbaric. Those light s, " she said, point ing up at t he ornament al st reet light . "They're anbaric. " "We call t hem elect ric. " "Elect ric . . . t hat 's like elect rum. That 's a kind of st one, a j ewel, made out of gum f rom bees. There's bisect s in it , somet imes. " "You mean amber, " he said, and t hey bot h said, "Anbar. . . " And each of t hem saw t heir own expression on t he ot her's f ace. Will remembered t hat moment f or a long t ime af t erward. "Well, elect romagnet ism, " he went on, looking away. "Sounds like what we call physics, your experiment al t heology. You want scient ist s, not t heologians. " "Ah, " she said warily. "I'll f ind "em. " They sat hi t he wide clear morning, wit h t he sun glit t ering placidly on t he harbor, and each of t hem might have spoken next , because bot h of t hem were burning wit h quest ions; but t hen t hey heard a voice f rom f art her along t he harbor f ront , t oward t he casino gardens. Bot h of t hem looked t here, st art led. It was a child's voice, but t here was no one in sight . Will said t o Lyra quiet ly, "How long did you say you'd been herer "Three days, f our—I lost count . I never seen anyone. There's no one here. I looked almost everywhere. " But t here was. Two children, one a girl of Lyra's age and t he ot her a younger boy, came out of one of t he st reet s leading down t o t he harbor. They were carrying basket s, and bot h had red hair. They were about a hundred yards away when t hey saw Will and Lyra at t he caf e t able. Pant alaimon changed f rom a goldf inch t o a mouse and ran up Lyra's arm t o t he pocket of her shirt . He'd seen t hat t hese new children were like Will: neit her of t hem had a dsmon visible. The t wo children wandered up and sat at a t able nearby. "You f rom Ci'gazze?" t he girl said. Will shook his head. "From Sant 'Elia?"

"No, " said Lyra. "We're f rom somewhere else. " The girl nodded. This was a reasonable reply. "What 's happening?" said Will. "Where are t he grownups?" The girl's eyes narrowed. "Didn't t he Spect ers come t o your cit y?" she said. "No, " Will said. "We j ust got here. We don't know about Spect ers. What is t his cit y called?" "Ci'gazze, " t he girl said suspiciously. "Cit t agazze, all right . " "Cit t agazze, " Lyra repeat ed. "Ci'gazze. Why do t he grown-ups have t o leave?" "Because of t he Spect ers, " t he girl said wit h weary scorn. "What 's your name?" "Lyra. And he's Will. What 's yours?" "Angelica. My brot her is Paolo. " "Where've you come f rom?" "Up t he hills. There was a big f og and st orm and everyone was f right ened, so we all run up in t he hills. Then when t he f og cleared, t he grownups could see wit h t elescopes t hat t he cit y was f ull of Spect ers, so t hey couldn't come back. But t he kids, we ain' af raid of Spect ers, all right . There's more kids coming down. They be here lat er, but we're f irst . " "Us and Tullio, " said lit t le Paolo proudly. "Who's Tullio?" Angelica was cross: Paolo shouldn't have ment ioned him, but t he secret was out now. "Our big brot her, " she said. "He ain' wit h us. He's hiding t ill he can . . . He's j ust hiding. " "He's gonna get —" Paolo began, but Angelica smacked him hard, and he shut his mout h at once, pressing his quivering lips t oget her. "What did you say about t he cit y?" said Will. "It 's f ull of Spect ers?" "Yeah, Ci'gazze, Sant 'Elia, all cit ies. The Spect ers go where t he people are. Where you f rom?" "Winchest er, " said Will. "I never heard of it . They ain' got Spect ers t here?" "No. I can't see any here, eit her. " '"Course not ! " she crowed. "You ain' grown up! When we grow up, we see Spect ers. " "I ain' af raid of Spect ers, all right , " t he lit t le boy said, t hrust ing f orward his grubby chin. "Kill t he buggers. " "En't t he grownups going t o come back at all?" said Lyra. "Yeah, in a f ew days, " said Angelica. "When t he Spect ers go somewhere else. We like it when t he Spect ers come, 'cause we can run about in t he cit y, do what we like, all right . " "But what do t he grownups t hink t he Spect ers will do t o t hem?" Will said. "Well, when a Spect er cat ch a grownup, t hat 's bad t o see. They eat t he lif e out of t hem t here and t hen, all right . I don't want t o be grown up, f or sure. At f irst t hey know it 's happening, and t hey're af raid; t hey cry and cry. They t ry and look away and pret end it ain' happening, but it is. It 's t oo lat e. And no one ain' gonna go near t hem, t hey on t hey own. Then t hey get pale and t hey st op moving. They st ill alive, but it 's like t hey been eat en f rom inside. You look in t hey eyes, you see t he back of t hey heads. Ain' not hing t here. " The girl t urned t o her brot her and wiped his nose on t he sleeve of his shirt . "Me and Paolo's going t o look f or ice creams, " she said. "You want t o come and f ind some?" "No, " said Will, "we got somet hing else t o do. " "Good-bye, t hen, " she said, and Paolo said, "Kill t he Spect ers! " "Good-bye, " said Lyra. As soon as Angelica and t he lit t le boy had vanished, Pant alaimon appeared f rom Lyra's pocket , his mouse head ruf f led and bright -eyed.

He said t o Will, "They don't know about t his window you f ound. " It was t he f irst t ime Will had heard him speak, and he was almost more st art led by t hat t han by anyt hing else he'd seen so f ar. Lyra laughed at his ast onishment . "He—but he spoke! Do all daemons t alk?" Will said. '"Course t hey do! " said Lyra. "Did you t hink he was j ust a pet ?” Will rubbed his hair and blinked. Then he shook his head. "No, " he said, addressing Pant alaimon. "You're right , I t hink. They don't know about it . " "So we bet t er be caref ul how we go t hrough, " Pant alaimon said. It was st range f or only a moment , t alking t o a mouse. Then it was no more st range t han t alking int o a t elephone, because he was really t alking t o Lyra. But t he mouse was separat e; t here was somet hing of Lyra in his expression, but somet hing else t oo. It was t oo hard t o work out , when t here were so many st range t hings happening at once. Will t ried t o bring his t hought s t oget her. "You got t o f ind some ot her clot hes f irst , " he said t o Lyra, "bef ore you go int o my Oxf ord. " "Why?" she said st ubbornly. "Because you can't go and t alk t o people in my world looking like t hat ; t hey wouldn't let you near t hem. You got t o look as if you f it in. You got t o go about camouf laged. I know, see. I've been doing it f or years. You bet t er list en t o me or you'll get caught , and if t hey f ind out where you come f rom, and t he window, and everyt hing . . . Well, t his is a good hiding place, t his world. See, I'm . . . I got t o hide f rom some men. This is t he best hiding place I could dream of , and I don't want it f ound out . So I don't want you giving it away by looking out of place or as if you don't belong. 1 got my own t hings t o do in Oxf ord, and if you give me away, I'll kill you. " She swallowed. The alet hiomet er never lied: t his boy was a murderer, and if he'd killed bef ore, he could kill her, t oo. She nodded seriously, and she meant it . "All right , " she said. Pant alaimon had become a lemur, and was gazing at him wit h disconcert ing wide eyes. Will st ared back, and t he daemon became a mouse once more and crept int o Lyra's pocket . "Good, " he said. "Now, while we're here, we'll pret end t o t hese ot her kids t hat we j ust come f rom somewhere in t heir world. It 's good t here aren't any grownups about . We can j ust come and go and no one'll not ice. But in my world, you got t o do as I say. And t he f irst t hing is you bet t er wash yourself . You need t o look clean, or you'll st and out . We got t o be camouf laged everywhere we go. We got t o look as if we belong t here so nat urally t hat people don't even not ice us. So go and wash your hair f or a st art . There's some shampoo in t he bat hroom. Then we'll go and f ind some dif f erent clot hes. " "I dunno how, " she said. "I never washed my hair. The housekeeper done it at Jordan, and t hen I never needed t o af t er t hat . " "Well, you'll j ust have t o work it out , " he said. "Wash yourself all over. In my world people are clean. " "Hmm, " said Lyra, and went upst airs. A f erocious rat f ace glared at him over her shoulder, but he looked back coldly. Part of him want ed t o wander about t his sunny silent morning exploring t he cit y, and anot her part t rembled wit h anxiet y f or his mot her, and anot her part was st ill numb wit h shock at t he deat h he'd caused. And overhanging t hem all was t he t ask he had t o do. But it was good t o keep busy, so while he wait ed f or Lyra, he cleaned t he working surf aces in t he kit chen, and washed t he f loor, and empt ied t he rubbish int o t he bin he f ound in t he alley out side. Then he t ook t he green leat her writ ing case f rom his t ot e bag and looked at it longingly. As soon as he'd shown Lyra how t o get t hrough t he window int o his Oxf ord, he'd come back and look at

what was inside; but in t he meanwhile, he t ucked it under t he mat t ress of t he bed he'd slept in. In t his world, it was saf e. When Lyra came down, clean and wet , t hey lef t t o look f or some clot hes f or her. They f ound a depart ment st ore, shabby like everywhere else, wit h clot hes in st yles t hat looked a lit t le oldf ashioned t o Will's eye, but t hey f ound Lyra a t art an skirt and a green sleeveless blouse wit h a pocket f or Pant alaimon. She ref used t o wear j eans, ref used even t o believe Will when he t old her t hat most girls did. "They're t rousers, " she said. "I'm a girl. Don't be st upid. " He shrugged; t he t art an skirt looked unremarkable, which was t he main t hing. Bef ore t hey lef t , Will dropped some coins in t he t ill behind t he count er. "What you doing?" she said. "Paying. You have t o pay f or t hings. Don't t hey pay f or t hings in your world?" "They don't in t his one! I bet t hose ot her kids en't paying f or a t hing. " "They might not , but I do. " "If you st art behaving like a grownup, t he Spect ers'll get you, " she said, but she didn't know whet her she could t ease him yet or whet her she should be af raid of him. In t he daylight , Will could see how ancient t he buildings in t he heart of t he cit y were, and how near t o ruin some of t hem had come. Holes in t he road had not been repaired; windows were broken; plast er was peeling. And yet t here had once been a beaut y and grandeur about t his place. Through carved archways t hey could see spacious court yards f illed wit h greenery, and t here were great buildings t hat looked like palaces, f or all t hat t he st eps were cracked and t he doorf rames loose f rom t he walls. It looked as if rat her t han knock a building down and build a new one, t he cit izens of Ci'gazze pref erred t o pat ch it up indef init ely. At one point t hey came t o a t ower st anding on it s own in a lit t le square. It was t he oldest building t hey'd seen: a simple bat t lement ed t ower f our st ories high. Somet hing about it s st illness in t he bright sun was int riguing, and bot h Will and Lyra f elt drawn t o t he half -open door at t he t op of t he broad st eps; but t hey didn't speak of it , and t hey went on, a bit reluct ant ly. When t hey reached t he broad boulevard wit h t he palm t rees, he t old her t o look f or a lit t le caf e on a corner, wit h green-paint ed met al t ables on t he pavement out side. They f ound it wit hin a minut e. It looked smaller and shabbier by daylight , but it was t he same place, wit h t he zinct opped bar, t he espresso machine, and t he half -f inished plat e of risot t o, now beginning t o smell bad in t he warm air. "Is it in here?" she said. "No. It 's in t he middle of t he road. Make sure t here's no ot her kids around. " But t hey were alone. Will t ook her t o t he grassy median under t he palm t rees, and looked around t o get his bearings. "I t hink it was about here, " he said. "When I came t hrough, I could j ust about see t hat big hill behind t he whit e house up t here, and looking t his way t here was t he caf e t here, and . . . " "What 's it look like? I can't see anyt hing. " "You won't mist ake it . It doesn't look like anyt hing you've ever seen. " He cast up and down. Had it vanished? Had it closed? He couldn't see it anywhere. And t hen suddenly he had it . He moved back and f ort h, wat ching t he edge. Just as he'd f ound t he night bef ore, on t he Oxf ord side of it , you could only see it at all f rom one side: when you moved behind it , it was invisible. And t he sun on t he grass beyond it was j ust like t he sun on t he grass on t his side, except unaccount ably dif f erent . "Here it is, " he said when he was sure.

"Ah! I see it ! " She was agog, she looked as ast ounded as he'd looked himself t o hear Pant alaimon t alk. Her d aemon, unable t o remain inside her pocket , had come out t o be a wasp, and he buzzed up t o t he hole and back several t imes, while she rubbed her st ill slight ly wet hair int o spikes. "Keep t o one side, " he t old her. "If you st and in f ront of it people'd j ust see a pair of legs, and t hat woul d make 'em curious. I don't want anyone not icing. " "What 's t hat noise?" "Traf f ic. It 's a part of t he Oxf ord ring road. It 's bound t o be busy. Get down and look at it f rom t he side. It 's t he wrong t ime of day t o go t hrough, really; t here's f ar t oo many people about . But it 'd be hard t o f ind somewhere t o go if we went in t he middle of t he night . At least once we're t hrough we can blend in easy. You go f irst . Just duck t hrough quickly and move out of t he way. " She had a lit t le blue rucksack t hat she'd been carrying since t hey lef t t he caf e, and she unslung it and held it in her arms bef ore crouching t o look t hrough. "Ah! " She gasped. "And t hat 's your world? That don't look like any part of Oxf ord. You sure you was in Oxf ord?" '"Course I'm sure. When you go t hrough, you'll see a road right in f ront of you. Go t o t he lef t , and t hen a lit t le f art her along you t ake t he road t hat goes down t o t he right . That leads t o t he cit y cent er. Make sure you can see where t his window is, and remember, all right ? It 's t he only way back. " "Right , " she said. "I won't f orget . " Taking her rucksack in her arms, she ducked t hrough t he window in t he air and vanished. Will crouched down t o see where she went . And t here she was, st anding on t he grass in his Oxf ord wit h Pan st ill as a wasp on her shoulder, and no one, as f ar as he could t ell, had seen her appear. Cars and t rucks raced past a f ew f eet beyond, and no driver, at t his busy j unct ion, would have t ime t o gaze sideways at an odd-looking bit of air, even if t hey could see it , and t he t raf f ic screened t he window f rom anyone looking across f rom t he f ar side. There was a squeal of brakes, a shout , a bang. He f lung himself down t o look. Lyra was lying on t he grass. A car had braked so hard t hat a van had st ruck it f rom behind, and knocked t he car f orward anyway, and t here was Lyra, lying st ill— Will dart ed t hrough af t er her. No one saw him come; all eyes were on t he car, t he crumpled bumper, t he van driver get t ing out , and on t he lit t le girl. "I couldn't help it ! She ran out in f ront , " said t he car driver, a middle-aged woman. "You were t oo close, " she said, t urning t oward t he van driver. "Never mind t hat , " he said. "How's t he kid?" The van driver was addressing Will, who was on his knees beside Lyra. Will looked up and around, but t here was not hing f or it ; he was responsible. On t he grass next t o him, Lyra was moving her head about , blinking hard. Will saw t he wasp Pant alaimon crawling dazedly up a grass st em beside her. "You all right ?" Will said. "Move your legs and arms. " "St upid! " said t he woman f rom t he car. "Just ran out in f ront . Didn't look once. What am I supposed t o do?" "You st ill t here, love?" said t he van driver. "Yeah, " mut t ered Lyra. "Everyt hing working?" "Move your f eet and hands, " Will insist ed.

She did. There was not hing broken. "She's all right , " said Will. "I'll look af t er her. She's f ine. " "D'you know her?" said t he t ruck driver. "She's my sist er, " said Will. "It 's all right . We j ust live around t he corner. I'll t ake her home. " Lyra was sit t ing up now, and as she was obviously not badly hurt , t he woman t urned her at t ent ion back t o t he car. The rest of t he t raf f ic was moving around t he t wo st at ionary vehicles, and as t hey went past , t he drivers looked curiously at t he lit t le scene, as people always do. Will helped Lyra up; t he sooner t hey moved away, t he bet t er. The woman and t he van driver had realized t hat t heir argument ought t o be handled by t hen-insurance companies and were exchanging addresses when t he woman saw Will helping Lyra t o limp away. "Wait ! " she called. "You'll be wit nesses. I need your name and address. " "I'm Mark Ransom, " said Will, t urning back, "and my sist er's Lisa. We live at t went y-six Bourne Close. " "Post code?" "I can never remember, " he said. "Look, I want t o get her home. " "Hop in t he cab, " said t he van driver, "and I'll t ake you round. " "No, it 's no t rouble. It 'd be quicker t o walk, honest . " Lyra wasn't limping badly. She walked away wit h Will, back along t he grass under t he hornbeam t rees, and t urned at t he f irst corner t hey came t o. They sat on a low garden wall. "You hurt ?" Will said. "Banged me leg. And when I f ell down, it shook me head, " she said. But she was more concerned about what was in t he rucksack. She f elt inside it , brought out a heavy lit t le bundle wrapped in black velvet , and unf olded it . Will's eyes widened t o see t he alet hiomet er; t he t iny symbols paint ed around t he f ace, t he golden hands, t he quest ing needle, t he heavy richness of t he case t ook his breat h away. "What 's t hat ?" he said. "It 's my alet hiomet er. It 's a t rut h t eller. A symbol reader. I hope it en't broken. . . . " But it was unharmed. Even in her t rembling hands t he long needle swung st eadily. She put it away and said, "I never seen so many cart s and t hings. I never guessed t hey was going so f ast . " "They don't have cars and vans in your Oxf ord?" "Not so many. Not like t hese ones. I wasn't used t o it . But I'm all right now. " "Well, be caref ul f rom now on. If you go and walk under a bus or get lost or somet hing, t hey'll realize you're not f rom t his world and st art looking f or t he way t hrough. . . . " He was f ar more angry t han he needed t o be. Finally he said, "All right , look. If you pret end you're my sist er, t hat 'll be a disguise f or me, because t he person t hey're looking f or hasn't got a sist er. And if I'm wit h you, I can show you how t o cross roads wit hout get t ing killed. " "All right , " she said humbly. "And money. I bet you haven't —-well, how could you have any money? How are you going t o get around and eat and so on?" "I have got money, " she said, and shook some gold coins out of her purse. Will looked at t hem incredulously. "Is t hat gold? It is, isn't it ? Well, t hat would get people asking quest ions, and no mist ake. You're j ust not saf e. I'll give you some money. Put t hose coins away and keep t hem out of sight . And remember—you're my sist er, and your name's Lisa Ransom. " "Lizzie. I pret ended t o call myself Lizzie bef ore. I can remember t hat . "

"All right , Lizzie t hen. And I'm Mark. Don't f orget . " "All right , " she said peaceably. Her leg was going t o be painf ul; already it was red and swollen where t he car had st ruck it , and a dark, massive bruise was f orming. What wit h t he bruise on her cheek where he'd st ruck her t he night bef ore, she looked as if she'd been badly t reat ed, and t hat worried him t oo—suppose some police of f icer should become curious? He t ried t o put it out of his mind, and t hey set of f t oget her, crossing at t he t raf f ic light s and cast ing j ust one glance back at t he window under t he hornbeam t rees. They couldn't see it at all. It was quit e invisible, and t he t raf f ic was f lowing again. In Summert own, t en minut es' walk down t he Banbury Road, Will st opped in f ront of a bank. "What are you doing?" said Lyra. "I'm going t o get some money. I probably bet t er not do it t oo of t en, but t hey won't regist er it t ill t he end of t he working day, I shouldn't t hink. " He put his mot her's bank card int o t he aut omat ic t eller and t apped out her PIN number. Not hing seemed t o be going wrong, so he wit hdrew a hundred pounds, and t he machine gave it up wit hout a hit ch. Lyra wat ched open-mout hed. He gave her a t went y-pound not e. "Use t hat lat er, " he said. "Buy somet hing and get some change. Let 's f ind a bus int o t own. " Lyra let him deal wit h t he bus. She sat very quiet ly, wat ching t he houses and gardens of t he cit y t hat was hers and not hers. It was like being in someone else's dream. They got of f in t he cit y cent er next t o an old st one church, which she did know, opposit e a big depart ment st ore, which she didn't . "It 's all changed, " she said. "Like . . . That en't t he Corn-market ? And t his is t he Broad. There's Balliol. And Bodley's Library, down t here. But where's Jordan?" Now she was t rembling badly. It might have been delayed react ion f rom t he accident , or present shock f rom f inding an ent irely dif f erent building in place of t he Jordan College she knew as home. "That en't right , " she said. She spoke quiet ly, because Will had t old her t o st op point ing out so loudly t he t hings t hat were wrong. "This is a dif f erent Oxf ord. " "Well, we knew t hat , " he said. He wasn't prepared f or Lyra's wide-eyed helplessness. He couldn't know how much of her childhood had been spent running about st reet s almost ident ical wit h t hese, and how proud she'd been of belonging t o Jordan College, whose Scholars were t he cleverest , whose cof f ers t he richest , whose beaut y t he most splendid of all. And now it simply wasn't t here, and she wasn't Lyra of Jordan anymore; she was a lost lit t le girl in a st range world, belonging nowhere. "Well, " she said shakily. "If it en't here . . . " It was going t o t ake longer t han she'd t hought , t hat was all.

FOUR

TREPANNING As soon as Lyra had gone her way, Will f ound a pay phone and dialed t he number of t he lawyer's of f ice on t he let t er he held.

"Hello? I want t o speak t o Mr. Perkins. " "Who's calling, please?" "It 's in connect ion wit h Mr. John Parry. I'm his son. " "Just a moment , please. . . " A minut e went by, and t hen a man's voice said, "Hello. This is Alan Perkins. Who am I speaking t o?" "William Parry. Excuse me f or calling. It 's about my f at her, Mr. John Parry. You send money every t hree mont hs f rom my f at her t o my mot her's bank account . " "Yes. . . " "Well, I want t o know where my f at her is, please. Is he alive or dead?" "How old are you, William?" "Twelve. I want t o know about him. " "Yes . . . Has your mot her . . . is she . . . does she know you're phoning me?" Will t hought caref ully. "No, " he said. "But she's not in very good healt h. She can't t ell me very much, and I want t o know. " "Yes, I see. Where are you now? Are you at home?" "No, I'm . . . I'm in Oxf ord. " "On your own?" "Yes. " "And your mot her's not well, you say?" "No. " "Is she in hospit al or somet hing?" "Somet hing like t hat . Look, can you t ell me or not ?" "Well, I can t ell you somet hing, but not much and not right now, and I'd rat her not do it over t he phone. I'm seeing a client in f ive minut es. Can you f ind your way t o my of f ice at about half past t wo?" "No, " Will said. It would be t oo risky; t he lawyer might have heard by t hen t hat he was want ed by t he police. He t hought quickly and went on. "I've got t o cat ch a bus t o Not t ingham, and I don't want t o miss it . But what I want t o know, you can t ell me over t he phone, can't you? All I want t o know is, is my f at her alive, and if he is, where I can f ind him. You can t ell me t hat , can't you?" "It 's not quit e as simple as t hat . I can't really give out privat e inf ormat ion about a client unless I'm sure t he client would want me t o. And I'd need some proof of who you were, anyway. " "Yes, I underst and, but can you j ust t ell me whet her he's alive or dead?" "Well . . . t hat wouldn't be conf ident ial. Unf ort unat ely, I can't t ell you anyway, because I don't know. " "What ?" "The money comes f rom a f amily t rust . He lef t inst ruct ions t o pay it unt il he t old me t o st op. I haven't heard f rom him f rom t hat day t o t his. What it boils down t o is t hat he's. . . well, I suppose he's vanished. That 's why I can't answer your quest ion. " "Vanished? Just . . . lost ?" "It 's a mat t er of public record, act ually. Look, why don't you come int o t he of f ice and—" "I can't . I'm going t o Not t ingham. " "Well, writ e t o me, or get your mot her t o writ e, and I'll let you know what I can. But you must underst and, I can't do very much over t he phone. " "Yes, I suppose so. All right . But can you t ell me where he disappeared?" "As I say, it 's a mat t er of public record. There were several newspaper st ories at t he t ime. You know he was an explorer?"

"My mot her's t old me some t hings, yes. " "Well, he was leading an expedit ion, and it j ust disappeared. About t en years ago. Maybe more. " "Where?" "The f ar nort h. Alaska, I t hink. You can look it up in t he public library. Why don't you—" But at t hat point Will's money ran out , and he didn't have any more change. The dial t one purred in his ear. He put t he phone down and looked around. What he want ed above all was t o speak t o his mot her. He had t o st op himself f rom dialing Mrs. Cooper's number, because if he heard his mot her's voice, it would be very hard not t o go back t o her, and t hat would put bot h of t hem in danger. But he could send her a post card. He chose a view of t he cit y, and wrot e: "DEAR MUM, I AM SAFE AND WELL, AND I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON. I HOPE EVERYTHING IS ALL RIGHT. I LOVE YOU. WlLL. " Then he addressed it and bought a st amp and held t he card close t o him f or a minut e bef ore dropping it in t he mailbox. It was midmorning, and he was in t he main shopping st reet , where buses shouldered t heir way t hrough crowds of pedest rians. He began t o realize how exposed he was; f or it was a weekday, when a child of his age should have been in school. Where could he go? It didn't t ake him long t o hide. Will could vanish easily enough, because he was good at it ; he was even proud of his skill. Like Seraf ina Pekkala on t he ship, he simply made himself part of t he background. So now, knowing t he sort of world he lived in, he went int o a st at ionery shop and bought a ballpoint , a pad of paper, and a clipboard. Schools of t en sent groups of pupils of f t o do a shopping survey, or somet hing of t he sort , and if he seemed t o be on a proj ect like t hat he wouldn't look as if he was at a loose end. Then he wandered along, pret ending t o be making not es, and kept his eyes open f or t he public library. *

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Meanwhile, Lyra was looking f or somewhere quiet t o consult t he alet hiomet er. In her own Oxf ord t here would have been a dozen places wit hin f ive minut es' walk, but t his Oxf ord was so disconcert ingly dif f erent , wit h pat ches of poignant f amiliarit y right next t o t he downright out landish: why had t hey paint ed t hose yellow lines on t he road? What were t hose lit t le whit e pat ches dot t ing every sidewalk? (In her own world, t hey had never heard of chewing gum. ) What could t hose red and green light s mean at t he corner of t he road? It was all much harder t o read t han t he alet hiomet er. But here were St . John's College gat es, which she and Roger had once climbed af t er dark t o plant f ireworks in t he f lower beds; and t hat part icular worn st one at t he corner of Cat t e St reet —t here were t he init ials SP t hat Simon Parslow had scrat ched, t he very same ones! She'd seen him do it ! Someone in t his world wit h t he same init ials must have st ood here idly and done exact ly t he same. There might be a Simon Parslow in t his world. Perhaps t here was a Lyra. A chill ran down her back, and mouse-shaped Pant alaimon shivered in her pocket . She shook herself ; t here were myst eries enough wit hout imagining more. The ot her way in which t his Oxf ord dif f ered f rom hers was in t he vast numbers of people swarming on every sidewalk, in and out of every building; people of every sort , women dressed like men, Af ricans, even a group of Tart ars meekly f ollowing t heir leader, all neat ly dressed and hung about wit h lit t le black cases. She glared at t hem f earf ully at f irst , because t hey had no daemons, and in

her world t hey would have been regarded as ghast s, or worse. But (t his was t he st rangest t hing) t hey all looked f ully alive. These creat ures moved about cheerf ully enough, f or all t he world as t hough t hey were human, and Lyra had t o concede t hat human was what t hey probably were, and t hat t heir daemons were inside t hem as Will's was. Af t er wandering about f or an hour, t aking t he measure of t his mock-Oxf ord, she f elt hungry and bought a bar of chocolat e wit h her t went y-pound not e. The shopkeeper looked at her oddly, but he was f rom t he Indies and didn't underst and her accent , perhaps, alt hough she asked very clearly. Wit h t he change she bought an apple f rom t he Covered Market , which was much more like t he proper Oxf ord, and walked up t oward t he park. There she f ound herself out side a grand building, a real Oxf ord-looking building t hat didn't exist in her world at all, t hough it wouldn't have looked out of place. She sat on t he grass out side t o eat , and regarded t he building approvingly. She discovered t hat it was a museum. The doors were open, and inside she f ound st uf f ed animals and f ossil skelet ons and cases of minerals, j ust like t he Royal Geological Museum she'd visit ed wit h Mrs. Coult er in her London. At t he back of t he great iron-and-glass hall was t he ent rance t o anot her part of t he museum, and because it was nearly desert ed, she went t hrough and looked around. The alet hiomet er was st ill t he most urgent t hing on her mind, but in t his second chamber she f ound herself surrounded by t hings she knew well: t here were showcases f illed wit h Arct ic clot hing, j ust like her own f urs; wit h sledges and walrus-ivory carvings and seal-hunt ing harpoons; wit h a t housand and one j umbled t rophies and relics and obj ect s of magic and t ools and weapons, and not only f rom t he Arct ic, as she saw, but f rom every part of t his world Well, how st range. Those caribou-skin f urs were exact ly t he same as hers, but t hey'd t ied t he t races on t hat sledge complet ely wrong. But here was a phot ogram showing some Samoyed hunt ers, t he very doubles of t he ones who'd caught Lyra and sold her t o Bolvangar. Look! They were t he same men! And even t hat rope had f rayed and been reknot t ed in precisely t he same spot , and she knew it int imat ely, having been t ied up in t hat very sledge f or several agonizing hours. . . . What were t hese myst eries? Was t here only one world af t er all, which spent it s t ime dreaming of ot hers? And t hen she came across somet hing t hat made her t hink of t he alet hiomet er again. In an old glass case wit h a black-paint ed wooden f rame t here were a number of human skulls, and some of t hem had holes in t hem: some at t he f ront , some on t he side, some on t he t op. The one in t he cent er had t wo. This process, it said in spidery writ ing on a card, was called t repanning. The card also said t hat all t he holes had been made during t he owners' lif et imes, because t he bone had healed and grown smoot h around t he edge. One, however, hadn't : t he hole had been made by a bronze arrowhead which was st ill in it , and it s edges were sharp and broken, so you could t ell it was dif f erent . This was j ust what t he nort hern Tart ars did. And what St anislaus Grumman had had done t o himself , according t o t he Jordan Scholars who'd known him. Lyra looked around quickly, saw no one nearby, and t ook out t he alet hiomet er. She f ocused her mind on t he cent ral skull and asked: What sort of person did t his skull belong t o, and why did t hey have t hose holes made in it ? As she st ood concent rat ing in t he dust y light t hat f ilt ered t hrough t he glass roof and slant ed down past t he upper galleries, she didn't not ice t hat she was being wat ched. A powerf ul-looking man in his sixt ies, wearing a beaut if ully t ailored linen suit and holding a Panama hat , st ood on t he gallery above and looked down over t he iron railing. His gray hair was brushed neat ly back f rom his smoot h, t anned, barely wrinkled f orehead. His eyes

were large, dark and long-lashed and int ense, and every minut e or so his sharp, dark-point ed t ongue peeped out at t he corner of his lips and f licked across t hem moist ly. The snowy handkerchief in his breast pocket was scent ed wit h some heavy cologne like t hose hot house plant s so rich you can smell t he decay at t heir root s. He had been wat ching Lyra f or some minut es. He had moved along t he gallery above as she moved about below, and when she st ood st ill by t he case of skulls, he wat ched her closely, t aking in all of her: her rough, unt idy hair, t he bruise on her cheek, t he new clot hes, her bare neck arched over t he alet hiomet er, her bare legs. He shook out t he breast -pocket handkerchief and mopped his f orehead, and t hen made f or t he st airs. Lyra, absorbed, was learning st range t hings. These skulls were unimaginably old; t he cards in t he case said simply BRONZE AGE, but t he alet hiomet er, which never lied, said t hat t he man whose skull it was had lived 33, 254 years bef ore t he present day, and t hat he had been a sorcerer, and t hat t he hole had been made t o let t he gods int o his head. And t hen t he alet hiomet er, in t he casual way it somet imes had of answering a quest ion Lyra hadn't asked, added t hat t here was a good deal more Dust around t he t repanned skulls t han around t he one wit h t he arrowhead. What in t he world could t hat mean? Lyra came out of t he f ocused calm she shared wit h t he alet hiomet er and drif t ed back t o t he present moment t o f ind herself no longer alone. Gazing int o t he next case was an elderly man in a pale suit , who smelled sweet . He reminded her of someone, but she couldn't t hink who. He became aware of her st aring at him, and looked up wit h a smile. "You're looking at t he t repanned skulls?" he said. "What st range t hings people do t o t hemselves. " "Mm, " she said expressionlessly. "D'you know, people st ill do t hat ?" "Yeah, " she said. "Hippies, you know, people like t hat . Act ually, you're f ar t oo young t o remember hippies. They say it 's more ef f ect ive t han t aking drugs. " Lyra had put t he alet hiomet er in her rucksack and was wondering how she could get away. She st ill hadn't asked it t he main quest ion, and now t his old man was having a conversat ion wit h her. He seemed nice enough, and he cert ainly smelled nice. He was closer now. His hand brushed hers as he leaned across t he case. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it ? No anest het ic, no disinf ect ant , probably done wit h st one t ools. They must have been t ough, must n't t hey? I don't t hink I've seen you here bef ore. I come here quit e a lot . What 's your name?" "Lizzie, " she said comf ort ably. "Lizzie. Hello, Lizzie. I'm Charles. Do you go t o school in Oxf ord?" She wasn't sure how t o answer. "No, " she said. "Just visit ing? Well, you've chosen a wonderf ul place t o look at . What are you specially int erest ed in?" She was more puzzled by t his man t han by anyone she'd met f or a long t ime. On t he one hand he was kind and f riendly and very clean and smart ly dressed, but on t he ot her hand Pant alaimon, inside her pocket , was plucking at her at t ent ion and begging her t o be caref ul, because he was half -remembering somet hing t oo; and f rom somewhere she sensed, not a smell, but t he idea of a smell, and it was t he smell of dung, of put ref act ion. She was reminded of lof ur Raknison's palace, where t he air was perf umed but t he f loor was t hick wit h f ilt h. "What am I int erest ed in?" she said. "Oh, all sort s of t hings, really. Those skulls I got int erest ed in j ust now, when I saw t hem t here. I shouldn't t hink anyone would want t hat done. It 's horrible. " "No, I wouldn't enj oy it myself , but I promise you it does happen. I could t ake you t o meet

someone who's done it , " he said, looking so f riendly and helpf ul t hat she was very nearly t empt ed. But t hen out came t hat lit t le dark t ongue point , as quick as a snake's, f lick-moist en, and she shook her head. "I got t o go, " she said. "Thank you f or of f ering, but I bet t er not . Anyway, I got t o go now because I'm meet ing someone. My f riend, " she added. "Who I'm st aying wit h. " "Yes, of course, " he said kindly. "Well, it was nice t alking t o you. Bye-bye, Lizzie. " "Bye, " she said. "Oh, j ust in case, here's my name and address, " he said, handing her a card. "Just in case you want t o know more about t hings like t his. " "Thank you, " she said blandly, and put it in t he lit t le pocket on t he back of her rucksack bef ore leaving. She f elt he was wat ching her all t he way out . Once she was out side t he museum, she t urned in t o t he park, which she knew as a f ield f or cricket and ot her sport s, and f ound a quiet spot under some t rees and t ried t he alet hiomet er again. This t ime she asked where she could f ind a Scholar who knew about Dust . The answer she got was simple: it direct ed her t o a cert ain room in t he t all square building behind her. In f act , t he answer was so st raight f orward, and came so abrupt ly, t hat Lyra was sure t he alet hiomet er had more t o say: she was beginning t o sense now t hat it had moods, like a person, and t o know when it want ed t o t ell her more. And it did now. What it said was: You must concer n your sel f wi t h t he boy. Your t ask i s t o hel p hi m f i nd hi s f at her . Put your mi nd t o t hat . She blinked. She was genuinely st art led. Will had appeared out of nowhere in order t o help her; surely t hat was obvious. The idea t hat she had come all t his way in order t o help him t ook her breat h away. But t he alet hiomet er st ill hadn't f inished. The needle t wit ched again, and she read: Do not l i e t o t he Schol ar . She f olded t he velvet around t he alet hiomet er and t hrust it int o t he rucksack out of sight . Then she st ood and looked around f or t he building where her Scholar would be f ound, and set of f t oward it , f eeling awkward and def iant . Will f ound t he library easily enough, where t he ref erence librarian was perf ect ly prepared t o believe t hat he was doing some research f or a school geography proj ect and helped him f ind t he bound copies of The Times index f or t he year of his birt h, which was when his f at her had disappeared. Will sat down t o look t hrough t hem. Sure enough, t here were several ref erences t o John Parry, in connect ion wit h an archaeological expedit ion. Each mont h, he f ound, was on a separat e roll of microf ilm. He t hreaded each in t urn int o t he proj ect or, scrolled t hrough t o f ind t he st ories, and read t hem wit h f ierce at t ent ion. The f irst st ory t old of t he depart ure of an expedit ion t o t he nort h of Alaska. The expedit ion was sponsored by t he Inst it ut e of Archaeology at Oxf ord Universit y, and it was going t o survey an area in which t hey hoped t o f ind evidence of early human set t lement s. It was accompanied by John Parry, lat e of t he Royal Marines, a prof essional explorer. The second st ory was dat ed six weeks lat er. It said brief ly t hat t he expedit ion had reached t he Nort h American Arct ic Survey St at ion at Noat ak in Alaska. The t hird was dat ed t wo mont hs af t er t hat . It said t hat t here had been no reply t o signals f rom t he Survey St at ion, and t hat John Parry and his companions were presumed missing. There was a brief series of art icles f ollowing t hat one, describing t he part ies t hat had set out f ruit lessly t o look f or t hem, t he search f light s over t he Bering Sea, t he react ion of t he Inst it ut e of

Archaeology, int erviews wit h relat ives. . . . His heart t hudded, because t here was a pict ure of his own mot her. Holding a baby. Him. The report er had writ t en a st andard t earf ul-wif e-wait ing-in-anguish-f or-news st ory, which Will f ound disappoint ingly short of act ual f act s. There was a brief paragraph saying t hat John Parry had had a successf ul career in t he Royal Marines and had lef t t o specialize in organizing geographical and scient if ic expedit ions, and t hat was all. There was no ot her ment ion in t he index, and Will got up f rom t he microf ilm reader baf f led. There must be some more inf ormat ion somewhere else; but where could he go next ? And if he t ook t oo long searching f or it , he'd be t raced. . . . He handed back t he rolls of microf ilm and asked t he librarian, "Do you know t he address of t he Inst it ut e of Archaeology, please?" "I could f ind out . . . . What school are you f rom?" "St . Pet er's, " said Will. "That 's not in Oxf ord, is it ?" "No, it 's in Hampshire. My class is doing a sort of resident ial f ield t rip. Kind of environment al st udy research skills. " "Oh, I see. What was it you want ed? . . . Archaeology? . . . Here we are. " Will copied down t he address and phone number, and since it was saf e t o admit he didn't know Oxf ord, asked where t o f ind it . It wasn't f ar away. He t hanked t he librarian and set of f . Inside t he building Lyra f ound a wide desk at t he f oot of t he st airs, wit h a port er behind it . "Where are you going?" he said. This was like home again. She f elt Pan, in her pocket , enj oying it . "I got a message f or someone on t he second f loor, " she said. "Who?" "Dr. List er, " she said. "Dr. List er's on t he t hird f loor. If you've got somet hing f or him, you can leave it here and I'll let him know. " "Yeah, but t his is somet hing he needs right now. He j ust sent f or it . It 's not a t hi ng act ually, it 's somet hing I need t o t ell him. " He looked at her caref ully, but he was no mat ch f or t he bland and vacuous docilit y Lyra could command when she want ed t o; and f inally he nodded and went back t o his newspaper. The alet hiomet er didn't t ell Lyra people's names, of course. She had read t he name Dr. List er of f a pigeonhole on t he wall behind him, because if you pret end you know someone, t hey're more likely t o let you in. In some ways Lyra knew Will's world bet t er t han he did. On t he second f loor she f ound a long corridor, where one door was open t o an empt y lect ure hall and anot her t o a smaller room where t wo Scholars st ood discussing somet hing at a blackboard. These rooms, t he walls of t his corridor, were all f lat and bare and plain in a way Lyra t hought belonged t o povert y, not t o t he scholarship and splendor of Oxf ord; and yet t he brick walls were smoot hly paint ed, and t he doors were of heavy wood and t he banist ers were of polished st eel, so t hey were cost ly. It was j ust anot her way in which t his world was st range. She soon f ound t he door t he alet hiomet er had t old her about . The sign on it said DARK MATTER RESEARCH UNIT, and under it someone had scribbled R. I. P. Anot her hand had added in pencil DIRECTOR: LAZARUS. Lyra made not hing of t hat . She knocked, and a woman's voice said, "Come in. " It was a small room, crowded wit h t ot t ering piles of papers and books, and t he whit eboards on t he

walls were covered in f igures and equat ions. Tacked t o t he back of t he door was a design t hat looked Chinese. Through an open doorway Lyra could see anot her room, where some kind of complicat ed anbaric machinery st ood in silence. For her part , Lyra was a lit t le surprised t o f ind t hat t he Scholar she sought was f emale, but t he alet hiomet er hadn't said a man, and t his was a st range world, af t er all. The woman was sit t ing at an engine t hat displayed f igures and shapes on a small glass screen, in f ront of which all t he let t ers of t he alphabet had been laid out on grimy lit t le blocks in an ivory t ray. The Scholar t apped one, and t he screen became blank. "Who are you?" she said. Lyra shut t he door behind her. Mindf ul of what t he alet hiomet er had t old her, she t ried hard not t o do what she normally would have done, and she t old t he t rut h. "Lyra Silvert ongue, " she answered. "What 's your name?" The woman blinked. She was in her lat e t hirt ies, Lyra supposed, perhaps a lit t le older t han Mrs. Coult er, wit h short black hair and red cheeks. She wore a whit e coat open over a green shirt and t hose blue canvas t rousers so many people wore in t his world. At Lyra's quest ion t he woman ran a hand t hrough her hair and said, "Well, you're t he second unexpect ed t hing t hat 's happened t oday. I'm Dr. Mary Malone. What do you want ?" "I want you t o t ell me about Dust , " said Lyra, having looked around t o make sure t hey were alone. "I know you know about it . I can prove it . You got t o t ell me. " "Dust ? What are you t alking about ?" "You might not call it t hat . It 's element ary part icles. In my world t he Scholars call it Rusakov Part icles, but normally t hey call it Dust . They don't show up easily, but t hey come out of space and f ix on people. Not children so much, t hough. Most ly on grownups. And somet hing I only f ound out t oday—I was in t hat museum down t he road and t here was some old skulls wit h holes in t heir heads, like t he Tart ars make, and t here was a lot more Dust around t hem t han around t his ot her one t hat hadn't got t hat sort of hole in it . When's t he Bronze Age?" The woman was looking at her wide-eyed. "The Bronze Age? Goodness, I don't know; about f ive t housand years ago, " she said. "Ah, well, t hey got it wrong t hen, when t hey wrot e t hat label. That skull wit h t he t wo holes in it is t hirt y-t hree t housand years old. " She st opped t hen, because Dr. Malone looked as if she was about t o f aint . The high color lef t her cheeks complet ely; she put one hand t o her breast while t he ot her clut ched t he arm of her chair, and her j aw dropped. Lyra st ood, st ubborn and puzzled, wait ing f or her t o recover. "Who are you?" t he woman said at last . "Lyra Silver—" "No, where d'you come f rom? What are you? How do you know t hings like t his?" Wearily Lyra sighed; she had f orgot t en how roundabout Scholars could be. It was dif f icult t o t ell t hem t he t rut h when a lie would have been so much easier f or t hem t o underst and. "I come f rom anot her world, " she began. "And in t hat world t here's an Oxf ord like t his, only dif f erent , and t hat 's where I come f rom. And—" "Wait , wait , wait . You come f rom where?" "From somewhere else, " said Lyra, more caref ully. "Not here. " "Oh, somewhere else, " t he woman said. "I see. Well, I t hink I see. " "And I got t o f ind out about Dust , " Lyra explained. "Because t he Church people in my world, right , t hey're f right ened of Dust because t hey t hink it 's original sin. So it 's very import ant . And my

f at her. . . No, " she said passionat ely, and st amped her f oot . "That 's not what I meant t o say. I'm doing it all wrong. " Dr. Malone looked at Lyra's desperat e f rown and clenched f ist s, at t he bruises on her cheek and her leg, and said, "Dear me, child, calm down. " She broke of f and rubbed her eyes, which were red wit h t iredness. "Why am I list ening t o you?" she went on. "I must be crazy. The f act is, t his is t he only place in t he world where you'd get t he answer you want , and t hey're about t o close us down. What you're t alking about , your Dust , sounds like somet hing we've been invest igat ing f or a while now, and what you say about t he skulls in t he museum gave me a t urn, because. . . oh, no, t his is j ust t oo much. I'm t oo t ired. I want t o list en t o you, believe me, but not now, please. Did I say t hey were going t o close us down? I've got a week t o put t oget her a proposal t o t he f unding commit t ee, but we haven't got a hope in hell. . . " She yawned widely. "What was t he f irst unexpect ed t hing t hat happened t oday?" Lyra said. "Oh. Yes. Someone I'd been relying on t o back our f unding applicat ion wit hdrew his support . I don't suppose it was t hat unexpect ed, anyway. " She yawned again. "I'm going t o make some cof f ee, " she said , "If I don't , I'll f all asleep. You'll have some t oo?" She f illed an elect ric ket t le, and while she spooned inst ant cof f ee int o t wo mugs Lyra st ared at t he Chinese pat t ern on t he back of t he door. "What 's t hat ?" she said. "It 's Chinese. The symbols of t he I Ching. D'you know what t hat is? Do t hey have t hat in your world?" Lyra looked at her narrow-eyed, in case she was being sarcast ic. She said: "There are some t hings t he same and some t hat are dif f erent , t hat 's all. I don't know everyt hing about my world. Maybe t hey got t his Ching t hing t here t oo. " "I'm sorry, " said Dr. Malone. "Yes, maybe t hey have. " "What 's dark mat t er?" said Lyra. "That 's what it says on t he sign, isn't it ?" Dr. Malone sat down again, and hooked anot her chair out wit h her ankle f or Lyra. She said, "Dark mat t er is what my research t eam is looking f or. No one knows what it is. There's more st uf f out t here in t he universe t han we can see, t hat 's t he point . We can see t he st ars and t he galaxies and t he t hings t hat shine, but f or it all t o hang t oget her and not f ly apart , t here needs t o be a lot more of it —t o make gravit y work, you see. But no one can det ect it . So t here are lot s of dif f erent research proj ect s t rying t o f ind out what it is, and t his is one of t hem. " Lyra was all f ocused at t ent ion. At last t he woman was t alking seriously. "And what do you t hink it is?" she asked. "Well, what we t hink it is—" As she began, t he ket t le boiled, so she got up and made t he cof f ee as she cont inued. "We t hink it 's some kind of element ary part icle. Somet hing quit e dif f erent f rom anyt hing discovered so f ar. But t he part icles are very hard t o det ect . . . . Where do you go t o school? Do you st udy physics?" Lyra f elt Pant alaimon nip her hand, warning her not t o get cross. It was all very well, t he alet hiomet er t elling her t o be t rut hf ul, but she knew what would happen if she t old t he whole t rut h. She had t o t read caref ully and j ust avoid direct lies. "Yes, " she said, "I know a lit t le bit . But not about dark mat t er. " "Well, we're t rying t o det ect t his almost -undet ect able t hing among t he noise of all t he ot her part icles crashing about . Normally t hey put det ect ors very deep underground, but what we've done inst ead is t o set up an elect romagnet ic f ield around t he det ect or t hat shut s out t he t hings

we don't want and let s t hrough t he ones we do. Then we amplif y t he signal and put it t hrough a comput er. " She handed across a mug of cof f ee. There was no milk and no sugar, but she did f ind a couple of ginger biscuit s in a drawer, and Lyra t ook one hungrily. "And we f ound a part icle t hat f it s, " Dr. Malone went on. "We t hink it f it s. But it 's so st range . . . Why am I t elling you t his? I shouldn't . It 's not published, it 's not ref ereed, it 's not even writ t en down. I'm a lit t le crazy t his af t ernoon. "Well . . . " she went on, and she yawned f or so long t hat Lyra t hought she'd never st op, "our part icles are st range lit t le devils, make no mist ake. We call t hem shadow part icles, Shadows. You know what nearly knocked me of f my chair j ust now? When you ment ioned t he skulls in t he museum. Because one of our t eam, you see, is a bit of an amat eur archaeologist . And he discovered somet hing one day t hat we couldn't believe. But we couldn't ignore it , because it f it t ed in wit h t he craziest t hing of all about t hese Shadows. You know what ? They're conscious. That 's right . Shadows are part icles of consciousness. You ever heard anyt hing so st upid? No wonder we can't get our grant renewed. " She sipped her cof f ee. Lyra was drinking in every word like a t hirst y f lower. "Yes, " Dr. Malone went on, "t hey know we're here. They answer back. And here goes t he crazy part : you can't see t hem unless you expect t o. Unless you put your mind in a cert ain st at e. You have t o be conf ident and relaxed at t he same t ime. You have t o be capable— Where's t hat quot at ion . . . " She reached int o t he muddle of papers on her desk and f ound a scrap on which someone had writ t en wit h a green pen. She read: " '. . . Capable of being in uncert aint ies, myst eries, doubt s, wit hout any irrit able reaching af t er f act and reason. ' You have t o get int o t hat st at e of mind. That 's f rom t he poet Keat s, by t he way. I f ound it t he ot her day. So you get yourself in t he right st at e of mind, and t hen you look at t he Cave—" "The cave?" said Lyra. "Oh, sorry. The comput er. We call it t he Cave. Shadows on t he walls of t he Cave, you see, f rom Plat o. That 's our archaeologist again. He's an all-around int ellect ual. But he's gone of f t o Geneva f or a j ob int erview, and I don't suppose f or a moment he'll be back. . . . Where was I? Oh, t he Cave, t hat 's right . Once you're linked up t o it , if you t hink, t he Shadows respond. There's no doubt about it . The Shadows f lock t o your t hinking like birds. . . . " "What about t he skulls?" "I was coming t o t hat . Oliver Payne—him, my colleague— was f ooling about one day t est ing t hings wit h t he Cave. And it was so odd. It didn't make any sense in t he way a physicist would expect . He got a piece of ivory, j ust a lump, and t here were no Shadows wit h t hat . It didn't react . But a carved ivory chess piece did. A big splint er of wood of f a plank didn't , but a wooden ruler did. And a carved wooden st at uet t e had more. . . . I'm t alking about element ary panicles here, f or goodness' sake. Lit t le minut e lumps of scarcely anyt hing. They knew what t hese obj ect s were. Anyt hing t hat was associat ed wit h human workmanship and human t hought was surrounded by Shadows. . . . "And t hen Oliver—Dr. Payne—got some f ossil skulls f rom a f riend at t he museum and t est ed t hem t o see how f ar back in t ime t he ef f ect went . There was a cut of f point about t hirt y, f ort y t housand years ago. Bef ore t hat , no Shadows. Af t er t hat , plent y. And t hat 's about t he t ime, apparent ly, t hat modern human beings f irst appeared. I mean, you know, our remot e ancest ors, but people no dif f erent f rom us, really. . . . " "It 's Dust , " said Lyra aut horit at ively. "That 's what it is. "

"But , you see, you can't say t his sort of t hing in a f unding applicat ion if you want t o be t aken seriously. It does not make sense. It cannot exist . It 's impossible, and if it isn't impossible, it 's irrelevant , and if it isn't eit her of t hose t hings, it 's embarrassing. " "I want t o see t he Cave, " said Lyra. She st ood up. Dr. Malone was running her hands t hrough her hair and blinking hard t o keep her t ired eyes clear. "Well, I can't see why not , " she said. "We might not have a Cave t omorrow. Come along t hrough. " She led Lyra int o t he ot her room. It was larger, and crowded wit h anbaric equipment . "This is it . Over t here, " she said, point ing t o a screen t hat was glowing an empt y gray. "That 's where t he det ect or is, behind all t hat wiring. To see t he Shadows, you have t o be linked up t o some elect rodes. Like f or measuring brain waves. " "I want t o t ry it , " said Lyra. "You won't see anyt hing. Anyway, I'm t ired. It 's t oo complicat ed. " "Please! I know what I'm doing! " "Do you, now? I wish I did. No, f or heaven's sake. This is an expensive, dif f icult scient if ic experiment . You can't come charging in here and expect t o have a go as if it were a pinball machine. . . . Where do you come f rom, anyway? Shouldn't you be at school? How did you f ind your way in here?" And she rubbed her eyes again, as if she was only j ust waking up. Lyra was t rembling. Tel l t he t r ut h , she t hought . "I f ound my way in wit h t his, " she said, and t ook out t he alet hiomet er. "What in t he world is t hat ? A compass?" Lyra let her t ake it . Dr. Malone's eyes widened as she f elt t he weight "Dear Lord, it 's made of gold. Where on eart h—" "I t hink it does what your Cave does. That 's what I want t o f ind out . If I can answer a quest ion t ruly, " said Lyra desperat ely, "somet hing you know t he answer t o and I don't , can I t ry your Cave t hen?" "What , are we int o f ort une-t elling now? What is t his t hing?" "Please! Just ask me a quest ion! " Dr. Malone shrugged. "Oh, all right , " she said. 'Tell me . . . t ell me what I was doing bef ore I t ook up t his business. " Eagerly Lyra t ook t he alet hiomet er f rom her and t urned t he winding wheels. She could f eel her mind reaching f or t he right pict ures even bef ore t he hands were point ing at t hem, and she sensed t he longer needle t wit ching t o respond. As it began t o swing around t he dial, her eyes f ollowed it , wat ching, calculat ing, seeing down t he long chains of meaning t o t he level where t he t rut h lay. Then she blinked and sighed and came out of her t emporary t rance. "You used t o be a nun, " she said. "I wouldn't have guessed t hat . Nuns are supposed t o st ay in t heir convent s f orever. But you st opped believing in church t hings and t hey let you leave. This en't like my world at all, not a bit . " Dr. Malone sat down in a chair by t he comput er, st aring. Lyra said, "That 's t rue, en't it ?" "Yes. And you f ound out f rom t hat . . . " "From my alet hiomet er. It works by Dust , I t hink. I came all t his way t o f ind out more about Dust , and it t old me t o come t o you. So I reckon your dark mat t er must be t he same t hing. Now can I t ry your Cave?" Dr. Malone shook her head, but not t o say no, j ust out of helplessness. She spread her hands. "Very

well, " she said. "I t hink I'm dreaming. I might as well carry on. " She swung around in her chair and pressed several swit ches, bringing an elect rical hum and t he sound of a comput er's cooling f an int o t he air; and at t he sound of t hem, Lyra gave a lit t le muf f led gasp. It was because t he sound in t hat room was t he same sound she'd heard in t hat dreadf ul glit t ering chamber at Bolvangar, where t he silver guillot ine had nearly part ed her and Pant alaimon. She f elt him quiver in her pocket , and gent ly squeezed him f or reassurance. But Dr. Malone hadn't not iced; she was t oo busy adj ust ing swit ches and t apping t he let t ers in anot her of t hose ivory t rays. As she did, t he screen changed color, and some small let t ers and f igures appeared on it . "Now you sit down, " she said, and pulled out a chair f or Lyra. Then she opened aj ar and said, "I need t o put some gel on your skin t o help t he elect rical cont act . It washes of f easily. Hold st ill, now. " Dr. Malone t ook six wires, each ending in a f lat pad, and at t ached t hem t o various places on Lyra's head. Lyra sat det erminedly st ill, but she was breat hing quickly, and her heart was beat ing hard. "All right , you're all hooked up, " said Dr. Malone. "The room's f ull of Shadows. The universe is f ull of Shadows, come t o t hat . But t his is t he only way we can see t hem, when you make your mind empt y and look at t he screen. Of f you go. " Lyra looked. The glass was dark and blank. She saw her own ref lect ion dimly, but t hat was all. As an experiment she pret ended t hat she was reading t he alet hiomet er, and imagined herself asking: What does t his woman know about Dust ? What quest ions is she asking? She ment ally moved t he alet hiomet er's hands around t he dial, and as she did, t he screen began t o f licker. Ast onished, she came out of her concent rat ion, and t he f licker died. She didn't not ice t he ripple of excit ement t hat made Dr. Malone sit up: she f rowned and sat f orward and began t o concent rat e again. This t ime t he response came inst ant aneously. A st ream of dancing light s, f or all t he world like t he shimmering curt ains of t he aurora, blazed across t he screen. They t ook up pat t erns t hat were held f or a moment only t o break apart and f orm again, in dif f erent shapes, or dif f erent colors; t hey looped and swayed, t hey sprayed apart , t hey burst int o showers of radiance t hat suddenly swerved t his way or t hat like a f lock of birds changing direct ion in t he sky. And as Lyra wat ched, she f elt t he same sense, as of t rembling on t he brink of underst anding, t hat she remembered f rom t he t ime when she was beginning t o read t he alet hiomet er. She asked anot her quest ion: Is t his Dust ? Is it t he same t hing making t hese pat t erns and moving t he needle of t he alet hiomet er? The answer came in more loops and swirls of light . She guessed it meant yes. Then anot her t hought occurred t o her, and she t urned t o speak t o Dr. Malone, and saw her open-mout hed, hand t o her head. "What ?" she said. The screen f aded. Dr. Malone blinked. "What is it ?" Lyra said again. "Oh—you've j ust put on t he best display I've ever seen, t hat 's all, " said Dr. Malone. "What were you doing? What were you t hinking?" "I was t hinking you could get it clearer t han t his, " Lyra said. "Clearer? That 's t he clearest it 's ever been! " "But what does it mean? Can you read it ?" "Well, " said Dr. Malone, "you don't read it in t he sense of reading a message; it doesn't work like t hat . What 's happening is t hat t he Shadows are responding t o t he at t ent ion t hat you pay t hem.

That 's revolut ionary enough; it 's our consciousness t hat t hey respond t o, you see. " "No, " Lyra explained, "what I mean is, t hose colors and shapes up t here. They could do ot her t hings, t hose Shadows. They could make any shapes you want ed. They could make pict ures if you want ed t hem t o. Look. " And she t urned back and f ocused her mind again, but t his t ime she pret ended t o herself t hat t he screen was t he alet hiomet er, wit h all t hirt y-six symbols laid out around t he edge. She knew t hem so well now t hat her f ingers aut omat ically t wist ed in her lap as she moved t he imaginary hands t o point at t he candle (f or underst anding), t he alpha and omega (f or language), and t he ant (f or diligence), and f ramed t he quest ion: What would t hese people have t o do in order t o underst and t he language of t he Shadows? The screen responded as quickly as t hought it self , and out of t he welt er of lines and f lashes a series of pict ures f ormed wit h perf ect clarit y: compasses, alpha and omega again, light ning, angel. Each pict ure f lashed up a dif f erent number of t imes, and t hen came a dif f erent t hree: camel, garden, moon. Lyra saw t heir meanings clearly, and unf ocused her mind t o explain. This t ime, when she t urned around, she saw t hat Dr. Malone was sit t ing back in her chair, whit e-f aced, clut ching t he edge of t he t able. "What it says, " Lyra t old her, "it 's saying in my language, right —t he language of pict ures. Like t he alet hiomet er. But what it says is t hat it could use ordinary language t oo, words, if you f ixed it up like t hat . You could f ix t his so it put words on t he screen. But you'd need a lot of caref ul f iguring wit h numbers—t hat was die compasses, see. And t he light ning meant anbaric—I mean, elect ric power, more of t hat . And t he angel— t hat 's all about messages. There's t hings it want s t o say. But when it went on t o t hat second bit . . . it meant Asia, almost t he f art hest east but not quit e. I dunno what count ry t hat would be—China, maybe. And t here's a way t hey have in t hat count ry of t alking t o Dust , I mean Shadows, same as you got here and I got wit h t he—I got wit h pict ures, only t heir way uses st icks. I t hink it meant t hat pict ure on t he door, but I didn't underst and it , really. I t hought when I f irst saw it t here was somet hing import ant about it , only I didn't know what . So t here must be lot s of ways of t alking t o Shadows. " Dr. Malone was breat hless. "The I Ching, " she said. "Yes, it 's Chinese. A f orm of divinat ion—f ort une-t elling, really. . . . And, yes, t hey use st icks. It 's only up t here f or decorat ion, " she said, as if t o reassure Lyra t hat she didn't really believe in it . "You're t elling me t hat when people consult t he I Ching, t hey're get t ing in t ouch wit h Shadow part icles? Wit h dark mat t er?" "Yeah, " said Lyra. 'There's lot s of ways, like I said. I hadn't realized bef ore. I t hought t here was only one. " "Those pict ures on t he screen . . . " Dr. Malone began. Lyra f elt a f licker of a t hought at t he edge of her mind, and t urned t o t he screen. She had hardly begun t o f ormulat e a quest ion when more pict ures f lashed up, succeeding each ot her so quickly t hat Dr. Malone could hardly f ollow t hem; but Lyra knew what t hey were saying, and t urned back t o her. "It says t hat you'r e import ant , t oo, " she t old t he scient ist . "It says you got somet hing import ant t o do. I dunno what , but it wouldn't say t hat unless it was t rue. So you probably ought t o get it using words, so you can underst and what it says. " Dr. Malone was silent . Then she said, "All right , where do you come f rom?" Lyra t wist ed her mout h. She realized t hat Dr. Malone, who unt il now had act ed out of exhaust ion and despair, would never normally have shown her work t o a st range child who t urned up f rom

nowhere, and t hat she was beginning t o regret it . But Lyra had t o t ell t he t rut h. "I come f rom anot her world, " she said. "It 's t rue. I came t hrough t o t his one. I was. . . I had t o run away, because people in my world were chasing me, t o kill me. And t he alet hiomet er comes f rom . . . f rom t he same place. The Mast er of Jordan College gave it me. In my Oxf ord t here's a Jordan College, but t here en't one here. I looked. And I f ound out how t o read t he alet hiomet er by myself . I got a way of making my mind go blank, and I j ust see what t he pict ures mean st raight away. Just like you said about . . . doubt s and myst eries and t hat . So when I looked at t he Cave, I done t he same t hing, and it works j ust t he same way, so my Dust and your Shadows are t he same, t oo. So. . . " Dr. Malone was f ully awake now. Lyra picked up t he alet hiomet er and f olded it s velvet clot h over it , like a mot her prot ect ing her child, bef ore put t ing it back in her rucksack. "So anyway, " she said, "you could make t his screen so it could t alk t o you in words, if you want ed. Then you could t alk t o t he Shadows like I t alk t o t he alet hiomet er. But what I want t o know is, why do t he people in my world hat e it ? Dust , I mean, Shadows. Dark mat t er. They want t o dest roy it . They t hink it 's evil. But I t hink what t hey do is evil. I seen t hem do it . So what is it , Shadows? Is it good or evil, or what ?" Dr. Malone rubbed her f ace and t urned her cheeks red again. "Everyt hing about t his is embarrassing" she said. "D'you know how embarrassing it is t o ment ion good and evil in a scient if ic laborat ory? Have you any idea? One of t he reasons I became a scient ist was not t o have t o t hink about t hat kind of t hing. " "You got t o t hink about it , " said Lyra severely. "You can't invest igat e Shadows, Dust , what ever it is, wit hout t hinking about t hat kind of t hing, good and evil and such. And it said you got t o, remember. You can't ref use. When are t hey going t o close t his place down?" "The f unding commit t ee decides at t he end of t he week. . . . Why?" '"Cause you got t onight , t hen, " said Lyra. "You could f ix t his engine t hing t o put words on t he screen inst ead of pict ures like I made. You could do t hat easy. Then you could show 'em, and t hey'd have t o give you t he money t o carry on. And you could f ind out all about Dust , or Shadows, and t ell me. You see, " she went on a lit t le haught ily, like a duchess describing an unsat isf act ory housemaid, "t he alet hiomet er won't exact ly t ell me what I need t o know. But you could f ind out f or me. Else I could probably do t hat Ching t hing, wit h t he st icks. But pict ures are easier t o work. I t hink so, anyway. I'm going t o t ake t his of f now, " she added, and pulled at t he elect rodes on her head. Dr. Malone gave her a t issue t o wipe of f t he gel, and f olded up t he wires. "So you're going?" she said. "Well, you've given me a st range hour, t hat 's no mist ake. " "Are you going t o make it do words?" Lyra said, gat hering up her rucksack. "It 's about as much use as complet ing t he f unding applicat ion, I daresay, " said Dr. Malone. "No, list en. I want you t o come back t omorrow. Can you do t hat ? About t he same t ime? I want you t o show someone else. " Lyra narrowed her eyes. Was t his a t rap? "Well, all right , " she said. "But remember, t here's t hings I need t o know. " "Yes. Of course. You wi l l come?" "Yes, " said Lyra. "If I say I will, I will. I could help you, I expect . " And she lef t . The port er at t he desk looked up brief ly and t hen went back t o his paper. "The Nuniat ak dig, " said t he archaeologist , swinging his chair around. "You're t he second person in a mont h t o ask me about t hat . " "Who was t he ot her one?" said Will, on his guard at once.

"I t hink he was a j ournalist . I'm not sure. " "Why did he want t o know about it ?" he said. "In connect ion wit h one of t he men who disappeared on t hat t rip. It was t he height of t he cold war when t he expedit ion vanished. St ar Wars. You're probably t oo young t o remember t hat . The Americans and t he Russians were building enormous radar inst allat ions all across t he Arct ic. . . . Anyway, what can I do f or you?" "Well, " said Will, t rying t o keep calm, "I was j ust t rying t o f ind out about t hat expedit ion, really. For a school proj ect about prehist oric people. And I read about t his expedit ion t hat disappeared, and I got curious. " "Well, you're not t he only one, as you see. There was a big t o-do about it at t he t ime. I looked it all up f or t he j ournalist . It was a preliminary survey, not a proper dig. You can't do a dig t ill you know whet her it 's wort h spending t ime on it , so t his group went out t o look at a number of sit es and make a report . Half a dozen blokes alt oget her. Somet imes on an expedit ion like t his you combine f orces wit h people f rom anot her discipline—you know, geologist s or what ever—t o split t he cost . They look at t heir st uf f and we look at ours. In t his case t here was a physicist on t he t eam. I t hink he was looking at high-level at mospheric part icles. The aurora, you know, t he nort hern light s. He had balloons wit h radio t ransmit t ers, apparent ly. "And t here was anot her man wit h t hem. An ex-Marine, a sort of prof essional explorer. They were going up int o some f airly wild t errit ory, and polar bears are always a danger in t he Arct ic. Archaeologist s can deal wit h some t hings, but we're not t rained t o shoot , and someone who can do t hat and navigat e and make camp and do all t he sort of survival st uf f is very usef ul. "But t hen t hey all vanished. They kept in radio cont act wit h a local survey st at ion, but one day t he signal didn't come, and not hing more was heard. There'd been a buzzard, but t hat was not hing unusual. The search expedit ion f ound t heir last camp more or less int act , t hough t he bears had eat en t heir st ores. But t here was no sign of t he people what soever. "And t hat 's all I can t ell you, I'm af raid. " "Yes, " said Will. "Thank you. Umm . . . t hat j ournalist , " he went on, st opping at t he door. "You said he was int erest ed in one of t he men. Which one was it ?" "The explorer t ype. A man called Parry. " "What did he look like? The j ournalist , I mean?" "What d'you want t o know t hat f or?" "Because . . . " Will couldn't t hink of a plausible reason. He shouldn't have asked. "No reason. I j ust wondered. " "As f ar as I can remember, he was a big blond man. Very pale hair. " "Right , t hanks, " Will said, and t urned t o go. The man wat ched him leave t he room, saying not hing, f rowning a lit t le. Will saw him reach f or t he phone, and lef t t he building quickly. He f ound he was shaking. The j ournalist , so called, was one of t he men who'd come t o his house: a t all man wit h such f air hair t hat he seemed t o have no eyebrows or eyelashes. He wasn't t he one Will had knocked down t he st airs: he was t he one who'd appeared at t he door of t he living room as Will ran down and j umped over t he body. But he wasn't a j ournalist . There was a large museum nearby. Will went in, holding his clipboard as if he were working, and sat down in a gallery hung wit h paint ings. He was t rembling hard and f eeling sick, because pressing at him was t he knowledge t hat he'd killed someone, t hat he was a murderer. He'd kept it

at bay t ill now, but it was closing in. He'd t aken away t he man's lif e. He sat st ill f or half an hour, and it was one of t he worst half -hours he'd ever spent . People came and went , looking at t he paint ings, t alking in quiet voices, ignoring him; a gallery at t endant st ood in t he doorway f or a f ew minut es, hands behind his back, and t hen slowly moved away; and Will wrest led wit h t he horror of what he'd done, and didn't move a muscle. Gradually he grew calmer. He'd been def ending his mot her. They were f right ening her; given t he st at e she was in, t hey were persecut ing her. He had a right t o def end his home. His f at her would have want ed him t o do t hat . He did it because it was t he good t hing t o do. He did it t o st op t hem f rom st ealing t he green leat her case. He did it so he could f ind his f at her; and didn't he have a right t o do t hat ? All his childish games came back t o him, wit h himself and his f at her rescuing each ot her f rom avalanches or f ight ing pirat es. Well, now it was real. I'll f ind you, he said in his mind. Just help me and I'll f ind you, and we'll look af t er Mum, and everyt hing'll be all right . . . . And af t er all, he had somewhere t o hide now, somewhere so saf e no one would ever f ind him. And t he papers f rom t he case (which he st ill hadn't had t ime t o read) were saf e t oo, under t he mat t ress in Cit t agazze. Finally he not iced people moving more purposef ully, and all in t he same direct ion. They were leaving, because t he at t endant was t elling t hem t hat t he museum would close in t en minut es. Will gat hered himself and lef t . He f ound his way t o t he High St reet , where t he lawyer's of f ice was, and wondered about going t o see him, despit e what he'd said earlier. The man had sounded f riendly enough. . . . But as he made up his mind t o cross t he st reet and go in, he st opped suddenly. The t all man wit h t he pale eyebrows was get t ing out of a car. Will t urned aside at once, casually, and looked in t he window of t he j eweler's shop beside him. He saw t he man's ref lect ion look around, set t le t he knot of his t ie, and go int o t he lawyer's of f ice. As soon as he'd gone in, Will moved away, his heart t hudding again. There wasn't anywhere saf e. He drif t ed t oward t he universit y library and wait ed f or Lyra.

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AIRMAIL PAPER "Will, " said Lyra. She spoke quiet ly, but he was st art led all t he same. She was sit t ing on t he bench beside him and he hadn't even not iced. "Where did you come f rom?" "I f ound my Scholar! She's called Dr. Malone. And she's got an engine t hat can see Dust , and she's going t o make it t alk—" "I didn't see you coming. " "You weren't looking, " she said. "You must 've been t hinking about somet hing else. It 's a good t hing I f ound you. Look, it 's easy t o f ool people. Wat ch. " Two police of f icers were st rolling t oward t hem, a man and a woman on t he beat , in t heir whit e summer shirt sleeves, wit h t heir radios and t heir bat ons and t heir suspicious eyes. Bef ore t hey

reached t he bench, Lyra was on her f eet and speaking t o t hem. "Please, could you t ell me where t he museum is?" she said. "Me and my brot her was supposed t o meet our parent s t here and we got lost . " The policeman looked at Will, and Will, cont aining his anger, shrugged as if t o say, "She's right , we're lost , isn't it silly. " The man smiled. The woman said: "Which museum? The Ashmolean?" "Yeah, t hat one, " said Lyra, and pret ended t o list en caref ully as t he woman gave her inst ruct ions. Will got up and said, "Thanks, " and he and Lyra moved away t oget her. They didn't look back, but t he police had already lost int erest . "See?" she said. "If t hey were looking f or you, I put 'em of f . 'Cause t hey won't be looking f or someone wit h a sist er. I bet t er st ay wit h you f rom now on, " she went on scoldingly once t hey'd gone around t he corner. "You en't saf e on your own. " He said not hing. His heart was t humping wit h rage. They walked along t oward a round building wit h a great leaden dome, set in a square bounded by honey-colored st one college buildings and a church and wide-crowned t rees above high garden walls. The af t ernoon sun drew t he warmest t ones out of it all, and t he air f elt rich wit h it , almost t he color it self of heavy golden wine. All t he leaves were st ill, and in t his lit t le square even t he t raf f ic noise was hushed. She f inally became aware of Will's f eelings and said, "What 's t he mat t er?" "If you speak t o people, you j ust at t ract t heir at t ent ion, " he said, wit h a shaking voice. "You should j ust keep quiet and st ill and t hey overlook you. I've been doing it all my lif e. I know how t o do it . Your way, you j ust —you make yourself visible. You shouldn't do t hat . You shouldn't play at it . You're not being serious. " "You t hink so?" she said, and her anger f lashed. "You t hink I don't know about lying and t hat ? I'm t he best liar t here ever was. But I en't lying t o you, and I never will, I swear it . You're in danger, and if I hadn't done t hat j ust t hen, you'd've been caught . Didn't you see 'em looking at you? 'Cause t hey were. You en't caref ul enough. If you want my opinion, it 's you t hat en't serious. " "If I'm not serious, what am I doing hanging about wait ing f or you when I could be miles away? Or hiding out of sight , saf e in t hat ot her cit y? I've got my own t hings t o do, but I'm hanging about here so I can help you. Don't t ell me I'm not serious. " "You had t o come t hrough, " she said, f urious. No one should speak t o her like t his. She was an arist ocrat . She was Lyra. "You had t o, else you'd never f ind out anyt hing about your f at her. You done it f or yourself , not f or me. " They were quarreling passionat ely, but in subdued voices, because of t he quiet in t he square and t he people who were wandering past nearby. When she said t his, t hough, Will st opped alt oget her. He had t o lean against t he college wall beside him. The color had lef t his f ace. "What do you know about my f at her?" he said very quiet ly. She replied in t he same t one. "I don't know anyt hing. All I know is you're looking f or him. That 's all I asked about . " "Asked who?" "The alet hiomet er, of course. " It t ook a moment f or him t o remember what she meant . And t hen he looked so angry and suspicious t hat she t ook it out of her rucksack and said, "All right , I'll show you. " And she sat down on t he st one curb around t he grass in t he middle of t he square and bent her head over t he golden inst rument and began t o t urn t he hands, her f ingers moving almost t oo quickly t o see, and t hen pausing f or several seconds while t he slender needle whipped around t he dial, f licking t o a st op here and t here, and t hen t urning t he hands t o new posit ions j ust as quickly. Will looked around caref ully, but t here was no one near t o see; a group of t ourist s looked up at file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (50 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t he domed building, an ice cream vendor wheeled his cart along t he pavement , but t heir at t ent ion was elsewhere. Lyra blinked and sighed, as if she were waking af t er a sleep. "Your mot her's ill, " she said quiet ly. "But she's saf e. There's t his lady looking af t er her. And you t ook some let t ers and ran away. And t here was a man, I t hink he was a t hief , and you killed him. And you're looking f or your f at her, and—" "All right , shut up, " said Will. "That 's enough. You've got no right t o look int o my lif e like t hat . Don't ever do t hat again. That 's j ust spying. " "I know when t o st op asking, " she said. "See, t he alet hiomet er's like a person, almost . I sort of know when it 's going t o be cross or when t here's t hings it doesn't want me t o know. I kind of f eel it . But when you come out of nowhere yest erday, I had t o ask it who you were, or I might not have been saf e. I had t o. And it said . . . " She lowered her voice even more. "It said you was a murderer, and I t hought , Good, t hat 's all right , he's someone I can t rust . But I didn't ask more t han t hat t ill j ust now, and if you don't want me t o ask any more, I promise I won't . This en't like a privat e peep show. If I done not hing but spy on people, it 'd st op working. I know t hat as well as I know my own Oxf ord. " "You could have asked me inst ead of t hat t hing. Did it say whet her my f at her was alive or dead?" "No, because I didn't ask. " They were bot h sit t ing by t his t ime. Will put his head in his hands wit h weariness. "Well, " he said f inally, "I suppose we'll have t o t rust each ot her. " "That 's all right . I t rust you. " Will nodded grimly. He was so t ired, and t here was not t he slight est possibilit y of sleep in t his world. Lyra wasn't usually so percept ive, but somet hing in his manner made her t hink: He's af raid, but he's mast ering his f ear, like lorek Byrnison said we had t o do; like I did by t he f ish house at t he f rozen lake. "And, Will, " she added, "I won't give you away, not t o anyone. I promise. " "Good. " "I done t hat bef ore. I bet rayed someone. And it was t he worst t hing I ever did. I t hought I was saving his lif e act ually, only I was t aking him right t o t he most dangerous place t here could be. I hat ed myself f or t hat , f or being so st upid. So I'll t ry very hard not t o be careless or f orget and bet ray you. " He said not hing. He rubbed his eyes and blinked hard t o t ry and wake himself up. "We can't go back t hrough t he window t ill much lat er, " he said. "We shouldn't have come t hrough in daylight anyway. We can't risk anyone seeing. And now we've got t o hang around f or hours. . . . " "I'm hungry, " Lyra said. Then he said, "I know! We can go t o t he cinema! " "The what ?” "I'll show you. We can get some f ood t here t oo. " There was a cinema near t he cit y cent er, t en minut es' walk away. Will paid f or bot h of t hem t o get in, and bought hot dogs and popcorn and Coke, and t hey carried t he f ood inside and sat down j ust as t he f ilm was beginning. Lyra was ent ranced. She had seen proj ect ed phot ograms, but not hing in her world had prepared her f or t he cinema. She wolf ed down t he hot dog and t he popcorn, gulped t he Coca-Cola, and gasped and laughed wit h delight at t he charact ers on t he screen. Luckily it was a noisy audience, f ull of children, and her excit ement wasn't conspicuous. Will closed his eyes at once and went t o sleep. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (51 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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He woke when he heard t he clat t er of seat s as people moved out , and blinked in t he light . His wat ch showed a quart er past eight . Lyra came away reluct ant ly. "That 's t he best t hing I ever saw in my whole lif e, " she said. "I dunno why t hey never invent ed t his in my world. We got some t hings bet t er t han you, but t his was bet t er t han anyt hing we got . " Will couldn't even remember what t he f ilm had been. It was st ill light out side, and t he st reet s were busy. "D'you want t o see anot her one?" "Yeah! " So t hey went t o t he next cinema, a f ew hundred yards away around t he corner, and did it again. Lyra set t led down wit h her f eet on t he seat , hugging her knees, and Will let his mind go blank. When t hey came out t his t ime, it was nearly eleven o'clock—much bet t er. Lyra was hungry again, so t hey bought hamburgers f rom a cart and at e t hem as t hey walked along, somet hing else new t o her. "We always sit down t o eat . I never seen people j ust walking along eat ing bef ore, " she t old him. "There's so many ways t his place is dif f erent . The t raf f ic, f or one. I don't like it . I like t he cinema, t hough, and hamburgers. I like t hem a lot . And t hat Scholar, Dr. Malone, she's going t o make t hat engine use words. I j ust know she is. I'll go back t here t omorrow and see how she's get t ing on. I bet I could help her. I could probably get t he Scholars t o give her t he money she want s, t oo. You know how my f at her did it ? Lord Asriel? He played a t rick on t hem. . . . " As t hey walked up t he Banbury Road, she t old him about t he night she hid in t he wardrobe and wat ched Lord Asriel show t he Jordan Scholars t he severed head of St anislaus Grumman in t he vacuum f lask. And since Will was such a good audience, she went on and t old him t he rest of her st ory, f rom t he t ime she escaped f rom Mrs. Coult er's f lat t o t he horrible moment when she realized she'd led Roger t o his deat h on t he icy clif f s of Svalbard. Will list ened wit hout comment , but at t ent ively, wit h sympat hy. Her account of a voyage in a balloon, of armored bears and wit ches, of a vengef ul arm of t he Church, seemed all of a piece wit h his own f ant ast ic dream of a beaut if ul cit y on t he sea, empt y and silent and saf e: it couldn't be t rue, it was as simple as t hat . But event ually t hey reached t he ring road, and t he hornbeam t rees. There was very lit t le t raf f ic now: a car every minut e or so, no more t han t hat . And t here was t he window. Will f elt himself smiling. It was going t o be all right . "Wait t ill t here's no cars coming, " he said. "I'm going t hrough now. " And a moment lat er he was on t he grass under t he palm t rees, and a second or t wo af t erward Lyra f ollowed. They f elt as if t hey were home again. The wide warm night , and t he scent of f lowers and t he sea, and t he silence, bat hed t hem like soot hing wat er. Lyra st ret ched and yawned, and Will f elt a great weight lif t of f his shoulders. He had been carrying it all day, and he hadn't not iced how it had nearly pressed him int o t he ground; but now he f elt light and f ree and at peace. And t hen Lyra gripped his arm. In t he same second he heard what had made her do it . Somewhere in t he lit t le st reet s beyond t he caf e, somet hing was screaming. Will set of f at once t oward t he sound, and Lyra f ollowed behind as he plunged down a narrow alley shadowed f rom t he moonlight . Af t er several t wist s and t urns t hey came out int o t he square in f ront of t he st one t ower t hey'd seen t hat morning. Twent y or so children were f acing inward in a semicircle at t he base of t he t ower, and some of t hem had st icks in t heir hands, and some were t hrowing st ones at what ever t hey had t rapped against t he wall. At f irst Lyra t hought it was anot her child, but coming f rom inside t he semicircle file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (52 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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was a horrible high wailing t hat wasn't human at all. And t he children were screaming t oo, in f ear as well as hat red. Will ran up t o t he children and pulled t he f irst one back. It was a boy of about his own age, a boy in a st riped T-shirt . As he t urned Lyra saw t he wild whit e rims around his pupils, and t hen t he ot her children realized what was happening and st opped t o look. Angelica and her lit t le brot her were t here t oo, st ones in hand, and all t he children's eyes glit t ered f iercely in t he moonlight . They f ell silent . Only t he high wailing cont inued, and t hen bot h Will and Lyra saw what it was: a t abby cat , cowering against t he wall of t he t ower, it s ear t orn and it s t ail bent . It was t he cat Will had seen in Sunderland Avenue, t he one like Moxie, t he one t hat had led him t o t he window. As soon as he saw her, he f lung aside t he boy he was holding. The boy f ell t o t he ground and was up in a moment , f urious, but t he ot hers held him back. Will was already kneeling by t he cat . And t hen she was in his arms. She f led t o his breast and he cradled her close and st ood t o f ace t he children, and Lyra t hought f or a crazy second t hat his daemon had appeared at last . "What are you hurt ing t his cat f or?" he demanded, and t hey couldn't answer. They st ood t rembling at Will's anger, breat hing heavily, clut ching t heir st icks and t heir st ones, and t hey couldn't speak. But t hen Angelica's voice came clearly: "You ain' f rom here! You ain' f rom Ci'gazze! You didn' know about Spect ers, you don' know about cat s eit her. You ain' like us! " The boy in t he st riped T-shirt whom Will had t hrown down was t rembling t o f ight , and if it hadn't been f or t he cat in Will's arms, he would have f lown at Will wit h f ist s and t eet h and f eet , and Will would have gladly j oined bat t le. There was a current of elect ric hat red bet ween t he t wo of t hem t hat only violence could ground. But t he boy was af raid of t he cat . "Where you come f rom?" he said cont empt uously. "Doesn't mat t er where we come f rom. If you're scared of t his cat , I'll t ake her away f rom you. If she's bad luck t o you, she'll be good luck f or us. Now get out of t he way. " For a moment Will t hought t heir hat red would overcome t heir f ear, and he was preparing t o put t he cat down and f ight , but t hen came a low t hunderous growl f rom behind t he children, and t hey t urned t o see Lyra st anding wit h her hand on t he shoulders of a great spot t ed leopard whose t eet h shone whit e as he snarled. Even Will, who recognized Pant alaimon, was f right ened f or a second. It s ef f ect on t he children was dramat ic: t hey t urned and f led at once. A f ew seconds lat er t he square was empt y. But bef ore t hey lef t , Lyra looked up at t he t ower. A growl f rom Pant alaimon prompt ed her, and j ust brief ly she saw someone t here on t he very t op, looking down over t he bat t lement ed rim, and not a child eit her, but a young man, wit h curly hair. Half an hour lat er t hey were in t he f lat above t he caf e. Will had f ound a t in of condensed milk, and t he cat had lapped it hungrily and t hen begun t o lick her wounds. Pant alaimon had become cat -f ormed out of curiosit y, and at f irst t he t abby cat had brist led wit h suspicion, but she soon realized t hat what ever Pant alaimon was, he was neit her a t rue cat nor a t hreat , and proceeded t o ignore him. Lyra wat ched Will t ending t his one wit h f ascinat ion. The only animals she had been close t o in her world (apart f rom t he armored bears) were working animals of one sort or anot her. Cat s were f or keeping Jordan College clear of mice, not f or making pet s of . "I t hink her t ail's broken, " Will said. "I don't know what t o do about t hat . Maybe it 'll heal by it self . I'll put some honey on her ear. I read about t hat somewhere; it 's ant isept ic. . . . " It was messy, but at least it kept her occupied licking it of f , and t he wound was get t ing cleaner all t he t ime. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (53 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"You sure t his is t he one you saw?" she said. "Oh, yes. And if t hey're all so f right ened of cat s, t here wouldn't be many in t his world anyway. She probably couldn't f ind her way back. " "They were j ust crazy, " Lyra said. "They would have killed her. I never seen kids being like t hat . " "I have, " said Will. But his f ace had closed; he didn't want t o t alk about it , and she knew bet t er t han t o ask. She knew she wouldn't even ask t he alet hiomet er. She was very t ired, so present ly she went t o bed and slept at once. A lit t le lat er, when t he cat had curled up t o sleep, Will t ook a cup of cof f ee and t he green leat her writ ing case, and sat on t he balcony. There was enough light corning t hrough t he window f or him t o read by, and he want ed t o look at t he papers. There weren't many. As he'd t hought , t hey were let t ers, writ t en on airmail paper in black ink. These very marks were made by t he hand of t he man he want ed so much t o f ind; he moved his f ingers over and over t hem, and pressed t hem t o his f ace, t rying t o get closer t o t he essence of his f at her. Then he st art ed t o read. Fairbanks, Alaska Wednesday, 19 June 1985

My dar l i ng—t he usual mi xt ur e of ef f i ci ency and chaos— al l t he st or es ar e her e but t he physi ci st , a geni al di mwi t cal l ed Nel son, hasn 't made any ar r angement s f or car r yi ng hi s damn bal l oons up i nt o t he mount ai ns—havi ng t o t wi ddl e our t humbs whi l e he scr abbl es ar ound f or t r anspor t . But i t means I had a chance t o t al k t o an ol d boy I met l ast t i me, a gol d mi ner cal l ed Jake Pet er sen. Tr acked hi m down t o a di ngy bar and under t he sound of t he basebal l game on t he TV I asked hi m about t he anomal y. He woul dn 't t al k t her e—t ook me back t o hi s apar t ment . Wi t h t he hel p of a bot t l e of Jack Dani el 's he t al ked f or a l ong t i me—hadn 't seen i t hi msel f , but he 'd met an Eski mo who had, and t hi s chap sai d i t was a door way i nt o t he spi r i t wor l d. They 'd known about i t f or cent ur i es; pan of t he i ni t i at i on of a medi ci ne man i nvol ved goi ng t hr ough and br i ngi ng back a t r ophy of some ki nd—t hough some never came back. However , ol d Jake di d have a map of t he ar ea, and he 'd mar ked on i t wher e hi s pal had t ol d hi m t he t hi ng was. (Just i n case: i t 's at 69°02'11" N, 157°12'19" W, ona spur of Lookout Ri dge a mi l e or t wo nor t h of t he Col vi l l e Ri ver . ) We t hen got on t o ot her Ar ct i c l egends—t he Nor wegi an shi p t hat 's been dr i f t i ng unmanned f or si xt y year s, st uf f l i ke t hat . The ar chaeol ogi st s ar e a decent cr ew, keen t o get t o wor k, cont ai ni ng t hei r i mpat i ence wi t h Nel son and hi s bal l oons. None of t hem has ever hear d of t he anomal y, and bel i eve me I'm goi ng t o keep i t l i ke t hat . My f ondest l ove t o you bot h. Johnny. Umiat , Alaska Sat urday, 22 June 1985

My dar l i ng—-so much f or what di d I cal l hi m, a geni al di mwi t —t he physi ci st Nel son i s not hi ng of t he sor t , and i f I'm not mi st aken he's act ual l y l ooki ng f or t he anomal y hi msel f . The hol dup i n Fai r banks was or chest r at ed by hi m, woul d you bel i eve? Knowi ng t hat t he r est of t he t eam woul dn't want t o wai t f or anyt hi ng l ess t han an unar guabl e r eason l i ke no t r anspor t , he per sonal l y sent ahead and cancel ed t he vehi cl es t hat had been or der ed. I f ound t hi s out by acci dent , and I was goi ng t o ask hi m what t he hel l he was pl ayi ng at when I over hear d hi m file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (54 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t al ki ng on t he r adi o t o someone—descr i bi ng t he anomal y, no l ess, except he di dn 't know t he l ocat i on. Lat er on I bought hi m a dr i nk, pl ayed t he bl uf f sol di er , ol d Ar ct i c hand, "mor e t hi ngs i n heaven and ear t h " l i ne. Pr et ended t o t ease hi m wi t h t he l i mi t at i ons of sci ence—bet you can't expl ai n Bi gf oot , et c. —wat chi ng hi m cl osel y. Then spr ung t he anomal y on hi m—Eski mo l egend of a door way i nt o spi r i t wor l d—i nvi si bl e—somewher e near Lookout Ri dge, woul d you bel i eve, wher e we'r e headi ng f or , f ancy t hat . And you know he was j ol t ed r i gi d. He knew exact l y what I meant . I pr et ended not t o not i ce and went on t o wi t chcr af t , t ol d hi m t he Zai r e l eopar d st or y. So I hope he's got me down as a super st i t i ous mi l i t ar y bl ockhead. But I'm r i ght , El ai ne— he's l ooki ng f or i t t oo. The quest i on i s, do I t el l hi m or not ? Got t o wor k out what hi s game i s. Fondest l ove t o bot h— Johnny. Colville Bar, Alaska Monday, 24 June 1985

Dar l i ng—I won't get a chance t o post anot her l et t er f or a whi l e—t hi s i s t he l ast t own bef or e we t ake t o t he hi l l s, t he Br ooks Range. The ar chaeol ogi st s ar e f i zzi ng t o get up t her e. One chap i s convi nced he'l l f i nd evi dence of much ear l i er habi t at i on t han anyone suspect ed. I sai d how much ear l i er , and why was he convi nced. He t ol d me of some nar whal -i vor y car vi ngs he'd f ound on a pr evi ous di g—car bon 14-dat ed t o some i ncr edi bl e age, way out si de t he r ange of what was pr evi ousl y assumed; anomal ous, i n f act . Woul dn't i t be st r ange i f t hey 'd come t hr ough my anomal y, f r om some ot her wor l d? Tal ki ng of whi ch, t he physi ci st Nel son i s my cl osest buddy now— ki ds me al ong, dr ops hi nt s t o i mpl y t hat he knows t hat I know t hat he knows, et c. And I pr et end t o be bl uf f Maj or Par r y, st out f el l ow i n a cr i si s but not t oo much bet ween t he ear s, what . But I know he's af t er i t . For one t hi ng, al t hough he's a bona f i de academi c hi s f undi ng act ual l y comes f r om t he Mi ni st r y of Def ense—I know t he f i nanci al codes t hey use. And f or anot her hi s so-cal l ed weat her bal l oons ar e not hi ng of t he sor t . I l ooked i n t he cr at e—a r adi at i on sui t i f ever I've seen one. A r um do, my dar l i ng. I shal l st i ck t o my pl an: t ake t he ar chaeol ogi st s t o t hei r spot and go of f by my sel f f or a f ew days t o l ook f or t he anomal y. If I bump i nt o Nel son wander i ng about on Lookout Ri dge, I'l l pl ay i t by ear . Lat er . A r eal bi t of l uck. I met Jake Pet er sen 's pal t he Eski mo, Mat t Ki gal i k. Jake had t ol d me wher e t o f i nd hi m, but I hadn 't dar ed t o hope he 'd be t her e. He t ol d me t he Sovi et s had been l ooki ng f or t he anomal y t oo; he'd come acr oss a man ear l i er t hi s year hi gh up i n t he r ange and wat ched hi m f or a coupl e of days wi t hout bei ng seen, because he guessed what he was doi ng, and he was r i ght , and t he man t ur ned out t o be Russi an, a spy. He di dn 't t el l me mor e t han t hat ; I got t he i mpr essi on he bumped hi m of f . But he descr i bed t he t hi ng t o me. It 's l i ke a gap i n t he ai r , a sor t of wi ndow. You l ook t hr ough i t and you see anot her wor l d. But i t 's not easy t o f i nd because t hat par t of t he ot her wor l d l ooks j ust l i ke t hi s—r ocks and moss and so f or t h. It 's on t he nor t h si de of a smal l cr eek f i f t y paces or so t o t he west of a t al l r ock shaped l i ke a st andi ng bear , and t he posi t i on Jake gave me i s not qui t e r i ght —i t 's near er 12" N t han 11. Wi sh me l uck, my dar l i ng. I'l l br i ng you back a t r ophy f r om t he spi r i t wor l d. I l ove you f or ever — ki ss t he boy f or me—Johnny. Will f ound his head ringing. His f at her was describing exact ly what he himself had f ound under t he hornbeam t rees. He, t oo, had f ound a window—he even used t he same word f or it ! So Will must be on t he right t rack. And t his knowledge was what t he men had been searching f or. . . So it was dangerous, t oo. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (55 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Will had been j ust a baby when t hat let t er was writ t en. Seven years af t er t hat had come t he morning in t he supermarket when he realized his mot her was in t errible danger, and he had t o prot ect her; and t hen slowly in t he mont hs t hat f ollowed came his growing realizat ion t hat t he danger was in her mind, and he had t o prot ect her all t he more. And t hen, brut ally, t he revelat ion t hat not all t he danger had been in her mind af t er all. There really was someone af t er her—af t er t hese let t ers, t his inf ormat ion. He had no idea what it meant . But he f elt deeply happy t hat he had somet hing so import ant t o share wit h his f at her; t hat John Parry and his son Will had each, separat ely, discovered t his ext raordinary t hing. When t hey met , t hey could t alk about it , and his f at her would be proud t hat Will had f ollowed in his f oot st eps. The night was quiet and t he sea was st ill. He f olded t he let t ers away and f ell asleep.

SIX

LIGHTED FLIERS "Grumman?" said t he black-bearded f ur t rader. "From t he Berlin Academy? Reckless. I met him f ive years back over at t he nort hern end of t he Urals. I t hought he was dead. " Sam Cansino, an old acquaint ance and a Texan like Lee Scoresby, sat in t he napht ha-laden, smoky bar of t he Samirsky Hot el and t ossed back a shot glass of bit ingly cold vodka. He nudged t he plat e of pickled f ish and black bread t oward Lee, who t ook a mout hf ul and nodded f or Sam t o t ell him more. "He'd walked int o a t rap t hat f ool Yakovlev laid, " t he f ur t rader went on, "and cut his leg open t o t he bone. Inst ead of using regular medicines, he insist ed on using t he st uf f t he bears use— bloodmoss—some kind of lichen, it ain't a t rue moss. Anyway, he was lying on a sledge alt ernat ely roaring wit h pain and calling out inst ruct ions t o his men—t hey were t aking st ar sight s, and t hey had t o get t he measurement s right or he'd lash t hem wit h his t ongue, and boy, he had a t ongue like barbed wire. A lean man, t ough, powerf ul, curious about everyt hing. You know he was a Tart ar, by init iat ion?" "You don't say, " said Lee Scoresby, t ipping more vodka int o Sam's glass. His daemon, Hest er, crouched at his elbow on t he bar, eyes half -closed as usual, ears f lat along her back. Lee had arrived t hat af t ernoon, borne t o Nova Zembla by t he wind t he wit ches had called up, and once he'd st owed his equipment he'd made st raight f or t he Samirsky Hot el, near t he f ish-packing st at ion. This was a place where many Arct ic drif t ers st opped t o exchange news or look f or employment or leave messages f or one anot her, and Lee Scoresby had spent several days t here in t he past , wait ing f or a cont ract or a passenger or a f air wind, so t here was not hing unusual in his conduct now. And wit h t he vast changes t hey sensed in t he world around t hem, it was nat ural f or people t o gat her and t alk. Wit h every day t hat passed came more news: t he river Yenisei was f ree of ice, and at t his t ime of year, t oo; part of t he ocean had drained away, exposing st range regular f ormat ions of st one on t he seabed; a squid a hundred f eet long had snat ched t hree f ishermen out of t heir boat and t orn t hem apart . . . .

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And t he f og cont inued t o roll in f rom t he nort h, dense and cold and occasionally drenched wit h t he st rangest imaginable light , in which great f orms could be vaguely seen, and myst erious voices heard. Alt oget her it was a bad t ime t o work, which was why t he bar of t he Samirsky Hot el was f ull. "Did you say Grumman?" said t he man sit t ing j ust along t he bar, an elderly man in seal hunt er's rig, whose lemming daemon looked out solemnly f rom his pocket . "He was a Tart ar all right . I was t here when he j oined t hat t ribe. I saw him having his skull drilled. He had anot her name, t oo—a Tart ar name; I'll t hink of it in a minut e. " "Well, how about t hat , " said Lee Scoresby. "Let me buy you a drink, my f riend. I'm looking f or news of t his man. What t ribe was it he j oined?" "The Yenisei Pakht ars. At t he f oot of t he Semyonov Range. Near a f ork of t he Yenisei and t he—I f orget what it 's called— a river t hat comes down f rom t he hills. There's a rock t he size of a house at t he landing st age. " "Ah, sure, " said Lee. "I remember it now. I've f lown over it . And Grumman had his skull drilled, you say? Why was t hat ?" "He was a shaman, " said t he old seal hunt er. "I t hink t he t ribe recognized him as a shaman bef ore t hey adopt ed him. Some business, t hat drilling. It goes on f or t wo night s and a day. They use a bow drill, like f or light ing a f ire. " "Ah, t hat account s f or t he way his t eam was obeying him, " said Sam Cansino. "They were t he roughest bunch of scoundrels I ever saw, but t hey ran around doing his bidding like nervous children. I t hought it was his cursing t hat did it . If t hey t hought he was a shaman, it 'd make even more sense. But you know, t hat man's curiosit y was as powerf ul as a wolf 's j aws; he would not let go. He made me t ell him every scrap I knew about t he land t hereabout s, and t he habit s of wolverines and f oxes. And he was in some pain f rom t hat damn t rap of Yakovlev's; leg laid open, and he was writ ing t he result s of t hat bloodmoss, t aking his t emperat ure, wat ching t he scar f orm, making not es on every damn t hing. . . . A st range man. There was a wit ch who want ed him f or a lover, but he t urned her down. " "Is t hat so?" said Lee, t hinking of t he beaut y of Seraf ina Pekkala. "He shouldn't have done t hat , " said t he seal hunt er. "A wit ch of f ers you her love, you should t ake it . If you don't , it 's your own f ault if bad t hings happen t o you. It 's like having t o make a choice: a blessing or a curse. The one t hing you can't do is choose neit her. " "He might have had a reason, " said Lee. "If he had any sense, it will have been a good one. " "He was headst rong, " said Sam Cansino. "Maybe f ait hf ul t o anot her woman, " Lee guessed. "I heard somet hing else about him; I heard he knew t he whereabout s of some magic obj ect , I don't know what it might be, t hat could prot ect anyone who held it . Did you ever hear t hat st ory?" "Yes, I heard t hat , " said t he seal hunt er. "He didn't have it himself , but he knew where it was. There was a man who t ried t o make him t ell, but Grumman killed him. " "His daemon, now, " said Sam Cansino, "t hat was curious. She was an eagle, a black eagle wit h a whit e head and breast , of a kind I'd never set eyes on, and I didn't know how she might be called. " "She was an osprey, " said t he barman, list ening in. "You're t alking about St an Grumman? His daemon was an osprey. A f ish eagle. " "What happened t o him?" said Lee Scoresby. "Oh, he got mixed up in t he Skraeling wars over t o Bering-land. Last I heard he'd been shot , " said t he seal hunt er. "Killed out right . " "I heard t hey beheaded him, " said Lee Scoresby. "No, you're bot h wrong, " said t he barman, "and I know, because I heard it f rom an Inuit who was file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (57 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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wit h him. Seems t hat t hey were camped out on Sakhalin somewhere and t here was an avalanche. Grumman was buried under a hundred t ons of rock. This Inuit saw it happen. " "What I can't underst and, " said Lee Scoresby, of f ering t he bot t le around, "is what t he man was doing. Was he prospect ing f or rock oil, maybe? Or was he a milit ary man? Or was it somet hing philosophical? You said somet hing about measurement s, Sam. What would t hat be?" "They were measuring t he st arlight . And t he aurora. He had a passion f or t he aurora. I t hink his main int erest was in ruins, t hough. Ancient t hings. " "I know who could t ell you more, " said t he seal hunt er. "Up t he mount ain t hey have an observat ory belonging t o t he Imperial Muscovit e Academy. They'd be able t o t ell you. I know he went up t here more t han once. " "What d'you want t o know f or, anyway, Lee?" said Sam Cansino. "He owes me some money, " said Lee Scoresby. This explanat ion was so sat isf ying t hat it st opped t heir curiosit y at once. The conversat ion t urned t o t he t opic on everyone's lips: t he cat ast rophic changes t aking place around t hem, which no one could see. "The f ishermen, " said t he seal hunt er, "t hey say you can sail right up int o t hat new world. " "There's a new world?" said Lee. "As soon as t his damn f og clears we'll see right int o it , " t he seal hunt er t old t hem conf ident ly. "When it f irst happened, I was out in my kayak and looking nort h, j ust by chance. I'll never f orget what I saw. Inst ead of t he eart h curving down over t he horizon, it went st raight on. I could see f orever, and as f ar as I could see, t here was land and shoreline, mount ains, harbors, green t rees, and f ields of corn, f orever int o t he sky. I t ell you, f riends, t hat was somet hing wort h t oiling f if t y years t o see, a sight like t hat . I would have paddled up t he sky int o t hat calm sea wit hout a backward glance; but t hen came t he f og. . . . " "Ain't never seen a f og like t his, " grumbled Sam Cansino. "Reckon it 's set in f or a mont h, maybe more. But you're out of luck if you want money f rom St anislaus Grumman, Lee; t he man's dead. " "Ah! I got his Tart ar name! " said t he seal hunt er. "I j ust remembered what t hey called him during t he drilling. It sounded like Jopari. " "Jopari? That 's no kind of name I've ever heard of , " said Lee. "Might be Nipponese, I suppose. Well, if I want my money, maybe I can chase up his heirs and assigns. Or maybe t he Berlin Academy can square t he debt . I'll go ask at t he observat ory, see if t hey have an address I can apply t o. " The observat ory was some dist ance t o t he nort h, and Lee Scoresby hired a dog sledge and driver. It wasn't easy t o f ind someone willing t o risk t he j ourney in t he f og, but Lee was persuasive, or his money was; and event ually an old Tart ar f rom t he Ob region agreed t o t ake him t here, af t er a lengt hy bout of haggling. The driver didn't rely on a compass, or he would have f ound it impossible. He navigat ed by ot her signs—his Arct ic f ox daemon f or one, who sat at t he f ront of t he sledge keenly scent ing t he way. Lee, who carried his compass everywhere, had realized already t hat t he eart h's magnet ic f ield was as dist urbed as everyt hing else. The old driver said, as t hey st opped t o brew cof f ee, "This happen bef ore, t his t hing. " "What , t he sky opening? That happened bef ore?" "Many t housand generat ion. My people remember. All long t ime ago, many t housand generat ion. " "What do t hey say about it ?" "Sky f all open, and spirit s move bet ween t his world and t hat world. All t he lands move. The ice melt , t hen f reeze again. The spirit s close up t he hole af t er a while. Seal it up. But wit ches say t he file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (58 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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sky is t hin t here, behind t he nort hern light s. " "What 's going t o happen, Umaq?" "Same t hing as bef ore. Make all same again. But only af t er big t rouble, big war. Spirit war. " The driver wouldn't t ell him any more, and soon t hey moved on, t racking slowly over undulat ions and hollows and past out crops of dim rock, dark t hrough t he pallid f og, unt il t he old man said: "Observat ory up t here. You walk now. Pat h t oo crooked f or sledge. You want go back, I wait here. " "Yeah, I want t o go back when I've f inished, Umaq. You make yourself a f ire, my f riend, and sit and rest a spell. I'll be t hree, f our hours maybe. " Lee Scoresby set of f , wit h Hest er t ucked int o t he breast of his coat , and af t er half an hour's st if f climb f ound a clump of buildings suddenly above him as if t hey'd j ust been placed t here by a giant hand. But t he ef f ect was only due t o a moment ary lif t ing of t he f og, and af t er a minut e it closed in again. He saw t he great dome of t he main observat ory, a smaller one a lit t le way of f , and bet ween t hem a group of administ rat ion buildings and domest ic quart ers. No light s showed, because t he windows were blacked out permanent ly so as not t o spoil t he darkness f or t heir t elescopes. A f ew minut es af t er he arrived, Lee was t alking t o a group of ast ronomers eager t o learn what news he could bring t hem, f or t here are f ew nat ural philosophers as f rust rat ed as ast ronomers in a f og. He t old t hem about everyt hing he'd seen, and once t hat t opic had been t horoughly dealt wit h, he asked about St anislaus Grumman The ast ronomers hadn't had a visit or in weeks, and t hey were keen t o t alk. "Grumman? Yes, I'll t ell you somet hing about him, " said t he Direct or. "He was an Englishman, in spit e of his name. I remember—" "Surely not , " said his deput y. "He was a member of t he Imperial German Academy. I met him in Berlin. I was sure he was German. " "No, I t hink you'll f ind he was English. His command of t hat language was immaculat e, anyway, " said t he Direct or. "But I agree, he was cert ainly a member of t he Berlin Academy. He was a geologist —" "No, no, you're wrong, " said someone else. "He did look at t he eart h, but not as a geologist . I had a long t alk wit h him once. I suppose you'd call him a paleo-archaeologist . " They were sit t ing, f ive of t hem, around a t able in t he room t hat served as t heir common room, living and dining room, bar, recreat ion room, and more or less everyt hing else. Two of t hem were Muscovit es, one was a Pole, one a Yoruba, and one a Skraeling. Lee Scoresby sensed t hat t he lit t le communit y was glad t o have a visit or, if only because he int roduced a change of conversat ion. The Pole had been t he last t o speak, and t hen t he Yoruba int errupt ed: "What do you mean, a paleo-archaeologist ? Archaeologist s already st udy what 's old; why do you need t o put anot her word meaning 'old' in f ront of it ?" "His f ield of st udy went back much f urt her t han you'd expect , t hat 's all. He was looking f or remains of civilizat ions f rom t went y, t hirt y t housand years ago, " t he Pole replied. "Nonsense! " said t he Direct or. "Ut t er nonsense! The man was pulling your leg. Civilizat ions t hirt y t housand years old? Ha! Where is t he evidence?" "Under t he ice, " said t he Pole. "That 's t he point . According t o Grumman, t he eart h's magnet ic f ield changed dramat ically at various t imes in t he past , and t he eart h's axis act ually moved, t oo, so t hat t emperat e areas became ice-bound. " "How?" said one of t he Muscovit es. "Oh, he had some complex t heory. The point was, any evidence t here might have been f or very early civilizat ions was long since buried under t he ice. He claimed t o have some phot ograms of file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (59 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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unusual rock f ormat ions. " "Ha! Is t hat all?" said t he Direct or. "I'm only report ing, I'm not def ending him, " said t he Pole. "How long had you known Grumman, gent lemen?" Lee Scoresby asked. "Well, let me see, " said t he Direct or. "It was seven years ago I met him f or t he f irst t ime. " "He made a name f or himself a year or t wo bef ore t hat , wit h his paper on t he variat ions in t he magnet ic pole, " said t he Yoruba. "But he came out of nowhere. I mean, no one had known him as a st udent or seen any of his previous work. . . . " They t alked on f or a while, cont ribut ing reminiscences and of f ering suggest ions as t o what might have become of Grumman, t hough most of t hem t hought he was probably dead. While t he Pole went t o brew some more cof f ee, Lee's hare daemon, Hest er, said t o him quiet ly: "Check out t he Skraeling, Lee. " The Skraeling had spoken very lit t le. Lee had t hought he was nat urally t acit urn, but prompt ed by Hest er, he casually glanced across during t he next break in t he conversat ion t o see t he man's daemon, a snowy owl, glaring at him wit h bright orange eyes. Well, t hat was what owls looked like, and t hey did st are; but Hest er was right , and t here was a host ilit y and suspicion in t he daemon t hat t he man's f ace showed not hing of . And t hen Lee saw somet hing else: t he Skraeling was wearing a ring wit h t he Church's symbol engraved on it . Suddenly he realized t he reason f or t he man's silence. Every philosophical research est ablishment , so he'd heard, had t o include on it s st af f a represent at ive of t he Magist erium, t o act as a censor and suppress t he news of any heret ical discoveries. So, realizing t his, and remembering somet hing he'd heard Lyra say, Lee asked: 'Tell me, gent lemen —do you happen t o know if Grumman ever looked int o t he quest ion of Dust ?" And inst ant ly a silence f ell in t he st uf f y lit t le room, and everyone's at t ent ion f ocused on t he Skraeling, t hough no one looked at him direct ly. Lee knew t hat Hest er would remain inscrut able, wit h her eyes half -closed and her ears f lat along her back, and he put on a cheerf ul innocence as he looked f rom f ace t o f ace. Finally he set t led on t he Skraeling, and said, "I beg your pardon. Have I asked about somet hing it 's f orbidden t o know?" The Skraeling said, "Where did you hear ment ion of t his subj ect , Mr. Scoresby?" "From a passenger I f lew across t he sea a while back, " Lee said easily. "They never said what it was, but f rom t he way it was ment ioned it seemed like t he kind of t hing Dr. Grumman might have inquired int o. I t ook it t o be some kind of celest ial t hing, like t he aurora. But it puzzled me, because as an aeronaut I know t he skies pret t y well, and I'd never come across t his st uf f . What is it , anyhow?" "As you say, a celest ial phenomenon, " said t he Skraeling. "It has no pract ical signif icance. " Present ly Lee decided it was t ime t o leave; he had learned no more, and he didn't want t o keep Umaq wait ing. He lef t t he ast ronomers t o t heir f ogbound observat ory and set of f down t he t rack, f eeling his way along by f ollowing his daemon, whose eyes were closer t o t he ground. And when t hey were only t en minut es down t he pat h, somet hing swept past his head in t he f og and dived at Hest er. It was t he Skraeling's owl daemon. But Hest er sensed her coming and f lat t ened herself in t ime, and t he owl's claws j ust missed. Hest er could f ight ; her claws were sharp, t oo, and she was t ough and brave. Lee knew t hat t he Skraeling himself must be close by, and reached f or t he revolver at his belt . "Behind you, Lee, " Hest er said, and he whipped around, diving, as an arrow hissed over his shoulder. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (60 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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He f ired at once. The Skraeling f ell, grunt ing, as t he bullet t hudded int o his leg. A moment lat er t he owl daemon swooped wit h a clumsy f aint ing movement t o his side, and half lay on t he snow, st ruggling t o f old her wings. Lee Scoresby cocked his pist ol and held it t o t he man's head. "Right , you damn f ool, " he said. "What did you t ry t hat f or? Can't you see we're all in t he same t rouble now t his t hing's happened t o t he sky?" "It 's t oo lat e, " said t he Skraeling. "Too lat e f or what ?" 'Too lat e t o st op. I have already sent a messenger bird. The Magist erium will know of your inquiries, and t hey will be glad t o know about Grumman—" "What about him?" "The f act t hat ot hers are looking f or him. It conf irms what we t hought . And t hat ot hers know of Dust . You are an enemy of t he Church, Lee Scoresby. By t heir f ruit s shall ye know t hem. By t heir quest ions shall ye see t he serpent gnawing at t heir heart . . . . " The owl was making sof t hoot ing sounds and raising and dropping her wings f it f ully. Her bright orange eyes were f ilming over wit h pain. There was a gat hering red st ain in t he snow around t he Skraeling; even in t he f og-t hick dimness, Lee could see t hat t he man was going t o die. "Reckon my bullet must have hit an art ery, " he said. "Let go my sleeve and I'll make a t ourniquet . " "No! " said t he Skraeling harshly. "I am glad t o die! I shall have t he mart yr's palm! You will not deprive me of t hat ! " "Then die if you want t o. Just t ell me t his—" But he never had t he chance t o complet e his quest ion, because wit h a bleak lit t le shiver t he owl daemon disappeared. The Skraeling's soul was gone. Lee had once seen a paint ing in which a saint of t he Church was shown being at t acked by assassins. While t hey bludgeoned his dying body, t he saint 's daemon was borne upward by cherubs and of f ered a spray of palm, t he badge of a mart yr. The Skraeling's f ace now bore t he same expression as t he saint 's in t he pict ure: an ecst at ic st raining t oward oblivion. Lee dropped him in dist ast e. Hest er clicked her t ongue. "Shoulda reckoned he'd send a message, " she said. 'Take his ring. " "What t he hell f or? We ain't t hieves, are we?" "No, we're renegades, " she said. "Not by our choice, but by his malice. Once t he Church learns about t his, we're done f or anyway. Take every advant age we can in t he meant ime. Go on, t ake t he ring and st ow it away, and mebbe we can use it . " Lee saw t he sense, and t ook t he ring of f t he dead man's f inger. Peering int o t he gloom, he saw t hat t he pat h was edged by a st eep drop int o rocky darkness, and he rolled t he Skraeling's body over. It f ell f or a long t ime bef ore he heard any impact . Lee had never enj oyed violence, and he hat ed killing, alt hough he'd had t o do it t hree t imes bef ore. "No sense in t hinking t hat , " said Hest er. "He didn't give us a choice, and we didn't shoot t o kill. Damn it , Lee, he want ed t o die. These people are insane. " "I guess you're right , " he said, and put t he pist ol away. At t he f oot of t he pat h t hey f ound t he driver, wit h t he dogs harnessed and ready t o move. "Tell me, Umaq, " Lee said as t hey set of f back t o t he f ish-packing st at ion, "you ever hear of a man called Grumman?" "Oh, sure, " said t he driver. "Everybody know Dr. Grumman. " "Did you know he had a Tart ar name?" "Not Tart ar. You mean Jopari? Not Tart ar. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (61 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"What happened t o him? Is he dead?" "You ask me t hat , I have t o say I don't know. So you never know t he t rut h f rom me. " "I see. So who can I ask?" "You bet t er ask his t ribe. Bet t er go t o Yenisei, ask t hem. " "His t ribe . . . you mean t he people who init iat ed him? Who drilled his skull?" "Yes. You bet t er ask t hem. Maybe he not dead, maybe he is. Maybe neit her dead nor alive. " "How can he be neit her dead nor alive?" "In spirit world. Maybe he in spirit world. Already I say t oo much. Say no more now. " And he did not . But when t hey ret urned t o t he st at ion, Lee went at once t o t he docks and looked f or a ship t hat could give him passage t o t he mout h of t he Yenisei. Meanwhile, t he wit ches were searching t oo. The Lat vian queen, Rut a Skadi, f lew wit h Seraf ina Pekkala's company f or many days and night s, t hrough f og and whirlwind, over regions devast at ed by f lood or landslide. It was cert ain t hat t hey were in a world none of t hem had known bef ore, wit h st range winds, st range scent s in t he air, great unknown birds t hat at t acked t hem on sight and had t o be driven of f wit h volleys of arrows; and when t hey f ound land t o rest on, t he very plant s were st range. St ill, some of t hose plant s were edible, and t hey f ound rabbit s t hat made a t ast y meal, and t here was no short age of wat er. It might have been a good land t o live in, but f or t he spect ral f orms t hat drif t ed like mist over t he grasslands and congregat ed near st reams and low-lying wat er. In some light s t hey were hardly t here at all, j ust visible as a drif t ing qualit y in t he light , a rhyt hmic evanescence, like veils of t ransparency t urning bef ore a mirror. The wit ches had never seen anyt hing like t hem bef ore, and mist rust ed t hem at once. "Are t hey alive, do you t hink, Seraf ina Pekkala?" said Rut a Skadi as t he wit ches circled high above a group of t he t hings t hat st ood mot ionless at t he edge of a t ract of f orest . "Alive or dead, t hey're f ull of malice, " Seraf ina replied. "I can f eel t hat f rom here. And unless I knew what weapon could harm t hem, I wouldn't want t o go closer t han t his. " The Spect ers seemed t o be eart hbound, wit hout t he power of f light , luckily f or t he wit ches. Lat er t hat day, t hey saw what t he Spect ers could do. It happened at a river crossing, where a dust y road went over a low st one bridge beside a st and of t rees. The lat e af t ernoon sun slant ed across t he grassland, drawing an int ense green out of t he ground and a dust y gold out of t he air, and in t hat rich oblique light t he wit ches saw a band of t ravelers making f or t he bridge, some on f oot , some in horse-drawn cart s, t wo of t hem riding horses. Seraf ina caught her breat h: t hese people had no daemons, and yet t hey seemed alive. She was about t o f ly down and look more closely when she heard a cry of alarm. It came f rom t he rider on t he leading horse. He was point ing at t he t rees, and as t he wit ches looked down, t hey saw a st ream of t hose spect ral f orms pouring across t he grass, seeming t o f low wit h no ef f ort t oward t he people, t heir prey. The people scat t ered. Seraf ina was shocked t o see t he leading rider t urn t ail at once and gallop away, wit hout st aying t o help his comrades, and t he second rider did t he same, escaping as f ast as he could in anot her direct ion. "Fly lower and wat ch, sist ers, " Seraf ina t old her companions. "But don't int erf ere t ill I command. " They saw t hat t he lit t le band cont ained children as well, some riding in t he cart s, some walking beside t hem. And it was clear t hat t he children couldn't see t he Spect ers, and t he Spect ers weren't int erest ed in t hem; t hey made inst ead f or t he adult s. One old woman seat ed on a cart file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (62 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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held t wo lit t le children on her lap, and Rut a Skadi was angered by her cowardice: because she t ried t o hide behind t hem, and t hrust t hem out t oward t he Spect er t hat approached her, as if of f ering t hem up t o save her own lif e. The children pulled f ree of t he old woman and j umped down f rom t he cart , and now, like t he ot her children around t hem, ran t o and f ro in f right , or st ood and clung t oget her weeping as t he Spect ers at t acked t he adult s. The old woman in t he cart was soon enveloped in a t ransparent shimmer t hat moved busily, working and f eeding in some invisible way t hat made Rut a Skadi sick t o wat ch. The same f at e bef ell every adult in t he part y apart f rom t he t wo who had f led on t heir horses. Fascinat ed and st unned, Seraf ina Pekkala f lew down even closer. There was a f at her wit h his child who had t ried t o f ord t he river t o get away, but a Spect er had caught up wit h t hem, and as t he child clung t o t he f at her's back, crying, t he man slowed down and st ood waist -deep in t he wat er, arrest ed and helpless. What was happening t o him? Seraf ina hovered above t he wat er a f ew f eet away, gazing horrif ied. She had heard f rom t ravelers in her own world of t he legend of t he vampire, and she t hought of t hat as she wat ched t he Spect er busy gorging on—somet hing, some qualit y t he man had, his soul, his daemon, perhaps; f or in t his world, evident ly, daemons were inside, not out side. His arms slackened under t he child's t highs, and t he child f ell int o t he wat er behind him and grabbed vainly at his hand, gasping, crying, but t he man only t urned his head slowly and looked down wit h perf ect indif f erence at his lit t le son drowning beside him. That was t oo much f or Seraf ina. She swooped lower and plucked t he child f rom t he wat er, and as she did so, Rut a Skadi cried out : "Be caref ul, sist er! Behind you—" And Seraf ina f elt j ust f or a moment a hideous dullness at t he edge of her heart , and reached out and up f or Rut a Skadi's hand, which pulled her away f rom t he danger. They f lew higher, t he child screaming and clinging t o her waist wit h sharp f ingers, and Seraf ina saw t he Spect er behind her, a drif t of mist swirling on t he wat er, cast ing about f or it s lost prey. Rut a Skadi shot an arrow int o t he heart of it , wit h no ef f ect at all. Seraf ina put t he child down on t he riverbank, seeing t hat it was in no danger f rom t he Spect ers, and t hey ret reat ed t o t he air again. The lit t le band of t ravelers had halt ed f or good now; t he horses cropped t he grass or shook t heir heads at f lies, t he children were howling or clut ching one anot her and wat ching f rom a dist ance, and every adult had f allen st ill. Their eyes were open; some were st anding, t hough most had sat down; and a t errible st illness hung over t hem. As t he last of t he Spect ers drif t ed away, sat ed, Seraf ina f lew down and alight ed in f ront of a woman sit t ing on t he grass, a st rong, healt hy-looking woman whose cheeks were red and whose f air hair was glossy. "Woman?" said Seraf ina. There was no response. "Can you hear me? Can you see me?" She shook her shoulder. Wit h an immense ef f ort t he woman looked up. She scarcely seemed t o not ice. Her eyes were vacant , and when Seraf ina pinched t he skin of her f orearm, she merely looked down slowly and t hen away again. The ot her wit ches were moving t hrough t he scat t ered wagons, looking at t he vict ims in dismay. The children, meanwhile, were gat hering on a lit t le knoll some way of f , st aring at t he wit ches and whispering t oget her f earf ully. "The horseman's wat ching, " said a wit ch. She point ed up t o where t he road led t hrough a gap in t he hills. The rider who'd f led had reined in his horse and t urned around t o look back, shading his eyes t o see what was going on. "We'll speak t o him, " said Seraf ina, and sprang int o t he air. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (63 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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However t he man had behaved when f aced wit h t he Spect ers, he was no coward. As he saw t he wit ches approach, he unslung t he rif le f rom his back and kicked t he horse f orward ont o t he grass, where he could wheel and f ire and f ace t hem in t he open; but Seraf ina Pekkala alight ed slowly and held her bow out bef ore laying it on t he ground in f ront of her. Whet her or not t hey had t hat gest ure here, it s meaning was unmist akable. The man lowered t he rif le f rom his shoulder and wait ed, looking f rom Seraf ina t o t he ot her wit ches, and up t o t heir daemons t oo, who circled in t he skies above. Women, young and f erocious, dressed in scraps of black silk and riding pine branches t hrough t he sky—t here was not hing like t hat in his world, but he f aced t hem wit h calm wariness. Seraf ina, coming closer, saw sorrow in his f ace as well, and st rengt h. It was hard t o reconcile wit h t he memory of his t urning t ail and running while his companions perished. "Who are you?" he said. "My name is Seraf ina Pekkala. I am t he queen of t he wit ches of Lake Enara, which is in anot her world. What is your name?" "Joachim Lorenz. Wit ches, you say? Do you t reat wit h t he devil, t hen?" "If we did, would t hat make us your enemy?" He t hought f or a f ew moment s, and set t led his rif le across his t highs. "It might have done, once, " he said, "but t imes have changed. Why have you come t o t his world?" "Because t he t imes have changed. What are t hose creat ures who at t acked your part y?" "Well, t he Spect ers. . . " he said, shrugging, half -ast onished. "Don't you know t he Spect ers?" "We've never seen t hem in our world. We saw you making your escape, and we didn't know what t o t hink. Now I underst and. " "There's no def ense against t hem, " said Joachim Lorenz. "Only t he children are unt ouched. Every part y of t ravelers has t o include a man and a woman on horseback, by law, and t hey have t o do what we did, or else t he children will have no one t o look af t er t hem. But t imes are bad now; t he cit ies are t hronged wit h Spect ers, and t here used t o be no more t han a dozen or so in each place. " Rut a Skadi was looking around. She not iced t he ot her rider moving back t oward t he wagons, and saw t hat it was, indeed, a woman. The children were running t o meet her. "But t ell me what you're looking f or, " Joachim Lorenz went on. "You didn't answer me bef ore. You wouldn't have come here f or not hing. Answer me now. " "We're looking f or a child, " said Seraf ina, "a young girl f rom our world. Her name is Lyra Belacqua, called Lyra Silvert ongue. But where she might be, in a whole world, we can't guess. You haven't seen a st range child, on her own?" "No. But we saw angels t he ot her night , making f or t he Pole. " "Angels?" "Troops of t hem in t he air, armed and shining. They haven't been so common in t he last years, t hough in my grandf at her's t ime t hey passed t hrough t his world of t en, or so he used t o say. " He shaded his eyes and gazed down t oward t he scat t ered wagons, t he halt ed t ravelers. The ot her rider had dismount ed now and was comf ort ing some of t he children. Seraf ina f ollowed his gaze and said, "If we camp wit h you t onight and keep guard against t he Spect ers, will you t ell us more about t his world, and t hese angels you saw?" "Cert ainly I will. Come wit h me. " The wit ches helped t o move t he wagons f art her along t he road, over t he bridge and away f rom t he t rees where t he Spect ers had come f rom. The st ricken adult s had t o st ay where t hey were, t hough it was painf ul t o see t he lit t le children clinging t o a mot her who no longer responded t o file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (64 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t hem, or t ugging t he sleeve of a f at her who said not hing and gazed int o not hing and had not hing in his eyes. The younger children couldn't underst and why t hey had t o leave t heir parent s. The older ones, some of whom had already lost parent s of t heir own and who had seen it bef ore, simply looked bleak and st ayed dumb. Seraf ina picked up t he lit t le boy who'd f allen in t he river, and who was crying out f or his daddy, reaching back over Seraf ina's shoulder t o t he silent f igure st ill st anding in t he wat er, indif f erent . Seraf ina f elt his t ears on her bare skin. The horsewoman, who wore rough canvas breeches and rode like a man, said not hing t o t he wit ches. Her f ace was grim. She moved t he children on, speaking st ernly, ignoring t heir t ears. The evening sun suf f used t he air wit h a golden light in which every det ail was clear and not hing was dazzling, and t he f aces of t he children and t he man and woman t oo seemed immort al and st rong and beaut if ul. Lat er, as t he embers of a f ire glowed in a circle of ashy rocks and t he great hills lay calm under t he moon, Joachim Lorenz t old Seraf ina and Rut a Skadi about t he hist ory of his world. It had once been a happy one, he explained. The cit ies were spacious and elegant , t he f ields well t illed and f ert ile. Merchant ships plied t o and f ro on t he blue oceans, and f ishermen hauled in brimming net s of cod and t unny, bass and mullet ; t he f orest s ran wit h game, and no children went hungry. In t he court s and squares of t he great cit ies ambassadors f rom Brasil and Benin, f rom Eireland and Corea mingled wit h t abaco sellers, wit h commedia players f rom Bergamo, wit h dealers in f ort une bonds. At night masked lovers met under t he rose-hung colonnades or in t he lamplit gardens, and t he air st irred wit h t he scent of j asmine and t hrobbed t o t he music of t he wire-st rung mandarone. The wit ches list ened wide-eyed t o t his t ale of a world so like t heirs and yet so dif f erent . "But it went wrong, " he said. "Three hundred years ago, it all went wrong. Some people reckon t he philosophers' Guild of t he Torre degli Angeli, t he Tower of t he Angels, in t he cit y we have j ust lef t , t hey're t he ones t o blame. Ot hers say it was a j udgment on us f or some great sin, t hough I never heard any agreement about what t hat sin was. But suddenly out of nowhere t here came t he Spect ers, and we've been haunt ed ever since. You've seen what t hey do. Now imagine what it is t o live in a world wit h Spect ers in it . How can we prosper, when we can't rely on anyt hing cont inuing as it is? At any moment a f at her might be t aken, or a mot her, and t he f amily f all apart ; a merchant might be t aken, and his ent erprise f ail, and all his clerks and f act ors lose t heir employment ; and how can lovers t rust t heir vows? All t he t rust and all t he virt ue f ell out of our world when t he Spect ers came. " "Who are t hese philosophers?" said Seraf ina. "And where is t his t ower you speak of ?" "In t he cit y we lef t —Cit t agazze. The cit y of magpies. You know why it 's called t hat ? Because magpies st eal, and t hat 's all we can do now. We creat e not hing, we have built not hing f or hundreds of years, all we can do is st eal f rom ot her worlds. Oh, yes, we know about ot her worlds. Those philosophers in t he Torre degli Angeli discovered all we need t o know about t hat subj ect . They have a spell which, if you say it , let s you walk t hrough a door t hat isn't t here, and f ind yourself in anot her world. Some say it 's not a spell but a key t hat can open even where t here isn't a lock. Who knows? What ever it is, it let t he Spect ers in. And t he philosophers use it st ill, I underst and. They pass int o ot her worlds and st eal f rom t hem and bring back what t hey f ind. Gold and j ewels, of course, but ot her t hings t oo, like ideas, or sacks of corn, or pencils. They are t he source of all our wealt h, " he said bit t erly, "t hat Guild of t hieves. " "Why don't t he Spect ers harm children?" asked Rut a Skadi. "That is t he great est myst ery of all. In t he innocence of children t here's some power t hat repels t he Spect ers of Indif f erence. But it 's more t han t hat . Children simply don't see t hem, t hough we file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (65 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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can't underst and why. We never have. But Spect er-orphans are common, as you can imagine— children whose parent s have been t aken; t hey gat her in bands and roam t he count ry, and somet imes t hey hire t hemselves out t o adult s t o look f or f ood and supplies in a Spect er-ridden area, and somet imes t hey simply drif t about and scavenge. "So t hat is our world. Oh, we managed t o live wit h t his curse. They're t rue parasit es: t hey won't kill t heir host , t hough t hey drain most of t he lif e out of him. But t here was a rough balance . . . t ill recent ly, t ill t he great st orm. Such a st orm it was! It sounded as if t he whole world was breaking and cracking apart ; t here hadn't been a st orm like t hat in memory. "And t hen t here came a f og t hat last ed f or days and covered every part of t he world t hat I know of , and no one could t ravel. And when t he f og cleared, t he cit ies were f ull of t he Spect ers, hundreds and t housands of t hem. So we f led t o t he hills and out t o sea, but t here's no escaping t hem t his t ime wherever we go. As you saw f or yourselves. "Now it 's your t urn. You t ell me about your world, and why you've lef t it t o come t o t his one. " Seraf ina t old him t rut hf ully as much as she knew. He was an honest man, and t here was not hing t hat needed concealing f rom him. He list ened closely, shaking his head wit h wonder, and when she had f inished, he said: "I t old you about t he power t hey say our philosophers have, of opening t he way t o ot her worlds. Well, some t hink t hat occasionally t hey leave a doorway open, out of f orget f ulness; 1 wouldn't be surprised if t ravelers f rom ot her worlds f ound t heir way here f rom t ime t o t ime. We know t hat angels pass t hrough, af t er all. " "Angels?" said Seraf ina. "You ment ioned t hem bef ore. They are new t o us. Can you explain t hem?" "You want t o know about angels?" said Joachim Lorenz. "Very well. Their name f or t hemselves is bene elim, I'm t old. Some call t hem Wat chers, t oo. They're not beings of f lesh like us; t hey're beings of spirit . Or maybe t heir f lesh is more f inely drawn t han ours, light er and clearer, I wouldn't know; but t hey're not like us. They carry messages f rom heaven, t hat 's t heir calling. We see t hem somet imes in t he sky, passing t hrough t his world on t he way t o anot her, shining like f iref lies way, way up high. On a st ill night you can even hear t heir wingbeat s. They have concerns dif f erent f rom ours, t hough in t he ancient days t hey came down and had dealings wit h men and women, and t hey bred wit h us, t oo, some say. "And when t he f og came, af t er t he great st orm, I was beset by Spect ers in t he hills behind t he cit y of Sant 'Elia, on my way homeward. I t ook ref uge in a shepherd's hut by a spring next t o a birch wood, and all night long I heard voices above me in t he f og, cries of alarm and anger, and wingbeat s t oo, closer t han I'd ever heard t hem bef ore; and t oward dawn t here was t he sound of a skirmish of arms, t he whoosh of arrows, and t he clang of swords. I daredn't go out and see, t hough I was powerf ully curious, f or I was af raid. I was st ark t errif ied, if you want t o know. When t he sky was as light as it ever got during t hat f og, I vent ured t o look out , and I saw a great f igure lying wounded by t he spring. I f elt as if I was seeing t hings I had no right t o see—sacred t hings. I had t o look away, and when I looked again, t he f igure was gone. "That 's t he closest I ever came t o an angel. But as I t old you, we saw t hem t he ot her night , way high alof t among t he st ars, making f or t he Pole, like a f leet of might y ships under sail. . . . Somet hing is happening, and we don't know down here what it may be. There could be a war breaking out . There was a war in heaven once, oh, t housands of years ago, immense ages back, but I don't know what t he out come was. It wouldn't be impossible if t here was anot her. But t he devast at ion would be enormous, and t he consequences f or us . . . I can't imagine it . "Though, " he went on, sit t ing up t o st ir t he f ire, "t he end of it might be bet t er t han I f ear. It might be t hat a war in heaven would sweep t he Spect ers f rom t his world alt oget her, and back int o t he pit t hey come f rom. What a blessing t hat would be, eh! How f resh and happy we could live, f ree file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (66 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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of t hat f earf ul blight ! " Though Joachim Lorenz looked anyt hing but hopef ul as he st ared int o t he f lames. The f lickering light played over his f ace, but t here was no play of expression in his st rong f eat ures; he looked grim and sad. Rut a Skadi said, "The Pole, sir. You said t hese angels were making f or t he Pole. Why would t hey do t hat , do you know? Is t hat where heaven lies?" "I couldn't say. I'm not a learned man, you can see t hat plain enough. But t he nort h of our world, well, t hat 's t he abode of spirit s, t hey say. If angels were must ering, t hat 's where t hey'd go, and if t hey were going t o make an assault on heaven, I daresay t hat 's where t hey'd build t heir f ort ress and sally out f rom. " He looked up, and t he wit ches f ollowed his eyes. The st ars in t his world were t he same as t heirs: t he Milky Way blazed bright across t he dome of t he sky, and innumerable point s of st arlight dust ed t he dark, almost mat ching t he moon f or bright ness. . . . "Sir, " said Seraf ina, "did you ever hear of Dust ?" "Dust ? I guess you mean it in some ot her sense t han t he dust on t he roads. No, I never did. But look! There's a t roop of angels now. . . . " He point ed t o t he const ellat ion of Ophiuchus. And sure enough, somet hing was moving t hrough it , a t iny clust er of light ed beings. And t hey didn't drif t ; t hey moved wit h t he purposef ul f light of geese or swans. Rut a Skadi st ood up. "Sist er, it 's t ime I part ed f rom you, " she said t o Seraf ina. "I'm going up t o speak t o t hese angels, what ever t hey may be. If t hey're going t o Lord Asriel, I'll go wit h t hem. If not , I'll search on by myself . Thank you f or your company, and go well. " They kissed, and Rut a Skadi t ook her cloud-pine branch and sprang int o t he air. Her daemon, Sergi, a bluet hroat , sped out of t he dark alongside her. "We're going high?" he said. "As high as t hose light ed f liers in Ophiuchus. They're going swif t ly, Sergi. Let 's cat ch t hem! " And she and her dsmon raced upward, f lying quicker t han sparks f rom a f ire, t he air rushing t hrough t he t wigs on her branch and making her black hair st ream out behind. She didn't look back at t he lit t le f ire in t he wide darkness, at t he sleeping children and her wit ch companions. That part of her j ourney was over, and, besides, t hose glowing creat ures ahead of her were no larger yet , and unless she kept her eye on t hem t hey were easily lost against t he great expanse of st arlight . So she f lew on, never losing sight of t he angels, and gradually as she came closer t hey t ook on a clearer shape. They shone not as if t hey were burning but as if , wherever t hey were and however dark t he night , sunlight was shining on t hem. They were like humans, but winged, and much t aller; and, as t hey were naked, t he wit ch could see t hat t hree of t hem were male, t wo f emale. Their wings sprang f rom t heir shoulder blades, and t heir backs and chest s were deeply muscled. Rut a Skadi st ayed behind t hem f or some way, wat ching, measuring t heir st rengt h in case she should need t o f ight t hem. They weren't armed, but on t he ot her hand t hey were f lying easily wit hin t heir power, and might even out st rip her if it came t o a chase. Making her bow ready, j ust in case, she sped f orward and f lew alongside t hem, calling: "Angels! Halt and list en t o me! I am t he wit ch Rut a Skadi, and I want t o t alk t o you! " They t urned. Their great wings beat inward, slowing t hem, and t heir bodies swung downward t ill t hey were st anding upright in t he air, holding t heir posit ion by t he beat ing of t heir wings. They file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (67 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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surrounded her, f ive huge f orms glowing in t he dark air, lit by an invisible sun. She looked around, sit t ing on her pine branch proud and unaf raid, t hough her heart was beat ing wit h t he st rangeness of it , and her daemon f lut t ered t o sit close t o t he warmt h of her body. Each angel-being was dist inct ly an individual, and yet t hey had more in common wit h one anot her t han wit h any human she had seen. What t hey shared was a shimmering, dart ing play of int elligence and f eeling t hat seemed t o sweep over t hem all simult aneously. They were naked, but she f elt naked in f ront of t heir glance, it was so piercing and went so deep. St ill, she was unashamed of what she was, and she ret urned t heir gaze wit h head held high. "So you are angels, " she said, "or Wat chers, or bene elim. Where are you going?" "We are f ollowing a call, " said one. She was not sure which one had spoken. It might have been any or all of t hem at once. "Whose call?" she said. "A man's. " "Lord Asriel's?" "It may be. " "Why are you f ollowing his call?" "Because we are willing t o, " came t he reply. "Then wherever he is, you can guide me t o him as well, " she ordered t hem. Rut a Skadi was f our hundred and sixt een years old, wit h all t he pride and knowledge of an adult wit ch queen. She was wiser by f ar t han any short -lived human, but she had not t he slight est idea of how like a child she seemed beside t hese ancient beings. Nor did she know how f ar t heir awareness spread out beyond her like f ilament ary t ent acles t o t he remot est corners of universes she had never dreamed of ; nor t hat she saw t hem as human-f ormed only because her eyes expect ed t o. If she were t o perceive t heir t rue f orm, t hey would seem more like archit ect ure t han organism, like huge st ruct ures composed of int elligence and f eeling. But t hey expect ed not hing else: she was very young. At once t hey beat t heir wings and surged f orward, and she dart ed wit h t hem, surf ing on t he t urbulence t heir pinions caused in t he air and relishing t he speed and power it added t o her f light . They f lew t hroughout t he night . The st ars wheeled around t hem, and f aded and vanished as t he dawn seeped up f rom t he east . The world burst int o brilliance as t he sun's rim appeared, and t hen t hey were f lying t hrough blue sky and clear air, f resh and sweet and moist . In t he daylight t he angels were less visible, t hough t o any eye t heir st rangeness was clear. The light Rut a Skadi saw t hem by was st ill not t hat of t he sun now climbing t he sky, but some ot her light f rom somewhere else. Tirelessly t hey f lew on and on, and t irelessly she kept pace. She f elt a f ierce j oy possessing her, t hat she could command t hese immort al presences. And she rej oiced in her blood and f lesh, in t he rough pine bark she f elt next t o her skin, in t he beat of her heart and t he lif e of all her senses, and in t he hunger she was f eeling now, and in t he presence of her sweet -voiced bluet hroat daemon, and in t he eart h below her and t he lives of every creat ure, plant and animal bot h; and she delight ed in being of t he same subst ance as t hem, and in knowing t hat when she died her f lesh would nourish ot her lives as t hey had nourished her. And she rej oiced, t oo, t hat she was going t o see Lord Asriel again. Anot her night came, and st ill t he angels f lew on. And at some point t he qualit y of t he air changed, not f or t he worse or t he bet t er, but changed nonet heless, and Rut a Skadi knew t hat t hey'd passed out of t hat world and int o anot her. How it had happened she couldn't guess. "Angels! " she called as she sensed t he change. "How have we lef t t he world I f ound you in? Where file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (68 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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was t he boundary?" "There are invisible places in t he air, " came t he answer. "Gat eways int o ot her worlds. We can see t hem, but you cannot . " Rut a Skadi couldn't see t he invisible gat eway, but she didn't need t o: wit ches could navigat e bet t er t han birds. As soon as t he angel spoke, she f ixed her at t ent ion on t hree j agged peaks below her and memorized t heir conf igurat ion exact ly. Now she could f ind it again, if she needed t o, despit e what t he angels might t hink. They f lew on f art her, and present ly she heard an angel voice: "Lord Asriel is in t his world, and t here is t he f ort ress he's building. . . . " They had slowed, and were circling like eagles in t he middle airs. Rut a Skadi looked where one angel was point ing. The f irst f aint glimmer of light was t int ing t he east , t hough all t he st ars above shone as brilliant ly as ever against t he prof ound velvet black of t he high heavens. And on t he very rim of t he world, where t he light was increasing moment by moment , a great mount ain range reared it s peaks—j agged spears of black rock, might y broken slabs, and sawt oot h ridges piled in conf usion like t he wreckage of a universal cat ast rophe. But on t he highest point , which as she looked was t ouched by t he f irst rays of t he morning sun and out lined in brilliance, st ood a regular st ruct ure: a huge f ort ress whose bat t lement s were f ormed of single slabs of basalt half a hill in height , and whose ext ent was t o be measured in f lying t ime. Beneat h t his colossal f ort ress, f ires glared and f urnaces smoked in t he darkness of early dawn, and f rom many miles away Rut a Skadi heard t he clang of hammers and t he pounding of great mills. And f rom every direct ion, she could see more f light s of angels winging t oward it , and not only angels, but machines t oo: st eel-winged craf t gliding like albat rosses, glass cabins under f lickering dragonf ly wings, droning zeppelins like huge bumblebees—all making f or t he f ort ress mat Lord Asriel was building on t he mount ains at t he edge of t he world. "And is Lord Asriel t here?" she said. "Yes, he is t here, " t he angels replied. "Then let 's f ly t here t o meet him. And you must be my guard of honor. " Obedient ly t hey spread t heir wings and set t heir course t oward t he gold-rimmed f ort ress, wit h t he eager wit ch f lying bef ore t hem.

SEVEN

THE ROLLS-ROYCE Lyra woke early t o f ind t he morning quiet and warm, as if t he cit y never had any ot her weat her t han t his calm summer. She slipped out of bed and downst airs, and hearing some children's voices out on t he wat er, went t o see what t hey were doing. Three boys and a girl were splashing across t he sunlit harbor in a couple of pedal boat s, racing t oward t he st eps. As t hey saw Lyra, t hey slowed f or a moment , but t hen t he race t ook hold of t hem again. The winners crashed int o t he st eps so hard t hat one of t hem f ell int o t he wat er, and t hen he t ried t o climb int o t he ot her craf t and t ipped t hat over, t oo, and t hen t hey all splashed about t oget her as if t he f ear of t he night bef ore had never happened. They were younger t han

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most of t he children by t he t ower, Lyra t hought , and she j oined t hem in t he wat er, wit h Pant alaimon as a lit t le silver f ish glit t ering beside her. She never f ound it hard t o t alk t o ot her children, and soon t hey were gat hered around her, sit t ing in pools of wat er on t he warm st one, t heir shirt s drying quickly in t he sun. Poor Pant alaimon had t o creep int o her pocket again, f rogshaped in t he cool damp cot t on. "What you going t o do wit h t hat cat ?" "Can you really t ake t he bad luck away?" "Where you come f rom?" "Your f riend, he ain' af raid of Spect ers?" "Will en't af raid of anyt hing, " Lyra said. "Nor'm I. What you scared of cat s f or?" "You don't know about cat s?" t he oldest boy said incredulously. "Cat s, t hey got t he devil in t hem, all right . You got t o kill every cat you see. They bit e you and put t he devil in you t oo. And what was you doing wit h t hat big pard?" She realized he meant Pant alaimon in his leopard shape, and shook her head innocent ly. "You must have been dreaming, " she said. "There's all kinds of t hings look dif f erent in t he moonlight . But me and Will, we don't have Spect ers where we come f rom, so we don't know much about 'em. " "If you can't see 'em, you're saf e, " said a boy. "You see 'em, you know t hey can get you. That 's what my pa said, t hen t hey got him. " "And t hey're here, all around us now?" "Yeah, " said t he girl. She reached out a hand and grabbed a f ist f ul of air, crowing, "I got one now! " "They can't hurt you, " one of t he boys said. "So we can't hurt t hem, all right . " "And t here's always been Spect ers in t his world?" said Lyra. "Yeah, " said one boy, but anot her said, "No, t hey came a long t ime ago. Hundreds of years. " "They came because of t he Guild, " said t he t hird. "The what ?" said Lyra. "They never! " said t he girl. "My granny said t hey came because people were bad, and God sent t hem t o punish us. " "Your granny don' know not hing, " said a boy. "She got a beard, your granny. She's a goat , all right . " "What 's t he Guild?" Lyra persist ed. "You know t he Torre degli Angeli, " said a boy. "The st one t ower, right . Well it belongs t o t he Guild, and t here's a secret place in t here. The Guild, t hey're men who know all kind of t hings. Philosophy, alchemy, all kind of t hings t hey know. And t hey were t he ones who let t he Spect ers in. " "That ain' t rue, " said anot her boy. 'They came f rom t he st ars. " "It i s! This is what happened, all right : t his Guild man hundreds of years ago was t aking some met al apart . Lead. He was going t o make it int o gold. And he cut it and cut it smaller and smaller t ill he came t o t he smallest piece he could get There ain' not hing smaller t han t hat . So small you couldn' see it , even. But he cut t hat , t oo, and inside t he smallest lit t le bit t here was all t he Spect ers packed in, t wist ed over and f olded up so t ight t hey t ook up no space at all. But once he cut it , bam! They whooshed out , and t hey been here ever since. That 's what my papa said. " "Is t here any Guild men in t he t ower now?" said Lyra. "No! They run away like everyone else, " said t he girl. "There ain' no one in t he t ower. That 's haunt ed, t hat place, " said a boy. "That 's why t he cat came f rom t here. We ain' gonna go in t here, all right . Ain' no kids gonna go in t here. That 's scary. " "The Guild men ain' af raid t o go in t here, " said anot her. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (70 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"They got special magic, or somet hing. They're greedy, t hey live of f t he poor people, " said t he girl. "The poor people do all t he work, and t he Guild men j ust live t here f or not hing. " "But t here en't anyone in t he t ower now?" Lyra said. "No grownups?" "No grownups in t he cit y at all! " "They wouldn' dare, all right . " But she had seen a young man up t here. She was convinced of it . And t here was somet hing in t he way t hese children spoke; as a pract iced liar, she knew liars when she met t hem, and t hey were lying about somet hing. And suddenly she remembered: lit t le Paolo had ment ioned t hat he and Angelica had an elder brot her, Tullio, who was in t he cit y t oo, and Angelica had hushed him. . . . Could t he young man she'd seen have been t heir brot her? She lef t t hem t o rescue t heir boat s and pedal back t o t he beach, and went inside t o make some cof f ee and see if Will was awake. But he was st ill asleep, wit h t he cat curled up at his f eet , and Lyra was impat ient t o see her Scholar again. So she wrot e a not e and lef t it on t he f loor by his bedside, and t ook her rucksack and went of f t o look f or t he window. The way she t ook led her t hrough t he lit t le square t hey'd come t o t he night bef ore. But it was empt y now, and t he sunlight dust ed t he f ront of t he ancient t ower and showed up t he blurred carvings beside t he doorway: humanlike f igures wit h f olded wings, t heir f eat ures eroded by cent uries of weat her, but somehow in t heir st illness expressing power and compassion and int ellect ual f orce. "Angels, " said Pant alaimon, now a cricket on Lyra's shoulder. "Maybe Spect ers, " Lyra said. "No! They said t his was somet hing angeli" he insist ed. "Bet t hat 's angels. " "Shall we go in?" They looked up at t he great oak door on it s ornat e black hinges. The half -dozen st eps up t o it were deeply worn, and t he door it self st ood slight ly open. There was not hing t o st op Lyra f rom going in except her own f ear. She t ipt oed t o t he t op of t he st eps and looked t hrough t he opening. A dark st one-f lagged hall was all she could see, and not much of t hat ; but Pant alaimon was f lut t ering anxiously on her shoulder, j ust as he had when t hey'd played t he t rick on t he skulls in t he crypt at Jordan College, and she was a lit t le wiser now. This was a bad place. She ran down t he st eps and out of t he square, making f or t he bright sunlight of t he palm t ree boulevard. And as soon as she was sure t here was no one looking, she went st raight across t o t he window and t hrough int o Will's Oxf ord. Fort y minut es lat er she was inside t he physics building once more, arguing wit h t he port er; but t his t ime she had a t rump card "You j ust ask Dr. Malone, " she said sweet ly. "That 's all you got t o do, ask her. She'll t ell you. " The port er t urned t o his t elephone, and Lyra wat ched pit yingly as he pressed t he but t ons and spoke int o it . They didn't even give him a proper lodge t o sit in, like a real Oxf ord college, j ust a big wooden count er, as if it was a shop. "All right , " said t he port er, t urning back. "She says go on up. Mind you don't go anywhere else. " "No, I won't , " she said demurely, a good lit t le girl doing what she was t old. At t he t op of t he st airs, t hough, she had a surprise, because j ust as she passed a door wit h a symbol indicat ing woman on it , it opened and t here was Dr. Malone silent ly beckoning her in. She ent ered, puzzled. This wasn't t he laborat ory, it was a washroom, and Dr. Malone was agit at ed. She said, "Lyra, t here's someone else in t he lab—police of f icers or somet hing. They know you came file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (71 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t o see me yest erday—I don't know what t hey're af t er, but I don't like it What 's going on?" "How do t hey know I came t o see you?" "I don't know! They didn't know your name, but I knew who t hey meant —" "Oh. Well, I can lie t o t hem. That 's easy. " "But what is going on?” A woman's voice spoke f rom t he corridor out side: "Dr. Malone? Have you seen t he child?" "Yes, " Dr. Malone called. "I was j ust showing her where t he washroom is. . . " There was no need f or her t o be so anxious, t hought Lyra, but perhaps she wasn't used t o danger. The woman in t he corridor was young and dressed very smart ly, and she t ried t o smile when Lyra came out , but her eyes remained hard and suspicious. "Hello, " she said. "You're Lyra, are you?" "Yeah. What 's your name?" "I'm Sergeant Clif f ord. Come along in. " Lyra t hought t his young woman had a nerve, act ing as if it were her own laborat ory, but she nodded meekly. That was t he moment when she f irst f elt a t winge of regret . She knew she shouldn't be here; she knew what t he alet hiomet er want ed her t o do, and it was not t his. She st ood doubt f ully in t he doorway. In t he room already t here was a t all powerf ul man wit h whit e eyebrows. Lyra knew what Scholars looked like, and neit her of t hese t wo was a Scholar. "Come in, Lyra, " said Sergeant Clif f ord again. "It 's all right . This is Inspect or Walt ers. " "Hello, Lyra, " said t he man. "I've been hearing all about you f rom Dr. Malone here. I'd like t o ask you a f ew quest ions, if t hat 's all right . " "What sort of quest ions?" she said. "Not hing dif f icult , " he said, smiling. "Come and sit down, Lyra. " He pushed a chair t oward her. Lyra sat down caref ully, and heard t he door close it self . Dr. Malone was st anding nearby. Pant alaimon, cricket -f ormed in Lyra's breast pocket , was agit at ed; she could f eel him against her breast , and hoped t he t remor didn't show. She t hought t o him t o keep st ill. "Where d'you come f rom, Lyra?" said Inspect or Walt ers. If she said Oxf ord, t hey'd easily be able t o check. But she couldn't say anot her world, eit her. These people were dangerous; t hey'd want t o know more at once. She t hought of t he only ot her name she knew of in t his world: t he place Will had come f rom. "Winchest er, " she said. "You've been in t he wars, haven't you, Lyra?" said t he inspect or. "How did you get t hose bruises? There's a bruise on your cheek, and anot her on your leg—has someone been knocking you about ?" "No, " said Lyra. "Do you go t o school, Lyra?" "Yeah. Somet imes, " she added. "Shouldn't you be at school t oday?" She said not hing. She was f eeling more and more uneasy. She looked at Dr. Malone, whose f ace was t ight and unhappy. "I j ust came here t o see Dr. Malone, " Lyra said. "Are you st aying in Oxf ord, Lyra? Where are you st aying?" "Wit h some people, " she said. "Just f riends. " "What 's t heir address?" "I don't know exact ly what it 's called. I can f ind it easy, but I can't remember t he name of t he st reet . " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (72 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Who are t hese people?" "Just f riends of my f at her, " she said. "Oh, I see. How did you f ind Dr. Malone?" '"Cause my f at her's a physicist , and he knows her. " It was going more easily now, she t hought . She began t o relax int o it and lie more f luent ly. "And she showed you what she was working on, did she?" "Yeah. The engine wit h t he screen . . . Yes, all t hat . " "You're int erest ed in t hat sort of t hing, are you? Science, and so on?" "Yeah. Physics, especially. " "You going t o be a scient ist when you grow up?" That sort of quest ion deserved a blank st are, which it got . He wasn't disconcert ed. His pale eyes looked brief ly at t he young woman, and t hen back t o Lyra. "And were you surprised at what Dr. Malone showed you?" "Well, sort of , but I knew what t o expect " "Because of your f at her?" "Yeah. 'Cause he's doing t he same kind of work. " "Yes, quit e. Do you underst and it ?" "Some of it " "Your f at her's looking int o dark mat t er, t hen?" "Yes. " "Has he got as f ar as Dr. Malone?" "Not in t he same way. He can do some t hings bet t er, but t hat engine wit h t he words on t he screen —he hasn't got one of t hose. " "Is Will st aying wit h your f riends as well?" "Yes, he—" And she st opped. She knew at once she'd made a horrible mist ake. So did t hey, and t hey were on t heir f eet in a moment t o st op her f rom running out but somehow Dr. Malone was in t he way, and t he sergeant t ripped and f ell, blocking t he way of t he inspect or. It gave Lyra t ime t o dart out , slam t he door shut behind her, and run f ull t ilt f or t he st airs. Two men in whit e coat s came out of a door, and she bumped int o t hem. Suddenly Pant alaimon was a crow, shrieking and f lapping, and he st art led t hem so much t hey f ell back and she pulled f ree of t heir hands and raced down t he last f light of st airs int o t he lobby j ust as t he port er put t he phone down and lumbered along behind his count er calling out "Oy! St op t here! You! " But t he f lap he had t o lif t was at t he ot her end, and she got t o t he revolving door bef ore he could come out and cat ch her. And behind her, t he lif t doors were opening, and t he pale-haired man was running out so f ast , so st rong— And t he door wouldn't t urn! Pant alaimon shrieked at her: t hey were pushing t he wrong side! She cried out in f ear and t urned herself around, hurling her lit t le weight against t he heavy glass, willing it t o t urn, and got it t o move j ust in t ime t o avoid t he grasp of t he port er, who t hen got in t he way of t he pale-haired man, so Lyra could dash out and away bef ore t hey got t hrough. Across t he road, ignoring t he cars, t he brakes, t he squeal of t ires; int o t his gap bet ween t all buildings, and t hen anot her road, wit h cars f rom bot h direct ions. But she was quick, dodging bicycles, always wit h t he pale-haired man j ust behind her—oh, he was f right ening! Int o a garden, over a f ence, t hrough some bushes— Pant alaimon skimming overhead, a swif t , calling t o her which way t o go; crouching down behind a coal bunker as t he pale man's f oot st eps file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (73 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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came racing past , and she couldn't hear him pant ing, he was so f ast , and so f it ; and Pant alaimon said, "Back now! Go back t o t he road—" So she crept out of her hiding place and ran back across t he grass, out t hrough t he garden gat e, int o t he open spaces of t he Banbury Road again; and once again she dodged across, and once again t ires squealed on t he road; and t hen she was running up Norham Gardens, a quiet t ree-lined road of t all Vict orian houses near t he park. She st opped t o gain her breat h. There was a t all hedge in f ront of one of t he gardens, wit h a low wall at it s f oot , and she sat t here t ucked closely in under t he privet . "She helped us! " Pant alaimon said. "Dr. Malone got in t heir way. She's on our side, not t heirs. " "Oh, Pan, " she said, "I shouldn't have said t hat about Will. I should've been more caref ul—" "Shouldn't have come, " he said severely. "I know. That t oo . . . " But she hadn't got t ime t o berat e herself , because Pant alaimon f lut t ered t o her shoulder, and t hen said, "Look out —behind—" and immediat ely changed t o a cricket again and dived int o her pocket . She st ood, ready t o run, and saw a large, dark blue car gliding silent ly t o t he pavement beside her. She was braced t o dart in eit her direct ion, but t he car's rear window rolled down, and t here looking out was a f ace she recognized. "Lizzie, " said t he old man f rom t he museum. "How nice t o see you again. Can I give you a lif t anywhere?" And he opened t he door and moved up t o make room beside him. Pant alaimon nipped her breast t hrough t he t hin cot t on, but she got in at once, clut ching t he rucksack, and t he man leaned across her and pulled t he door shut . "You look as if you're in a hurry, " he said. "Where d'you want t o go?" "Up Summert own, " she said, "please. " The driver was wearing a peaked cap. Everyt hing about t he car was smoot h and sof t and powerf ul, and t he smell of t he old man's cologne was st rong in t he enclosed space. The car pulled out f rom t he pavement and moved away wit h no noise at all. "So what have you been up t o, Lizzie?" t he old man said. "Did you f ind out more about t hose skulls?" "Yeah, " she said, t wist ing t o see out of t he rear window. There was no sign of t he pale-haired man. She'd got t en away! And he'd never f ind her now t hat she was saf e in a powerf ul car wit h a rich man like t his. She f elt a lit t le hiccup of t riumph. "I made some inquiries t oo, " he said. "An ant hropologist f riend of mine t ells me t hat t hey've got several ot hers in t he collect ion, as well as t he ones on display. Some of t hem are very old indeed. Neandert hal, you know. " "Yeah, t hat 's what I heard t oo, " Lyra said, wit h no idea what he was t alking about . "And how's your f riend?" "What f riend?" said Lyra, alarmed. Had she t old him about Will t oo? "The f riend you're st aying wit h. " "Oh. Yes. She's very well, t hank you. " "What does she do? Is she an archaeologist ?" "Oh . . . she's a physicist . She st udies dark mat t er, " said Lyra, st ill not quit e in cont rol. In t his world it was harder t o t ell lies t han she'd t hought . And somet hing else was nagging at her. t his old man was f amiliar in some long-lost way, and she j ust couldn't place it . "Dark mat t er?" he was saying. "How f ascinat ing! I saw somet hing about t hat in The Times t his morning. The universe is f ull of t his myst erious st uf f , and nobody knows what it is! And your f riend file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (74 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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is on t he t rack of it , is she?" "Yes. She knows a lot about it . " "And what are you going t o do lat er on, Lizzie? Are you going in f or physics t oo?" , "I might , " said Lyra. "It depends. " The chauf f eur coughed gent ly and slowed t he car down. "Well, here we are in Summert own, " said t he old man. "Where would you like t o be dropped?" "Oh, j ust up past t hese shops. I can walk f rom t here, " said Lyra. "Thank you. " 'Turn lef t int o Sout h Parade, and pull up on t he right , could you, Allan, " said t he old man. "Very good, sir, " said t he chauf f eur. A minut e lat er t he car came t o a silent halt out side a public library. The old man held open t he door on his side, so t hat Lyra had t o climb past his knees t o get out . There was a lot of space, but somehow it was awkward, and she didn't want t o t ouch him, nice as he was. "Don't f orget your rucksack, " he said, handing it t o her. "Thank you, " she said. "I'll see you again, I hope, Lizzie, " he said. "Give my regards t o your f riend. " "Good-bye, " she said, and lingered on t he pavement t ill t he car had t urned t he corner and gone out of sight bef ore she set of f t oward t he hornbeam t rees. She had a f eeling about t hat palehaired man, and she want ed t o ask t he alet hiomet er. Will was reading his f at her's let t ers again. He sat on t he t errace hearing t he dist ant shout s of children diving of f t he harbor mout h, and read t he clear handwrit ing on t he f limsy airmail sheet s, t rying t o pict ure t he man who'd penned it , and looking again and again at t he ref erence t o t he baby, t o himself . He heard Lyra's running f oot st eps f rom some way of f . He put t he let t ers in his pocket and st ood up, and almost at once Lyra was t here, wild-eyed, wit h Pant alaimon a snarling savage wildcat , t oo dist raught t o hide. She who seldom cried was sobbing wit h rage; her chest was heaving, her t eet h were grinding, and she f lung herself at him, clut ching his arms, and cried, "Kill him! Kill him! I want him dead! I wish Iorek was here! Oh, Will, I done wrong, I'm so sorry—" "What ? What 's t he mat t er?" "That old man—he en't not hing but a low t hief . He st ole it , Will! He st ole my alet hiomet er! That st inky old man wit h his rich clot hes and his servant driving t he car. Oh, I done such wrong t hings t his morning—oh, I—" And she sobbed so passionat ely he t hought t hat heart s really did break, and hers was breaking now, f or she f ell t o t he ground wailing and shuddering, and Pant alaimon beside her became a wolf and howled wit h bit t er grief . Far of f across t he wat er, children st opped what t hey were doing and shaded t heir eyes t o see. Will sat down beside Lyra and shook her shoulder. "St op! St op crying! " he said. "Tell me f rom t he beginning. What old man? What happened?" "You're going t o be so angry. I pr omi sed I wouldn't give you away, I promised it , and t hen . . . " she sobbed, and Pant alaimon became a young clumsy dog wit h lowered ears and wagging t ail, squirming wit h self -abasement ; and Will underst ood t hat Lyra had done somet hing t hat she was t oo ashamed t o t ell him about , and he spoke t o t he daemon. "What happened ? Just t ell me, " he said. Pant alaimon said, "We went t o t he Scholar, and t here was someone else t here—a man and a woman—and t hey t ricked us. They asked a lot of quest ions and t hen t hey asked about you, and bef ore we could st op we gave it away t hat we knew you, and t hen we ran away—" file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (75 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Lyra was hiding her f ace in her hands, pressing her head down against t he pavement . Pant alaimon was f lickering f rom shape t o shape in his agit at ion: dog, bird, cat , snow-whit e ermine. "What did t he man look like?" said Will. "Big, " said Lyra's muf f led voice, "and ever so st rong, and pale eyes . . . " "Did he see you come back t hrough t he window?" "No, but . . . " "Well, he won't know where we are, t hen. " "But t he alet hiomet er! " she cried, and she sat up f iercely, her f ace rigid wit h emot ion, like a Greek mask. "Yeah, " said Will. 'Tell me about t hat " Bet ween sobs and t eet h grindings she t old him what had happened: how t he old man had seen her using t he alet hiomet er in t he museum t he day bef ore, and how he'd st opped t he car t oday and she'd got t en in t o escape f rom t he pale man, and how t he car had pulled up on t hat side of t he road so she'd had t o climb past him t o get out , and how he must have swif t ly t aken t he alet hiomet er as he'd passed her t he rucksack. . . . He could see how devast at ed she was, but not why she should f eel guilt y. And t hen she said: "And, Will, please, I done somet hing very bad. Because t he alet hiomet er t old me I had t o st op looking f or Dust —at least I t hought t hat 's what it said— and I had t o help you. I had t o help you f ind your f at her. And I could, I could t ake you t o wherever he is, if I had it . But I wouldn't list en. I j ust done what / want ed t o do, and I shouldn't . . . . " He'd seen her use it , and he knew it could t ell her t he t rut h. He t urned away. She seized his wrist , but he broke away f rom her and walked t o t he edge of t he wat er. The children were playing again across t he harbor. Lyra ran up t o him and said, "Will, I'm so sorry—" "What 's t he use of t hat ? I don't care if you're sorry or not You did it . " "But , Will, we got t o help each ot her, you and me, because t here en't anyone else! " "I can't see how. " "Nor can I, but . . . " She st opped in midsent ence, and a light came int o her eyes. She t urned and raced back t o her rucksack, abandoned on t he pavement , and rummaged t hrough it f everishly. "I know who he is! And where he lives! Look! " she said, and held up a lit t le whit e card. "He gave t his t o me in t he museum! We can go and get t he alet hiomet er back! " Will t ook t he card and read: SIR CHARLES LATROM, CBE LlMEFIELD HOUSE OLD HEADINGTON OXFORD "He's a sir, " he said. "A knight . That means people will aut omat ically believe him and not us. What did you want me t o do, anyway? Go t o t he police? The police are af t er me! Or if t hey weren't yest erday, t hey will be by now. And if you go, t hey know who you are now, and t hey know you know me, so t hat wouldn't work eit her. " "We could st eal it . We could go t o his house and st eal it . I know where Headingt on is, t here's a Headingt on in my Oxf ord t oo. It en't f ar. We could walk t here in an hour, easy. " "You're st upid. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (76 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"lorek Byrnison would go t here st raight away and rip his head of f . I wish he was here. He'd—" But she f ell silent . Will was j ust looking at her, and she quailed. She would have quailed in t he same way if t he armored bear had looked at her like t hat , because t here was somet hing not unlike lorek in Will's eyes, young as t hey were. "I never heard anyt hing so st upid in my lif e, " he said. "You t hink we can j ust go t o his house and creep in and st eal it ? You need t o t hink. You need t o use your bloody brain. He's going t o have all kinds of burglar alarms and st uf f , if he's a rich man. There'll be bells t hat go of f and special locks and light s wit h inf rared swit ches t hat come on aut omat ically—" "I never heard of t hose t hings, " Lyra said. "We en't got 'em in my world. I couldn't know t hat , Will. " "All right , t hen t hink of t his: He's got a whole house t o hide it in, and how long would any burglar have t o look t hrough every cupboard and drawer and hiding place in a whole house? Those men who came t o my house had hours t o look around, and t hey never f ound what t hey were looking f or, and I bet he's got a whole lot bigger house t han we have. And probably a saf e, t oo. So even if we did get int o his house, we'd never f ind it in t ime bef ore t he police came. " She hung her head. It was all t rue. "What we going t o do t hen?" she said. He didn't answer. But it was we, f or cert ain. He was bound t o her now, whet her he liked it or not . He walked t o t he wat er's edge, and back t o t he t errace, and back t o t he wat er again. He beat his hands t oget her, looking f or an answer, but no answer came, and he shook his head angrily. "Just . . . go t here, " he said. "Just go t here and see him. It 's no good asking your scholar t o help us, eit her, not if t he police have been t o her. She's bound t o believe t hem rat her t han us. At least if we get int o his house, we'll see where t he main rooms are. That 'll be a st art . " Wit hout anot her word he went inside and put t he let t ers under t he pillow in t he room he'd slept in. Then, if he were caught , t hey'd never have t hem. Lyra was wait ing on t he t errace, wit h Pant alaimon perched on her shoulder as a sparrow. She was looking more cheerf ul. "We're going t o get it back all right , " she said "I can f eel it . " He said not hing. They set of f f or t he window. It t ook an hour and a half t o walk t o Headingt on. Lyra led t he way, avoiding t he cit y cent er, and Will kept wat ch all around, saying not hing. It was much harder f or Lyra now t han it had been even in t he Arct ic, on t he way t o Bolvangar, f or t hen she'd had t he gypt ians and lorek Byrnison wit h her, and even if t he t undra was f ull of danger, you knew t he danger when you saw it . Here, in t he cit y t hat was bot h hers and not hers, danger could look f riendly, and t reachery smiled and smelled sweet ; and even if t hey weren't going t o kill her or part her f rom Pant alaimon, t hey had robbed her of her only guide. Wit hout t he alet hiomet er, she was . . . j ust a lit t le girl, lost Limef ield House was t he color of warm honey, and half of it s f ront was covered in Virginia creeper. It st ood in a large, well-t ended garden, wit h shrubbery at one side and a gravel drive sweeping up t o t he f ront door. The Rolls-Royce was parked in f ront of a double garage t o t he lef t . Everyt hing Will could see spoke of wealt h and power, t he sort of inf ormal set t led superiorit y t hat some upper-class English people st ill t ook f or grant ed. There was somet hing about it t hat made him grit his t eet h, and he didn't know why, unt il suddenly he remembered an occasion when he was very young. His mot her had t aken him t o a house not unlike t his; t hey'd dressed in t heir best clot hes and he'd had t o be on his best behavior, and an old man and woman had made his mot her cry, and t hey'd lef t t he house and she was st ill crying. . . . Lyra saw him breat hing f ast and clenching his f ist s, and was sensible enough not t o ask why; it was file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (77 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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somet hing t o do wit h him, not wit h her. Present ly he t ook a deep breat h. "Well, " he said, "might as well t ry. " He walked up t he drive, and Lyra f ollowed close behind. They f elt very exposed. The door had an old-f ashioned bell pull, like t hose in Lyra's world, and Will didn't know where t o f ind it t ill Lyra showed him. When t hey pulled it , t he bell j angled a long way of f inside t he house. The man who opened t he door was t he servant who'd been driving t he car, only now he didn't have his cap on. He looked at Will f irst , and t hen at Lyra, and his expression changed a lit t le. "We want t o see Sir Charles Lat rom, " Will said. His j aw was j ut t ing as it had done last night f acing t he st one-t hrowing children by t he t ower. The servant nodded. "Wait here, " he said. "I'll t ell Sir Charles. " He closed t he door. It was solid oak, wit h t wo heavy locks, and bolt s t op and bot t om, t hough Will t hought t hat no sensible burglar would t ry t he f ront door anyway. And t here was a burglar alarm prominent ly f ixed t o t he f ront of t he house, and a large spot light at each corner; t hey'd never be able t o get near it , let alone break in. St eady f oot st eps came t o t he door, and t hen it opened again. Will looked up at t he f ace of t his man who had so much t hat he want ed even more, and f ound him disconcert ingly smoot h and calm and powerf ul, not in t he least guilt y or ashamed. Sensing Lyra beside him impat ient and angry, Will said quickly, "Excuse me, but Lyra t hinks t hat when she had a lif t in your car earlier on, she lef t somet hing in it by mist ake. " "Lyra? I don't know a Lyra. What an unusual name. I know a child called Lizzie. And who are you?" Cursing himself f or f orget t ing, Will said, "I'm her brot her. Mark. " "I see. Hello, Lizzie, or Lyra. You'd bet t er come in. " He st ood aside. Neit her Will nor Lyra was quit e expect ing t his, and t hey st epped inside uncert ainly. The hall was dim and smelled of beeswax and f lowers. Every surf ace was polished and clean, and a mahogany cabinet against t he wall cont ained daint y porcelain f igures. Will saw t he servant st anding in t he background, as if he were wait ing t o be called. "Come int o my st udy, " said Sir Charles, and held open anot her door of f t he hall. He was being court eous, even welcoming, but t here was an edge t o his manner t hat put Will on guard. The st udy was large and comf ort able in a cigar-smoke-and-leat her-armchair sort of way, and seemed t o be f ull of bookshelves, pict ures, hunt ing t rophies. There were t hree or f our glassf ront ed cabinet s cont aining ant ique scient if ic inst rument s—brass microscopes, t elescopes covered in green leat her, sext ant s, compasses; it was clear why he want ed t he alet hiomet er. "Sit down, " said Sir Charles, and indicat ed a leat her sof a. He sat at t he chair behind his desk, and went on. "Well? What have you got t o say?" "You st ole—" began Lyra hot ly, but Will looked at her, and she st opped. "Lyra t hinks she lef t somet hing in your car, " he said again. "We've come t o get it back. " "Is t his t he obj ect you mean?" he said, and t ook a velvet clot h f rom a drawer in t he desk. Lyra st ood up. He ignored her and unf olded t he clot h, disclosing t he golden splendor of t he alet hiomet er rest ing in his palm. "Yes! " Lyra burst out , and reached f or it But he closed his hand. The desk was wide, and she couldn't reach; and bef ore she could do anyt hing else, he swung around and placed t he alet hiomet er in a glass-f ront ed cabinet bef ore locking it and dropping t he key in his waist coat pocket . "But it isn't yours, Lizzie, " he said. "Or Lyra, if t hat 's your name. " "It is mine! It 's my alet hiomet er! " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (78 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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He shook his head, sadly and heavily, as if he were reproaching her and it was a sorrow t o him, but he was doing it f or her own good. "I t hink at t he very least t here's considerable doubt about t he mat t er, " he said. "But it is hers! " said Will. "Honest l y! She's shown it t o me! I know it 's hers! " "You see, I t hink you'd have t o prove t hat , " he said. "I don't have t o prove anyt hing, because it 's in my possession. It 's assumed t o be mine. Like all t he ot her it ems in my collect ion. I must say, Lyra, I'm surprised t o f ind you so dishonest —" "I en't dishonest ! " Lyra cried. "Oh, but you are. You t old me your name was Lizzie. Now I learn it 's somet hing else. Frankly, you haven't got a hope of convincing anyone t hat a precious piece like t his belongs t o you. I t ell you what . Let 's call t he police. " He t urned his head t o call f or t he servant . "No, wait —" said Will, bef ore Sir Charles could speak, but Lyra ran around t he desk, and f rom nowhere Pant alaimon was in her arms, a snarling wildcat baring his t eet h and hissing at t he old man. Sir Charles blinked at t he sudden appearance of t he daemon, but hardly f linched. "You don't even know what it is you st ole, " Lyra st ormed. "You seen me using it and you t hought you'd st eal it , and you did. But you—you—you're worse t han my mot her. At least she knows it 's import ant ! You're j ust going t o put it in a case and do not hing wit h it ! You ought t o die! If I can, I'll make someone kill you. You're not wort h leaving alive. You're—" She couldn't speak. All she could do was spit f ull in his f ace, so she did, wit h all her might . Will sat st ill, wat ching, looking around, memorizing where everyt hing was. Sir Charles calmly shook out a silk handkerchief and mopped himself . "Have you any cont rol over yourself ?" he said. "Go and sit down, you f ilt hy brat . " Lyra f elt t ears shaken out of her eyes by t he t rembling of her body, and t hrew herself ont o t he sof a. Pant alaimon, his t hick cat 's t ail erect , st ood on her lap wit h his blazing eyes f ixed on t he old man. Will sat silent and puzzled. Sir Charles could have t hrown t hem out long bef ore t his. What was he playing at ? And t hen he saw somet hing so bizarre he t hought he had imagined it Out of t he sleeve of Sir Charles's linen j acket , past t he snowy whit e shirt cuf f , came t he emerald head of a snake. It s black t ongue f licked t his way, t hat way, and it s mailed head wit h it s gold-rimmed black eyes moved f rom Lyra t o Will and back again. She was t oo angry t o see it at all, and Will saw it only f or a moment bef ore it ret reat ed again up t he old man's sleeve, but it made his eyes widen wit h shock. Sir Charles moved t o t he window seat and calmly sat down, arranging t he crease in his t rousers. "I t hink you'd bet t er list en t o me inst ead of behaving in t his uncont rolled way, " he said. "You really haven't any choice. The inst rument is in my possession and will st ay t here. I want it . I'm a collect or. You can spit and st amp and scream all you like, but by t he t ime you've persuaded anyone else t o list en t o you, I shall have plent y of document s t o prove t hat I bought it . I can do t hat very easily. And t hen you'll never get it back. " They were bot h silent now. He hadn't f inished. A great puzzlement was slowing Lyra's heart beat and making t he room very st ill. "However, " he went on, "t here's somet hing I want even more. And I can't get it myself , so I'm prepared t o make a deal wit h you. You f et ch t he obj ect I want , and I'll give you back t he—what did you call it ?" "Alet hiomet er, " said Lyra hoarsely. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (79 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Alet hiomet er. How int erest ing. Alet hia, t rut h—t hose emblems—yes, I see. " "What 's t his t hing you want ?" said Will. "And where is it ?" "It 's somewhere I can't go, but you can. I'm perf ect ly well aware t hat you've f ound a doorway somewhere. I guess it 's not t oo f ar f rom Summert own, where I dropped Lizzie, or Lyra, t his morning. And t hat t hrough t he doorway is anot her world, one wit h no grownups in it . Right so f ar? Well, you see, t he man who made t hat doorway has got a knif e. He's hiding in t hat ot her world right now, and he's ext remely af raid. He has reason t o be. If he's where I t hink he is, he's in an old st one t ower wit h angels carved around t he doorway. The Torre degli Angeli. "So t hat 's where you have t o go, and I don't care how you do it , but I want t hat knif e. Bring it t o me, and you can have t he alet hiomet er. I shall be sorry t o lose it , but I'm a man of my word. That 's what you have t o do: bring me t he knif e. "

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THE TOWER OF THE ANGELS Will said, "Who is t his man who's got t he knif e?" They were in t he Rolls-Royce, driving up t hrough Oxf ord. Sir Charles sat in t he f ront , half -t urned around, and Will and Lyra sat in t he back, wit h Pant alaimon a mouse now, soot hed in Lyra's hands. "Someone who has no more right t o t he knif e t han I have t o t he alet hiomet er, " said Sir Charles. "Unf ort unat ely f or all of us, t he alet hiomet er is in my possession, and t he knif e is in his. " "How do you know about t hat ot her world anyway?" "I know many t hings t hat you don't . What else would you expect ? I am a good deal older and considerably bet t er inf ormed. There are a number of doorways bet ween t his world and t hat ; t hose who know where t hey are can easily pass back and f ort h. In Cit t agazze t here's a Guild of learned men, so called, who used t o do so all t he t ime. " "You en't f rom t his world at all! " said Lyra suddenly. "You're f rom t here, en't you?" And again came t hat st range nudge at her memory. She was almost cert ain she'd seen him bef ore. "No, I'm not , " he said. Will said, "If we've got t o get t he knif e f rom t hat man, we need t o know more about him. He's not going t o j ust give it t o us, is he?" "Cert ainly not . It 's t he one t hing keeping t he Spect ers away. It 's not going t o be easy by any means. " "The Spect ers are af raid of t he knif e?" "Very much so. " "Why do t hey at t ack only grownups?" "You don't need t o know t hat now. It doesn't mat t er. Lyra, " Sir Charles said, t urning t o her, "t ell me about your remarkable f riend. " He meant Pant alaimon. And as soon as he said it , Will realized t hat t he snake he'd seen concealed in t he man's sleeve was a daemon t oo, and t hat Sir Charles must come f rom Lyra's world. He was asking about Pant alaimon t o put t hem of f t he t rack: so he didn't realize t hat Will had seen his own daemon.

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Lyra lif t ed Pant alaimon close t o her breast , and he became a black rat , whipping his t ail around and around her wrist and glaring at Sir Charles wit h red eyes. "You weren't supposed t o see him, " she said. "He's my daemon. You t hink you en't got daemons in t his world, but you have. Yours'd be a dung beet le. " "If t he Pharaohs of Egypt were cont ent t o be represent ed by a scarab, so am I, " he said. "Well, you're f rom yet anot her world. How int erest ing. Is t hat where t he alet hiomet er comes f rom, or did you st eal it on your t ravels?" "I was given it , " said Lyra f uriously. "The Mast er of Jordan College in my Oxf ord gave it t o me. It 's mine by right . And you wouldn't know what t o do wit h it , you st upid, st inky old man; you'd never read it in a hundred years. It 's j ust a t oy t o you. But I need it , and so does Will. We'll get it back, don't worry. " "We'll see, " said Sir Charles. "This is where I dropped you bef ore. Shall we let you out here?" "No, " said Will, because he could see a police car f art her down t he road. "You can't come int o Ci'gazze because of t he Spect ers, so it doesn't mat t er if you know where t he window is. Take us f art her up t oward t he ring road. " "As you wish, " said Sir Charles, and t he car moved on. "When, or if , you get t he knif e, call my number and Allan will come t o pick you up. " They said no more t ill t he chauf f eur drew t he car t o a halt . As t hey got out , Sir Charles lowered his window and said t o Will, "By t he way, if you can't get t he knif e, don't bot her t o ret urn. Come t o my house wit hout it and I'll call t he police. I imagine t hey'll be t here at once when I t ell t hem your real name. It is William Parry, isn't it ? Yes, I t hought so. There's a very good phot o of you in t oday's paper. " And t he car pulled away. Will was speechless. Lyra was shaking his arm. "It 's all right , " she said, "he won't t ell anyone else. He would have done it already if he was going t o. Come on. " Ten minut es lat er t hey st ood in t he lit t le square at t he f oot of t he Tower of t he Angels. Will had t old her about t he snake daemon, and she had st opped st ill in t he st reet , t orment ed again by t hat half -memory. Who was t he old man? Where had she seen him? It was no good; t he memory wouldn't come clear. "I didn't want t o t ell him" Lyra said quiet ly, "but I saw a man up t here last night . He looked down when t he kids were making all t hat noise. . . . " "What did he look like?" "Young, wit h curly hair. Not old at all. But I saw him f or only a moment , at t he very t op, over t hose bat t lement s. I t hought he might be. . . You remember Angelica and Paolo, and Paolo said t hey had an older brot her, and he'd come int o t he cit y as well, and she made Paolo st op t elling us, as if it was a secret ? Well, I t hought it might be him. He might be af t er t his knif e as well. And I reckon all t he kids know about it . I t hink t hat 's t he real reason why t hey come back in t he f irst place. " "Mmm, " he said, looking up. "Maybe. " She remembered t he children t alking earlier t hat morning. No children would go in t he t ower, t hey'd said; t here were scary t hings in t here. And she remembered her own f eeling of unease as she and Pant alaimon had looked t hrough t he open door bef ore leaving t he cit y. Maybe t hat was why t hey needed a grown man t o go in t here. Her daemon was f lut t ering around her head now, mot h-f ormed in t he bright sunlight , whispering anxiously. "Hush, " she whispered back, "t here en't any choice, Pan. It 's our f ault . We got t o make it right , and file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (81 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t his is t he only way. " Will walked of f t o t he right , f ollowing t he wall of t he t ower. At t he corner a narrow cobbled alley led bet ween it and t he next building, and Will went down t here t oo, looking up, get t ing t he measure of t he place. Lyra f ollowed. Will st opped under a window at t he secondst ory level and said t o Pant alaimon, "Can you f ly up t here? Can you look in?" He became a sparrow at once and set of f . He could only j ust reach it . Lyra gasped and gave a lit t le cry when he was at t he windowsill, and he perched t here f or a second or t wo bef ore diving down again. She sighed and t ook deep breat hs like someone rescued f rom drowning. Will f rowned, puzzled. "It 's hard, " she explained, "when your daemon goes away f rom you. It hurt s. " "Sorry. Did you see anyt hing?" he said. "St airs, " said Pant alaimon. "St airs and dark rooms. There were swords hung on t he wall, and spears and shields, like a museum. And I saw t he young man. He was . . . dancing. " "Danci ng?" "Moving t o and f ro, waving his hand about . Or as if he was f ight ing somet hing invisible. . . I j ust saw him t hrough an open door. Not clearly. " "Fight ing a Spect er?" Lyra guessed. But t hey couldn't guess any bet t er, so t hey moved on. Behind t he t ower a high st one wall, t opped wit h broken glass, enclosed a small garden wit h f ormal beds of herbs around a f ount ain (once again Pant alaimon f lew up t o look); and t hen t here was an alley on t he ot her side, bringing t hem back t o t he square. The windows around t he t ower were small and deeply set , like f rowning eyes. "We'll have t o go in t he f ront , t hen, " said Will. He climbed t he st eps and pushed t he door wide. Sunlight st ruck in, and t he heavy hinges creaked. He t ook a st ep or t wo inside, and seeing no one, went in f art her. Lyra f ollowed close behind. The f loor was made of f lagst ones worn smoot h over cent uries, and t he air inside was cool. Will looked at a f light of st eps going downward, and went f ar enough down t o see t hat it opened int o a wide, low-ceilinged room wit h an immense coal f urnace at one end, where t he plast er walls were black wit h soot ; but t here was no one t here, and he went up t o t he ent rance hall again, where he f ound Lyra wit h her f inger t o her lips, looking up. "I can hear him, " she whispered. "He's t alking t o himself , I reckon. " Will list ened hard, and heard it t oo: a low crooning murmur int errupt ed occasionally by a harsh laugh or a short cry of anger. It sounded like t he voice of a madman. Will blew out his cheeks and set of f t o climb t he st aircase. It was made of blackened oak, immense and broad, wit h st eps as worn as t he f lagst ones: f ar t oo solid t o creak underf oot . The light diminished as t hey climbed, because t he only illuminat ion was t he small deep-set window on each landing. They climbed up one f loor, st opped and list ened, climbed t he next , and t he sound of t he man's voice was now mixed wit h t hat of halt ing, rhyt hmic f oot st eps. It came f rom a room across t he landing, whose door st ood aj ar. Will t ipt oed t o it and pushed it open anot her f ew inches so he could see. It was a large room wit h cobwebs t hickly clust ered on t he ceiling. The walls were lined wit h bookshelves cont aining badly preserved volumes wit h t he bindings crumbling and f laking, or dist ort ed wit h damp. Several of t hem lay t hrown of f t he shelves, open on t he f loor or t he wide dust y t ables, and ot hers had been t hrust back higgledy-piggledy. In t he cent er of t he room, a young man was—dancing. Pant alaimon was right : it looked exact ly like t hat . He had his back t o t he door, and he'd shuf f le t o one side, t hen t o t he ot her, and all t he t ime his right hand moved in f ront of him as if he were clearing a way t hrough some invisible obst acles. In t hat hand was a knif e, not a special-looking knif e, j ust a dull blade about eight inches long, and he'd t hrust it f orward, slice it sideways, f eel f orward wit h it , j ab up and down, all file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (82 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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in t he empt y air. He moved as if t o t urn, and Will wit hdrew. He put a f inger t o his lips and beckoned t o Lyra, and led her t o t he st airs and up t o t he next f loor. "What 's he doing?" she whispered. He described it as well as he could. "He sounds mad, " said Lyra. "Is he t hin, wit h curly hair?" "Yes. Red hair, like Angelica's. He cert ainly looks mad. I don't know—I t hink t his is odder t han Sir Charles said. Let 's look f art her up bef ore we speak t o him. " She didn't quest ion, but let him lead t hem up anot her st aircase t o t he t op st ory. It was much light er up t here, because a whit e-paint ed f light of st eps led up t o t he roof —or, rat her, t o a woodand-glass st ruct ure like a lit t le greenhouse. Even at t he f oot of t he st eps t hey could f eel t he heat it was absorbing. And as t hey st ood t here t hey heard a groan f rom above. They j umped. They'd been sure t here was only one man in t he t ower. Pant alaimon was so st art led t hat he changed at once f rom a cat t o a bird and f lew t o Lyra's breast . Will and Lyra realized as he did so t hat t hey'd seized each ot her's hand, and let go slowly. "Bet t er go and see, " Will whispered. "I'll go f irst . " "I ought t o go f irst , " she whispered back, "seeing it 's my f ault . " "Seeing it 's your f ault , you got t o do as I say. " She t wist ed her lip but f ell in behind him. He climbed up int o t he sun. The light in t he glass st ruct ure was blinding. It was as hot as a greenhouse, t oo, and Will could neit her see nor breat he easily. He f ound a door handle and t urned it and st epped out quickly, holding his hand up t o keep t he sun out of his eyes. He f ound himself on a roof of lead, enclosed by t he bat t le-ment ed parapet . The glass st ruct ure was set in t he cent er, and t he lead sloped slight ly downward all around t oward a gut t er inside t he parapet , wit h square drainage holes in t he st one f or rainwat er. Lying on t he lead, in t he f ull sun, was an old man wit h whit e hair. His f ace was bruised and bat t ered, and one eye was closed, and as t hey saw when t hey got closer, his hands were t ied behind him. He heard t hem coining and groaned again, and t ried t o t urn over t o shield himself . "It 's all right , " said Will quiet ly. "We aren't going t o hurt you. Did t he man wit h t he knif e do t his?" "Mmm, " t he old man grunt ed. "Let 's undo t he rope. He hasn't t ied it very well. . . . " It was clumsily and hast ily knot t ed, and it f ell away quickly once Will had seen how t o work it . They helped t he old man t o get up and t ook him over t o t he shade of t he parapet "Who are you?" Will said. "We didn't t hink t here were t wo people here. We t hought t here was only one. " "Giacomo Paradisi, " t he old man mut t ered t hrough broken t eet h. "I am t he bearer. No one else. That young man st ole it f rom me. There are always f ools who t ake risks like t hat f or t he sake of t he knif e. But t his one is desperat e. He is going t o kill me. " "No, he en't , " Lyra said. "What 's t he bearer? What 's t hat mean?" "I hold t he subt le knif e on behalf of t he Guild. Where has he gone?" "He's downst airs, " said Will. "We came up past him. He didn't see us. He was waving it about in t he air. " 'Trying t o cut t hrough. He won't succeed. When he—" "Wat ch out , " Lyra said. Will t urned. The young man was climbing up int o t he lit t le wooden shelt er. He hadn't seen t hem yet , but t here was nowhere t o hide, and as t hey st ood up he saw t he movement and whipped file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (83 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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around t o f ace t hem. Immediat ely Pant alaimon became a bear and reared up on his hind legs. Only Lyra knew t hat he wouldn't be able t o t ouch t he ot her man, and cert ainly t he ot her blinked and st ared f or a second, but Will saw t hat he hadn't really regist ered it . The man was crazy. His curly red hair was mat t ed, his chin was f lecked wit h spit , and t he whit es of his eyes showed all around t he pupils. And he had t he knif e, and t hey had no weapons at all. Will st epped up t he lead, away f rom t he old man, crouching, ready t o j ump or f ight or leap out of t he way. The young man sprang f orward and slashed at him wit h t he knif e—lef t , right , lef t , coming closer and closer, making Will back away t ill he was t rapped in t he angle where t wo sides of t he t ower met . Lyra was scrambling t oward t he man f rom behind, wit h t he loose rope in her hand. Will dart ed f orward suddenly, j ust as he'd done t o t he man in his house, and wit h t he same ef f ect : his ant agonist t umbled backward unexpect edly, f alling over Lyra t o crash ont o t he lead. It was all happening t oo quickly f or Will t o be f right ened. But he did have t ime t o see t he knif e f ly f rom t he man's hand and sink at once int o t he lead some f eet away, point f irst , wit h no more resist ance t han if it had f allen int o but t er. It plunged as f ar as t he hilt and st opped suddenly. And t he young man t wist ed over and reached f or it at once, but Will f lung himself on his back and seized his hair. He had learned t o f ight at school; t here had been plent y of occasion f or it , once t he ot her children had sensed t hat t here was somet hing t he mat t er wit h his mot her. And he'd learned t hat t he obj ect of a school f ight was not t o gain point s f or st yle but t o f orce your enemy t o give in, which meant hurt ing him more t han he was hurt ing you. He knew t hat you had t o be willing t o hurt someone else, t oo, and he'd f ound out t hat not many people were, when it came t o it ; but he knew t hat he was. So t his wasn't unf amiliar t o him, but he hadn't f ought against a nearly grown man armed wit h a knif e bef ore, and at all cost s he must keep t he man f rom picking it up now t hat he'd dropped it . Will t wist ed his f ingers int o t he young man's t hick, damp hair and wrenched back as hard as he could. The man grunt ed and f lung himself sideways, but Will hung on even t ight er, and his opponent roared wit h pain and anger. He pushed up and t hen t hrew himself backward, crushing Will bet ween himself and t he parapet , and t hat was t oo much; all t he breat h lef t Will's body, and in t he shock his hands loosened. The man pulled f ree. Will dropped t o his knees in t he gut t er, winded badly, but he couldn't st ay t here. He t ried t o st and —and in doing so, he t hrust his f oot t hrough one of t he drainage holes. His f ingers scraped desperat ely on t he warm lead, and f or a horrible second he t hought he would slide of f t he roof t o t he ground. But not hing happened. His lef t leg was t hrust out int o empt y space; t he rest of him was saf e. He pulled his leg back inside t he parapet and scrambled t o his f eet . The man had reached his knif e again, but he didn't have t ime t o pull it out of t he lead bef ore Lyra leaped ont o his back, scrat ching, kicking, bit ing like a wildcat . But she missed t he hold on his hair t hat she was t rying f or, and he t hrew her of f . And when he got up, he had t he knif e in his hand. Lyra had f allen t o one side, wit h Pant alaimon a wildcat now, f ur raised, t eet h bared, beside her. Will f aced t he man direct ly and saw him clearly f or t he f irst t ime. There was no doubt : he was Angelica's brot her, all right , and he was vicious. All his mind was f ocused on Will, and t he knif e was in his hand. But Will wasn't harmless eit her. He'd seized t he rope when Lyra dropped it , and now he wrapped it around his lef t hand f or prot ect ion against t he knif e. He moved sideways bet ween t he young man and t he sun, so t hat his file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (84 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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ant agonist had t o squint and blink. Even bet t er, t he glass st ruct ure t hrew brilliant ref lect ions int o his eyes, and Will could see t hat f or a moment he was almost blinded. He leaped t o t he man's lef t , away f rom t he knif e, holding his lef t hand high, and kicked hard at t he man's knee. He'd t aken care t o aim, and his f oot connect ed well. The man went down wit h a loud grunt and t wist ed away awkwardly. Will leaped af t er him, kicking again and again, kicking what ever part s he could reach, driving t he man back and back t oward t he glass house. If he could get him t o t he t op of t he st airs. . . This t ime t he man f ell more heavily, and his right hand wit h t he knif e in it came down on t he lead at Will's f eet . Will st amped on it at once, hard, crushing t he man's f ingers bet ween t he hilt and t he lead, and t hen wrapped t he rope more t ight ly around his hand and st amped a second t ime. The man yelled and let go of t he knif e. At once Will kicked it away, his shoe connect ing wit h t he hilt , luckily f or him, and it spun across t he lead and came t o rest in t he gut t er j ust beside a drainage hole. The rope had come loose around his hand once more, and t here seemed t o be a surprising amount of blood f rom somewhere sprinkled on t he lead and on his own shoes. The man was pulling himself up— "Look out ! " shout ed Lyra, but Will was ready. At t he moment when t he man was of f balance, he t hrew himself at him, crashing as hard as he could int o t he man's midrif f . The man f ell backward int o t he glass, which shat t ered at once, and t he f limsy wooden f rame went t oo. He sprawled among t he wreckage half over t he st airwell, and grabbed t he doorf rame, but it had not hing t o support it anymore, and it gave way. He f ell downward, and more glass f ell all around him. And Will dart ed back t o t he gut t er, and picked up t he knif e, and t he f ight was over. The young man, cut and bat t ered, clambered up t he st ep, and saw Will st anding above him holding t he knif e; he st ared wit h a sickly anger and t hen t urned and f led. "Ah, " said Will, sit t ing down. "Ah. " Somet hing was badly wrong, and he hadn't not iced it . He dropped t he knif e and hugged his lef t hand t o himself . The t angle of rope was sodden wit h blood, and when he pulled it away— "Your f ingers! " Lyra breat hed. "Oh, Will—" His lit t le f inger and t he f inger next t o it f ell away wit h t he rope. His head swam. Blood was pulsing st rongly f rom t he st umps where his f ingers had been, and his j eans and shoes were sodden already. He had t o lie back and close his eyes f or a moment . The pain wasn't t hat great , and a part of his mind regist ered t hat wit h a dull surprise. It was like a persist ent , deep hammer t hud more t han t he bright , sharp clarit y when you cut yourself superf icially. He'd never f elt so weak. He supposed he had gone t o sleep f or a moment . Lyra was doing somet hing t o his arm. He sat up t o look at t he damage, and f elt sick. The old man was somewhere close by, but Will couldn't see what he was doing, and meanwhile Lyra was t alking t o him. "If only we had some bloodmoss, " she was saying, "what t he bears use, I could make it bet t er, Will, I could. Look, I'm going t o t ie t his bit of rope around your arm, t o st op t he bleeding, cause I can't t ie it around where your f ingers were, t here's not hing t o t ie it t o. Hold st ill. " He let her do it , t hen looked around f or his f ingers. There t hey were, curled like a bloody quot at ion mark on t he lead. He laughed. "Hey, " she said, "st op t hat . Get up now. Mr. Paradisi's got some medicine, some salve, I dunno what it is. You got t o come downst airs. That ot her man's gone—we seen him run out t he door. He's gone now. You beat him. Come on, Will— come on—" file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (85 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Nagging and caj oling, she urged him down t he st eps, and t hey picked t heir way t hrough t he shat t ered glass and splint ered wood and int o a small, cool room of f t he landing. The walls were lined wit h shelves of bot t les, j ars, pot s, pest les and mort ars, and chemist s' balances. Under t he dirt y window was a st one sink, where t he old man was pouring somet hing wit h a shaky hand f rom a large bot t le int o a smaller one. "Sit down and drink t his, " he said, and f illed a small glass wit h a dark golden liquid. Will sat down and t ook t he glass. The f irst mout hf ul hit t he back of his t hroat like f ire. Lyra t ook t he glass t o st op it f rom f alling as Will gasped. "Drink it all, " t he old man commanded. "What is it ?" "Plum brandy. Drink. " Will sipped it more caut iously. Now his hand was really beginning t o hurt . "Can you heal him?" said Lyra, her voice desperat e. "Oh, yes, we have medicines f or everyt hing. You, girl, open t hat drawer in t he t able and bring out a bandage. " Will saw t he knif e lying on t he t able in t he cent er of t he room, but bef ore he could pick it up t he old man was limping t oward him wit h a bowl of wat er. "Drink again, " t he old man said. Will held t he glass t ight ly and closed his eyes while t he old man did somet hing t o his hand It st ung horribly, but t hen he f elt t he rough f rict ion of a t owel on his wrist , and somet hing mopping t he wound more gent ly. Then t here was a coolness f or a moment , and it hurt again. "This is precious oint ment , " t he old man said. "Very dif f icult t o obt ain. Very good f or wounds. " It was a dust y, bat t ered t ube of ordinary ant isept ic cream, such as Will could have bought in any pharmacy in his world. The old man was handling it as if it were made of myrrh. Will looked away. And while t he man was dressing t he wound, Lyra f elt Pant alaimon calling t o her silent ly t o come and look out t he window. He was a kest rel perching on t he open window f rame, and his eyes had caught a movement below. She j oined him, and saw a f amiliar f igure: t he girl Angelica was running t oward her elder brot her, Tullio, who st ood wit h his back against t he wall on t he ot her side of t he narrow st reet waving his arms in t he air as if t rying t o keep a f lock of bat s f rom his f ace. Then he t urned away and began t o run his hands along t he st ones in t he wall, looking closely at each one, count ing t hem, f eeling t he edges, hunching up his shoulders as if t o ward of f somet hing behind him, shaking his head. Angelica was desperat e, and so was lit t le Paolo behind her, and t hey reached t heir brot her and seized his arms and t ried t o pull him away f rom what ever was t roubling him. And Lyra realized wit h a j olt of sickness what was happening: t he man was being at t acked by Spect ers. Angelica knew it , t hough she couldn't see t hem, of course, and lit t le Paolo was crying and st riking at t he empt y air t o t ry and drive t hem of f ; but it didn't help, and Tullio was lost . His movement s became more and more let hargic, and present ly t hey st opped alt oget her. Angelica clung t o him, shaking and shaking his arm, but not hing woke him; and Paolo was crying his brot her's name over and over as if t hat would bring him back. Then Angelica seemed t o f eel Lyra wat ching her, and she looked up. For a moment t heir eyes met . Lyra f elt a j olt as if t he girl had st ruck her a physical blow, because t he hat red in her eyes was so int ense, and t hen Paolo saw her looking and looked up t oo, and his lit t le boy's voice cried, "We'll kill you! You done t his t o Tullio! We gonna kill you, all right ! " The t wo children t urned and ran, leaving t heir st ricken brot her; and Lyra, f right ened and guilt y, wit hdrew inside t he room again and shut t he window. The ot hers hadn't heard. Gia-como Paradisi file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (86 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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was dabbing more oint ment on t he wounds, and Lyra t ried t o put what she'd seen out of her mind, and f ocused on Will. "You got t o t ie somet hing around his arm, " Lyra said, "t o st op t he bleeding. It won't st op ot herwise. " "Yes, yes, I know, " said t he old man, but sadly. Will kept his eyes avert ed while t hey did up a bandage, and drank t he plum brandy sip by sip. Present ly he f elt soot hed and dist ant , t hough his hand was hurt ing abominably. "Now, " said Giacomo Paradisi, "here you are, t ake t he knif e, it is yours. " "I don't want it , " said Will. "I don't want anyt hing t o do wit h it . " "You haven't got t he choice, " said t he old man. "You are t he bearer now. " "I t hought you said you was, " said Lyra. "My t ime is over, " he said. "The knif e knows when t o leave one hand and set t le in anot her, and I know how t o t ell. You don't believe me? Look! " He held up his own lef t hand. The lit t le f inger and t he f inger next t o it were missing, j ust like Will's. "Yes, " he said, "me t oo. I f ought and lost t he same f ingers, t he badge of t he bearer. And I did not know eit her, in advance. " Lyra sat down, wide-eyed. Will held on t o t he dust y t able wit h his good hand. He st ruggled t o f ind words. "But I—we only came here because—t here was a man who st ole somet hing of Lyra's, and he want ed t he knif e, and he said if we brought him t hat , t hen he'd—" "I know t hat man. He is a liar, a cheat . He won't give you anyt hing, make no mist ake. He want s t he knif e, and once he has it , he will bet ray you. He will never be t he bearer. The knif e is yours by right . " Wit h a heavy reluct ance, Will t urned t o t he knif e it self . He pulled it t oward him. It was an ordinary-looking dagger, wit h a double-sided blade of dull met al about eight inches long, a short crosspiece of t he same met al, and a handle of rosewood. As he looked at it more closely, he saw t hat t he rosewood was inlaid wit h golden wires, f orming a design he didn't recognize t ill he t urned t he knif e around and saw an angel, wit h wings f olded. On t he ot her side was a dif f erent angel, wit h wings upraised. The wires st ood out a lit t le f rom t he surf ace, giving a f irm grip, and as he picked it up he f elt t hat it was light in his hand and st rong and beaut if ully balanced, and t hat t he blade was not dull af t er all. In f act , a swirl of cloudy colors seemed t o live j ust under t he surf ace of t he met al: bruise purples, sea blues, eart h browns, cloud grays, t he deep green under heavyf oliaged t rees, t he clust ering shades at t he mout h of a t omb as evening f alls over a desert ed graveyard. . . . If t here was such a t hing as shadow-colored, it was t he blade of t he subt le knif e. But t he edges were dif f erent . In f act , t he t wo edges dif f ered f rom each ot her. One was clear bright st eel, merging a lit t le way back int o t hose subt le shadow-colors, but st eel of an incomparable sharpness. Will's eye shrank back f rom looking at it , so sharp did it seem. The ot her edge was j ust as keen, but silvery in color, and Lyra, who was looking at it over Will's shoulder, said: "I seen t hat color bef ore! That 's t he same as t he blade t hey was going t o cut me and Pan apart wit h—t hat 's j ust t he same! " "This edge, " said Giacomo Paradisi, t ouching t he st eel wit h t he handle of a spoon, "will cut t hrough any mat erial in t he world. Look. " And he pressed t he silver spoon against t he blade. Will, holding t he knif e, f elt only t he slight est resist ance as t he t ip of t he spoon's handle f ell t o t he t able, cut clean of f . "The ot her edge, " t he old man went on, "is more subt le st ill. Wit h it you can cut an opening out of file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (87 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t his world alt oget her. Try it now. Do as I say—you are t he bearer. You have t o know. No one can t each you but me, and I have not much t ime lef t . St and up and list en. " Will pushed his chair back and st ood, holding t he knif e loosely. He f elt dizzy, sick, rebellious. "I don't want —" he began, but Giacomo Paradisi shook his head. "Be silent ! You don't want —you don't want . . . you have no choice! List en t o me, because t ime is short . Now hold t he knif e out ahead of you—like t hat . It 's not only t he knif e t hat has t o cut , it 's your own mind. You have t o t hink it So do t his: Put your mind out at t he very t ip of t he knif e. Concent rat e, boy. Focus your mind. Don't t hink about your wound. It will heal. Think about t he knif e t ip. That is where you are. Now f eel wit h it , very gent ly. You're looking f or a gap so small you could never see it wit h your eyes, but t he knif e t ip will f ind it , if you put your mind t here. Feel along t he air t ill you sense t he smallest lit t le gap in t he world. . . . " Will t ried t o do it . But his head was buzzing, and his lef t hand t hrobbed horribly, and he saw his t wo f ingers again, lying on t he roof , and t hen he t hought of his mot her, his poor mot her. . . . What would she say? How would she comf ort him? How could he ever comf ort her? And he put t he knif e down on t he t able and crouched low, hugging his wounded hand, and cried. It was all t oo much t o bear. The sobs racked his t hroat and his chest and t he t ears dazzled him, and he should be crying f or her, t he poor f right ened unhappy dear beloved—he'd lef t her, he'd lef t her. . . . He was desolat e. But t hen he f elt t he st rangest t hing, and brushed t he back of his right wrist across his eyes t o f ind Pant alaimon's head on his knee. The daemon, in t he f orm of a wolf hound, was gazing up at him wit h melt ing, sorrowing eyes, and t hen he gent ly licked Will's wounded hand again and again, and laid his head on Will's knee once more. Will had no idea of t he t aboo in Lyra's world prevent ing one person f rom t ouching anot her's daemon, and if he hadn't t ouched Pant alaimon bef ore, it was polit eness t hat had held him back and not knowledge. Lyra, in f act , was breat ht aken. Her daemon had done it on his own init iat ive, and now he wit hdrew and f lut t ered t o her shoulder as t he smallest of mot hs. The old man was wat ching wit h int erest but not incredulit y. He'd seen daaemons bef ore, somehow; he'd t raveled t o ot her worlds t oo. Pant alaimon's gest ure had worked. Will swallowed hard and st ood up again, wiping t he t ears out of his eyes. "All right , " he said, "I'll t ry again. Tell me what t o do. " This t ime he f orced his mind t o do what Giacomo Paradisi said, grit t ing his t eet h, t rembling wit h exert ion, sweat ing. Lyra was burst ing t o int errupt , because she knew t his process. So did Dr. Malone, and so did t he poet Keat s, whoever he was, and all of t hem knew you couldn't get it by st raining t oward it But she held her t ongue and clasped her hands. "St op, " said t he old man gent ly. "Relax. Don't push. This is a subt le knif e, not a heavy sword. You're gripping it t oo t ight . Loosen your f ingers. Let your mind wander down your arm t o your wrist and t hen int o t he handle, and out along t he blade. No hurry, go gent ly, don't f orce it . Just wander. Then along t o t he very t ip, where t he edge is sharpest of all. You become t he t ip of t he knif e. Just do t hat now. Go t here and f eel t hat , and t hen come back. " Will t ried again. Lyra could see t he int ensit y in his body, saw his j aw working, and t hen saw an aut horit y descend over it , calming and relaxing and clarif ying. The aut horit y was Will's own—or his daemon's, perhaps. How he must miss having a daemon! The loneliness of it . . . No wonder he'd cried; and it was right of Pant alaimon t o do what he'd done, t hough it had f elt so st range t o her. She reached up t o her beloved daemon, and, ermine-shaped, he f lowed ont o her lap. They wat ched t oget her as Will's body st opped t rembling. No less int ense, he was f ocused dif f erent ly now, and t he knif e looked dif f erent t oo. Perhaps it was t hose cloudy colors along t he file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (88 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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blade, or perhaps it was t he way it sat so nat urally in Will's hand, but t he lit t le movement s he was making wit h t he t ip now looked purposef ul inst ead of random. He f elt t his way, t hen t urned t he knif e over and f elt t he ot her, always f eeling wit h t he silvery edge; and t hen he seemed t o f ind some lit t le snag in t he empt y air. "What 's t his? Is t his it ?" he said hoarsely. "Yes. Don't f orce it . Come back now, come back t o yourself . " Lyra imagined she could see Will's soul f lowing back along t he blade t o his hand, and up his arm t o his heart . He st ood back, dropped his hand, blinked. "I f elt somet hing t here, " he said t o Giacomo Paradisi. "The knif e was j ust slipping t hrough t he air at f irst , and t hen I f elt it . . . " "Good. Now do it again. This t ime, when you f eel it , slide t he knif e in and along. Make a cut . Don't hesit at e. Don't be surprised. Don't drop t he knif e. " Will had t o crouch and t ake t wo or t hree deep breat hs and put his lef t hand under his ot her arm bef ore he could go on. But he was int ent on it ; he st ood up again af t er a couple of seconds, t he knif e held f orward already. This t ime it was easier. Having f elt it once, he knew what t o search f or again, and he f elt t he curious lit t le snag af t er less t han a minut e. It was like delicat ely searching out t he gap bet ween one st it ch and t he next wit h t he point of a scalpel. He t ouched, wit hdrew, t ouched again t o make sure, and t hen did as t he old man had said, and cut sideways wit h t he silver edge. It was a good t hing t hat Giacomo Paradisi had reminded him not t o be surprised. He kept caref ul hold of t he knif e and put it down on t he t able bef ore giving in t o his ast onishment . Lyra was on her f eet already, speechless, because t here in t he middle of t he dust y lit t le room was a window j ust like t he one under t he hornbeam t rees: a gap in midair t hrough which t hey could see anot her world. And because t hey were high in t he t ower, t hey were high above nort h Oxf ord. Over a cemet ery, in f act , looking back t oward t he cit y. There were t he hornbeam t rees a lit t le way ahead of t hem; t here were houses, t rees, roads, and in t he dist ance t he t owers and spires of t he cit y. If t hey hadn't already seen t he f irst window, t hey would have t hought t his was some kind of opt ical t rick. Except t hat it wasn't only opt ical; air was coming t hrough it , and t hey could smell t he t raf f ic f umes, which didn't exist in t he world of Cit t agazze. Pant alaimon changed int o a swallow and f lew t hrough, delight ing i n t he open air, and t hen snapped up an insect bef ore dart ing back t hrough t o Lyra's shoulder again. Giacomo Paradisi was wat ching wit h a curious, sad smile. Then he said, "So much f or opening. Now you must learn t o close. " Lyra st ood back t o give Will room, and t he old man came t o st and beside him. "For t his you need your f ingers, " he said. "One hand will do. Feel f or t he edge as you f elt wit h t he knif e t o begin wit h. You won't f ind it unless you put your soul int o your f ingert ips. Touch very delicat ely; f eel again and again t ill you f ind t he edge. Then you pinch it t oget her. That 's all. Try. " But Will was t rembling. He couldn't get his mind back t o t he delicat e balance he knew it needed, and he got more and more f rust rat ed. Lyra could see what was happening. She st ood up and t ook his right arm and said, "List en, Will, sit down, I'll t ell you how t o do it . Just sit down f or a minut e, 'cause your hand hurt s and it 's t aking your mind of f it . It 's bound t o. It 'll ease of f in a lit t le while. " The old man raised bot h his hands and t hen changed his mind, shrugged, and sat down again. Will sat down and looked at Lyra. "What am I doing wrong?" he said. He was bloodst ained, t rembling, wild-eyed. He was living on t he edge of his nerves: clenching his file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (89 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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j aw, t apping his f oot , breat hing f ast . "It 's your wound, " she said. "You en't wrong at all. You're doing it right , but your hand won't let you concent rat e on it . I don't know an easy way of get t ing around t hat , except maybe if you didn't t ry t o shut it out . " "What d'you mean?" "Well, you're t rying t o do t wo t hings wit h your mind, bot h at once. You're t rying t o ignore t he pain and close t hat window. I remember when I was reading t he alet hiomet er once when I was f right ened, and maybe I was used t o it by t hat t ime, I don't know, but I was st ill f right ened all t he t ime I was reading it . Just sort of relax your mind and say yes, it does hurt , I know. Don't t ry and shut it out . " His eyes closed brief ly. His breat hing slowed a lit t le. "All right , " he said. "I'll t ry t hat . " And t his t ime it was much easier. He f elt f or t he edge, f ound it wit hin a minut e, and did as Giacomo Paradisi had t old him: pinched t he edges t oget her. It was t he easiest t hing in t he world. He f elt a brief , calm exhilarat ion, and t hen t he window was gone. The ot her world was shut . The old man handed him a leat her sheat h, backed wit h st if f horn, wit h buckles t o hold t he knif e hi place, because t he slight est sideways movement of t he blade would have cut t hrough t he t hickest leat her. Will slid t he knif e int o it and buckled it as t ight as he could wit h his clumsy hand. "This should be a solemn occasion, " Giacomo Paradisi said. "If we had days and weeks I could begin t o t ell you t he st ory of t he subt le knif e, and t he Guild of t he Torre degli Angeli, and t he whole sorry hist ory of t his corrupt and careless world. The Spect ers are our f ault , our f ault alone. They came because my predecessors, alchemist s, philosophers, men of learning, were making an inquiry int o t he deepest nat ure of t hings. They became curious about t he bonds t hat held t he smallest part icles of mat t er t oget her. You know what I mean by a bond? Somet hing t hat binds? "Well, t his was a mercant ile cit y. A cit y of t raders and bankers. We t hought we knew about bonds. We t hought a bond was somet hing negot iable, somet hing t hat could be bought and sold and exchanged and convert ed. . . . But about t hese bonds, we were wrong. We undid t hem, and we let t he Spect ers in. " Will asked, "Where do t he Spect ers come f rom? Why was t he window lef t open under t hose t rees, t he one we f irst came in t hrough? Are t here ot her windows in t he world?" "Where t he Spect ers come f rom is a myst ery—f rom anot her world, f rom t he darkness of space. . . who knows? What mat t ers is t hat t hey are here, and t hey have dest royed us. Are t here ot her windows int o t his world? Yes, a f ew, because somet imes a knif e bearer might be careless or f orget f ul, wit hout t ime t o st op and close as he should. And t he window you came t hrough, under t he hornbeam t rees. . . I lef t t hat open myself , in a moment of unf orgivable f oolishness. There is a man I am af raid of , and I t hought t o t empt him t hrough and int o t he cit y, where he would f all vict im t o t he Spect ers. But I t hink t hat he is t oo clever f or a t rick like t hat . He want s t he knif e. Please, never let him get it . " Will and Lyra shared a glance. "Well, " t he old man f inished, spreading his hands, "all I can do is hand t he knif e on t o you and show you how t o use it , which I have done, and t ell you what t he rules of t he Guild used t o be, bef ore it decayed. First , never open wit hout closing. Second, never let anyone else use t he knif e. It is yours alone. Third, never use it f or a base purpose. Fourt h, keep it secret . If t here are ot her rules, I have f orgot t en t hem, and if I've f orgot t en t hem it is because t hey don't mat t er. You have t he knif e. You are t he bearer. You should not be a child. But our world is crumbling, and t he mark of t he bearer is unmist akable. I don't even know your name. Now go. I shall die very soon, because file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (90 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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I know where t here are poisonous drugs, and I don't int end t o wait f or t he Spect ers t o come in, as t hey will once t he knif e has lef t . Go. " "But , Mr. Paradisi—" Lyra began. But he shook his head and went on: "There is no t ime. You have come here f or a purpose, and maybe you don't know what t hat purpose is, but t he angels do who brought you here. Go. You are brave, and your f riend is clever. And you have t he knif e. Go. " "You en't really going t o poison yourself ?" said Lyra, dist ressed. "Come on, " said Will. "And what did you mean about angels?" she went on. Will t ugged her arm. "Come on, " he said again. "We got t o go. Thank you, Mr. Paradisi. " He held out his bloodst ained, dust y right hand, and t he old man shook it gent ly. He shook Lyra's hand, t oo, and nodded t o Pant alaimon, who lowered his ermine head in acknowledgment . Clut ching t he knif e in it s leat her sheat h, Will led t he way down t he broad dark st airs and out of t he t ower. The sunlight was hot in t he lit t le square, and t he silence was prof ound. Lyra looked all around, wit h immense caut ion, but t he st reet was empt y. And it would be bet t er not t o worry Will about what she'd seen; t here was quit e enough t o worry about already. She led him away f rom t he st reet where she'd seen t he children, where t he st ricken Tullio was st anding, as st ill as deat h. "I wish—" Lyra said when t hey had nearly lef t t he square, st opping t o look back up. "It 's horrible, t hinking of . . . and his poor t eet h was all broken, and he could hardly see out his eye. . . . He's j ust going t o swallow some poison and die now, and I wish—" She was on t he verge of t ears. "Hush, " said Will. "It won't hurt him. He'll j ust go t o sleep. It 's bet t er t han t he Spect ers, he said. " "Oh, what we going t o do, Will?" she said. "What we going t o do? You're hurt so bad, and t hat poor old man. . . . I hat e t his place, I really do, I'd burn it t o t he ground. What we going t o do now?" "Well, " he said, "t hat 's easy. We've got t o get t he alet hiomet er back, so we'll have t o st eal it . That 's what we're going t o do. "

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THEFT First t hey went back t o t he caf e, t o recover and rest and change t heir clot hes. It was clear t hat Will couldn't go everywhere covered in blood, and t he t ime of f eeling guilt y about t aking t hings f rom shops was over; so he gat hered a complet e set of new clot hes and shoes, and Lyra, demanding t o help, and wat ching in every direct ion f or t he ot her children, carried t hem back t o t he caf e. Lyra put some wat er on t o boil, and Will t ook it up t o t he bat hroom and st ripped t o wash f rom head t o f oot . The pain was dull and unrelent ing, but at least t he cut s were clean, and having seen what t he knif e could do, he knew t hat no cut s could be cleaner; but t he st umps where his f ingers had been were bleeding f reely. When he looked at t hem he f elt sick, and his heart beat f ast er,

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and t hat in t urn seemed t o make t he bleeding even worse. He sat on t he edge of t he bat h and closed his eyes and breat hed deeply several t imes. Present ly he f elt calmer and set himself t o washing. He did t he best he could, drying himself on t he increasingly bloodied t owels, and t hen dressed in his new clot hes, t rying not t o make t hem bloody t oo. "You're going t o have t o t ie my bandage again, " he said t o Lyra. "I don't care how t ight you make it as long as it st ops t he bleeding. " She t ore up a sheet and wrapped it around and around, clamping it down over t he wounds as t ight as she could. He grit t ed his t eet h, but he couldn't help t he t ears. He brushed t hem away wit hout a word, and she said not hing. When she'd f inished, he said, "Thank you. " Then he said, "List en. I want you t o t ake somet hing in your rucksack f or me, in case we can't come back here. It 's only let t ers. You can read t hem if you want . " He went t o t he bedroom, t ook out t he green leat her writ ing case, and handed her t he sheet s of airmail paper. "I won't read t hem unless—" "I don't mind. Else I wouldn't have said. " She f olded up t he let t ers, and he lay on t he bed, pushed t he cat aside, and f ell asleep. Much lat er t hat night , Will and Lyra crouched in t he lane t hat ran along beside t he t ree-shaded shrubbery in Sir Charles's garden. On t he Cit t agazze side, t hey were in a grassy park surrounding a classical villa t hat gleamed whit e in t he moonlight . They'd t aken a long t ime t o get t o Sir Charles's house, moving mainly in Cit t agazze, wit h f requent st ops t o cut t hrough and check t heir posit ion in Will's world, closing t he windows as soon as t hey knew where t hey were. Not wit h t hem but not f ar behind came t he t abby cat . She had slept since t hey'd rescued her f rom t he st one-t hrowing children, and now t hat she was awake again she was reluct ant t o leave t hem, as if she t hought t hat wherever t hey were, she was saf e. Will was f ar f rom sure about t hat , but he had enough on his mind wit hout t he cat , and he ignored her. All t he t ime he was growing more f amiliar wit h t he knif e, more cert ain in his command of it ; but his wound was hurt ing worse t han bef ore, wit h a deep, unceasing t hrob, and t he bandage Lyra had f reshly t ied af t er he woke up was already soaked. He cut a window in t he air not f ar f rom t he whit e-gleaming villa, and t hey came t hrough t o t he quiet lane in Headingt on t o work out exact ly how t o get t o t he st udy where Sir Charles had put t he alet hiomet er. There were t wo f loodlight s illuminat ing his garden, and light s were on in t he f ront windows of t he house, t hough not in t he st udy. Only moonlight lit t his side, and t he st udy window was dark. The lane ran down t hrough t rees t o anot her road at t he f ar end, and it wasn't light ed. It would have been easy f or an ordinary burglar t o get unobserved int o t he shrubbery and t hus t o t he garden, except t hat t here was a st rong iron f ence t wice as high as Will, wit h spikes on t he t op, running t he lengt h of Sir Charles's propert y. However, it was no barrier t o t he subt le knif e. "Hold t his bar while I cut it , " Will whispered. "Cat ch it when it f alls. " Lyra did as he said, and he cut t hrough f our bars alt oget her, enough f or t hem t o pass t hrough wit hout dif f icult y. Lyra laid t hem one by one on t he grass, and t hen t hey were t hrough, and moving among t he bushes. Once t hey had a clear sight of t he side of t he house, wit h t he creeper-shaded window of t he st udy f acing t hem across t he smoot h lawn, Will said quiet ly, "I'm going t o cut t hrough int o Ci'gazze here, file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (92 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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and leave t he window open, and move in Ci'gazze t o where I t hink t he st udy is, and t hen cut back t hrough t o t his world. Then I'll t ake t he alet hiomet er out of t hat cabinet t hing and I'll close t hat window and t hen I'll come back t o t his one. You st ay here in t his world and keep wat ch. As soon as you hear me call you, you come t hrough t his window int o Ci'gazze and t hen I'll close it up again. All right ?" "Yeah, " she whispered. "Bot h me and Pan'll look out . " Her daemon was a small t awny owl, almost invisible in t he dappled shadows under t he t rees. His wide pale eyes t ook in every movement . Will st ood back and held out t he knif e, searching, t ouching t he air wit h t he most delicat e movement s, unt il af t er a minut e or so he f ound a point at which he could cut . He did it swif t ly, opening a window t hrough int o t he moonlit land of Ci'gazze, and t hen st ood back, est imat ing how many st eps it would t ake him in t hat world t o reach t he st udy, and memorizing t he direct ion. Then wit hout a word he st epped t hrough and vanished. Lyra crouched down nearby. Pant alaimon was perched on a branch above her head, t urning t his way and t hat , silent . She could hear t raf f ic f rom Headingt on behind her, and t he quiet f oot st eps of someone going along t he road at t he end of t he lane, and even t he weight less movement of insect s among t he t wigs and leaves at her f eet . A minut e went by, and anot her. Where was Will now? She st rained t o look t hrough t he window of t he st udy, but it was j ust a dark mullioned square overhung wit h creeper. Sir Charles had sat inside it on t he window seat only t hat morning, and crossed his legs, and arranged t he creases in his t rousers. Where was t he cabinet in relat ion t o t he window? Would Will get inside wit hout dist urbing anyone in t he house? Lyra could hear her heart beat ing, t oo. Then Pant alaimon made a sof t noise, and at t he same moment a dif f erent sound came f rom t he f ront of t he house, t o Lyra's lef t . She couldn't see t he f ront , but she could see a light sweeping across t he t rees, and she heard a deep crunching sound: t he sound of t ires on gravel, she guessed. She hadn't heard t he car's engine at all. She looked f or Pant alaimon, and he was already gliding ahead silent ly, as f ar as he could go f rom her. He t urned in t he darkness and swooped back t o set t le on her f ist . "Sir Charles is coming back, " he whispered. "And t here's someone wit h him. " He t ook of f again, and t his t ime Lyra f ollowed, t ipt oeing over t he sof t eart h wit h t he ut most care, crouching down behind t he bushes, f inally going on hands and knees t o look bet ween t he leaves of a laurel. The Rolls-Royce st ood in f ront of t he house, and t he chauf f eur was moving around t o t he passenger side t o open t he door. Sir Charles st ood wait ing, smiling, of f ering his arm t o t he woman who was get t ing out , and as she came int o view Lyra f elt a blow at her heart , t he worst blow since she'd escaped f rom Bolvangar, because Sir Charles's guest was her mot her, Mrs. Coult er. Will st epped caref ully across t he grass in Cit t agazze, count ing his paces, holding in his mind as clearly as he could a memory of where t he st udy was and t rying t o locat e it wit h ref erence t o t he villa, which st ood nearby, st ucco-whit e and columned in a f ormal garden wit h st at ues and a f ount ain. And he was aware of how exposed he was in t his moon-drenched parkland. When he t hought he was in t he right spot , he st opped and held out t he knif e again, f eeling f orward caref ully. These lit t le invisible gaps were anywhere, but not everywhere, or any slash of t he knif e would open a window. He cut a small opening f irst , no bigger t han his hand, and looked t hrough. Not hing but darkness on t he ot her side: he couldn't see where he was. He closed t hat one, t urned t hrough ninet y degrees, file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (93 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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and opened anot her. This t ime he f ound f abric in f ront of him—heavy green velvet : t he curt ains of t he st udy. But where were t hey in relat ion t o t he cabinet ? He had t o close t hat one t oo, t urn t he ot her way, t ry again. Time was passing. The t hird t ime, he f ound he could see t he whole of t he st udy in t he dim light t hrough t he open door t o t he hall. There was t he desk, t he sof a, t he cabinet ! He could see a f aint gleam along t he side of a brass microscope. And t here was no one in t he room, and t he house was silent . It couldn't be bet t er. He caref ully est imat ed t he dist ance, closed t hat window, st epped f orward f our paces, and held up t he knif e again. If he was right , he'd be in exact ly t he right spot t o reach t hrough, cut t hrough t he glass in t he cabinet , t ake out t he alet hiomet er and close t he window behind him. He cut a window at t he right height . The glass of t he cabinet door was only a handsbreadt h in f ront of it . He put his f ace close, looking int ent ly at t his shelf and t hat , f rom t op t o bot t om. The alet hiomet er wasn't t here. At f irst Will t hought he'd got t he wrong cabinet . There were f our of t hem in t he room. He'd count ed t hat morning, and memorized where t hey were—t all square cases made of dark wood, wit h glass sides and f ront s and velvet -covered shelves, made f or displaying valuable obj ect s of porcelain or ivory or gold. Could he have simply opened a window in f ront of t he wrong one? But on t he t op shelf was t hat bulky inst rument wit h t he brass rings: he'd made a point of not icing t hat . And on t he shelf in t he middle, where Sir Charles had placed t he alet hiomet er, t here was a space. This was t he right cabinet , and t he alet hiomet er wasn't t here. Will st epped back a moment and t ook a deep breat h. He'd have t o go t hrough properly and look around. Opening windows here and t here at random would t ake all night . He closed t he window in f ront of t he cabinet , opened anot her t o look at t he rest of t he room, and when he'd t aken caref ul st ock, he closed t hat one and opened a larger one behind t he sof a t hrough which he could easily get out in a hurry if he needed t o. His hand was t hrobbing brut ally by t his t ime, and t he bandage was t railing loose. He wound it around as best he could and t ucked t he end in, and t hen went t hrough int o Sir Charles's house complet ely and crouched behind t he leat her sof a, t he knif e in his right hand, list ening caref ully. Hearing not hing, he st ood up slowly and looked around t he room. The door t o t he hall was half open, and t he light t hat came t hrough was quit e enough t o see by. The cabinet s, t he bookshelves, t he pict ures were all t here, as t hey had been t hat morning, undist urbed. He st epped out on t he silent carpet and looked int o each of t he cabinet s in t urn. It wasn't t here. Nor was it on t he desk among t he neat ly piled books and papers, nor on t he mant elpiece among t he invit at ion cards t o t his opening or t hat recept ion, nor on t he cushioned window seat , nor on t he oct agonal t able behind t he door. He moved back t o t he desk, int ending t o t ry t he drawers, but wit h t he heavy expect at ion of f ailure; and as he did so, he heard t he f aint crunch of t ires on gravel. It was so quiet t hat he half t hought he was imagining it , but he st ood st ock-st ill, st raining t o list en. It st opped. Then he heard t he f ront door open. He went at once t o t he sof a again, and crouched behind it , next t o t he window t hat opened ont o t he moon-silvered grass in Cit t agazze. And no sooner had he got t here t han he heard f oot st eps in t hat ot her world, light ly running over t he grass, and looked t hrough t o see Lyra racing t oward him. He was j ust in t ime t o wave and put his f inger t o his lips, and she slowed, realizing t hat he was aware Sir Charles had ret urned. "I haven't got it , " he whispered when she came up. "It wasn't t here. He's probably got it wit h him. I'm going t o list en and see if he put s it back. St ay here. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (94 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"No! It 's worse! " she said, and she was nearly in a genuine panic. "She's wit h him—Mrs. Coult er—my mot her! I dunno how she got here, but if she sees me, I'm dead, Will, I'm lost — and I know who he is now! I remember where I seen him bef ore! Will, he's called Lord Boreal! I seen him at Mrs. Coult er's cockt ail part y, when I ran away! And he must have known who I was, all t he t ime. . . . " "Shh. Don't st ay here if you're going t o make a noise. " She mast ered herself , and swallowed hard, and shook her head. "Sorry. I want t o st ay wit h you, " she whispered. "I want t o hear what t hey say. " "Hush now . . . " Because he could hear voices in t he hall. The t wo of t hem were close enough t o t ouch, Will in his world, she in Cit t agazze, and seeing his t railing bandage, Lyra t apped him on t he arm and mimed t ying it up again. He held out his hand f or her t o do it , crouching meanwhile wit h his head cocked sideways, list ening hard. A light came on in t he room. He heard Sir Charles speaking t o t he servant , dismissing him, coming int o t he st udy, closing t he door. "May I of f er you a glass of Tokay?" he said. A woman's voice, low and sweet , replied, "How kind of you, Carlo. I haven't t ast ed Tokay f or many years. " "Have t he chair by t he f ireplace. " There was t he f aint glug of wine being poured, a t inkle of decant er on glass rim, a murmur of t hanks, and t hen Sir Charles seat ed himself on t he sof a, inches away f rom Will. "Your good healt h, Marisa, " he said, sipping. "Now, suppose you t ell me what you want . " "I want t o know where you got t he alet hiomet er. " "Why?" "Because Lyra had it , and I want t o f ind her. " "I can't imagine why you would. She is a repellent brat . " "I'll remind you t hat she's my daught er. " "Then she is even more repellent , because she must have resist ed your charming inf luence on purpose. No one could do it by accident . " "Where is she?' "I'll t ell you, I promise. But you must t ell me somet hing f irst . " "If I can, " she said, in a dif f erent t one t hat Will t hought might be a warning. Her voice was int oxicat ing: soot hing, sweet , musical, and young, t oo. He longed t o know what she looked like, because Lyra had never described her, and t he f ace t hat went wit h t his voice must be remarkable. "What do you want t o know?" "What is Asriel up t o?" There was a silence t hen, as if t he woman were calculat ing what t o say. Will looked back t hrough t he window at Lyra, and saw her f ace, moonlit and wide-eyed wit h f ear, bit ing her lip t o keep silent and st raining t o hear, as he was. Finally Mrs. Coult er said, "Very well, I'll t ell you. Lord Asriel is gat hering an army, wit h t he purpose of complet ing t he war t hat was f ought in heaven eons ago. " "How medieval. However, he seems t o have some very modern powers. What has he done t o t he magnet ic pole?" "He f ound a way of blast ing open t he barrier bet ween our world and ot hers. It caused prof ound dist urbances t o t he eart h's magnet ic f ield, and t hat must resonat e in t his world t oo. . . . But how do you know about t hat ? Carlo, I t hink you should answer some quest ions of mine. What is t his world? And how did you bring me here?" file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (95 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"It is one of millions. There are openings bet ween t hem, but t hey're not easily f ound. I know a dozen or so, but t he places t hey open int o have shif t ed, and t hat must be due t o what Asriel's done. It seems t hat we can now pass direct ly f rom t his world int o our own, and probably int o many ot hers t oo. When I looked t hrough one of t he doorways earlier t oday, you can imagine how surprised I was t o f ind it opening int o our world, and what 's more, t o f ind you nearby. Providence, dear lady! The change meant t hat I could bring you here direct ly, wit hout t he risk of going t hrough Cit t agazze. " "Cit t agazze? What is t hat ?" "Previously, all t he doorways opened int o one world, which was a sort of crossroads. That is t he world of Cit t agazze. But it 's t oo dangerous t o go t here at t he moment . " "Why is it dangerous?" "Dangerous f or adult s. Children can go t here f reely. " "What ? I must know about t his, Carlo, " said t he woman, and Will could hear her passionat e impat ience. "This is at t he heart of everyt hing, t his dif f erence bet ween children and adult s! It cont ains t he whole myst ery of Dust ! This is why I must f ind t he child. And t he wit ches have a name f or her—I nearly had it , so nearly, f rom a wit ch in person, but she died t oo quickly. I must f ind t he child. She has t he answer, somehow, and I must have it . " "And you shall. This inst rument will bring her t o me—never f ear. And once she's given me what I want , you can have her. But t ell me about your curious bodyguards, Marisa. I've never seen soldiers like t hat . Who are t hey?" "Men, t hat 's all. But . . . t hey've undergone int ercision. They have no daemons, so t hey have no f ear and no imaginat ion and no f ree will, and t hey'll f ight t il l t hey're t orn apart . " "No daemons. . . Well, t hat 's very int erest ing. I wonder if I might suggest a lit t le experiment , if you can spare one of t hem? I'd like t o see whet her t he Spect ers are int erest ed in t hem. " "Spect ers? What are t hey?" "I'll explain lat er, my dear. They are t he reason adult s can't go int o t hat world. But if t hey're no more int erest ed in your bodyguards t han t hey are in children, we might be able t o t ravel in Cit t agazze af t er all. Dust —children—Spect ers—daemons—int ercision. . . Yes, it might very well work. Have some more wine. " "I want t o know ever yt hi ng, " she said, over t he sound of wine being poured. "And I'll hold you t o t hat . Now t ell me: What are you doing in t his world? Is t his where you came when we t hought you were in Brasil or t he Indies?" "I f ound my way here a long t ime ago, " said Sir Charles. "It was t oo good a secret t o reveal, even t o you, Marisa. I've made myself very comf ort able, as you can see. Being part of t he Council of St at e at home made it easy f or me t o see where t he power lay here. "As a mat t er of f act , I became a spy, t hough I never t old my mast ers all I knew. The securit y services in t his world were preoccupied f or years wit h t he Soviet Union—we know it as Muscovy. And alt hough t hat t hreat has receded, t here are st ill list ening post s and machines t rained in t hat direct ion, and I'm st ill in t ouch wit h t hose who run t he spies. " Mrs. Coult er sipped her Tokay. Her brilliant eyes were f ixed unblinkingly on his. "And I heard recent ly about a prof ound dist urbance in t he eart h's magnet ic f ield, " Sir Charles cont inued. 'The securit y services are alarmed. Every nat ion t hat does research int o f undament al physics—what we call experiment al t heology—is t urning t o it s scient ist s urgent ly t o discover what 's going on. Because t hey know t hat somet hi ng is happening. And t hey suspect it has t o do wit h ot her worlds. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (96 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"They do have a f ew clues t o t his, as a mat t er of f act . There is some research being done int o Dust . Oh, yes, t hey know it here as well. There is a t eam in t his very cit y working on it . And anot her t hing: There was a man who disappeared t en or t welve years ago, in t he nort h, and t he securit y services t hink he was in possession of some knowledge t hey badly need—specif ically, t he locat ion of a doorway bet ween t he worlds, such as t he one you came t hrough earlier t oday. The one he f ound is t he only one t hey know about : you can imagine I haven't t old t hem what I know. When t his new dist urbance began, t hey set out t o look f or t his man. "And nat urally, Marisa, I myself am curious. And I am keen t o add t o my knowledge. " Will sat f rozen, wit h his heart t hudding so hard he was af raid t he adult s would hear it . Sir Charles was t alking about his own f at her! But all t he t ime, he was conscious of somet hing else in t he room as well as t he voices of Sir Charles and t he woman. There was a shadow moving across t he f loor, or t hat part of it he could see beyond t he end of t he sof a and past t he legs of t he lit t le oct agonal t able. But neit her Sir Charles nor t he woman was moving. The shadow moved in a quick dart ing prowl, and it dist urbed Will great ly. The only light in t he room was a st andard lamp beside t he f ireplace, so t he shadow was clear and def init e, but it never st opped long enough f or Will t o make out what it was. Then t wo t hings happened. First , Sir Charles ment ioned t he alet hiomet er. "For example, " he said, cont inuing what he'd been saying, "I'm very curious about t his inst rument . Suppose you t ell me how it works. " And he placed t he alet hiomet er on t he oct agonal t able at t he end of t he sof a. Will could see it clearly; he could almost reach it . The second t hing t hat happened was t hat t he shadow f ell st ill. The creat ure t hat was t he source of it must have been perched on t he back of Mrs. Coult er's chair, because t he light st reaming over it t hrew it s shadow clearly on t he wall. And t he moment it st opped, he realized it was t he woman's daemon: a crouching monkey, t urning it s head t his way and t hat , searching f or somet hing. Will heard an int ake of breat h f rom Lyra behind him as she saw it t oo. He t urned silent ly and whispered, "Go back t o t he ot her window, and come t hrough int o his garden. Find some st ones and t hrow t hem at t he st udy so t hey look away f or a moment , and t hen I can get t he alet hiomet er. Then run back t o t he ot her window and wait f or me. " She nodded, t hen t urned and ran away silent ly over t he grass. Will t urned back. The woman was saying, ". . . t he Mast er of Jordan College is a f oolish old man. Why he gave it t o her I can't imagine; you need several years of int ensive st udy t o make any sense of it at all. And now you owe me some inf ormat ion, Carlo. How did you f ind it ? And where is t he child?" "I saw her using it in a museum in t he cit y. I recognized her, of course, having seen her at your cockt ail part y all t hat t ime ago, and I realized she must have f ound a doorway. And t hen I realized t hat I could use it f or a purpose of my own. So when I came across her a second t ime, I st ole it . " "You're very f rank. " "No need t o be coy; we're bot h grown-up. " "And where is she now? What did she do when she f ound it was missing?" "She came t o see me, which must have t aken some nerve, I imagine. " "She doesn't lack nerve. And what are you going t o do wit h it ? What is t his purpose of yours?" "I t old her t hat she could have it back, provided she got somet hing f or me—somet hing I couldn't get myself . " "And what is t hat ?" "I don't know whet her you—" And t hat was t he moment when t he f irst st one smashed int o t he st udy window. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (97 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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It broke wit h a sat isf ying crash of glass, and inst ant ly t he monkey shadow leaped f rom t he chair back as t he adult s gasped. There came anot her crash, and anot her, and Will f elt t he sof a move as Sir Charles got up. Will leaned f orward and snat ched t he alet hiomet er f rom t he lit t le t able, t hrust it int o his pocket , and dart ed back t hrough t he window. As soon as he was on t he grass in Cit t agazze he f elt in t he air f or t hose elusive edges, calming his mind, breat hing slowly, conscious all t he t ime t hat only f eet away t here was horrible danger. Then came a screech, not human, not animal, but worse t han eit her, and he knew it was t hat loat hsome monkey. By t hat t ime he'd got t en most of t he window closed, but t here was st ill a small gap at t he level of his chest . And t hen he leaped back, because int o t hat gap t here came a small f urry golden hand wit h black f ingernails, and t hen a f ace—a night mare f ace. The golden monkey's t eet h were bared, his eyes glaring, and such a concent rat ed malevolence blazed f rom him t hat Will f elt it almost like a spear. Anot her second and he would have been t hrough, and t hat would have been t he end. But Will was st ill holding t he knif e, and he brought it up at once and slashed lef t , right , across t he monkey's f ace—or where t he f ace would have been if t he monkey hadn't wit hdrawn j ust in t ime. That gave Will t he moment he needed t o seize t he edges of t he window and press t hem shut . His own world had vanished, and he was alone in t he moonlit parkland in Cit t agazze, pant ing and t rembling and horribly f right ened. But now t here was Lyra t o rescue. He ran back t o t he f irst window, t he one he'd opened int o t he shrubbery, and looked t hrough. The dark leaves of laurels and holly obscured t he view, but he reached t hrough and t hrust t hem aside t o see t he side of t he house clearly, wit h t he broken st udy window sharp in t he moonlight . As he wat ched, he saw t he monkey leaping around t he corner of t he house, scampering over t he grass wit h t he speed of a cat , and t hen he saw Sir Charles and t he woman f ollowing close behind. Sir Charles was carrying a pist ol. The woman herself was beaut if ul—Will saw t hat wit h shock— lovely in t he moonlight , her brilliant dark eyes wide wit h enchant ment , her slender shape light and gracef ul; but as she snapped her f ingers, t he monkey st opped at once and leaped up int o her arms, and he saw t hat t he sweet -f aced woman and t he evil monkey were one being. But where was Lyra? The adult s were looking around, and t hen t he woman put t he monkey down, and it began t o cast t his way and t hat on t he grass as if it were scent ing or looking f or f oot print s. There was silence f rom all around. If Lyra was in t he shrubbery already, she wouldn't be able t o move wit hout making a noise, which would give her away at once. Sir Charles adj ust ed somet hing on his pist ol wit h a sof t click: t he saf et y cat ch. He peered int o t he shrubbery, seeming t o look direct ly at Will, and t hen his eyes t raveled on past . Then bot h of t he adult s looked t o t heir lef t , f or t he monkey had heard somet hing. And in a f lash it leaped f orward t o where Lyra must be, and a moment lat er it would have f ound her— And at t hat moment t he t abby cat sprang out of t he shrubbery and ont o t he grass, and hissed. The monkey heard and t wist ed in midair as if wit h ast onishment , t hough he was hardly as ast onished as Will himself . The monkey f ell on his paws, f acing t he cat , and t he cat arched her back, t ail raised high, and st ood sideways on, hissing, challenging, spit t ing. And t he monkey leaped f or her. The cat reared up, slashing wit h needle-paws lef t and right t oo quickly t o be seen, and t hen Lyra was beside Will, t umbling t hrough t he window wit h Pant alaimon beside her. And t he cat screamed, and t he monkey screamed, t oo, as t he cat 's claws raked his f ace; and t hen t he monkey t urned and leaped int o Mrs. Coult er's arms, and t he cat shot file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20P...k%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (98 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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away int o t he bushes of her own world and vanished. And Will and Lyra were t hrough t he window, and Will f elt once again f or t he almost int angible edges in t he air and pressed t hem swif t ly t oget her, closing t he window all along it s lengt h as t hrough t he diminishing gap came t he sound of f eet among t wigs and cracking branches— And t hen t here was only a hole t he size of Will's hand, and t hen it was shut , and t he whole world was silent . He f ell t o his knees on t he dewy grass and f umbled f or t he alet hiomet er. "Here, " he said t o Lyra. She t ook it . Wit h shaking hands he slid t he knif e back int o it s sheat h. Then he lay down t rembling in all his limbs and closed his eyes, and f elt t he moonlight bat hing him wit h silver, and f elt Lyra undoing his bandage and t ying it up again wit h delicat e, gent le movement s. "Oh, Will, " he heard her say. "Thank you f or what you done, f or all of it . . . . " "I hope t he cat 's all right , " he mut t ered. "She's like my Moxie. She's probably gone home now. In her own world again. She'll be all right now. " "You know what I t hought ? I t hought f or a second she was your daemon. She done what a good daemon would have done, anyway. We rescued her and she rescued us. Come on, Will, don't lie on t he grass, it 's wet . You got t o come and lie down in a proper bed, else you'll cat ch cold. We'll go in t hat big house over t here. There's bound t o be beds and f ood and st uf f . Come on, I'll make a new bandage, I'll put some cof f ee on t o cook, I'll make some omelet t e, what ever you want , and we'll sleep. . . . We'll be saf e now we've got t he alet hiomet er back, you'll see. I'll do not hing now except help you f ind your f at her, I promise. . . . " She helped him up, and t hey walked slowly t hrough t he garden t oward t he great whit e-gleaming house under t he moon.

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THE SHAMAN Lee Scoresby disembarked at t he port in t he mout h of t he Yenisei River, and f ound t he place in chaos, wit h f ishermen t rying t o sell t heir meager cat ches of unknown kinds of f ish t o t he canning f act ories; wit h shipowners angry about t he harbor charges t he aut horit ies had raised t o cope wit h t he f loods; and wit h hunt ers and f ur t rappers drif t ing int o t own unable t o work because of t he rapidly t hawing f orest and t he disordered behavior of t he animals. It was going t o be hard t o make his way int o t he int erior along t he road, t hat was cert ain; f or in normal t imes t he road was simply a cleared t rack of f rozen eart h, and now t hat even t he permaf rost was melt ing, t he surf ace was a swamp of churned mud. So Lee put his balloon and equipment int o st orage and wit h his dwindling gold hired a boat wit h a gas engine. He bought several t anks of f uel and some st ores, and set of f up t he swollen river. He made slow progress at f irst . Not only was t he current swif t , but t he wat ers were laden wit h all kinds of debris: t ree t runks, brushwood, drowned animals, and once t he bloat ed corpse of a man. He had t o pilot caref ully and keep t he lit t le engine beat ing hard t o make any headway. He was heading f or t he village of Grumman's t ribe. For guidance he had only his memory of having f lown over t he count ry some years bef ore, but t hat memory was good, and he had lit t le dif f icult y

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in f inding t he right course among t he swif t -running st reams, even t hough some of t he banks had vanished under t he milky-brown f loodwat ers. The t emperat ure had dist urbed t he insect s, and a cloud of midges made every out line hazy. Lee smeared his f ace and hands wit h j imsonweed oint ment and smoked a succession of pungent cigars, which kept t he worst at bay. As f or Hest er, she sat t acit urn in t he bow, her long ears f lat against her skinny back and her eyes narrowed. He was used t o her silence, and she t o his. They spoke when t hey needed t o. On t he morning of t he t hird day, Lee st eered t he lit t le craf t up a creek t hat j oined t he main st ream, f lowing down f rom a line of low hills t hat should have been deep under snow but now were pat ched and st reaked wit h brown. Soon t he st ream was f lowing bet ween low pines and spruce, and af t er a f ew miles t hey came t o a large round rock, t he height of a house, where Lee drew in t o t he bank and t ied up. "There was a landing st age here, " he said t o Hest er. "Remember t he old seal hunt er in Nova Zembla who t old us about it ? It must be six f eet under now. " "I hope t hey had sense enough t o build t he village high, t hen, " she said, hopping ashore. No more t han half an hour lat er he laid his pack down beside t he wooden house of t he village headman and t urned t o salut e t he lit t le crowd t hat had gat hered. He used t he gest ure universal in t he nort h t o signif y f riendship, and laid his rif le down at his f eet . An old Siberian Tart ar, his eyes almost lost in t he wrinkles around t hem, laid his bow down beside it . His wolverine dasmon t wit ched her nose at Hest er, who f licked an ear in response, and t hen t he headman spoke. Lee replied, and t hey moved t hrough half a dozen languages bef ore f inding one in which t hey could t alk. "My respect s t o you and your t ribe, " Lee said. "I have some smokeweed, which is not wort hy, but I would be honored t o present it t o you. " The headman nodded in appreciat ion, and one of his wives received t he bundle Lee removed f rom his pack. "I am seeking a man called Grumman, " Lee said. "I heard t ell he was a kinsman of yours by adopt ion. He may have acquired anot her name, but t he man is European. " "Ah, " said t he headman, "we have been wait ing f or you. " The rest of t he villagers, gat hered in t he t hin st eaming sunlight on t he muddy ground in t he middle of t he houses, couldn't underst and t he words, but t hey saw t he headman's pleasure. Pleasure, and relief , Lee f elt Hest er t hink. The headman nodded several t imes. "We have been expect ing you, " he said again. "You have come t o t ake Dr. Grumman t o t he ot her world. " Lee's eyebrows rose, but he merely said, "As you say, sir. Is he here?" "Follow me, " said t he headman. The ot her villagers f ell aside respect f ully. Underst anding Hest er's dist ast e f or t he f ilt hy mud she had t o lope t hrough, Lee scooped her up in his arms and shouldered his pack, f ollowing t he headman along a f orest pat h t o a hut t en long bowshot s f rom t he village, in a clearing in t he larches. The headman st opped out side t he wood-f ramed, skin-covered hut . The place was decorat ed wit h boar t usks and t he ant lers of elk and reindeer, but t hey weren't merely hunt ing t rophies, f or t hey had been hung wit h dried f lowers and caref ully plait ed sprays of pine, as if f or some rit ualist ic purpose. "You must speak t o him wit h respect , " t he headman said quiet ly. "He is a shaman. And his heart is file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (100 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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sick. " Suddenly Lee f elt a shiver go down his back, and Hest er st if f ened in his arms, f or t hey saw t hat t hey had been wat ched all t he t ime. From among t he dried f lowers and t he pine sprays a bright yellow eye looked out . It was a daemon, and as Lee wat ched, she t urned her head and delicat ely t ook a spray of pine in her powerf ul beak and drew it across t he space like a curt ain. The headman called out in his own t ongue, addressing t he man by t he name t he old seal hunt er had t old him: Jopari. A moment lat er t he door opened. St anding in t he doorway, gaunt , blazing-eyed, was a man dressed in skins and f urs. His black hair was st reaked wit h gray, his j aw j ut t ed st rongly, and his osprey daemon sat glaring on his f ist . The headman bowed t hree t imes and wit hdrew, leaving Lee alone wit h t he shaman-academic he'd come t o f ind. "Dr. Grumman, " he said. "My name's Lee Scoresby. I'm f rom t he count ry of Texas, and I'm an aeronaut by prof ession. If you'd let me sit and t alk a spell, I'll t ell you what brings me here. I am right , ain't I? You are Dr. St anislaus Grumman, of t he Berlin Academy?" "Yes, " said t he shaman. "And you're f rom Texas, you say. The winds have blown you a long way f rom your homeland, Mr. Scoresby. " "Well, t here are st range winds blowing t hrough t he world now, sir. " "Indeed. The sun is warm, I t hink. You'll f ind a bench inside my hut . If you help me bring it out , we can sit in t his agreeable light and t alk out here. I have some cof f ee, if you would care t o share it . " "Most kind, sir, " said Lee, and carried out t he wooden bench himself while Grumman went t o t he st ove and poured t he scalding drink int o t wo t in cups. His accent was not German, t o Lee's ears, but English, of England. The Direct or of t he Observat ory had been right . When t hey were seat ed, Hest er narrow-eyed and impassive beside Lee and t he great osprey daemon glaring int o t he f ull sun, Lee began. He st art ed wit h his meet ing at Trollesund wit h John Faa, lord of t he gypt ians, and t old how t hey recruit ed lorek Byrnison t he bear and j ourneyed t o Bolvangar, and rescued Lyra and t he ot her children; and t hen he spoke of what he'd learned bot h f rom Lyra and f rom Seraf ina Pekkala in t he balloon as t hey f lew t oward Svalbard. "You see, Dr. Grumman, it seemed t o me, f rom t he way t he lit t le girl described it , t hat Lord Asriel j ust brandished t his severed head packed in ice at t he scholars t here and f right ened t hem so much wit h it t hey didn't look closely. That 's what made me suspect you might st ill be alive. And clearly, sir, you have a kind of specialist knowledge of t his business. I've been hearing about you all along t he Arct ic seaboard, about how you had your skull pierced, about how your subj ect of st udy seems t o vary bet ween digging on t he ocean bed and gazing at t he nort hern light s, about how you suddenly appeared, like as it might be out of nowhere, about t en, t welve years ago, and t hat 's all might y int erest ing. But somet hing's drawn me here, Dr. Grumman, beyond simple curiosit y. I'm concerned about t he child. I t hink she's import ant , and so do t he wit ches. If t here's anyt hing you know about her and about what 's going on, I'd like you t o t ell me. As I said, somet hing's given me t he convict ion t hat you can, which is why I'm here. "But unless I'm mist aken, sir, I heard t he village headman say t hat I had come t o t ake you t o anot her world. Did I get it wrong, or is t hat t ruly what he said? And one more quest ion f or you, sir: What was t hat name he called you by? Was t hat some kind of t ribal name, some magician's t it le?" Grumman smiled brief ly, and said, "The name he used is my own t rue name, John Parry. Yes, you have come t o t ake me t o t he ot her world. And as f or what brought you here, I t hink you'll f ind it was t his. " And he opened his hand. In t he palm lay somet hing t hat Lee could see but not underst and. He saw file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (101 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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a ring of silver and t urquoise, a Navaj o design; he saw it clearly and he recognized it as his own mot her's. He knew it s weight and t he smoot hness of t he st one and t he way t he silversmit h had f olded t he met al over more closely at t he corner where t he st one was chipped, and he knew how t he chipped corner had worn smoot h, because he had run his f ingers over it many, many t imes, years and years ago in his boyhood in t he sagelands of his nat ive count ry. He f ound himself st anding. Hest er was t rembling, st anding upright , ears pricked. The osprey had moved wit hout Lee's not icing bet ween him and Grumman, def ending her man, but Lee wasn't going t o at t ack. He f elt undone; he f elt like a child again, and his voice was t ight and shaky as he said, "Where did you get t hat ?" "Take it , " said Grumman, or Parry. "It s work is done. It summoned you. Now I don't need it . " "But how—" said Lee, lif t ing t he beloved t hing f rom Grumman's palm. "I don't underst and how you can have—did you—how did you get t his? I ain't seen t his t hing f or f ort y years. " "I am a shaman. I can do many t hings you don't underst and. Sit down, Mr. Scoresby. Be calm. I'll t ell you what you need t o know. " Lee sat again, holding t he ring, running his f ingers over it again and again. "Well, " he said, "I'm shaken, sir. I t hink I need t o hear what you can t ell me. " "Very well, " said Grumman, "I'll begin. My name, as I t old you, is Parry, and I was not born in t his world. Lord Asriel is not t he f irst by any means t o t ravel bet ween t he worlds, t hough he's t he f irst t o open t he way so spect acularly. In my own world I was a soldier and t hen an explorer. Twelve years ago I was accompanying an expedit ion t o a place in my world t hat corresponds wit h your Beringland. My companions had ot her int ent ions, but I was looking f or somet hing I'd heard about f rom old legends: a rent in t he f abric of t he world, a hole t hat had appeared bet ween our universe and anot her. Well, some of my companions got lost . In searching f or t hem, I and t wo ot hers walked t hrough t his hole, t his doorway, wit hout even seeing it , and lef t our world alt oget her. At f irst we didn't realize what had happened. We walked on t ill we f ound a t own, and t hen t here was no mist aking it : we were in a dif f erent world. "Well, t ry as we might , we could not f ind t hat f irst doorway again. We'd come t hrough it in a blizzard. You are an old Arct ic hand—you know what t hat means. "So we had no choice but t o st ay in t hat new world. And we soon discovered what a dangerous place it was. It seemed t hat t here was a st range kind of ghoul or apparit ion haunt ing it , somet hing deadly and implacable. My t wo companions died soon af t erward, vict ims of t he Spect ers, as t he t hings are called. "The result was t hat I f ound t heir world an abominable place, and I couldn't wait t o leave it . The way back t o my own world was barred f orever. But t here were ot her doorways int o ot her worlds, and a lit t le searching f ound t he way int o t his. "So here I came. And I discovered a marvel as soon as I did, Mr. Scoresby, f or worlds dif f er great ly, and in t his world I saw my daemon f or t he f irst t im e. Yes, I hadn't known of Sayan Kot or here t ill I ent ered yours. People here cannot conceive of worlds where daemons are a silent voice in t he mind and no more. Can you imagine my ast onishment , in t urn, at learning t hat part of my own nat ure was f emale, and bird-f ormed, and beaut if ul? "So wit h Sayan Kot or beside me, I wandered t hrough t he nort hern lands, and I learned a good deal f rom t he peoples of t he Arct ic, like my good f riends in t he village down t here. What t hey t old me of t his world f illed some gaps in t he knowledge I'd acquired in mine, and I began t o see t he answer t o many myst eries. "I made my way t o Berlin under t he name of Grumman. I t old no one about my origins; it was my secret . I present ed a t hesis t o t he Academy, and def ended it in debat e, which is t heir met hod. I file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (102 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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was bet t er inf ormed t han t he Academicians, and I had no dif f icult y in gaining membership. "So wit h my new credent ials I could begin t o work in t his world, where I f ound myself , f or t he most part , great ly cont ent ed. I missed some t hings about my own world, t o be sure. Are you a married man, Mr. Scoresby? No? Well, I was; and I loved my wif e dearly, as I loved my son, my only child, a lit t le boy not yet one year old when I wandered out of my world. I missed t hem t erribly. But I might search f or a t housand years and never f ind t he way back. We were sundered f orever. "However, my work absorbed me. I sought ot her f orms of knowledge; I was init iat ed int o t he skull cult ; I became a shaman. And I have made some usef ul discoveries. I have f ound a way of making an oint ment f rom bloodmoss, f or example, t hat preserves all t he virt ues of t he f resh plant . "I know a great deal about t his world now, Mr. Scoresby. I know, f or example, about Dust . I see f rom your expression t hat you have heard t he t erm. It is f right ening your t heologians t o deat h, but t hey are t he ones who f right en me. 1 know what Lord Asriel is doing, and I know why, and t hat 's why I summoned you here. I am going t o help him, you see, because t he t ask he's undert aken is t he great est in human hist ory. The great est in t hirt y-f ive t housand years of human hist ory, Mr. Scoresby. "I can't do very much myself . My heart is diseased beyond t he powers of anyone in t his world t o cure it . I have one great ef f ort lef t in me, perhaps. But I know somet hing Lord Asriel doesn't , somet hing he needs t o know if his ef f ort is t o succeed. "You see, I was int rigued by t hat haunt ed world where t he Spect ers f ed on human consciousness. I want ed t o know what t hey were, how t hey had come int o being. And as a shaman, I can discover t hings in t he spirit where I cannot go in t he body, and I spent much t ime in t rance, exploring t hat world. I f ound t hat t he philosophers t here, cent uries ago, had creat ed a t ool f or t heir own undoing: an inst rument t hey called t he subt le knif e. It had many powers—more t han t hey'd guessed when t hey made it , f ar more t han t hey know even now—and somehow, in using it , t hey had let t he Spect ers int o t heir world. "Well, I know about t he subt le knif e and what it can do. And I know where it is, and I know how t o recognize t he one who must use it , and I know what he must do in Lord Asriel's cause. I hope he's equal t o t he t ask. So I have summoned you here, and you are t o f ly me nort hward, int o t he world Asriel has opened, where I expect t o f ind t he bearer of t he subt le knif e. "That is a dangerous world, mind. Those Spect ers are worse t han anyt hing in your world or mine. We shall have t o be caref ul and courageous. I shall not ret urn, and if you want t o see your count ry again, you'll need all your courage, all your craf t , all your luck. "That 's your t ask, Mr. Scoresby. That is why you sought me out . " And t he shaman f ell silent . His f ace was pallid, wit h a f aint sheen of sweat . "This is t he craziest damn idea I ever heard in my lif e, " said Lee. He st ood up in his agit at ion and walked a pace or t wo t his way, a pace or t wo t hat , while Hest er wat ched unblinking f rom t he bench. Grumman's eyes were half -closed; his daemon sat on his knee, wat ching Lee warily. "Do you want money?" Grumman said af t er a f ew moment s. "I can get you some gold. That 's not hard t o do. " "Damn, I didn't come here f or gold, " said Lee hot ly. "I came here . . . I came here t o see if you were alive, like I t hought you were. Well, my curiosit y's kinda sat isf ied on t hat point . " "I'm glad t o hear it . " "And t here's anot her angle t o t his t hing, t oo, " Lee added, and t old Grumman of t he wit ch council at Lake Enara, and t he resolut ion t he wit ches had sworn t o. "You see, " he f inished, "t hat lit t le girl Lyra . . . well, she's t he reason I set out t o help t he wit ches in t he f irst place. You say you brought file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (103 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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me here wit h t hat Navaj o ring. Maybe t hat 's so and maybe it ain't . What I know is, I came here because I t hought I'd be helping Lyra. I ain't never seen a child like t hat . If I had a daught er of my own, I hope she'd be half as st rong and brave and good. Now, I'd heard t hat you knew of some obj ect , I didn't know what it might be, t hat conf ers a prot ect ion on anyone who holds it . And f rom what you say, I t hink it must be t his subt le knif e. "So t his is my price f or t aking you int o t he ot her world, Dr. Grumman: not gold, but t hat subt le knif e. And I don't want it f or myself ; I want it f or Lyra. You have t o swear you'll get her under t he prot ect ion of t hat obj ect , and t hen I'll t ake you wherever you want t o go. " The shaman list ened closely, and said, "Very well, Mr. Scoresby; I swear. Do you t rust my oat h?" "What will you swear by?" "Name anyt hing you like. " Lee t hought and t hen said, "Swear by what ever it was made you t urn down t he love of t he wit ch. I guess t hat 's t he most import ant t hing you know. " Grumman's eyes widened, and he said, "You guess well, Mr. Scoresby. I'll gladly swear by t hat . I give you my word t hat I'll make cert ain t he child Lyra Belacqua is under t he prot ect ion of t he subt le knif e. But I warn you: t he bearer of t hat knif e has his own t ask t o do, and it may be t hat his doing it will put her int o even great er danger. " Lee nodded soberly. "Maybe so, " he said, "but what ever lit t le chance of saf et y t here is, I want her t o have it . " "You have my word. And now I must go int o t he new world, and you must t ake me. " "And t he wind? You ain't been t oo sick t o observe t he weat her, I guess?" "Leave t he wind t o me. " Lee nodded. He sat on t he bench again and ran his f ingers over and over t he t urquoise ring while Grumman gat hered t he f ew goods he needed int o a deerskin bag, and t hen t he t wo of t hem went back down t he f orest t rack t o t he village. The headman spoke at some lengt h. More and more of t he villagers came out t o t ouch Grumman's hand, t o mut t er a f ew words, and t o receive what looked like a blessing in ret urn. Lee, meanwhile, was looking at t he weat her. The sky was clear t o t he sout h, and a f resh-scent ed breeze was j ust lif t ing t he t wigs and st irring t he pine t ops. To t he nort h t he f og st ill hung over t he heavy river, but it was t he f irst t ime f or days t hat t here seemed t o be a promise of clearing it . At t he rock where t he landing st age had been he lif t ed Grumman's pack int o t he boat , and f illed t he lit t le engine, which f ired at once. He cast of f , and wit h t he shaman in t he bow, t he boat sped down wit h t he current , dart ing under t he t rees and skimming out int o t he main river so f ast t hat Lee was af raid f or Hest er, crouching j ust inside t he gunwale. But she was a seasoned t raveler, he should have known t hat ; why was he so damn j umpy? *

*

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They reached t he port at t he river's mout h t o f ind every hot el, every lodging house, every privat e room commandeered by soldiers. Not j ust any soldiers, eit her: t hese were t roops of t he Imperial Guard of Muscovy, t he most f erociously t rained and lavishly equipped army in t he world, and one sworn t o uphold t he power of t he Magist erium. Lee had int ended t o rest a night bef ore set t ing of f , because Grumman looked in need of it , but t here was no chance of f inding a room. "What 's going on?" he said t o t he boat man when he ret urned t he hired boat . "We don't know. The regiment arrived yest erday and commandeered every billet , every scrap of file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (104 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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f ood, and every ship in t he t own. They'd have had t his boat , t oo, if you hadn't t aken it . " "D'you know where t hey're going?" "Nort h, " said t he boat man. "There's a war going t o be f ought , by all account s, t he great est war ever known. " "Nort h, int o t hat new world?" "That 's right . And t here's more t roops coming; t his is j ust t he advance guard. There won't be a loaf of bread or a gallon of spirit lef t in a week's t ime. You did me a f avor t aking t his boat —t he price has already doubled. . . . " There was no sense in rest ing up now, even if t hey could f ind a place. Full of anxiet y about his balloon, Lee went at once t o t he warehouse where he'd lef t it , wit h Grumman beside him. The man was keeping pace. He looked sick, but he was t ough. The warehouse keeper, busy count ing out some spare engine part s t o a requisit ioning sergeant of t he Guard, looked up brief ly f rom his clipboard. "Balloon—t oo bad—requisit ioned yest erday, " he said. "You can see how it is. I've got no choice. " Hest er f licked her ears, and Lee underst ood what she meant . "Have you delivered t he balloon yet ?" he said. "They're going t o collect it t his af t ernoon. " "No, t hey're not , " said Lee, "because I have an aut horit y t hat t rumps t he Guard. " And he showed t he warehouseman t he ring he'd t aken f rom t he f inger of t he dead Skraeling on Nova Zembla. The sergeant , beside him at t he count er, st opped what he was doing and salut ed at t he sight of t he Church's t oken, but f or all his discipline he couldn't prevent a f licker of puzzlement passing over his f ace. "So we'll have t he balloon right now, " said Lee, "and you can set some men t o f ill it . And I mean at once. And t hat includes f ood, and wat er, and ballast . " The warehouseman looked at t he sergeant , who shrugged, and t hen hurried away t o see t o t he balloon. Lee and Grumman wit hdrew t o t he wharf , where t he gas t anks were, t o supervise t he f illing and t alk quiet ly. "Where did you get t hat ring?" said Grumman. "Of f a dead man's f inger. Kinda risky using it , but I couldn't see anot her way of get t ing my balloon back. You reckon t hat sergeant suspect ed anyt hing?" "Of course he did. But he's a disciplined man. He won't quest ion t he Church. If he report s it at all, we'll be away by t he t ime t hey can do anyt hing about it . Well, I promised you a wind, Mr. Scoresby; I hope you like it . " The sky was blue overhead now, and t he sunlight was bright . To t he nort h t he f og banks st ill hung like a mount ain range over t he sea, but t he breeze was pushing t hem back and back, and Lee was impat ient f or t he air again. As t he balloon f illed and began t o swell up beyond t he edge of t he warehouse roof , Lee checked t he basket and st owed all his equipment wit h part icular care; f or in t he ot her world, who knew what t urbulence t hey'd meet ? His inst rument s, t oo, he f ixed t o t he f ramework wit h close at t ent ion, even t he compass, whose needle was swinging around t he dial quit e uselessly. Finally he lashed a score of sandbags around t he basket f or ballast . When t he gasbag was f ull and leaning nort hward in t he buf f et ing breeze, and t he whole apparat us st raining against t he st out ropes anchoring it down, Lee paid t he warehouseman wit h t he last of his gold and helped Grumman int o t he basket . Then he t urned t o t he men at t he ropes t o give t he order t o let go. But bef ore t hey could do so, t here was an int errupt ion. From t he alley at t he side of t he file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (105 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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warehouse came t he noise of pounding boot s, moving at t he double, and a shout of command: "Halt ! " The men at t he ropes paused, some looking t hat way, some looking t o Lee, and he called sharply, "Let go! Cast of f ! " Two of t he men obeyed, and t he balloon lurched up, but t he ot her t wo had t heir at t ent ion on t he soldiers, who were moving quickly around t he corner of t he building. Those t wo men st ill held t heir ropes f ast around t he bollards, and t he balloon lurched sickeningly sideways. Lee grabbed at t he suspension ring; Grumman was holding it t oo, and his daemon had her claws t ight around it . Lee shout ed, "Let go, you damn f ools! She's going up! " The buoyancy of t he gasbag was t oo great , and t he men, haul as t hey might , couldn't hold it back. One let go, and his rope lashed it self loose f rom t he bollard; but t he ot her man, f eeling t he rope lif t , inst inct ively clung on inst ead of let t ing go. Lee had seen t his happen once bef ore, and dreaded it . The poor man's daemon, a heavyset husky, howled wit h f ear and pain f rom t he ground as t he balloon surged up t oward t he sky, and f ive endless seconds lat er it was over; t he man's st rengt h f ailed; he f ell, half -dead, and crashed int o t he wat er. But t he soldiers had t heir rif les up already. A volley of bullet s whist led past t he basket , one st riking a spark f rom t he suspension ring and making Lee's hands st ing wit h t he impact , but none of t hem did any damage. By t he t ime t hey f ired t heir second shot , t he balloon was almost out of range, hurt ling up int o t he blue and speeding out over t he sea. Lee f elt his heart lif t wit h it . He'd said once t o Seraf ina Pekkala t hat he didn't care f or f lying, t hat it was only a j ob; but he hadn't meant it . Soaring upward, wit h a f air wind behind and a new world in f ront —what could be bet t er in t his lif e? He let go of t he suspension ring and saw t hat Hest er was crouching in her usual corner, eyes half closed. From f ar below and a long way back came anot her f ut ile volley of rif le f ire. The t own was receding f ast , and t he broad sweep of t he river's mout h was glit t ering in t he sunlight below t hem. "Well, Dr. Grumman, " he said, "I don't know about you, but I f eel bet t er hi t he air. I wish t hat poor man had let go of t he rope, t hough. It 's so damned easy t o do, and if you don't let go at once t here's no hope f or you. " "Thank you, Mr. Scoresby, " said t he shaman. "You managed t hat very well. Now we set t le down and f ly. I would be grat ef ul f or t hose f urs; t he air is st ill cold. "

ELEVEN

THE BELVEDERE In t he great whit e villa in t he park Will slept uneasily, plagued wit h dreams t hat were f illed wit h anxiet y and wit h sweet ness in equal measure, so t hat he st ruggled t o wake up and yet longed f or sleep again. When his eyes were f ully open, he f elt so drowsy t hat he could scarcely move, and t hen he sat up t o f ind his bandage loose and his bed crimson. He st ruggled out of bed and made his way t hrough t he heavy, dust -f illed sunlight and silence of t he great house down t o t he kit chen. He and Lyra had slept in servant s' rooms under t he at t ic, not f eeling welcomed by t he st at ely f our-post er beds in t he grand rooms f art her down, and it was a

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long unst eady walk. "Will—" she said at once, her voice f ull of concern, and she t urned f rom t he st ove t o help him t o a chair. He f elt dizzy. He supposed he'd lost a lot of blood; well, t here was no need t o suppose, wit h t he evidence all over him. And t he wounds were st ill bleeding. "I was j ust making some cof f ee, " she said. "Do you want t hat f irst , or shall I do anot her bandage? I can do whichever you want . And t here's eggs in t he cold cabinet , but I can't f ind any baked beans. " "This isn't a baked beans kind of house. Bandage f irst . Is t here any hot wat er in t he t ap? I want t o wash. I hat e being covered in t his. . . " She ran some hot wat er, and he st ripped t o his underpant s. He was t oo f aint and dizzy t o f eel embarrassed, but Lyra became embarrassed f or him and went out . He washed as best he could and t hen dried himself on t he t ea t owels t hat hung on a line by t he st ove. When she came back, she'd f ound some clot hes f or him, j ust a shirt and canvas t rousers and a belt . He put t hem on, and she t ore a f resh t ea t owel int o st rips and bandaged him t ight ly again. She was badly worried about his hand; not only were t he wounds bleeding f reely st ill, but t he rest of t he hand was swollen and red. But he said not hing about it , and neit her did she. Then she made t he cof f ee and t oast ed some st ale bread, and t hey t ook it int o t he grand room at t he f ront of t he house, overlooking t he cit y. When he'd eat en and drunk, he f elt a lit t le bet t er. "You bet t er ask t he alet hiomet er what t o do next , " he said. "Have you asked it anyt hing yet ?" "No, " she said. "I'm only going t o do what you ask, f rom now on. I t hought of doing it last night , but I never did. And I won't , eit her, unless you ask me t o. " "Well, you bet t er do it now, " he said. "There's as much danger here as t here is in my world, now. There's Angelica's brot her f or a st art . And if —" He st opped, because she began t o say somet hing, but she st opped as soon as he did. Then she collect ed herself and went on. "Will, t here was somet hing t hat happened yest erday t hat I didn't t ell you. I should've, but t here was j ust so many ot her t hings going on. I'm sorry . . . " And she t old him everyt hing she'd seen t hrough t he window of t he t ower while Giacomo Paradisi was dressing Will's wound: Tullio being beset by t he Spect ers, Angelica seeing her at t he window and her look of hat red, and Paolo's t hreat . "And d'you remember, " she went on, "when she f irst spoke t o us? Her lit t le brot her said somet hing about what t hey were all doing. He said, 'He's gonna get —' and she wouldn't let him f inish; she smacked him, remember? I bet he was going t o say Tullio was af t er t he knif e, and t hat 's why all t he kids came here. 'Cause if t hey had t he knif e, t hey could do anyt hing, t hey could even grow up wit hout being af raid of Spect ers. " "What did it look like, when he was at t acked?" Will said. To her surprise he was sit t ing f orward, his eyes demanding and urgent . "He . . . " She t ried t o remember exact ly. "He st art ed count ing t he st ones in t he wall. He sort of f elt all over t hem. . . . But he couldn't keep it up. In t he end he sort of lost int erest and st opped. Then he was j ust st ill, " she f inished, and seeing Will's expression she said, "Why?" "Because . . . I t hink maybe t hey come f rom my world af t er all, t he Spect ers. If t hey make people behave like t hat , I wouldn't be surprised at all if t hey came f rom my world. And when t he Guild men opened t heir f irst window, if it was int o my world, t he Spect ers could have gone t hrough t hen. " "But you don't have Spect ers in your world! You never heard of t hem, did you?" "Maybe t hey're not called Spect ers. Maybe we call t hem somet hing else. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (107 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Lyra wasn't sure what he meant , but she didn't want t o press him. His cheeks were red and his eyes were hot . "Anyway, " she went on, t urning away, "t he import ant t hing is t hat Angelica saw me in t he window. And now t hat she knows we've got t he knif e, she'll t ell all of 'em. She'll t hink it 's our f ault t hat her brot her was at t acked by Spect ers. I'm sorry, Will. I should've t old you earlier. But t here was j ust so many ot her t hings. " "Well, " he said, "I don't suppose it would have made any dif f erence. He was t ort uring t he old man, and once he knew how t o use t he knif e he'd have killed bot h of us if he could. We had t o f ight him. " "I j ust f eel bad about it , Will. I mean, he was t heir brot her. And I bet if we were t hem, we'd have want ed t he knif e t oo. " "Yes, " he said, "but we can't go back and change what happened. We had t o get t he knif e t o get t he alet hiomet er back, and if we could have got it wit hout f ight ing, we would. " "Yeah, we would, " she said. Like lorek Byrnison, Will was a f ight er t ruly enough, so she was prepared t o agree wit h him when he said it would be bet t er not t o f ight ; she knew it wasn't cowardice t hat spoke, but st rat egy. He was calmer now, and his cheeks were pale again. He was looking int o t he middle dist ance and t hinking. Then he said, "It 's probably more import ant now t o t hink about Sir Charles and what he'll do, or Mrs. Coult er. Maybe if she's got t his special bodyguard t hey were t alking about , t hese soldiers who'd had t heir daemons cut away, maybe Sir Charles is right and t hey'll be able t o ignore t he Spect ers. You know what I t hink? I t hink what t hey eat , t he Spect ers, is people's daemons. " "But children have daemons t oo. And t hey don't at t ack children. It can't be t hat . " "Then it must be t he dif f erence bet ween children's daemons and grownups', " Will said. "There is a dif f erence, isn't t here? You t old me once t hat grownups' daemons don't change shape. It must be somet hing t o do wit h t hat . And if t hese soldiers of hers haven't got daemons at all, maybe t he Spect ers won't at t ack t hem eit her, like Sir Charles said. . . . " "Yeah! " she said. "Could be. And she wouldn't be af raid of Spect ers anyway. She en't af raid of anyt hing. And she's so clever, Will, honest , and she's so rut hless and cruel, she could boss t hem, I bet she could. She could command t hem like she does people and t hey'd have t o obey her, I bet . Lord Boreal is st rong and clever, but she'll have him doing what she want s in no t ime. Oh, Will, I'm get t ing scared again, t hinking what she might do . . . I'm going t o ask t he alet hiomet er, like you said. Thank goodness we got t hat back, anyway. " She unf olded t he velvet bundle and ran her hands lovingly over t he heavy gold. "I'm going t o ask about your f at her, " she said, "and how we can f ind him. See, I put t he hands t o point at —" "No. Ask about my mot her f irst . I want t o know if she's all right . " Lyra nodded, and t urned t he hands bef ore laying t he alet hiomet er in her lap and t ucking her hair behind her ears t o look down and concent rat e. Will wat ched t he light needle swing purposef ully around t he dial, dart ing and st opping and dart ing on as swif t ly as a swallow f eeding, and he wat ched Lyra's eyes, so blue and f ierce and f ull of clear underst anding. Then she blinked and looked up. "She's saf e st ill, " she said. "This f riend t hat 's looking af t er her, she's ever so kind. No one knows where your mot her is, and t he f riend won't give her away. " Will hadn't realized how worried he'd been. At t his good news he f elt himself relax, and as a lit t le t ension lef t his body, he f elt t he pain of his wound more sharply. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (108 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Thank you, " he said. "All right , now ask about my f at her—" But bef ore she could even begin, t hey heard a shout f rom out side. They looked out at once. At t he lower edge of t he park in f ront of t he f irst houses of t he cit y t here was a belt of t rees, and somet hing was st irring t here. Pant alaimon became a lynx at once and padded t o t he open door, gazing f iercely down. "It 's t he children, " he said. Bot h Will and Lyra st ood up. The children were coming out of t he t rees, one by one, maybe f ort y or f if t y of t hem. Many of t hem were carrying st icks. At t heir head was t he boy in t he st riped Tshirt , and it wasn't a st ick t hat he was carrying: it was a pist ol. "There's Angelica, " Lyra whispered, point ing. Angelica was beside t he leading boy, t ugging at his arm, urging him on. Just behind t hem her lit t le brot her, Paolo, was shrieking wit h excit ement , and t he ot her children, t oo, were yelling and waving t heir f ist s in t he air. Two of t hem were lugging heavy rif les. Will had seen children in t his mood bef ore, but never so many of t hem, and t he ones in his t own didn't carry guns. They were shout ing, and Will managed t o make out Angelica's voice high over t hem all: "You killed my brot her and you st ole t he knif e! You murderers! You made t he Spect ers get him! You killed him, and we'll kill you! You ain' gonna get away! We gonna kill you same as you killed him! " "Will, you could cut a window! " Lyra said urgent ly, clut ching his good arm. "We could get away, easy—" "Yeah, and where would we be? In Oxf ord, a f ew yards f rom Sir Charles's house, in broad daylight . Probably in t he main st reet in f ront of a bus. I can't j ust cut t hrough anywhere and expect t o be saf e—I've got t o look f irst and see where we are, and t hat 'd t ake t oo long. There's a f orest or woods or somet hing behind t his house. If we can get up t here in t he t rees, we'11 be saf er. " Lyra looked out t he window, f urious. "They must 've seen us last night , " she said. "I bet t hey was t oo cowardly t o at t ack us on t heir own, so t hey rounded up all t hem ot hers. . . . I should have killed her yest erday! She's as bad as her brot her. I'd like t o—" "St op t alking and come on, " said Will. He checked t hat t he knif e was st rapped t o his belt , and Lyra put on her lit t le rucksack wit h t he alet hiomet er and t he let t ers f rom Will's f at her. They ran t hrough t he echoing hall, along t he corridor and int o t he kit chen, t hrough t he scullery, and int o a cobbled court beyond it . A gat e in t he wall led out int o a kit chen garden, where beds of veget ables and herbs lay baking under t he morning sun. The edge of t he woods was a f ew hundred yards away, up a slope of grass t hat was horribly exposed. On a knoll t o t he lef t , closer t han t he t rees, st ood a lit t le building, a circular t emple-like st ruct ure wit h columns all t he way around and an upper st ory open like a balcony f rom which t o view t he cit y. "Let 's run, " said Will, t hough he f elt less like running t han like lying down and closing his eyes. Wit h Pant alaimon f lying above t o keep wat ch, t hey set of f across t he grass. But it was t ussocky and ankle-high, and Will couldn't run more t han a f ew st eps bef ore he f elt t oo dizzy t o carry on. He slowed t o a walk. Lyra looked back. The children hadn't seen t hem yet ; t hey were st ill at t he f ront of t he house. Maybe t hey'd t ake a while t o look t hrough all t he rooms. . . . But Pant alaimon chirruped in alarm. There was a boy st anding at an open window on t he second f loor of t he villa, point ing at t hem. They heard a shout . "Come on, Will, " Lyra said. She t ugged at his good arm, helping him, lif t ing him. He t ried t o respond, but he didn't have t he file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (109 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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st rengt h. He could only walk. "All right , " he said, "we can't get t o t he t rees. Too f ar away. So we'll go t o t hat t emple place. If we shut t he door, maybe we can hold t hem out f or long enough t o cut t hrough af t er all. " Pant alaimon dart ed ahead, and Lyra gasped and called t o him breat hlessly, making him pause. Will could almost see t he bond bet ween t hem, t he daemon t ugging and t he girl responding. He st umbled t hrough t he t hick grass wit h Lyra running ahead t o see, and t hen back t o help, and t hen ahead again, unt il t hey reached t he st one pavement around t he t emple. The door under t he lit t le port ico was unlocked, and t hey ran inside t o f ind t hemselves in a bare circular room wit h several st at ues of goddesses in niches around t he wall. In t he very cent er a spiral st aircase of wrought iron led up t hrough an opening t o t he f loor above. There was no key t o lock t he door, so t hey clambered up t he st aircase and ont o t he f loorboards of an upper level t hat was really a viewing place, where people could come t o t ake t he air and look out over t he cit y; f or t here were no windows or walls, simply a series of open arches all t he way around support ing t he roof . In each archway a windowsill at waist height was broad enough t o lean on, and below t hem t he pant iled roof ran down in a gent le slope all around t o t he gut t er. As t hey looked out , t hey could see t he f orest behind, t ant alizingly close; and t he villa below t hem, and beyond t hat t he open park, and t hen t he red-brown roof s of t he cit y, wit h t he t ower rising t o t he lef t . There were carrion crows wheeling in t he air above t he gray bat t lement s, and Will f elt a j olt of sickness as he realized what had drawn t hem t here. But t here was no t ime t o t ake in t he view; f irst t hey had t o deal wit h t he children, who were racing up t oward t he t emple, screaming wit h rage and excit ement . The leading boy slowed down and held up his pist ol and f ired t wo or t hree wild shot s t oward t he t emple. Then t hey came on again, yelling: "Thief s! " "Murderers! " "We gonna kill you! " "You got our knif e! " "You don' come f rom here! " "You gonna die! " Will t ook no not ice. He had t he knif e out already, and swif t ly cut a small window t o see where t hey were—only t o recoil at once. Lyra looked t oo, and f ell back in disappoint ment . They were f if t y f eet or so in t he air, high above a main road busy wit h t raf f ic. "Of course, " Will said bit t erly, "we came up a slope. . . . Well, we're st uck. We'll have t o hold t hem of f , t hat 's all. " Anot her f ew seconds and t he f irst children were crowding in t hrough t he door. The sound of t heir yelling echoed in t he t emple and reinf orced t heir wildness; and t hen came a gunshot , enormously loud, and anot her, and t he screaming t ook anot her t one, and t hen t he st airs began t o shake as t he f irst ones climbed up. Lyra was crouching paralyzed against t he wall, but Will st ill had t he knif e in his hand. He scrambled over t o t he opening in t he f loor and reached down and sliced t hrough t he iron of t he t op st ep as if it were paper. Wit h not hing t o hold it up, t he st aircase began t o bend under t he weight of t he children crowding on it , and t hen it swung down and f ell wit h a huge crash. More screams, more conf usion; and again t he gun went of f , but t his t ime by accident , it seemed. Someone had been hit , and t he scream was of pain t his t ime, and Will looked down t o see a t angle of writ hing bodies covered in plast er and dust and blood. They weren't individual children: t hey were a single mass, like a t ide. They surged below him and file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (110 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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leaped up in f ury, snat ching, t hreat ening, screaming, spit t ing, but t hey couldn't reach. Then someone called, and t hey looked t o t he door, and t hose who could move surged t oward it , leaving several pinned beneat h t he iron st airs or dazed and st ruggling t o get up f rom t he rubblest rewn f loor. Will soon realized why t hey'd run out . There was a scrabbling sound f rom t he roof out side t he arches, and he ran t o t he windowsill t o see t he f irst pair of hands grasping t he edge of t he pant iles and pulling up. Someone was pushing f rom behind, and t hen came anot her head and anot her pair of hands, as t hey clambered over t he shoulders and backs of t hose below and swarmed up ont o t he roof like ant s. But t he pant iled ridges were hard t o walk on, and t he f irst ones scrambled up on hands and knees, t heir wild eyes never leaving Will's f ace. Lyra had j oined him, and Pant alaimon was snarling as a leopard, paws on t he sill, making t he f irst children hesit at e. But st ill t hey came on, more and more of t hem. Someone was shout ing "Kill! Kill! Kill! " and t hen ot hers j oined in, louder and louder, and t hose on t he roof began t o st amp and t hump t he t iles in rhyt hm, but t hey didn't quit e dare come closer, f aced by t he snarling daemon. Then a t ile broke, and t he boy st anding on it slipped and f ell, but t he one beside him picked up t he broken piece and hurled it at Lyra. She ducked, and it shat t ered on t he column beside her, showering her wit h broken pieces. Will had not iced t he rail around t he edge of t he opening in t he f loor, and cut t wo sword-lengt h pieces of it , and he handed one t o Lyra now; and she swung it around as hard as she could and int o t he side of t he f irst boy's head. He f ell at once, but t hen came anot her, and it was Angelica, redhaired, whit e-f aced, crazy-eyed. She scrambled up ont o t he sill, but Lyra j abbed t he lengt h of rail at her f iercely, and she f ell back again. Will was doing t he same. The knif e was in it s sheat h at his waist , and he st ruck and swung and j abbed wit h t he iron rail, and while several children f ell back, ot hers kept replacing t hem, and more and more were clambering up ont o t he roof f rom below. Then t he boy in t he st riped T-shirt appeared, but he'd lost t he pist ol, or perhaps it was empt y. However, his eyes and Will's locked t oget her, and each of t hem knew what was going t o happen: t hey were going t o f ight , and it was going t o be brut al and deadly. "Come on, " said Will, passionat e f or t he bat t le. "Come on, t hen. . . " Anot her second, and t hey would have f ought . But t hen t he st rangest t hing appeared: a great whit e snow goose swooping low, his wings spread wide, calling and calling so loudly t hat even t he children on t he roof heard t hrough t heir savagery and t urned t o see. "Kaisa! " cried Lyra j oyf ully, f or it was Seraf ina Pekkala's daemon. The snow goose called again, a piercing whoop t hat f illed t he sky, and t hen wheeled and t urned an inch away f rom t he boy in t he st riped T-shirt . The boy f ell back in f ear and slid down and over t he edge, and t hen ot hers began t o cry in alarm t oo, because t here was somet hing else in t he sky. As Lyra saw t he lit t le black shapes sweeping out of t he blue, she cheered and shout ed wit h glee. "Seraf ina Pekkala! Here! Help us! Here we are! In t he t emple—" And wit h a hiss and rush of air, a dozen arrows, and t hen anot her dozen swif t ly af t er, and t hen anot her dozen—loosed so quickly t hat t hey were all in t he air at once—shot at t he t emple roof above t he gallery and landed wit h a t hunder of hammer blows. Ast onished and bewildered, t he children on t he roof f elt all t he aggression leave t hem in a moment , and horrible f ear rushed in t o t ake it s place. What were t hese black-garbed women rushing at t hem in t he air? How could it happen? Were t hey ghost s? Were t hey a new kind of Spect er? file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (111 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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And whimpering and crying, t hey j umped of f t he roof , some of t hem f alling clumsily and dragging t hemselves away limping and ot hers rolling down t he slope and dashing f or saf et y, but a mob no longer—j ust a lot of f right ened, shame-f aced children. A minut e af t er t he snow goose had appeared, t he last of t he children lef t t he t emple, and t he only sound was t he rush of air in t he branches of t he circling wit ches above. Will looked up in wonder, t oo amazed t o speak, but Lyra was leaping and calling wit h delight , "Seraf ina Pekkala! How did you f ind us? Thank you, t hank you! They was going t o kill us! Come down and land. " But Seraf ina and t he ot hers shook t heir heads and f lew up again, t o circle high above. The snow goose daemon wheeled and f lew down t oward t he roof , beat ing his great wings inward t o help him slow down, and landed wit h a clat t er on t he pant iles below t he sill. "Greet ings, Lyra, " he said. "Seraf ina Pekkala can't come t o t he ground, nor can t he ot hers. The place is f ull of Spect ers—a hundred or more surrounding t he building, and more drif t ing up over t he grass. Can't you see t hem?" "No! We can't see 'em at all! " "Already we've lost one wit ch. We can't risk any more. Can you get down f rom t his building?" "If we j ump of f t he roof like t hey done. But how did you f ind us? And where—" "Enough now. There's more t rouble coming, and bigger. Get down as best you can and t hen make f or t he t rees. " They climbed over t he sill and moved sideways down t hrough t he broken t iles t o t he gut t er. It wasn't high, and below it was grass, wit h a gent le slope away f rom t he building. First Lyra j umped and t hen Will f ollowed, rolling over and t rying t o prot ect his hand, which was bleeding f reely again and hurt ing badly. His sling had come loose and t railed behind him, and as he t ried t o roll it up, t he snow goose landed on t he grass at his side. "Lyra, who is t his?" Kaisa said. "It 's Will. He's coming wit h us—" "Why are t he Spect ers avoiding you?" The goose daemon was speaking direct ly t o Will. By t his t ime Will was hardly surprised by anyt hing, and he said, "I don't know. We can't see t hem. No, wait ! " And he st ood up, st ruck by a t hought . "Where are t hey now?" he said. "Where's t he nearest one?" "Ten paces away, down t he slope, " said t he daemon. "They don't want t o come any closer, t hat 's obvious. " Will t ook out t he knif e and looked in t hat direct ion, and he heard t he daemon hiss wit h surprise. But Will couldn't do what he int ended, because at t he same moment a wit ch landed her branch on t he grass beside him. He was t aken aback not so much by her f lying as by her ast ounding gracef ulness, t he f ierce, cold, lovely clarit y of her gaze, and by t he pale bare limbs, so yout hf ul, and yet so f ar f rom being young. "Your name is Will?" she said. "Yes, but —" "Why are t he Spect ers af raid of you?" "Because of t he knif e. Where's t he nearest one? Tell me! I want t o kill it ! " But Lyra came running bef ore t he wit ch could answer. "Seraf ina Pekkala! " she cried, and she t hrew her arms around t he wit ch and hugged her so t ight ly t hat t he wit ch laughed out loud, and kissed t he t op of her head. "Oh, Seraf ina, where did you come f rom like t hat ? We were—t hose kids—t hey were kids, and t hey were going t o kill us—did you see t hem? We t hought we were going t o die and—oh, I'm so glad you came! I t hought I'd never see file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (112 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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you again! " Seraf ina Pekkala looked over Lyra's head t o where t he Spect ers were obviously clust ering a lit t le way of f , and t hen looked at Will. "Now list en, " she said. "There's a cave in t hese woods not f ar away. Head up t he slope and t hen along t he ridge t o t he lef t . The Spect ers won't f ollow—t hey don't see us while we're in t he air, and t hey're af raid of you. We'll meet you t here. It 's a half -hour's walk. " And she leaped int o t he air again. Will shaded his eyes t o wat ch her and t he ot her ragged, elegant f igures wheel in t he air and dart up over t he t rees. "Oh, Will, we'll be saf e now! It 'll be all right now t hat Seraf ina Pekkala's here! " said Lyra. "I never t hought I'd see her again. She came j ust at t he right t ime, didn't she? Just like bef ore, at Bolvangar. . . . " Chat t ering happily, as if she'd already f orgot t en t he f ight , she led t he way up t he slope t oward t he f orest . Will f ollowed in silence. His hand was t hrobbing badly, and wit h each t hrob a lit t le more blood was leaving him. He held it up across his chest and t ried not t o t hink about it . It t ook not half an hour but an hour and t hree quart ers, because Will had t o st op and rest several t imes. When t hey reached t he cave, t hey f ound a f ire, a rabbit roast ing, and Seraf ina Pekkala st irring somet hing in a small iron pot . "Let me see your wound" was t he f irst t hing she said t o Will, and he dumbly held out his hand. Pant alaimon, cat -f ormed, wat ched curiously, but Will looked away. He didn't like t he sight of his mut ilat ed f ingers. The wit ches spoke sof t ly t o each ot her, and t hen Seraf ina Pekkala said, "What weapon made t his wound?" Will reached f or t he knif e and handed it t o her silent ly. Her companions looked at it wit h wonder and suspicion, f or t hey had never seen such a blade bef ore, wit h such an edge on it . "This will need more t han herbs t o heal. It will need a spell, " said Seraf ina Pekkala. "Very well, we'll prepare one. It will be ready when t he moon rises. In t he meant ime, you shall sleep. " She gave him a lit t le horn cup cont aining a hot pot ion whose bit t erness was moderat ed by honey, and present ly he lay back and f ell deeply asleep. The wit ch covered him wit h leaves and t urned t o Lyra, who was st ill gnawing t he rabbit . "Now, Lyra, " she said. "Tell me who t his boy is, and what you know about t his world, and about t his knif e of his. " So Lyra t ook a deep breat h and began.

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SCREEN LANGUAGE 'Tell me again, " said Dr. Oliver Payne, in t he lit t le laborat ory overlooking t he park. "Eit her I didn't hear you, or you're t alking nonsense. A child f rom anot her world?" "That 's what she said. All right , it 's nonsense, but list en t o it , Oliver, will you?" said Dr. Mary Malone. "She knew about Shadows. She calls t hem—it —she calls it Dust , but it 's t he same t hing. It 's

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our shadow part icles. And I'm t elling you, when she was wearing t he elect rodes linking her t o t he Cave, t here was t he most ext raordinary display on t he screen: pict ures, symbols . . . . She had an inst rument t oo, a sort of compass t hing made of gold, wit h dif f erent symbols all around t he rim. And she said she could read t hat in t he same way, and she knew about t he st at e of mind, t oo—she knew it int imat ely. " It was midmorning. Lyra's Scholar, Dr. Malone, was red-eyed f rom lack of sleep, and her colleague, who'd j ust ret urned f rom Geneva, was impat ient t o hear more, and skept ical, and preoccupied. "And t he point was, Oliver, she was communicat ing wit h t hem. They ar e conscious. And t hey can respond. And you remember your skulls? Well, she t old me about some skulls in t he Pit t -Rivers Museum. She'd f ound out wit h her compass t hing t hat t hey were much older t han t he museum said, and t here were Shadows—" "Wait a minut e. Give me some sort of st ruct ure here. What are you saying? You saying she's conf irmed what we know already, or t hat she's t elling us somet hing new?" "Bot h. I don't know. But suppose somet hing happened t hirt y, f ort y t housand years ago. There were shadow part icles around bef ore t hen, obviously—t hey've been around since t he Big Bang—but t here was no physical way of amplif ying t heir ef f ect s at our level, t he ant hropic level. The level of human beings. And t hen somet hing happened, I can't imagine what , but it involved evolut ion. Hence your skulls—remember? No Shadows bef ore t hat t ime, lot s af t erward? And t he skulls t he child f ound in t he museum, t hat she t est ed wit h her compass t hing. She t old me t he same t hing. What I'm saying is t hat around t hat t ime, t he human brain became t he ideal vehicle f or t his amplif icat ion process. Suddenly we became conscious. " Dr. Payne t ilt ed his plast ic mug and drank t he last of his cof f ee. "Why should it happen part icularly at t hat t ime?" he said. "Why suddenly t hirt y-f ive t housand years ago?" "Oh, who can say? We're not paleont ologist s. I don't know, Oliver, I'm j ust speculat ing. Don't you t hink it 's at least possible?" "And t his policeman. Tell me about him. " Dr. Malone rubbed her eyes. "His name is Walt ers, " she said. "He said he was f rom t he Special Branch. I t hought t hat was polit ics or somet hing?" 'Terrorism, subversion, int elligence. . . all t hat . Go on. What did he want ? Why did he come here?" "Because of t he girl. He said he was looking f or a boy of about t he same age—he didn't t ell me why —and t his boy had been seen in t he company of t he girl who came here. But he had somet hing else in mind as well, Oliver. He knew about t he research. He even asked—" The t elephone rang. She broke of f , shrugging, and Dr. Payne answered it . He spoke brief ly, put it down, and said, "We've got a visit or. " "Who?" "Not a name I know. Sir Somebody Somet hing. List en, Mary, I'm of f , you realize t hat , don't you?" "They of f ered you t he j ob. " "Yes. I've got t o t ake it . You must see t hat . " "Well, t hat 's t he end of t his, t hen. " He spread his hands helplessly, and said, 'To be f rank. . . I can't see any point in t he sort of st uf f you've j ust been t alking about . Children f rom anot her world and f ossil Shadows. . . . It 's all t oo crazy. I j ust can't get involved. I've got a career, Mary. " "What about t he skulls you t est ed? What about t he Shadows around t he ivory f igurine?" He shook his head and t urned his back. Bef ore he could answer, t here came a t ap at t he door, and he opened it almost wit h relief . file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (114 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Sir Charles said, "Good day t o you. Dr. Payne? Dr. Malone? My name is Charles Lat rom. It 's very good of you t o see me wit hout any not ice. " "Come in, " said Dr. Malone, weary but puzzled. "Did Oli ver say Sir Charles? What can we do f or you?" "It may be what I can do f or you, " he said. "I underst and you're wait ing f or t he result s of your f unding applicat ion. " "How do you know t hat ?" said Dr. Payne. "I used t o be a civil servant . As a mat t er of f act , I was concerned wit h direct ing scient if ic policy. I st ill have a number of cont act s in t he f ield, and I heard. . . May I sit down?" "Oh, please, " said Dr. Malone. She pulled out a chair, and he sat down as if he were in charge of a meet ing. "Thank you. I heard t hrough a f riend—I'd bet t er not ment ion his name; t he Of f icial Secret s Act covers all sort s of silly t hings—I heard t hat your applicat ion was being considered, and what I heard about it int rigued me so much t hat I must conf ess I asked t o see some of your work. I know I had no business t o, except t hat I st ill act as a sort of unof f icial adviser, so I used t hat as an excuse. And really, what I saw was quit e f ascinat ing. " "Does t hat mean you t hink we'll be successf ul?" said Dr. Malone, leaning f orward, eager t o believe him. "Unf ort unat ely, no. I must be blunt . They're not minded t o renew your grant . " Dr. Malone's shoulders slumped. Dr. Payne was wat ching t he old man wit h caut ious curiosit y. "Why have you come here now, t hen?" he said. "Well, you see, t hey haven't of f icially made t he decision yet . It doesn't look promising, and I'm being f rank wit h you; t hey see no prospect of f unding work of t his sort in t he f ut ure. However, it might be t hat if you had someone t o argue t he case f or you, t hey would see it dif f erent ly. " "An advocat e? You mean yourself ? I didn't t hink it worked like t hat , " said Dr. Malone, sit t ing up. "I t hought t hey went on peer review and so on. " "It does in principle, of course, " said Sir Charles. "But it also helps t o know how t hese commit t ees work in pract ice. And t o know who's on t hem. Well, here I am. I'm int ensely int erest ed in your work; I t hink it might be very valuable, and it cert ainly ought t o cont inue. Would you let me make inf ormal represent at ions on your behalf ?" Dr. Malone f elt like a drowning sailor being t hrown a lif e belt . "Why . . . well, yes! Good grief , of course! And t hank you. . . I mean, do you really t hink it 'll make a dif f erence? I don't mean t o suggest t hat . . . I don't know what I mean. Yes, of course! " "What would we have t o do?" said Dr. Payne. Dr. Malone looked at him in surprise. Hadn't Oliver j ust said he was going t o work in Geneva? But he seemed t o be underst anding Sir Charles bet t er t han she was, f or a f licker of complicit y was passing bet ween t hem, and Oliver came t o sit down, t oo. "I'm glad you t ake my point , " said t he old man. "You're quit e right . There is a direct ion I'd be especially glad t o see you t aking. And provided we could agree, I might even be able t o f ind you some ext ra money f rom anot her source alt oget her. " "Wait , wait , " said Dr. Malone. "Wait a minut e. The course of t his research is a mat t er f or us. I'm perf ect ly willing t o discuss t he result s, but not t he direct ion. Surely you see—" Sir Charles spread his hands in a gest ure of regret and got t o his f eet . Oliver Payne st ood t oo, anxious. "No, please, Sir Charles, " he said. "I'm sure Dr. Malone will hear you out . Mary, t here's no harm in list ening, f or goodness' sake. And it might make all t he dif f erence. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (115 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"I t hought you were going t o Geneva?" she said. "Geneva?" said Sir Charles. "Excellent place. Lot of scope t here. Lot of money, t oo. Don't let me hold you back. " "No, no, it 's not set t led yet , " said Dr. Payne hast ily. "There's a lot t o discuss—it 's all st ill very f luid. Sir Charles, please sit down. Can I get you some cof f ee?" "That would be very kind, " said Sir Charles, and sat again, wit h t he air of a sat isf ied cat . Dr. Malone looked at him clearly f or t he f irst t ime. She saw a man in his lat e sixt ies, prosperous, conf ident , beaut if ully dressed, used t o t he very best of everyt hing, used t o moving among powerf ul people and whispering in import ant ears. Oliver was right : he did want somet hing. And t hey wouldn't get his support unless t hey sat isf ied him. She f olded her arms. Dr. Payne handed him a mug, saying, "Sorry it 's rat her primit ive. . . . " "Not at all. Shall I go on wit h what I was saying?" "Do, please, " said Dr. Payne. "Well, I underst and t hat you've made some f ascinat ing discoveries in t he f ield of consciousness. Yes, I know, you haven't published anyt hing yet , and it 's a long way—seemingly— f rom t he apparent subj ect of your research. Nevert heless, word get s around. And I'm especially int erest ed in t hat . I would be very pleased if , f or example, you were t o concent rat e your research on t he manipulat ion of consciousness. Second, t he many-worlds hypot hesis—Everet t , you remember, 1957 or t hereabout s—I believe you're on t he t rack of somet hing t hat could t ake t hat t heory a good deal f urt her. And t hat line of research might even at t ract def ense f unding, which as you may know is st ill plent if ul, even t oday, and cert ainly isn't subj ect t o t hese wearisome applicat ion processes. "Don't expect me t o reveal my sources, " he went on, holding up his hand as Dr. Malone sat f orward and t ried t o speak. "I ment ioned t he Of f icial Secret s Act ; a t edious piece of legislat ion, but we must n't be naught y about it . I conf ident ly expect some advances in t he many-worlds area. I t hink you are t he people t o do it . And t hird, t here is a part icular mat t er connect ed wit h an individual. A child. " He paused t here, and sipped t he cof f ee. Dr. Malone couldn't speak. She'd gone pale, t hough she couldn't know t hat , but she did know t hat she f elt f aint . "For various reasons, " Sir Charles went on, "I am in cont act wit h t he int elligence services. They are int erest ed in a child, a girl, who has an unusual piece of equipment —an ant ique scient if ic inst rument , cert ainly st olen, which should be in saf er hands t han hers. There is also a boy of roughly t he same age— t welve or so—who is want ed in connect ion wit h a murder. It 's a moot point whet her a child of t hat age is capable of murder, of course, but he has cert ainly killed someone. And he has been seen wit h t he girl. "Now, Dr. Malone, it may be t hat you have come across one or t he ot her of t hese children. And it may be t hat you are quit e properly inclined t o t ell t he police about what you know. But you would be doing a great er service if you were t o let me know privat ely. I can make sure t he proper aut horit ies deal wit h it ef f icient ly and quickly and wit h no st upid t abloid publicit y. I know t hat Inspect or Walt ers came t o see you yest erday, and I know t hat t he girl t urned up. You see, I do know what I'm t alking about . I would know, f or inst ance, if you saw her again, and if you didn't t ell me, I would know t hat t oo. You'd be very wise t o t hink hard about t hat , and t o clarif y your recollect ions of what she said and did when she was here. This is a mat t er of nat ional securit y. You underst and me. "Well, t here I'll st op. Here's my card so you can get in t ouch. I shouldn't leave it t oo long; t he f unding commit t ee meet s t omorrow, as you know. But you can reach me at t his number at any file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (116 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t ime. " He gave a card t o Oliver Payne, and seeing Dr. Malone wit h her arms st ill f olded, laid one on t he bench f or her. Dr. Payne held t he door f or him. Sir Charles set his Panama hat on his head, pat t ed it gent ly, beamed at bot h of t hem, and lef t . When he'd shut t he door again, Dr. Payne said, "Mary, are you mad? Where's t he sense in behaving like t hat ?" "I beg your pardon? You're not t aken in by t hat old creep, are you?" "You can't t urn down of f ers like t hat ! Do you want t his proj ect t o survive or not ?" "It wasn't an of f er, " she said hot ly. "It was an ult imat um. Do as he says, or close down. And, Oliver, f or God's sake, all t hose not -so-subt le t hreat s and hint s about nat ional securit y and so on—can't you see where t hat would lead?" "Well, I t hink I can see it more clearly t han you can. If you said no, t hey wouldn't close t his place down. They'd t ake it over. If t hey're as int erest ed as he says, t hey'll want it t o carry on. But only on t heir t erms. " "But t heir t erms would be. . . I mean, def ense, f or God's sake. They want t o f ind new ways of killing people. And you heard what he said about consciousness: he want s t o manipulat e it . I'm not going t o get mixed up in t hat , Oliver, never. " "They'll do it anyway, and you'll be out of a j ob. If you st ay, you might be able t o inf luence it in a bet t er direct ion. And you'd st ill have your hands on t he work! You'd st ill be involved! " "But what does it mat t er t o you, anyway?" she said. "I t hought Geneva was all set t led?" He ran his hands t hrough his hair and said, "Well, not set t led. Not hing's signed. And it would be a dif f erent angle alt oget her, and I'd be sorry t o leave here now t hat I t hink we're really on t o somet hing. " "What are you saying?" "I'm not saying—" "You're hint ing. What are you get t ing at ?" "Well. . . " He walked around t he laborat ory, spreading his hands, shrugging, shaking his head. "Well, if you don't get in t ouch wit h him, I will, " he said f inally. She was silent . Then she said, "Oh, I see. " "Mary, I've got t o t hink of —" "Of course you have. " "It 's not t hat —" "No, no. " "You don't underst and—" "Yes, I do. It 's very simple. You promise t o do as he says, you get t he f unding, I leave, you t ake over as Direct or. It 's not hard t o underst and. You'd have a bigger budget . Lot s of nice new machines. Half a dozen more Ph. Ds under you. Good idea. You do it , Oliver. You go ahead. But t hat 's it f or me. I'm of f . It st inks. " "You haven't . . . " But her expression silenced him. She t ook of f her whit e coat and hung it on t he door, gat hered a f ew papers int o a bag, and lef t wit hout a word. As soon as she'd gone, he t ook Sir Charles's card and picked up t he phone. Several hours lat er, j ust bef ore midnight in f act , Dr. Malone parked her car out side t he science building and let herself in at t he side ent rance. But j ust as she t urned t o climb t he st airs, a man came out of anot her corridor, st art ling her so much she nearly dropped her brief case. He was file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (117 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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wearing a unif orm. "Where are you going?" he said. He st ood in t he way, bulky, his eyes hardly visible under t he low brim of his cap. "I'm going t o my laborat ory. I work here. Who are you?" she said, a lit t le angry, a lit t le f right ened. "Securit y. Have you got some ID?" "What securit y? I lef t t his building at t hree o'clock t his af t ernoon and t here was only a port er on dut y, as usual. I should be asking you f or ident if icat ion. Who appoint ed you? And why?" "Here's my ID, " said t he man, showing her a card, t oo quickly f or her t o read it . "Where's yours?" She not iced he had a mobile phone in a holst er at his hip. Or was it a gun? No, surely, she was being paranoid. And he hadn't answered her quest ions. But if she persist ed, she'd make him suspicious, and t he import ant t hing now was t o get int o t he lab. Soot he him like a dog, she t hought . She f umbled t hrough her bag and f ound her wallet . "Will t his do?" she said, showing him t he card she used t o operat e t he barrier in t he car park. He looked at it brief ly. "What are you doing here at t his t ime of night ?" he said. "I've got an experiment running. I have t o check t he comput er periodically. " He seemed t o be searching f or a reason t o f orbid her, or perhaps he was j ust exercising his power. Finally he nodded and st ood aside. She went past , smiling at him, but his f ace remained blank. When she reached t he laborat ory, she was st ill t rembling. There had never been any more "securit y" in t his building t han a lock on t he door and an elderly port er, and she knew why t he change had come about . But it meant t hat she had very lit t le t ime; she'd have t o get it right at once, because once t hey realized what she was doing, she wouldn't be able t o come back again. She locked t he door behind her and lowered t he blinds. She swit ched on t he det ect or and t hen t ook a f loppy disk f rom her pocket and slipped it int o t he comput er t hat cont rolled t he Cave. Wit hin a minut e she had begun t o manipulat e t he numbers on t he screen, going half by logic, half by guesswork, and half by t he program she'd worked on all evening at home; and t he complexit y of her t ask was about as baf f ling as get t ing t hree halves t o make one whole. Finally she brushed t he hair out of her eyes and put t he elect rodes on her head, and t hen f lexed her f ingers and began t o t ype. She f elt int ensely self -conscious.

Hello. I'm not sure what I'm doing. Maybe this is crazy. The words arranged t hemselves on t he lef t of t he screen, which was t he f irst surprise. She wasn't using a word-processing program of any kind—in f act , she was bypassing much of t he operat ing syst em—and what ever f ormat t ing was imposing it self on t he words, it wasn't hers. She f elt t he hairs begin t o st ir on t he back of her neck, and she became aware of t he whole building around her: t he corridors dark, t he machines idling, various experiment s running aut omat ically, comput ers monit oring t est s and recording t he result s, t he air-condit ioning sampling and adj ust ing t he humidit y and t he t emperat ure, all t he duct s and pipework and cabling t hat were t he art eries and t he nerves of t he building awake and alert . . . almost conscious in f act . She t ried again.

I'm trying to do with words what I've file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (118 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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done before with a state of mind, but Bef ore she had even f inished t he sent ence, t he cursor raced across t o t he right of t he screen and print ed:

ASK A QUESTION. It was almost inst ant aneous. She f elt as if she had st epped on a space t hat wasn't t here. Her whole being lurched wit h shock. It t ook several moment s f or her t o calm down enough t o t ry again. When she did, t he answers lashed t hemselves across t he right of t he screen almost bef ore she had f inished.

Are you Shadows?

YES.

Are you the same as Lyra's Dust? YES. And is that dark matter?

YES.

Dark matter is conscious?

EVIDENTLY.

What I said to Oliver this morning, my idea about human evolution, is it

CORRECT. BUT YOU NEED TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS.

She st opped, t ook a deep breat h, pushed her chair back, f lexed her f ingers. She could f eel her heart racing. Every single t hing about what was happening was impossible. All her educat ion, all her habit s of mind, all her sense of herself as a scient ist were shrieking at her silent ly: This is wrong! It isn't happening! You're dreaming! And yet t here t hey were on t he screen: her quest ions, and answers f rom some ot her mind. She gat hered herself and t yped again, and again t he answers zipped int o being wit h no discernible pause.

The mind that is answering these questions isn't human, is it?

NO. BUT HUMANS HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN

Us? There's more than one of you?

UNCOUNTABLE BILLIONS

But, what are you?

ANGELS

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Mary Malone's head rang. She'd been brought up as a Cat holic. More t han t hat —as Lyra had discovered, she had once been a nun. None of her f ait h was lef t t o her now, but she knew about angels. St . August ine had said, "Angel is t he name of t heir of f ice, not of t heir nat ure. If you seek t he name of t heir nat ure, it is spirit ; if you seek t he name of t heir of f ice, it is angel; f rom what t hey are, spirit , f rom what t hey do, angel. " Dizzy, t rembling, she t yped again:

And Shadow matter is what we FROM WHAT WE ARE, have called spirit? SPIRIT; FROM WHAT WE DO, MATTER. MATTER AND SPIRIT ARE ONE.

She shivered. They'd been list ening t o her t hought s.

And did you intervene in human evolution?

YES

Vengeance for—oh! RebeL angels! FIND THE GIRL AND THE After the war in Heaven— Satan BOY. WASTE NO MORE TIME. and the Garden of Eden—but it isn't true, is it? Is that what you

But why?

YOU MUST PLAY THE SERPENT.

She t ook her hands f rom t he keyboard and rubbed her eyes. The words were st ill t here when she looked again.

Where

GO TO A ROAD CALLED SUNDERLAND AVENUE AND FIND A TENT. DECEIVE THE GUARDIAN AND GO THROUGH. TAKE PROVISIONS FOR A LONG JOURNEY. YOU WILL BE PROTECTED. THE SPECTERS WILL NOT TOUCH YOU.

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But I

BEFORE YOU GO, DESTROY THIS EQUIPMENT.

I don't understand. Why me? And what's this journey? And

YOU HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS AS LONG AS YOU HAVE LIVED. YOUR WORK HERE IS FINISHED. THE LAST THING YOU MUST DO IN THIS WORLD IS PREVENT THE ENEMIES FROM TAKING CONTROL OF IT. DESTROY THE EQUIPMENT. DO IT NOW AND GO AT ONCE.

Mary Malone pushed back t he chair and st ood up, t rembling. She pressed her f ingers t o her t emples and discovered t he elect rodes st ill at t ached t o her skin. She t ook t hem of f absent ly. She might have doubt ed what she had done, and what she could st ill see on t he screen, but she had passed in t he last half -hour or so beyond doubt and belief alt oget her. Somet hing had happened, and she was galvanized. She swit ched of f t he det ect or and t he amplif ier. Then she bypassed all t he saf et y codes and f ormat t ed t he comput er's hard disk, wiping it clean; and t hen she removed t he int erf ace bet ween t he det ect or and t he amplif ier, which was on a specially adapt ed card, and put t he card on t he bench and smashed it wit h t he heel of her shoe, t here being not hing else heavy at hand. Next she disconnect ed t he wiring bet ween t he elect romagnet ic shield and t he det ect or, and f ound t he wiring plan in a drawer of t he f iling cabinet and set light t o it . Was t here anyt hing else she could do? She couldn't do much about Oliver Payne's knowledge of t he program, but t he special hardware was ef f ect ively demolished. She crammed some papers f rom a drawer int o her brief case, and f inally t ook down t he post er wit h t he I Ching hexagrams and f olded it away in her pocket . Then she swit ched of f t he light and lef t . The securit y guard was st anding at t he f oot of t he st airs, speaking int o his t elephone. He put it away as she came down, and escort ed her silent ly t o t he side ent rance, wat ching t hrough t he glass door as she drove away. An hour and a half lat er she parked her car in a road near Sunderland Avenue. She had had t o f ind it on a map of Oxf ord; she didn't know t his part of t own. Up t ill t his moment she had been moving on pent -up excit ement , but as she got out of her car in t he dark of t he small hours and f ound t he night cool and silent and st ill all around her, she f elt a def init e lurch of apprehension. Suppose she was dreaming? Suppose it was all some elaborat e j oke? Well, it was t oo lat e t o worry about t hat . She was commit t ed. She lif t ed out t he rucksack she'd of t en t aken on camping j ourneys in Scot land and t he Alps, and ref lect ed t hat at least she knew how t o survive out of doors; if worse came t o worst , she could always run away, t ake t o t he hills. . . . Ridiculous. But she swung t he rucksack ont o her back, lef t t he car, t urned int o t he Banbury Road, and walked t he t wo or t hree hundred yards up t o where Sunderland Avenue ran lef t f rom t he rot ary. She f elt

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almost more f oolish t han she had ever f elt in her lif e. But as she t urned t he corner and saw t hose st range childlike t rees t hat Will had seen, she knew t hat somet hing at least was t rue about all t his. Under t he t rees on t he grass at t he f ar side of t he road t here was a small square t ent of red and whit e nylon, t he sort t hat elect ricians put up t o keep t he rain of f while t hey work, and parked close by was an unmarked whit e Transit van wit h darkened glass in t he windows. Bet t er not hesit at e. She walked st raight across t oward t he t ent . When she was nearly t here, t he back door of t he van swung open and a policeman st epped out . Wit hout his helmet he looked very young, and t he st reet light under t he dense green of t he leaves above shone f ull on his f ace. "Could I ask where you're going, madam?" he said. "Int o t hat t ent . " "I'm af raid you can't , madam. I've got orders not t o let anyone near it . " "Good, " she said. "I'm glad t hey've got t he place prot ect ed. But I'm f rom t he Depart ment of Physical Sciences— Sir Charles Lat rom asked us t o make a preliminary survey and t hen report back bef ore t hey look at it properly. It 's import ant t hat it 's done now while t here aren't many people around. I'm sure you underst and t he reasons f or t hat . " "Well, yes, " he said. "But have you got anyt hing t o show who you are?" "Oh, sure, " she said, and swung t he rucksack of f her back t o get at her purse. Among t he it ems she had t aken f rom t he drawer in t he laborat ory was an expired library card of Oliver Payne's. Fif t een minut es' work at her kit chen t able and t he phot ograph f rom her own passport had produced somet hing she hoped would pass f or genuine. The policeman t ook t he laminat ed card and looked at it closely. '"Dr. Olive Payne, '" he read. "Do you happen t o know a Dr. Mary Malone?" "Oh, yes. She's a colleague. " "Do you know where she is now?" "At home in bed, if she's got any sense. Why?" "Well, I underst and her posit ion in your organizat ion's been t erminat ed, and she wouldn't be allowed t hrough here. In f act , we've got orders t o det ain her if she t ries. And seeing a woman, I nat urally t hought you might be her, if you see what I mean. Excuse me, Dr. Payne. " "Ah, I see, " said Mary Malone. The policeman looked at t he card once more. "St ill, t his seems all right , " he said, and handed it back. Nervous, want ing t o t alk, he went on. "Do you know what 's in t here under t hat t ent ?" "Well, not f irst hand, " she said. "That 's why I'm here now. " "I suppose it is. All right t hen, Dr. Payne. " He st ood back and let her unlace t he f lap of t he t ent . She hoped he wouldn't see t he shaking of her hands. Clut ching t he rucksack t o her breast , she st epped t hrough. Decei ve t he guar di an—well, she'd done t hat ; but she had no idea what she would f ind inside t he t ent . She was prepared f or some sort of archaeological dig; f or a dead body; f or a met eorit e. But not hing in her lif e or her dreams had prepared her f or t hat square yard or so in midair, or f or t he silent sleeping cit y by t he sea t hat she f ound when she st epped t hrough it .

THIRTEEN

AESAHAETTR

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As t he moon rose, t he wit ches began t heir spell t o heal Will's wound. They woke him and asked him t o lay t he knif e on t he ground where it caught a glit t er of st arlight . Lyra sat nearby st irring some herbs in a pot of boiling wat er over a f ire, and while her companions clapped and st amped and cried in rhyt hm, Seraf ina crouched over t he knif e and sang in a high, f ierce t one:

"Li t t l e kni f e! They t or e your i r on out of Mot her Ear t h's ent r ai l s, bui l t af i r e and boi l ed t he or e, made i t weep and bl eed and f l ood, hammer ed i t and t emper ed i t , pl ungi ng i t i n i cy wat er , heat i ng i t i nsi de t he f or ge t i l l your bl ade was bl ood-r ed, scor chi ng! Then t hey made you wound t he wat er once agai n, and yet agai n, t i l l t he st eam was boi l i ng f og and t he wat er cr i ed f or mer cy. And when you sl i ced a si ngl e shade i nt o t hi r t y t housand shadows, t hen t hey knew t hat you wer e r eady, t hen t hey cal l ed you subt l e one. "But l i t t l e kni f e, what have you done? Unl ocked bl ood-gat es, l ef t t hem wi de! Li t t l e kni f e, your mot her cal l s you, f r om t he ent r ai l s of t he ear t h, f r om her deepest mi nes and caver ns, f r om her secr et i r on womb. Li st en! " And Seraf ina st amped again and clapped her hands wit h t he ot her wit ches, and t hey shook t heir t hroat s t o make a wild ulu-lat ion t hat t ore at t he air like claws. Will, seat ed in t he middle of t hem, f elt a chill at t he core of his spine. Then Seraf ina Pekkala t urned t o Will himself , and t ook his wounded hand in bot h of hers. When she sang t his t ime, he nearly f linched, so f ierce was her high, clear voice, so glit t ering her eyes; but he sat wit hout moving, and let t he spell goon.

"Bl ood! Obey me! Tur n ar ound, be a l ake and not a r i ver . When you r each t he open ai r , st op! And bui l d a cl ot t ed wal l , bui l d i t f i r m t o hol d t he f l ood back. Bl ood, your sky i s t he skul l -dome, your sun i s t he open eye, your wi nd t he br eat h i nsi de t he l ungs, file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (123 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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bl ood, your wor l d i s bounded. St ay t her e! " Will t hought he could f eel all t he at oms of his body responding t o her command, and he j oined in, urging his leaking blood t o list en and obey. She put his hand down and t urned t o t he lit t le iron pot over t he f ire. A bit t er st eam was rising f rom it , and Will heard t he liquid bubbling f iercely. Seraf ina sang:

"Oak bar k, spi der si l k, gr ound moss, sal t weed— gr i p cl ose, bi nd t i ght , hol df ast , cl ose up, bar t he door , l ock t he gat e, st i f f en t he bl ood-wal l , dr y t he gor e-f l ood. " Then t he wit ch t ook her own knif e and split an alder sapling along it s whole lengt h. The wounded whit eness gleamed open in t he moon. She daubed some of t he st eaming liquid int o t he split , t hen closed up t he wood, easing it t oget her f rom t he root t o t he t ip. And t he sapling was whole again. Will heard Lyra gasp, and t urned t o see anot her wit ch holding a squirming, st ruggling hare in her t ough hands. The animal was pant ing, wild-eyed, kicking f uriously, but t he wit ch's hands were merciless. In one she held it s f orelegs and wit h t he ot her she grasped it s hind legs and pulled t he f renzied hare out st raight , it s heaving belly upward. Seraf ina's knif e swept across it . Will f elt himself grow dizzy, and Lyra was rest raining Pant alaimon, hare-f ormed himself in sympat hy, who was bucking and snapping in her arms. The real hare f ell st ill, eyes bulging, breast heaving, ent rails glist ening. But Seraf ina t ook some more of t he decoct ion and t rickled it int o t he gaping wound, and t hen closed up t he wound wit h her f ingers, smoot hing t he wet f ur over it unt il t here was no wound at all. The wit ch holding t he animal relaxed her grip and let it gent ly t o t he ground, where it shook it self , t urned t o lick it s f lank, f licked it s ears, and nibbled a blade of grass as if it were complet ely alone. Suddenly it seemed t o become aware of t he circle of wit ches around it , and like an arrow it shot away, whole again, bounding swif t ly of f int o t he dark. Lyra, soot hing Pant alaimon, glanced at Will and saw t hat he knew what it meant : t he medicine was ready. He held out his hand, and as Seraf ina daubed t he st eaming mixt ure on t he bleeding st umps of his f ingers he looked away and breat hed in sharply several t imes, but he didn't f linch. Once his open f lesh was t horoughly soaked, t he wit ch pressed some of t he sodden herbs ont o t he wounds and t ied t hem t ight around wit h a st rip of silk. And t hat was it ; t he spell was done. Will slept deeply t hrough t he rest of t he night . It was cold, but t he wit ches piled leaves over him, and Lyra slept huddled close behind his back. In t he morning Seraf ina dressed his wound again, and he t ried t o see f rom her expression whet her it was healing, but her f ace was calm and impassive. Once t hey'd eat en, Seraf ina t old t he children t hat t he wit ches had agreed t hat since t hey'd come int o t his world t o f ind Lyra and be her guardians, t hey'd help Lyra do what she now knew her t ask t o be: namely, t o guide Will t o his f at her. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (124 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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So t hey all set of f ; and it was quiet going f or t he most part . Lyra consult ed t he alet hiomet er t o begin wit h, but warily, and learned t hat t hey should t ravel in t he direct ion of t he dist ant mount ains t hey could see across t he great bay. Never having been t his high above t he cit y, t hey weren't aware of how t he coast line curved, and t he mount ains had been below t he horizon; but now when t he t rees t hinned, or when a slope f ell away below t hem, t hey could look out t o t he empt y blue sea and t o t he high blue mount ains beyond, which were t heir dest inat ion. It seemed a long way t o go. They spoke lit t le. Lyra was busy looking at all t he lif e in t he f orest , f rom woodpeckers t o squirrels t o lit t le green moss snakes wit h diamonds down t heir backs, and Will needed all his energy simply t o keep going. Lyra and Pant alaimon discussed him endlessly. "We could look at t he alet hiomet er, " Pant alaimon said at one point when t hey'd dawdled on t he pat h t o see how close t hey could get t o a browsing f awn bef ore it saw t hem. "We never promised not t o. And we could f ind out all kinds of t hings f or him. We'd be doing it f or him, not f or us. " "Don't be st upid, " Lyra said. "It would be us we'd be doing it f or, 'cause he'd never ask. You're j ust greedy and nosy, Pan. " "That makes a change. It 's normally you who's greedy and nosy, and me who has t o warn you not t o do t hings. Like in t he ret iring room at Jordan. I never want ed t o go in t here. " "If we hadn't , Pan, d'you t hink all t his would have happened?" "No. 'Cause t he Mast er would have poisoned Lord Asriel, and t hat would've been t he end of it . " "Yeah, I suppose. . . . Who d'you t hink Will's f at her is, t hough? And why's he import ant ?" "That 's what I mean! We could f ind out in a moment ! " And she looked wist f ul. "I might have done once, " she said, "but I'm changing, I t hink, Pan. " "No you're not . " "You might not be. . . . Hey, Pan, when I change, you'll st op changing. What 're you going t o be?" "A f lea, I hope. " "No, but don't you get any f eelings about what you might be?" "No. I don't want t o, eit her. " "You're sulking because I won't do what you want . " He changed int o a pig and grunt ed and squealed and snort ed t ill she laughed at him, and t hen he changed int o a squirrel and dart ed t hrough t he branches beside her. "Who do you t hink his f at her is?" Pant alaimon said. "D'you t hink he could be anyone we met ?" "Could be. But he's bound t o be someone import ant , almost as import ant as Lord Asriel. Bound t o be. We know what we 're doing is import ant , af t er all. " "We don't know it , " Pant alaimon point ed out . "We t hink it is, but we don't know. We j ust decided t o look f or Dust because Roger died. " "We know it 's import ant ! " Lyra said hot ly, and she even st amped her f oot . "And so do t he wit ches. They come all t his way t o look f or us j ust t o be my guardians and help me! And we got t o help Will f ind his f at her. Thai's import ant . You know it is, t oo, else you wouldn't have licked him when he was wounded. Why'd you do t hat , anyway? You never asked me if you could. I couldn't believe it when you did t hat . " "I did it because he didn't have a daemon, and he needed one. And if you were half as good at seeing t hings as you t hink you are, you'd've known t hat . " "I did know it , really, " she said. They st opped t hen, because t hey had caught up wit h Will, who was sit t ing on a rock beside t he pat h. Pant alaimon became a f lycat cher, and as he f lew among t he branches, Lyra said, "Will, what d'you t hink t hose kids'll do now?" file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (125 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"They won't be f ollowing us. They were t oo f right ened of t he wit ches. Maybe t hey'll j ust go back t o drif t ing about . " "Yeah, probably. They might want t o use t he knif e, t hough. They might come af t er us f or t hat . " "Let t hem. They're not having it , not now. I didn't want it at f irst . But if it can kill t he Spect ers . . . " "I never t rust ed Angelica, not f rom t he beginning, " Lyra said virt uously. "Yes, you did, " he said. "Yeah. I did, really. . . . I hat ed it in t he end, t hat cit y. " "I t hought it was heaven when I f irst f ound it . I couldn't imagine anyt hing bet t er t han t hat And all t he t ime it was f ull of Spect ers, and we never knew. . . . " "Well, I won't t rust kids again, " said Lyra. "I t hought back at Bolvangar t hat what ever grownups did, however bad it was, kids were dif f erent . They wouldn't do cruel t hings like t hat . But I en't sure now. I never seen kids like t hat bef ore, and t hat 's a f act . " "I have, " said Will. "When? In your world?" "Yeah, " he said, awkwardly. Lyra wait ed and sat st ill, and present ly he went on. "It was when my mot her was having one of her bad t imes. She and me, we lived on our own, see, because obviously my f at her wasn't t here. And every so of t en she'd st art t hinking t hings t hat weren't t rue. And having t o do t hings t hat didn't make sense—not t o me, anyway. I mean she had t o do t hem or else she'd get upset and af raid, and so I used t o help her. Like t ouching all t he railings in t he park, or count ing t he leaves on a bush—t hat kind of t hing. She used t o get bet t er af t er a while. But I was af raid of anyone f inding out she was like t hat , because I t hought t hey'd t ake her away, so I used t o look af t er her and hide it . I never t old anyone. "And once she got af raid when I wasn't t here t o help her. I was at school. And she went out and she wasn't wearing very much, only she didn't know. And some boys f rom my school, t hey f ound her, and t hey st art ed. . . " Will's f ace was hot . Wit hout being able t o help it he f ound himself walking up and down and looking away f rom Lyra because his voice was unst eady and his eyes were wat ering. He went on: "They were t orment ing her j ust like t hose kids at t he t ower wit h t he cat . . . They t hought she was mad and t hey want ed t o hurt her, maybe kill her, I wouldn't be surprised. She was j ust dif f erent and t hey hat ed her. Anyway, I f ound her and I got her home. And t he next day in school I f ought t he boy who was leading t hem. I f ought him and I broke bis arm and I t hink I broke some of his t eet h—I don't know. And I was going t o f ight t he rest of t hem, t oo, but I got in t rouble and I realized I bet t er st op because t hey'd f ind out —I mean t he t eachers and t he aut horit ies. They'd go t o my mot her and complain about me, and t hen t hey'd f ind out about how she was and t ake her away. So I j ust pret ended t o be sorry and t old t he t eachers I wouldn't do it again, and t hey punished me f or f ight ing and I st ill said not hing. But I kept her saf e, see. No one knew apart f rom t hose boys, and t hey knew what I'd do if t hey said anyt hing; t hey knew I'd kill t hem anot her t ime. Not j ust hurt t hem. And a bit lat er she got bet t er again. No one knew, ever. "But af t er t hat I never t rust ed children any more t han grownups. They're j ust as keen t o do bad t hings. So I wasn't surprised when t hose kids in Ci'gazze did t hat . "But I was glad when t he wit ches came. " He sat down again wit h his back t o Lyra and, st ill not looking at her, he wiped his hand across his eyes. She pret ended not t o see. "Will, " she said, "what you said about your mot her. . . and Tullio, when t he Spect ers got him. . . and when you said yest erday t hat you t hought t he Spect ers came f rom your world. . . " "Yes. Because it doesn't make sense, what was happening t o her. She wasn't mad. Those kids might file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (126 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t hink she was mad and laugh at her and t ry t o hurt her, but t hey were wrong; she wasn't mad. Except t hat she was af raid of t hings I couldn't see. And she had t o do t hings t hat looked crazy; you couldn't see t he point of t hem, but obviously she could. Like her count ing all die leaves, or Tullio yest erday t ouching t he st ones in t he wall. Maybe t hat was a way of t rying t o put t he Spect ers of f . If t hey t urned t heir back on somet hing f right ening behind t hem and t ried t o get really int erest ed in t he st ones and how t hey f it t oget her, or t he leaves on t he bush, like if only t hey could make t hemselves f ind t hat really import ant , t hey'd be saf e. I don't know. It looks like t hat . There were real t hings f or her t o be f right ened of , like t hose men who came and robbed us, but t here was somet hing else as well as t hem. So maybe we do have t he Spect ers in my world, only we can't see t hem and we haven't got a name f or t hem, but t hey're t here, and t hey keep t rying t o at t ack my mot her. So t hat 's why I was glad yest erday when t he alet hiomet er said she was all right . " He was breat hing f ast , and his right hand was gripping t he handle of t he knif e in it s sheat h. Lyra said not hing, and Pant a-laimon kept very st ill. "When did you know you had t o look f or your f at her?" she said af t er a while. "A long t ime ago, " he t old her. "I used t o pret end he was a prisoner and I'd help him escape. I had long games by myself doing t hat ; it used t o go on f or days. Or else he was on t his desert island and I'd sail t here and bring him home. And he'd know exact ly what t o do about everyt hing—about my mot her, especially—and she'd get bet t er and he'd look af t er her and me and I could j ust go t o school and have f riends and I'd have a mot her and a f at her, t oo. So I always said t o myself t hat when I grew up I'd go and look f or my f at her. . . . And my mot her used t o t ell me t hat I was going t o t ake up my f at her's mant le. She used t o say t hat t o make me f eel good. I didn't know what it meant , but it sounded import ant . " "Didn't you have f riends?" "How could I have f riends?" he said, simply puzzled. "Friends . . . They come t o your house and t hey know your parent s and. . . Somet imes a boy might ask me around t o his house, and I might go or I might not , but I could never ask him back. So I never had f riends, really. I would have liked . . . I had my cat , " he went on. "I hope she's all right now. I hope someone's looking af t er her. " "What about t he man you killed?" Lyra said, her heart beat ing hard. "Who was he?" "I don't know. If I killed him, I don't care. He deserved it . There were t wo of t hem. They kept coming t o t he house and pest ering my mot her t ill she was af raid again, and worse t han ever. They want ed t o know all about my f at her, and t hey wouldn't leave her alone. I'm not sure if t hey were police or what . I t hought at f irst t hey were part of a gang or somet hing, and t hey t hought my f at her had robbed a bank, maybe, and hidden t he money. But t hey didn't want money; t hey want ed papers. They want ed some let t ers t hat my f at her had sent . They broke int o t he house one day, and t hen I saw it would be saf er if my mot her was somewhere else. See, I couldn't go t o t he police and ask t hem f or help, because t hey'd t ake my mot her away. I didn't know what t o do. "So in t he end I asked t his old lady who used t o t each me t he piano. She was t he only person I could t hink of . I asked her if my mot her could st ay wit h her, and I t ook her t here. I t hink she'll look af t er her all right . Anyway, I went back t o t he house t o look f or t hese let t ers, because I knew where she kept t hem, and I got t hem, and t he men came t o look and broke int o t he house again. It was night t ime, or early morning. And I was hiding at t he t op of t he st airs and Moxie—my cat , Moxie—she came out of t he bedroom. And I didn't see her, nor did t he man, and when I knocked int o him she t ripped him up, and he f ell right t o t he bot t om of t he st airs. . . . "And I ran away. That 's all t hat happened. So I didn't mean t o kill him, but I don't care if I did. I ran away and went t o Oxf ord and t hen I f ound t hat window. And t hat only happened because I saw file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (127 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t he ot her cat and st opped t o wat ch her, and she f ound t he window f irst . If I hadn't seen her. . . or if Moxie hadn't come out of t he bedroom t hen. . . " "Yeah, " said Lyra, "t hat was lucky. And me and Pan were t hinking j ust now, what if I'd never gone int o t he wardrobe in t he ret iring room at Jordan and seen t he Mast er put poison in t he wine? None of t his would have happened eit her. " Bot h of t hem sat silent on t he moss-covered rock in t he slant of sunlight t hrough t he old pines and t hought how many t iny chances had conspired t o bring t hem t o t his place. Each of t hose chances might have gone a dif f erent way. Perhaps in anot her world, anot her Will had not seen t he window in Sunder-land Avenue, and had wandered on t ired and lost t oward t he Midlands unt il he was caught . And in anot her world anot her Pant alaimon had persuaded anot her Lyra not t o st ay in t he ret iring room, and anot her Lord Asriel had been poisoned, and anot her Roger had survived t o play wit h t hat Lyra f orever on t he roof s and in t he alleys of anot her unchanging Oxf ord. Present ly Will was st rong enough t o go on, and t hey moved t oget her along t he pat h, wit h t he great f orest quiet around t hem. They t raveled on t hrough t he day, rest ing, moving, rest ing again, as t he t rees grew t hinner and t he land more rocky. Lyra checked t he alet hiomet er: Keep going, it said; t his is t he right direct ion. At noon t hey came t o a village unt roubled by Spect ers. Goat s past ured on t he hillside, a grove of lemon t rees cast shade on t he st ony ground, and children playing in t he st ream called out and ran f or t heir mot hers at t he sight of t he girl in t he t at t ered clot hing, and t he whit e-f aced, f ierce-eyed boy in t he bloodst ained shirt , and t he elegant greyhound t hat walked beside t hem. The grownups were wary but willing t o sell some bread and cheese and f ruit f or one of Lyra's gold coins. The wit ches kept out of t he way, t hough bot h children knew t hey'd be t here in a second if any danger t hreat ened. Af t er anot her round of Lyra's bargaining, one old woman sold t hem t wo f lasks of goat skin and a f ine linen shirt , and Will renounced his f ilt hy T-shirt wit h relief , washing himself in t he icy st ream and lying t o dry in t he hot sun af t erward. Ref reshed, t hey moved on. The land was harsher now; f or shade t hey had t o rest in t he shadow of rocks, not under wide-spreading t rees, and t he ground underf oot was hot t hrough t he soles of t heir shoes. The sun pounded at t heir eyes. They moved more and more slowly as t hey climbed, and when t he sun t ouched t he mount ain rims and t hey saw a lit t le valley open below t hem, t hey decided t o go no f art her. They scrambled down t he slope, nearly losing t heir f oot ing more man once, and t hen had t o shove t heir way t hrough t hicket s of dwarf rhododendrons whose dark glossy leaves and crimson f lower clust ers were heavy wit h t he hum of bees. They came out in t he evening shade on a wild meadow bordering a st ream. The grass was knee-high and t hick wit h cornf lowers, gent ians, cinquef oil. Will drank deeply in t he st ream and t hen lay down. He couldn't st ay awake, and he couldn't sleep, eit her; his head was spinning, a daze of st rangeness hung over everyt hing, and his hand was sore and t hrobbing. And what was worse, it had begun t o bleed again. When Seraf ina looked at it , she put more herbs on t he wound, and t ied t he silk t ight er t han ever, but t his t ime her f ace was t roubled. He didn't want t o quest ion her, f or what would be t he point ? It was plain t o him t hat t he spell hadn't worked, and he could see she knew it t oo. As darkness f ell, he heard Lyra come t o lie down close by, and present ly he heard a sof t purring. Her daemon, cat -f ormed, was dozing wit h f olded paws only a f oot or t wo away f rom him, and Will whispered, "Pant alaimon?" file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (128 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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The daemon's eyes opened. Lyra didn't st ir. Pant alaimon whispered, "Yes?" "Pan, am I going t o die?" "The wit ches won't let you die. Nor will Lyra. " "But t he spell didn't work. I keep losing blood. I can't have much lef t t o lose. And it 's bleeding again, and it won't st op. I'm f right ened. . . . " "Lyra doesn't t hink you are. " "Doesn't she?" "She t hinks you're t he bravest f ight er she ever saw, as brave as lorek Byrnison. " "I suppose I bet t er t ry not t o seem f right ened, t hen, " Will said. He was quiet f or a minut e or so, and t hen he said, "I t hink Lyra's braver t han me. I t hink she's t he best f riend I ever had. " "She t hinks t hat about you as well, " whispered t he daemon. Present ly Will closed his eyes. Lyra lay unmoving, but her eyes were wide open in t he dark, and her heart was beat ing hard. When Will next became aware of t hings, it was complet ely dark, and his hand was hurt ing more t han ever. He sat up caref ully and saw a f ire burning not f ar away, where Lyra was t rying t o t oast some bread on a f orked st ick. There were a couple of birds roast ing on a spit as well, and as Will came t o sit nearby, Seraf ina Pekkala f lew down. "Will, " she said, "eat t hese leaves bef ore you have any ot her f ood. " She gave him a handf ul of sof t bit t er-t ast ing leaves somewhat like sage, and he chewed t hem silent ly and f orced t hem down. They were ast ringent , but he f elt more awake and less cold, and t he bet t er f or it . They at e t he roast ed birds, seasoning t hem wit h lemon j uice, and t hen anot her wit ch brought some blueberries she'd f ound below t he scree, and t hen t he wit ches gat hered around t he f ire. They t alked quiet ly; some of t hem had f lown high up t o spy, and one had seen a balloon over t he sea. Lyra sat up at once. "Mr. Scoresby's balloon?" she said. "There were t wo men in it , but it was t oo f ar away t o see who t hey were. A st orm was gat hering behind t hem. " Lyra clapped her hands. "If Mr. Scoresby's coming, " she said, "we'll be able t o f ly, Will! Oh, I hope it 's him! I never said good-bye t o him, and he was so kind. I wish I could see him again, I really do. . . . " The wit ch Jut a Kamainen was list ening, wit h her red-breast ed robin daemon bright -eyed on her shoulder, because t he ment ion of Lee Scoresby had reminded her of t he quest he'd set out on. She was t he wit ch who had loved St anislaus Grumman and whose love he'd t urned down, t he wit ch Seraf ina Pekkala had brought int o t his world t o prevent her f rom killing him in t heir own. Seraf ina might have not iced, but somet hing else happened: she held up her hand and lif t ed her head, as did all t he ot her wit ches. Will and Lyra could hear very f aint ly t o t he nort h t he cry of some night bird. But it wasn't a bird; t he wit ches knew it at once f or a daemon. Seraf ina Pekkala st ood up, gazing int ent ly int o t he sky. "I t hink it 's Rut a Skadi, " she said. They kept st ill, t ilt ing t heir heads t o t he wide silence, st raining t o hear. And t hen came anot her cry, closer already, and t hen a t hird; and at t hat , all t he wit ches seized t heir branches and leaped int o t he air. All but t wo, t hat is, who st ood close by, arrows at t heir bowst rings, guarding Will and Lyra. Somewhere in t he dark above, a f ight was t aking place. And only seconds lat er, it seemed, t hey file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (129 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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could hear t he rush of f light , t he whiz of arrows, and t he grunt and scream of voices raised in pain or anger or command. And t hen wit h a t hud so sudden t hey had no t ime t o j ump, a creat ure f ell f rom t he sky at t heir f eet —a beast of leat hery skin and mat t ed f ur t hat Lyra recognized as a clif f -ghast , or somet hing similar. It was broken by t he f all, and an arrow prot ruded f rom it s side, but st ill it lurched up and lunged wit h a f lopping malice at Lyra. The wit ches couldn't shoot , because she was in t heir line of f ire, but Will was t here f irst ; and wit h t he knif e he slashed backhand, and t he creat ure's head came of f and rolled over once or t wice. The air lef t it s lungs wit h a gurgling sigh, and it f ell dead. They t urned t heir eyes upward again, f or t he f ight was coming lower, and t he f irelight glaring up showed a swif t -rushing swirl of black silk, pale limbs, green pine needles, gray-brown scabby leat her. How t he wit ches could keep t heir balance in t he sudden t urns and halt s and f orward dart s, let alone aim and shoot , was beyond Will's underst anding. Anot her clif f -ghast and t hen a t hird f ell in t he st ream or on t he rocks nearby, st ark dead; and t hen t he rest f led, skirling and clut t ering int o t he dark t oward t he nort h. A f ew moment s lat er Seraf ina Pekkala landed wit h her own wit ches and wit h anot her: a beaut if ul wit ch, f ierce-eyed and black-haired, whose cheeks were f lushed wit h anger and excit ement . The new wit ch saw t he headless clif f -ghast and spat . "Not f rom our world, " she said, "nor f rom t his. Filt hy abominat ions. There are t housands of t hem, breeding like f lies. . . . Who is t his? Is t his t he child Lyra? And who is t he boy?" Lyra ret urned her gaze st olidly, t hough she f elt a quickening of her heart , f or Rut a Skadi lived so brilliant ly in her nerves t hat she set up a responding t hrill in t he nerves of anyone close by. Then t he wit ch t urned t o Will, and he f elt t he same t ingle of int ensit y, but like Lyra he cont rolled his expression. He st ill had t he knif e in his hand, and she saw what he'd done wit h it and smiled. He t hrust it int o t he eart h t o clean it of t he f oul t hing's blood and t hen rinsed it in t he st ream. Rut a Skadi was saying, "Seraf ina Pekkala, I am learning so much; all t he old t hings are changing, or dying, or empt y. I'm hungry. . . . " She at e like an animal, t earing at t he remains of t he roast ed birds and cramming handf uls of bread int o her mout h, washing it down wit h deep gulps f rom t he st ream. While she at e, some of t he wit ches carried t he dead clif f -ghast away, rebuilt t he f ire, and t hen set up a wat ch. The rest came t o sit near Rut a Skadi t o hear what she could t ell t hem. She t old what had happened when she f lew up t o meet t he angels, and t hen of her j ourney t o Lord Asriel's f ort ress. "Sist ers, it is t he great est cast le you can imagine: rampart s of basalt , rearing t o t he skies, wit h wide roads coming f rom every direct ion, and on t hem cargoes of gunpowder, of f ood, of armor plat e. How has he done t his? I t hink he must have been preparing t his f or a long t ime, f or eons. He was preparing t his bef ore we were born, sist ers, even t hough he is so much younger. . . . But how can t hat be? I don't know. I can't underst and. I t hink he commands t ime, he makes it run f ast or slow according t o his will. "And coming t o t his f ort ress are warriors of every kind, f rom every world. Men and women, yes, and f ight ing spirit s, t oo, and armed creat ures such as I had never seen—lizards and apes, great birds wit h poison spurs, creat ures t oo out landish t o have a name I could guess at . And ot her worlds have wit ches, sist ers; did you know t hat ? I spoke t o wit ches f rom a world like ours, but prof oundly dif f erent , f or t hose wit ches live no longer t han our short -lif es, and t here are men among t hem, t oo, men-wit ches who f ly as we do. . . . " Her t ale was causing t he wit ches of Seraf ina Pekkala's clan t o list en wit h awe and f ear and disbelief . But Seraf ina believed her, and urged her on. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (130 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Did you see Lord Asriel, Rut a Skadi? Did you f ind your way t o him?" "Yes, I did, and it was not easy, because he lives at t he cent er of so many circles of act ivit y, and he direct s t hem all. But I made myself invisible and f ound my way t o his inmost chamber, when he was preparing t o sleep. " Every wit ch t here knew what had happened next , and neit her Will nor Lyra dreamed of it . So Rut a Skadi had no need t o t ell, and she went on: "And t hen I asked him why he was bringing all t hese f orces t oget her, and if it was t rue what we'd heard about his challenge t o t he Aut horit y, and he laughed. "Do t hey speak of it in Siberia, t hen?' he said, and I t old him yes, and on Svalbard, and in every region of t he nort h—our nort h; and I t old him of our pact , and how I'd lef t our world t o seek him and f ind out . "And he invit ed us t o j oin him, sist ers. To j oin his army against t he Aut horit y. I wished wit h all my heart I could pledge us t here and t hen. He showed me t hat t o rebel was right and j ust , when you considered what t he agent s of t he Aut horit y did in His name. . . . And I t hought of t he Bolvangar children, and t he ot her t errible mut ilat ions I have seen in our own sout hlands; and he t old me of many more hideous cruelt ies dealt out in t he Aut horit y's name—of how t hey capt ure wit ches, in some worlds, and burn t hem alive, sist ers. Yes, wit ches like ourselves . . . "He opened my eyes. He showed me t hings I had never seen, cruelt ies and horrors all commit t ed in t he name of t he Aut horit y, all designed t o dest roy t he j oys and t he t rut hf ulness of lif e. "Oh, sist ers, I longed t o t hrow myself and my whole clan int o t he cause! But I knew I must consult you f irst , and t hen f ly back t o our world and t alk t o leva Kasku and Reina Mit i and t he ot her wit ch queens. "So I lef t his chamber invisibly and f ound my cloud-pine and f lew away. But bef ore I'd f lown f ar, a great wind came up and hurled me high int o t he mount ains, and I had t o t ake ref uge on a clif f t op. Knowing t he sort of creat ures who live on clif f s, I made myself invisible again, and in t he darkness I heard voices. "It seemed t hat I'd st umbled on t he nest ing place of t he oldest of all clif f -ghast s. He was blind, and t hey were bringing him f ood: some st inking carrion f rom f ar below. And t hey were asking him f or guidance. " 'Grandf at her, ' t hey said, 'how f ar back does your memory go?' " 'Way, way back. Back long bef ore humans, ' he said, and his voice was sof t and cracked and f rail. " 'Is it t rue t hat t he great est bat t le ever known is coming soon, Grandf at her?' " 'Yes, children, ' he said. 'A great er bat t le t han t he last one, even. Fine f east ing f or all of us. These will be days of pleasure and plent y f or every ghast in every world. ' " 'And who's going t o win, Grandf at her? Is Lord Asriel going t o def eat t he Aut horit y?' " 'Lord Asriel's army numbers millions, ' t he old clif f -ghast t old t hem, 'assembled f rom every world. It 's a great er army t han t he one t hat f ought t he Aut horit y bef ore, and it 's bet t er led. As f or t he f orces of t he Aut horit y, why, t hey number a hundred t imes as many. But t he Aut horit y is age-old, f ar older even t han me, children, and His t roops are f right ened, and complacent where t hey're not f right ened. It would be a close f ight , but Lord Asriel would win, because he is passionat e and daring and he believes his cause is j ust . Except f or one t hing, children. He hasn't got Aesahaet t r. Wit hout Aesahaet t r, he and all his f orces will go down t o def eat . And t hen we shall f east f or years, my children! ' "And he laughed and gnawed t he st inking old bone t hey'd brought t o him, and t he ot hers all shrieked wit h glee. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (131 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Now, you can imagine how I list ened hard t o hear more about t his Aesahaet t r, but all I could hear over t he howling of t he wind was a young ghast asking, 'If Lord Asriel needs Aesahast t r, why doesn't he call him?' "And t he old ghast said, 'Lord Asriel knows no more about Aesahaet t r t han you do, child! That is t he j oke! Laugh long and loud—' "But as I t ried t o get closer t o t he f oul t hings t o learn more, my power f ailed, sist ers, I couldn't hold myself invisible any longer. The younger ones saw me and shrieked out , and I had t o f lee, back int o t his world t hrough t he invisible gat eway in t he air. A f lock of t hem came af t er me, and t hose are t he last of t hem, dead over t here. "But it 's clear t hat Lord Asriel needs us, sist ers. Whoever t his Aesahast t r is, Lord Asriel needs us! I wish I could go back t o Lord Asriel now and say, 'Don't be anxious—we're coming—we t he wit ches of t he nort h, and we shall help you win. ' . . . Let 's agree now, Seraf ina Pekkala, and call a great council of all t he wit ches, every single clan, and make war! " Seraf ina Pekkala looked at Will, and it seemed t o him t hat she was asking his permission f or somet hing. But he could give no guidance, and she looked back at Rut a Skadi. "Not us, " she said. "Our t ask now is t o help Lyra, and her t ask is t o guide Will t o his f at her. You should f ly back, agreed, but we must st ay wit h Lyra. " Rut a Skadi t ossed her head impat ient ly. "Well, if you must , " she said. Will lay down, because his wound was hurt ing him—much more now t han when it was f resh. His whole hand was swollen. Lyra t oo lay down, wit h Pant alaimon curled at her neck, and wat ched t he f ire t hrough half -closed lids, and list ened sleepily t o t he murmur of t he wit ches. Rut a Skadi walked a lit t le way upst ream, and Seraf ina Pekkala went wit h her. "Ah, Seraf ina Pekkala, you should see Lord Asriel, " said t he Lat vian queen quiet ly. "He is t he great est commander t here ever was. Every det ail of his f orces is clear in his mind, imagine t he daring of it , t o make war on t he Creat or! But who do you t hink t his Aesahaet t r can be? How have we not heard of him? And how can we urge him t o j oin Lord Asriel?" "Maybe it 's not a him, sist er. We know as lit t le as t he young clif f -ghast . Maybe t he old grandf at her was laughing at his ignorance. The word sounds as if it means 'god dest royer. ' Did you know t hat ?" "Then it might mean us af t er all, Seraf ina Pekkala! And if it does, t hen how much st ronger his f orces will be when we j oin t hem. Ah, I long f or my arrows t o kill t hose f iends f rom Bolvangar, and every Bolvangar in every world! Sist er, why do t hey do it ? In every world, t he agent s of t he Aut horit y are sacrif icing children t o t heir cruel god! Why? Why?" "They are af raid of Dust , " said Seraf ina Pekkala, "t hough what t hat is, I don't know. " "And t his boy you've f ound. Who is he? What world does he come f rom?" Seraf ina Pekkala t old her all she knew about Will. "I don't know why he's import ant , " she f inished, "but we serve Lyra. And her inst rument t ells her t hat t hat is her t ask. And, sist er, we t ried t o heal his wound, but we f ailed. We t ried t he holding spell, but it didn't work. Maybe t he herbs in t his world are less pot ent t han ours. It 's t oo hot here f or bloodmoss t o grow. " "He's st range, " said Rut a Skadi. "He is t he same kind as Lord Asriel. Have you looked int o his eyes?" 'To t ell t he t rut h, " said Seraf ina Pekkala, "I haven't dared. " The t wo queens sat quiet ly by t he st ream. Time went past ; st ars set , and ot her st ars rose; a lit t le cry came f rom t he sleepers, but it was only Lyra dreaming. The wit ches heard t he rumbling of a st orm, and t hey saw t he light ning play over t he sea and t he f oot hills, but it was a long way of f . Lat er Rut a Skadi said, "The girl Lyra. What of t he part she was supposed t o play? Is t his it ? She's import ant because she can lead t he boy t o his f at her? It was more t han t hat , wasn't it ?" "That 's what she has t o do now. But as f or lat er, yes, f ar more t han t hat . What we wit ches have file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (132 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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said about t he child is t hat she would put an end t o dest iny. Well, we know t he name t hat would make her meaningf ul t o Mrs. Coult er, and we know t hat t he woman doesn't know it . The wit ch she was t ort uring on t he ship near Svalbard nearly gave it away, but Yambe-Akka came t o her in t ime. "But I'm t hinking now t hat Lyra might be what you heard t hose ghast s speak of —t his ^ Aesahaet t r. Not t he wit ches, not t hose angel-beings, but t hat sleeping child: t he f inal weapon in t he war against t he Aut horit y. Why else would Mrs. Coult er be so anxious t o f ind her?" "Mrs. Coult er was a lover of Lord Asriel's, " said Rut a Skadi. "Of course, and Lyra is t heir child. . . . Seraf ina Pekkala, if I had borne his child, what a wit ch she would be! A queen of queens! " "Hush, sist er, " said Seraf ina. "List en. . . and what 's t hat light ?" They st ood, alarmed t hat somet hing had slipped past t heir guard, and saw a gleam of light f rom t he camping place; not f irelight , t hough, not hing remot ely like f irelight . They ran back on silent f eet , arrows already nocked t o t heir bowst rings, and st opped suddenly. All t he wit ches were asleep on t he grass, and so were Will and Lyra. But surrounding t he t wo children were a dozen or more angels, gazing down at t hem. And t hen Seraf ina underst ood somet hing f or which t he wit ches had no word: it was t he idea of pilgrimage. She underst ood why t hese beings would wait f or t housands of years and t ravel vast dist ances in order t o be close t o somet hing import ant , and how t hey would f eel dif f erent ly f or t he rest of t ime, having been brief ly in it s presence. That was how t hese creat ures looked now, t hese beaut if ul pilgrims of raref ied light , st anding around t he girl wit h t he dirt y f ace and t he t art an skirt and t he boy wit h t he wounded hand who was f rowning in his sleep. There was a st ir at Lyra's neck. Pant alaimon, a snow-whit e ermine, opened his black eyes sleepily and gazed around unaf raid. Lat er, Lyra would remember it as a dream. Pant alaimon seemed t o accept t he at t ent ion as Lyra's due, and present ly he curled up again and closed his eyes. Finally one of t he creat ures spread his wings wide. The ot hers, as close as t hey were, did so t oo, and t heir wings int erpenet rat ed wit h no resist ance, sweeping t hrough one anot her like light t hrough light , unt il t here was a circle of radiance around t he sleepers on t he grass. Then t he wat chers t ook t o t he air, one af t er anot her, rising like f lames int o t he sky and increasing in size as t hey did so, unt il t hey were immense; but already t hey were f ar away, moving like shoot ing st ars t oward t he nort h. Seraf ina and Rut a Skadi sprang t o t heir pine branches and f ollowed t hem upward, but t hey were lef t f ar behind. "Were t hey l ike t he creat ures you saw, Rut a Skadi?" said Seraf ina as t hey slowed down in t he middle airs, wat ching t he bright f lames diminish t oward t he horizon. "Bigger, I t hink, but t he same kind. They have no f lesh, did you see t hat ? All t hey are is light . Their senses must be so dif f erent f rom ours. . . . Seraf ina Pekkala, I'm leaving you now, t o call all t he wit ches of our nort h t oget her. When we meet again, it will be wart ime. Go well, my dear. . . " They embraced in midair, and Rut a Skadi t urned and sped sout hward. Seraf ina wat ched her go, and t hen t urned t o see t he last of t he gleaming angels disappear f ar away. She f elt not hing but compassion f or t hose great wat chers. How much t hey must miss, never t o f eel t he eart h beneat h t heir f eet , or t he wind in t heir hair, or t he t ingle of t he st arlight on t heir bare skin! And she snapped a lit t le t wig of f t he pine branch she f lew wit h, and snif f ed t he sharp resin smell wit h greedy pleasure, bef ore f lying slowly down t o j oin t he sleepers on t he grass.

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ALAMO GULCH Lee Scoresby looked down at t he placid ocean t o his lef t and t he green shore t o his right , and shaded his eyes t o search f or human lif e. It was a day and a night since t hey had lef t t he Yenisei. "And t his is a new world?" he said. "New t o t hose not born in it , " said St anislaus Grumman. "As old as yours or mine, ot herwise. What Asriel's done has shaken everyt hing up, Mr. Scoresby, shaken it more prof oundly t han it 's ever been shaken bef ore. These doorways and windows t hat I spoke of —t hey open in unexpect ed places now. It 's hard t o navigat e, but t his wind is a f air one. " "New or old, t hat 's a st range world down t here, " said Lee. "Yes, " said St anislaus Grumman. "It is a st range world, t hough no doubt some f eel at home t here. " "It looks empt y, " said Lee. "Not so. Beyond t hat headland you'll f ind a cit y t hat was once powerf ul and wealt hy. And it 's st ill inhabit ed by t he descendant s of t he merchant s and nobles who built it , t hough it 's f allen on hard t imes in t he past t hree hundred years. " A f ew minut es lat er, as t he balloon drif t ed on, Lee saw f irst a light house, t hen t he curve of a st one breakwat er, t hen t he t owers and domes and red-brown roof s of a beaut if ul cit y around a harbor, wit h a sumpt uous building like an opera house in lush gardens, and wide boulevards wit h elegant hot els, and lit t le st reet s where blossom-bearing t rees hung over shaded balconies. And Grumman was right ; t here were people t here. But as t he balloon drif t ed closer, Lee was surprised t o see t hat t hey were children. There was not an adult in sight . And he was even more surprised t o see t he children had no daemons—yet t hey were playing on t he beach, or running in and out of caf es, or eat ing and drinking, or gat hering bags f ull of goods f rom houses and shops. And t here was a group of boys who were f ight ing, and a red-haired girl urging t hem on, and a lit t le boy t hrowing st ones t o smash all t he windows of a nearby building. It was like a playground t he size of a cit y, wit h not a t eacher in sight ; it was a world of children. But t hey weren't t he only presences t here. Lee had t o rub his eyes when he saw t hem f irst , but t here was no doubt about it : columns of mist —or somet hing more t enuous t han mist —a t hickening of t he air. . . . What ever t hey were, t he cit y was f ull of t hem; t hey drif t ed along t he boulevards, t hey ent ered houses, t hey clust ered in t he squares and court yards. The children moved among t hem unseeing. But not unseen. The f art her t hey drif t ed over t he cit y, t he more Lee could observe t he behavior of t hese f orms. And it was clear t hat some of t he children were of int erest t o t hem, and t hat t hey f ollowed cert ain children around: t he older children, t hose who (as f ar as Lee could see t hrough his t elescope) were on t he verge of adolescence. There was one boy, a t all t hin yout h wit h a shock of black hair, who was so t hickly surrounded by t he t ransparent beings t hat his very out line seemed t o shimmer in t he air. They were like f lies around meat . And t he boy had no idea of it , t hough f rom t ime t o t ime he would brush his eyes, or shake his head as if t o clear his vision. "What t he hell are t hose t hings?" said Lee. 'The people call t hem Spect ers. " "What do t hey do, exact ly?" "You've heard of vampires?" "Oh, in t ales. "

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"The Spect ers f east as vampires f east on blood, but t he Spect ers' f ood is at t ent ion. A conscious and inf ormed int erest in t he world. The immat urit y of children is less at t ract ive t o t hem. " "They're t he opposit e of t hose devils at Bolvangar, t hen. " "On t he cont rary. Bot h t he Oblat ion Board and t he Spect ers of Indif f erence are bewit ched by t his t rut h about human beings: t hat innocence is dif f erent f rom experience. The Oblat ion Board f ears and hat es Dust , and t he Spect ers f east on it , but it 's Dust bot h of t hem are obsessed by. " "They're clust ered around t hat kid down t here. " "He's growing up. They'll at t ack him soon, and t hen his lif e will become a blank, indif f erent misery. He's doomed. " "For Pet e's sake! Can't we rescue him?" "No. The Spect ers would seize us at once. They can't t ouch us up here; all we can do is wat ch and f ly on. " "But where are t he adult s? You don't t ell me t he whole world is f ull of children alone?" "Those children are Spect er-orphans. There are many gangs of t hem in t his world. They wander about living on what t hey can f ind when t he adult s f lee. And t here's plent y t o f ind, as you can see. They don't st arve. It looks as if a mult it ude of Spect ers have invaded t his cit y, and t he adult s have gone t o saf et y. You not ice how f ew boat s t here are in t he harbor? The children will come t o no harm. " "Except f or t he older ones. Like t hat poor kid down t here. " "Mr. Scoresby, t hat is t he way t his world works. And if you want t o put an end t o cruelt y and inj ust ice, you must t ake me f art her on. I have a j ob t o do. " "Seems t o me—" Lee said, f eeling f or t he words, "seems t o me t he place you f ight cruelt y is where you f ind it , and t he place you give help is where you see it needed. Or is t hat wrong, Dr. Grumman? I'm only an ignorant aeronaut . I'm so damn ignorant I believed it when I was t old t hat shamans had t he gif t of f light , f or example. Yet here's a shaman who hasn't . " "Oh, but I have. " "How d'you make t hat out ?" The balloon was drif t ing lower, and t he ground was rising. A square st one t ower rose direct ly in t heir pat h, and Lee didn't seem t o have not iced. "I needed t o f ly, " said Grumman, "so I summoned you, and here I am, f lying. " He was perf ect ly aware of t he peril t hey were in, but he held back f rom implying t hat t he aeronaut wasn't . And in perf ect t ime, Lee Scoresby leaned over t he side of t he basket and pulled t he cord on one of t he bags of ballast . The sand f lowed out , and t he balloon lif t ed gent ly t o clear t he t ower by six f eet or so. A dozen crows, dist urbed, rose cawing around t hem. "I guess you are, " said Lee. "You have a st range way about you, Dr. Grumman. You ever spend any t ime among t he wit ches?" "Yes, " said Grumman. "And among academicians, and among spirit s. I f ound f olly everywhere, but t here were grains of wisdom in every st ream of it . No doubt t here was much more wisdom t hat I f ailed t o recognize. Lif e is hard, Mr. Scoresby, but we cling t o it all t he same. " "And t his j ourney we're on? Is t hat f olly or wisdom?" "The great est wisdom I know. " 'Tell me again what your purpose is. You're going t o f ind t he bearer of t his subt le knif e, and what t hen?" "Tell him what his t ask is. " "And t hat 's a t ask t hat includes prot ect ing Lyra, " t he aeronaut reminded him. "It will prot ect all of us. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (135 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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They f lew on, and soon t he cit y was out of sight behind t hem. Lee checked his inst rument s. The compass was st ill gyrat ing loosely, but t he alt imet er was f unct ioning accurat ely, as f ar as he could j udge, and showed t hem t o be f loat ing about a t housand f eet above t he seashore and parallel wit h it . Some way ahead a line of high green hills rose int o t he haze, and Lee was glad he'd provided plent y of ballast . But when he made his regular scan of t he horizon, he f elt a lit t le check at his heart . Hest er f elt it t oo, and f licked up her ears, and t urned her head so t hat one gold-hazel eye rest ed on his f ace. He picked her up, t ucked her in t he breast of his coat , and opened t he t elescope again. No, he wasn't mist aken. Far t o t he sout h (if sout h it was, t he direct ion t hey'd come f rom) anot her balloon was f loat ing in t he haze. The heat shimmer and t he dist ance made it impossible t o see any det ails, but t he ot her balloon was larger, and f lying higher. Grumman had seen it t oo. "Enemies, Mr. Scoresby?" he said, shading his eyes t o peer int o t he pearly light . "There can't be a doubt . I'm uncert ain whet her t o lose ballast and go higher, t o cat ch t he quicker wind, or st ay low and be less conspicuous. And I'm t hankf ul t hat t hing's not a zeppelin; t hey could overhaul us in a f ew hours. No, damn it , Dr. Grumman, I'm going higher, because if I was in t hat balloon I'd have seen t his one already; and I'll bet t hey have keen eyesight . " He set Hest er down again and leaned out t o j et t ison t hree bags of ballast . The balloon rose at once, and Lee kept t he t elescope t o his eye. And a minut e lat er he knew f or cert ain t hey'd been sight ed, f or t here was a st ir of movement in t he haze, which resolved it self int o a line of smoke st reaking up and away at an angle f rom t he ot her balloon; and when it was some dist ance up, it burst int o a f lare. It blazed deep red f or a moment and t hen dwindled int o a pat ch of gray smoke, but it was a signal as clear as a t ocsin in t he night . "Can you summon a st if f er breeze, Dr. Grumman?" said Lee. "I'd like t o make t hose hills by night f all. " For t hey were leaving t he shoreline now, and t heir course was t aking t hem out over a wide bay t hirt y or f ort y miles across. A range of hills rose on t he f ar side, and now t hat he'd gained some height , Lee saw t hat t hey might more t rut hf ully be called mount ains. He t urned t o Grumman, but f ound him deep in a t rance. The shaman's eyes were closed, and beads of sweat st ood out on his f orehead as he rocked gent ly back and f ort h. A low rhyt hmic moaning came f rom his t hroat , and his daemon gripped t he edge of t he basket , equally ent ranced. And whet her it was t he result of gaining height or whet her it was t he shaman's spell, a breat h did st ir t he air on Lee's f ace. He looked up t o check t he gasbag and saw it sway a degree or t wo, leaning t oward t he hills. But t he breeze t hat moved t hem more swif t ly was working on t he ot her balloon, t oo. It was no closer, but neit her had t hey lef t it behind. And as Lee t urned t he t elescope on it again, he saw darker, smaller shapes behind it in t he shimmering dist ance. They were grouped purposef ully, and becoming clearer and more solid every minut e. "Zeppelins, " he said. "Well, t here's no hiding out here. " He t ried t o make an est imat e of t heir dist ance, and a similar calculat ion about t he hills t oward which t hey were f lying. Their speed had cert ainly picked up now, and t he breeze was f licking whit e t ips of f t he waves f ar below. Grumman sat rest ing in a corner of t he basket while his daemon groomed her f eat hers. His eyes were closed, but Lee knew he was awake. "The sit uat ion's like t his, Dr. Grumman, " he said. "I do not want t o be caught alof t by t hose file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (136 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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zeppelins. There ain't no def ense; t hey'd have us down in a minut e. Nor do I want t o land in t he wat er, by f ree choice or not ; we could f loat f or a while, but t hey could pick us of f wit h grenades as easy as f ishing. "So I want t o reach t hose hills and make a landing. I can see some f orest now; we can hide among t he t rees f or a spell, maybe a long t ime. "And meanwhile t he sun's going down. We have about t hree hours t o sunset , by my calculat ion. And it 's hard t o say, but I t hink t hose zeppelins will have closed on us half way by t hat t ime, and we should have got t en t o t he f ar shore of t his bay. "Now, you underst and what I'm saying. I'm going t o t ake us up int o t hose hills and t hen land, because anyt hing else is cert ain deat h. They'll have made a connect ion now bet ween t his ring I showed t hem and t he Skraeling I killed on Nova Zembla, and t hey ain't chasing us t his hard t o say we lef t our wallet on t he count er. "So somet ime t onight , Dr. Grumman, t his f light 's gonna be over. You ever landed in a balloon?" "No, " said t he shaman. "But I t rust your skill. " "I'll t ry and get as high up t hat range as I can. It 's a quest ion of balance, because t he f art her we go, t he closer t hey'll be behind us. If I land when t hey're t oo close behind, t hey'll be able t o see where we go, but if I t ake us down t oo early, we won't f ind t he shelt er of t hose t rees. Eit her way, t here's going t o be some shoot ing bef ore long. " Grumman sat impassively, moving a magical t oken of f eat hers and beads f rom one hand t o t he ot her in a pat t ern t hat Lee could see had some purposef ul meaning. His eagle daemon's eyes never lef t t he pursuing zeppelins. An hour went by, and anot her. Lee chewed an unlit cigar and sipped cold cof f ee f rom a t in f lask. The sun set t led lower in t he sky behind t hem, and Lee could see t he long shade of evening creep along t he shore of t he bay and up t he lower f lanks of t he hills ahead while t he balloon it self , and t he mount aint ops, were bat hed in gold. And behind t hem, almost lost hi t he sunset glare, t he lit t le dot s of t he zeppelins grew larger and f irmer. They had already overt aken t he ot her balloon and could now be easily seen wit h t he naked eye: f our of t hem in line abreast . And across t he wide silence of t he bay came t he sound of t heir engines, t iny but clear, an insist ent mosquit o whine. When t hey were st ill a f ew minut es f rom making t he shore at t he f oot of t he hills, Lee not iced somet hing new in t he sky behind t he zeppelins. A bank of clouds had been building, and a massive t hunderhead reared t housands of f eet up int o t he st ill-bright upper sky. How had he f ailed t o not ice? If a st orm was coming, t he sooner t hey landed t he bet t er. And t hen a dark green curt ain of rain drif t ed down and hung f rom t he clouds, and t he st orm seemed t o be chasing t he zeppelins as t hey were chasing Lee's balloon, f or t he rain swept along t oward t hem f rom t he sea, and as t he sun f inally vanished, a might y f lash came f rom t he clouds, and several seconds lat er a crash of t hunder so loud it shook t he very f abric of Lee's balloon, and echoed back f or a long t ime f rom t he mount ains. Then came anot her f lash of light ning, and t his t ime t he j agged f ork st ruck down direct f rom t he t hunderhead at one of t he zeppelins. In a moment t he gas was alight . A bright f lower of f lame blossomed against t he braise-dark clouds, and t he craf t drif t ed down slowly, ablaze like a beacon, and f loat ed, st ill blazing, on t he wat er. Lee let out t he breat h he'd been holding. Grumman was st anding beside him, one hand on t he suspension ring, wit h lines of exhaust ion deep in his f ace. "Did you bring t hat st orm?" said Lee. Grumman nodded. The sky was now colored like a t iger; bands of gold alt ernat ed wit h pat ches and st ripes of deepest file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (137 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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brown-black, and t he pat t ern changed by t he minut e, f or t he gold was f ading rapidly as t he brownblack engulf ed it . The sea behind was a pat chwork of black wat er and phosphorescent f oam, and t he last of t he burning zeppelin's f lames were dwindling int o not hing as it sank. The remaining t hree, however, were f lying on, buf f et ed hard but keeping t o t heir course. More light ning f lashed around t hem, and as t he st orm came closer, Lee began t o f ear f or t he gas in his own balloon. One st rike could have it t umbling t o eart h in f lames, and he didn't suppose t he shaman could cont rol t he st orm so f inely as t o avoid t hat . "Right , Dr. Grumman, " he said. "I'm going t o ignore t hose zeppelins f or now and concent rat e on get t ing us saf e int o t he mount ains and on t he ground. What I want you t o do is sit t ight and hold on, and be prepared t o j ump when I t ell you. I'll give you warning, and I'll t ry t o make it as gent le as I can, but landing in t hese condit ions is a mat t er of luck as much as skill. " "I t rust you, Mr. Scoresby, " said t he shaman. He sat back in a corner of t he basket while his daemon perched on t he suspension ring, her claws dug deep in t he leat her binding. The wind was blowing t hem hard now, and t he great gasbag swelled and billowed in t he gust s. The ropes creaked and st rained, but Lee had no f ear of t heir giving way. He let go some more ballast and wat ched t he alt imet er closely. In a st orm, when t he air pressure sank, you had t o of f set t hat drop against t he alt imet ric reading, and very of t en it was a crude rule-of -t humb calculat ion. Lee ran t hrough t he f igures, double-checked t hem, and t hen released t he last of his ballast . The only cont rol he had now was t he gas valve. He couldn't go higher; he could only descend. He peered int ent ly t hrough t he st ormy air and made out t he great bulk of t he hills, dark against t he dark sky. From below t here came a roaring, rushing sound, like t he crash of surf on a st ony beach, but he knew it was t he wind t earing t hrough t he leaves on t he t rees. So f ar, already! They were moving f ast er t han he'd t hought . And he shouldn't leave it t oo long bef ore he brought t hem down. Lee was t oo cool by nat ure t o rage at f at e; his manner was t o raise an eyebrow and greet it laconically. But he couldn't help a f licker of despair now, when t he one t hing he should do—namely, f ly bef ore t he st orm and let it blow it self out —was t he one t hing guarant eed t o get t hem shot down. He scooped up Hest er and t ucked her securely int o his breast , but t oning t he canvas coat up close t o keep her in. Grumman sat st eady and quiet ; his daemon, wind-t orn, clung f irmly wit h her t alons deep in t he basket rim and her f eat hers blown erect . "I'm going t o t ake us down, Dr. Grumman, " Lee shout ed above t he wind. "You should st and and be ready t o j ump clear. Hold t he ring and swing yourself up when I call. " Grumman obeyed. Lee gazed down, ahead, down, ahead, checking each dim glimpse against t he next , and blinking t he rain out of his eyes; f or a sudden squall had brought heavy drops at t hem like handf uls of gravel, and t he drumming t hey made on t he gasbag added t o t he wind's howl and t he lash of t he leaves below unt il Lee could hardly even hear t he t hunder. "Here we go! " he shout ed. "You cooked up a f ine st orm, Mr. Shaman. " He pulled at t he gas-valve line and lashed it around a cleat t o keep it open. As t he gas st reamed out of t he t op, invisible f ar above, t he lower curve of t he gasbag wit hdrew int o it self , and a f old, and t hen anot her, appeared where t here had been a bulging sphere only a minut e bef ore. The basket was t ossing and lurching so violent ly it was hard t o t ell if t hey were going down, and t he gust s were so sudden and wayward t hat t hey might easily have been blown high int o t he sky wit hout knowing; but af t er a minut e or so Lee f elt a sudden snag and knew t he grapnel had caught on a branch. It was only a t emporary check, so t he branch had broken, but it showed how close t hey were. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (138 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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He shout ed, "Fif t y f eet above t he t rees—" The shaman nodded. Then came anot her snag, more violent , and t he t wo men were t hrown hard against t he rim of t he basket . Lee was used t o it and f ound his balance at once, but t he f orce t ook Grumman by surprise. However, he didn't lose his grip on t he suspension ring, and Lee could see him saf ely poised, ready t o swing himself clear. A moment lat er came t he most j olt ing shock of all as t he grapnel f ound a branch t hat held it f ast . The basket t ilt ed at once and a second lat er was crashing int o t he t reet ops, and amid t he lashing of wet leaves and t he snapping of t wigs and t he creak of t orment ed branches it j olt ed t o a precarious halt . "St ill t here, Dr. Grumman?" Lee called, f or it was impossible t o see anyt hing. "St ill here, Mr. Scoresby. " "Bet t er keep st ill f or a minut e t ill we see t he sit uat ion clearly, " said Lee, f or t hey were wildly swaying in t he wind, and he could f eel t he basket set t ling wit h lit t le j erks against what ever was holding t hem up. There was st ill a st rong sideways pull f rom t he gasbag, which was now nearly empt y, but which as a result was cat ching t he wind like a sail. It crossed Lee's mind t o cut it loose, but if it didn't f ly away alt oget her, it would hang in t he t reet ops like a banner and give t heir posit ion away; much bet t er t o t ake it in, if t hey could. There came anot her light ning f lash, and a second lat er t he t hunder crashed. The st orm was nearly overhead. The glare showed Lee an oak t runk, wit h a great whit e scar where a branch had been t orn away, but t orn only part ially, f or t he basket was rest ing on it near t he point where it was st ill at t ached t o t he t runk. "I'm going t o t hrow out a rope and climb down, " he shout ed. "As soon as our f eet t ouch t he ground, we can make t he next plan. " "I'll f ollow you, Mr. Scoresby, " said Grumman. "My daemon t ells me t he ground is f ort y f eet down. " And Lee was aware of a powerf ul f lut t er of wingbeat s as t he eagle daemon set t led again on t he basket rim. "She can go t hat f ar?" he said, surprised, but put t hat out of his mind and made t he rope secure, f irst t o t he suspension ring and t hen t o t he branch, so t hat even if t he basket did f all, it wouldn't f all f ar. Then, wit h Hest er secure in his breast , he t hrew t he rest of t he rope over and clambered down t ill he f elt solid ground beneat h his f eet . The branches grew t hick around t he t runk; t his was a massive t ree, a giant of an oak, and Lee mut t ered a t hank-you t o it as he t ugged on t he rope t o signal t o Grumman t hat he could descend. Was t here anot her sound in t he t umult ? He list ened hard. Yes, t he engine of a zeppelin, maybe more t han one, some way above. It was impossible t o t ell how high, or in which direct ion it was f lying; but t he sound was t here f or a minut e or so, and t hen it was gone. The shaman reached t he ground. "Did you hear it ?" said Lee. "Yes. Going higher, int o t he mount ains, I t hink. Congrat ulat ions on landing us saf ely, Mr. Scoresby. " "We ain't f inished yet . I want t o git t hat gasbag under t he canopy bef ore daybreak, or it 'll show up our posit ion f rom miles away. You up t o some manual labor, Dr. Grumman?" 'Tell me what t o do. " "All right . I'm going back up t he rope, and I'll lower some t hings down t o you. One of t hem's a t ent . You can git t hat set up while I see what I can do up t here t o hide t he balloon. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (139 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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They labored f or a long t ime, and in peril at one point , when t he branch t hat had been support ing t he basket f inally broke and pit ched Lee down wit h it ; but he didn't f all f ar, since t he gasbag st ill t railed among t he t reet ops and held t he basket suspended. The f all in f act made concealing t he gasbag easier, since t he lower part of it had been pulled down t hrough t he canopy; and working by f lashes of light ning, t ugging and wrenching and hacking, Lee managed t o drag t he whole body of t he balloon down among t he lower branches and out of sight . The wind was st ill beat ing t he t reet ops back and f ort h, but t he worst of t he rain had passed by t he t ime he decided he could do no more. He clambered down and f ound t hat t he shaman had not only pit ched t he t ent but had conj ured a f ire int o being, and was brewing some cof f ee. "This done by magic?" said Lee, soaked and st if f , easing himself down int o t he t ent and t aking t he mug Grumman handed him. "No, you can t hank t he Boy Scout s f or t his, " said Grumman. "Do t hey have Boy Scout s in your world? 'Be prepared. ' Of all t he ways of st art ing a f ire, t he best is dry mat ches. I never t ravel wit hout t hem. We could do worse t han t his as a campsit e, Mr. Scoresby. " "You heard t hose zeppelins again?" Grumman held up his hand. Lee list ened, and sure enough, t here was t hat engine sound, easier t o make out now t hat t he rain had eased a lit t le. "They've been over t wice now, " said Grumman. "They don't know where we are, but t hey know we're here somewhere. " And a minut e lat er a f lickering glow came f rom somewhere in t he direct ion t he zeppelin had f lown. It was less bright t han light ning, but it was persist ent , and Lee knew it f or a f lare. "Best put out t he f ire, Dr. Grumman, " he said, "sorry as I am t o do wit hout it . I t hink t hat canopy's t hick, but you never know. I'm going t o sleep now, wet t hrough or not . " "You will be dry by t he morning, " said t he shaman. He t ook a handf ul of wet eart h and pressed it down over t he f lames, and Lee st ruggled t o lie down in t he lit t le t ent and closed his eyes. He had st range and powerf ul dreams. At one point he was convinced he had awoken t o see t he shaman sit t ing cross-legged, wreat hed in f lames, and t he f lames were rapidly consuming his f lesh t o leave only a whit e skelet on behind, st ill seat ed in a mound of glowing ash. Lee looked f or Hest er in alarm, and f ound her sleeping, which never happened, f or when he was awake, so was she. So when he f ound her asleep, his laconic, whip-t ongued daemon looking so gent le and vulnerable, he was moved by t he st rangeness of it , and he lay down uneasily beside her, awake in his dream, but really asleep, and he dreamed he lay awake f or a long t ime. Anot her dream f ocused on Grumman, t oo. Lee seemed t o see t he shaman shaking a f eat hert rimmed rat t le and commanding somet hing t o obey him. The somet hing, Lee saw wit h a t ouch of nausea, was a Spect er, like t he ones t hey'd seen f rom t he balloon. It was t all and nearly invisible, and it invoked such a gut -churning revulsion in Lee t hat he nearly woke in t error. But Grumman was direct ing it f earlessly, and coming t o no harm eit her, because t he t hing list ened closely t o him and t hen drif t ed upward like a soap bubble unt il it was lost in t he canopy. Then his exhaust ing night t ook anot her t urn, f or he was in t he cockpit of a zeppelin, wat ching t he pilot . In f act , he was sit t ing in t he copilot 's seat , and t hey were cruising over t he f orest , looking down at t he wildly t ossing t reet ops, a wild sea of leaf and branch. Then t hat Spect er was in t he cabin wit h t hem. Pinioned in his dream, Lee could neit her move nor cry out , and he suf f ered t he t error of t he pilot file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (140 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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as t he man became aware of what was happening t o him. The Spect er was leaning over t he pilot and pressing what would be it s f ace t o his. His daemon, a f inch, f lut t ered and shrieked and t ried t o pull away, only t o f all half -f aint ing on t he inst rument panel. The pilot t urned his f ace t o Lee and put out a hand, but Lee had no power of movement . The anguish in t he man's eyes was wrenching. Somet hing t rue and living was being drained f rom him, and his daemon f lut t ered weakly and called in a wild high call, but she was dying. Then she vanished. But t he pilot was st ill alive. His eyes became f ilmy and dull, and his reaching hand f ell back wit h a limp t hud against t he t hrot t le. He was alive but not alive; he was indif f erent t o everyt hing. And Lee sat and wat ched helplessly as t he zeppelin f lew on direct ly int o a scarp of t he mount ains t hat rose up bef ore t hem. The pilot wat ched it rear up in t he window, but not hing could int erest him. Lee pushed back against t he seat in horror, but not hing happened t o st op it , and at t he moment of impact he cried, "Hest er! " And woke. He was in t he t ent , saf e, and Hest er nibbled his chin. He was sweat ing. The shaman was sit t ing cross-legged, but a shiver passed over Lee as he saw t hat t he eagle daemon was not t here near him. Clearly t his f orest was a bad place, f ull of haunt ing phant asms. Then he became aware of t he light by which he was seeing t he shaman, because t he f ire was long out , and t he darkness of t he f orest was prof ound. Some dist ant f licker picked out t he t ree t runks and t he undersides of dripping leaves, and Lee knew at once what it was: his dream had been t rue, and a zeppelin pilot had f lown int o t he hillside. "Damn, Lee, you're t wit ching like an aspen leaf . What 's t he mat t er wit h you?" Hest er grumbled, and f licked her long ears. "Ain't you dreaming t oo, Hest er?" he mut t ered. "You ain't dreaming, Lee, you're seeing. If I'da known you was a seer, I'da cured you a long while back. Now, you cut it out , you hear?" He rubbed her head wit h his t humb, and she shook her ears. And wit hout t he slight est t ransit ion he was f loat ing in t he air alongside t he shaman's daemon, Sayan Kot or t he osprey. To be in t he presence of anot her man's daemon and away f rom his own af f ect ed Lee wit h a powerf ul t hrob of guilt and st range pleasure. They were gliding, as if he t oo were a bird, on t he t urbulent updraf t s above t he f orest , and Lee looked around t hrough t he dark air, now suf f used wit h a pallid glow f rom t he f ull moon t hat occasionally glared t hrough a brief rent in t he cloud cover and made t he t reet ops ring wit h silver. The eagle daemon ut t ered a harsh scream, and f rom below came in a t housand dif f erent voices t he calls of a t housand birds: t he t oo-whoo of owls, t he alarm shriek of lit t le sparrows, t he liquid music of t he night ingale. Sayan Kot or was calling t hem. And in answer t hey came, every bird in t he f orest , whet her t hey had been gliding in t he hunt on silent wings or roost ing asleep; t hey came f lut t ering upward in t heir t housands t hrough t he t umbling air. And Lee f elt what ever bird nat ure he was sharing respond wit h j oy t o t he command of t he eagle queen, and what ever humanness he had lef t f elt t he st rangest of pleasures: t hat of of f ering eager obedience t o a st ronger power t hat was wholly right . And he wheeled and t urned wit h t he rest of t he might y f lock, a hundred dif f erent species all t urning as one in t he magnet ic will of t he eagle, and saw against t he silver cloud rack t he hat ef ul dark regularit y of a zeppelin. They all knew exact ly what t hey must do. And t hey st reamed t oward t he airship, t he swif t est reaching it f irst , but none so swif t ly as Sayan Kot or; t he t iny wrens and f inches, t he dart ing swif t s, file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (141 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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t he silent -winged owls—wit hin a minut e t he craf t was laden wit h t hem, t heir claws scrabbling f or purchase on t he oiled silk or punct uring it t o gain a hold. They avoided t he engine, t hough some were drawn int o it and dashed t o pieces by t he slicing propellers. Most of t he birds simply perched on t he body of t he zeppelin, and t hose t hat came next seized on t o t hem, unt il t hey covered not only t he whole body of t he craf t (now vent ing hydrogen t hrough a t housand t iny claw holes) but t he windows of t he cabin t oo, and t he st rut s and cables—every square inch of room had a bird, t wo birds, t hree or more, clinging t o it . The pilot was helpless. Under t he weight of t he birds t he craf t began t o sink f art her and f art her down, and t hen anot her of t hose sudden cruel scarps appeared, shouldering up out of t he night and of course quit e invisible t o t he men inside t he zeppelin, who were swinging t heir guns wildly and f iring at random. At t he last moment Sayan Kot or screamed, and a t hunder of wingbeat s drowned even t he roar of t he engine as every bird t ook of f and f lew away. And t he men in t he cabin had f our or f ive horrif ied seconds of knowledge bef ore t he zeppelin crashed and burst int o f lames. Fire, heat , f lames . . . Lee woke up again, his body as hot as if he'd been lying in t he desert sun. Out side t he t ent t here was st ill t he endless drip-drip of wet leaves on t he canvas, but t he st orm was over. Pale gray light seeped in, and Lee propped himself up t o f ind Hest er blinking beside him and t he shaman wrapped in a blanket so deeply asleep he might have been dead, had not Sayan Kot or been perched asleep on a f allen branch out side. The only sound apart f rom t he drip of wat er was t he normal f orest birdsong. No engines in t he sky, no enemy voices; so Lee t hought it might be saf e t o light t he f ire, and af t er a st ruggle he got it going and brewed some cof f ee. "What now, Hest er?" he said. "Depends. There was f our of t hose zeppelins, and he dest royed t hree. " "I mean, have we discharged our dut y?" She f licked her ears and said, "Don't remember no cont ract . " "It ain't a cont ract ual t hing. It 's a moral t hing. " "We got one more zeppelin t o t hink about bef ore you st art f ret t ing about morals, Lee. There's t hirt y, f ort y men wit h guns all coming f or us. Imperial soldiers, what 's more. Survival f irst , morals lat er. " She was right , of course, and as he sipped t he scalding brew and smoked a cigar, wit h t he daylight gradually growing st ronger, he wondered what he would do if he were in charge of t he one remaining zeppelin. Wit hdraw and wait f or f ull daylight , no doubt , and f ly high enough t o scan t he edge of t he f orest over a wide area, so he could see when Lee and Grumman broke cover. The osprey daemon Sayan K6t or awoke, and st ret ched her great wings above where Lee was sit t ing. Hest er looked up and t urned her head t his way and t hat , looking at t he might y daemon wit h each golden eye hi t urn, and a moment lat er t he shaman himself came out of t he t ent . "Busy night , " Lee remarked. "A busy day t o come. We must leave t he f orest at once, Mr. Scoresby. They are going t o burn it . " Lee looked around incredulously at t he soaking veget at ion and said, "How?" "They have an engine t hat t hrows out a kind of napht ha blended wit h pot ash, which ignit es when it t ouches wat er. The Imperial Navy developed it t o use in t heir war wit h Nippon. If t he f orest is sat urat ed, it will cat ch all t he more quickly. " "You can see t hat , can you?" "As clearly as you saw what happened t o t he zeppelins during t he night . Pack what you want t o carry, and come away now. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (142 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Lee rubbed his j aw. The most valuable t hings he owned were also t he most port able—namely, t he inst rument s f rom t he balloon—so he ret rieved t hem f rom t he basket , st owed t hem caref ully in a knapsack, and made sure his rif le was loaded and dry. He lef t t he basket , t he rigging, and t he gasbag where t hey lay, t angled and t wist ed among t he branches. From now on he was an aeronaut no more, unless by some miracle he escaped wit h his lif e and f ound enough money t o buy anot her balloon. Now he had t o move like an insect along t he surf ace of t he eart h. They smelled t he smoke bef ore t hey heard t he f lames, because a breeze f rom t he sea was lif t ing it inland. By t he t ime t hey reached t he edge of t he t rees t hey could hear t he f ire, a deep and greedy roar. "Why didn't t hey do t his last night ?" said Lee. "They could have barbecued us in our sleep. " "I guess t hey want t o cat ch us alive, " Grumman replied, st ripping a branch of it s leaves so he could use it as a walking st ick, "and t hey're wait ing t o see where we leave t he f orest . " And sure enough, t he drone of t he zeppelin soon became audible even over t he sound of t he f lames and of t heir own labored breat hing, f or t hey were hurrying now, clambering upward over root s and rocks and f allen t ree t runks and st opping only t o gat her breat h. Sayan Kot or, f lying high, swooped down t o t ell t hem how much progress t hey were making, and how f ar behind t he f lames were; t hough it wasn't long bef ore t hey could see smoke above t he t rees behind t hem, and t hen a st reaming banner of f lame. Creat ures of t he f orest —squirrels, birds, wild boar—were f leeing wit h t hem, and a chorus of squealings, shriekings, alarm calls of every sort rose around t hem. The t wo t ravelers st ruggled on t oward t he edge of t he t ree line, which was not f ar ahead; and t hen t hey reached it , as wave af t er wave of heat rolled up at t hem f rom t he roaring billows of f lame t hat now soared f if t y f eet int o t he air. Trees blazed like t orches; t he sap in t heir veins boiled and split t hem asunder, t he pit ch in t he conif ers caught like napht ha, t he t wigs seemed t o blossom wit h f erocious orange f lowers all in a moment . Gasping, Lee and Grumman f orced t hemselves up t he st eep slope of rocks and scree. Half t he sky was obscured by smoke and heat shimmer, but high above t here f loat ed t he squat shape of t he one remaining zeppelin—t oo f ar away, Lee t hought hopef ully, t o see t hem even t hrough binoculars. The mount ainside rose sheer and impassable ahead of t hem. There was only one rout e out of t he t rap t hey were in, and t hat was a narrow def ile ahead, where a dry riverbed emerged f rom a f old in t he cuf f s. Lee point ed, and Grumman said, "My t hought s exact ly, Mr. Scoresby. " His daemon, gliding and circling above, t ipped her wings and sped t o t he ravine on a billowing updraf t . The men didn't pause, climbing on as quickly as t hey could, but Lee said, "Excuse me f or asking t his if it 's impert inent , but I never knew anyone whose daemon could do t hat except wit ches. But you're no wit ch. Was t hat somet hing you learned t o do, or did it come nat ural?" "For a human being, not hing comes nat urally, " said Grumman. "We have t o learn everyt hing we do. Sayan Kot or is t elling me t hat t he ravine leads t o a pass. If we get t here bef ore t hey see us, we could escape yet . " The eagle swooped down again, and t he men climbed higher. Hest er pref erred t o f ind her own way over t he rocks, so Lee f ollowed where she led, avoiding t he loose st ones and moving as swif t ly as he could over t he larger rocks, making all t he t ime f or t he lit t le gulch. Lee was anxious about Grumman, because t he ot her man was pale and drawn and breat hing hard. His labors in t he night had drained a lot of his energy. How f ar t hey could keep going was a quest ion Lee didn't want t o f ace; but when t hey were nearly at t he ent rance t o t he ravine, and file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (143 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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act ually on t he edge of t he dried riverbed, he heard a change in t he sound of t he zeppelin. "They've seen us, " he said. And it was like receiving a sent ence of deat h. Hest er st umbled, even suref oot ed, f irm-heart ed Hest er st umbled and f alt ered. Grumman leaned on t he st ick he carried and shaded his eyes t o look back, and Lee t urned t o look t oo. The zeppelin was descending f ast , making f or t he slope direct ly below t hem. It was clear t hat t he pursuers int ended t o capt ure t hem, not kill t hem, f or a burst of gunf ire j ust t hen would have f inished bot h of t hem in a second. Inst ead, t he pilot brought t he airship skillf ully t o a hover j ust above t he ground, at t he highest point in t he slope where he saf ely could, and f rom t he cabin door a st ream of blue-unif ormed men j umped down, t heir wolf daemons beside t hem, and began t o climb. Lee and Grumman were six hundred yards above t hem, and not f ar f rom t he ent rance t o t he ravine. Once t hey reached it , t hey could hold t he soldiers of f as long as t heir ammunit ion held out ; but t hey had only one rif le. "They're af t er me, Mr. Scoresby, " said Grumman, "not you. If you give me t he rif le and surrender yourself , you'll survive. They're disciplined t roops. You'll be a prisoner of war. " Lee ignored t hat and said, "Git moving. Make t he gulch and I'll hold t hem of f f rom t he mout h while you f ind your way out t he ot her end. I brought you t his f ar, and I ain't going t o sit back and let 'em cat ch you now. " The men below were moving up quickly, f or t hey were f it and rest ed. Grumman nodded. "I had no st rengt h lef t t o bring t he f ourt h one down" was all he said, and t hey moved quickly int o t he shelt er of t he gulch. "Just t ell me bef ore you go, " said Lee, "because I won't be easy t ill I know. What side I'm f ight ing f or I cain't t ell, and I don't great ly care. Just t ell me t his: What I'm a-going t o do now, is t hat going t o help t hat lit t le girl Lyra, or harm her?" "It 's going t o help her, " said Grumman. "And your oat h. You won't f orget what you swore t o me?" "I won't f orget . " "Because, Dr. Grumman, or John Parry, or what ever name you t ake up in what ever world you end up in, you be aware of t his: I love t hat lit t le child like a daught er. If I'd had a child of my own, I couldn't love her more. And if you break t hat oat h, what ever remains of me will pursue what ever remains of you, and you'll spend t he rest of et ernit y wishing you never exist ed. That 's how import ant t hat oat h is. " "I underst and. And you have my word. " "Then t hat 's all I need t o know. Go well. " The shaman held out his hand, and Lee shook it . Then Grumman t urned and made his way up t he gulch, and Lee looked around f or t he best place t o make his st and. "Not t he big boulder, Lee, " said Hest er. "You cain't see t o t he right f rom t here, and t hey could rush us. Take t he smaller one. " There was a roaring in Lee's ears t hat had not hing t o do wit h t he conf lagrat ion in t he f orest below, or wit h t he laboring drone of t he zeppelin t rying t o rise again. It had t o do wit h his childhood, and t he Alamo. How of t en he and his companions had played t hat heroic bat t le, in t he ruins of t he old f ort , t aking t urns t o be Danes and French! His childhood was coming back t o him, wit h a vengeance. He t ook out t he Navaj o ring of his mot her's and laid it on t he rock beside him. In t he old Alamo games, Hest er had of t en been a cougar or a wolf , and once or t wice a rat t lesnake, but most ly a mockingbird. Now— file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (144 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Quit daydreaming and t ake a sight , " she said. "This ain't play, Lee. " The men climbing t he slope had f anned out and were moving more slowly, because t hey saw t he problem as well as he did. They knew t hey'd have t o capt ure t he gulch, and t hey knew t hat one man wit h a rif le could hold t hem of f f or a long t ime. Behind t hem, t o Lee's surprise, t he zeppelin was st ill laboring t o rise. Maybe it s buoyancy was going, or maybe t he f uel was running low, but eit her way it hadn't t aken of f yet , and it gave him an idea. He adj ust ed his posit ion and sight ed along t he old Winchest er unt il he had t he port engine mount ing plumb hi view, and f ired. The crack raised t he soldiers' heads as t hey climbed t oward him, but a second lat er t he engine suddenly roared and t hen j ust as suddenly seized and died. The zeppelin lurched over t o one side. Lee could hear t he ot her engine howling, but t he airship was grounded now. The soldiers had halt ed and t aken cover as well as t hey could. Lee could count t hem, and he did: t went y-f ive. He had t hirt y bullet s. Hest er crept up close t o his lef t shoulder. "I'll wat ch t his way, " she said. Crouched on t he gray boulder, her ears f lat along her back, she looked like a lit t le st one herself , gray-brown and inconspicuous, except f or her eyes. Hest er was no beaut y; she was about as plain and scrawny as a hare could be; but her eyes were marvelously colored, gold-hazel f lecked wit h rays of deepest peat brown and f orest green. And now t hose eyes were looking down at t he last landscape t hey'd ever see: a barren slope of brut al t umbled rocks, and beyond it a f orest on f ire. Not a blade of grass, not a speck of green t o rest on. Her ears f licked slight ly. "They're t alking, " she said. "I can hear, but I cain't underst and. " "Russian, " he said. "They're gonna come up all t oget her and at a run. That would be hardest f or us, so t hey'll do t hat . " "Aim st raight , " she said. "I will. But hell, I don't like t aking lives, Hest er. " "Ours or t heirs. " "No, it 's more t han t hat , " he said. "It 's t heirs or Lyra's. I cain't see how, but we're connect ed t o t hat child, and I'm glad of it . " "There's a man on t he lef t about t o shoot , " said Hest er, and as she spoke, a crack came f rom his rif le, and chips of st one f lew of f t he boulder a f oot f rom where she crouched. The bullet whined of f int o t he gulch, but she didn't move a muscle. "Well, t hat makes me f eel bet t er about doing t his, " said Lee, and t ook caref ul aim. He f ired. There was only a small pat ch of blue t o aim at , but he hit it . Wit h a surprised cry t he man f ell back and died. And t hen t he f ight began. Wit hin a minut e t he crack of rif les, t he whine of ricochet ing bullet s, t he smash of pulverizing rock echoed and rang t he lengt h of t he mount ainside and along t he hollow gulch behind. The smell of cordit e, and t he burning smell t hat came f rom t he powdered rock where t he bullet s hit , were j ust variat ions on t he smell of burning wood f rom t he f orest , unt il it seemed t hat t he whole world was burning. Lee's boulder was soon scarred and pit t ed, and he f elt t he t hud of t he bullet s as t hey hit it . Once he saw t he f ur on Hest er's back ripple as t he wind of a bullet passed over it , but she didn't budge. Nor did he st op f iring. That f irst minut e was f ierce. And af t er it , in t he pause t hat came, Lee f ound t hat he was wounded; t here was blood on t he rock under his cheek, and his right hand and t he rif le bolt were file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (145 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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red. Hest er moved around t o look. "Not hing big, " she said. "A bullet clipped your scalp. " "Did you count how many f ell, Hest er?" "No. Too busy ducking. Reload while you can, boy. " He rolled down behind t he rock and worked t he bolt back and f ort h. It was hot , and t he blood t hat had f lowed f reely over it f rom t he scalp wound was drying and making t he mechanism st if f . He spat on it caref ully, and it loosened. Then he hauled himself back int o posit ion, and even bef ore he'd set his eye t o t he sight , he t ook a bullet . It f elt like an explosion in his lef t shoulder. For a f ew seconds he was dazed, and t hen he came t o his senses, wit h his lef t arm numb and useless. There was a great deal of pain wait ing t o spring on him, but it hadn't raised t he courage yet , and t hat t hought gave him t he st rengt h t o f ocus his mind on shoot ing again. He propped t he rif le on t he dead and useless arm t hat had been so f ull of lif e a minut e ago, and sight ed wit h st olid concent rat ion: one shot . . . t wo . . . t hree, and each f ound it s man. "How we doing?" he mut t ered. "Good shoot ing, " she whispered back, very close t o his cheek. "Don't st op. Over by t hat black boulder—" He looked, aimed, shot . The f igure f ell. "Damn, t hese are men like me, " he said. "Makes no sense, " she said. "Do it anyway. " "Do you believe him? Grumman?" "Sure. Plumb ahead, Lee. " Crack: anot her man f ell, and his daemon went out like a candle. Then t here was a long silence. Lee f umbled in his pocket and f ound some more bullet s. As he reloaded, he f elt somet hing so rare his heart nearly f ailed; he f elt Hest er's f ace pressed t o his own, and it was wet wit h t ears. "Lee, t his is my f ault , " she said. "Why?" "The Skraeling. I t old you t o t ake his ring. Wit hout t hat we'd never be in t his t rouble. " "You t hink I ever did what you t old me? I t ook it because t he wit ch—" He didn't f inish, because anot her bullet f ound him. This t ime it smashed int o his lef t leg, and bef ore he could even blink, a t hird one clipped his head again, like a red-hot poker laid along his skull. "Not long now, Hest er, " he mut t ered, t rying t o hold st ill. "The wit ch, Lee! You said t he wit ch! Remember?" Poor Hest er, she was lying now, not crouching t ense and wat chf ul as she'd done all his adult lif e. And her beaut if ul gold-brown eyes were growing dull. "St ill beaut if ul, " he said. "Oh, Hest er, yeah, t he wit ch. She gave me. . . " "Sure she did. The f lower. " "In my breast pocket . Fet ch it , Hest er, I cain't move. " It was a hard st ruggle, but she t ugged out t he lit t le scarlet f lower wit h her st rong t eet h and laid it by his right hand. Wit h a great ef f ort he closed it in his f ist and said, "Seraf ina Pekkala! Help me, I beg . . . " A movement below: he let go of t he f lower, sight ed, f ired. The movement died. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (146 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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Hest er was f ailing. "Hest er, don't you go bef ore I do, " Lee whispered. "Lee, I couldn't abide t o be anywhere away f rom you f or a single second, " she whispered back. "You t hink t he wit ch will come?" "Sure she will. We should have called her bef ore. " "We should have done a lot of t hings. " "Maybe so . . . " Anot her crack, and t his t ime t he bullet went deep somewhere inside, seeking out t he cent er of his lif e. He t hought : It won't f ind it t here. Hest er's my cent er. And he saw a blue f licker down below, and st rained t o bring t he barrel over t oil. "He's t he one, " Hest er breat hed. Lee f ound it hard t o pull t he t rigger. Everyt hing was hard. He had t o t ry t hree t imes, and f inally he got it . The blue unif orm t umbled away down t he slope. Anot her long silence. The pain nearby was losing it s f ear of him. It was like a pack of j ackals, circling, snif f ing, t reading closer, and he knew t hey wouldn't leave him now t ill t hey'd eat en him bare. "There's one man lef t , " Hest er mut t ered. "He's a-making f or t he zeppelin. " And Lee saw him mist ily, one soldier of t he Imperial Guard creeping away f rom his company's def eat . "I cain't shoot a man in t he back, " Lee said. "Shame t o die wit h one bullet lef t , t hough. " So he t ook aim wit h his last bullet at t he zeppelin it self , st ill roaring and st raining t o rise wit h it s one engine, and t he bullet must have been red-hot , or maybe a burning brand f rom t he f orest below was waf t ed t o t he airship on an updraf t ; f or t he gas suddenly billowed int o an orange f ireball, and t he envelope and t he met al skelet on rose a lit t le way and t hen t umbled down very slowly, gent ly, but f ull of a f iery deat h. And t he man creeping away and t he six or seven ot hers who were t he only remnant of t he Guard, and who hadn't dared come closer t o t he man holding t he ravine, were engulf ed by t he f ire t hat f ell on t hem. Lee saw t he f ireball and heard t hrough t he roar in his ears Hest er saying, "That 's all of 'em, Lee. " He said, or t hought , "Those poor men didn't have t o come t o t his, nor did we. " She said, "We held 'em of f . We held out . We're a-helping Lyra. " Then she was pressing her lit t le proud broken self against his f ace, as close as she could get , and t hen t hey died.

FIFTEEN

BLOODMOSS On, said t he alet hiomet er. Far t her , hi gher . So on t hey climbed. The wit ches f lew above t o spy out t he best rout es, because t he hilly land soon gave way t o st eeper slopes and rocky f oot ing, and as t he sun rose t oward noon, t he t ravelers

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f ound t hemselves in a t angled land of dry gullies, clif f s, and boulder-st rewn valleys where not a single green leaf grew, and where t he st ridulat ion of insect s was t he only sound. They moved on, st opping only f or sips of wat er f rom t heir goat skin f lasks, and t alking lit t le. Pant alaimon f lew above Lyra's head f or a while unt il he t ired of t hat , and t hen he became a lit t le sure-f oot ed mount ain sheep, vain of his horns, leaping among rocks while Lyra scrambled laboriously alongside. Will moved on grimly, screwing up his eyes against t he glare, ignoring t he worsening pain f rom his hand, and f inally reaching a st at e in which movement alone was good and st illness bad, so t hat he suf f ered more f rom rest ing t han f rom t oiling on. And since t he f ailure of t he wit ches' spell t o st op his bleeding, he t hought t hey were regarding him wit h f ear, t oo, as if he was marked by some curse great er t han t heir own powers. At one point t hey came t o a lit t le lake, a pat ch of int ense blue scarcely t hirt y yards across among t he red rocks. They st opped t here t o drink and ref ill t heir f lasks, and t o soak t heir aching f eet in t he icy wat er. They st ayed a f ew minut es and moved on, and soon af t erward, when t he sun was at it s highest and hot t est , Seraf ina Pekkala dart ed down t o speak t o t hem. She was agit at ed. "I must leave you f or a while, " she said. "Lee Scoresby needs me. I don't know why. But he wouldn't call if he didn't need my help. Keep going, and I'll f ind you. " "Mr. Scoresby?" said Lyra, excit ed and anxious. "But where—" But Seraf ina was gone, speeding out of sight bef ore Lyra could f inish t he quest ion. Lyra reached aut omat ically f or t he alet hiomet er t o ask what had happened t o Lee Scoresby, but she let her hand drop, because she'd promised t o do no more t han guide Will. She looked across t o him. He was sit t ing nearby, his hand held loosely on his knee and st ill slowly dripping blood, his f ace scorched by t he sun and pale under t he burning. "Will, " she said, "d'you know why you have t o f ind your f at her?" "It 's what I've always known. My mot her said I'd t ake up my f at her's mant le. That 's all I know. " "What does t hat mean, t aking up his mant le? What 's a mant le?" "A t ask, I suppose. What ever he's been doing, I've got t o carry on. It makes as much sense as anyt hing else. " He wiped t he sweat out of his eyes wit h his right hand. What he couldn't say was t hat he longed f or his f at her as a lost child yearns f or home. That comparison wouldn't have occurred t o him, because home was t he place he kept saf e f or his mot her, not t he place ot hers kept saf e f or him. But it had been f ive years now since t hat Sat urday morning in t he supermarket when t he pret end game of hiding f rom t he enemies became desperat ely real, such a long t ime in his lif e, and his heart craved t o hear t he words "Well done, well done, my child; no one on eart h could have done bet t er; I'm proud of you. Come and rest now. . . . " Will longed f or t hat so much t hat he hardly knew he did. It was j ust part of what everyt hing f elt like. So he couldn't express t hat t o Lyra now, t hough she could see it in his eyes, and t hat was new f or her, t oo, t o be quit e so percept ive. The f act was t hat where Will was concerned, she was developing a new kind of sense, as if he were simply more in f ocus t han anyone she'd known bef ore. Everyt hing about him was clear and close and immediat e. And she might have said t hat t o him, but at t hat moment a wit ch f lew down. "I can see people behind us, " she said. "They're a long way back, but t hey're moving quickly. Shall I go closer and look?" "Yes, do, " said Lyra, "but f ly low, and hide, and don't let t hem see you. " Will and Lyra got painf ully t o t heir f eet again and clambered on. "I been cold plent y of t imes, " Lyra said, t o t ake her mind of f t he pursuers, "but I en't been t his hot , ever. Is it t his hot in your world?" file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (148 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Not where I used t o live. Not normally. But t he climat e's been changing. The summers are hot t er t han t hey used t o be. They say t hat people have been int erf ering wit h t he at mosphere by put t ing chemicals in it , and t he weat her's going out of cont rol. " "Yeah, well, t hey have, " said Lyra, "and it is. And we're here in t he middle of it . " He was t oo hot and t hirst y t o reply, and t hey climbed on breat hlessly in t he t hrobbing air. Pant alaimon was a cricket now, and sat on Lyra's shoulder, t oo t ired t o leap or f ly. From t ime t o t ime t he wit ches would see a spring high up, t oo high t o climb t o, and f ly up t o f ill t he children's f lasks. They would soon have died wit hout wat er, and t here was none where t hey were; any spring t hat made it s way int o t he air was soon swallowed again among t he rocks. And so t hey moved on, t oward evening. The wit ch who f lew back t o spy was called Lena Feldt . She f lew low, f rom crag t o crag, and as t he sun was set t ing and drawing a wild blood-red out of t he rocks, she came t o t he lit t le blue lake and f ound a t roop of soldiers making camp. But her f irst glimpse of t hem t old her more t han she want ed t o know; t hese soldiers had no daemons. And t hey weren't f rom Will's world, or t he world of Cit t agazze, where people's daemons were inside t hem, and where t hey st ill looked alive; t hese men were f rom her own world, and t o see t hem wit hout daemons was a gross and sickening horror. Then out of a t ent by t he lakeside came t he explanat ion. Lena Feldt saw a woman, a short -lif e, gracef ul in her khaki hunt ing clot hes and as f ull of lif e as t he golden monkey who capered along t he wat er's edge beside her. Lena Feldt hid among t he rocks above and wat ched as Mrs. Coult er spoke t o t he of f icer in charge, and as his men put up t ent s, made f ires, boiled wat er. The wit ch had been among Seraf ma Pekkala's t roop who rescued t he children at Bolvangar, and she longed t o shoot Mrs. Coult er on t he spot ; but some f ort une was prot ect ing t he woman, f or it was j ust t oo f ar f or a bowshot f rom where she was, and t he wit ch could get no closer wit hout making herself invisible. So she began t o make t he spell. It t ook t en minut es of deep concent rat ion. Conf ident at last , Lena Feldt went down t he rocky slope t oward t he lake, and as she walked t hrough t he camp, one or t wo blank-eyed soldiers glanced up brief ly, but f ound what t hey saw t oo hard t o remember, and looked away again. The wit ch st opped out side t he t ent Mrs. Coult er had gone int o, and f it t ed an arrow t o her bowst ring. She list ened t o t he low voice t hrough t he canvas and t hen moved caref ully t o t he open f lap t hat overlooked t he lake. Inside t he t ent Mrs. Coult er was t alking t o a man Lena Feldt hadn't seen bef ore: an older man, gray-haired and powerf ul, wit h a serpent daemon t wined around his wrist . He was sit t ing in a canvas chair beside hers, and she was leaning t oward him, speaking sof t ly. "Of course, Carlo, " she was saying, "I'll t ell you anyt hing you like. What do you want t o know?" "How do you command t he Spect ers?" t he man said. "I didn't t hink it possible, but you have t hem f ollowing you like dogs. . . . Are t hey af raid of your bodyguard? What is it ?" "Simple, " she said. "They know I can give t hem more nourishment if t hey let me live t han if t hey consume me. I can lead t hem t o all t he vict ims t heir phant om heart s desire. As soon as you described t hem t o me, I knew I could dominat e t hem, and so it t urns out . And a whole world t rembles in t he power of t hese pallid t hings! But , Carlo, " she whispered, "I can please you, t oo, you know. Would you like me t o please you even more?" "Marisa, " he murmured, "it 's enough of a pleasure t o be close t o you. . . . " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (149 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"No, it isn't , Carlo; you know it isn't . You know I can please you more t han t his. " Her daemon's lit t le black horny hands were st roking t he serpent daemon. Lit t le by lit t le t he serpent loosened herself and began t o f low along t he man's arm t oward t he monkey. Bot h t he man and t he woman were holding glasses of golden wine, and she sipped hers and leaned a lit t le closer t o him. "Ah, " said t he man as t he daemon slipped slowly of f his arm and let her weight int o t he golden monkey's hands. The monkey raised her slowly t o his f ace and ran his cheek sof t ly along her emerald skin. Her t ongue f licked blackly t his way and t hat , and t he man sighed. "Carlo, t ell me why you're pursuing t he boy, " Mrs. Coult er whispered, and her voice was as sof t as t he monkey's caress. "Why do you need t o f ind him?" "He has somet hing I want . Oh, Marisa—" "What is it , Carlo? What 's he got ?" He shook his head. But he was f inding it hard t o resist ; his daemon was t wined gent ly around t he monkey's breast , and running her head t hrough and t hrough t he long, lust rous f ur as his hands moved along her f luid lengt h. Lena Feldt wat ched t hem, st anding invisible j ust t wo paces f rom where t hey sat . Her bowst ring was t aut , t he arrow nocked t o it in readiness; she could have pulled and loosed in less t han a second, and Mrs. Coult er would have been dead bef ore she f inished drawing breat h. But t he wit ch was curious. She st ood st ill and silent and wide-eyed. But while she was wat ching Mrs. Coult er, she didn't look behind her across t he lit t le blue lake. On t he f ar side of it in t he darkness a grove of ghost ly t rees seemed t o have plant ed it self , a grove t hat shivered every so of t en wit h a t remor like a conscious int ent ion. But t hey were not t rees, of course; and while all t he curiosit y of Lena Feldt and her daemon was direct ed at Mrs. Coult er, one of t he pallid f orms det ached it self f rom it s f ellows and drif t ed across t he surf ace of t he icy wat er, causing not a single ripple, unt il it paused a f oot f rom t he rock on which Lena Feldt 's daemon was perched. "You could easily t ell me, Carlo, " Mrs. Coult er was murmuring. "You could whisper it . You could pret end t o be t alking in your sleep, and who could blame you f or t hat ? Just t ell me what t he boy has, and why you want it . I could get it f or you. . . . Wouldn't you like me t o do t hat ? Just t ell me, Carlo. I don't want it . I want t he girl. What is it ? Just t ell me, and you shall have it . " He gave a sof t shudder. His eyes were closed. Then he said, "It 's a knif e. The subt le knif e of Cit t agazze. You haven't heard of it , Marisa? Some people call it t eleut aia makhaira, t he last knif e of all. Ot hers call it Aesahaet t r. " "What does it do, Carlo? Why is it special?" "Ah . . . It 's t he knif e t hat will cut anyt hing. Not even it s makers knew what it could do. Not hing, no one, mat t er, spirit , angel, air—not hing is invulnerable t o t he subt le knif e. Marisa, it 's mine, you underst and?" "Of course, Carlo. I promise. Let me f ill your glass . . . " And as t he golden monkey slowly ran his hands along t he emerald serpent again and again, squeezing j ust a lit t le, lif t ing, st roking as Sir Charles sighed wit h pleasure, Lena Feldt saw what was t ruly happening: because while t he man's eyes were closed, Mrs. Coult er secret ly t ilt ed a f ew drops f rom a small f lask int o t he glass bef ore f illing it again wit h wine. "Here, darling, " she whispered. "Let 's drink, t o each ot her. . . . " He was already int oxicat ed. He t ook t he glass and sipped greedily, once, again, and again. And t hen, wit hout any warning, Mrs. Coult er st ood up and t urned and looked Lena Feldt f ull in t he f ace. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (150 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Well, wit ch, " she said, "did you t hink I don't know how you make yourself invisible?" Lena Feldt was t oo surprised t o move. Behind her, t he man was st ruggling t o breat he. His chest was heaving, his f ace was red, and his daemon was limp and f aint ing in t he monkey's hands. The monkey shook her of f in cont empt . Lena Feldt t ried t o swing her bow up, but a f at al paralysis had t ouched her shoulder. She couldn't make herself do it . This had never happened bef ore, and she ut t ered a lit t le cry. "Oh, it 's t oo lat e f or t hat , " said Mrs. Coult er. "Look at t he lake, wit ch. " Lena Feldt t urned and saw her snow bunt ing daemon f lut t ering and shrieking as if he were in a glass chamber t hat was being empt ied of air; f lut t ering and f alling, slumping, f ailing, his beak opening wide, gasping in panic. The Spect er had enveloped him. "No! " she cried, and t ried t o move t oward it , but was driven back by a spasm of nausea. Even in her sickened dist ress, Lena Feldt could see t hat Mrs. Coult er had more f orce in her soul t han anyone she had ever seen. It didn't surprise her t o see t hat t he Spect er was under Mrs. Coult er's power; no one could resist t hat aut horit y. Lena Feldt t urned back in anguish t o t he woman. "Let him go! Please let him go! " she cried. "We'll see. Is t he child wit h you? The girl Lyra?" "Yes! " "And a boy, t oo? A boy wit h a knif e?" "Yes—I beg you—" "And how many wit ches have you?" "Twent y! Let him go, let him go! " "All in t he air? Or do some of you st ay on t he ground wit h t he children?" "Most in t he air, t hree or f our on t he ground always—t his is anguish—let him go or kill me now! " "How f ar up t he mount ain are t hey? Are t hey moving on, or have t hey st opped t o rest ?" Lena Feldt t old her everyt hing. She could have resist ed any t ort ure but what was happening t o her daj mon now. When Mrs. Coult er had learned all she want ed t o know about where t he wit ches were, and how t hey guarded Lyra and Will, she said, "And now t ell me t his. You wit ches know somet hing about t he child Lyra. I nearly learned it f rom one of your sist ers, but she died bef ore I could complet e t he t ort ure. Well, t here is no one t o save you now. Tell me t he t rut h about my daught er. " Lena Feldt gasped, "She will be t he mot her—she will be lif e—mot her—she will disobey—she will—" "Name her! You are saying everyt hing but t he most import ant t hing! Name her! " cried Mrs. Coult er. "Eve! Mot her of all! Eve, again! Mot her Eve! " st ammered Lena Feldt , sobbing. "Ah, " said Mrs. Coult er. And she breat hed a great sigh, as if t he purpose of her lif e was clear t o her at last . Dimly t he wit ch saw what she had done, and t hrough t he horror t hat was enveloping her she t ried t o cry out : "What will you do t o her? What will you do?" "Why, I shall have t o dest roy her, " said Mrs. Coult er, "t o prevent anot her Fall. . . . Why didn't I see t his bef ore? It was t oo large t o see. . . . " She clapped her hands t oget her sof t ly, like a child, wide-eyed. Lena Feldt , whimpering, heard her go on: "Of course. Asriel will make war on t he Aut horit y, and t hen. . . . Of course, of course. As bef ore, so again. And Lyra is Eve. And t his t ime she will not f all. I'll see t o t hat . " And Mrs. Coult er drew herself up, and snapped her f ingers t o t he Spect er f eeding on t he wit ch's daemon. The lit t le snow bunt ing daemon lay t wit ching on t he rock as t he Spect er moved t oward t he wit ch herself , and t hen what ever Lena Feldt had undergone bef ore was doubled and t rebled and mult iplied a hundredf old. She f elt a nausea of t he soul, a hideous and sickening despair, a file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (151 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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melancholy weariness so prof ound t hat she was going t o die of it . Her last conscious t hought was disgust at lif e; her senses had lied t o her. The world was not made of energy and delight but of f oulness, bet rayal, and lassit ude. Living was hat ef ul, and deat h was no bet t er, and f rom end t o end of t he universe t his was t he f irst and last and only t rut h. Thus she st ood, bow in hand, indif f erent , dead in lif e. So Lena Feldt f ailed t o see or t o care about what Mrs. Coult er did next . Ignoring t he gray-haired man slumped unconscious in t he canvas chair and his dull-skinned daemon coiled in t he dust , t he woman called t he capt ain of t he soldiers and ordered t hem t o get ready f or a night march up t he mount ain. Then she went t o t he edge of t he wat er and called t o t he Spect ers. They came at her command, gliding like pillars of mist across t he wat er. She raised her arms and made t hem f orget t hey were eart hbound, so t hat one by one t hey rose int o t he air and f loat ed f ree like malignant t hist ledown, drif t ing up int o t he night and borne by t he air current s t oward Will and Lyra and t he ot her wit ches; but Lena Feldt saw not hing of it . The t emperat ure dropped quickly af t er dark, and when Will and Lyra had eat en t he last of t heir dry bread, t hey lay down under an overhanging rock t o keep warm and t ry t o sleep. At least Lyra didn't have t o t ry; she was unconscious in less t han a minut e, curled t ight ly around Pant alaimon, but Will couldn't f ind sleep, no mat t er how long he lay t here. It was part ly his hand, which was now t hrobbing right up t o t he elbow and uncomf ort ably swollen, and part ly t he hard ground, and part ly t he cold, and part ly ut t er exhaust ion, and part ly his longing f or his mot her. He was af raid f or her, of course, and he knew she'd be saf er if he was t here t o look af t er her; but he want ed her t o look af t er him, t oo, as she'd done when he was very small. He want ed her t o bandage him and t uck him int o bed and sing t o him and t ake away all t he t rouble and surround him wit h all t he warmt h and sof t ness and mot her-kindness he needed so badly; and it was never going t o happen. Part of him was only a lit t le boy st ill. So he cried, but he lay very st ill as he did, not want ing t o wake Lyra. But he st ill wasn't asleep. He was more awake t han ever. Finally he uncurled his st if f limbs and got up quiet ly, shivering; and wit h t he knif e at his waist he set of f higher up t he mount ain, t o calm his rest lessness. Behind him t he sent ry wit ch's robin daemon cocked his head, and she t urned f rom t he wat ch she was keeping t o see Will clambering up t he rocks. She reached f or her pine branch and silent ly t ook t o t he air, not t o dist urb him but t o see t hat he came t o no harm. He didn't not ice. He f elt such a need t o move and keep moving t hat he hardly not iced t he pain in his hand anymore. He f elt as if he should walk all night , all day, f orever, because not hing else would calm t his f ever in his breast . And as if in sympat hy wit h him, a wind was rising. There were no leaves t o st ir in t his wilderness, but t he air buf f et ed his body and made his hair st ream away f rom his f ace; it was wild out side him and wild wit hin. He climbed higher and higher, hardly once t hinking of how he might f ind his way back down t o Lyra, unt il he came out on a lit t le plat eau almost at t he t op of t he world, it seemed. All around him, on every horizon, t he mount ains reached no higher. In t he brilliant glare of t he moon t he only colors were st ark black and dead whit e, and every edge was j agged and every surf ace bare. The wild wind must have been bringing clouds overhead, because suddenly t he moon was covered, and darkness swept over t he whole landscape—t hick clouds, t oo, f or no gleam of moonlight shone t hrough t hem. In less t han a minut e Will f ound himself in nearly t ot al darkness. And at t he same moment Will f elt a grip on his right arm. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (152 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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He cried out wit h shock and t wist ed away at once, but t he grip was t enacious. And Will was savage now. He f elt he was at t he very end of everyt hing; and if it was t he end of his lif e, t oo, he was going t o f ight and f ight t ill he f ell. So he t wist ed and kicked and t wist ed again, but t hat hand wouldn't let go; and since it was his right arm being held, he couldn't get at t he knif e. He t ried wit h his lef t , but he was being j erked around so much, and his hand was so painf ul and swollen, t hat he couldn't reach; he had t o f ight wit h one bare, wounded hand against a grown man. He sank his t eet h int o t he hand on his f orearm, but all t hat happened was t hat t he man landed a dizzying blow on t he back of his head. Then Will kicked again and again, and some of t he kicks connect ed and some didn't , and all t he t ime he was pulling, j erking, t wist ing, shoving, and st ill t he grip held him f ast . Dimly he heard his own pant ing and t he man's grunt s and harsh breat hing; and t hen by chance he got his leg behind t he man's and hurled himself against his chest , and t he man f ell wit h Will on t op of him, heavily. But never f or a moment did t hat grip slacken, and Will, rolling around violent ly on t he st ony ground, f elt a heavy f ear t ight en around his heart : t his man would never let him go, and even if he killed him, his corpse would st ill be holding f ast . But Will was weakening, and now he was crying, t oo, sobbing bit t erly as he kicked and t ugged and beat at t he man wit h his head and f eet , and he knew his muscles would give up soon. And t hen he not iced t hat t he man had f allen st ill, t hough his hand st ill gripped as t ight as ever. He was lying t here let t ing Will bat t er at him wit h knees and head; and as soon as Will saw t hat , t he last of his st rengt h lef t him, and he f ell helpless beside his opponent , every nerve in his body ringing and dizzy and t hrobbing. Will hauled himself up painf ully, peered t hrough t he deep darkness, and made out a blur of whit e on t he ground beside t he man. It was t he whit e breast and head of a great bird, an osprey, a daemon, and it was lying st ill. Will t ried t o pull away, and his f eeble t ug woke a response f rom t he man, whose hand hadn't loosened. But he was moving. He was f eeling Will's right hand caref ully wit h his f ree one. Will's hair st ood on end. Then t he man said, "Give me your ot her hand. " "Be caref ul, " said Will. The man's f ree hand f elt down Will's lef t arm, and his f ingert ips moved gent ly over t he wrist and on t o t he swollen palm and wit h t he ut most delicacy on t o t he st umps of Will's t wo lost f ingers. His ot her hand let go at once, and he sat up. "You've got t he knif e, " he said. "You're t he knif e bearer. " His voice was resonant , harsh, but breat hless. Will sensed t hat he was badly hurt . Had he wounded t his dark opponent ? Will was st ill lying on t he st ones, ut t erly spent . All he could see was t he man's shape, crouching above him, but he couldn't see his f ace. The man was reaching sideways f or somet hing, and af t er a f ew moment s a marvelous soot hing coolness spread int o his hand f rom t he st umps of his f ingers as t he man massaged a salve int o his skin. "What are you doing?" Will said. "Curing your wound. Keep st ill. ” "Who are you?" "I'm t he only man who knows what t he knif e is f or. Hold your hand up like t hat . Don't move. " The wind was beat ing more wildly t han ever, and a drop or t wo of rain splashed ont o Will's f ace. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (153 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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He was t rembling violent ly, but he propped up his lef t hand wit h his right while t he man spread more oint ment over t he st umps and wound a st rip of linen t ight ly around t he hand. And as soon as t he dressing was secure, t he man slumped sideways and lay down himself . Will, st ill bemused by t he blessed cool numbness in his hand, t ried t o sit up and look at him. But it was darker t han ever. He f elt f orward wit h his right hand and f ound himself t ouching t he man's chest , where t he heart was beat ing like a bird against t he bars of a cage. "Yes, " t he man said hoarsely. 'Try and cure t hat , go on. " "Are you ill?" "I'll be bet t er soon. You have t he knif e, yes?" "Yes. " "And you know how t o use it ?" "Yes, yes. But are you f rom t his world? How do you know about it ?" "List en, " said t he man, sit t ing up wit h a st ruggle. "Don't int errupt . If you're t he bearer of t he knif e, you have a t ask t hat 's great er t han you can imagine. A child. . . How could t hey let it happen? Well, so it must be. . . . There is a war coming, boy. The great est war t here ever was. Somet hing like it happened bef ore, and t his t ime t he right side must win. We've had not hing but lies and propaganda and cruelt y and deceit f or all t he t housands of years of human hist ory. It 's t ime we st art ed again, but properly t his t ime. . . . " He st opped t o t ake in several rat t ling breat hs. "The knif e, " he went on af t er a minut e. "They never knew what t hey were making, t hose old philosophers. They invent ed a device t hat could split open t he very smallest part icles of mat t er, and t hey used it t o st eal candy. They had no idea t hat t hey'd made t he one weapon in all t he universes t hat could def eat t he t yrant . The Aut horit y. God. The rebel angels f ell because t hey didn't have anyt hing like t he knif e; but now . . . " "I didn't want it ! I don't want it now! " Will cried. "If you want it , you can have it ! I hat e it , and I hat e what it does—" 'Too lat e. You haven't any choice: you're t he bearer. It 's picked you out . And, what 's more, t hey know you've got it ; and if you don't use it against t hem, t hey'll t ear it f rom your hands and use it against t he rest of us, f orever and ever. " "But why should I f ight t hem? I've been f ight ing t oo much; I can't go on f ight ing. I want t o—" "Have you won your f ight s?" Will was silent . Then he said, "Yes, I suppose. " "You f ought f or t he knif e?" "Yes, but —-" "Then you're a warrior. That 's what you are. Argue wit h anyt hing else, but don't argue wit h your own nat ure. " Will knew t hat t he man was speaking t he t rut h. But it wasn't a welcome t rut h. It was heavy and painf ul. The man seemed t o know t hat , because he let Will bow his head bef ore he spoke again. 'There are t wo great powers, " t he man said, "and t hey've been f ight ing since t ime began. Every advance in human lif e, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been t orn by one side f rom t he t eet h of t he ot her. Every lit t le increase in human f reedom has been f ought over f erociously bet ween t hose who want us t o know more and be wiser and st ronger, and t hose who want us t o obey and be humble and submit . "And now t hose t wo powers are lining up f or bat t le. And each of t hem want s t hat knif e of yours more t han anyt hing else. You have t o choose, boy. We've been guided here, bot h of us— you wit h t he knif e, and me t o t ell you about it . " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (154 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"No! You're wrong! " cried Will. "I wasn't looking f or anyt hing like t hat ! That 's not what I was looking f or at all! " "You might not t hink so, but t hat 's what you've f ound, " said t he man in t he darkness. "But what must I do?" And t hen St anislaus Grumman, Jopari, John Parry hesit at ed. He was painf ully aware of t he oat h he'd sworn t o Lee Scoresby, and he hesit at ed bef ore he broke it ; but break it he did. "You must go t o Lord Asriel, " he said, "and t ell him t hat St anislaus Grumman sent you, and t hat you have t he one weapon he needs above all ot hers. Like it or not , boy, you have a j ob t o do. Ignore everyt hing else, no mat t er how import ant it seems, and go and do t his. Someone will appear t o guide you; t he night is f ull of angels. Your wound will heal now—Wait . Bef ore you go, I want t o look at you properly. " He f elt f or t he pack he'd been carrying and t ook somet hing out , unf olding layers of oilskin and t hen st riking a mat ch t o light a lit de t in lant ern. In it s light , t hrough t he rain-dashed windy air, t he t wo looked at each ot her. Will saw blazing blue eyes i n a haggard f ace wit h several days' growt h of beard on t he st ubborn j aw, gray-haired, drawn wit h pain, a t hin body hunched in a heavy cloak t rimmed wit h f eat hers. The shaman saw a boy even younger t han he'd t hought , his slim body shivering in a t orn linen shirt and his expression exhaust ed and savage and wary, but alight wit h a wild curiosit y, his eyes wide under t he st raight black brows, so like his mot her's. . . . And t here came j ust t he f irst f licker of somet hing else t o bot h of t hem. But in t hat same moment , as t he lant ern light f lared over John Parry's f ace, somet hing shot down f rom t he t urbid sky, and he f ell back dead bef ore he could say a word, an arrow in his f ailing heart . The osprey daemon vanished in a moment . Will could only sit st upef ied. A f licker crossed t he corner of his vision, and his right hand dart ed up at once, and he f ound he was clut ching a robin, a daemon, red-breast ed, panicking. "No! No! " cried t he wit ch Jut a Kamainen, and f ell down af t er him, clut ching at her own heart , crashing clumsily int o t he rocky ground and st ruggling up again. But Will was t here bef ore she could f ind her f eet , and t he subt le knif e was at her t hroat . "Why did you do t hat ?" he shout ed. "Why did you kill him?" "Because I loved him and he scorned me! I am a wit ch! I don't f orgive! " And because she was a wit ch she wouldn't have been af raid of a boy, normally. But she was af raid of Will. This young wounded f igure held more f orce and danger t han she'd ever met in a human bef ore, and she quailed. She f ell backward, and he f ollowed and gripped her hair wit h his lef t hand, f eeling no pain, f eeling only an immense and shat t ering despair. "You don't know who he was, " he cried. "He was my f at her! " She shook her head and whispered, "No. No! That can't be t rue. Impossible! " "You t hink t hings have t o be possi bl e? Things have t o be t r ue! He was my f at her, and neit her of us knew it t ill t he second you killed him! Wit ch, I wait all my lif e and come all t his way and I f ind him at last , and you ki l l him. . . . " And he shook her head like a rag and t hrew her back against t he ground, half -st unning her. Her ast onishment was almost great er t han her f ear of him, which was real enough, and she pulled herself up, dazed, and seized his shirt in supplicat ion. He knocked her hand away. "What did he ever do t hat you needed t o kill nun?" he cried. 'Tell me t hat , if you can! " And she looked at t he dead man. Then she looked back at Will and shook her head sadly. file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (155 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"No, I can't explain, " she said. "You're t oo young. It wouldn't make sense t o you. I loved him. That 's all. That 's enough. " And bef ore Will could st op her, she f ell sof t ly sideways, her hand on t he hilt of t he knif e she had j ust t aken f rom her own belt and pushed bet ween her ribs. Will f elt no horror, only desolat ion and baf f lement . He st ood up slowly and looked down at t he dead wit ch, at her rich black hair, her f lushed cheeks, her smoot h pale limbs wet wit h rain, her lips part ed like a lover's. "I don't underst and, " he said aloud. "It 's t oo st range. " Will t urned back t o t he dead man, his f at her. A t housand t hings j ost led at his t hroat , and only t he dashing rain cooled t he hot ness his eyes. The lit t le lant ern st ill f lickered and f lared as t he draf t t hrough t he ill-f it t ing window licked around t he f lame, and by it s light Will knelt and put his hands on t he man's body, t ouching his f ace, his shoulders, his chest , closing his eyes, pushing t he wet gray hair of f his f orehead, pressing his hands t o t he rough cheeks, closing his f at her's mout h, squeezing his hands. "Fat her, " he said, "Dad, Daddy . . . Fat her. . . I don't underst and why she did t hat . It 's t oo st range f or me. But what ever you want ed me t o do, I promise, I swear I'll do it . I'll f ight . I'll be a warrior. I will. This knif e, I'll t ake it t o Lord Asriel, wherever he is, and I'll help him f ight t hat enemy. I'll do it . You can rest now. It 's all right . You can sleep now. " Beside t he dead man lay his deerskin pack wit h t he oilskin and t he lant ern and t he lit t le horn box of bloodmoss oint ment . Will picked t hem up, and t hen he not iced his f at her's f eat her-t rimmed cloak t railing behind his body on t he ground, heavy and sodden but warm. His f at her had no more use f or it , and Will was shaking wit h cold. He unf ast ened t he bronze buckle at t he dead man's t hroat and swung t he canvas pack over his shoulder bef ore wrapping t he cloak around himself . He blew out t he lant ern and looked back at t he dim shapes of his f at her, of t he wit ch, of his f at her again bef ore t urning t o go down t he mount ain. The st ormy air was elect ric wit h whispers, and in t he t earing of t he wind Will could hear ot her sounds, t oo: conf used echoes of cries and chant ing, t he clash of met al on met al, pounding wingbeat s t hat one moment sounded so close t hey might act ually be inside his head, and t he next so f ar away t hey might have been on anot her planet . The rocks underf oot were slippery and loose, and it was much harder going down t han it had been climbing up; but he didn't f alt er. And as he t urned down t he last lit t le gully bef ore t he place where he'd lef t Lyra sleeping, he st opped suddenly. He could see t wo f igures simply st anding t here, in t he dark, wait ing. Will put his hand on t he knif e. Then one of t he f igures spoke. "You're t he boy wit h t he knif e?" he said, and his voice had t he st range qualit y of t hose wingbeat s. Whoever he was, he wasn't a human being. "Who are you?" Will said. "Are you men, or—" "Not men, no. We are Wat chers. Bene elim. In your language, angels. " Will was silent . The speaker went on: "Ot her angels have ot her f unct ions, and ot her powers. Our t ask is simple: We need you. We have been f ollowing t he shaman every inch of his way, hoping he would lead us t o you, and so he has. And now we have come t o guide you in t urn t o Lord Asriel. " "You were wit h my f at her all t he t ime?" "Every moment . " "Did he know?" "He had no idea. " file:///C|/Music/Books/Text/Pullman/PULLMAN,%20...%20Materials%202%20-%20The%20Subtle%20Knife.htm (156 of 157)7/09/2003 11:42:22 p.m.

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"Why didn't you st op t he wit ch, t hen? Why did you let her kill him?" "We would have done, earlier. But his t ask was over once he'd led us t o you. " Will said not hing. His head was ringing; t his was no less dif f icult t o underst and t han anyt hing else. "All right , " he said f inally. "I'll come wit h you. But f irst I must wake Lyra. " They st ood aside t o let him pass, and he f elt a t ingle in t he air as he went close t o t hem, but he ignored it and concent rat ed on get t ing down t he slope t oward t he lit t le shelt er where Lyra was sleeping. But somet hing made him st op. In t he dimness, he could see t he wit ches who had been guarding Lyra all sit t ing or st anding st ill. They looked like st at ues, except t hat t hey were breat hing, but t hey were scarcely alive. There were several black-silk-clad bodies on t he ground, t oo, and as he gazed in horror f rom one t o anot her of t hem, Will saw what must have happened: t hey had been at t acked in midair by t he Spect ers, and had f allen t o t heir deat hs, indif f erent ly. But — "Where's Lyra?" he cried aloud. The hollow under t he rock was empt y. Lyra was gone. There was somet hing under t he overhang where she'd been lying. It was Lyra's lit t le canvas rucksack, and f rom t he weight of it he knew wit hout looking t hat t he alet hiomet er was st ill inside it . Will was shaking his head. It couldn't be t rue, but it was: Lyra was gone, Lyra was capt ured, Lyra was lost . The t wo dark f igures of t he bene elim had not moved. But t hey spoke: "You must come wit h us now. Lord Asriel needs you at once. The enemy's power is growing every minut e. The shaman has t old you what your t ask is. Follow us and help us win. Come wit h us. Come t his way. Come now. " And Will looked f rom t hem t o Lyra's rucksack and back again, and he didn't hear a word t hey said.

END OF BOOK TWO

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