Lyra sat in her room. Pretending to change and be very sensitive to someone seeing her naked. She stuffed the Alethiometer into a secret compartment in her rucksack that was impossible to see until opened. She also put in there a razor, some different types of powdered mixtures she found in someone's room, and stole them because one of them was labeled "Days Sleep".

"How long does it take one to change?" Quoralian seemed annoyed, what else is new? After being with this gallivespian for only half an hour, Lyra learned that anger and annoyance came easily to her.

"I will be done changing when I'm done." She spat stubbornly. The great Lyra Silvertongue would not be commanded by someone like this gallivespian. She heard a mumble from outside the door.

"You wouldn't be telling me what to do if-." She couldn't hear the rest. It was at that point she decided to stop bugging the gallivespian and emerged from her room, rucksack on shoulder, new clothes on.

"I see you've packed." Quoralian added suspiciously, and with that motioned her to put the bag down to be inspected. She then jumped into the bag.

"Hmmm. I see. Clothes, what else?" She seemed to be swimming in the clothes and other needs.

"Well, once your done invading my privacy, can we get going? If we are ever going to leave."

"Mind your manners young one."

"Who's young here? What are you six?"

Quoralian faced her full on in the face, she wasn't red, or angry. But Lyra could tell she was going to endure a beating of words. Short and clear to the point, like Quoralian seemed to like to pass out.

"What is more measurable in the soul, your age in years, or your age in wisdom? If you believe that you are older than me because I am only 6, than you are truly the child here." She then turned around and got back to inspecting.

Lyra sat down, beaten. And pondered her lecture. Well, that did make sense, but she has endured quite a bit and learned quite a lot. Going through so much, leaving so much.

They then set out, after saying their goodbyes of course. Lyra could see her old friends talking to each other, and even whispering,

"On to another mission, amazing." Many yelled to her,

"Good luck child! Do what you must!"

"Your in our thoughts!"

She looked ahead, the road dark, but still bliss overwhelmed her, on the road again, on a mission. It felt so natural, she was ashamed to admit to herself. "Thank goodness." Quoralian heard Lyra whisper to herself.

Quoralian looked at Lyra, laying on the ground sleeping, not a blanket on her. She seemed to be able to sleep anywhere without a problem. Quoralian began to explore the woods and rocks around her. It was a beautiful place, the woods had a village near them, and there was a stream that seemed to spread rainbows everywhere. There was a bit of snow in the stream, and the forest was bright green.

Quoralian remembered the excitement on Lyra's face when she entered through the portal to the next world. And she was fascinated on how it got there. But the most noticeable reaction when she came through the portal was absolute bliss at first, but when she looked around, a tear streaked her face. Though she quickly wiped it away and pretended that she hadn't just cried a little, Quoralian saw her sorrow.

Quoralian was now sitting on a rock now, mist splashing her face, rainbows making her a thousand different colors, and the sun sparkling in her eyes. The forest seemed so green and fruitful that it reminded her of one giant emerald. And there were so many rainbows, she began to think she had cut into a world called heaven. She looked over toward where Lyra was sleeping again. Lyra had refused to go sleep in the cave where Quoralian set up camp, and Quoralian couldn't understand why. It was big, seemed to have had other people sleep in it before, (For there were some supplies left behind.) and it was a great hiding place from the village people, especially a little girl that liked coming up here, Quoralian thought her name was Ata.

Lyra began to stir, Quoralian jumped off the little rock and walked to her side. She got up and rubbed her eyes, then looked around, and the sorrowful look on her face reappeared.

"If you don't mind my asking, can we go to a different world?" Lyra stared at Quoralian as she said this, Quoralian felt like her gaze was penetrating straight through her, seeing her every thought. Quoralian stared back boldly.

"We were just passing through here. Gather your things and we shall leave."

"Alright, you start gathering your things also." Quoralian turned a little red at Lyra's comment, but turned around and obeyed.

Lyra walked over to where she had been sleeping, and began packing up her bag.

"Oh Pan, why did we have to come here? Of all places! There are thousands of worlds aren't there? It just had to be one of the worlds where he." Lyra's sentence trailed away. Pantalaimon knew exactly who she was thinking of, and nuzzled her, comforting her all he could.

"Maybe, you'll see him again! If Quoralian can cut a portal into this world from his, and then to ours, he probably can cut one into Will's world." Lyra jumped up in excitement from the idea, and her somber expression vanished at once. She ran blindly through the woods until she found Quoralian.

"Quoralian, oh Quoralian! Can I ask a favor of you? It would mean so much to me! Could you cut a portal into Will's world?" Lyra said this quickly with a grin so big it was almost frightening.

Quoralian sat on the ground and gave out a deep sigh. "I am afraid not, Lyra. You made a sacrifice and a choice. If you open up a portal to Will's world and embrace him, so much as hear him, see him, you sacrifice everyone's chance for salvation. You change your choice and condemn us all." Lyra broke into sobs and stood on her knees at this.

"Why me? Why him? Why us? Why did I have to be Eve? Why can't I just be dead and never of met him!! Then none of this would of happened!! I wish I were dead! Then at least my atoms could stay with him everywhere he went!! We'd be together at least!!" Tears littered her face and the ground around her. Such utter hatred she felt for herself right now for loving him, such sadness and longing for him she felt.

Quoralian was horrified at the words Lyra spoke. She couldn't die, she had many more tasks to complete, many.

Quoralian tried to get Lyra's attention but it was impossible. Finally Quoralian resulted to using one of her poisonous spurs and pressing it a little on a pressure point. Lyra gasped and looked at Quoralian, she had her attention.

"Child! If I ever hear you say anything like that again you will really wish you dead! The fate of many worlds depends on you! Not me, not anyone else, you. A force is rising again to unspeakable power! And they have something that is unbeatable. The sillan."

Lyra had stopped her sobbing by now, and was greatly curious.

"The sillan? What's that?"

Quoralian looked at her, as if trying to see if she was ready to handle it.

"The sillan is a warped time chamber. You go in there and someone sets the time flow difference. Like a thousand years in there could be merely a year out here, but that's the limit. People don't age in there though. They are using it as a torture chamber, and for some people to become stronger for battle. The people that are on the opposite side of the holders of the sillan that are captured are put in there for eternal labor and torture, never dying, but never really living." Quoralian said this all very slowly, as if trying to reword it to not make it sound as bad as it is, she didn't succeed.

Lyra didn't make a sound, a minute later she asked the one question that came to mind after he told her this.

"Do we have one on our side?"

"No."

"Then isn't it likely they will win?"

"Its half and half. Lyra, all the alethiometers in every world have been destroyed, except one. The other side used to have one, Fra Pavels, but they disposed of that one for the energy burst to contribute to the sillans power, I know you've stashed it, and you were smart not to tell me, but from now on we must trust each other. Otherwise neither of us will have a chance."

"How was I supposed to know you weren't going to kill me when I was asleep?"

"You weren't, but now you do."

But then Lyra remembered something important and desperate, "Quoralian! I don't know how to read the alethiometer anymore! It will take me a lifetime to learn how to read and study it again!"

"That's already been considered. And there is only on thing we can do, Lady Eleanore is planning on bringing the Authority back to maximum power again through the sillans eternal ability to change the flow of time. You are going into the sillan for studying for a lifetime. You will be hidden and I believe conceived as a relative of Lady Eleanore, since you both look remarkably alike."

This hit Lyra like a thousand bricks at once. Her, Lyra Silvertongue, going into the sillan? She didn't like the thought of that, especially from what she had heard so far.

Wait a minute, didn't Quoralian say she needed to speak to Lady Eleanore a while back?

"Didn't you say I needed to speak to Lady Eleanore?" She added gloomily.

"That I did young one, but only a little bit ago when I was communicating with the Council, they informed me that she was an undercover spy, even though she is running the organization she was pretending to try to destroy. She was merely getting information. So in a matter of hours, they set up a spot for you in the sillan and conceived as a relative of Lady Eleanore. You understand, don't you?"

Lyra understood, but she wished she didn't. This was becoming to much, then Lyra let out something that had been building up since the day she saw Bolvanger.

"I don't want to." She said flatly

"What?"

"But I have to don't I? Everything is chosen for me, where I go, what I do, everything. I want to be free. I want to choose everything, what I do, where I go in life, I want to choose my life, I want to have choices. But everything is made and planned for me, even whom I love and that I suffer and leave him. And I hate it. I hate it. I want to live in this life. No one telling you what to do, its like I am cursed, I'll never have a true life, never. Don't you understand? When I am old, I will never be able to love, I will never be allowed to choose anything for myself, like where I live or in what house. And all this to make sure I am safe. Well, I am sick of being safe, and if I am going into the sillan, it'll be so that every guard, soldier, marksman, whatever, knows who I really am. I am sick of lying, and you know what? Like it or not, I am not going. No more."

And with that she began to walk away, but Quoralian grabbed on to her and began pushing on a pressure point with one of her spurs.

"You are going to do your duty! You have no choice, you are Eve, I will drag you there if I must!" She shouted angrily and desperately.

Lyra snatched her up so fast by the neck not even Quoralian could tell it happened until a moment later. Lyra ripped off her spurs and poisonous wrist guards, holding her in the air by the neck, supporting Quoralian's feet with her other hand so Quoralian wouldn't die.

"You know what? I didn't sign up for this. And I'm not Eve, I'm Lyra. And I'll kill you if I have to, cause I bet you'd do the same thing. And I am going to live in this life, I only get one. Your gonna let me go, or I'll send you to the next world, as much as I don't want to."

She was shocked with her own words, but satisfied. And sweet, destined, special, little Lyra was taking charge.

She knew she had to follow directions at some points, and this was one, but she didn't care how selfish she was being, she didn't care how unreasonable she was being, all she knew was that no one should go through what she has, and that she was going to take charge this time. She set Quoralian on a rock.

"Goodbye Quoralian."