Chapter two
The sun was glaring down upon Oxford city, as Alius Mundus and her daemon, Shinzui woke up the next morning. Alius sat up and rubbed her eyes, wondering what had possessed her to choose a seat so close to the path, where anyone could see her. She glanced down at her watch and realized that it was ten minutes till noon. Her daemon, in the form of a silver fox, his favorite sleeping form, woke up and gazed at her.
"'Morning," he said, brightly, changing into a nightingale, and taking air. "Too bad we have to miss the festiveness."
Alius shook her head, wondering how horrible her hair looked, and what her daemon thought he was playing at. "I'm not going back," she replied. "So don't even bother to try."
Shinzui was surprised. "I wasn't trying to! I was just pointing out that you won't be able to sneak out of the house to go play with the street children."
"We're too old anyhow," replied Alius. "And shouldn't we go? Mr. Ronvolkin will be trying to find us by now."
Her daemon abruptly landed on her shoulder and whispered frantically into her ear. "On your left! I saw them through those trees! Walk away slowly."
Alius was tempted to run, but she knew it would only catch someone's attention. Instead of running, she walked slowly, partly because she knew that she would get caught if she ran, and partly because her daemon was pulling back, slowing her down. When she reached the path, Shinzui flew back up and looked around for their pursuers. Alius ran, faster than she had ever run before. There was no way she was going to get caught. Besides the fact that t would mean to her, that Mr. Ronvolkin was better than her, she had nothing back home. Obviously her mother didn't care about her, as she was marring a Russkan spy! Alius knew that one of the reasons her mother was marrying was because she was pregnant. That didn't change the fact.
"Behind you!" Shinzui shouted, and Alius twisted her head to look back, and saw Manny, who had been her father's manservant. He wasn't as fast as her, seeing as how he was almost sixty-years-old, and not at all in shape. That might have been because his wife and sister were the cooks back at the manor.
She stopped, not at all tired yet, though she could see how exhausted Manny was. His Irish setter daemon trotted along beside him.
"What do you want?" Alius cried out, glaring at him.
"We was looking for you all night, me an' me daemon. Messter Ronvolkin wants you to go back," the man panted.
"Well, then you just tell him I won't!" Alius replied indignantly. "No! You stay away from me!" She pointed her finger at the man as he approached her slowly. Wildcat formed Shinzui nipped at the other daemon.
"Listen, Ali…He's mad!"
Alius crossed her arms over her chest. "Humph! Sounds like a personal problem to me! Now, if you'll excuse me?"
"Wait!" the man cried. "It's summer's mid day! You can eat and we may even let you drink a bit. After all, you is thirteen now."
"Oh ho! He'd like that now, wouldn't he?"
The man scratched his head, looking very confused.
"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know! You have a young daughter!" Alius said, backing away slowly. "And whose servant are you, anyhow? I thought you were my father's servant!"
"I were, but he's dead."
"No he en't! And I'm going to find him you—you—you—evil—you—TRAITOR!" she screamed, turning and fleeing into the garden.
She expected the servant to follow her, but, to her surprise, he stood there and hung his head. His daemon hung her tail between her legs and followed him as he trudged away.
"Shinzui," said Alius. "Why didn't he follow us? Surely he wasn't hurt by what I said?"
"Of course he was," Shinzui replied. "He is a servant. As far as he is concerned, Mister Ronvolkin is his master now."
Alius shrugged, feeling bad. "Well, I just hope he won't tell where I am."
She had reached the other side of the path, and walked back out of the garden, onto the busy Oxford boulevard, filled with people headed towards the market, or Midsummer's Day festivals.
Ahead of Alius, a girl was running towards her, hugging a small black bag under her arm, with her red-gold daemon racing ahead of her. Her head was down, and she kept glancing down at her watch.
When she reached the gate of the grounds, she stopped, looking up and seeing Alius for the first time.
"Oh! Umm, hello," the other girl said.
"Hullo. Where's the fire?"
"What?"
"Why are you in such a hurry. There is a man who most likely has a gun in there!" Alius said, her wildcat-formed daemon nodding his head.
The other girl was almost hopping around, she seemed so anxious. "Excuse me! I have to meet someone."
"Well," said Alius, "no one else is there. I was just inside, and no one else has come through. What's your name?"
"Lyra Belacqua," the girl replied.
Alius' eyes widened. "What?! Really? My father went on an expedition with Asriel Belacqua once!" She was speaking of the exploration of the north when her father had never returned.
"Yes. It's almost noon. I have two minutes. Can you please move?"
"I'm Alius Mundus. I've heard all about you, Lyra. My friend, the witch Serafina Pekkala told me."
"You know about Serafina?"
Alius nodded. The witch had visited her often until a year ago.
Lyra glanced around. "Can we talk later? I'm busy right now. Meet me here tomorrow at four o clock."
With that, she turned and ran into the garden. Alius stared after her, and glanced down at her watch. It was noon and a minute.
"Shall we meet her tomorrow?" Shinzui asked. "She seems to want to talk with us."
"Certainly. But I'm hungry right now, and we need to get something to eat."
Together, they walked down the sidewalk. Alius was thinking about food, since she didn't really focus on much. She would rather just ignore confusing things. Her daemon was thinking of how strange it was that they were meeting the girl their witch friend had told them so much about. Of course, they had thought Lyra Silvertongue was only a witch legend.
Alius insisted on stealing food, though she had more than enough money to pay for it. They ran with some of the street children their age after leaving their old clothes behind a trash can, and stealing an old outfit form a clothesline behind and old building. The next day, Alius and her daemon walked back to the garden, after waking up covered in straw in someone's shed. They laughed as they were interviewed by a policeman, about the whereabouts of a young girl with blond hair named Alius Mundus, who had been kidnapped.
"I can't believe that! I don't have blond hair! Who do they think they're talking about?"
Shinzui: "Really! We ran away."
They were still laughing as they saw Lyra walking towards them down the street.
The sun was glaring down upon Oxford city, as Alius Mundus and her daemon, Shinzui woke up the next morning. Alius sat up and rubbed her eyes, wondering what had possessed her to choose a seat so close to the path, where anyone could see her. She glanced down at her watch and realized that it was ten minutes till noon. Her daemon, in the form of a silver fox, his favorite sleeping form, woke up and gazed at her.
"'Morning," he said, brightly, changing into a nightingale, and taking air. "Too bad we have to miss the festiveness."
Alius shook her head, wondering how horrible her hair looked, and what her daemon thought he was playing at. "I'm not going back," she replied. "So don't even bother to try."
Shinzui was surprised. "I wasn't trying to! I was just pointing out that you won't be able to sneak out of the house to go play with the street children."
"We're too old anyhow," replied Alius. "And shouldn't we go? Mr. Ronvolkin will be trying to find us by now."
Her daemon abruptly landed on her shoulder and whispered frantically into her ear. "On your left! I saw them through those trees! Walk away slowly."
Alius was tempted to run, but she knew it would only catch someone's attention. Instead of running, she walked slowly, partly because she knew that she would get caught if she ran, and partly because her daemon was pulling back, slowing her down. When she reached the path, Shinzui flew back up and looked around for their pursuers. Alius ran, faster than she had ever run before. There was no way she was going to get caught. Besides the fact that t would mean to her, that Mr. Ronvolkin was better than her, she had nothing back home. Obviously her mother didn't care about her, as she was marring a Russkan spy! Alius knew that one of the reasons her mother was marrying was because she was pregnant. That didn't change the fact.
"Behind you!" Shinzui shouted, and Alius twisted her head to look back, and saw Manny, who had been her father's manservant. He wasn't as fast as her, seeing as how he was almost sixty-years-old, and not at all in shape. That might have been because his wife and sister were the cooks back at the manor.
She stopped, not at all tired yet, though she could see how exhausted Manny was. His Irish setter daemon trotted along beside him.
"What do you want?" Alius cried out, glaring at him.
"We was looking for you all night, me an' me daemon. Messter Ronvolkin wants you to go back," the man panted.
"Well, then you just tell him I won't!" Alius replied indignantly. "No! You stay away from me!" She pointed her finger at the man as he approached her slowly. Wildcat formed Shinzui nipped at the other daemon.
"Listen, Ali…He's mad!"
Alius crossed her arms over her chest. "Humph! Sounds like a personal problem to me! Now, if you'll excuse me?"
"Wait!" the man cried. "It's summer's mid day! You can eat and we may even let you drink a bit. After all, you is thirteen now."
"Oh ho! He'd like that now, wouldn't he?"
The man scratched his head, looking very confused.
"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know! You have a young daughter!" Alius said, backing away slowly. "And whose servant are you, anyhow? I thought you were my father's servant!"
"I were, but he's dead."
"No he en't! And I'm going to find him you—you—you—evil—you—TRAITOR!" she screamed, turning and fleeing into the garden.
She expected the servant to follow her, but, to her surprise, he stood there and hung his head. His daemon hung her tail between her legs and followed him as he trudged away.
"Shinzui," said Alius. "Why didn't he follow us? Surely he wasn't hurt by what I said?"
"Of course he was," Shinzui replied. "He is a servant. As far as he is concerned, Mister Ronvolkin is his master now."
Alius shrugged, feeling bad. "Well, I just hope he won't tell where I am."
She had reached the other side of the path, and walked back out of the garden, onto the busy Oxford boulevard, filled with people headed towards the market, or Midsummer's Day festivals.
Ahead of Alius, a girl was running towards her, hugging a small black bag under her arm, with her red-gold daemon racing ahead of her. Her head was down, and she kept glancing down at her watch.
When she reached the gate of the grounds, she stopped, looking up and seeing Alius for the first time.
"Oh! Umm, hello," the other girl said.
"Hullo. Where's the fire?"
"What?"
"Why are you in such a hurry. There is a man who most likely has a gun in there!" Alius said, her wildcat-formed daemon nodding his head.
The other girl was almost hopping around, she seemed so anxious. "Excuse me! I have to meet someone."
"Well," said Alius, "no one else is there. I was just inside, and no one else has come through. What's your name?"
"Lyra Belacqua," the girl replied.
Alius' eyes widened. "What?! Really? My father went on an expedition with Asriel Belacqua once!" She was speaking of the exploration of the north when her father had never returned.
"Yes. It's almost noon. I have two minutes. Can you please move?"
"I'm Alius Mundus. I've heard all about you, Lyra. My friend, the witch Serafina Pekkala told me."
"You know about Serafina?"
Alius nodded. The witch had visited her often until a year ago.
Lyra glanced around. "Can we talk later? I'm busy right now. Meet me here tomorrow at four o clock."
With that, she turned and ran into the garden. Alius stared after her, and glanced down at her watch. It was noon and a minute.
"Shall we meet her tomorrow?" Shinzui asked. "She seems to want to talk with us."
"Certainly. But I'm hungry right now, and we need to get something to eat."
Together, they walked down the sidewalk. Alius was thinking about food, since she didn't really focus on much. She would rather just ignore confusing things. Her daemon was thinking of how strange it was that they were meeting the girl their witch friend had told them so much about. Of course, they had thought Lyra Silvertongue was only a witch legend.
Alius insisted on stealing food, though she had more than enough money to pay for it. They ran with some of the street children their age after leaving their old clothes behind a trash can, and stealing an old outfit form a clothesline behind and old building. The next day, Alius and her daemon walked back to the garden, after waking up covered in straw in someone's shed. They laughed as they were interviewed by a policeman, about the whereabouts of a young girl with blond hair named Alius Mundus, who had been kidnapped.
"I can't believe that! I don't have blond hair! Who do they think they're talking about?"
Shinzui: "Really! We ran away."
They were still laughing as they saw Lyra walking towards them down the street.
