With a sharp cry, Kyrie fell to her knees next to her father's body,
shivering, tears streaming down her cheeks. "No, it en't fair, it en't
fair," she whispered hoarsely. Linder picked up a ring from the ground
with the Church's symbol on it, and looked away from the girl, unable to
observe her pain. Khan was a clumsy puppy with big eyes, a servant's
daemon, demonstrating their humility.
When Kyrie had pulled herself together, she cleared her throat and stood up, her voice deadly calm. "Where's the knife?"
They tore apart the flat, searching desperately for the pieces, but found none. "He must have hid them," Linder said. "He must have had some idea that those murderers were coming, then hid the pieces. His stuff was put back neatly, but it was out of place, so they must have rummaged around, but I don't think they found anything."
Kyrie sat tensely on the sofa, thinking. Abruptly she ran out of the room, Khan close at her heels, and opened every closet door, went in, then moved on to the next. When she had gone into all the closets, she went into the cupboards, then the bedrooms, but seemed disappointed when she paused.
Linder watched her, wondering if she had gone mad. Khan tugged at her skirt with his teeth, and she followed him into the bathroom, and gave a shout of triumph. Linder rushed in to find her standing in the bathtub. "Are you insane?" He demanded.
"No, look!" Kyrie exclaimed, and he joined her reluctantly. Standing in the bathtub was the only way anyone could see the window that Will had cleverly cut, and Linder immediately jumped through onto the top of a hill in an uninhabited valley in another world. He looked down, noticing the fresh earth that filled in a hole that had been dug shortly before. Kneeling, he burrowed with his hands until he retrieved a dirty velvet bag, exactly like the one that held the alethiometer. He climbed back into the bathtub and solemnly handed it to Kyrie.
They went to Will's kitchen table and sat down, and with trembling hands Kyrie shook out the contents of the bag.
Shards of metal, some bright and clear, some colored and mysteriously cloudy, shone on the table, along with a wooden hilt with a gold angel on either side. "Wow," Kyrie breathed. "But if the knife's been broken ever since Will left my Mum, how did Will cut that window?"
"He must have done it with one of the pieces…" Linder said. "It probably took a really long time, sawing through bit by bit… the window felt rough around the edges."
"What d'you mean?" Kyrie scooped the remnants of the subtle knife back into the bag, tied it tightly, and put it in her rucksack.
"It was as if the sides of the window were ragged. The air was torn," Linder tried to explain.
"Sounds like you understand the knife," Kyrie said thoughtfully. "We better leave, it en't safe for us to stay here cause of the police. Someone's gonna notice that Will's gone, and come searching for him." Khan, a cat, hissed, arching his back at the door, and Kyrie paled. "They're coming."
Without a word, Linder grabbed her hand and pulled her to the window, where the fire escape led five stories to the ground. He shoved her outside and followed quickly, landing silently and closing the window behind them.
When they reached the ground, they returned to the park and located the window that had been their portal and unhesitatingly stepped through, relieved to find themselves back in the cave. "We can't just leave it open like that," Blaise spoke for the first time, startling Kyrie. The daemon was beautiful, wild and stately, with a low, clear voice and unfathomable ocher eyes that reflected Linder's.
Linder turned to the window and reached out a hand, running his fingertips along the edge of the slice in the air. A distracted look came over his beautiful face, and Kyrie recognized the concentration that she experienced every time she consulted the alethiometer. Amazed, she watched as he made a pinching motion, pulling together the wounded surfaces, and the window began to shut. Before long, the window had disappeared, and one of the last remaining thresholds between worlds had been sealed.
"You en't supposed to know how to do that," Kyrie accused the boy, and he laughed.
"It sort of came naturally," he answered. Kyrie shook her head.
"That's magic," she said warily. "Mum told me that the sign of the knife- bearer is two fingers missing on one hand, and you seem to have all yours. The knife didn't choose you, you chose it and it accepted your ownership. It's witchcraft, that." She followed him back across the river and pulled the flower that Ruda Skadi had given her out of her rucksack.
Before Linder could protest, she called, "Ruda Skadi, it's not urgent, but please come."
"What did you do that for?" Linder demanded angrily. "You can't just disturb witches whenever you feel like it, especially not in the middle of the night, they're far more important than we are."
Kyrie shot him a scathing look. "Of course they're not," she returned. "This is a matter of Original Sin and I en't gonna waste time." She refused to talk to him even after he apologized, and so they sat, alone, and waited for Ruta Skadi.
When Kyrie had pulled herself together, she cleared her throat and stood up, her voice deadly calm. "Where's the knife?"
They tore apart the flat, searching desperately for the pieces, but found none. "He must have hid them," Linder said. "He must have had some idea that those murderers were coming, then hid the pieces. His stuff was put back neatly, but it was out of place, so they must have rummaged around, but I don't think they found anything."
Kyrie sat tensely on the sofa, thinking. Abruptly she ran out of the room, Khan close at her heels, and opened every closet door, went in, then moved on to the next. When she had gone into all the closets, she went into the cupboards, then the bedrooms, but seemed disappointed when she paused.
Linder watched her, wondering if she had gone mad. Khan tugged at her skirt with his teeth, and she followed him into the bathroom, and gave a shout of triumph. Linder rushed in to find her standing in the bathtub. "Are you insane?" He demanded.
"No, look!" Kyrie exclaimed, and he joined her reluctantly. Standing in the bathtub was the only way anyone could see the window that Will had cleverly cut, and Linder immediately jumped through onto the top of a hill in an uninhabited valley in another world. He looked down, noticing the fresh earth that filled in a hole that had been dug shortly before. Kneeling, he burrowed with his hands until he retrieved a dirty velvet bag, exactly like the one that held the alethiometer. He climbed back into the bathtub and solemnly handed it to Kyrie.
They went to Will's kitchen table and sat down, and with trembling hands Kyrie shook out the contents of the bag.
Shards of metal, some bright and clear, some colored and mysteriously cloudy, shone on the table, along with a wooden hilt with a gold angel on either side. "Wow," Kyrie breathed. "But if the knife's been broken ever since Will left my Mum, how did Will cut that window?"
"He must have done it with one of the pieces…" Linder said. "It probably took a really long time, sawing through bit by bit… the window felt rough around the edges."
"What d'you mean?" Kyrie scooped the remnants of the subtle knife back into the bag, tied it tightly, and put it in her rucksack.
"It was as if the sides of the window were ragged. The air was torn," Linder tried to explain.
"Sounds like you understand the knife," Kyrie said thoughtfully. "We better leave, it en't safe for us to stay here cause of the police. Someone's gonna notice that Will's gone, and come searching for him." Khan, a cat, hissed, arching his back at the door, and Kyrie paled. "They're coming."
Without a word, Linder grabbed her hand and pulled her to the window, where the fire escape led five stories to the ground. He shoved her outside and followed quickly, landing silently and closing the window behind them.
When they reached the ground, they returned to the park and located the window that had been their portal and unhesitatingly stepped through, relieved to find themselves back in the cave. "We can't just leave it open like that," Blaise spoke for the first time, startling Kyrie. The daemon was beautiful, wild and stately, with a low, clear voice and unfathomable ocher eyes that reflected Linder's.
Linder turned to the window and reached out a hand, running his fingertips along the edge of the slice in the air. A distracted look came over his beautiful face, and Kyrie recognized the concentration that she experienced every time she consulted the alethiometer. Amazed, she watched as he made a pinching motion, pulling together the wounded surfaces, and the window began to shut. Before long, the window had disappeared, and one of the last remaining thresholds between worlds had been sealed.
"You en't supposed to know how to do that," Kyrie accused the boy, and he laughed.
"It sort of came naturally," he answered. Kyrie shook her head.
"That's magic," she said warily. "Mum told me that the sign of the knife- bearer is two fingers missing on one hand, and you seem to have all yours. The knife didn't choose you, you chose it and it accepted your ownership. It's witchcraft, that." She followed him back across the river and pulled the flower that Ruda Skadi had given her out of her rucksack.
Before Linder could protest, she called, "Ruda Skadi, it's not urgent, but please come."
"What did you do that for?" Linder demanded angrily. "You can't just disturb witches whenever you feel like it, especially not in the middle of the night, they're far more important than we are."
Kyrie shot him a scathing look. "Of course they're not," she returned. "This is a matter of Original Sin and I en't gonna waste time." She refused to talk to him even after he apologized, and so they sat, alone, and waited for Ruta Skadi.