Book One: Eve's Daughter
by Mistress of Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Phillip Pullman, but I'm a big fan. This is my fanfic. Enjoy!!
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Part Four: Oxford/Two days later
As a quiet twilight fell upon the city of Oxford and only mere traces of bright pink streaks of cloud remained in the wide, darkening sky, the witch silently alighted from her branch of cloud-pine, hidden, she decided, safely enough within a hidden alleyway in the part of Oxford known to all as Jericho. Lukily, no one had been there at the right time to witness seeing the witch and her beautiful snow goose daemon enter the strange city alone. Serafina Pekkala would have normally paused a little to take in her poor surroundings--what one of the rougher parts of town looked like, to remember it, maybe--but she had many other things to fill her mind at that moment. "Where do you think Jordan might be?" Serafina wondered aloud. Kasia, who had been sent off to alert the other witch queens Reina Miti and Ieva Kasku and had currently reunited with his witch upon hearing her call, did not answer immediatley, for he himself was not all too sure. Stepping out of the alleyway and onto the dusty street paved with dusty, flat cobblestones, she decided it might be for the best she take the cloud-pine with her; she could need it at any time later. "I don't know," Kaisa finally whispered in reply. He glanced warily around them, making sure they were not being followed, nervous to be in the midst of so much civillization. Serafina shared her daemon's feelings as always, but chose not to allow her slight fear to show. Her eyes darted this way and that, taking sure notice of all the buildings that were evidently not houses, paying special attention to the larger ones; for these could very well be the famous colleges; and any one immense structure out of those could be the one known as Jordan. There were only a few remaining people out on the streets by now; only a few night-goers, mostly composed of hard-eyed older men in dark threadbare suits and hats and haggard women who wore cheap heavy black eye makeup that smudged and ran. Their daemons stared at what to them was evidently a strangely-dressed young woman and her snow goose daemon with a solemn, silent dissaproval that the witch could feel in the air. One of the men who was obviously half gyptian leaned up against an iron lampost, clumsily took a drink out of a small, silver rectangular decanter he had clenched in his hand, and smiled drunkenly at the lovely fair-haired newcomer who passed him carrying a live branch of cloud-pine; and he said in a voice that was very much slurred by spirits, "Well, 'ello, there, love, wanna come over here and...?" the rest of what he had to say was dissolved a mirthless laugh, and then a hacking cough after which he leaned over and spit a wad phlegm into the dirty gutter. Serafina Pekkala ingored him completley, and with tight lips bore the bad atmosphere the stares gave off as she walked on, picking up her pace a little. She passed the tavern the man must have recently come out of, from which she could hear a woman's high, sweet singing as some instrument played, and cheers after every pause, enjoying the bad humor that was woven into the lyrics. The witch calmly walked the rest of the way out of Jericho, not daring to seek refuge in the narrow pathways behind the shacks and boarding houses, for fear of what else she might find there in the darker shadows. She kept to the lamplight, and said with a touch of anger under her breath, "We shouldn't have landed here, Kasia...I wish it were day, so we could find the gyptians. They would have helped us." For a moment, she eyed the wide canal that ran beside Jericho near the clayburners' beds, which was like a straight dark river this time of night, with the sliver that was the new moon shining on the small ripples and waves. There was one of the gyptains' brightly-painted narrowboat, safely docked near the short, rough wooden pier; but there was no one out on the deck, and Serafina could not see the warm halo marking candlelight, or even the different distinctive light of a naptha lamp. Either the family that owned the boat were alseep, or visiting one of the taverns for a drink. The two were silent as they turned the bend, staying on the road, passing houses and other buildings, and under one of the smaller colleges that could have easily been mistaken for an old convent, with statues of people carved out of cold grey granite. The figures seemed to loom over her, their pupiless eyes gazing down at the witch and her daemon. "This one can't be Jordan," Kasia commented in a quiet voice. "Wouldn't it be much larger?" There was a sign to mark the college's name, a reclanguar brass plaque that was printed with formal, angular, ugly charachters Serafina could not read: this was writing in Lyra's language, writing Serafina had seen before, and could reconize only a few of the symbols. "Is there anyone in this place who could help us?" Kasia asked his witch, who had obviously been thinking the same thing, and was eyeing the dark, shimmering waters canal harbor once again. "No one but the gyptians," Serafina replied. "But it is nighttime now, they need their rest and so do we, Kasia." she took hold of the branch of cloud- pine in her right hand, lowered it, and prepared to fly. Kasia flapped his wings in response. "Where to this time?" he asked. "Anywhere, Kasia," the witch said. "Anywhere until morning comes, and then we must set out again to find Lyra's daughter." At those last three words, an expression of sadness crossed Serafina Pekkala's face, but only for a fleeting moment, before she and her snow goose daemon took flight. "I only hope we'll be able to find her."
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Mistress: ~_~ *snoring and talking in sleep* Ahhh...ohhh...spaggetti... Catina: *coughs* o_0 Whut? Eh? Mistress: ~_~ *still sleeping* Catina: Hunh? She's sleeping?! o_0# Oh, come on.... Mistress: *bubble forms on left nostril* Catina: *gags* Sheesh, this is too nasty...sheesh...*gets a megaphone from closet* Mistress: Noodles, yes...! *continues to snore* Catina: *speaks into megaphone* MISTRESS-CHAN no BAKA! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT, YOUNG LADY! Mistress: *suddenly wakes up* AHHHH!! Catina-chan! Don't DO that! Catina: *laughs evilly* hehehehehehe...hehe..hehe. Ha. Mistress: Great L-sama, my HEART! *gasps convuslively* Catina: Hunh? Eh? OH MY! Mistress: I'll KILL you! Catina: *gasps fearfully* Oh no! Well, on to next chapter! nooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Phillip Pullman, but I'm a big fan. This is my fanfic. Enjoy!!
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Part Four: Oxford/Two days later
As a quiet twilight fell upon the city of Oxford and only mere traces of bright pink streaks of cloud remained in the wide, darkening sky, the witch silently alighted from her branch of cloud-pine, hidden, she decided, safely enough within a hidden alleyway in the part of Oxford known to all as Jericho. Lukily, no one had been there at the right time to witness seeing the witch and her beautiful snow goose daemon enter the strange city alone. Serafina Pekkala would have normally paused a little to take in her poor surroundings--what one of the rougher parts of town looked like, to remember it, maybe--but she had many other things to fill her mind at that moment. "Where do you think Jordan might be?" Serafina wondered aloud. Kasia, who had been sent off to alert the other witch queens Reina Miti and Ieva Kasku and had currently reunited with his witch upon hearing her call, did not answer immediatley, for he himself was not all too sure. Stepping out of the alleyway and onto the dusty street paved with dusty, flat cobblestones, she decided it might be for the best she take the cloud-pine with her; she could need it at any time later. "I don't know," Kaisa finally whispered in reply. He glanced warily around them, making sure they were not being followed, nervous to be in the midst of so much civillization. Serafina shared her daemon's feelings as always, but chose not to allow her slight fear to show. Her eyes darted this way and that, taking sure notice of all the buildings that were evidently not houses, paying special attention to the larger ones; for these could very well be the famous colleges; and any one immense structure out of those could be the one known as Jordan. There were only a few remaining people out on the streets by now; only a few night-goers, mostly composed of hard-eyed older men in dark threadbare suits and hats and haggard women who wore cheap heavy black eye makeup that smudged and ran. Their daemons stared at what to them was evidently a strangely-dressed young woman and her snow goose daemon with a solemn, silent dissaproval that the witch could feel in the air. One of the men who was obviously half gyptian leaned up against an iron lampost, clumsily took a drink out of a small, silver rectangular decanter he had clenched in his hand, and smiled drunkenly at the lovely fair-haired newcomer who passed him carrying a live branch of cloud-pine; and he said in a voice that was very much slurred by spirits, "Well, 'ello, there, love, wanna come over here and...?" the rest of what he had to say was dissolved a mirthless laugh, and then a hacking cough after which he leaned over and spit a wad phlegm into the dirty gutter. Serafina Pekkala ingored him completley, and with tight lips bore the bad atmosphere the stares gave off as she walked on, picking up her pace a little. She passed the tavern the man must have recently come out of, from which she could hear a woman's high, sweet singing as some instrument played, and cheers after every pause, enjoying the bad humor that was woven into the lyrics. The witch calmly walked the rest of the way out of Jericho, not daring to seek refuge in the narrow pathways behind the shacks and boarding houses, for fear of what else she might find there in the darker shadows. She kept to the lamplight, and said with a touch of anger under her breath, "We shouldn't have landed here, Kasia...I wish it were day, so we could find the gyptians. They would have helped us." For a moment, she eyed the wide canal that ran beside Jericho near the clayburners' beds, which was like a straight dark river this time of night, with the sliver that was the new moon shining on the small ripples and waves. There was one of the gyptains' brightly-painted narrowboat, safely docked near the short, rough wooden pier; but there was no one out on the deck, and Serafina could not see the warm halo marking candlelight, or even the different distinctive light of a naptha lamp. Either the family that owned the boat were alseep, or visiting one of the taverns for a drink. The two were silent as they turned the bend, staying on the road, passing houses and other buildings, and under one of the smaller colleges that could have easily been mistaken for an old convent, with statues of people carved out of cold grey granite. The figures seemed to loom over her, their pupiless eyes gazing down at the witch and her daemon. "This one can't be Jordan," Kasia commented in a quiet voice. "Wouldn't it be much larger?" There was a sign to mark the college's name, a reclanguar brass plaque that was printed with formal, angular, ugly charachters Serafina could not read: this was writing in Lyra's language, writing Serafina had seen before, and could reconize only a few of the symbols. "Is there anyone in this place who could help us?" Kasia asked his witch, who had obviously been thinking the same thing, and was eyeing the dark, shimmering waters canal harbor once again. "No one but the gyptians," Serafina replied. "But it is nighttime now, they need their rest and so do we, Kasia." she took hold of the branch of cloud- pine in her right hand, lowered it, and prepared to fly. Kasia flapped his wings in response. "Where to this time?" he asked. "Anywhere, Kasia," the witch said. "Anywhere until morning comes, and then we must set out again to find Lyra's daughter." At those last three words, an expression of sadness crossed Serafina Pekkala's face, but only for a fleeting moment, before she and her snow goose daemon took flight. "I only hope we'll be able to find her."
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Mistress: ~_~ *snoring and talking in sleep* Ahhh...ohhh...spaggetti... Catina: *coughs* o_0 Whut? Eh? Mistress: ~_~ *still sleeping* Catina: Hunh? She's sleeping?! o_0# Oh, come on.... Mistress: *bubble forms on left nostril* Catina: *gags* Sheesh, this is too nasty...sheesh...*gets a megaphone from closet* Mistress: Noodles, yes...! *continues to snore* Catina: *speaks into megaphone* MISTRESS-CHAN no BAKA! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT, YOUNG LADY! Mistress: *suddenly wakes up* AHHHH!! Catina-chan! Don't DO that! Catina: *laughs evilly* hehehehehehe...hehe..hehe. Ha. Mistress: Great L-sama, my HEART! *gasps convuslively* Catina: Hunh? Eh? OH MY! Mistress: I'll KILL you! Catina: *gasps fearfully* Oh no! Well, on to next chapter! nooooooooo!!!!!!!!!