(Author's note: I realize that it's been a while since I've updated and am therefore sorry for keeping everyone waiting [oh I'm sure everyone was just jumping up and down waiting for the next installment! :P]. Anyway . . . here's chapter 10!)

CHAPTER TEN--The Physics of Forthsight

Covering their heads against the rain, Tobias and Iris moved toward the sidewalk. The former of the two spotted Will first, but it was Iris who exclaimed, "Oh, look Tobias, at that big black cat!"

Tobias had a curious hunch, as he often did, and murmured quietly, "I'm not entirely sure it's a mere big black cat, Iris."

It was quite evident to both of them that Will was heading in their general direction, and he had quite a determined and resolute look on his face. Tobias looked at him curiously as he approached; he had the look of someone who didn't really belong here.

The closer Will came to the two Forthsight-gifted children, the more his large black cat seemed to be strange. It followed him quite close, much like their own dæmons. They walked to meet him at the sidewalk, figuring that he was as good as person as any to start with, especially because of the cat . . .

Iris whispered to Tobias, "You don't think that cat is . . ."

Tobias did not reply, but instead nodded to Will as he finally reached the pair and their dæmons. Immediately Will said, "What are those animals you have with you?"

Iris was about to respond, but Tobias didn't want her to spill the beans quite yet. His heart was racing in anticipation of whether or not Will's creature was really a cat, or . . . not quite a cat.

So the boy replied, "This is a red fox and a caracal. Why do you ask?"

Will's heart dropped slightly. "Caracals and foxes are not often found prancing around downtown Oxford," he responded with an uncharacteristic hint of satire in his voice.

"Well, we aren't exactly from around here," Iris said, making sure to put a small content of irony in her own voice at the statement. "And if you don't mind me saying, large glossy black cats don't often follow humans so closely in the city in such weather," she added.

Will's heart leapt up a bit at this statement, but his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "So? What's it bloody well to you?" Tobias stepped forward defiantly. He noticed that he was just a bit taller than the steady-jawed, grim-eyed boy that faced him, although they did seem to be about the same age.

And so Tobias said, "Then tell me why you came all the way over here to us? I find it strange that one would do so merely to question about animals." Again, at the word 'animal,' he felt his dæmon bristle at his side.

Will shrugged, his stony eyes set on Tobias's dark, intelligent ones. "That and the fact that it seems all very strange in general, that's all. You have no coats or anything to protect against the rain, as well as being about my age, so I was curious."

Tobias decided then that he rather liked Will, and it was no use beating around the bush.

"Is that cat your dæmon?"

Will jumped visibly, and stared hard at Tobias. "Do I . . . do I know you or something?"

Tobias smiled slightly and replied, "No, you don't know me . . ."

Half an hour later, the three were sitting inside a warm coffee shop, conversing quite avidly. They had introduced themselves to each other, and their dæmons as well. Each was overjoyed at the incredible luck that had befallen them; it was evident, however, that each party was avoiding asking the other their major questions.

At first the question of hiding their dæmons came up, but Will assured them that the people in this world couldn't see them. He also explained how most humans do indeed have their dæmons "inside of them." Tobias half-way understood this, but Iris was rather freaked out and confused.

Tobias sat back in a chair, sipping on a hot white chocolate mocha, and said, "So tell me, Will, how did you come to be the only human in your world who possesses a dæmon?"

And thus came the question that prompted Will to tell his story. He left out a lot of the detail, but included most of it, ending with his remorse at never being able to see his beloved Lyra again. He also mentioned that he wasn't in fact the only human in this world with a dæmon, but Dr. Mary Malone had one as well.

And so Tobias and Iris returned it by telling their tale as well, which was even more miserable than Will's. Each felt quite sorry for the other as the tales unfolded, but Will was rather surprised that he had found someone with a tale even more pathetic than his own.

Quick friendship built among the three, and it wasn't long before Will could contain himself no more.

"If you have the power to travel through the worlds like that, then you have a way that would allow me to see Lyra again!" A light of hope and joy shone on his face that hadn't been there for quite a long time. The prospect of seeing Lyra again filled him with bright, giddy joy.

But Tobias had other things on his mind. "I know, Will, but you see my point of view as well, don't you? My family, and Iris's family as well, was destroyed by a terrible, abominable evil. We need to fight that evil, and that was my purpose in coming here. To find others like us, with dæmons, to recruit and help us bring down Dunestone. I, for one, will never rest knowing that the murderer of my friends and parents still lives."

"I understand your pain, Tobias, but in order for me to help you I must request a favor of you. What harm, tell me, would it do to make a window for me into Lyra's world? Does your power have any notable side effects?"

Tobias shook his head. "Not that I know of."

Will said, "When I made windows with the Subtle Knife, it would release a Specter each time. But seeing as both of your dæmons are in fixed shapes, this must not occur with your power, or the Specters would surely attack you."

Tobias nodded, thinking, and Will continued. "It really makes me wonder how that works."

Tobias knew that he was asking for a demonstration, but chose instead to say, "I've been thinking about it a lot, really, and it actually seems to have more to do with the laws of physics than any sort of actual supernatural ability."

Will smiled whimsically. "Like Dust, sort of . . ."

From Will's story, Tobias and Iris understood Dust a little bit, and replied, "In a sense, yes. What did you mean by the windows releasing a Specter? What is a Specter?"

Will explained briefly about the mysterious shadowing creatures emitted when a slice through the world was created, and how they preyed mercilessly upon adults but children could not see them at all.

"It all has to do with the changing of your dæmon," he finished.

Tobias nodded slowly, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I must discover what it is that prevents this from happening when I open a window between the worlds."

Iris smiled at him, stroking her dæmon softly. "You'll figure it out. You always were pretty smart, weren't you?"

Tobias shrugged modestly, but equations were already formulating inside his mind.

Inside Will's mind was absolute wonder and joy that nearly pushed back his suspicion entirely. He was going to see Lyra again! He hoped that he could, anyway, these strangers seemed nice enough, but entirely more concerned with finding help against their own dark enemies. Will figured that this was understandable enough, but the suspicion, all the same, was not entirely gone from his mind. What if this was some sort of weird trap or something?

Tobias smiled at him and said, "It is not a trap, my friend. We really do need the help more than anything, and I can prove to you, even without creating a window, that I can. No lies we tell."

Will jumped and glared at Tobias. "How did you . . . "

"The Forthsight, remember?" He grinned, tapping the side of his head. "I apologize; I swear from here on out not to delve into your thoughts. But you must believe us; this is not a trap. We will not lie to you, we swear."

Will, bemused at the overall strangeness of this entire scenario, said, "I still find it extremely difficult to believe that there is another way to open the worlds, and without letting any Dust out, too. And without creating a Specter. How is this done? The angels would be most surprised!"

Tobias took a newspaper from a coffee table and flipped to some empty space, asking, "Have you a pencil on you?" Will shook his head, but leaned over and took a pen from the table on the other side of him, handing it to Tobias.

Immediately he began scribbling something quickly on the paper. Aerotsierma leapt up next to him, placing her small black paws on his arm and cocking her head curiously at his frantic scrawling. Will and Iris leaned over too, interested at whatever on earth it was that he was doing, but he just muttered, "Hold on a second, it will only take a moment."

While Tobias was busy, Iris's caracal dæmon gazed at the large, glossy black cat that was Will's. "You have a very pretty dæmon," Iris said to him. He reached down and stroked the cat. "She is, isn't she? Her name is Kirjava. Your dæmon is beautiful as well."

Iris beamed, and her caracal languidly licked a paw. "Yeah, Byralon is a caracal, all right." Will had already told them both the story of how he came to have a dæmon, and Tobias had told him the history of their own "race" of Forthsight-gifted dæmon-bearing people, and how they were the last of their kind.

"Okay! I think I got it!" Tobias sat up, tossing the newspaper sheet to Will. He caught it and gazed at the scribbling, and after a moment said, "What the bloody hell is this?"

Tobias smiled proudly and took the paper back. "It's the equation that explains how it is possible to travel interdimensionally through the worlds without your Subtle Knife or other similar tool, and without any of the same side effects, either."

He held the paper up for them to see. Scrawled across the center of it was:

II±(r) = -2√νι κγ(r')dr' ± δ

And below it, there was more:

-With rι being the corresponding leftmost r for the interdimensional "wormhole" and regular centre topologies. The corresponding momenta are given by

II± = ¼δ/δr ln( ±e-γδT±/δr) ± ½κφ

There was still more . . .

-The spacetime's interval expressed in a remote observer's spherical coordinate system takes the form

ds2 = (1 - r0/r)dct2 - dr2/(1 - r0/r) - r2(dq2 + sin2qdf2)

And below that, there was even more scribbling and strange Greek symbols. Will shook his head, saying, "Whatever you say, I'll have to take your word for it!"

Tobias pointed to several of the symbols. "See? This is where is says that there is no actual "space" between the two worlds; therefore no Dust or Specters can come from it. The corners are n-dimensional figures, which prevents anything coming out of the edges!"

He indicated the two equations. "It really isn't as complicated as it looks."

Will looked at his watch. "I have to be getting home. We've been here for going on two hours. I need to get the groceries home to mum. Can you two meet me here tomorrow at around noon? I would invite you to stay at my place, but things are kind of weird around there, and mum isn't fully recovered yet . . . "

Tobias nodded. "No problem. We'll find some place to crash. Here at noon, got you. See you then!"

They exited out of the coffee shop and into the rain, then parting ways.

Will was more excited than he ever remembered being. Tomorrow at noon he would get to see Lyra!

--------

(Author's Note: Hope everybody liked that one. Kind of messed up maybe . . . but it's been a while since I've worked on this story . . . but now that I'm writing again, you can expect the next chapter up soon. And sorry about all the equations; I was in a rather physics-y mood when writing this. _ Unfortunately, some of the Greek symbols wouldn't transfer properly into HTML format, so…oh well. By the way, those are real equations; I didn't just type down random crap! ^_^ . . . If anyone can tell me in a review what the real title of the third equation is, I'll give you a PRIZE!!!! [Oh goodie]

. . . Don't forget to REVIEW!!!!)