Chapter 1
Thoughts of the past
Will walked along the crowded street, keeping to the sides, keeping hidden. The cars roared by filling the air with choking fumes. The sky was bleak and dark and was raining.
Will wore a black coat and jeans, his black hair was scuffled over his head. His hair covered one eye.
This was the Oxford Will knew. He walked on towards a big building containing the apartment he was living in. once he got to the door of the massive building, he looked around to make sure no one was following him. Once he stopped looking around, he went into the lighten, warm and welcoming structure.
He trod lightly on the marble steps, making no sound. Eventually he reached a door with the number eighteen on it. He fumbled in his pockets and brought out some keys. He turned the lock slowly and opened the door without a bit of noise.
"Will! Can I come out now?" Came a voice from his jacket.
"Sure" he said calmly. And when the animal he was holding heard that sound, it jumped out onto the floor and started licking its paws.
The animal on the floor was a cat with a mixture of autumn colours in her fur.
"Do you think Mary is back from work?" the cat purred and looked up at Will.
"No. She said she's come here at five o-clock." Will said quietly
He walked across the room towards a green armchair next to a lamp on a wooden cabinet. His feet made no noise on the soft carpet. And when he reached the cabinet, he opened it to reveal a cloudy coloured broken knife.
The handle looked like it was made of pine-wood and brass mixed. It had an engraving of an angel on it. The blade lay in seven pieces next to the handle. On the right of the knife pieces, lay a few locks ofd golden hair. Will lifted these to his mouth and muttered something, then put them back in and closed the cabinet.
Will as fifteen years old. And only three years ago had he fallen in love with the owner of the locks of hair. A girl called Lyra Belacque. They had travelled together for two whole months across different worlds using the, now-broken knife.
"You're here early" Came a voice from behind him. He turned to face a woman about thirty-four years old. She was holding a brief case and was wearing a black top and a grey skirt.
"Yea. I know." Will murmured looking down too the floor. "Just wanted too talk to my lover. Or to what I can of her"
"Will. You've got to free your self from this grief" The woman calmly spoke.
"I know Mary. But, I can't get her out of my mind"
"Mary is right Will. Let your self have some fun. Lighten up" the cat purred and walked over to Will and leapt onto his lap.
"I thank you for your sympathy. Kirjava, Mary. But it won't do much." he walked over to another door and opened it and turned back to mary "I'm going to sleep now. Good night"
"Good night" Mary repeated and went off into another room.
Will walked into his room and collapsed onto the bed. His room was no bigger than his old house. His mum who, as will had thought, had trouble with spectres, soul attackers. They go for your dæmon, your soul. Will is the only known human to have a permanently visible dæmon.
His mum lived in that flat in another room and had stayed there all day. Will pulled the covers over him and eventually drifted asleep.
Will! I need you! Please tell me that you can hear me…
Will awoke with a start. It had not even been five minutes. He recognised that voice. Just a dream, he thought, just a dream…
1 Will! Go to the botanic garden as soon as possible! There's another window. Please! Me and pan need you…
Will woke up again. He'd just heard Lyra's voice in his dreams. No! That cannot be. She's in her world. And he's in his. He's just have to go the Botanic garden in the morning.
Than next day, Will got up early and dressed himself in his usual black. They leapt five steps at a time to get down quickly. He ran past the desk and managed to avoid the managers complaints for now. He sprinted across a road and straight in front of a car.
Kirjava was leaping after Will from all different places. They reached the garden gate. The black metal gate may have been a good obstacle, if Will had not brought a fragment of the knife. He sliced a pole of metal out and stormed in. running all around the garden. He decided too look at Lyra's and his 'meeting' place last. It was at the end of the garden. And they 'met' there at every midsummer day. He looked all around. His dæmon scouting the other side of the garden
"Will! Over here!" Kirjava yelled over a tree at Will
Will followed the calls right up to the bench where he and Lyra sit. And found there to be a tree growing behind it.
"I didn't know there was a grey tree growing behind the bench" Will said puzzled. "Kirjava! Go and get your self in line with the bench!"
The dæmon did as he was told. Will walked slowly up to the bench. He held out his hand and moved it forward.
"Will! Your hand!" Kirjava screeched
"Yes! It's a window. Just like Lyra said" Will wispered
"Lyra? When did you talk to her?" Kirjava said cocking his head
"Never mind" Will ended quickly. He beckoned Kirjava to come. He held her in his arms and moved the bench out of the way. When the bench was moved, they walked forward into the dull greyness. He looked back and saw a window filed filled with bright light. He looked around the garden and started for the exit. It was all coming back to him. These fine walls like in his world. Memories flooded back to him. The massive Zeppelins at the cave where he saved Lyra and the knife broke the first time. also the dunes in another world showed resemblance to this one.
However. Something was wrong. There were screams and cries. Flames were coming from a building close by.
All the thoughts in his mind were clear. Past images. And a thought came to him
"Lyra!" he cried out…
Thoughts of the past
Will walked along the crowded street, keeping to the sides, keeping hidden. The cars roared by filling the air with choking fumes. The sky was bleak and dark and was raining.
Will wore a black coat and jeans, his black hair was scuffled over his head. His hair covered one eye.
This was the Oxford Will knew. He walked on towards a big building containing the apartment he was living in. once he got to the door of the massive building, he looked around to make sure no one was following him. Once he stopped looking around, he went into the lighten, warm and welcoming structure.
He trod lightly on the marble steps, making no sound. Eventually he reached a door with the number eighteen on it. He fumbled in his pockets and brought out some keys. He turned the lock slowly and opened the door without a bit of noise.
"Will! Can I come out now?" Came a voice from his jacket.
"Sure" he said calmly. And when the animal he was holding heard that sound, it jumped out onto the floor and started licking its paws.
The animal on the floor was a cat with a mixture of autumn colours in her fur.
"Do you think Mary is back from work?" the cat purred and looked up at Will.
"No. She said she's come here at five o-clock." Will said quietly
He walked across the room towards a green armchair next to a lamp on a wooden cabinet. His feet made no noise on the soft carpet. And when he reached the cabinet, he opened it to reveal a cloudy coloured broken knife.
The handle looked like it was made of pine-wood and brass mixed. It had an engraving of an angel on it. The blade lay in seven pieces next to the handle. On the right of the knife pieces, lay a few locks ofd golden hair. Will lifted these to his mouth and muttered something, then put them back in and closed the cabinet.
Will as fifteen years old. And only three years ago had he fallen in love with the owner of the locks of hair. A girl called Lyra Belacque. They had travelled together for two whole months across different worlds using the, now-broken knife.
"You're here early" Came a voice from behind him. He turned to face a woman about thirty-four years old. She was holding a brief case and was wearing a black top and a grey skirt.
"Yea. I know." Will murmured looking down too the floor. "Just wanted too talk to my lover. Or to what I can of her"
"Will. You've got to free your self from this grief" The woman calmly spoke.
"I know Mary. But, I can't get her out of my mind"
"Mary is right Will. Let your self have some fun. Lighten up" the cat purred and walked over to Will and leapt onto his lap.
"I thank you for your sympathy. Kirjava, Mary. But it won't do much." he walked over to another door and opened it and turned back to mary "I'm going to sleep now. Good night"
"Good night" Mary repeated and went off into another room.
Will walked into his room and collapsed onto the bed. His room was no bigger than his old house. His mum who, as will had thought, had trouble with spectres, soul attackers. They go for your dæmon, your soul. Will is the only known human to have a permanently visible dæmon.
His mum lived in that flat in another room and had stayed there all day. Will pulled the covers over him and eventually drifted asleep.
Will! I need you! Please tell me that you can hear me…
Will awoke with a start. It had not even been five minutes. He recognised that voice. Just a dream, he thought, just a dream…
1 Will! Go to the botanic garden as soon as possible! There's another window. Please! Me and pan need you…
Will woke up again. He'd just heard Lyra's voice in his dreams. No! That cannot be. She's in her world. And he's in his. He's just have to go the Botanic garden in the morning.
Than next day, Will got up early and dressed himself in his usual black. They leapt five steps at a time to get down quickly. He ran past the desk and managed to avoid the managers complaints for now. He sprinted across a road and straight in front of a car.
Kirjava was leaping after Will from all different places. They reached the garden gate. The black metal gate may have been a good obstacle, if Will had not brought a fragment of the knife. He sliced a pole of metal out and stormed in. running all around the garden. He decided too look at Lyra's and his 'meeting' place last. It was at the end of the garden. And they 'met' there at every midsummer day. He looked all around. His dæmon scouting the other side of the garden
"Will! Over here!" Kirjava yelled over a tree at Will
Will followed the calls right up to the bench where he and Lyra sit. And found there to be a tree growing behind it.
"I didn't know there was a grey tree growing behind the bench" Will said puzzled. "Kirjava! Go and get your self in line with the bench!"
The dæmon did as he was told. Will walked slowly up to the bench. He held out his hand and moved it forward.
"Will! Your hand!" Kirjava screeched
"Yes! It's a window. Just like Lyra said" Will wispered
"Lyra? When did you talk to her?" Kirjava said cocking his head
"Never mind" Will ended quickly. He beckoned Kirjava to come. He held her in his arms and moved the bench out of the way. When the bench was moved, they walked forward into the dull greyness. He looked back and saw a window filed filled with bright light. He looked around the garden and started for the exit. It was all coming back to him. These fine walls like in his world. Memories flooded back to him. The massive Zeppelins at the cave where he saved Lyra and the knife broke the first time. also the dunes in another world showed resemblance to this one.
However. Something was wrong. There were screams and cries. Flames were coming from a building close by.
All the thoughts in his mind were clear. Past images. And a thought came to him
"Lyra!" he cried out…