"I'm telling you this is a bad idea. . ." Pan repeated as they crossed Jordan College's front door. Lyra sighed angrily, and looked at the empty street; half an hour had passed since she had met Tenebrus, and had told him she would come with him to Aurore.
Now, the girl was dressed, and had some water in a small backpack, in which she had also put the aleithiometer. She checked around her, looking for the albino blue jay that was the unknown man's daemon.
"Lyra!" A voice called.
The girl and her daemon looked up and saw the little white bird on a streetlamp's tip. It fluttered down and changed into a gray, shaggy dog with a pained expression.
"I'm ready." Lyra announced, even though it seemed obvious. Pan narrowed his eyes, but otherwise said nothing. The gray dog nodded.
"Let's go then. It's about an hour from here, if we walk a normal pace." He said, turning around and walking away.
Lyra jumped the few stone steps and onto the street, before following Tenebrus.
Pan shifted uneasily, desperately trying to make her understand this was no good, but he knew all she would do was ignore him. He wondered, for a split second, if Will listened to Kirjava.
(0)
"Kirjava, listen. . ." Will walked out of the temple after his daemon.
The cat sat down and sighed, well out of earshot of the two other daemons.
"No, don't worry. I'm acting up, that's all.' She looked up at Will. 'But I'd wish you'd be more. . .careful. . .I know Aurora is trying to help and all. . .but. . .just be careful, Will."
The boy smiled, and scratched her ear.
"Will do."
(0)
"Charles, I hope we understand each other." Aurora said sternly. The man got off the floor, his frightened daemon in his arms, clutching his chest with its small claws.
"Yes. . .Yes, Aurora. But why do you need the boy so much? And the girl, what does she do in all of this?" He questioned desperately.
"What Lyra does, I'm not sure. I believe, however, that she is destined to kill my brother. And he's trying to kill her. Will, of course, would never help anyone unless it was Lyra, and she was in danger. That's why I needed him to know what Aurore was going to do; so I could get Easheatter's tip."
The man sighed.
"But how do you know all of this?"
"Forseti told me."
"And why does Lyra have to kill your brother?"
This time, it was Aurora who sighed, as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"You know very well, Charles, that Forseti unleashes much more power than Easheatter. That's why the second blade was created; because it released less power, and was less dangerous. It was not unable to open worlds so easily. So while Easheatter is powerless against my brother, Forseti can annihilate him. But since the first blade was built for me, I am the only one who makes it at its full might. Lyra, who I know has done many amazing things in the past, has the power to release Forseti's energy, but not at the same, high level as I. That will give her the possibility to kill my brother, but not to accidentally open a world at the same time." Aurora explained.
Charles nodded, and his cat daemon purred, feeling secure in his arms.
"But the boy. . .will he be able to see the girl again, as he wishes?"
The girl shook her head.
"I don't know. It all depends on whenever he will survive Easheatter's magic loss. . ."
(0)
"Is it still far from here?" Lyra panted. They had long since reached the outer limits of the city, and where now traveling along a steep road towards mountains. Vegetation around them was dense.
"No. It's just ahead." Tenebrus, now in a wolf form, answered. Pan ran quickly at Lyra's side, undulating with his movements.
They crossed a stream, and reached a slightly straighter pathway. Lyra looked up, and saw Tenebrus turn to the left, and take another path that lead to the foot of a very high peak.
She followed, as Pan got back up on her back, climbing on her clothes.
"It's here." The wolf daemon announced. He had stopped in front of a cave, in which Lyra could see a faint light. She glanced inside, feeling for the first time uneasy.
Pan trembled, warning her silently and praying she would turn back. But the girl had gone to far to give up now. If this man knew something about Will, it was worth being heard.
"Lyra. . ." Pan groaned as the girl followed Tenebrus inside.
She saw a dark, caped figured sitting against a back wall of the cave. The wolf daemon walked up to it and licked its face, under the hood.
"Tenebrus?" A sleepy man's voice asked wearily. The figure shifted, and rose slowly. The wolf daemon whispered something and the man came closer to Lyra, who was just at the edge of the cave's entrance. Pan growled deep in his little throat.
"So you must be Lyra. I'm glad Tenebrus found you. My name is Aurore."
And he stepped out beside the girl, in the mild sunlight.
Still, she didn't see his face because of that damned hood. As if he had read her mind (which he quite possibly did), his pale hands reached for it and took it off.
Lyra gasped. (Note how Lyra and Will both gasp when they see one of the Borealis twins)
There stood a boy (or was it a man?), around his twenties. At times he looked slightly younger, or a bit older. Lyra told herself it was the light that was playing tricks on her.
His hair was a blacker-than-pit-black, and was cut in an uneven, yet cute manner around his head. It fell just below his ears, and a few strands got into his face.
He had shocking blue eyes, and the girl thought they would have looked cold and serious if he wasn't smiling kindly and timidly. The simple fact that he had a smile on his face made both Lyra and Pan melt, feeling trusting around him.
Aurore looked very kind, with clear intentions, but Pan slyly reminded his human of Mrs. Coulter, and Lyra was immediately back on guard.
"So what do you want to see me for, Aurore?" The girl asked, raising her head high. But to her dismay, her gaze still fled his.
"I needed to talk to you. About Will."
His voice was deep, and manly. Lyra found that she loved that about him, and quickly shook her head, to get her priorities straight again.
"What's wrong with him? She continued.
Aurore sighed, looking down. Tenebrus turned into a large python and slithered beside him.
"Lyra. . .I don't know how to tell you, but. . .your friend is in great danger. I've traveled from far to tell you this. Will, I am afraid, has fallen under my evil twin sister's charm, and she will use him to get Easheatter, the Subtle blade."
Lyra's pupils contracted.
"Is Will alright?" She demanded, desperate to know. Right now, she cursed the fact she was not able to read the aleithiometer, because it would have told her everything she needed to know about Will.
"I'm honestly not sure, Lyra. . ." Aurore sounded scared, with his contracted brow and desperate eyes. She looked at him. Pan chose that moment to warn her; who the hell was this guy to barge into her life and tell her things like this?
This made her scared look fade away, replaced by fury.
"And just why should I trust what you say?" She snarled before anything else could be said.
Aurore looked like he had expected this.
"Lyra, my sister, Aurora, will try to get Easheatter, and use him to come get you. She knows you have amazing powers, and will try to take them from you. She is very cunning; she was cunning enough to steal a man's daemon before killing him. And she kept the daemon alive, at that. My sister is cruel, evil, twisted and very dangerous. But I know a technique that can allow you to read the aleithiometer. Do you know why you can't read it anymore?"
Lyra was captivated again, like hypnotized.
"No, I don't know." She admitted softly.
Aurore nodded.
"It's because of the Dust on you. That Dust blinds you, stopping you from using that power that seemed to easy to access three years ago. But as I told you, I know a technique that will allow you to release that Dust long enough to read the instrument. It is that technique that allows me to lift the Dust on myself and change my daemon's form."
He paused. Pan gazed at the snake, as it turned into a puppy, digging the ground near the cave's entrance. He found this all very strange.
Lyra looked at Aurore, waiting for him to continue. She knew this man was trying to help her.
"Are you with me? Are you ready to help me save Will, and kill my sister?" He finally asked.
"But why do you need me? To kill your sister, I mean. . ." She wondered aloud, more to herself than to him. Fortunately, he answered.
"I need you, Lyra, because your Dust, if gathered and released suddenly, contains enough power to kill my sister. And if you want to save Will, you must kill her first, for he is under her control now."
There was silence.
Lyra was hesitating, but after all, this man was quite clearly trying to help her. And if Will was in trouble. . .
"Yeah. . .I'll help you."
Aurore smiled his kind smile, but in his mind, it was really a smirk.
(0)
Will threw stones into a nearby pond, back rested against a stone pillar, Kirjava running around, racing with Solstice. The two daemons had become very friendly, even though Equinox stayed away.
Soon, soft footsteps could be heard, and Will looked up, in time to see Aurora and Charles opening the door and stepping out. The girl walked towards him, as a nervous Charles, with his white daemon, made their way to a smaller building near the temple. Equinox got up and followed the priest.
"Will, it's time." Aurora sighed as she came near him.
He got up, stern look on his face. Before she could turn away, he barged out a question at her.
"Why should I trust you?"
Aurora blinked. But she understood he had all rights of doubting her, after they way Equinox acted.
"Will, there is nothing I can do to make you trust me. You just have to make up your own mind about it. But one thing is sure; we can't go any further than this point if you don't trust me. So if you think I'm lying, I want you to say so right now, and I'll take you back home immediately. I'll try to manage without you, and save Lyra in the same occasion. But if you trust me, say it, and we'll go forge that blade and stop anything from happening to anyone at all." She told him. Both Will and Kirjava saw truth shine inside of her like a talisman, and they both smiled.
"Let's go do what we have to." The boy nodded bravely.
Aurora smiled gratefully, and turned around.
Solstice, turning into a young kitten, meowed, and got chased playfully by Kirjava.
And so, they headed towards the small, temple forge, to get a something that's been waiting to be done finally completed.
But with a hint of disturbance, Will noted the jubilation that seemed to me emitting from Easheatter as they walked towards the place he would breathe life again at.
(0)
So this is where I get to mess with your minds; now, none of you guys know who is good, and who is bad.
And since I'm so evil, I'll never tell! evil laugh
On with the reviews!
Quizgirl: yeah; who would be able to kill a Will in boxers? However, I do not guarantee Aurora actually wants to kill him, boxers or not. As for Aurore. . .do you trust him?
Faige: Thanks, it's always good to hear that kind of stuff, especially if it sounds to 'professional'. I'm glad you see my story that way. And don't worry, I'll keep writing forever and ever.
Kaiame: Its cool to know I actually captivated someone so much. And no, I wasn't thinking about the Dust when I said 'until my fingers turn to dust', but it's a good allusion to it.
Next chapter, Lyra finds out more about Aurore, and Easheatter is finally forged. But the real question is; will Will survive his blade's magic tip removal?