Death of a Smug Snake
(Disclaimer: This one-shot story is primarily based on BBC/HBO's His Dark Materials, specifically Season 2 Episode 6.)
What an astounding journey, Lord Carlo Boreal thinks to himself.
Crossing from one dimension to another, by itself, is an unthinkable journey even by the standards of the people in his world. Especially so when he's busy tracking down another man who may or may not have travelled to his world via these portals, the Windows. Inviting a charming woman and her Daemon to cross through the Windows between the worlds is another matter entirely.
Witnessing the woman took control of soul-devouring, semi-corporeal creatures that are the Spectres without breaking a sweat is something he never expects to happen.
The Spectres, the very monstrosity hailing from the void between the worlds that brought down Cittagazzé and its adjacent locations, impervious to any sort of weaponry, somehow welcomed her beloved Marisa Coulter into their midst. They didn't attack her, nor did they detect her as a human even though her Golden Monkey Daemon stood nearby, snarling in distress before suddenly falling silent.
The man with the snake Daemon cursed; had only he brought with him a camera to record or photograph the event, he could've brought them as evidence to his world and use it as a bargaining chip against whatever conservative group or organization he's been working with. Who knows, the recording or photograph, when presented correctly, can upend the anti-science stance the Magisterium has been keeping for over a century, or someone somewhere in his world will pay him big money to take them on a breath-taking journey across the multiverse, or at least do extensive research on the true nature of the Windows and the Subtle Knife!
And what better person to accompany him in the coming days than the amazing Marisa Coulter?
She will understand, Boreal muses with a smile. She must be sufficiently impressed with the objects from the other world that he displayed to her; feminine dresses and accessories, trinkets made of expensive materials, and even that sound system he played while they were in his other residence, they were all gifts for her, proof that my sweet Marisa is special, unlike most of my assistants.
Even as they settle down on a picnic table in front of a deserted café, Boreal can't help but mulls over what he just saw. A movement from within his jacket distracts him slightly.
"She seems colder than usual. Maybe the Spectres affected her somehow?" The serpentine Daemon whispers a question in his ear.
"There is nothing to worry about," Boreal chided his Daemon. After all, it's no easy task for her to take control of those ghostly entities that once swarmed this city. Still, her inhuman expression, however briefly, scares the businessman. What else can she do that Boreal hasn't witnessed yet? Just how much power Marisa possesses that could have elevated her beyond what she is now?
He lets himself drifting in ideas and speculation until Grizel hisses again, "Here she comes."
Boreal straightens his posture as his Daemon slithers back into his jacket, an unassuming smile on his face hides any doubtful thoughts.
Gently, Marisa puts two glass and a bottle of Tokay made in Cittagazzé and seats herself opposite of him. She takes her sweet time, that's for sure; perhaps the lady went looking for a vendor to pay the drink before deciding to just take it without paying, seeing how the city is devoid of people?
Or maybe this beautiful and ambitious woman is simply a little too excited to enjoy their little trip to the alternate universe and needs a moment on her own, Boreal concludes. That is fine, everything is going the way he wants. Thus, without further ado, the man with the snake inquires Marisa on how she gains control over those shadowy entities. Coyly, the woman mentions how she suppressed herself, her inner humanity, in order to trick the Spectres that she was one of them and not a prey item, seeing how the entities sense people by their souls or Dust. Boreal grows more infatuated with her… or perhaps he's more interested in her powers than her status as a powerful lady? Somebody more valuable than all of his collection combined...
Regardless, Boreal extends his hand to greet Marisa's, smiling earnestly.
"I would like to have you as an equal."
Her eyebrows raised in interest, "You think I'm your equal?" Marisa asks. "In every way," a simple but genuine affirmation from the businessman is all she received.
The woman gives him a kiss and holds his hand tightly. "Then let's drink to that," she says, pouring a glass of Tokay for each of them with naughty giggles.
From inside his clothes, Grizel slithers out to greet the Golden Monkey, neither speaks to each other seemingly to let their respective humans enjoy the evening without interruption.
"The Subtle Knife of Cittagazzé… not even the makers know what it can do!" Boreal narrates his thoughts on the legendary artifact. Marisa listens patiently while sipping her Tokay. "No one is infallible to it; matter and…"
And how the Knife reveals to us the planes of existence that lies beyond our world! Boreal is eager to explain how the artifact can benefit them in the long run, but for some reason, his throat feels dry, preventing him from talking further. What is it? He doesn't know; all he can sense is that something is twisting inside him. Marisa, cool and impersonal as always, simply eggs him on, wondering if this sly businessman is as knowledgeable as he claimed to be.
"Go on."
Imagine the many ways we can use it! We can attain everything we ever wanted, be it greatness or wealth! Once again, something holds the man from speaking clearly, but the woman remains unperturbed.
Grizel looks back and forth between her human and the lady sitting across him, already sensing that something isn't right.
Holding back a cough, Boreal rubs at his neck and tries to speak more about the Subtle Knife, yet his voice seemingly disappears, his uneasiness only grows more visible.
"Now this place, the Windows, all the things you've kept from me… it would have been so much easier if you had told me about Lyra when you first had her," Marisa Coulter states her thoughts, her voice steady and her eyes nearly unblinking as she addresses the man before her, "You did so much for me, do not think I don't know that. But your ambitions were small, maybe they were always ended here." Confused, Boreal can only stare as the woman before him finds her voice while he cannot. Marisa could reveal her plans for the man at the moment, but she chooses to stop herself, letting Boreal to piece it together himself. A slow and painful end.
Boreal clutches his sides, grimacing, feeling a terrible sensation as he realizes what is in the drink they share together. The Tokay… it was poisoned, but how…?
Stealing a glance at their feet, the sinister lady smirked a little at the sight of the Golden Monkey pinning the man's snake Daemon's head to the ground with only one finger. Grizel wriggles to free herself from the Monkey's one-finger hold, but the more she moves, the more pressure the primate Daemon puts on her little head.
Now that the little snake is rendered helpless like her human, Marisa continues speaking as calmly as before, "Boreal, I don't need you. You would only hold me back. You are not, nor have you ever been, my equal!"
I don't need you.
I don't need you.
I don't need you.
You are not, nor have you ever been, my equal!
Such a brief statement, but one that carries a tone of finality. With widening eyes, Boreal understands what her love implies through her words; Marisa Coulter, the woman that he loves so very much, has thrown him into the waiting arms of death for the sake of finding her daughter, and the affection he showered her, all those impressive possessions he gave her as special gifts, meant nothing to the woman. Marisa Coulter has no room in her heart for anyone… anyone except Lyra. This snivelling man can rot in Hell for all she cares. But even the woman knows how much of a snivelling sexist this man is; his gifts were nothing more than bribery.
"What have you… done…?!" He coughed, trying to hold back blood that threatens to pour out of his mouth, not that it matters in the end as his heartbeat becomes slower and his breaths more erratic as time ticks on.
"Don't fight it… don't fight it," the lady purrs.
For a second, Boreal expects his loyal Daemon to strike at her or her equally-treacherous Golden Monkey, but then his eyes fell on Grizel's body wriggling and hissing on the ground, dying a slow death just like her human, no longer restrained by the Monkey who simply looks on curiously, and his heart grew heavier. Nothing can save them now.
How could you… My sweet…
Picking up her glass of Tokay, the lady watched dispassionately as the dying man lets out a drop of tear from his eye. Whether it's a tear of sorrow from Marisa's rejection or a crocodile tear meant to make her feel guilty, she doesn't care, all that matters is that Lord Carlo Boreal is no longer around to bother her or her daughter. The Golden Monkey trails his eyes at Grizel's vanishing form, silently questioning why he didn't give the snake a quicker and painless end.
"Goodbye, old friend," Marisa says, raising her glass to take a sip as the man lets out his final breath.
Oh, how the smug snake has fallen, she muses.
