"What are we going to do?" Lyra asked.
Will said, "There's no way we can trust him."
Pantalaimon said, "Kirjava?"
The cat daemon paused a moment, considering. "I think we should," she said decisively. "He's right, you know, about the money and all." She addressed Lyra. "Why don't you ask the alethiometer?"
"I'll try," the girl replied, "but it's a complicated question. I can't promise anything."
Will sighed. "Come on, let's go," he said. They paid, then walked out of the diner and went to the cheap, dingy hotel room Will had booked online using Mary's ID. Jacques was right, whoever he was, Will thought as he flopped on his uncomfortable mattress. They had no idea how long Mary's money was going to last. Will just kept using the credit card and hoping. For all he knew he could have rung up huge debts by now.
Lyra crouched down by her bed and reached underneath, pulling out her suitcase. The alethiometer was inside, in a metal box Iorek had made her. She opened it and took out the golden instrument. She sat on the bed, Pantalaimon in her lap, and got that vague, unfocused look on her face. The needles spun. Finally she waited, breathless, as the longest needle moved from symbol to symbol of its own accord. She stared at it for a minute. The others dared not interrupt. Eventually she sat up, her eyes shining with excitement. "I'm getting better!" she cried. "It was easier this time! It's coming back!" Her eyes shone.
Will smiled at her. "What did it say about this Jacques?"
She frowned. "It says we should help him. It says he's doing something important, something for them, even though he doesn't know it. It's tricky, though. I ent sure."
"It's enough," he said. "You're brilliant."
She smiled back, and then they tried to go to sleep, their daemons curled at their sides. A breeze blew in the open window and ruffled the curtains. Pantalaimon wondered, idly, before he and Lyra slept, if Jacques' daemon was fixed yet, and what form it would take when he went to Pan and Lyra's world. Then they closed their eyes and went to sleep.
Sorry this one is so short, but I had to stop here. Please review.