"Billy, they took her. I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" I cried. I didn't even bother to try to hide my tears.

"Whoa, calm down. What happened?" Billy asked, placing both of his hands on my shoulder.

"Them gobblers took Riley and the others." I sobbed.

"They got her?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry." I cried.

"Calm down, boy. Tell me what happened." he said softly.

"We were down by the river, we were going to battle the north town kids but one of the parents split it up. We stayed at the river, just Riley, Travis, Brandon, Molly and me. I went to check if any north town kids strayed behind. As soon as I left their side the gobblers came. The captured them in a net." I sniffled.

"Why did they get our Riley and not you?" a woman, Riley's mother growled.

"They thought I was my brother, Gavin. He became ruler and I only just found out that one of the things he rules is the gobblers." I told them.

"I always told her never to trust a royal and I was right. Look where that got her." Riley's mother hissed, storming away.

"Don't listen to her, she's never liked anyone who isn't gyptian. Truth is, I used to be like Riley when I was her age. The gyptian children were never enough to play with, I would play with a servant boy and this girl who lived at the college. We'd have mud wars and play gobblers all the time. But then I was taken by them gobblers along with the servant boy. I didn't think I would ever get away." Billy sighed.

"How did you? Get away, I mean." I asked curiously.

"Well, the girl saved me. She came there, and rescued all of us." Billy smiled.

"Then it is possible, to get the kids out of there?" I asked hopefully.

"It was possible, where the old place was. I reckon they are being more careful now, they don't want a repeat of last time." Billy said.

"What happened last time?" I asked.

"Well, it was destroyed. The girl blew it up so they couldn't continue with their work, but it appears they did continue, just in a different place." he sighed.

"Billy, what exactly do they do there?" I asked.

"An intersision." he shuddered.

"What is an intersision?" I frowned. I looked at Ali, who was on my shoulder but she only shrugged.

"They cut your daemon away." he said quietly.

"That's terrible!" I exclaimed.

"It almost happened to me and my Ratter, I'm just lucky that my friend saved me and the others before it did." Billy said, stroking his daemon's fur.

"Well, we're going to get Riley and the others before it happens to them." I declared.

"You really do care about Riley, what did you say you name was?" Billy asked.

"I didn't. I'm Dustan. Dustan Belacqua." I replied.

"Belacqua? Any relation to Lyra Belacqua?" Billy asked.

"No. I've never heard of a Lyra Belacqua. Who is she?" I asked.

"She was the girl who rescued me and the other kids." Billy explained.

"Do you know where we can find her? She could help us!" I told him.

"I haven't heard from her in fourteen years." Billy shook his head.

"Do you know anywhere where she could have gone?" I asked.

"There's one place I can think. She may have gone north, to visit Iorek Burnison." he told me.

"This man would know where she is?" I asked.

"Iorek is no man. Iorek Burnison is an armored bear." Billy laughed.

"An a-armored bear?" Alianora shuddered.

"Yes. Last I heard he is the king of the armored bears." Billy said.

"Well, we should go north then. She can help us." I said.

"I'll go and tell Lord Faa." he said.

"Are you sure he would help us?" I asked nervously.

"Lord Faa helped Lyra rescue me. He would do it for Riley and the other gyptian children that were taken." Billy said as I watched him disappear into the cabin.

"Aren't you Riley's friend?" a little girl asked. She looked almost identical to Riley, only younger. She was holding her daemon, a tiny ferret tightly in her arms.

"Yes. You're Riley's little sister, right? I'm Dustan, what's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Heather. I'm only four. How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm fourteen." I told her.

"You're the same age as Riley." Heather giggled.

"Where is Riley, and Rafender?" Heather's daemon frowned.

"They will be back soon. Heather, why don't you and Hanter go and play?" I hadn't noticed that Billy had come back.

"Okay. Bye Dustan!" Heather smiled, skipping away. She had put her daemon down and he now run along side her as a fox cub.

"Well? What did Lord Faa say?" I asked hopefully.

"We're going north." Billy grinned.

"That's great!" I sighed in relief.

"Come on Dustan, you must be tired after all that's happened today." Billy said, leading me into a small cabin. There was a small cot and a tiny dresser on the inside.

"This is Riley's room, you can stay here." Billy said. He glanced around the room as if his daughter would appear in front of him. I watched him disappear before I lay down in the cot. I placed the book on the dresser and stared at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and thought about what Riley had said.

"Don't worry Dustan, we'll find Riley and the others. We'll get to them before they cut their daemons away." Alianora whispered but I was already asleep. I started dreaming.

"Will you please take them? I can't bring them with me where I'm going. As much as I'm going to miss them, they must stay here." said a woman. Her face was a blur and I didn't recognise her voice.

"Are you sure you can't bring them? They should be with their real parents." another woman insisted. I didn't recognise her voice either.

"They could never grow up properly where I am going. They could never have battles with other children, or play in the river with their friends and daemons. They could never fully be children where I am going. Their daemons would fade and I don't want Alianora and Luka to fade on Dustan and Gavin. They need to grow that bond between a child and their daemon. I want them to grow up where I did, but I can't stay here. Raise Dustan and Gavin like you would have raised Annabelle. Tell them that I do love them, I really do. I just can't bring them with me." said the woman.

"We will have to tell Dustan and Gavin the truth someday, if the boys choose that they want to go searching for you someday we will not stop them. I know how hard it must be for you, I could never bear the thought of someone else raising our Annabelle." said a man who had remained silent this whole time. Just like the other two, I couldn't recognise his voice.

"I know you will have to tell eventually, just wait for them to be old enough to understand. It is hard to leave them behind but I know I can not take them with me, surely you must understand?" said the woman.

"No, we do not understand why you are leaving Dustan and Gavin behind, only that it is what you must do. We will take care of them as if they were truly ours, but promise us something." said the other woman.

"Anything. You do not know how truly grateful I am to you. Whatever it is, I'll do it. I know Dustan and Gavin will be safe with you." said the woman.

"You must promise that on Dustan and Gavin's fifteenth birthday, you will return. On their fifteenth birthday you have to come back for them, you will tell them everything. The reason you left them behind. You will take them with you, and they will be your boys again. They will always be your boys, but when they are fifteen Dustan and Gavin will know that they are your boys." said the woman.

"I promise. No matter where I am in fifteen years, I will come back for them." said the woman.

"Dustan!" I awoke to see Alianora sitting on my chest as a cat. Her eyes were wide.

"What is it, Ali?" I asked.

"Did you have that same dream?" she asked.

"Yes. Who were those people?" I asked.

"Well, I think two of them were your parents." Alianora whispered.

"What about that other woman? The one who gave us away?" I asked.

"I think she is yours and Gavin's real mother." Alianora whispered back.

"If she is, why did she leave me and Gavin behind? Didn't she want us?" I sighed, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know Dustan. All I know is that she is coming in three days to get you and Gavin." Alianora whispered. The thought of my real mother who had given us away all those years ago both made me happy and angry.