A child without a daemon:
Mia was beginning to fall asleep on Lyra's shoulder when Iorek's constant running shook me awake.
"You've to keep awake," Aster hissed in my ear. "Or you'll fall off,"
Mia regained her focus and kept clinging on tight. It had turned dark and they were coming to the edge of a cliff. Iorek slowed down. He began trotting instead of galloping. As he came to the very edge, they saw a fishing settlement at the bottom of a valley near a frozen lake. It looked spooky and creepy.
"That's the place I saw," Lyra said.
"Are you sure this is where we're going to find this ghost?" Mia asked.
"Yes. Do any of you feeling scared?"
"A little," she confessed.
"Not yet, but when I am, I shall master the fear," Iorek said.
"How do you master fear?" Mia asked. "Isn't it really difficult?"
"It is. The trick is...to find something worth being brave for you,"
"Who do you choose to be brave for?"
"I think only you can answer that,"
As he uttered those words, she thought of his story about his past and why he was banished. Was he thinking of that female bear? He turned and began to descend carefully down the mountain side road to get toes valley below. When they arrived at the small shabby town, we were greeted by a series of unlit lamps and abandoned huts with scattered baskets and nets. Lyra and Mia slipped off Iorek.
Spotting an nearby lantern, Mia plucked it off the stand, took out a flint and steel from my handbag and lit it up. I picked it up, allowing Lyra to see it.
"Something is wrong here," Iorek said.
"Where is everyone?" wondered Lyra as she steered around.
Mia quivered. Not from the cold but from a feeling of fear. It was like being in a ghost town. A sudden shiver took over her body.
"Are you alright?" Lyra asked.
"I'm fine. I thought I felt something strange here,"
Lyra peered around again, until her gaze was fixed forwards. Mia turned and saw a giant hut with a small bridge leading up to it. She walked towards it.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing Lyra?" asked their protector.
Lyra didn't answer. All she could say was: "I hope I'm doing the right thing all the same,"
"Shall I come in with you?" Mia offered.
She didn't answer but she nodded. She looked scared and she wanted extra company. She needed lamplight too.
"I will stay and keep watch," Iorek dictated, standing guard. The two girls and our daemons walked at a slow pace across the short bridge towards the hut which Lyra had seen in her Alethiometer.
Lyra kept asking Pan to stop whimpering and making her looked scared in front off Iorek, but he was so scared.
Aster whimpered too. He settled a ferret and wrapped himself around my neck. Once again, another shiver overcame by body. My fear was starting to show. Lyra looked to me. "We'll be scared together Mia. Okay?" she offered a hand.
Mia gulped and she nodded. She took it. As they approached the door, Lyra pulled up the lock and she pushed the door open. Inside were series of giant hanging fish. The two girls stared around looking for this ghost that the symbol reader had warned Lyra about.
For a brief moment Mia let go of Lyra's hand to look at one side of the hut. Mia didn't see anything but fish and more fish. She suddenly heard hard breathing and saw Lyra behind me with a pale white face. Instantly she ran to her and held her tight.
"Are you okay?"
Lyra pointed down to a poor shivering kid in a green suit. His head looked shaven and he seemed to have no warm feeling in his face.
"Lyra? Is that who I think it?" Pan whispered near her feet.
"Who are you talking about?" Mia asked.
"It's...it's Billy," Lyra breathed out. "Maggie's son,"
Mia stared at him, her stomach tying itself into a knot as she felt sick from seeing him in such an awful state. "How long as he been there?"
"How did he get here? From Bolvanger?" Aster whispered in my ear.
"Where's his daemon?" Lyra peered her head from side to side frantically. "Where's Ratter?"
She became shocked to a whole new level when she realised Maggie's son had no animal companion by his side. "It's going to be okay," Lyra soothed her shoulder. She looked at her.
"You trusted your instincts and you found what you were looking for. We'll help him Lyra. I promise,"
Lyra accepted my words and gave me a thank full smile. She turned back again to the poor boy without a daemon. She pulled herself together. "Come on. Let's get you home Billy. We'll taking you to your ma. She's waiting for you,"
For a faint second, they saw Billy Costa's eyelids flickering...but he showed no sign of actual hearing. It was like...he was a ghost. Like he couldn't see them. That we were invisible to him.
Together we carefully helped the poor weak Billy up onto his feet. We helped him walk out of the hut towards Iorek. Although he mastered his fear, Mia sensed a frightened glance in his eyes seeing a human without a daemon.
"Billy should sit between us. That way if he falls backwards, I'll catch him," Mia suggested.
Lyra agreed. She pulled herself onto Iorek first. Then Mia carefully lifted Billy up as high as she could, but she pulled him behind her. Mia then heaved myself up behind Billy and reaching my arms forward, she threw them around Lyra's waist, so Billy was locked in between them He would not fall off.
Instantly Iorek galloped as fast as he could away from the valley. Although his speed was slower, he was running as fast his legs could carry them. For what seemed like hours, there was total darkness above our heads. The whole thing that gave off a glimpse of colour was the white-powdered snow of the mountain peaks and the snow layouts.
Above Lyra and Billy's heads, Mia saw some strange sort of Zeppelin wreck. Fire was emitting from the inside and there were tents. They entered the camp, and everyone was alerted of their presence. Maggie's Costa's daemon a hawk squawked, and she came flashing out of the tent. A pale shock engulfed her face. She cried out when she saw that her son was with the two girls.
Carefully Mia dismounted Iorek and Lyra passed Billy down to her. Gently Mia helped him walk to his mum. When she tried to greet him, he said no word. It was like he had no emotion, no feelings, no souls. It was a horrifying sight.
Quickly upon John Faa's advice, Maggie took Billy into her arms and took him away into her shelter with Tony behind.
"Mia," Lee's voice echoed behind her. She turned and she hugged him.
Lyra dismounted Iorek and attempted to follow after the Costas, but Lee stopped her.
"It's best if you leave them to it. Trust me when I say that they love you, but they wouldn't want you to be there,"
Lyra didn't want to stay away, but Mia took her hand, assuring her that everything would be alright. Lee pulled both the girls close to him.
"It was like he wasn't there," Lyra was close to crying. "Like he couldn't even hear us,"
"Why would they do such a thing?" Mia started to cry. It was too much to take in. "Who would have the heart to do something so cruel?"
Her dad's hand fastened my shoulder. "Cause it's about control. If you can remove someone's soul, you can do anything you want with them,"
His daughter stared at him with wet eyes. She couldn't imagine having Aster taken from her. It would be a nightmare. Worse than a nightmare.
A soft growl emitted in her ear. She turned and saw Iorek stalking away.
"Where's he going?"
"He's doesn't deal very well with emotion. He'll be back by morning," Dad notified and watched Iorek as he disappeared into the darkness.
"You trusted your instincts Lyra. You did a good thing. You found Billy," Lee said proudly to Lyra.
Lyra still very disturbed and overcome by fear.
"You can stay in our tent if you want," Mia offered. "Do you want to?"
"I'd like that," she sniffled her nose. "Very much,"
Mia slung an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her away. Lee followed behind them. Mia allowed Lyra entry into their tent and she helped her settle down. Aster turned into an Artic fox to comfort the weeping Pan who was an Arctic Fox too.
Mia offered Lyra a hug. And she took it. She was so heartbroken, seeing her friend in such a state. She couldn't imagine if that happened to Roger too.
"Thank you..." she sniffled. "For coming in with me. I don't know if I could have handled seeing him by myself. Or bringing him back,"
"I didn't come with you just to let you go in there alone. I'm very proud of you Lyra,"
"You did a good thing Lyra," Lee honoured her, sitting opposite them. "And thank you...for taking care of Mia,"
Lyra couldn't say a word. She fell asleep and Mia let her lie her head on my lap. She stroked her sweet short locks. Pan slept on a pillow and Aster circled his body around him.
"She must be tired," Dad said.
Mia turned to him. "Thank you for letting me coming with her,"
"I wouldn't have considered letting you come if she hadn't of talked to me,"
"She talked to you?"
"She managed to get through to me that you would be safe if you went with her. That you needed time to be with other people than me. I'm glad you've made a friend with her Mia. I feel like she's made a big impact on you,"
Mia agreed with him. For the first time in forever, she had opened up about her life to someone else other than her father. Lyra was that person. She was such a wonderful friend.
"Do you think mum would have liked her?"
"Yes. She would have,"
Mia said nothing else after that. She just stayed quiet and soothed Lyra as she was fast asleep. She prayed and hoped that her dear friend would be alright. She prayed that we would stop this from happening to everyone else.
Another chapter done. Please let me know what you all think. Please don't be afraid to send over any ideas. Get ready for Bolvanger!