Beyond 'The Golden Compass': The Magic of Philip Pullman Page #6

You kept your promise!

I knew you'd come.

I promised, didn't I?

Roger, do you know

what they do to the kids here?

They say they're gonna give us

this operation, right?

Then they'll send us home...

and we won't have

to worry about Dust.

But once they call a kid in...

you'll never see them again.

They took Billy Costa

away last week...

and he's still gone.

Don't worry.

I've got a plan, all right?

Tell the kids to have

their warm clothes ready.

I need to be alone someplace.

But not here.

They hardly ever use this one,

but be quick.

Ask it how

we're gonna get out of here.

But why would it...

Oh, no. It's them.

I think you'll be pleased with our progress.

That may be so,

but I am very interested in discovering...

how several children managed

to wander free from the station.

- Thank you.

- Mrs. Coulter...

I hope you'll understand

that the question is moot.

Any child who escapes

from the facility...

would not last

very long in the cold.

We have already recovered

two of the three missing children.

Were they alive?

Well, that is unfortunate.

But enough of that for now.

I, at least, have some good news.

We needn't be concerned

with Lord Asriel any longer.

He has bribed his captors

and set up a secret laboratory...

in the furthest reaches

of the North.

The Magisterium soldiers

are on their way.

He will be arrested for heresy

and sentenced to death.

Put him to death? Dear me.

I think I will retire for the evening.

Oh, well, yes, of course.

The orderlies will show you

to your chambers.

Wouldn't want to get

on the wrong side of her. I tell you that.

She's positively ghoulish.

Do you remember

the first experiments...

when she was so keen

to see them pulled apart?

Her and that mute of a dmon.

- What was that?

- Down there.

- Under the table.

- Quick!

- Lyra!

- Grab her leg!

Lyra, they've got me!

Come here.

- Come on.

- Lyra!

- You can't!

- Let me go! Get off me!

You're not allowed!

Lyra!

Quickly now. Straight into the chamber.

Let me go. lorek Byrnison's gonna kill you.

- He'll rip your guts out!

- What a...

Don't fret, dear.

It's only a little cut.

- You'll never keep us apart.

- You want to grow up, don't you?

- Well, this is how you grow up.

- Stay away from me!

- You'll never keep us apart!

- Set phase two.

Never, never!

No, stop!

- Lyra!

- Pan!

- No!

- Never!

You can't!

- Don't leave me, Pan.

- No!

- Stop!

- No! Help me!

Lyra!

Lyra!

Lyra. Darling.

- Don't. Don't you touch.

- No, no. No, no one will hurt you.

No one is going to hurt you.

No one is ever...

ever going to hurt you.

They did it to Billy...

and those other kids.

They cut their daemons away.

Why? Why are they doing that?

I know it's difficult to understand,

but it's for their own good.

It's just a little cut.

You listen. Listen to me.

A long, long time ago...

some of our ancestors made...

made a terrible mistake.

They disobeyed...

the Authority.

And that is what made Dust

come into the world.

And ever since then, we have been sick

with it, we have been sick with Dust.

But there is a way out.

You see, Dust doesn't settle

on innocent children.

It's later, when your dmon

begins to settle...

that Dust begins

to swarm all around us...

trying to work its mischief.

And that is how children begin to have

all sorts of nasty thoughts...

and unhappy feelings and...

But there is a way to stop it.

A little cut, and gone forever.

Well, if it's so good,

then why don't you do it yourself?

Why didn't you let them do it to me?

I'm going to tell you something.

Something very important,

something you don't know.

Intercision isn't perfect yet...

and you're not just anyone, Lyra.

Your mother didn't die

in an airship accident as you were told.

She wasn't married to your father,

and even though...

even though she loved you

very much and...

and she wanted to keep you...

it wasn't allowed.

And so you were taken from her.

And it wasn't until things changed...

and she was free to do

as she wanted, that...

that she went to Jordan College

and she spoke to the Master.

No! You can't be!

Yes, Lyra, you're mine.

And you're safe with me.

You'll always be safe with me.

Who's my father?

Lord Asriel.

He's my father, isn't he?

Yes. Yes.

Now I almost forgot.

The Master of Jordan

gave you something, didn't he?

He gave you an alethiometer,

didn't he?

But you see...

it wasn't really his to give.

Ah, he did. Oh.

Must've seemed such a puzzle, what

a silly old thing like that was any good for.

All right.

Here it is.

Thank you.

What a funny old tin. Did you...

did you put it in here

to keep it safe?

Run! Lyra, let's go! Go!

We're just not used to that reaction.

Understand this, Sister Clara,

they're not registered...

Go on, then. Go on.

lorek! lorek!

Run, child!

Let's go! Come on!

- Quickly!

- Let's go!

You'd better not touch me.

I'm warning you.

Serafina Pekkala?

- This way.

- Get out! Get out!

- Mrs. Coulter!

- Get her up.

Come!

- Come on, come on!

- Hurry!

Charge!

Come on! Run!

Come on! Get down, men!

Mr. Scoresby, help lorek!

Come on!

Joe! Oh, my precious!

- Dad!

- Oh, my goodness, boy!

- Darling!

- Mum!

Here's my daughter! Come here!

Gyptians! To me!

We're going home!

Lyra, we've got to go.

It's time to go home.

I can't, Roger.

I've got to go to my father

and bring him the alethiometer.

- Your father?

- Lord Asriel...

Mrs. Coulter and them...

they're gonna kill him.

Then I'm going too.

You said you was gonna

come and get me. You got me.

Miss Lyra, are you ready to fly?

I know where she's going.

Well, they're all tucked in back there.

That little girl's somethin', huh?

There's a prophesy

about that child, Mr. Scoresby.

She will decide the war

which is to come.

War?

I ain't heard rumor of any war.

You will.

It is your war too,

whether you know it or not.

- What would the quarrel be about?

- Nothing less than free will.

The Magisterium not only seeks to

control everyone in this world...

but every world in every universe.

They've been unable

to extend their power until now.

But if Asriel finds

a way to travel between worlds...

nothing will stop them

from trying to take over.

Nothing but us...

and that child.

What's it telling you?

It's telling me about my father.

It says I'm bringing him

what he needs.

We're going home, aren't we, Lyra?

After we save your father.

Course.

'Cept, first we gotta sort out

some things that need sorting.

Like Billy and them other kids that lost

their daemons. We've got to help them.

And it isn't like the Magisterium's...

just gonna let us go home to Jordan

just like that...

or leave off ordering people about.

And Dust...

I want to know what Dust is.

Maybe we're supposed to go to that other

world with my father and find out.

That's an awful lot to sort out.

Well, who else is gonna do it?

'Sides, we're in this together now.

Yeah, suppose we are.

You reckon it would do any harm

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