Chapter 2 2. Among the witches

The witch Serafina Pekkala rescued Lyra and the other children from the experiment station in Birvangar and flew them to Svalbard, but now she's in big trouble. Lord Asriel escaped in Svalbard, and the drafts of his flight carried her and her companions to the frozen sea miles away from the archipelago.One of them tried to stay on board the damaged hot air balloon of Texas pilot Lee Scoresby, but Serafina was thrown high into the sky, and the sky was pierced by Lord Asriel's experiment. A gap was opened, and dense fog rolled in from the gap, and she was thrown into the fog. When she found that she could fly independently again, the first thing she thought of was Laila, because she knew nothing about the struggle between the real bear king and the fake bear king, let alone where Laila was after that.

So she rode on her cloud pine branch with her snow goose elf Kaisa, and flew through the golden clouds to find Lyra.They headed for Svalbard, and a little further south, and they flew for hours through turbulent skies full of strange lights and shadows.The light shone on Serafina Pekkala, stinging her skin, and she felt uneasy, deciding that the light must have come from another world. After a while, Caesar said: "Look! A witch's elf, lost..." Serafina Pekkala looked into the mist, and she saw a tern circling and whining in the fog-shrouded beam of light.They turned and flew towards him, and the tern, seeing them approaching, flew up in terror, but Serafina Pekkala gave a friendly signal, and he flew back to them.

Serafina Pekkala asked, "Which tribe are you from?" "Taymyr [Taymyr, in northwestern Siberia]," he told her, "my witch has been captured. Our companions have been driven away! I'm lost!" "Who took your witch?" "The woman with the monkey spirit, from Birvangar...Help me! Help us! I'm terrified!" "Is your tribe allied with the Child Cutter?" "Yes, until we found out what they were doing. After the fight at Birvangar, they beat us, took my witch, and put her in a boat... what should I do? She's calling me, and I can't find her! Oh! Help me! Help me!"

"Quiet," said the elf Snow Goose, "listen to the voice below." They glide downward, listening with keen ears, and Serafina Pekkala quickly recognizes the vibration of the gasoline engine, which is dull in the thick fog. "They can't sail in this fog," Caesar said. "What are they doing?" "It's a smaller engine," Serafina Pekkala said.As she was speaking, a new sound came from another direction: a low, uncomfortably trembling loud noise, like a huge sea creature calling from the depths of the sea, it boomed for a few seconds, and then suddenly stopped.

"The foghorn of the ship," said Serafina Pekkala. They flew low to the surface, again looking for the sound of the engine.Because the concentration of fog is different in different places, they suddenly found out: a small boat chugs through the wet air, and the witch flew to the top they couldn't see in time.The waves were slow and smooth, as if the sea refused to rise. They circled above, and the Tern Spirit followed, like a child following its mother, watching the helmsman adjust his course, when the foghorn sounded again.There was a light forward of the bow, but in the fog it only illuminated a few yards ahead.

Serafina Pekkala said to the lost elves: "Did you say that there are witches helping these people?" "I think so—there are some witches who broke away from Ugorsk [Vol~orsk. Russian place name], unless they also escaped." He said to her, "What are you going to do? You will find My witch?" "Yes, but now you stay with Caesar first." Serafina.Pekkala flew down towards the skiff, leaving the elves out of sight above, and she landed aft, just behind the helmsman.His gull-spirits cried out, and the helmsman looked over his shoulder. "You're taking your time, aren't you?" he said. "Go ahead and show us the way on the port side."

She immediately took off again.It worked anyway: there were still some witches helping them, and he thought she was one of them.She remembered that the port was on the left, and the port lights were red.She searched the fog until she saw a faint light not a hundred yards away.She flew back and guided the helmsman above the boat, and the helmsman slowed down the speed of the boat and slowly sailed towards the gangway hanging down from the waterline of the big ship.The helmsman gave a cry, and a sailor threw a rope over it, while another hurried down the gangway and made the rope fast to the skiff.

Serafina 'Pekkala flew up to the stern of the big ship and hid in the shadow of the lifeboat. She couldn't see the other witches. Maybe they were patrolling the sky, and Caesar should know what to do. Below, a passenger is leaving the boat and climbing up the gangway.The man was wrapped in a fur coat and hooded, making it impossible to tell who he was.But when the man came on deck, a golden monkey sprite jumped aft and stared around, black eyes blazing malevolently.Serafina held her breath: this was Mrs. Coulter. A man dressed in black hurried to meet her on deck, looking around as if expecting someone else.

"Lord Boirier—" he was about to begin. But Mrs. Coulter interrupted him: "He's gone somewhere else. Have they started to torture?" "Yes, Mrs. Coulter," he answered, "but—" "I ordered them to wait a while," she interrupted. "They're starting to disobey my orders? Maybe there needs to be more discipline on this ship." She pushed the hood back on her head.In the dim light, Serafina Pekkala saw her face clearly: haughty, violent, and, in the eyes of the witch, so young. "Where are the other witches?" she asked.

The people on the boat said: "They all left, and fled to their hometown." "But a witch came with the boat," said Mrs. Coulter. "Where did she go?" Serafina flinched back: the sailors in the skiff were clearly unaware of this latest development.The priest looked around in bewilderment, but Mrs. Coulter, already impatient, glanced briefly at the deck, shook her head, and hurried through the open door with a yellow halo leaking through it with her elf. , the man followed behind. Serafina Pekkala looked around to locate herself, hiding on the narrow deck between the stern and superstructure, behind the exhaust fan.From here, under the forward bridge and funnel, was a saloon, with windows on three sides instead of portholes.Those people just walked into this place.Dim lights pouring from the windows fell on the misty and water-stained railings, and faintly showed the forward mast and the canvas-covered hatch.Everything was wet and about to freeze to a solid state.No one can see where Serafina is, but if she wants to see more, she has to leave her hiding place.

This is too bad.She carried a pine branch with which to escape, and a knife and bow with which to fight. She hid the pine branches behind the exhaust fan and slipped along the deck to the first window.Because of the fog, water droplets had condensed on the window glass, and she couldn't see inside.Serafina couldn't hear anything either, so she retreated into the darkness again.There is one thing she can do.She was a bit reluctant because it would be too risky and it would drain her energy, but it seemed like she had no choice.She can make others invisible through some kind of magic. Of course, true invisibility is impossible. This is just a kind of spiritual magic. Not really invisible.With it at the right scale, she can weave through crowds, or past individual pedestrians, without being seen. So now she controls her thoughts and focuses all her attention on one thing, which is to change her state of expressing herself so as not to be noticed.After a few minutes, she was sure it was almost done.She did an experiment first. She came out of her hiding place, and a sailor came along the deck with a tool bag. He took a few steps aside to avoid her, but didn't look at her. She is ready.She came to the door of the brightly lit hall, opened the door, and found that the hall was empty. She left the outside door ajar so she could escape there if necessary.She also saw a door at the other end of the hall, and inside it was a flight of stairs leading down to the interior of the ship.She went down the stairs and found herself standing in a narrow corridor, with white-painted ducts overhead illuminated by bulkhead lights, that ran through the interior of the ship, with doors on either side. She walked over quietly, listening until she heard voices, as if some committee were in a meeting. She opened the door and walked in. There were a dozen people sitting at the big table.One or two of them raised their heads, stared at her blankly for a moment, and immediately forgot about her existence.She stood quietly by the door, watching them.An older man in a bishop's robe presided over the meeting, and the rest looked like priests or something.Only Mrs. Coulter, the only woman present, had her fur coat draped over the back of the chair, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the ship's interior. Serafina Pekkala looked around carefully, and she saw someone else in the room: a thin-faced man, sitting next to a table with a frog elf.There are some leather-bound books piled up on the table, and some documents with yellow pages scattered around.At first she thought he was a priest or a secretary, until she saw what he was doing: he was staring intently at a golden instrument that looked like a large watch or compass, pausing every minute to note what he found, Then I opened one of the books, searched the table of contents with difficulty, found the note, wrote it down, and went back to the meter. Serafina's eyes returned to the discussion at the table because she heard a word: witch. "She knows something about that child," said one of the priests. "She admits she knows something, and all witches know something about her." "I wonder what Mrs. Coulter knows about the matter," said the Bishop. "I wonder if there is something you should have told us?" "You should have made it clearer," said Mrs. Coulter icily. "My lord, you forget that I am a woman, and therefore I am not as advanced as the Bishop. What do you mean I should know about the child?" The bishop had a complicated expression, but he didn't say a word.After a while of silence, another priest said almost defensively: "It seems that there is a prophecy about this child. You see, Mrs. Coulter, all the signs have been confirmed. At the beginning, it was her birth. The gypsies knew something about her too - they used words like witch's oil [Witch-oil (Witch-oil), the text refers to a liquid that can set the swamp on fire] and fire in the swamp, Bizarre enough, you see—so she managed to lead the gypsies to Birvangar. And her appalling fear of dethroning Iofur Laknizon, the bear king—this was no ordinary kid. Maybe Fra Pavel can tell us more..." He glanced at the thin-faced man reading the alethiometer, who blinked and rubbed again, then looked at Mrs. Coulter. "As you may know, that's the only alethiometer left, except the one that the kid was holding," he said. The Dean gave it to her, she learned how to read it herself, and she can use it without the book notes. If the alethiometer can be doubted, I would. Because for me, in the absence of book notes Working with this instrument is incredible, and it took decades of diligent study to achieve a certain level of understanding. She learned how to read it in just a few weeks after she got it, and now she's almost an expert. I really can't imagine any academician can compare to her. "Where is she now, Fra Pavel?" ' asked the Bishop. "In another world," Fra Pavel said, "it's too late." "The witch knows!" said another, his muskrat elf gnawing at a pencil. "It's all set up, and we're just waiting for the witch's confession! I said she should be tortured again!" "What's that prophecy?" asked Mrs. Coulter, already furious. "How dare you hide this from me?" Her authority over them was palpable, and the golden monkey stared around the table, none of them daring to look at him. Only the bishop did not flinch.His daemon, a macaw, raised a paw and scratched its head. "That witch has hinted at something special," said the Bishop, "I can't believe what I understand, and if that's the case, we're dealing with the most horrible responsible men and women. But I ask you again , Mrs. Coulter—what do you know about that child and her father?" Mrs. Coulter's face was no longer rosy, but pale with anger. "You dare investigate me?" she spat. "How dare you keep information from the witch from me? Also, how dare you think I have something to hide from you? Do you think I'm on her side?" Maybe you think I'm on her father's side? Maybe you think I should be tortured like that witch? Well, we're at your command, Your Excellency. You can tear me to pieces with a snap of your fingers, but You can't find any answers even if you search every piece of meat, because I don't know anything about that prophecy or anything. Now I ask you to tell me what you know. My child, my own child , though conceived in sin, born in shame, was my child anyway, and you withheld all that I had every right to know!" "I'm sorry," another priest said nervously, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Coulter, the witch didn't say anything, we should know more from her. Bishop Stroker just said that the witch hinted. " "What if the witch doesn't tell?" Mrs. Coulter said. "Then what? We guess, don't we? We just guess wildly with fear?" Fra Pavel said, "No, because I was about to ask that question to the alethiometer. Whether it's from the witch or from the notes in the book, we'll find the answer." "How long will that take?" He raised his eyebrows wearily, and said, "It will take quite a long time, and it's a very complicated problem." "But the witch will tell us right away," said Mrs. Coulter. She stood up, and most of the others stood up as if they were afraid of her. Only the bishop and Fra Pavel sat still.Serafina Pekkala stepped back, forcing herself not to be seen.The golden monkey gritted its teeth, and the shiny hair on its body stood on end. Mrs. Coulter threw him on her shoulders. "Then we'll go ask her," she said. She turned and walked haughtily out of the hall and into the hallway.Those people followed closely and squeezed past Serafina Pekkala, she quickly moved aside, her thoughts were in a mess.Last of all was the bishop. It took a few seconds for Serafina to get herself under control as the agitation began to show itself, and she followed the priests down the stairs to a smaller room, which was white and empty, and It's hot.They all gathered around a horrific figure in the center of the room: a witch bound to an iron chair, her gray face grimacing, her legs deformed and broken. Mrs. Coulter stood condescendingly before her.Serafina stood in the doorway, knowing that she could not remain unseen for long, it would be difficult. "Tell us about the child, witch," said Mrs. Coulter. "No!" "Then you will be tortured." "I've suffered a lot." "Oh, there will be more torture. Our sect has thousands of years of experience, and we will arrange endless torture for you. Tell us about the child." Mrs. Coulter said, she bent Lower body, twisting off one of the witch's fingers, it was easily broken off. The witch cried out, and for a moment Serafina Pekkala was visible, and one or two priests looked at her in bewilderment and fear, but she controlled herself again, and the men turned to look at the torture. Mrs Coulter said: "If you don't tell me I'll wring out another finger, and then another. What do you know about that kid? Tell me." "Okay! Please, please, no more!" "Then answer." Then there was a terrible crack, and the Witch burst into tears.Serafina Pekkala could hardly hide herself.Then there was a shrill cry: "No, no! I tell you! Please, no more! The child who is coming... The witch knows who she is before you... We know her name... ..." "We know her name. What's your name?" "Her real name! The name that represents her destiny!" "What's that name? Tell me!" said Mrs. Coulter. "no no……" "How did you find out?" "There was a test... If she could pick out one of the many cloud pine branches, she was the child to come, that child came with the gypsies in Trollsund, in front of our consul's house ...with a bear..." Her voice faded away. Mrs. Coulter gave an impatient cry, followed by a loud slap and a moan. "Then what is your prophecy for that child?" Mrs. Coulter continued, her voice as cold and hard as bronze, with emotion. "What is the name that determines her fate?" Serafina Pekkala moved closer, almost to the crowd surrounding the witch, none of them noticed her close proximity.She had to end the witch's torment as soon as possible, but trying to keep herself invisible was exhausting.Trembling, she drew the knife from her waist. The witch was sobbing: "She came before, and you've always hated and feared her! Well, now she's here again, and you can't find her... She was in Svalbard—with Asriel Lord together, you lost her. She's gone, she'll-" She couldn't finish her sentence when something interrupted her. A tern flew in through the doorway, maddened by fear, flapped its wings intermittently, fell to the ground, struggled to fly up, and fell on the chest of the tortured witch, clung to it, and squeaked Weeping and crying, the witch called out in pain: "Yambe-Akka [Yambe—Akka, the goddess of death in Norse mythology], come, come." Only Serafina Pekkala understood.Yam'aka is the goddess who greets dying witches. Serafina was ready, she regained her form at once, and went forward laughing, for Yamaka was joyous, and her visit was a gift of joy.Seeing her, the witch raised her tear-stained face, Serafina bent down and kissed her face, and gently inserted the knife into the witch's heart.The Elf Tern opened its misty eyes and looked, then disappeared. Serafina Pekkala had to rush out. Those people were stunned and couldn't believe what was happening before them, but Mrs. Coulter regained her senses almost immediately. "Catch her! Don't let her go!" she yelled, but Serafina was already at the door with an arrow on her bowstring.She drew an arrow with lightning speed, and the Bishop fell to the ground, dying. Serafina ran out, down the corridor to the stairs, turned, set her arrows, drew her bow, released her arrows, and another fell.A shrill bell rang from the boat. She ran up the stairs and onto the deck.Two sailors stopped her.She said: "Go downstairs! The prisoner has escaped, go and help!" That was enough to confuse them, and they stood there for a moment, which gave her time to run past them and get the cloud pine branch hidden there from behind the exhaust fan. "Shoot her!" came Mrs. Coulter's voice from behind, and three rifles fired at once, and Serafina jumped away on a pine branch, which she steered upward as if it were one of her own. arrow.The bullets hit the metal, and then disappeared into the fog with a howl. In a moment, she was safely in the mid-air filled with dense fog. In the gloomy fog, the figure of a wild goose appeared beside her. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Get out of here, Caesar, get out of here," she said, "don't let the stench of those people get to me." To be honest, she didn't know where she should go or what to do next.But there was one thing she was sure of: she had an arrow in her quiver that was going to leave a mark at Mrs. Coulter's throat. They flew south, away from the troublesome otherworldly glint in the mist.During the flight, Serafina gradually had a question in her mind: what is Lord Asriel doing?For all the events that turn this world upside down stem from his mysterious activities. The problem is that all of her knowledge comes from nature.She can hunt animals, catch any kind of fish, find the rarest berries, she understands the omens that the entrails of the pine marten show, she can read the wisdom in the scales of a perch, and the warnings in the pollen of a crocus , but those were nature's children, and they told her the truth of nature. To understand Lord Asriel, she would have to go elsewhere.In the port of Trollsund, where their consul, Dr. Lance Lius, had been in touch with that world of men and women, Serafina Pekkala flew there through the fog to see what he could tell she what.Before reaching his house, she circled the harbor for a while, where wisps of ghostly mist floated on the icy water, and she saw a large African-registered ship coming in at the helm.There are several other ships outside the port that are coming in to drop anchor.She had never seen so many ships. The short daylight slowly receded, and she flew down in the back garden of the consul's house.She knocked on the window and Dr. Lance Lius opened the door himself, holding a finger to his lips. "Hello, Serafina Pekkala," he said. "Come in, you are welcome. But you had better not stay too long." He looked through the curtains facing the street, and asked her to sit in the chair by the fire. "Would you like some wine?" She sipped golden Tokaj wine and told him what she had seen and heard aboard. "Do you think they understand what she said about the kid?" he asked. "I don't think they fully understand, but they know she's important. As for that woman, I'm afraid of her, Dr. Lance Lius. I'd like to kill her, but I'm still afraid of her." "Yes," he said, "I think so too." Serafina heard him tell the rumors circulating in the town, and some facts emerged clearly from the confusing rumors. "They say the ecclesiastical authorities are amassing the strongest possible army, an advanced organization. There are also unpleasant rumors about some of these warriors, Serafina. Pekkala. I've heard of Birvangar, and the people there what he did - cut off the elves of the children, the most evil thing I've ever heard. Well, there seems to be a band of warriors out there that did the same thing. You've heard of Zomtbi [Zomtbi] , a kind of zombie in Voodoo legend]? They are not afraid of anything, because they have no mind. Now there are some in the town, and the authorities keep it from everyone, but there is still news that people in the town are very afraid of them. " "Where are the other tribes of witches?" Serafina Pekkala asked. "Have you heard from them?" "Most of them have returned to their hometown. All the witches are waiting for what will happen next, Serafina Pekkala, and they are full of fear." "What do you know about the Church?" "They're in a state of confusion. You see, they don't know what Lord Asriel wants to do." "I don't know," she said. "I can't imagine. What do you think he wants, Dr. Lance Lius?" He gently touched the snake spirit's head with his thumb. "He's a scholar," he said after a while, "but he's not interested in learning, nor in politics. I saw him once, and I thought there was a certain passion and authority in his character, but not Despotism, I don't think he wants to rule... I don't know, Serafina Pekkala, I think his servants can tell you, his name is Thorold, he was imprisoned in Swar by Lord Asriel At the house on the Butter Islands. It may be worth your while to go there, to see if he can tell you something. But, of course, he may have gone to another world with his master." "Thank you. That's a great idea... I'll go, I'll go now." She bid farewell to the Consul, and flew through the gathering darkness into the clouds, where she joined Caesar. Serafina's journey north is made even more difficult by the chaos in the world around her.People in the Arctic were in a panic, and so were the animals, not only because of the fog and the changing magnetic field, but also because of the unseasonable ice breakup and soil movement, as if the earth's frozen layer was recovering from a long period of freezing. Waking up slowly from the dream. In this game?In the chaos, sudden and uncanny flashes of light shot down through cracks in the mist, suddenly and without a trace, prompting herds of musk oxen to gallop south, then immediately west, or north again, and wild geese flew here and there in neat formations The fluctuating and flickering magnetic field screamed and scattered.Serafina Pekkala rode north on her cloud pine branch to the house on the high ground of the Svalbard wasteland. There she saw Thorold, Lord Asriel's servant, fighting a gang of cliff ghosts. She heard the movement first, and when she got closer, she saw what happened. There was a circle of broad leathery wings, and the snow-covered yard echoed with menacing howls.A fur-clad figure opened fire at them with a raised rifle, and beside him was a bony dog-elf, snarling and biting at the ugly things that flew too close. She didn't know this man, but the Cliff Ghost had always been an enemy.She circled overhead and shot more than a dozen arrows at the gang.The gang--they were so loosely organized that they were not yet an army--screaming, yelling, circling, spotted their new opponent, and swarmed away.A minute later, the sky became clear again, and their screams of "ouch-ouch-ouch" echoed in the distant mountains, and finally fell silent. Serafina flew into the courtyard and landed on the messy ground.The man pushed back his hood, and witches were enemies sometimes, so he still held his rifle warily.She saw an older man with a long jaw and gray, unflappable eyes. "I'm Lyra's friend," she said, "and I wish we could talk. Look, I put the bow down." "Where's that kid?" he said. "In another world, I am concerned about her safety. I want to know what Lord Asriel is doing." He put the rifle down, and said, "Come in, then, and look, I put the rifle down." After exchanging courtesies, they walked through the door.Caesar flew into the sky, where he stood guard.Thorold made some coffee, and Serafina told him about her relationship with Lyla. "She was always a wayward child," he said.They sat down at an oak table, under the light of an oil lamp. "I see her every year when my lord visits his house. I like her, mind—it can't help it. But what part she plays in the grand scheme of things, I don't know." "What does Lord Asriel plan to do?" "You don't think he's going to tell me, do you, Serafina Pekkala? I'm his valet, that's all. I wash, cook, clean, and spend the few days with my lord." I might know a thing or two in the middle of the year, but that's just by chance. He doesn't trust me any more than he trusts his shaving can." "Then tell me that thing or two you happened to know," she insisted. Thorold, in spite of his age, was still healthy and full of life.He was as fond of the young witch's beauty and attention as any man was.But he was also shrewd enough to know that her attention wasn't directed at him, but at what he knew.He was honest too, so it didn't take long for him to speak up. "I can't tell you exactly what he's doing," he said, "because I don't know all the intricate details. But I can tell you what drives your lord, even though he doesn't know I know it, I've seen this in countless details. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the witch's god is different from ours, isn't it?" "Yes, that's right." "But do you know our God? The God of the Church, what they call Authority [Authnrity, what the church authorities in Laila's world call God]?" "I know." "Well, let's put it this way, Lord Asriel has never felt that he liked the teachings of the church. When people talked about the Eucharist, atonement, salvation, etc., I saw an expression of disgust flashing across his face. Here, challenging the church is a dead end, Serafina Pekkala, but ever since I served him, Lord Asriel has been brewing a rebellion in his heart, and I know that." "Rebellion against the church?" "Part of it, yes, for a while he had the idea of ​​building a force, but then he gave up." "Why? Is the church too powerful?" "No," said the old servant, "that won't stop my master, which may sound strange to you, Serafina Pekkala, but I know him better than any wife, better than a mother He. For nearly forty years he has been my master and subject of study. I can't reach his heights of thought, I can't fly his heights. But even if I can't follow, I can see him No, I believe he gave up the rebellion not because the church was too strong, but because the church was too weak to be worth fighting." "So... what is he doing now?" "I think he is preparing to fight a higher war, I think he is going to start a rebellion against the supreme authority, he is going to find the residence of the authority himself, he is going to destroy him, that is my understanding. Saying these It terrifies me, ma'am, I hardly dare to think about it, but I can't think of any other reason for his behaviour." Serafina sat quietly, comprehending everything Thorold had said. Before she could speak, he went on: "Of course, anyone engaged in that kind of grand enterprise would be the target of the church's hatred. Needless to say, that's the greatest blasphemy against the church, they'll say that, they'll put him Take him to the church court and sentence him to death immediately. I have never said such a thing before, and I will never say it in the future. If you are not a witch who is not controlled by the church, I dare not say this to you. But it is true, and he is ready to find authority and kill him." "Is that possible?" Serafina asked. "Lord Asriel's life is full of otherwise impossible things. I don't want to say that there is nothing he can't do, but obviously, Serafina, yes, he is completely crazy. If the angels can't do it , how dare a person think about it?" "Angel? What is an angel?" "It's pure spirit, so the church says. Before the world was created, the church said, there were some angels who rebelled, and they were cast out of heaven and thrown into hell. They failed, and you see, that's the problem. Even if they have the ability of angels, they can't do it.Lord Asriel is only a mortal man with only mortal abilities, but his ambition is endless, and he dares to do things that other men and women dare not even dream of.Look at what he has done: he tore open the sky, he opened the way to another world.Has anyone done something like this before?Has anyone ever thought of something like this?So in one way, Serafina Pekkala, I think he's crazy, nasty, insane, but on the other hand I'm thinking, he's Lord Asriel, he's different, maybe... …if it were possible at all, that would be done only by him, and no one else. " "Then what will you do, Thorold?" “我会在这儿筹着，看守他的房子，直到他回来，告诉我他的非凡经历，或者等到我死。现在我也想问你同样的问题，女士。” “我要去确认那孩子平安无事，”她说，“可能我就要这样告别了，索罗尔德，我很高兴知道你会一直待在这儿。” “我不会挪地方的。”他告诉她。 她拒绝了索罗尔德请吃饭的挽留，向他道了别。 片刻之后，她又和她的雪雁精灵会合了，他们飞向浓雾弥漫的山峦上空，她和精灵一直沉默不语。她陷入了深深的困惑，无需解释：她故乡的每一缕苔藓、每一块结冰的小池塘、每一只小昆虫都使她心潮澎湃，都在呼唤她回家。她担心他们，也担心自己，因为她不得不改变自己。她要过问的是人类的事情，这是人类的问题；阿斯里尔勋爵的神不是她的神。她开始像人了吗？她要失去女巫的身份了吗？ 如果是，她不能独自这么做。 “现在回家，”她说，“我们必须告诉我们的姐妹们，凯萨。这些事对我们来说太重大了。” 于是他们飞越迷蒙的雾团，飞向恩那拉湖，飞回了家。 在湖边草木丛生的山洞里，他们见到了部落里的其他女巫，还有李?斯科尔斯比。这位热气球飞行员在斯瓦尔巴特群岛坠毁后又努力使他的热气球继续飞行，女巫指引他回到她们的家园，他在这里修理他的吊篮和球囊。 “女士，我很高兴见到你，”他说，“有那个小女孩的消息吗？” “没有，斯科尔斯比先生。今晚你愿意参加我们的会议，和我们一起讨论下一步的行动吗？” 得克萨斯人惊讶地眨了眨眼，因为还没有一个人参加过女巫的会议。 “那将是莫大的荣幸，”他说，“我也许会提一两个建议。”那一天女巫们不断到来，就像暴风雪中的黑色雪花，天空中充满了她们丝绸衣服的鼓动声和她们乘坐的松枝松针间嗖嗖的风声，在湿漉漉的森林里的猎人以及在半溶化的浮冰间的渔夫都听到了浓雾中天际传来的飒飒声响，如果天空晴朗，他们抬头会看见女巫在飞翔，就像一股暗潮在涌动。 夜晚降临时，湖边的松树被上百支火把照亮了，其中最亮的一支是在聚会的岩洞前，女巫曾经在那里聚餐，现在她们又聚到了一起。Serafina.佩卡拉坐在中央，她的秀发上嵌着一只镶满红色小花的花冠。她的左边坐着李?斯科尔斯比，她的右边是位客人：拉脱维亚的女巫酋长，她名叫鲁塔?斯卡迪。 出乎塞拉芬娜的意料，她一个小时前刚刚到达。塞拉芬娜知道库尔特夫人漂亮，那是属于短暂人生的漂亮；但鲁塔。斯卡迪不仅和库尔特夫人一样可爱，还另具一种神秘的风韵。她情绪饱满，这显而易见。她活泼热情，有一双大大的黑眼睛，据说阿斯里尔勋爵曾是她的情人。她戴着沉甸甸的金耳环，黑色卷曲的头发上戴着一只叮当作响的虎牙王冠。塞拉芬娜的精灵凯萨从鲁塔。斯卡迪的精灵那里得知，因为崇拜老虎的鞑靼部落在她去访问的时候没有向她表示敬意，为了惩罚他们，她亲手杀死了那些老虎。没有老虎当他们的神，这个部落陷入了恐慌和悲哀，他们请求转而崇拜她，但被她轻蔑地拒绝了，他们对她的崇拜有什么好处呢？她问，这对那些老虎也无济于事。这就是鲁塔?斯卡迪：美丽，傲慢，而且无情。 塞拉芬娜不清楚她为什么来这儿，但她以迎接女巫酋长的规格对待她，按照礼节，鲁塔?斯卡迪应该坐在塞拉芬娜的右侧。大家都到齐之后，塞拉芬娜开始说话了。 “姐妹们！你们知道我们为什么聚在这里：出现了新的情况，我们要决定怎么做。宇宙被打破了，变得更加广阔，阿斯里尔勋爵打开了一个从这个世界通向另一个世界的路。我们是应该关注和参与这件事，还是继续我们一贯的生活方式？ 还有那个孩子莱拉?贝拉克瓦，她现在被埃欧雷克?伯尔尼松称为莱拉。西尔弗顿。她在兰斯刘斯博士的屋前挑出了正确的松枝，她就是我们一直在期待的那个孩子，现在她失踪了。 “我们有两位客人会告诉我们他们的想法。首先我们来听听鲁塔?斯卡迪酋长的。” 鲁塔?斯卡迪站了起来。她雪白的臂膀映着火光，双眼熠熠生辉，即使坐在最远处的女巫都能看见她脸上生动的表情。 “姐妹们，”她开口道，“让我来告诉你们发生了什么，以及我们应该和谁战斗。一场战争就要来临。我不知道谁将加入到我们这一边，但我知道我们要对付的敌人是谁。那就是教会当局。它有史以来——跟我们的年龄相比还不算长，但也存在了很多很多年——一直在压迫和控制每一种自然的情感，当它无法控制的时候就砍掉它们。你们当中有些人见过他们在伯尔凡加所做的一切，那太可怕了，但这不仅限于那一个地方，也不仅限于那一件事。姐妹们，你们只知道北方的事情，我去南方旅行过，那里也有教会，相信我，他们跟伯尔凡加的人一样，也砍他们的孩子——方式不同，但同样可怕。他们切掉他们的性器官，对，男孩和女孩都是，他们用刀切，这样他们感觉不到。这就是教会的行为，每个教会都一样：控制、摧毁和消除每一种美好的感情。所以，如果战争来临，教会是战争的一方时，那我们一定是在另一方，不管我们和多么奇怪的盟友绑在一起。 “我的提议是我们的部落团结在一起，去北方探索那个新世界，看看我们在那里能发现什么。如果在我们的世界里找不到那个孩子，那就是因为她已经跟随阿斯里尔勋爵去了。相信我，阿斯里尔勋爵是这个问题的关键，他曾经是我的情人，我也愿意与他联手，因为他憎恨教会和教会所做的一切。 “这就是我要说的话。” 鲁塔?斯卡迪很激动，塞拉芬娜羡慕她的威力和美丽。当拉脱维亚的女巫酋长坐下后，塞拉芬娜转向李。斯科尔斯比。 “斯科尔斯比先生是那个孩子的朋友，所以也是我们的朋友。”她说，“你愿意说说你的想法吗，先生？” 得克萨斯人站起来，谦恭地倾斜着身体，他似乎对这个场合的奇异之处并不在意，可实际上他很在意。他的兔子精灵赫斯特蜷伏在他身边，耳朵耷拉在背上，金色的眼睛半闭着。 “女士们，”他说，“首先我要感谢你们的好意，感谢你们对一个被另外世界的风暴吹坏气球的飞行员的帮助，感谢你们的耐心倾听，我不会说太久的。 “当我和吉卜赛人一起旅行到北方的伯尔凡加时，那个孩子莱拉告诉我关于她曾经居住的牛津大学那个学院发生的事情，阿斯里尔勋爵向其他几个院士展示了一个名叫斯坦尼斯劳斯。格鲁曼的人被砍下的头颅，说动他们给他一笔钱，让他去北方看看发生了什么。 “现在，这孩子坚信她所看见的，我几乎不想再问她太多问题。但她的话让我回想起了什么，可又不能清晰地回忆起来。我知道一些关于这个格鲁曼博士的事，在从斯瓦尔巴特群岛飞向这里的旅途中我才回想起来，那是通古斯克[ 通古斯克（Tungusk ），西伯利亚地名] 的一个老猎人告诉我的，说有一样东西，谁拿到它，它就能保护谁，而格鲁曼知道它在哪里。我并不敢轻视你们女巫也掌握的魔法，但这样东西，不管它是什么，它的威力超越了我听说过的任何事物。 “因为我对那个孩子的关心，我想我可以推迟去得克萨斯退休的时间，去找格鲁曼博士。你看，我认为他并没有死，我想阿斯里尔勋爵是在愚弄那些院士。 “所以我要去新地岛[ 新地岛（Nova Zembla ），又名Novaya Zemlga ，由南北两岛组成，在巴伦支海和喀拉海之间] ，那是我最后一次听说他还活着的地方，我要去找他。我不知道未来会怎样，但我能明白无误地看清现在。这场战争我站在你们这边，这样我的子弹才有价值。但我下面的任务是，女士，”他总结道，转向塞拉芬娜?佩卡拉，“我准备去找斯坦尼斯劳斯?格鲁曼，看看他都知道些什么，如果我能找到他知道的那样东西，我会把它带给莱拉。” 塞拉芬娜说：“您结婚了吗，斯科尔斯比先生？您有孩子吗？” “没有，女士，我没有孩子，尽管我愿意做一名父亲，但我理解您的问题，您是正确的：那个小女孩跟她真正的父母在一起得到的是坏运气，也许我能补偿她。总得有人这么做，而且我也愿意。” “谢谢你，斯科尔斯比先生。”她说。 她取下她的王冠，取下了一朵红色的小花，那些花戴在她的头上就像刚摘下来一样新鲜。 “带上这朵花吧，”她说，“任何时候你需要我的帮助时，就把它握在手里，呼唤我。不管你在哪里，我都会听见的。” “哦，谢谢，女士。”他惊奇地答道。他接过那朵小红花，小心地插进胸前的口袋。 “我们会唤起一阵风，帮助你到新地岛。”塞拉芬娜?佩卡拉告诉他。“现在，姐妹们，下面谁愿意说话？” 真正的会议开始了。从某一方面来说，女巫是民主的。每一位女巫，即使是最年轻的女巫，都有发言的权利，但只有女巫酋长才能作决定。发言持续了整整一夜，大家对即将开始的战斗展开了热烈的讨论，有一些女巫提出要小心谨慎，只有少数几个女巫，尽管她们是最聪明的，建议派人动员其他部落第一次加入进来。 鲁塔。斯卡迪也同意了，塞拉芬娜立刻派出了信使。至于她们马上要做的，塞拉芬娜从她最好的战士中挑出二十名，命令她们准备和她一起飞往北方，到阿斯里尔勋爵打开的新世界寻找莱拉。 “那你呢，鲁塔?斯卡迪酋长？”塞拉芬娜最后说，''你有什么计划？““我要去找阿斯里尔勋爵，听他亲口说在做什么。看样子他似乎也去了北方。 姐妹们，我能先跟着你们走一段吗？ " 于是她们同意了。 可是不久讨论中断了，一位年长的女巫来到塞拉芬娜。佩卡拉面前，说道：“酋长，你最好听一听茱塔?卡迈南说的话。她很顽固，但她说的也许很重要。” 茱塔?卡迈南是一位年轻的女巫——她才一百多岁，用女巫的标准来衡量，她是年轻的——她很固执，也很尴尬。她的精灵，一只知更鸟，激动地从她的肩头飞到她的手中，在高处盘旋一圈，然后又飞回到她的肩头。女巫的双颊丰满红润，她性格活泼，充满激情。塞拉芬娜不太认识她。 “酋长，”年轻的女巫说道，面对塞拉芬娜的凝视，她无法保持沉默。“我认识这个名叫斯坦尼斯劳斯?格鲁曼的人。我曾经爱过他，但现在我恨透了他，如果我看见他，我一定会杀了他。本来我什么都不想说，但我的姐妹们让我告诉您。” 她带着怨恨的目光扫了一眼那位年长的女巫，后者回了她一个热情的眼神：她懂得爱。 “好吧。”塞拉芬娜说，“如果他还活着的话，他得活到斯科尔斯比先生找到他的那一天。你最好跟我们一起去新世界，那样就不会有你会先杀了他的危险。 忘了他吧，茱塔?卡迈南，爱使我们备受折磨，但我们的任务比复仇更伟大，记住这一点。 " “是，酋长。”年轻的女巫谦恭地说。 塞拉芬娜?佩卡拉和她的二十一个伙伴，还有拉脱维亚的女巫酋长鲁塔?斯卡迪，准备飞往新世界，那个女巫从未去过的新世界。