Chapter 6 6. Preemptive pardon

relics, beads Indulgence, price pardon, cattle wind game... — John Milton "Now, Fra Pavel," asked the interrogator of the disciplinary court, "I want you to recall exactly what you heard the witch say on the ship." The twelve members of the court watched through the hazy afternoon light at the priest, their last witness, in the witness box.He is a scholar-like priest with a genie in the shape of a frog.The court had been hearing evidence in the case for eight days at the ancient tower-lined University of St. Jerome. "I can't recall the exact words of the sorcerer," Fra Pavel said wearily, "as I told the court yesterday, I have never been tortured before, so it made me feel very weak, like a serious illness ...so I can't tell you exactly what she said, but I remember what she meant. The witches said that the northern tribes recognized the child Lyra as the subject of a prophecy they had long ago. She had the power to make a great The power of her choice, on which the fate of all worlds depends. Also, there is a name that would conjure up a parallel case that would make the Church hate her and fear her."

"Did the witch say the name?" "No, before she could tell, another invisible witch who had been present killed her and ran away." "So the woman named Kurt wouldn't have heard the name then?" "yes." "Did Mrs. Coulter leave after a while?" "indeed so." "What did you discover after that?" "I heard that the child passed through the rift opened by Lord Asriel into another world, where she was assisted by a boy who possessed or acquired a knife of unusual power." Fra Pavel said.Then he cleared his throat nervously and continued: "Can I speak absolutely freely in this courtroom?"

"Totally free, Fra Pavel." The president's tone was stern and clear, "We will not punish you for telling us the truth you have heard, please continue." The priest was relieved, and continued: "This knife owned by this boy can cut holes in various worlds. In addition, it has more power than this--I ask your permission again, I am afraid of what I say... It can kill angels of the highest order, and everything higher than them, and the knife is indestructible." He was sweating and shaking, and his frog sprite dropped nervously from the edge of the witness stand to the floor.Fra Pavel gasped in pain, quickly picked her up and let her drink from the cup in front of him.

"Have you asked any more about the girl?" asked the interrogator. "Have you discovered the name mentioned by the Witch?" "Yes. I would again like the court to assure that..." "Speak," snapped the President, "do not be afraid, you are not a heretic, and report to the court what you have learned, and waste no more time." "I beg your forgiveness, really. This child is in the place of Adam's wife, mother of all, and source of all evil—Eve." The stenographers who took the notes were the nuns of the monastery of Saint-Phiplomer, all of whom had taken a vow of silence, but when Fra Pavel heard what Fra Pavel said, one of them let out a suppressed gasp, There was a flurry of crosses.Fra Pavel twitched, and continued: "Please don't forget—the alethiometer doesn't foretell this, it says: 'If something does happen, then the outcome is inevitable—' Wait, It says that if that child is tempted like Eve, then she can fall.The outcome depends on...everything.If the temptation does occur and the child yields, then dust and sin win. "The courtroom was silent, and thousands of specks of gold floated in the slanted beams of faint sunlight that came through the large leaded windows, but these were dust, not dust. However conscientiously they obeyed the law, but more than A member of the court saw in it the shadows of that invisible dust that settled on everyone.

"Finally, Fra' Pavel," said the interrogator, "tell us what you know about the child's current whereabouts." "She's in the hands of Mrs. Coulter," Fra Pavel said. "They're in the Himalayas. That's all I can tell so far. I want to set off immediately to get a more precise location." , I will tell the court as soon as I know, but..." He stopped, huddled in fear, and lifted the cup to his lips with a trembling hand. "What's the matter, Fra Pavel?" said Father Macphail. "Don't hide anything." "My lord, I think the Holy Spirit Work Association knows more about this than I do."

Fra Pavel's voice was almost a whisper. "Is that so?" said the President, his round eyes seeming to spurt his wrath. Fra Pavel's elf whimpered softly like a frog. The priest knew about the rivalry between the different branches of the Order and knew that it would be dangerous to become embroiled in their struggles, but it would be dangerous not to say what he knew. more dangerous. "I believe," he continued tremblingly, "that they are close to finding out exactly where the child is, and they have sources that I cannot get to." "Probably," said the interrogator, "did the alethiometer tell you this?"

"Yes, it told." "Very well, Fra Pavel, you'd better continue the investigation in that area. If you need the help of a priest or secretary, you can send it. Please stand down." Fra Pavel bowed.He gathered up his notes and left the courtroom, his frog sprite on his shoulders.The nuns curled their fingers. Father Macphail tapped his pencil on the oaken bench in front of him. "Sister Agnes, Sister Monica," he said, "you can go now, please put the transcript on my desk before you leave work." The two nuns bowed and left. "Gentlemen," said the President, following the manner of court address, "the court is adjourned."

The twelve members, from the oldest (the aging, tearful Father McPurwell) to the youngest (the pale, hot-blooded Father Gomez), took their notes and followed the president into the conference room, where they Will sit face to face at the table and have a super close talk. The current president of the church court is a Scot named Hugh McPhail.He was young when he was elected: the presidency is for life.He is only in his forties, so it can be predicted that in the next many years, Father Macphail will control the fate of the church court and the whole church.He had hard gray hair, a morose expression, a tall build, and a dignified appearance.He would have been fat if he hadn't demanded strict discipline from himself: he drank only water, ate only bread and fruit, and exercised for an hour a day under the supervision of a coach of champion athletes. Never resting for a moment, his daemon is a lizard.

As soon as he was seated, Father Macphail said, "That's the way it is. There are a few things to keep in mind. "The first is Lord Asriel. A wizard who is friendly with the Church reports that he is mustering a large force, perhaps including angelic forces. As far as that wizard knows, his malicious intentions are aimed at the Church and at the Authority himself . "Second is the Ministry of Devotion. Their research projects at Birvangar and the funding of Mrs. Coulter's activities show that they seek to displace the Church Court as the most powerful and effective arm of the Holy Church. Gentlemen, we are squeezed out There it is. Their actions were brutal and skillful. We should be punished severely for our negligence and allowing it to happen. More about what we do in a moment.

"The third is the boy with the strange knife mentioned in the testimony of Fra Pavel. Obviously, we must find him and get it as soon as possible. "Fourth is dust. I've taken steps to find out what the Shrine has found on this matter. An experimental theologian working at Birvangar has been advised to tell you exactly what they found. Us. I'll be talking to him downstairs this afternoon." One or two priests moved uneasily, for "downstairs" meant the basement of the building: white-tiled rooms, well ventilated and soundproof. "However, no matter how much we know about dust, we must keep in mind our purpose." The president continued, "The Ministry of Consecration is trying to understand the effect of dust: we must completely destroy it. This is the most basic requirement. If in order to destroy Dust, we also have to destroy the Ministry of Oratory, Episcopal College, and every institution of the Holy Church that serves the authority...then destroy them. Gentlemen, perhaps the Holy Church has to do this task itself and in the process perishing. But a world without churches and dust is better than a world that has to struggle every day with the heavy burden of sin. We would rather have a pure world without it!"

Father Gomez, with bright eyes, nodded enthusiastically. "Finally," said Father MacPhail, "about the child. I think she's only a child. An Eve who will be tempted, and, if history is any indication, will fall and whose fall will destroy us all. Gentlemen, of all the means of dealing with the trouble she has given us, I am going to propose the most radical one, which I trust you will all agree with. "I propose that someone be sent to find her and kill her before she can be seduced." "Father President," said Father Gomez immediately, "every day since I was an adult, I have been doing preemptive asceticism. I have studied hard and been well trained..." Hands up, pre-emptive asceticism and penitence are creeds studied and cultivated in ecclesiastical courts, but not known to the wider church.They consisted of penances for sins not yet committed, harsh and ardent penances with scolding and whipping, in order to build up a credit reserve.When penance for a particular sin has reached a suitable level, the ascetic is given a pardon in advance, though he may never be called to commit the sin. Sometimes, for example, it is necessary to kill, and the trouble would be much less if the assassin had done this beforehand. "I have you in mind," said Father MacPhail kindly. "Will the court agree? Yes. After Father Gomez left with our blessing, he was completely on his own, unable to contact us or be recalled." .No matter what happens, he's going to go straight for that kid like God's arrow. Shoot her dead. He cannot be seen; he will come in the night like the angel who shattered the Assyrians; he will be silent.If only there had been a man like Father Gomez in the Garden of Eden!Then we will never leave Heaven. " The young priest was almost in tears with pride.The court blessed him. In the darkest corner of the ceiling, a man not taller than an oak hid on the dark oak beams, his heels were spiked, and every word they said did not escape his ears. In the basement, the man from Birvangar stood under the bare bulbs.He was wearing only a dirty white shirt and baggy trousers without a belt.He's clutching his trousers with one hand and his bunny sprite with the other.In the only chair before him sat Father Macphail. "Dr. Cooper," began the President, "sit down." The room was barren of furniture save for the chair, the wooden camp bed, and a barrel, and the president's voice echoed uncomfortably among the white tiles that covered the walls and ceiling. Dr. Cooper sat down on the cot, unable to take his eyes off the thin, gray-haired President, and licked his dry lips, waiting to see if there was any new unpleasantness. "So you almost succeeded in separating the child from her daemon?" said Father Macphail. Dr Cooper said with trepidation: "At the time we thought the experiment would have to be done sooner or later and there was no point in waiting any longer. We put the baby in the lab but Mrs Coulter intervened and took the baby to her apartment. " The Rabbit Elf opened its round eyes and stared at the President in horror, then closed them again to hide its face. "That must be depressing?" said Father Macphail. "The whole project has been difficult," Dr. Cooper hastily echoed. "I'm surprised you didn't seek the help of the church court, where our strength is very strong." "We... I... We thought this project was approved... This is a matter for the Ministry of Worship, but we heard that it was approved by the church court, otherwise, we would never participate, absolutely not meeting!" "No, of course not. Now there is another matter." Father Macphail turned to the real subject of his visit to the basement. "Do you know anything about the subject of Lord Asriel's research? What is the source of the enormous energy released on Svalbard?" Dr. Cooper swallowed.In the tense silence, a drop of sweat dripped from his chin onto the concrete floor, and they both heard it clearly. "Well..." he began, "one of our colleagues noticed that there was a release of energy during the cutting process. It would take enormous force to control it, but just as an atomic explosion is detonated by conventional dynamite, it could be done by focusing a powerful stream of electrons... He didn't take it too seriously, though.I don't care what he thinks either. " He added hastily, "Because I know it's probably heresy without authorization." "Very smart, where is that colleague? Where is he now?" "He was one of those who died in the attack." The President smiled amiably, and Dr. Cooper's daemon shuddered and fell faintly on his chest. "Brave, Dr. Cooper," said Father MacPhail, "we need you to be strong and brave! This is a great work that must be done, a great battle that must be fought. You must cooperate fully with us to win the authority of the authorities." Forgive. Don't hide anything, even wild guesses, or even gossip. Now I want you to focus on recalling what your colleague said. Did he do any experiments? Did he leave any notes? Did he talk to anyone else? Said that? What equipment was he using? Think about the whole thing, Dr. Cooper, and you'll get pen and paper and all the time you need. "This room is not very comfortable, and we will move you to a more suitable location. For example, is there anything you need about the furnishing of the room? Do you prefer to write at a dining table or a desk? Would you like a typewriter? Or maybe you'd rather dictate and let the stenographer do the writing? "Tell the guards, and you'll get everything you need. But, Dr. Cooper, I want you to spend every moment recalling your colleague and his theories. Your great task is to recall. Recall if necessary. Discover what he knows. Once you know what instruments you need, you'll get them too. That's a great job, Dr. Cooper! You're blessed to have been entrusted with this task! Thank you Authority. " "I am grateful, Father Presiding! I am grateful!" The philosopher stood up clutching the loose belt of his trousers, bowed again and again almost unconsciously, and watched the president of the ecclesiastical court leave his cell. That night, the Galliferspin spy Thales Chevalier traveled through the streets of Geneva to meet his colleague Madame Salmazia.It was dangerous to both of them: dangerous to anyone or anything that provoked them both, but certainly sinister to the little Galliferspin.More than one foraging cat had succumbed to their spurs, but the knight's arm had nearly died under the teeth of a mangy dog ​​only a week before, and Madame Salmazia's swift action had saved him. They met and exchanged news at the appointed seventh meeting place—under a plane tree in a small dilapidated square.Mrs. Sarmazia's contact at the association told her that earlier in the evening they had received a friendly invitation from the ecclesiastical court to discuss matters of mutual interest. "Quickly," said the knight, "but in all likelihood he didn't tell them about the assassination." Madame Salmazia was not surprised when he told her of their plan to kill Lyra. "It's a logical plan," she said. "They're very logical people. Thales, do you think we'll ever see that kid again?" "I don't know, but I hope so. Go well, Sarmazia. See you at the fountain tomorrow." Behind the brief conversation, there's one more thing they never talk about: their lives are extremely short compared to humans.Galliferspin live only nine to ten years, rarely more than ten years old, and Thales and Sarmazia are both eight years old.They were not afraid to grow old; compared to their short childhoods, when their brethren died suddenly in the prime of their strength, the life of a child like Lyra stretched into the future, as the life of the Witch Will surpass Lyra as well. The knight returned to St. Jerome University and began to prepare to send a message to Lord Locke through the lodestone resonator. However, while he was talking to Sarmazia, the president sent for Father Gomez.They prayed together in the study for an hour before Father MacPhail granted the young priest that preemptive pardon that would make Lyra's murder not a murder at all.Father Gomez seemed to be a different person, and the sense of triumph running through his veins seemed to make his eyes sparkle. They discussed issues of practical arrangements and funding.Then the President said: "Once you leave here, Father Gomez, you are completely separated from us, you will never be helped by us, you will never come back, you will never hear from us again. I can The best advice I can give you is: don't go to the child, it will expose you. Find the seducer, follow her, and she will lead you to the child." "Her?" said Father Gomez, startled. "Yes, she," said Father MacPhail. "We learned a lot from the alethiometer. The world the seducer comes in is a strange world, and you see a lot of things that shock you, Gomez priest. Don't let their weirdness distract you from the sacred mission you must accomplish. ’ he added kindly, ‘I have confidence in the power of your faith.The woman is being led by evil forces to a place where she may finally meet the girl and seduce her just in time.Of course, that's only if we don't succeed in getting the little girl out of where she is now.That leaves only our first plan.If that plan fails, Father Gomez, you are the last guarantee that we will not allow the worst forces to prevail. " Father Gomez nodded, and his genie—a large half-moon-shaped green-backed beetle—flapped its elytra. The presiding judge opened a drawer and handed the young priest a bundle of folded papers. "Here's all we know about that woman," he said, "about the world she came from, where she was last seen. Read it well, my dear Louis, and go with my blessing." He had never called a priest by his Christian name before.As he kissed the president goodbye, Father Gomez felt tears of joy stung his eyes. You are Leila. " Then she realized what that meant.She feels dizzy, even in her dreams.She felt a great burden on her shoulders, and to make the burden even heavier, drowsiness came back, and Roger's face faded into the shadows. "Well, I... I know... there are all kinds of people like Dr. Malone on our side...Roger, and there's an Oxford just like ours, you know? Well, she... ...I found her in...she'll help...but there's only one person who'll really..." The little boy was barely visible now, and her mind was stretched and wandering like sheep in a field. "But we can trust him, Roger, I swear," she said with the last of her strength.