The Molten Pendant

Chapter 5 - Dreaming

As Lyra left the museum, a man stood in the shadows in the alley nearby. He knew where she had gone, and he knew why. He was one step ahead of her; he had already gone in, found the clue, memorised it, and then replaced it. The man was sly and witty, but not particularly intelligent. For this reason he relied on Lyra to find the next clue for him. He looked down at his watch, eyes straining in the shadows. Then he poked his head back up, following her from a distance. His hyena-daemon trailed closed behind.

~~~

Will sat down on his bed. His mind was a buzz of emotions and thoughts and his head throbbed trying to focus on all of it. He lay back and closed his eyes. Mr Payne's words floated across his consciousness. He thought back to what happened at the house. Colin had told him he could travel between worlds if they could make a small tear in the fabric of space. Will remembered his shock, and also his sense of suspicion. Even now there was still a nagging in the back of his mind that the man might not have good intentions. But if he was good, and there was a way of breaking into another world... "No," Will said to himself. "Not yet. Don't think about it until you're sure it's true". Will cleared his mind from the day's events and what they could mean. Slowly, he drifted away into sleep.

Will's subconscious took him back to Colin's house. It steered him down the bushy streets and busy roads that the bus had took. It stopped at the station and moved more carefully, more cautiously down the street Mr Payne lived on. It opened the gate and pushed him through. It directed him up the winding, stone path to the front door. Then it stopped. Open the door it seemed to say. It's your choice, but you've come this far. Will felt his hand close around the door knob. It swung open and Will was whisked inside. He walked down the hall, past the semi-familiar living room and into a darkened area of the house. A second, concrete door stood in his way. He could almost hear his subconscious saying go ahead. It's open. Will pulled down the handle and wrenched the door towards him. No sound escaped from the hinges. Below him were a set of narrow steps, no barristers or walls beside them. He could see two arms lengths in front of him before the staircase was plunged into darkness. Tentatively, he took a step. That's it his mind whispered in his ear. Keep going. Steadily and cautiously, he made his way down. There was no light, but his legs seemed to know where to go. After about thirty seconds, he stopped. Something in his brain told him he was on the bottom step. Slowly, he moved his right leg forwards, feeling around in the dank air of the basement. Will leaned his weight forward and pressed the ball of his foot to the ground. Beaming lights flooded the room. He instinctively reached his hand to cover his eye, but found he didn't need to. This light didn't bring pain. He lowered his arm and looked around. The room was covered in rows of tables littered with computers, papers, books, buckets of pens and strange devices Will had never seen before. His legs started up again and he glided down the aisles of desks, curiously brushing his hands over whatever lay on them. At the end of the row Will turned towards a group of tables that were a bit neater, and that had different items on them. There were family photos, cups of coffee and open books. Then his eyes flicked to the right and he lurched back, startled. On one of the chairs at a computer was Colin, typing away, brow furrowed. Will stepped back, but this time his feet rang against the cold floor. Mr Payne span around on his chair, face contorted with fear and rage. Will opened his mouth to scream but instead of sound coming out, the room around him started to spin and blur. His eyes closed and his subconscious whisked him away.

After a while the spinning stopped. His vision was all a blur and his head was somersaulting on his neck. Slowly, the effect faded away and he could see clearly. Will was standing on a small balcony overlooking what appeared to be a train station. For a few moments he looked down on the scene in awe and tranquillity. But then his legs began to move again. They turned him around and walked him towards a door. He instinctively opened it and stepped out onto a footpath next to a river. It was late afternoon and the sun was dipping beneath the horizon. The water was a pinky-red and the waves lapped quietly against the bank. However, Will failed to notice this. All he noticed was the girl standing with her back to him, her dirty-blonde hair blowing in the breeze. Instantly he knew it was Lyra. He stood frozen for a second, unable to think, watching her. Then his senses returned and he called out her name, happiness brimming in his chest. She didn't move, and instead stayed looking out over the river, hands on the railing. Will tried to move towards her but he couldn't move his legs. He reached out his arm but it just wouldn't stretch far enough to touch her. He called out again. 'Maybe she didn't hear me,' he thought. But still she didn't respond. He called again, louder this time, almost shouting her name. He couldn't stand her being there, not looking at him. He screamed her name as tears ran down his cheeks. She turned and started walking down the path, away from him. His body crumpled and he shouted at the top of his lungs. She turned a corner and out of sight. Will closed his eyes, throat burning and he was whisked away into darkness.

He blinked looked around. He was at home in his room. He was awake. Remembering his dream, his face crumpled and he cried openly into his hands.