The Aeronaut's Daughter

Finding the Entrance

Lyra sighed and looked down. "I can't tell you,"

I sighed and looked away from her. 

"Because I don't know,"

I looked at her again. 

"Because I don't know. When the Alethiometer told me that we needed to take you back to where you belong, something was blocking me. It was like someone was using dust to prevent me from finding out more,"

"So you're saying there are more people out there in the universe who can feel Dust? Like me? Who can control it?"

Lyra nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't say this before. We've both made mistakes with each other. But if we're going to achieve what we need to do..."

"We need to trust each other," I finished. 

She nodded. For a moment I thought I could see a glimmer in her eyes as if I had ignited something happy inside of her. 

I stood up and held out my hand. "Let's go Lyra,"

She clasped it and I pulled her up. As we walked along the beach, I felt Lyra's hand tightly wrapped around me. Rather than pull it free, I clasped it close. Already the spark of a powerful friendship was igniting between us. Our quest had already begun and what was important was that we got back to (Y/N) and Will and we'd all stay together. 

(Y/N P.O.V) 

In the right hands, it can save us all. 

I sat up hyperventilating. 

"It's okay (Y/N). It's okay," Aster had turned into an artic hare like Hester and he was pressing himself against my chest to get me to hug him. I held him tightly. 

"Oh Aster. That voice. It felt so real," 

He purred and then jumped onto the cover in front of me. As he stared at me, I saw his tiny cute eyes widen. "(Y/N)..." he pointed a paw at me. "Your hair,"

I touched the tips of my hair and looked at it. 

I looked at my hair. To my shock, more strands had turned silver. I hopped out of my bed and went over to the mirror and saw that the top halves of my hair still retained their normal pigment. But when I looked, I saw something else had changed. Streams of silver were lacing around my hands to my fingertips and they were beginning to flow from my wrists. 

I fell back onto my bed. "What's happening to us Aster?" I breathed.

Aster couldn't answer. 

"(Y/N)! Are you up?!" Will's voice rung my ear drums. I heard footsteps and saw him walking up towards us. I didn't bother moving. He couldn't already see me above the step. He stood right there staring at me. "Are you alright?"

"No Will. I'm not," I answered unhappily. I slammed myself on the bed and my face fell into my hands. "My hair's more silver and my hands are turning silver too,"

"(Y/N)," Will's presence drew closer and I felt him sitting beside me. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Everything will be alright,"

"It's not just that," I muffled. I pulled my face off my hands and I turned to him. "I heard this voice in my head as I was sleeping. It was speaking to me. About the knife,"

"What?"

"It was telling me about its history, about the people who created it. I think it said that the knife has a role to play in some great conflict," Once glance at him made me realise he deemed me mental. I turned away. "I know you think I'm mad..."

"I don't think you're mad (Y/N)," he interjected. "I don't think you're crazy at all,"

"Something is happening to me Will. First, my hair is turning silver and now my skin is. And I'm hearing voices in my head. I'm a freak," I hung my head down.