Next chapter! I hope you like it and I'm sorry that it took me so long to write it, but I have some other stories which are very important to me, too, and then it's possible to forget writing on a certain story for some time. Can you forgive me? If you can, please write a review :) Everything you know isn't mine, but the things which are new to you are made of my ideas!

Will just wanted to sigh loudly, but he knew that it wasn't a good idea to offend an angel. They needed her help and that's why they had to be very polite and friendly. And it would be good to stay calm. He knew that Kirjava thought the same and when he turned around to look at her, he saw the warningly gleam in her eyes. He nodded briefly and looked at Viola again.

"It's good to see you again, Viola." he began and a little smile appeared on her face, "Kirjava and I had feared that we wouldn't meet you again because you sent another angel to accompany us here."

"That was something I had to do because I wanted to get to know Lyra and Pantalaimon. I would have come to you myself, believe me. There are many things we have to talk about." She circled the bench and the dæmons moved aside so that Viola could sit down next to Lyra, who watched the angel with a little smile on her face. Will knew that she was thinking of the time three years ago.

"Why don't we start then?" Lyra asked and smiled at the angel. "When you visited us at school, you said something about a war which is going to burst out and my father."

Will took Lyra's hand and she leaned against him. Right now he felt as if he could breath freely for the first time in three years. But of course that feeling wouldn't last long. Not after what was going to come now.

"And you said that we are the only ones who can prevent that war." Pan added and pressed himself against Lyra. He was scared, that was obvious, but Will couldn't indicate how Lyra was feeling. She was such a strong person and it was difficult to understand her. At least some times.

"That is right, young dæmon." Viola said with a nod. "Lord Asriel wasn't just interested in Dust. Even if politics seemed to be unimportant to him, they were the contrary. He hated the Magisterium and wanted to overthrow it, no matter what it would cost him. Having spies there wasn't difficult and he had many of them, believe me. He knew everything which happened there and so their plans weren't secret any longer. However, they thought that nothing would have consequences for them because there was no possibility that anyone could enter their buildings and sound out their people."

"But now there's something which threatens them." Will growled. "I have one question."

"You can ask, I'm sure she won't bite you." Lyra said with a little smile on her face and Viola nodded.

"You don't have to fear me."

"Oh, I didn't say that he fears you. He's much braver than you think." Now Lyra was grinning and even though I was angry, I had to smile, too. "At least he was the bearer of the knife."

"And you're the one of the alethiometer. It there a difference?"

Lyra frowned and Will raised his eyebrows. Why did she ask this question? The answer was... Well, it was difficult to answer the question. That was right.

Will felt that Kirjava was confused, too, and he began to stroke her back with the left hand. She relaxed a little bit, but Will was still thinking about the last thing Viola said.

"No, there's no difference." he said suddenly and Lyra, Viola, Pan and Kirjava looked at him. "The ability to read the alethiometer was a gift, that's true. Nevertheless, Lyra is meant to carry it. She and Pan went through many adventures because of it and they were very courageous. I mean, they helped Iorek to become king and they saved the children in the north, so that they weren't separated from their dæmons. And there are so many other great things they've done. Without a knife. Okay, maybe there's a difference between our stories, but that would mean that Lyra and Pan were even better than I was at that time. I had much help and no, don't say that you had people helping you, too. I know that, but many things you did alone. I didn't. I had the two of you, the angels or the knife. You're better."

"No, that's not true, Will." Lyra whispered. "When you saved me from my mother, you were alone. The angels helped you, but not enough to say that you did it together. You are the braver one, believe me."

Will looked into Lyra's eyes and suddenly, everything else vanished. He leaned closer to her and they kissed slowly. Then Viola cleared her throat and the two young people leaned back quickly.

"I think you should forget my question, then." Viola meant and Lyra and Will nodded. "As I already said, the time's running out. So I think I'll just continue to report what Asriel did, right?"

"I still have a question." Will cut in and it seemed to him as if Viola wanted to roll her eyes and sigh.

"Ask, then." she murmured and a little amused smile appeared on Lyra's face. She was looking very beautiful right now.

"Why don't we let the Magisterium being destroyed?" Will asked and raised his eyebrows. From what Lyra had told him, they were just following their own plans and did nothing good for this world.

"And how do you know that Asriel's machines will just destroy the buildings of the Magisterium?"

Oh.

That wasn't good.

"What do you mean?" Kirjava wanted to know.

"Why don't you just let me finish my explanation?"

"Go on, then." Pan requested her and Viola nodded in an annoyed way.

"Asriel wants to destroy the Magisterium. To do that, he has built machines which are hidden in tunnels under the main buildings in London. They will explode on a certain day and then nearly the entire city will burn. He wanted to solve this problem when he finished his tasks in the other worlds, but he died there and so nobody thought about the machines again. And this problem doesn't only exist in this country. Asriel travelled a lot and he got to know many countries, of which he didn't like each one. There these machines are hidden, too.

You have to find them and stop them from exploding. That won't be easy because they're guarded, but I think you'll find a way to solve this problem." A little smile appeared on Viola's face when she saw the shocked looks of the teenagers and their dæmons. "Do you want to know which cities are affected from these bombs, as you might call them? And where you have to start your work?"