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– No,» she quipped, wanting to teach the wicked mummy a lesson. But the mummy’s gaze lit up with a piercing black anger, so black it cannot be conveyed in words. And the girl gave up:

– To hell with you. I agree.

The witch inhaled deeply-the air hissed into her lungs. «Aren’t they holey? – Lyra muttered.» Then the Witch exhaled sharply – «pfffffff» – splashing the future Empress with saliva… Later, the Seven discussed this episode many times, condemned the old hag, and marveled: «where did she get the saliva?» But that was later, and now the friends blushed angrily, squinted and clenched their fists… But the hag and did not think to worry. She spoke again:

– «The worst pacts are sealed through spitting,» she said. – You said, «The hell with you. And you were right-it has been with me for a long time, and not one, and not a hundred! But you are bound now to forces that would frighten armies of devils. Through me, those powers have entered your soul. Do you know of the Lords of Darkness? Humans know only the weakest of them. There are others: the unknowable, the incomprehensible, whose power, wisdom, and horror are beyond anything you can imagine. And you are bound to them now, as a child is bound to its mother by an umbilical cord. See you later, twenty-year-old fool! Get out, and become an empress. Our conversation is now over. I don’t want to see you again-it’s time for supper.