His Dark Materials Book Four: The Shadow Globe

Naturally this is unofficial and I don't own any of it. But enjoy just the same.

Chapter Two

There was a knock at the door. "Are you ready yet, Miss Lyra? The Driver's here." It was Betty, the Matron who was in charge at their dorm at Saint Sophia's School. It was summer – Lyra's last at the school in fact – and most of the other girls had gone home to their various homes spaced across Oxford and the greater whole of England. Betty had known Lyra for years and thought of her as something of a daughter or close sister. Lyra, in turn, through of Betty as something of a much loved Aunt and confidant.

"Nearly, nearly," Lyra pulled up her stockings and straitened her skirt. Pan scampered onto her shoulder to fix her hair – oddly, he was much better at it than she was – before leaping down to stand beside her foot. She braced herself and left the room. Betty stood in the hallway looking anxious.

"Are you ready for this? I know you say you barely knew your parents, but…" she trailed off. Her brow was lined below her steel grey hair, which was pulled back into its neat bun as usual.

Lyra kissed her cheek. "You worry too much. They only want me to come by and see my parents things since I'm finally of an age to inherit them."

Betty sighed. "Well hurry and get in the cab, don't keep them waiting. Do you have the key?"

"Yes," Lyra held up a little bronze key on a silver chain. She gave Betty a reassuring smile before dashing downstairs at a very unladylike run and out the door, her daemon at her heels.

Betty gave a very watery smile. Lyra, she thought, would never be a tame lady, that was for sure.

Inside the cab, Lyra handed a silver coin to the driver and told him the address, which was on a street that was legendary for being inhabited by nearly all of the members of the Cabinet Council. "1400 Church Street please."

The driver stared at her. "What's a nice pretty thing like you doing involved with politics?" the driver asked, rather snobbishly Lyra thought. But she smiled and made no answer.

After a few more attempts, the driver gave up trying to make conversation. His passenger, beautiful though she was, seemed content to stare out of the window. He couldn't have known the torrent of feelings Lyra was experiencing. And while she would have loved to share them with Pan, there was no way they could talk with the Cab driver paying such close attention. Besides, neither of them wanted to admit just how the experience of taking care of their parents' last possessions was making them feel: that would only make it more real. It was different for each of them. Lyra was filled with a confusing mixture excitement and regret. She'd never found out how her parents had died. She had lost the ability to read the Alethiometer before she'd had a chance to ask it. It had never occurred to her that Serafina Pekkala might know. For Pan it was a mixture of anger – he'd never forgiven Lyra's parents for the atrocities they'd committed – mixed with an anxiety for Lyra.

The Cab pulled up, finally, after around ten minutes. Lyra jumped out as quickly as she could before walking slowly up the rain-washed steps. It has showered earlier, but now the sun was just beginning to peak out from behind the clouds.

The house had an unlived in look about it, but Lyra had expected that. It had been years since Lord Asriel or anyone else had lived here. After the disappearance of Lyra's parents had been established to the satisfaction of the courts, all their possessions had been moved here.

Almost cautiously, lost in her memories of her parents, Lyra fitted the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened in a small cloud of dust.

Pan coughed. "Damn it, you'd think they could've cleaned before we came," he complained.

Lyra smiled. "I guess not. Maybe they were too busy or sommat."

"Doubt it. Probably just didn't want to spend the money."

They both grew silent as they entered the house. A thick layer of dust covered the floor. Lyra glanced around and decided that this had to be the parlor. There were old fashioned sofas under giant white sheets.

"Doesn't look like there's anything much good in here, does it?" Pan said.

Lyra shoved him with her foot and Pan laughed, though it sounded tense. Gradually they wound their way through the house. Most of what was left was furniture, old and decaying after six years on its own. The only thing that really interested Lyra was her parent's papers. Lord Asriel had left several journals behind and she was just starting to leaf through them when someone entered the room.

Lyra dropped the journal in surprise before realizing that it was Mr. Malcolm, the Lawyer who had been put in charge of her parents affairs.

"Good afternoon, Miss Silvertounge," he said. Mr. Malcolm appeared to be in his late forties, with grey hair and a round stomach. He was always richly dressed, today in a dark maroon pinstripe suit.

Lyra repeated the greeting. She didn't like the man one bit, but she didn't have much of a say about working with him.

"So, how are you finding everything?"

"Quite messy actually," Lyra said pointedly.

Mr. Malcolm didn't seem in the least abashed, although it would have been his responsibility to get the house cleaned up. "I wonder," he said "if you are interested in selling any of your parents possessions?"

Lyra frowned. "Not yet really. I haven't even had the chance to go through all of them."

Mr. Malcolm nodded. "Of course, I understand perfectly. But a client approached me recently about acquiring an object he believes may have been in your father's possession. A globe of sorts – a map of the world with the locations of the stars on it. Let me know if you come across it. That way I can at least find what the price would be in the event of your deciding to sell."

Lyra stared at him. He had to be the most insensitive brute she had ever met. Well, one of them.

Mr. Malcolm left. Apparent that was all he had come for.


A/N: I know that was a little slow (well at least it was for me to write) but it was also necessary. More exciting stuff for Lyra next time, and hopefully more of her personality will come out then too. I couldn't include much of it here.