Gunshots pierced the air as Maggie belted across the open fields towards the main house. In her arms she carried a crying Lyra and Pantalaimon who she'd hurriedly wrapped in a long white blanket as she ran out of the cottage they'd been occupying. She cursed the decision now as she struggled to keep the excess material that hung loose from her grip from tripping her up. In her wake was Mr Coulter. Yet, he was not the gentleman she'd met a week prior at the Coulter residence. No, this man was a changed being. A beast harbouring only hatred for the child in her arms and that hatred had manifested itself into the will to kill. But even in this situation, fraught with death, Maggie still had reasons to be thankful to The Authority. Firstly, Edward's daemon being a worthless little hedgehog had enabled her to escape the cottage as Jal flung the daemon across the hallway, bringing her pursuer to his knees. Secondly, Mr Coulter being a talented politician could no longer compensate for how terrible a marksman he was as every bullet fired missed them by at least a metre. But Maggie knew that it was only distance that proved the biggest problem to Mr Coulter and was hence relieved once she'd made it to the main house.
"Lord Asriel!" she called once she had locked the door. "Lord Asriel!"
There was no response. Dread began to set in. She was quite sure she'd seen him this afternoon. Had he gone hunting?
"Thorold!" She was running up the stairs now. "Lord Asriel! Thorold!" She interchanged between the two names but to no avail. No one responded.
The house was utterly empty of anyone.
Over Lyra's persistent cries, Maggie could hear Mr Coulter as he struggled with the main door. Great, going downstairs and out the back entrance was no longer an option.
"We should hide," Jal advised.
Maggie looked at her daemon disbelievingly. Lyra was currently crying her heart out with no possible means of quieting her, if they hid her voice would still easily give out their location. But with no other option, she heeded the advice as she heard the main door smash open, running into the nearest bedroom to hide in a closet even if it was only to lengthen their eventual demise.
Or perhaps not.
Fate had to be on their side as Maggie heard Lord Asriel's thunderous voice tear through the house.
"Edward!"
"You … you bastard!" Edward's voice roared in response. "You've ruined everything!"
It was followed by a gunshot. A muffled scuffle. Bodies crashing against furniture. A feline growl. Two shots in succession, a double tap. Then, finally, silence.
Maggie held her breath as Lyra's cries, which the gyptian still struggled to contain, led the survivor to their hiding spot. "Please don't hurt us. Please don't hurt us," she whispered to herself, praying her assailant was dead and that it was instead Lord Asriel that was nearing them.
As the closet door opened, an unexpected wave of tears flooded from her eyes as it was indeed her master on the other side. And she smiled despite herself; The Authority had answered her prayers even if it was just this once.