9. A Dismal Hopeful Prospect

'Will?'
Mary peeped cautiously round the door, Will stuffed something out of sight. She pretended not to have seen. 'I need to discuss something with you and your mother, can you come downstairs?'
Will figured by her tone that he wasn't going to like what he heard, but he'd have to hear it. Kirjava sat up.
They went downstairs and into the living room and found Elaine reading the newspaper on the sofa.
'OK, I've been think about what that Walters bloke said,' began Mary, 'He is right that you haven't been to school for a long time, I'm sure that you'll agree that you can't stay at home forever and remain unnoticed. Plus you still need your education.'
'H'mm.' said Will.
'The summer term starts in a week.' added Elaine, 'now's the best time to re-join.'
Will cringed. Kirjava sat stiffly, she had a memory of taunting voices and anger and hate mixed together. They shuddered.
'It'll be terrible. How am I going to explain where I've been?'
Mary shifted and laid back a bit more.
'I've already thought of this, I worked it out, the holidays came just before we all got back. You can't have been away for more than two and a half weeks. That means our cover story will work.'
As much as they disliked the idea, they had thought of school over their days at home and knew they had to return eventually.
He nodded.
'OK. I guess that's what I have to do…' he said slowly. Elaine motioned him to come over. He sat down next to her.
'Cheer up. At least you're not alone anymore.
'Not totally.' he said tonelessly.
Kirjava jumped onto his lap and rubbed her head on his chin. 'I've got something to show you mum,' he said, Elaine looked carefully at him.
He drew a thin chain from his pocket, Mary couldn't see it, and wanted to come over, but she felt that would be intruding. Will showed the something to with mother and she took it in her hands with a look of disbelief on her face.
Elaine clicked the locket open and saw her young face and her deceased husband. She touched his photo with an index finger.
'Where did you find this?' she said faintly,
'In the loft. There was this old lockbox up there and that's where we found it.'
'H'mm, I wonder if I could shift all this tarnish, and straighten out the links on the chain…'
Mary saw her chance to be part of the moment and took it. 'Tell you what,' she said, 'I know a jeweller up in Oxford who could work miracles on that. We'll take it up there sometime.'
Elaine smiled and hugged Will.

***

The men left the basement room, leaving Lyra alone, cold and scared.
But now was her chance to escape, she squirmed and wriggles in her bonds, but they were tight. She tried rocking along the ground, inch by inch, toward the door she knew led back onto the street.
But the floor was cheaply concreted and the chair leg snagged and she toppled over with a crash. The other door opened and the man that had run out peered in.
He smiled and closed the door again. Lyra, now on her side and terribly uncomfortable sighed and tried to relax, but the chair now stopped her from relaxing her back.

Serafina Pekkala was above Jordan Collage of Oxford, were the call had come from, but she couldn't tell of it's origin any finer than that. Her dæmon Kaisa flew over the other side.
Kaisa called to Serafina, who flew over to see what Kaisa had found.
A pine marten was withered on the roof muttering something they couldn't hear. Kaisa landed next to him and said:
'Pantalaimon?'
The pine marten blinked several times, then righted itself
'Kaisa! Serafina! Help! Some men, into the oratory, took Lyra! I don't what to do!'
'Be calm.' said Kaisa peaceably, 'take us to where they took Lyra.'
Pantalaimon obeyed an set off at a remarkable pace to the oratory.
They did so discreetly, a witch in central Oxford would not go unnoticed, but they got there without being questioned. Serafina approached the door and made a twisting motion with her hand. The lock clicked and the three of them entered.
Serafina looked around the room, from right to left. She saw Lyra tied to an overturned chair, and an open door with several men standing on its threshold looking at her in astonishment.
'Who the devil are you?!' exclaimed one of the men at the door,
'Why are you holding this girl captive?' Serafina replied
'You're not authorised to know that.'
'No? I am now.' Saying this she swung her bow off her shoulder and pointed a shaft at the speaker. A man next to the speaker whipped out a revolver, a 2 inch one and cocked the hammer.
'Leave this place Witch!' he cried, Serafina loosened her string and the arrow shot through the mans hand, he cried out and dropped the gun.
She nocked another cloth yard and entered the room
'The next person to try that will be first to have an arrow through their neck.
Now I am taking the girl with me. I suggest you allow me to do so.'
She moved toward Lyra but continued to look at the men.
'The numbers are not on your side.' said the first speaker quietly.
A second arrow drove three inches into the wooden doorframe next to his head. Surprised, he slammed the door as if expecting a phalanx of arrows to join the first, and Serafina seized the chance to cut Lyra free and help her out of the basement room.