~sorry for delay people, my inspiration has left me. hopeing it'll comeback soon~

19. Organising Fate

Lyra stood on the corner in Jericho waiting for Katie. She was on her way back from college and her thoughts bent on Will and the call she'd heard from him.

Katie was only one block from the spot Lyra stood, but it would take longer than she thought to get there, as her adversaries were about to catch up with her again.

Before she knew it a hand had lunged out from behind the terrace houses and pulled her behind the street.

'Hello Katherine!' said the man, Katie didn't know him, but she knew who he was representing and she cowered in front of him. 'Oh there's no need for that, just keep walking to meet Lyra and make sure she doesn't get our of Jericho very quickly, otherwise there's a man we have who'd like to meet you. We don't like him, but he's very good at his job.'

Katie's wide eyes went livid with terror and she scuttled off and walked fast down the street. What was she to do now? She had to tell Lyra, but who was this man the church representative had spoken of?

It was probably her life against her loyalty.

Luckily her expressive face told Lyra all she needed to know and as Katie coughed something that sounded vaguely like 'good afternoon' Lyra had taken her by the hand and was leading her on the quickest route to the town centre.

'I double-crossed them Lyra!' she moaned, 'I betrayed them! They'll kill me, what am I going to do?!'

With her free hand she was automatically fumbling inside her pocket, Lyra saw this and pused her against the wall.

'Give me whatever blade it is your carrying.'

Katie was in no state to argue and promptly surrendered her pocket knife. Lyra threw it at the nearest drain, and with a glance back the way they had come she hurried on toward the safety of the town centre.

The man who had stopped Katie was perusing quietly behind. He didn't know, but Lyra had seen him when she glanced back. Another man wearing a crucifix came up behind him and said bitterly;

'You messed it up then you pillock?'

'Sharp as a knife that girl! I know Katie didn't saw anything, but she's not exactly good at keeping secrets.'

They panted along the alleyways as they spoke, hoping to see the children round the next bend, but they were disappointed- their quarry lost, they would return to the oratory for another verbal bashing from the priest.

'Katie!' said Lyra firmly when they were safe in the crowds, 'Are they still getting at you?'

'No! that was the first time I seen them since you was round my house!'

Lyra sighed and looked around them again to ensure they were not still being followed.

'We'd better go and make sure your dad's ok...'

They walked briskly, sticking to the main streets, but didn't see anymore church representatives. By the time they reached Katie's house, she was in such a state Lyra had to take her keys from her and open the door herself.

When they did, they found themselves looking down the barrel of a rifle. Then it lowered revealing the face of Katie's father.

'Ach! You're ok I was worried!' he said throwing the rifle on the floor next to him.

'Have they been here?' said Lyra,

'Not directly, they know I'll cause trouble, but they've been hanging around outside- I knew something was wrong.'

'This is my fault!' burst out Katie, 'I let them get to me a the start, and I would've done it again if Lyra hadn't saved me!'

There were footsteps on the driveway and the three of them froze and looked at the door, as if expecting it to burst open.

It didn't, but the doorbell rang instead. Dan took up his rifle again and hid it behind his leg with one hand, and opened the door with the other.

'Hi! Is Katie in?'

Sarah's voice sailed into the room in its usual airy-fairy fashion. The atmosphere destroyed, Dan said yes and admitted Sarah and Julie. 'Lyra! Long time no see!'

'Hi.'

'Hello everyone… Hall party?'

'Er no we just got in…' said Katie.

'Yeah and I'd better make a move, I need to go to the library.'

'Oh…' said Katie, downcast at loosing her saviour, 'Well I'll see you around then!'

'Bye all.'

Ten minutes later and Lyra and Pantalaimon were back in their room at the top of staircase 12.

'We could do this.' Said Lyra, pacing round in circles.

'Changed your mind?' said pan from the bed

'Well we're too far in now anyway,' she replied, 'now we know there's a possibility we can see Will and Kirjava again we'll go mad if we don't investigate it anyway.'

She stopped pacing and felt absently for her chair, staring intently at the floor.

'We'll have to plan it out- he's got to come from Winchester, wherever that is.'

'Mmm. We need an atlas.'

Ten minutes later they were silently walking down the isles in Boodley's Library.

In the geographical section, they quickly located a map of England and began to scan it for Winchester.

'What if there isn't a Winchester in our world?' said Pan,

The nearby Librarian heard this and stepped over, perching a pair of large spectacles on her nose.

'There it is dear,' she said, 'Halfway between Portsmouth and Blackwater Valley.'

Lyra glanced up and said thanked her.

'That's miles away!' she groaned to her dæmon, 'Must be at least 100 miles.'

'Well he'll take the train won't he? 100 miles on a train would probably take about one and a half hours, then he's at Oxford train station, which is about ten minutes walk from the botanic garden.'

'You seem very knowledgeable.'

'Well I want to do something. Cos those men are going to get us sooner or later and what we're trying to do is the reason they're trying to get us. So we may as well do it anyway.'

'Well how can you plan like this? Will's world was all futuristic. They probably have fast trains.'

Lyra paused. He was right. There was no way she'd know exactly when Will arrived at the garden.

But hadn't they got it right the past two times? Maybe she should just turn up at the right time.

'How are we going to know when the right time is though?' cut in Pan, 'We're planning this.. the other two times we just turned up.'

'Maybe he'll tell us?'

'But they might be waiting for us.'

Lyra sat back in her chair and bite her fingernail.

'I think we're making this too hard. Tell you what, we'll go there at midday tomorrow.'

'Why then?'

'Why anytime? I think that's when he'll be there.'

Pantalaimon was about to reply, but then he looked away and shrugged as best a pine marten could.

What neither of them noticed was the small white thing with a wire coming from it sellotaped round the light fitting.

They would also not have noticed the man at the other end of that wire with a pair of headphones and recording equipment.

Or the man with a crucifix round his neck sitting nearby with his arms folded.