William Orion Parker leaned against the balcony and surveyed the swarming mass of guests below. It made him nauseous just watching them, bright colors and frills; the ridiculous hairstyles that were all the rage, the noise of them all chattering and chattering, like seagulls.
His daemon Fiana laid her head against his leg, her bright blue eyes, he knew, were watching him, but he did not turn.
"Your father would want you to socialize." She said.
Will didn't reply, he just continued to stare at the crowd, he could see his father near the top, lounging against the food table, red in the face with laughter and wine. He was in his element, clapping old friends on the back, making astute introductions, flattering the right ears that he could be sure to reap the benefits later; utterly happy, unlike Will. He had none of his father's charm or social grace.
"After his mothers death he's just never been the same!" people said, "went into himself, never got over it."
That was all people did: gossip, never a mind for anything bigger. There they were, all down there, probably talking about him. How unlike his father, how anti-social just standing there and watching. But they had no idea, no idea what…
"Will! Stop it!" his daemon sensing his train of thought dug her claws into his foot, "Lets go down. Just to make an appearance, then I promise we'll leave, ok?"
Will sighed and turned, his eyes, an identical color to Fiana's darkened with resolve as he descended the sweeping staircase to the floor.
It was as bad as he had anticipated. Everyone was keen to meet the dark haired mysterious youth. Mothers especially when they learned who his father was. They were falling over themselves to introduce their darling Bernadette, their eldest Veronica, my sweet little Gertrude. But met with matching ice blue stares, from the boy and the small, fierce mountain lion at his side, they were almost as eager to escape.
After being left to entertain a particularly irritating girl called Edwina who was trying desperately to make up for his silence by reeling off every detail of her meaningless life, he was starting to feel that his fathers wrath could almost be more welcome, when he turned to see storming towards him, eyes burning into his and walking so purposefully that the crowd literally parted before her, a blonde girl and her red furred daemon. At first he thought she was fleeing from the high table, as he noticed some of his fathers friends watching her and her friends, but the next moment he forgot it entirely as she threw her arms around him and kissed him.
"I told you it wasn't Kirjava!" said Pan, nuzzling her ear.
"Shut up Pan!" replied Lyra. She was now certain that dying from embarrassment was, however desirable, utterly impossible, and she started to plot alternative methods. Like diving headfirst off the wall she was sitting on into the forest below. It was not just the humiliation that hurt, it was losing Will all over again. The utter devastation of having her hopes raised and dashed to pieces again.
Pantalaimon wrapped himself around her neck and licked at her tears, making comforting "I told you so" noises.
She heard a scrabbling noise behind her, and turned to see Matilda pulling herself up onto the wall next to her, followed by Morgan's daemon.
"Sorry I took so long, there was some sales-guy on the doorstep who was most insistent. How are you?" she said, wrapping her arm around Lyra's shoulders and pulling her against her.
The humanless daemon panther settled on her other side, paws crossed. "Morgan sends you her sympathies but she refuses to climb the wall, she says it would ruin her dress."
"Typical Morgan!" sniffed Lyra.
"So, do you want to know who you just pounced on?" asked Matilda tentatively.
"Not Will." She said miserably.
"Well not exactly," said Matilda, "His name is Will. William Orion-Parker. His dad is Sir Humphrey Orion-Parker."
"Oh god, it didn't think it could get worse." Said Lyra burying her head in her hands.
"You just kissed the most eligible young man in the county." Said Morgan's daemon, "Its not that bad."
"Now everyone's going to think…oh my god!" Lyra almost cried. She could put up with a lot, but like her father she was proud, and being embarrassed was not something she was good at coping with.
"They'll be talking about you for years now." Said the panther, "You've successfully made every money aspiring, social climber intensely jealous."
"You're not helping." Said Matilda, as she turned back to Lyra "It's not that bad. And why would we care what every stupid, frilly wannabe Lady Orion-bloody-Parker thinks of you anyway?"
"I object to you generalizing frilly dress wearers!" said the panther, flicking his tail, "Just because we care about what we wear doesn't mean that's all we think about!"
The three daemons and the two humans stared out across the forest, the moon had slipped behind a cloud, barely giving enough light for the girls to see each other by, let alone to see the figure approaching along the wall until he was practically on top of them. Their daemons sensed him though, and the panther growled menacingly though he was too lazy to get up.
"Hi." Will stood, looking down at the group. The two girls were covered in grass stains, their dresses ripped in places, and the one who had kissed him had mascara trails down her cheeks, but she met his eyes defiantly, her red pine Martin snarling at his daemon, which sat directly in front of him and stared back. Neither moved, and he could feel the tension building.
"What do you want?" asked Lyra. Seeing him again he didn't look so much like her Will. His eyes were blue not green, he was more nervous, standing there awkwardly, staring at his feet. Her Will was never like that, he always knew what to do. But still, they were very similar.
"Erm." Will sighed; he might as well get straight to the point. "Why did you do that?"
Lyra, looked away over the forest. "I thought you were someone else."
"Oh!" Will fidgeted, "Sorry I'm not them."
"I guess I forgive you." Lyra hooked her arm around Pan and brought him close. "You can go now."
"These are my grounds up to and including the wall." Said Will, trying to stall for time until he could think of something constructive to say, "You can't dismiss me."
"I bloody well can if I want." Girl and daemon snarled back, and Will felt his daemon's claws uncurl. "You stuck up …go back to your party, I'm sure you wouldn't want to disappoint all your pretty little heiresses"
Will didn't move, he just glared at her in a way that made her think even more of Will. "Or maybe you're just hiding out here because you're people shy. All those low cut frocks getting you over excited?"
"You don't know what you're talking about." His eyes went almost white with fury, "None of you ever do. All you do is talk but you never have anything of interest to say. I'm sorry for your mistake. Goodbye." He got up and bowed sardonically, "I hope you enjoy the rest of the party."
Lyra watched him stride off, keeping his balance perfectly, his daemons soft grey-brown fur fading into the mist, with only the bold stripe along her back distinguishing her from the sky. She told herself she wasn't sorry to see him go.
Suddenly a scream tore through the forest, sending a flock of crows, shrieking into the night.
"Morgan" the panther flung himself from sitting position into the forest below, and in a half fall, half jump she landed with a faint thump below. Matilda and Lyra followed as fast bas they could, but when they reached the bottom it was too late.
Morgan was lying in a heap on the ground, her neck at an awkward angle, the panther lying in shared agony at her side; her attacker was nowhere in sight.
Matilda ran over to her, "Lyra go and get help, I'll stay with her."
Lyra ran in the direction of the house, Pan's night vision guiding her. But where could she find help? Where there any doctors at the party? Where was the nearest medical college? In Oxford she would know who to call, what to do, but she didn' t know this place. She needed someone who did.
"Will! Will!" she saw him walking along the avenue to the house.
Hearing her he turned. "What? Come to throw more insults?"
"No, look I'm sorry." Lyra panted, coming in line with him, "My friend she got attacked, she's hurt her neck, she might be dying, I don't know. Help."
"Come with me." Said Will, and he led her into the house. In the trees a small black spider watched, waiting for her prey.