'Hellfire and damnation,' swore Lee, once the first shock of Ma Costa's revelation had worn off. 'That crazy woman? She's wicked, Ma Costa – or at least, what she's doing is wicked. She had that poor boy, Wilf, locked up in a cage to be experimented on!'

'I got a shock when I heard she was leading the wolf hunt,' Ma Costa admitted. 'It didn't seem like the sort of thing a former politician's wife would get involved in. I'm not sure what she hopes to gain by wiping out the wolves – unless it's revenge on Asriel. She must know who she'd captured, that daemon's unmistakeable.'

Lee regarded Ma Costa, wondering whether to share what Lyra had told him about her mother. Lyra hadn't sworn him to secrecy, but on the other hand she hadn't given him permission to tell anyone either. But having spent a bit of time with Ma Costa and seeing her stand up to Asriel, Lee felt he'd trust her with his life – and more importantly, he'd trust her with Lyra's. He glanced down at Hester.

'Go ahead, Lee,' she said, divining the track his thoughts had been running on as she always did.

'Ma Costa, when Lyra told me about her history, she mentioned her mother had some real bad intentions for her,' he said frankly. 'She didn't go into specifics, but she mentioned experiments, training regimes… and last night, when we were rescuing Wilf and Asriel, Coulter was harping on about creating new wolfwalkers, not killing them off. I'm willing to bet she's here because she wants what Asriel and Lyra have got, and she'll do anything to get it.'

'And what you've got,' Ma Costa murmured, before fixing him with a look that would have felled a fiercer man than Lee. 'But just now, when Asriel was tearing Lyra off a strip, she said she'd – well, bitten you and that was what…'

'That was it,' confirmed Lee. 'As simple as that.'

Ma Costa looked bemused. Lee quirked a small smile at her.

'Ma'am, Serafina Pekkala has a theory about that,' he explained. 'She thinks becoming a wolfwalker depends on who gets bit. Lyra's bitten a couple of people in the past and they didn't turn. If Mrs Coulter's looking for a way of turning people into wolfwalkers, she's probably gonna be disappointed unless she chooses someone who has the potential.'

'So, you're a special one, are you?' enquired Ma Costa wryly, her grin taking the sting from the words.

'Just a wild one, ma'am,' Lee grinned back.

Their moment of accord was interrupted by Tony Costa, who stuck his head into the kitchen.

'Mum, Lyra's – oh, hello, Mr Scoresby, I was going to find you. Lyra and Lord Asriel are back, and Lord Faa wants everyone to reconvene, on his boat this time. Asriel's got something important he wants to discuss.'

Lee and Ma Costa exchanged glances.

#

Climbing back aboard Lord Faa's spacious boat, Lee was relieved to note Lyra looking much happier than the last time he'd seen her. He wondered what Asriel had said to her, but there was no time to discuss it. Asriel, who looked as severe as ever, was waiting with a touch of impatience for Lee and Lyra's motley gang of allies to settle themselves.

Lee sat on a chair and found himself flanked by Ma Costa and Serafina Pekkala. Derrick Volantyne dragged a cushion off a bunk and sat on the floor nearby. Seeing this, Lyra grabbed a cushion and did the same, huddling close to Lee and smiling up at him smiling down.

'All good?' Lee whispered.

'Yeah, all good,' she whispered back. 'I'll tell you about it later.'

Lee sat back and watched Asriel. He stood at ease in the centre of the narrow living quarters while people arranged themselves, and once quiet had descended, spoke without preamble.

'You have all taken tremendous risks to assist me, and I am grateful to every one of you,' he began, rather more respectfully than an hour or so ago. 'But the danger is not over – far from it. The Council is waging war on the wolves in Badbury Forest and wants to exterminate them, that much is true. But the Magisterium has other intentions.'

'It wants to create new wolfwalkers – or rather, this Mrs Coulter does,' Lee said bluntly. Asriel flicked a quick glance at him.

'Yes,' he answered flatly. 'Wolfwalkers who will be loyal to her, who will exist under her control and who will carry out her bidding.'

'She was especially interested in the nature of the relationship between you and your daemon,' murmured Van Buskirk. 'I suspect she intends to hold daemons hostage, or similar, to compel any wolfwalkers to obey her.'

'Yikes,' muttered Hester, jumping into Lee's lap in one smooth motion. Lee held her close to reassure her. At his feet, he could see Lyra doing the same with Pantalaimon. He was interested to note that Stelmaria remained aloof from Asriel however, proclaiming they had nothing to fear.

'Dr Van Buskirk,' Asriel continued, 'do you know if Mrs Coulter had actually made any progress in finding out how to create new wolfwalkers?'

'None,' sighed the scholar. 'I reported all my observations to her – and only her – as instructed. She never gave me any hints as to what she intended to do with the information. Mind you, Lithiel eavesdropped on a couple of her conversations with that MacPhail, and she kept talking about finding out the wolfwalkers' weaknesses, how to kill them – nothing about how to turn people until last night. Whatever she's playing at, she's hiding it from the Magisterium.'

'MacPhail – the Consistorial Court of Discipline. Damn,' muttered Asriel.

'Another thing, Asriel,' interrupted Lee. 'We reckon she's got a private research facility somewhere. It was why she had Tony and Derrick kidnapped, to blackmail the Gyptians into transporting you there. Can't tell you where, I'm afraid.'

'Knowing Coulter, it could be anywhere,' Stelmaria said to Asriel.

'She's a powerful woman, who exerts a lot of influence within certain sections of the Magisterium,' commented Asriel. Lee watched him closely, but there was not a twitch of an eyelid, not the slightest curl of his lip to betray what Asriel thought of Mrs Coulter, or to suggest what they had once been to each other.

'I will have to find out where Coulter is keeping the research relating to the experiments, she conducted on me, and make sure it is destroyed,' Asriel said. 'For my safety and for Lyra's.'

'And Mr Scoresby's,' Lyra piped up. 'He's pack, now.'

'And Mr Scoresby's,' Asriel agreed, readily enough. 'But not only for our safety. Coulter is a ruthless woman. You say she kidnapped a boy off the streets, and was getting ready to do some tests on him?'

In a corner, Bram Garrod stirred.

'The boy is called Wilfred, and he's awake and talking,' he said, the words clipped and precise. 'I checked on him just now. I can bring him over – but he might not want to face so many people. Poor lad was jumpy as a trapped rabbit when he woke up.'

Asriel crossed his arms. Lee guessed he was raring to question Wilf but didn't want to alienate Lord Faa by demanding Wilf's presence.

'Go and fetch him, Bram,' said Lord Faa, nodding. 'See if he's willing to speak to us. If he's too frightened, we'll leave him be and try again later.'

Bram nipped outside and returned in a couple of minutes with Wilf. The young man was pale and looked frightened, holding his daemon close, but brightened a little when he saw Lee and Serafina Pekkala.

'You're the rescue party,' he murmured.

'All the people in this room are,' returned Lee. Wilf managed a very small smile in response.

'Wilfred,' said Lord Faa, standing and guiding Wilf to sit down in his place. 'I am John Faa of the Western Gyptians. I know you are afraid, and that you have suffered at the hands of those people who kidnapped you. I want to reassure you that you are safe amongst us. We will not let anyone find you here.'

Wilf's hunched shoulders relaxed ever-so-slightly.

'Now, Wilf,' Lord Faa resumed, shifting ever so slightly so he stood between Wilf and Asriel. He'd obviously noticed Asriel's eyes trained on Wilf like a gunsight. 'We're enemies of the people who hurt you, and we want to make sure they don't hurt anyone else. But the more information we have, the better.'

Wilf and his daemon bobbed their heads in unison.

'I'll tell you everything I know,' he murmured. 'It started two days ago. I was coming away from a job interview. You were right, you know,' he said to Lee. 'I did well. They wanted me to start next Monday.'

'Was it a good job?' Lee asked, rather irrelevantly. But it made Wilf smile that tiny smile again.

'Bit boring-sounding to be honest. It was for an insurance company, doing paperwork. I didn't much fancy it, but my dad insisted. Anyway, I was on my way home, on my bicycle, and I'd almost reached the outskirts of town when there was a diversion on the road.'

'What kind of diversion?' Asriel demanded. Wilf gulped and shrank back into himself. Lee, annoyed, decided to intervene.

'Lemme guess – the road was blocked off and there was a big sign directing you down some dark alleyway instead,' Lee suggested. Wilf perked up again.

'Yes – that was it,' he confirmed. 'I'd taken Abingdon Road out of town, and then, just before the airstrip, there was a diversion. I don't remember the name of the alley I went down – it was to the left, I remember that. I cycled down it – and the next thing I remember, I was waking up. My head hurt, and I was in…in…'

'You were locked up in the lab,' Lord Faa finished for him. Wilf nodded jerkily.

'Yeah. I didn't know what they wanted – no-one would talk to me. And there was the wolf, with a daemon…I begged to be let go, promised I'd never say a word about what had happened, but…' Wilf swallowed and looked at the floor.

'Did you overhear anything about any experiments? About their intentions for you?' Dr Van Buskirk asked gently.

'I did,' Wilf muttered, everyone save the wolfwalkers straining to hear him. 'The woman there, the one with the monkey daemon…she kept talking about making people into beasts. Turning them into wolves. Said it was only a matter of time.'

'Did she say anything about another lab, a research institute, an office even?' Asriel queried, his tone milder than before. But Wilf shook his head again.

'No, nothing like that,' he murmured. 'She did say one thing though. About an experiment… a successful one.'

A thrill of horror ran through Lee, from his hair-roots to his toe-tips. Lyra reached for him, and he grasped her small hand with his larger one, each of them seeking comfort from the other.

Asriel stood, face expressionless, regarding Wilf. Only the tense set of his shoulders betrayed his inner agitation.

'Of what nature was this… success?' enquired Lord Faa very softly.

'I'm not sure,' returned Wilf, very subdued. 'Only that it's…powerful. That was the word she used.'

Asriel turned away from Wilf, face grim and determined. Van Buskirk rubbed at his eyes, the slump of his shoulders and dejected expression adding years onto him. Lord Faa and Farder Coram exchanged glances.

'Do you know what Mrs Coulter's intentions are for this success?' Lee asked.

'No,' Wilf whispered. 'She mentioned having plans for it, but not much else. She was talking to a wolf, most of the time, she didn't know I was listening. A wolf, a wolf with a daemon…'

Lee glanced back at Asriel. Lyra's father shook his head, almost imperceptibly. Lee guessed that Asriel had been too stupefied with drugs to take in any of Coulter's words… assuming she had been telling the truth.

'I know it sounds mad,' Wilf continued almost desperately, hands clutching at the hem of his coat. 'It sounds like I've gone doolally, but I'm telling the truth, every single word…'

'It's okay, kid, we believe you,' reassured Lee. 'We've seen some crazier stuff of late.'

Wilf looked at Lee gratefully. Lord Faa waited a moment to allow Wilf's words to sink in, and then addressed the young man gently.

'Wilf, you've gotten caught up in something very dangerous. It wasn't your fault. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there will be some very nasty people searching for you now. You know too much about what was taking place in Jordan College.'

Wilf looked apprehensive.

'But what am I going to do now, then?' he asked. 'I've got to go home. My dad's going to be furious with me for disappearing for two whole days.'

'Wilf, I strongly advise against going home for a while,' said Farder Coram. 'Mrs Coulter will be angry you've escaped, and she won't want you telling tales to the authorities.'

'I'd promise not to tell anyone anything though –'

'She'll kill you if she finds you,' Asriel said bluntly. 'No matter what promises you make. You must go into hiding, boy, if you value your life.'

Poor Wilf turned as white as salt. More than one person in the room shot Asriel a poisonous glare, but he was impervious. He folded his arms and turned away from Wilf, eyes focused on something no-one else could see, his brain working out possibilities, schemes, solutions.

'Wilf, you're welcome to stay with the Gyptians for a while, until you decide what's best to do next,' Lord Faa said, Farder Coram nodding agreement. 'No-one here will give you away.'

'I'm in hiding from Mrs Coulter myself,' added Dr Van Buskirk, reaching over to place a reassuring hand on Wilf's knee. 'I'll help you.'

For some reason, Wilf's faltering gaze picked out Lee and Serafina.

'What do you both think I should do?' he asked softly. 'Er, you two, the beautiful lady and the man with the hare daemon?'

'My name's Lee Scoresby, and this is Serafina Pekkala,' Lee answered him. 'I think you should stay with the Gyptians, Wilf. These are good people, they won't let any harm come to you.'

'I agree,' nodded Serafina. 'I know it is hard, Wilfred, to think of leaving all you know behind, but you have made enemies, however unintentional it was. They will not leave you in peace, not for a long time.'

Wilf took this declaration better than Lee had anticipated. His expression was sombre, but resolute.

'Then I'll stay here, if that's all right,' he said to Lord Faa. 'I can work, I'm good at fixing things. I'll do anything you put me to.'

'Thank you, Wilf,' Lord Faa answered. 'You've been most helpful. We'll let you have a rest now and find a family for you to stay with later.'

Bram stood and beckoned Wilf to follow. The young man stood, daemon fluttering up to perch on his shoulder, and took a step forward. Then he paused and turned towards Lee and Serafina.

'Umm, thank you. Both of you,' he mumbled, thrusting out a long-fingered hand. 'For being the rescue party.'

Lee stood and grasped Wilf's hand, Wilf turning very red and staring hard at his shoes. Serafina also rose and extended her hand for him to shake, but Wilf took hold of it gently, and with a sudden rush of courage, bent and kissed it in old-fashioned style. Then he bolted for the exit.

Most people in the room watched his departure with fond amusement. Lyra rolled her eyes at his bashfulness, Asriel paid him no mind and Farder Coram regarded the fleeing Wilf with sympathy. For a moment, everyone sat or stood in stillness, considering what they'd just heard. It was Lyra who broke the silence.

'So, what happens now?' she asked.

Lee looked towards Asriel, but Lyra' father was still deep in his musings and said nothing. So, Lee forged ahead.

'We've got a problem,' Lee said without pausing for deliberation. 'Our original idea was to bust Asriel out and then head North, hide out there for a while. But if Mrs Coulter's got some method of turning people into wolfwalkers, then we'll be leaving one hell of a mess behind us.'

'More than that,' Asriel spoke at last. 'If she can create wolfwalkers, it will give her devastating insight into our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities… and it may even give her the opportunity to destroy those of us who oppose her.'

He spun round to glare at the roomful of people.

'I have to find out where she is concealing the knowledge she has obtained, where she is carrying out her experiments,' Asriel announced. 'Or the wolfwalkers will become slaves to the Magisterium.'

'Not only the wolfwalkers,' commented Lee. 'I'm guessing she's not going to be asking for volunteers for these experiments. A lot of innocent people are gonna suffer if we don't act.'

'Wait,' said Lyra, standing up and shuffling so she faced Serafina and Lee. 'Serafina Pekkala, didn't you say that you could make it, so people weren't wolfwalkers anymore? That you could… quiet the wolf?'

That got Asriel's attention. His eyes locked on Serafina in precisely the same manner a falcon would hone on a woodpigeon.

'I'm afraid that was an untruth, Lyra,' Serafina said calmly, not at all unsettled by Asriel's gaze. 'I said it to hasten Mr Scoresby's acceptance of his new life. The chance to renounce it prompted him to seriously consider what such a sacrifice would entail, and as I hoped, he and his daemon decided to remain as they are.'

'Ah, damn, we got hoodwinked,' grumbled Hester. Lee grinned wryly at Serafina, not particularly discomposed by the revelation.

'Ooh, clever,' Lyra said admiringly.

'If we can return to the subject at hand,' interrupted Asriel, promptly losing interest in the discussion. 'We have to locate and destroy Coulter's experiments. Make absolutely sure she cannot bring our own power to bear against us. I'll have to investigate and try and locate where she's hiding.'

'The basement at Jordan?' suggested Van Buskirk, but Asriel shook his head.

'No, she's too cunning for that,' he muttered. 'She'll be keeping the most valuable information under lock and key somewhere, not to mention this success. That boy was something to experiment on in front of the Magisterium, to keep her handlers satisfied. The real work will be going on elsewhere. And I have no idea where! To hell with it…I've lost days of searching, chained up like a bloody pet!'

'But we can start searching again now,' piped up Lyra.

'Except I have no idea where to begin,' snarled Asriel. Lee was just about to suggest focusing on what they could do, such as moving the pack someplace safer, when Farder Coram cleared his throat.

'I think I may be able to assist you there,' he said.