'You'd think we've been gone for months,' Hester remarked to Lee, as Derrick Volantyne's little water vole daemon, whose name was Niniane, pressed close against her, chittering with joy. Derrick himself was rosy-red, having had his hand shaken by Lee and promised to have a drink bought for him as soon as they had the chance.

The Gyptians and their motley collection of allies had been overjoyed to see Lee and Lyra back again. Tony and Derrick had all but danced around them, explaining how they'd found the gas for Lee's balloon and were ready to help get him airborne at a moment's notice. Ma Costa had fussed over Lyra, consoling her over what had happened in Badbury Forest. Van Buskirk and Loveday Charrier, Wilf Bachelot in tow, had been quick to come and ask after their plans, and if they could help in any way. Though Wilf had remained silent, he'd nodded vigorously when help was offered, indicating his quiet support. Lord Faa and Farder Coram had approached to welcome them back and ask if Lee had any plans for striking at Farleigh Hall, and he'd briefly mentioned the balloon. The Gyptian elders had nodded approval, and Bram and Liam, standing nearby, had both voiced their enthusiasm, deciding to hold a council of war as soon as they could get everyone organised.

Yet all through the kerfuffle, Asriel remained on the margins, regarding everyone with a slight frown on his face or making desultory comments to Stelmaria. Lee noticed no-one seemed keen to speak to him either.

After a short while, Serafina Pekkala, who had held herself aloof from the hubbub, came to pry Lee away from the enthusiastic Gyptians and company, and tell him what had happened in Badbury Forest. She led him along the towpath to the spinney, where Iorek was waiting.

'Good to see you alive and well, old fellow,' greeted Lee. 'What happened?'

The great bear bowed his head in shame.

'It was my fault the den was discovered,' he grunted, but Lee held up a hand to pause him.

'I ain't blaming anyone for this except for Alderman Danvers and Mrs Coulter,' Lee said firmly. 'And neither should you. Now, what happened exactly?'

'The Council sent out men, far more than the last hunt,' Iorek answered. 'They searched the entire woods, using those nasty little things – stingers.'

Lee winced.

'Did they –' he began, but to his relief Iorek shook his great head.

'No, Serafina Pekkala destroyed one with her bow and arrow. But there was another, and it went buzzing back to its master – Danvers – with the news that it had seen me. The men came swarming, and they found the den.'

'The wolves?' Lee asked sharply. Bram had assured him that the wolves were safe, and Lee trusted the Gyptian, but safe didn't mean they had all escaped unscathed.

It was Kasia the goose-daemon, not Iorek, who answered.

'I spoke to the wolves and convinced them to flee,' he told Lee. 'Iorek and my Serafina held off the hunters until the wolves had all gotten out of the den safely. One or two of them are injured, but not badly. They cut across country and are sheltering at a place called Chimney Meadows.'

'It is a park near Oxford,' supplied Serafina. 'They are fine for now, but they cannot remain there for long. There are woods to hide in, but they are far smaller than Badbury Forest. The wolves cannot hunt, and it is only a matter of time before they are tracked.'

'Then, we've gotta move them,' Lee said resolutely. 'Tonight.'

'I suspect Lord Asriel might have other plans,' Serafina said mildly.

'Asriel can kiss my – ow!'

Lee glared down at Hester, who had bitten him on the ankle before he could sink into profanity.

'Steady on, Lee,' she said. 'I don't like the guy either, but he's Lyra's father. And he's gonna want to strike against this Farleigh Hall as soon as he can. He's not wrong to, either. The Council and the Magisterium are on the back foot after last night, but that won't last long.'

Lee sighed. Hester, as usual, had a point.

'True. We'd better put our heads together with the Gyptians and have a council of war, like Bram and Liam suggested,' he said to her.

He glanced back up at Iorek and Serafina.

'Iorek, ma'am, thank you for protecting those wolves,' he said. 'I've never counted wolves as friends before, but these I do. Losing any of them would've been a blow – to Lyra as well.'

'Then the wolves are all safe?'

Everyone turned round to find Lyra advancing on them, face dark with anxiety.

'The wolves are all fine, Lyra,' answered Serafina. 'We got them out of Badbury Forest, and they're hiding in Chimney Meadows.'

'But they ain't gonna be able to stay there for long,' Lee added. 'We'll have to move them, honey, and the sooner the better.'

Lyra nodded agreement with this plan.

'Lord Faa sent me to fetch you,' she told the three of them. 'The Gyptians want to move away from St John's Lock, move to a quieter section of river. Lord Faa and Farder Coram think Alderman Danvers will be back, cause sooner or later he's going to learn we broke into Jordan by boat, and he'll blame the Gyptians.'

'That's smart,' Lee agreed. 'We'll go with them if they're willing, Lyra, and work out what we're going to do about the wolves and Farleigh Hall.'

'Everyone is gathering on Lord Faa's boat to talk about that,' Lyra informed him. 'We're all going to sit on deck and discuss it as we go. We just need you and Iorek and Serafina Pekkala.'

'We'd better get going then,' remarked Lee, smiling at Serafina and Iorek. Together, all of them headed back towards the river, and hopefully, a counsel of war that would finally put paid to the threat to the wolves and the wolfwalkers.

#

Lee was worried about their being spotted by some nosy parker on the bank, or worse, Magisterium forces. Whilst it might just be possible to pass himself and Serafina Pekkala and Asriel and Van Buskirk and Loveday Charrier and Wilf Bachelot off as Gyptians, there would be no explaining Iorek Byrnison's presence away.

Happily, Lord Faa opened a large hatch in the prow deck and ushered Iorek down into the interior of the boat, leaving the door open so the great bear could join in the discussion. The Gyptians and the fugitives arrayed themselves casually about the deck, and as the boat chugged its way upriver, commenced their plotting.

'We have to strike at Farleigh Hall as soon as we can – tonight, if possible,' Lord Asriel announced from where he stood at the prow of the boat like a backwards-facing figurehead. 'Scoresby and I have a rough plan worked out, but we'll need assistance.'

'Of what nature is this plan?' asked Lord Faa coolly.

'I take my balloon and fly us above the hall,' Lee answered. 'We land on the roof, get inside the hall and destroy whatever we can find relating to the wolves and the wolfwalkers. Now, folk tend to notice when a balloon tries to land on their roof, so we'll need a distraction – a big one.'

'We could attack the hall!' Lyra suggested with enthusiasm.

'Too risky, honey,' Lee said hastily, seeing Asriel tutting with exasperation. 'They've got plenty of guards, and trained ones too. Armed to the teeth. We'd last all of two minutes against them.'

'And there's fencing, two concentric fences around the hall,' Bram remarked. 'Topped with barbed wire. Getting through that will take time.'

'Any ideas?' Lord Faa said to the company as a whole.

'Set the place afire,' suggested Liam.

'You'd never get near enough,' said Asriel coldly.

'We could drive up to the place, say we need help for something – that we've been attacked on the road, maybe,' mused Ma Costa out loud.

'Not showy enough I'm afraid, ma'am,' Lee answered. 'That'd only distract a couple of guards, and they don't strike me as the kind of men who'd take pity on someone needing help anyways.'

'I could attack,' rumbled Iorek from inside the boat. 'I would definitely attract attention from the guards, were I to assault the building.'

Asriel brightened at the notion. But Lee shook his head.

'That you would, old friend,' he called down into the hold. 'But it'd be a suicide mission. Even if all the guards don't do you a mischief, you'll bring the entire might of the Magisterium down upon you. Nah, you've gotta stay hid.'

'It's the best suggestion we've had, though,' remarked Asriel.

'It still ain't happening,' said Lee. His voice was casual, but Asriel tensed like a cat about to pounce on some poor unsuspecting bird. Lee watched Asriel unflinchingly, however, for he was no bird. And if Asriel thought Lee's oldest friend expendable, then he was going to learn what it was like to be Lee's enemy.

'It won't need to happen,' said someone – Loveday. With impeccable timing, she pushed herself off the railing she was leaning against and came to stand in the middle of the deck. Consciously or otherwise, she positioned herself between Lee and Asriel.

'I've picked up some… interesting skills on my journeys,' Loveday continued. 'Like how to blow things up, make a lot of noise, cause a lot of chaos…'

'You're not a bloody bombmaker, are you?' asks Van Buskirk, looking worried. Loveday bridled at the suggestion.

'I'm not a damn terrorist, whatever else you may think of what I've been up to,' she snapped. 'I don't blow stuff up just for the hell of it. I don't want anyone hurt. I'm more into pyrotechnics than anything.'

'Why don't you tell us what you've got in mind?' Lord Faa suggested reasonably. Loveday took a deep breath.

'Well, I spent some time in Manchuria before I headed down to New Holland,' she told them. 'They're great inventors in Manchuria – invented the first clocks, paper, all sorts. While I was there, I stayed with a firework maker.'

'Firework?' Lyra queried.

'Rockets that make colourful explosions in the air,' Loveday clarified. 'Making them is actually quite straightforward. Rolled paper, gunpowder, flash paper or stars for the colour and a fuse in most of them, though you can make them more complicated if you're inclined. The firework maker taught me the basics, though no more than that. They take it seriously over there. You've got to spend years as an apprentice before you can become a licenced firework maker.'

'I don't think we're that strict Loveday honey,' answered Lee. 'So long as you can put on a sufficient show to distract everyone in Farleigh Hall…'

'Gunpowder, paper and fuses will be easy to obtain,' Asriel said, mulling the idea over. 'Can't guarantee finding you the chemicals to produce the colours with, though. Sodium might make them yellow.'

'The colour is the least important part,' Loveday said firmly. 'If you can get me the other ingredients, and someone can help me make them, then I'll put on a firework show. If possible, I'll make the ariel ones and we can shoot them off from a distance. Keep some space between us and Farleigh Hall.'

'Good thinking,' nodded Asriel. 'How many will you be able to produce by this evening?'

'This evening?' Loveday exclaimed. Even Lord Faa seemed a little taken aback by the suggestion.

'Yes. We have no time to waste,' Asriel answered. 'If we can strike tonight, then we should.'

Loveday, uncertain, glanced over at Lee. Lee shrugged.

'He's got a point, Loveday,' he said, forcing himself to be fair. 'The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it is for everyone involved. If we can destroy what the Magisterium is working for tonight, then the sooner we can all take off for somewhere safe – or at least safer.'

'If I had a couple of helpers and no shortage of ingredients, I could produce three dozen rockets by tonight, no problem,' Loveday answered after a moment's thought. 'Or even a bigger explosion. You don't need much powder for a socking great bang.'

'Serafina, ma'am, would you be able to help with getting the balloon in position?' Lee asked.

'Consider it done, Mr Scoresby,' she answered, a fierce smile unfurling over her face.

'We strike tonight, then,' said Asriel, with cold conviction, not bothering to ask if their allies were willing. Lee exchanged wry glances with Hester.

'Provided, Lord Asriel, that everyone's onboard with that idea,' Lee remarked. 'We're gonna need plenty of help to pull this off, and if people are uncertain…'

'Our task is urgent, Scoresby,' Asriel answered. Another man would have been sputtering in indignation, but Asriel had too much self-command for that. Nonetheless, his daemon snarled at Lee, tail twitching erratically.

'All the more reason to make sure we've got plenty of back-up,' Lee pointed out with the reasonableness he knew was especially infuriating. 'And you're asking people to put themselves in harm's way. Seems the polite thing to do would be to ask if they're willing and not just assume.'

'Hear, hear,' murmured Tony Costa.

'Let's put it to a vote,' Lord Faa said, earning him a scowl from Asriel that the Gyptian faced impassively. 'All those in favour of striking at Farleigh Hall tonight, raise your hand.'

Rather to Lee's surprise, the Gyptians – Tony, Bram, Derrick, Liam and Farder Coram – all raised their hands, as did Loveday. Van Buskirk and Ma Costa hesitated for a few moments, but then raised their hands too. Wilf glanced round in an almost panicked manner, gulped, but then raised his hand too. Serafina Pekkala raised hers almost languidly. Lyra, by contrast, thrust her arm into the air with such force that she dislodged Pantalaimon, who had been perched on her shoulder as usual. He fell to the deck in ermine form, squeaking in disapproval.

'I know how Asriel will vote,' Lord Faa nodded, not bothering to look at Lyra's father as he spoke. 'Which leaves you, Mr Scoresby. This plan hinges on your balloon and your willingness to pilot it. If you're ready, then we'll attack Farleigh Hall tonight and wipe out everything the Magisterium has stashed there.'

'Well, it'd be churlish of me to refuse when so many fine people have decided that tonight's the night,' Lee drawled.

'He means "yes,"' piped up Hester.

'Then it's settled,' Lord Faa pronounced. 'Tonight's the night. Miss Charrier, we'll gather the supplies you need. Liam, assist her as much as you can.'

'I… I could help too,' Wilf murmured, twisting the hem of his coat between his fingers. 'I'm good at making things.'

'Glad to have you,' Loveday smiled at him.

'Right, Liam and Wilf will help Loveday,' Lord Faa said. 'Tony and Derrick, you'll be responsible for fetching the gas for Mr Scoresby's balloon. Mr Scoresby, how many men will you need to get it airborne?'

'I've managed it solo on a few occasions, but a couple of extra hands won't come amiss,' Lee mused out loud. 'Lord Asriel, you can pitch in. I'd like to have Mr Garrod along to help, if possible.'

'No problem,' Bram answered, smiling slightly. Asriel nodded assent.

'Farder Coram and I will draw up the battle plan,' Lord Faa said. 'We will have to time this very carefully, make sure the distraction occurs at precisely the same time you fly towards the hall. Mr Scoresby, whereabouts is your balloon stored? We'll have to calculate the flight time and find the best place to set off the distraction.'

'I can help with that,' Van Buskirk ventured. 'I do – did – plenty of walking around the Oxford countryside. I know the roads around Farleigh quite well, and the local landmarks.'

'Then everyone knows what they're doing?' Lord Faa queried. It was a rhetorical question, but those assembled nodded, nonetheless. 'Then we'll commence preparations as soon as we dock.'

'When will that be?' Asriel demanded.

'Within half-an-hour,' Lord Faa answered. 'We're headed for a quiet section of river, no buildings nearby and the only way to access it is via the water or by cutting across country. Either way, if someone approaches, be it the Council or the Magisterium, we'll spot them a mile off.'

'Good thinking,' murmured Lee.

'Wait, there's more,' Lyra burst out. 'The wolf pack! We have to save them! The Council will be after them!'

'Where are the wolves?' Farder Coram asked practically.

'Hiding at Chimney Meadows,' Lyra answered, twining her fingers together. 'They're safe at the moment. But it's tiny compared to Badbury Forest. They'll get found and shot. We need to move them now.'

'How do we do that, though?' Lord Faa queried. 'Move a pack of wild wolves from Oxford to a safe location? Lure them, somehow?'

'Wolves? Why are you bothering with a pack of wolves?' asked Loveday, confused. Van Buskirk hushed her.

'I'll explain later, Loveday,' he told her. 'Suffice it to say that these are very unusual wolves, and we can't leave them to –'

'There's no time,' Asriel cut in. 'Destroying the Magisterium's research is our priority, and after that we'll need to leave Oxford immediately. We can't spare anyone to deal with the pack. They'll have to take their chances with the hunters.'

'What?' Lyra burst out.

'Lyra be reasonable,' Asriel said to her. His eyes were unfocused, as though his mind was elsewhere. 'We have other priorities now. The wolves survived long before we came along. And even if the hunters do find them, their fate will be no different than that of any wolves who run afoul of men and their guns.'

'But they're pack!' Lyra protested. 'We can't just – abandon them!'

'These wolves are your friends, Asriel, and you're telling me you're happy to leave them to their fate?' Lee asked bluntly.

'No, I'm not happy about it, Scoresby,' Asriel answered, shooting him an irritated look. 'But we've no choice right now. We have other priorities.'

'You have, you mean,' Lee muttered, glaring at Asriel. The other man glared back. Everyone on deck went still and quiet, almost instinctively. Even Lord Faa and Serafina Pekkala did not speak, waiting to see how this confrontation would play out. The only noise was a low growl below decks from Iorek, which might have been in support of Lee or in criticism of Asriel, or perhaps both.

'So, what if I have?' Asriel demanded impatiently. 'There are greater forces in motion than a pack of wolves right now, Scoresby –'

'Yeah, so you keep telling me,' Lee interrupted, raising his voice as Asriel tried to speak again. 'But these are your friends. They've accepted you and they took care of your daughter in your absence, and now they're no longer of use you're walking out on them? Lyra's told me that you're the bravest man she's ever known, but that ain't what a brave man does. It's what a coward does.'

The silence that followed Lee's last, reckless accusation was absolute. No-one spoke, no-one moved, and it seemed that people hardly dared breathe. Even Asriel's daemon was motionless, apparently from shock. The sound of the boat's engines, the shouts of the other Gyptians on the river, the lapping of the water and the cries of water birds all faded into a barely-there murmur.

Lee and Asriel faced off in the centre of the deck. Lee was angry, and he could feel the blaze in his eyes. Hester, valiant hare that she was, sat bolt upright and glared at Stelmaria. Asriel turned to face Lee, meeting his gaze eye-to-eye and man to man. For an interminable moment, they stared at one another.

Lee was expecting anger, indignation, even shame from Asriel. No man cared to be called a coward, least of all a man as proud as Lyra's father. But as he surveyed the other man, the only emotion he could discern was cool disinterest, mingled with a touch of contempt.

'I don't much care what you think of my actions, Scoresby,' Asriel said, voice as flat as an iced-over pond. 'But if you think you can goad me with playground insults, you're mistaken. We're about to strike a blow against the Magisterium that will be felt around the world, and I will not compromise it for a few wolves. That's an end of it.'

'But they're pack!' Lyra exclaimed passionately, surging forward.

'There's nothing more to discuss, Lyra,' Asriel snapped.

Lyra stopped short, as if she'd run into a brick wall, and something flickered and died in her eyes. Pantalaimon turned into a little black cat and twined his way around her legs, staring reproachfully at Asriel. But her father ignored Lyra's aghast face and stood surveying the river.

The urge to smack Asriel upside the head was immensely powerful, but Lee forced himself to remain still. Hitting the guy would soothe his soul but he didn't want to resort to violence in front of Lyra. He cast a frantic eye around the assembled people to see if anyone was prepared to leap in, offer comfort, remonstrate with Asriel, but everyone was looking at him in an unhelpful, expectant manner. So, Lee stepped forward to place his hand on Lyra's shoulder, and began racking his brains for something to tell her.

Before Lee could think of anything remotely helpful or sympathetic to say, Lyra's chin firmed up and she shot Asriel a look of furious defiance.

'Fine. Suit yourself,' she snarled. 'But if you won't save them, then we will.'

'Indeed, we will,' rumbled Iorek, poking his enormous head out of the hatch. 'I have no role in these plans as yet, and I will be glad to lend my strength to guarding the wolf pack.'

'Guarding's a good start, but what we really need is to get the wolves on their way to the Lake Country,' Lee mused, deliberately turning away from Asriel to face Lyra and Iorek. 'Lyra or me could tell them where they're supposed to go – actually, it's probably best Lyra does that, she knows the route.'

'Yes!' Lyra said eagerly. 'I'll go to Chimney Meadows tonight and lead them away! Iorek can come with us and protect us!'

'It's too risky, Lyra,' Ma Costa interrupted gently. Lee glanced at her, bemused. Surely, she wasn't siding with Asriel?

'Even at night, you won't be able to move fast enough to evade the hunters after you – and you can be sure Danvers will send every hunter he's got,' Ma Costa continued gently, lowering her voice so Loveday and Wilf couldn't hear. 'Unless you turn yourself into a wolf, and I don't think you gallivanting off to the Lake Country when your body's stuck here is the best idea.'

'I can move as fast at the wolves – faster,' Iorek grunted, unwilling to cede his chance for action. 'And I will run for leagues without tiring.'

'Too bad Lyra can't run alongside you,' Lee remarked. 'Lyra, honey, can you ride a horse? You could gallop alongside the pack.'

But Lyra shook her head.

'No, I never learned to ride a horse,' she said, frowning in concentration. 'Unless – Iorek, my dear, could you carry me?'

Lee blinked. Why the hell hadn't he thought of that? It was one of those ideas that seemed so obvious as soon as someone said it out loud.

'I can,' Iorek agreed. 'I will go with Lyra to Chimney Meadows, and then we will run across country and lead the wolves to safety.'

'You're mad!' exclaimed Ma Costa. 'Don't you think people will notice an armoured bear running across the countryside?'

'You'll have to set off after dark,' Lee nodded to Lyra. 'And keep moving, for as long as you can. Serafina, ma'am, is there anything you can do to help Lyra and Iorek keep hidden?'

'Not hidden, exactly, but I can work to confuse how people perceive them, make them uncertain of what they have witnessed,' Serafina Pekkala explained. 'I must go with Iorek and Lyra and work my spells as we travel. Anyone who sees us will believe they are seeing things, or that they have been dreaming.'

'Excellent,' said Lee. 'Tonight then, Lyra. Wait for dark, and then you, Iorek and Serafina go to fetch the wolves. Then, you run as far and as fast as you can get, up to the Lake Country. Once you're there, you hide and wait for someone to come fetch you. I'm sure Ma Costa will pack you some supplies.'

'I'll enchant the winds for you first, Mr Scoresby,' smiled Serafina.

'I'd appreciate that, ma'am.'

'Are you seriously considering this, Mr Scoresby?' asked Ma Costa doubtfully. 'Letting Lyra go off by herself to rescue the wolves? There'll be hunters, and Magisterium guards, and all sorts of danger.'

'I'm not afraid!' Lyra said indignantly.

'Then you're a dummy, kid,' Lee informed her. 'Only an idiot wouldn't be frightened by this kind of situation.'

Lyra looked abashed. Ma Costa smiled despite herself.

'All right, I'm a little frightened, Ma Costa,' Lyra admitted. 'But it's not going to stop me from helping the wolves. They're my friends. And besides, if they all escape it'll embarrass Alderman Danvers, and that'll be good for the Gyptians.'

'She's got a point,' Lord Faa acknowledged. 'But Lyra, this will be an immensely dangerous undertaking. Ma Costa clearly isn't happy about it, and I'm not sure about sending you off to guide the wolves away. Mr Scoresby – I know better than to suggest that you're happy about it, but surely you have reservations about Lyra doing this. These are vicious men who will be hunting the wolves, and they're not likely to show mercy to a young girl.'

'No, I ain't happy about it,' Lee acknowledged. 'I'd rather Lyra was as far as possible from danger as it's physically possible to be. But that said, Lyra's the only one among us who can do this save Asriel or myself, and we're gonna be otherwise occupied. She'll have Iorek Byrnison with her, and she'll be as safe with him as she will be stopping here. Nothing under the sky will make him break his word, not if he promises to keep her safe.'

'That I promise, and gladly,' growled Iorek.

'Thanks, old fellow,' Lee responded. 'And Serafina Pekkala will be going with them, and Serafina Pekkala is the greatest warrior I've ever met. Besides, Lyra ain't a regular girl. I'm darn impressed with what she's accomplished and what's she's taught me this past week, and I ain't easily impressed. She can do this.'

Lyra reached up to grasp his arm in the way she often did, and Lee glanced down to wink at her in conspiratorial fashion. But the expression on her face pole-axed him. Lyra's face was aglow with pride and trust and love. Pride in Lee's faith in her, trust in his words, and love for –

Lee looked up hastily at the Gyptians. Hester rolled her eyes but thankfully didn't say anything.

'All right then, Mr Scoresby, if you say Lyra will be safe with Serafina Pekkala and Iorek Byrnison, then we'll accept it,' Ma Costa answered. 'I'm going with you as far as Chimney Meadows, though, Lyra. We'll set out once it's dark –'

'You're not seriously going ahead with this?' Asriel interrupted.

'Oh, shove off, Asriel, this doesn't concern you,' Ma Costa snapped.

'Well said,' Lee muttered under his breath.

'It's lunacy!' Asriel protested. 'Lyra, you're not doing it.'

'You can't stop me,' Lyra said flatly.

'Like hell I can't!'

'And how do you propose to stop her?' Lee asked coldly. 'Short of hog-tying her and dumping her in the hold of this boat? I can say with conviction that ain't gonna stop Lyra. And besides, Ma Costa's right. This doesn't concern you, Asriel. You'll get your big chance to strike at the Magisterium tonight, which is what you want. So, leave the wolf pack to us.'

Asriel stood and glared at Lee. But the expression on his face was more irate than truly angry. Lee realised that this was just another annoyance to him, a potential roadblock in his route to vanquishing Mrs Coulter and the Council.

But then Asriel's gaze flickered to Lyra, standing defiantly at Lee's side, still hanging onto the aeronaut's arm, united in their determination to save the wolf pack. Something shifted in his eyes, the outrage fading away, and his face turned stony once again. His daemon looked up at him in concern.

'Be careful then, Lyra,' Asriel said tonelessly, and turned away to survey the river again.

As if given some signal, the assembly on deck began to break up. Bram and Liam moved off to deal with something on the boat, Van Buskirk and Loveday turned to one another and began chatting, Serafina Pekkala leapt into the air and soared off over the river, Kasia at her side, going their own way. Ma Costa turned to Lyra and Lee and began shepherding them down into the interior or the boat.

'Come and have some hot tea and a rest, both of you,' she instructed them. 'We'll be docking soon, and there'll be plenty of work for all of us.'

Lee followed obediently – he wanted a word with Iorek anyway. Just before he went down the steps, he looked over his shoulder for Asriel, wondering if he might follow them. But Asriel stood motionless, staring out over the choppy grey water. So, Lee left him behind and went down into the cabin with Lyra still holding onto him.

'She's chosen you,' Hester murmured to him as they went. 'You have to accept it, Lee. You have to be what she needs.'

'And what might that be exactly?' Lee whispered back.

'You know. You just don't want to admit it.'

'What was that?' Lyra asked, looking between Lee and Hester.

'Just Hester laying down the law, kid,' Lee answered honestly enough. 'Come on, let's see about that tea.'

Author's Notes: Well, there it is, the 'Roger' moment for this fic. When I began writing, I knew there had to be a 'Roger' moment that turned Lyra against Asriel and towards her own path. It's just in this story, it happens to be the same path Lee is on

Chimney Meadows is another place that also exists in our world. It's a nature reserve in Oxfordshire - but definitely not big enough to shelter a pack of wolves. The information about making fireworks is taken from various websites and may not be wholly accurate - so don't try this at home.

Till next time, dear readers...