"The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man."

William Blake, Letters to Hell

Lee regained consciousness like a swimmer surfacing from a long dive.

Hearing returned first. He heard the sweet song of some little bird, water lapping, shouts and chuntering from men and women nearby.

Sensation restored itself next. He was lying on something soft, and there was a familiar weight pressing on his heart, a weight that could only be Hester. Remarkably, he wasn't in any pain. His arms and legs and body and head felt as heavy as marble, but nothing was hurting, save a mild ache in his back from lying unmoving. He must have been there a long time.

How long had he been there? Where was he? And where was Lyra?

Lee startled back into full consciousness as recollections came rushing in like stampeding cattle. He struggled to open his eyes, sit up, call out, do anything. He managed a feeble groan, and almost at once heard footsteps on a wooden floor, heading towards him.

'Easy now, Mr Scoresby,' said a familiar voice. After a moment, Lee remembered who it was. Ma Costa, sounding both firm and sympathetic.

'Don't struggle,' she continued, as Lee flailed, trying to make his wolfish limbs obey him before realising he was a man again and falling still with surprise. 'Take your time. You're in no danger. You're aboard my boat, and there's nothing threatening you.'

With a Sisyphean effort, Lee managed to crack open his eyes, wincing a little as the light flooded in. He saw Ma Costa's hazy outline and focused on it.

'Lyra?' he croaked.

'She's fine and dandy – except for worrying herself sick about you, that is. About bloody time you woke up. You've been asleep for a day and a night. Our attack on Farleigh Hall was the night before last. We woke you a couple of times to give you some water, but I'm guessing you won't remember that.'

The relief was so profound Lee was almost knocked out again. He fell back against his pillows, sighing. Hester nuzzled against his chin, and he raised a hand to stroke her ears, reassuring each other without words.

'Everyone okay?' he managed to ask. He forced his eyes open a little wider, and found Ma Costa smiling down with a hint of wryness. Her daemon was perched on her shoulder, staring at him in fascination.

'Everyone came through fine,' she confirmed. 'We had an easy time of it, doing the distraction. The stupid guards took ages to come and investigate, and we were long gone before they showed up. That Van Buskirk knows the countryside and he led us all away. Good job too – half the hall was destroyed in that explosion you set off.'

'That wasn't us,' Lee protested.

'Well, whoever it was, they made a right mess. We regrouped, and that was when we saw your balloon go down. We hied ourselves over as quick as we could – had to bash a few Magisterium heads in on the way – and I nearly had a fit when I found Lyra there with you.'

'And you got us out,' Lee finished. Ma Costa's smile turned wryer.

'We tried. Lyra wouldn't let go of you, kept insisting she had to heal you. Good job the rain came, or we all would've been burnt to cinders. And then – it was the strangest thing. You sort of… dissolved. You were a great black wolf, and you faded away, into a sort of a drawing of a wolf.'

'Made of golden threads,' Lee guessed. Ma Costa nodded.

'Yes, and you floated over the field, your daemon following. Couldn't get a word out of her. It was like she was in a trance. Wilf was with us, and I thought he was going to faint from the shock of it! Your friend Loveday took it much better. Tough girl, she is. And when we got to your body you flowed back into yourself, and you were out cold. Couldn't raise a peep out of you. So, we got you out of there as quick as we could.'

Lee nodded approval.

'Asriel?' he asked.

'He were a wolf too. Unconscious, but he woke when we all came charging up. Turned human and came back to the boats with us. We all got onboard and moved downriver towards London, to hide among the shipping traffic. Oh, and we've rescued your balloon. It's pretty battered, but we think it's fixable. Got it stashed in an abandoned barn near here.'

'Thank you, ma'am,' Lee said with feeling, managing to haul himself up onto his elbows. He was still wearing his trousers, heavens bless whoever had preserved his dignity, though he didn't recognise the shirt he was clad in. He guessed his old shirt had been ruined by bloodstains. He glanced around, trying to get his bearings. Through the tiny window next to his bunk, he could see a grey clouded sky, birds flitting across it. Judging by the light, it was midmorning.

When he turned his face back to Ma Costa, he found her proffering a mug of some sweet-smelling tea. He took it and gulped it down gratefully, feeling its warmth descend into his hollow stomach.

'Brace yourself now, I'll go and call Lyra,' Ma Costa told him. 'She's on deck, getting some fresh air.'

'No need,' Lee began, but Ma Costa glared at him, outraged. Her daemon shrieked in indignation.

'Are you joking?' Ma Costa demanded, not giving him chance to respond. 'There'll be murder done if she finds out you woke up and no-one told her. She's hardly left your side since we brought you here, healed all your injuries herself. I've had to threaten her with all sorts to get her to rest and eat. Now don't move.'

Lee didn't quite obey, dragging himself up to a sitting position. But he remained on his bunk, one hand stroking Hester's ears. He heard Ma Costa calling Lyra's name, and the sound of someone thumping their way down into the cabin.

A moment later Lyra poked her head into the cabin, Pantalaimon an ermine curled round her neck. She looked tired, and too wan for Lee's liking, but as soon as she saw him her face lit up brighter than Loveday's fireworks.

'Lee!' she cried and jumped at him to hug him breathless.

Lee grinned to himself and hugged her back, arms moving slowly but their strength returning as he remembered how to move like a human. Pan jumped off Lyra's shoulders onto the bunk and twined himself around Hester.

Lee tried to pull back and get a proper look at Lyra after a few moments, but she clung to him even tighter, burying her face in his shoulder. He didn't hear her crying, but to his alarm Lee felt her shaking.

So, he hung onto her, trying to reassure her. He wasn't sure how long he held her for, but it must have been for some minutes, because Ma Costa had brewed coffee and fried some bacon by the time Lyra slackened her grip.

Lee didn't begrudge a second of it. Lyra had needed a good long hug – and to be honest, so had Lee.

'You okay, kid?' he asked. It was a dumb thing to say, after all the havoc of the previous night. The stress, the fear, the fighting… Not to mention Lyra's inexplicable appearance in the field where Lee was being threatened, when she should have been a hundred miles away, on her way to the Lake Country. But Lee couldn't think of anything else to ask. His brain felt addled.

Yet Lyra seemed to understand what he was asking. She pulled back a little, nodding.

'Yeah,' she said gruffly. 'I was scared for a bit, when you were asleep, and you didn't turn into a wolf. Asriel said it was because you'd exhausted yourself, that your spirit needed to restore itself. And you were hurt, really badly. Loads of cuts and bruises, and you'd been shot. It didn't go deep, the Gyptian healers told me, but it broke some of your ribs.'

'Ma Costa told me you healed me right up,' Lee said, smiling. Lyra perked up and looked proud.

'I did,' she confirmed. 'As soon as Ma and Tony Costa brought you onboard. I wanted to do it at once, while you were still a wolf, but we had to move cause the Magisterium was on its way. And then you went back into your body anyway, so we all escaped and headed back to the river.'

'What about the pack and old Iorek and Serafina Pekkala?' Lee asked.

'All safe up in the Lake Country,' Lyra confirmed. 'Well, the wolves and Iorek are. Serafina Pekkala is here. She flew back to tell us that they made the journey safely. Iorek's just waiting for us to fetch him rather than risk coming back alone.'

'That's good,' Lee sighed. 'One more thing, Lyra. What the heck are you doing here? How'd you wind up in the field with me when you should've been halfway to the Lake Country with the pack?'

Lyra looked exasperated. Pantalaimon's downy white fur turned brown, though he didn't pull away from Hester.

'Asriel's been asking me that every five minutes since we got here,' she grumbled. 'And to be honest… I haven't got a clue.'

Lee might have pressed the issue, but Ma Costa was plating up bacon sandwiches and fried eggs, and it suddenly occurred to him that he was ravenous.

'Come on, kid,' he said. 'Let's get fed and cleaned up and then we can discuss where we go from here.'

#

After breakfast, several mugs of coffee brewed strong enough to stand a spoon up in, getting cleaned up (it took the combined force of Lee and Ma Costa to make Lyra submit to washing her face) and donning his usual coat and boots, Lee finally felt more human than wolf. Once she was satisfied that Lee and Lyra were stuffed full of food and reasonably presentable, Ma Costa went to call in the troops. Gradually, the Gyptians, Serafina Pekkala, Van Buskirk, Loveday, Wilf and Asriel came squeezing onto the Costa's boat.

For almost an hour, chaos reigned supreme as everyone tried to ascertain that Lee was fully recovered, to share the tale of their adventures, to tell the latest news from Oxford about the Magisterium, the Council, the wolf hunt, Jordan College. Well, almost everyone. Asriel hunkered in a corner looking disapproving, except when his eyes strayed to Lyra, sticking close to Lee, and his expression would turn thoughtful.

At long last Lord Faa shouted everyone into some sort of order and everyone settled down to relate what they knew.

Lee and Asriel told their story first, Lyra hanging onto Lee's arm in familiar fashion throughout, her fingers tightening to a painful degree when he described the balloon crashing and battling Mrs Coulter's monstrous creature. Everyone was horrified at Lee's description of the wolf-human hybrid Coulter had created, and relieved to hear of its death.

No-one mourned Alderman Danvers either. In fact, no-one aside from Lord Faa reacted at all to his death.

'Good,' said Lord Faa in clipped tones when Lee mentioned that Danvers had fallen victim to the wildfire. Which was all the epitaph the grandly ambitious, pious Alderman received from the wolfwalkers and their allies. Danvers would be appalled, Lee thought roguishly, assuming he had cared anything for the opinions of wolfwalkers and Gyptians.

The Gyptians, Van Buskirk and Loveday voiced their side of the story next. Their adventures had been far less exciting, as Tony Costa admitted rather ruefully. The distraction of the fireworks had worked beautifully, and although they had brawled with a few Magisterium guards, the latter had been no match for the tough, cunning Gyptians. Ma Costa had already told Lee the rest: seeing his balloon go down, heading over to the crash site, finding the whole place in flames, Lee unconscious and badly wounded, Lyra with him and Asriel just coming round.

They had seen no sign of the creature, and although they couldn't be certain, Lee was optimistic that its remains had been destroyed by the fire.

Of Mrs Coulter however, no-one knew anything. The Gyptians had not discovered any trace of her or her daemon in the field, and there had been no news of her since the events at Farleigh Hall. Despite her injuries, she had somehow managed to escape before the Gyptians arrived. Everyone had a theory about what she might be doing, where she might be hidden, where she might have fled to, but Asriel said flatly she would have gone to ground somewhere and would be working out how to turn the events at Farleigh Hall to her advantage.

'We've destroyed all trace of what she was doing there, and now Danvers is dead, the only witness is MacPhail of the Consistorial Court of Discipline,' he said, his voice so icy it chilled his listeners. 'So, she'll only have the renting of the building to explain to the Magisterium, and she'll manage that easily enough. MacPhail will keep her on a short leash for a while, but Coulter is too useful to dispense with entirely. We may have thwarted her this time, but she'll return, and probably sooner than you'd expect.'

There was a brief, tense silence following this statement.

'Well, no point in worrying about it till it happens,' Lee said finally. 'Van Buskirk, any word from Jordan College?'

'From Bernie,' Van Buskirk nodded. 'I managed to meet up with him in secret yesterday, after a lot of kerfuffle. The Master summoned the police the night you broke in, and they've removed everything concerning the experiments from Jordan. The Oxford Constabulary are asking a lot of awkward questions of the Magisterium.'

'It won't lead to anything,' Farder Coram interjected, rather wearily. 'The Magisterium is too powerful to be held to account.'

'Perhaps not,' Lord Faa conceded. 'But the mere fact that the police saw fit to involve themselves in Magisterium business is unusual. The constabulary's request to have the Magisterium security forces from the city has been approved. They leave tomorrow at noon. Danvers has been reported missing, and with him gone there was no-one on the Council sufficiently fractious as to oppose the police.'

Asriel's expression remained grim, but he nodded approval of this. The Gyptians were all obviously relieved at the news, while Wilf, who had been sitting silent in a corner, perked up slightly.

'Does – does this mean it's safe for me to go home?' he asked timidly. Lord Faa shook his head.

'Wilf, we're not going to hold you against your will,' he answered. 'But I must advise against this. The Magisterium as an organisation may not be aware of your existence, or that you were kidnapped by their forces, but Hugh MacPhail and Mrs Coulter do, and they're still on the loose. Not to mention being utterly ruthless. You'll be in danger if they find you.'

Wilf heaved a sigh. He seemed more resigned than truly upset.

'My Dad's going to go mad at me when I do show up,' he murmured. 'Can I send him a message at least?'

'We'll arrange that,' Lord Faa reassured him. 'Dr Van Buskirk, I assume you've sent word to the Master of Jordan through Bernie?'

Van Buskirk nodded.

'I had Bernie slip him a note. Only to tell him that I'm perfectly well and safe from the Magisterium,' he said. 'Nothing more. I won't be able to go back to Jordan for a long while. Not with Coulter prowling round.'

'So, what will you do, doc?' Lee asked him.

'He's going to come with me,' Loveday said firmly. 'Just as soon as we can fix him up with a new identity. Oakley Street need good operatives, and Julian's got potential. We'll head for the continent and make our way to Egypt, or India. Lay low for a bit, and then carry on with our work.'

Van Buskirk smiled widely, and his daemon hooted approval.

'I've always wanted to see India,' he mused, not at all discomposed by Loveday's high-handed arranging of his future.

'India it is,' Loveday said without missing a beat. She turned to Lee, eyes sparking with mischief. 'How about you, Scoresby? Why not come with us? We could… renew our acquaintance.'

Every adult in the room – bar Van Buskirk, who looked pained, Derrick, who scowled, and Asriel, who rolled his eyes – grinned at Loveday's suggestion. Lee smiled at her but shook his head.

'Alas, Loveday, I'm gonna have to decline,' he said, his regret slight but genuine. 'I've promised my help to Iorek Byrnison, and I'll be heading up to Bolvangar to help the armoured bears. Our… acquaintance, will have to wait.'

'Shame. But the offer stands,' Loveday answered, taking his refusal with a good grace. 'One of these days…'

'One of these days,' Lee agreed. 'But before that day comes, we all need to make plans to get away from here. As far and as fast as possible. I'm headed North, Loveday and Van Buskirk to India. Lord Faa, what about your Gyptians?'

'No need to worry on our account, Mr Scoresby,' Lord Faa informed him, not without a touch of satisfaction. 'We Gyptians are used to keeping out of the way of the Magisterium. No-one who comes calling will find anything suspicious, or anyone prepared to talk.'

Lee looked Lord Faa in the face, and although he didn't say anything, Lord Faa must have seen Lee's respect and regard for him in his expression. The Gyptian leader's mouth curled upwards in the smallest of smiles, a glint in his eye as he regarded the aeronaut. He jerked his head in the briefest of nods, and Lee did the same.

'You got a friend for life there, Lee,' Hester whispered to him.

Lee rather hoped so. The friendship of a man like John Faa would be worth the having.

'Well, we've learned everything that took place at Farleigh Hall,' Farder Coram said. 'Serafina, what have you to tell us?'

'Little,' Serafina answered. 'Our journey with the wolves to the Lake County was successful. They have found a new territory and are making themselves at home, safe from human interference. So long as they avoid farmland and gamekeepers, I believe all will be well. Iorek Byrnison is watching over them until such time as we can retrieve him.'

'We'll be helping with that,' said Bram Garrod, his tone daring Lee to contradict him. 'Once you're ready, Mr Scoresby, we'll take you and your balloon up to the Lakes and collect your friend. From there we can make our way to a port, and you can prepare to go North.'

Lee frowned a little at this. The Gyptians had gone above and beyond to assist the wolfwalkers over the past few days, running colossal risks to help them and he would have preferred to let them go about their business. But getting Iorek out of the country would be considerably easier with their help.

'I'd appreciate that,' he said finally. Bram's stern features relaxed slightly.

'We'll set off as soon as we can,' he continued. 'Me, Derrick, Tony, Liam and Ma Costa – at a minimum – will be coming with you and Lyra there to check on the wolves and pick up your armoured bear friend.'

'And then to the North!' Tony cheered.

'Who said anything about you lot coming North?' demanded Asriel.

'Well, we want to make sure you get there safely,' Tony grinned, not the slightest bit intimidated by Asriel.

Lee bit back a smile, something made more difficult when he caught Serafina's eye and noticed the glimmer of mischief in them.

'It will be good for you to have assistance on your journey North,' the witch-queen said, her level tone not betraying any hint of amusement. 'You will face… challenges, whether you go by balloon or boat. As I am sure you know, Asriel.'

Asriel frowned but didn't object further.

'I will procure a boat and ensure we set off for the Lake Country as soon as possible,' Lord Faa pronounced, adding, at Lee and Asriel's questioning looks: 'oh, yes, I shall accompany you. I very much wish to see this adventure through to its conclusion. Coram will remain here and guide the Gyptians in my absence. Scoresby, if you're ready, we'll go and fetch your balloon this afternoon and then get underway. We can talk more on the journey.'

'Indeed, we shall,' murmured Asriel, his voice soft enough that only Lee and Lyra, and perhaps Serafina, caught the words.

#

The canal journey up to the Lake Country took a little over a week.

Once Lee's balloon had been fetched and stashed on one of the two nondescript narrowboats the Gyptians were using for the journey, Lee, Lyra, Asriel and their allies bid a reluctant farewell to Farder Coram, Wilf, Julian Van Buskirk and Loveday, and set out to find Iorek Byrnison. Serafina Pekkala flew on ahead to apprise the panserbjørn of all that had happened since the fateful attack on Farleigh Hall and the rescue of the wolves, promising to wait for the arrival wolfwalkers in the Lake Country.

Loveday and Wilf had pledged their silence regarding the wolfwalkers, and despite Asriel's obvious doubts, Lee felt sure they'd keep their word. He trusted Loveday, and despite Wilf's timidity and nervousness, Lee suspected there was a trustworthy, capable man lurking inside the frightened boy. Perhaps among the Gyptians that man would have a chance to flourish.

So, they bid farewell (Lee and Loveday sneaking away for a few passionate kisses, which only ended when they were interrupted by Lyra's 'eeurgh!' of discovery) and set out on the slow voyage to the Lakes.

Their trip would have taken longer, but the Gyptians were anxious to keep moving and so was Lee. So, they sailed along the canals for eight, ten hours a day, the Gyptians taking turns to steer the boats, pausing only for meals during the day, or to navigate a lock. At night, they moored in quiet, unpopulated places, as far from prying eyes as possible.

During the days, Lee occupied himself by mending his balloon. Luckily, the damage was mostly cosmetic. He soon had it hammered back into sky-worthiness with the aid of Derrick (mostly silent, still blushing every time Lee spoke to him) and Lyra. She stuck to Lee like a burr throughout the trip, peppering him with questions about his balloon, the North, Bolvangar, the armoured bears, the witches, his state of health. Lee took his revenge by forcing her to scrub behind her ears and to eat with her mouth closed.

Lee didn't mind. In fact, he'd gotten used to Lyra being alongside him, partners, packmates. Neither of them brought up Lyra's wish to go to Bolvangar with him rather than accompanying her father to whatever Asriel had planned next. Perhaps Lyra thought it was a done deal. Lee, for his part, wasn't sure how to raise the subject with Asriel. How do you tell a man his only child would rather throw in her lot with a disreputable stranger rather than her flesh-and-blood parent?

And yet, Lee knew he had to try. He loved Lyra, and Lyra loved him, and he couldn't do anything less. It would be a betrayal of all they had gone through together, all they felt for each other.

At night, the three of them would turn into wolves, and jump from the boats and go and explore the countryside. Lee and Lyra spent the time playing, racing each other, engaging in games of tag and hide-and-seek. Sometimes Lyra would instruct Lee about hunting as a wolf, how to scent and track prey like mice and rabbits. If it was a clear night, Lee would teach Lyra the constellations and the basics of navigation. Very occasionally Asriel would join in, but he kept aloof for the most part. He would walk through the fields and spinneys and scrub, holding long conversations with his daemon or just sit silent, deep in thought.

One of the Gyptians would always be on the watch for them when they came traipsing back to the boats to resume being human. Tony and Derrick especially never seemed to weary of being lookouts, but Bram Garrod would often take a turn, his stern features relaxing as he saw the wolfwalkers creeping along the riverbank along with the dawn.

It wasn't until they were four days into their journey that Asriel raised the subject of Lyra's inexplicable appearance in the field to Lee.

Lee was up on deck, watching the countryside flow sluggishly by, taking a break from mending his basket, trading the odd remark with Hester. He heard Asriel approaching, even over the sound of the engine. His ears didn't miss much, these days – and even if they did, Hester would give him the heads-up. But he didn't turn or speak.

Asriel came and stood beside him and stared at the view also. Stelmaria stood beside him, unmoving as a statue.

'What happened, Scoresby?' he asked without preamble, knowing Lee would understand what he was referring to. 'How did you call Lyra to you?'

'I didn't,' Lee answered, figuring he had nothing to lose by being honest. 'Danvers was about to kill me, and I had no strength left to fight him. I thought of Lyra, and then… then I saw her. Her and the pack. And then she just… stepped out of thin air, to where I was.'

Asriel was silent for so long that Lee thought he'd been forgotten. He was on the verge of slipping away and hunting up some coffee when the other man spoke.

'Lyra said much the same thing,' Asriel said, almost conversationally. 'She and the pack had paused to rest, she was thinking of you – and then she saw you, in trouble. Not in her mind either. She said it was as if a door had opened in the air and let her walk through.'

'That's exactly how it was,' Lee nodded. 'But don't ask me how it happened.'

He finally turned to look at Asriel, but Asriel's expression betrayed nothing.

'I have theories,' Asriel said. 'Nothing concrete, mind. But wolfwalkers were made to move between worlds. Lyra seems to have unconsciously utilized the ability in order to come and assist you. I find it… intriguing, that she did so with no training or prior knowledge of such skills.'

'Guess we don't need training,' Lee murmured.

Asriel glanced at Lee, his eyes betraying his puzzlement. Lee shrugged.

'I was thinking of Lyra, and Lyra was thinking of me,' he said. 'Perhaps it ain't as complicated as you always reckoned, Asriel. Perhaps it's as simple as having someone waiting for you on the other side of whatever.'

Asriel said nothing. Only a narrowing of Stelmaria's yellow eyes betrayed any reaction on their parts. After a few minutes, Lee and Hester left them behind, and went below in search of that coffee.

#

After nine days they were in the Lake Country and docked in a quiet waterway unused by the shipping traffic. Serafina Pekkala found them within an hour of their arrival. Although she was not effusive, Lee felt that the witch-queen was genuinely glad to see them all.

'Come with me,' she said to the wolfwalkers once greetings had been exchanged. Lee, Lyra and Asriel jumped ashore and followed her through dense woodland. The trees were lush and heavy with foliage in every shade of green imaginable, from moss to lime to sage to emerald. For Lee, used to the far North or the Texan prairies, to frosty white and brown steppes or colourless icefloes, to golden-brown grasses, it was a new world. Almost.

Their sojourn through the woodland took half-an-hour at most before they reached the glade where Iorek Byrnison was waiting for them. Nose-scar and Rattail were lingering at a safe distance from the bear, while Kasia the goose-daemon was settled comfortably beneath a beech tree, keeping a weather eye on things. As they approached, the wolves yipped with joy and ran to Lyra, while Iorek strode forward to greet Lee.

'Good to see you looking well, old fellow,' Lee greeted him laconically.

'Lee,' Iorek nodded at him. 'I am very glad to see you and Lyra. Serafina Pekkala informs me that you had a hard fight against the Magisterium. And Lyra's sudden disappearance was… disconcerting.'

'Tell me about it,' muttered Lee. 'We're still not sure how she managed it. But Lyra and me are fine, and our fight against the Council and the Magisterium is over for the time being. Alderman Danvers is dead, we destroyed Mrs Coulter's research and she's taken off for parts unknown and the Magisterium is being booted out of Oxford. And the wolves are safe and well. Good job, I reckon.'

'For a while,' Iorek grunted. 'But now that the wolves are safe, I will be returning to Bolvangar, and you must come with me, Lee. My people require the assistance of a wolfwalker.'

'I'll come, and gladly,' Lee answered.

'And me!' came Lyra's voice, and she came running over to greet Iorek Byrnison. Heedless of the bear's murmur of surprise, she flung her arms about his mighty neck, and hugged him.

Lee grinned and wandered over to say hello to Nose-scar and Rattail, and make sure all was well with them, and spent the next five minutes in fits of laughter as Rattail tried to lick Hester clean as if she were a wolf pup rather than a daemon. It wasn't until the wolves recovered themselves and trotted to the edge of the clearing, pausing to wait for him, that he recollected the presence of Lord Asriel.

He turned to see Lyra's father in conversation with Serafina Pekkala, their voices low and intense. As Lee's gaze found them, they ceased speaking, and Asriel sauntered over to the aeronaut.

'We shan't linger,' Asriel announced, pausing to give perfunctory strokes to the alpha pair. 'We'll check on the pack and then make our way to a port. We'll need to leave the country for a time, till the aftermath of our adventures in Oxford has died down. I intend to head towards Tartary to continue my research into the aurora.'

Tartary was hundreds of miles away from Bolvangar. Lee heaved an internal sigh and followed after Asriel and the wolves.

He forgot his anxieties for a few moments when he was reunited with the pack, and human concerns were lost in the delight of greeting and playing with the wolves. Towser, half-wild with excitement, ran circles around the trunk of an immense oak, while the other wolves guided Lee and Lyra to the den they were constructing in the earth of a small rise in the woodland. It was modest at present – a long tunnel with a single hollow, just enough to fit the entire pack – but they would expand it, the wolves explained in their peculiar way, sharing their thoughts with the wolfwalkers.

Indeed, any worries Lee or Lyra might have had about leaving the wolfpack to fend for itself seemed to be unjustified. They had settled in well, scoping out a new territory within the Lakes. Taught by Asriel, they were giving farmland and livestock a wide berth, and there was plenty of game for them to live off in the woods and hills. So far, the human population – living mostly in isolated farmsteads or scattered hamlets – seemed scarcely aware of their existence.

'Let's hope it stays that way,' Lee murmured.

'It won't forever,' Lyra said practically. 'The locals will find out about the wolves eventually. But the less the wolves bother them, the less the people here will bother about the wolves. There'll always be people like Alderman Danvers who want to hunt them down, but our wolves are clever. They know how to escape hunters.'

Several barks of agreement followed this statement, and Lee chuckled. A lithe young female – the last nameless wolf, he recalled – came up to him, and licked his hand affectionately.

'She's called Goldeneye,' Lyra told him. 'She's saying thank you for giving her a name at last.'

'Lemme guess – she earned it the night you made a door in the air,' Lee guessed, remembering the golden light glimmering in the wolf's eyes. Lyra nodded, and Lee smiled, conveying a mental 'you're welcome' to Goldeneye.

Then Towser came leaping towards them, his tail wagging so hard his entire backside was wriggling, urging Lyra to come and play. She laughed and took off, running into the trees with Towser and the younger wolves. Lee watched them go, and then turned to look for Iorek.

The armoured bear was deep in conversation with Serafina a little way off. But Asriel stood an arm's reach from the aeronaut, as if waiting for him. As indeed he was, Lee realised.

'Walk with me, Scoresby,' Asriel said. 'I want to talk to you.'

#

They wandered a little way through the woods, unhurried and aimless. They hadn't gone far before Asriel broke the silence.

'Lyra is under the impression that she will be travelling to Bolvangar with you,' Asriel said, voice flat. 'She has told me in no uncertain terms that she intends to accompany you and help Iorek Byrnison.'

'She's said much the same thing to me,' Lee murmured, not seeing any point in pretending otherwise.

'And what did you say to her?' Asriel demanded.

'That if you give your permission, I'd be happy to have her along,' Lee answered with a frankness that was uncommon in Asriel's experience.

'And might I ask why? Why so eager to take on a troublesome girl you met only a short time ago?'

Lee glanced down at Hester, seeking her guidance.

'Let's lay all our cards on the table, Lee,' she said to him.

So, he did.

'Because Asriel, I love Lyra like she's my own daughter,' Lee told him, blunt and truthful. 'If she was my own flesh and blood, I couldn't love her more. The thought of parting ways with her after all we've been through is enough to rip me to shreds inside. You say you intend to go to Tartary – well, I ain't going with you. Common sense says you and I ain't destined to be good friends, or even rub along well enough. It's time for us to part ways. I don't want to say goodbye to Lyra, but she's your daughter and she belongs with you unless you decide otherwise.'

Asriel went 'hmm,' but made no further response. For a few moments they strolled onwards together, both deep inside their own minds, not caring to share their thoughts. At last, Asriel drew ahead and then halted, turning to face Lee. Lee came to a standstill. Waited.

'If I were to entrust Lyra to your care, would you accept the responsibility?' Asriel asked forthrightly.

'I would and gladly,' Lee answered, no hint of hesitation about his words. 'But surely, you're not serious, Asriel. You mean to give your only daughter into the care of a man you barely know? A man with no real home, who travels the North, who seems to find danger the way other men find pennies on the ground?'

Asriel smiled, very slightly.

'The Gyptians all speak very highly of you, Scoresby,' he said. 'As does Serafina Pekkala. And you have the regard of Iorek Byrnison. Very few men can claim the friendship of an armoured bear, and you have secured his. And I have had the chance to get to know you, this past fortnight. The idea of leaving Lyra with you does not trouble me as much as you might think.'

'It should,' Lee muttered before he could stop himself. Hester groaned.

But Asriel only shrugged.

'I am aware I am a careless father at best, Scoresby,' he remarked, smiling with unusual warmth. 'Becoming a parent was never part of my plans for my life. But when Lyra was born, I did the best I could for her. I still try to do the best I can for her. That better world, that fairer world I dream of… I want it for her. Now I have a chance to continue my work, my research, knowing Lyra is taken care of. I can devote myself to my cause, as you term it.'

Asriel paused then, the smile fading into seriousness.

'And after all we've been through… I believe that right now, you may be what's best for her, Scoresby.'

Lee stared at Asriel, delight and disbelief warring for dominance within him.

'You're sure?' he asked.

'Yes,' Asriel said with a touch of impatience. 'And more to the point, so is Lyra. I've prepared some paperwork naming you Lyra's temporary guardian, along with a few other things. You'll have access to a bank account should she need anything – clothes, a place to stay and so forth. The money available will be modest but sufficient for any expenses you may incur looking after her. And I've some notes for you regarding being a wolfwalker. How to turn wolf through meditation rather than sleep, for instance. You'll have to puzzle them out for yourself, but you'll have time.'

Asriel had been very sure of him, Lee reflected. He wasn't sure how he felt about being a foregone conclusion. But, on the other hand, if it meant guardianship of Lyra, he wasn't going to complain.

'I'll be leaving you today,' Asriel continued.

'So soon?' Lee asked, startled.

'I've lingered too long in the country already,' Asriel said matter-of-factly. 'We may have destroyed Mrs Coulter's research and killed Danvers, but the Magisterium will undoubtedly pursue me – on MacPhail's orders, if for no other reason. I need to vanish for a time.'

He paused and surveyed Lee.

'Were I you Scoresby, I would also make for the North as soon as possible,' he commented. 'You know too much about what has transpired in Oxford. Go to Bolvangar, and after that, keep moving. Don't give the Magisterium a chance to find you. Stick to underpopulated areas. It will be easier for you to survive them as a wolfwalker. You can hunt as a wolf, enlist the aid of wild wolves…'

'I have my little ways,' Lee remarked, voice dry. Then, with sincerity: 'try not to have any fear for Lyra, Asriel. I'll protect her with my life.'

Asriel nodded. He looked Lee in the face for a long moment, opened his mouth to say something. Then he closed it, and with a nod, strode off back towards where Lyra and the wolves were playing.

Lee made to follow, but Hester stopped him.

'Hold on a few minutes Lee,' she said. 'Asriel's gone to say goodbye to Lyra. Probably best he does it without an audience.'

Fair enough. Lee lent against the trunk of a nearby tree and waited.

'Think we're up to this, Hester?' he asked. 'Taking care of Lyra, I mean.'

'Bit late to be worrying about that now,' Hester remarked. 'Besides, plenty of idiots manage to raise kids without too much fallout. You ain't an idiot… leastways, not all the time. You'll learn. And you've got one big advantage over Asriel… you love her. Love her with everything in you.'

Lee glanced down at his daemon, a gentle breeze ruffling the leaves above their heads.

'Asriel loves her in his own way,' he said.

'Sure, he does,' Hester shrugged. 'She's important to him. But there's a hell of a lot of things that are just as important to Asriel as Lyra… or maybe even more important. That ain't true of you. Not now. Not for a while.'

There was nothing to say in response to that. So, Lee continued to lean against the tree, Hester by his feet, while high overhead the wind blew through the tops of the oak and ash trees.

#

The sun was low in the sky when Lee went looking for Lyra. She was sitting propped against a tree, Pantalaimon a thrush on her shoulder. The wolves were sitting soberly in a semicircle around her, though Tracker and Rattail broke away from the pack to greet Lee and Hester as they approached.

Lee paused to accept Tracker and Rattail's affectionate welcome, before striding over to Lyra. She looked up at him and smiled.

'Asriel's gone,' she said matter-of-factly. 'He's going to trek up to Scotland and get passage on a ship to Norway.'

Lee paused, taken aback.

'And what if we need to get in touch with him?' he asked, shocked by the other man's cavalier departure.

'He's says he'll find us, if necessary,' Lyra shrugged, unconcerned. 'Besides, we don't need him no longer. We've got each other.'

Lee quirked a smile as he gazed down at Lyra, wondering yet again what the hell he'd let himself in for.

'Your father's asked me to be your guardian for a while, kid,' he told her. 'I guess you're stuck with me, now he's gone.'

'I'll manage,' Lyra said cheekily. Lee rolled his eyes and settled himself beside her, the wolves creeping closer to share in their camaraderie. For a few moments they sat quietly together.

'I promised your father I'd take care of you, Lyra, and that's what I intend to do,' Lee said suddenly, before Lyra had the chance to grow bored and start talking about something else. 'Not just because I promised, but cause… well, I want to. Packmates, like you said. I'm headed to Bolvangar, and you're coming along with me. After that… well, we'll see. But no matter what, we'll stick together until your father comes for you or till, we agree you'd be better off somewhere else.'

Lyra leaned her head against his shoulder.

'I'm glad,' she said. 'I got along well enough with Asriel, but… well, not like you and me do. I was just someone he had to look after. Not like the way we are. Packmates, like you said.'

Not for the first time, Lee wondered how he'd gotten himself so tangled up with Lyra that he couldn't imagine life without her.

'I ain't sure how to do this,' he muttered. 'I guess you could say I'm a lone wolf. Ain't used to having someone alongside me. You'll have to be patient with me, Lyra. And you'll have to get used to being told what to do. The North can be a dangerous place for newcomers, and you'll need my help once we get there. No point in being pig-headed about things.'

'We'll learn as we go along,' Lyra said confidently. 'You've done all right being a pack member so far, and so have I. We belong together. Nothing else matters.'

'I guess you're right,' Lee smiled. 'You're a smart kid sometimes.'

He pushed himself to his feet and extended a hand to pull Lyra up.

'Let's bid these guys farewell, and then make tracks,' he told her. 'No sense in lingering now we've checked on them and collected old Iorek.'

'So, what now?' Lyra asked him.

'Now, I expect Serafina Pekkala will be leaving us to return to her clan,' Lee mused out loud. 'She's got her duties to perform, and she's stayed long enough. But for you, me and Iorek, we've got to get to a port, and find a ship headed North that's willing to take an armoured bear. I'll probably have to pay extra for the privilege.'

'You mean bribe someone,' Lyra remarked. Lee winked at her.

'And then, once we're North, we get my balloon in the air, head to Bolvangar, and find out what's up with the ice,' Lee said.

'And then?'

'Wherever the wind takes us, kid.'

Lyra's face was radiant at the prospect. Pantalaimon turned into a bright green parakeet and squawked happily.

'I think I'm going to like the North,' she mused.

'You either love it or hate it, kid. Doesn't seem to be a middle ground where the North is concerned. Come on, let's see if the Gyptians will give us a ride to a port city and then we can make plans.'

Lee proffered an elbow, and with Lyra hanging onto his arm, their daemons alongside them, they began the short walk back to the river, the wolves swirling around them, savouring their final moments together, before the wolfwalkers started their long journey back to the North.

Author's Notes: perhaps this ending is a bit sappy, but I couldn't stomach the thought of parting Lee and Lyra after all they'd been through together. They're in for a bit of upheaval when they get North - Lee's going to discover being a full-time parent is very different to being a temporary guardian, and Lyra's going to find out her wild ways may not chime well with someone who is genuinely invested in her welfare. But I have a feeling they'll work things out.

Till next time, dear readers!