Disclaimer: I do not own the His Dark Materials Series.

A/N: Hey there! I know this is a short chapter and that I haven't updated in a while, but I wanted to give you all something as I start getting back into this story. It's been a long ride and I'm thinking of how to best proceed with it, so please be patient! I'm still working on it and there's more to come. Thanks so much for reading!

Luxurious Lies

32.

Rampant Range

This couldn't be happening. Craning her head upward and watching Serafina fly off into the distance with both Lyra and Lord Asriel hanging from the broom, Mrs. Coulter couldn't breathe. She felt the hysteria rise in her chest and she felt her entire insides just scream, but she didn't know what to do. What even was there to do at a time like this? How could she possibly do anything to stop them?

"Don't make a scene," the golden monkey whispered, hugging her neck as he sat on her shoulder. "It'll only make it worse."

"Then what do I do?"

"Just go back to the hotel. We'll figure this out, Marisa." He ran a black paw through her hair. "We'll figure it out."

Back at the hotel, Mrs. Coulter went over to Lord Asriel's rucksack and starting sorting through all of his belongings.

"He must have had some sort of plan," she told the monkey, her fingers leafing through pages in her journal. "I know that he had some sort of plan. He wouldn't have been caressing his gun for nothing."

"Speaking of which," said the golden monkey, his beady eyes raking around their hotel room, "where is the gun?"

They both stopped, their hearts pounding. Mrs. Coulter checked all the beds, the bathroom, the cabinet, and anything else on the ground floor while the golden monkey crawled up to the ceiling and checked beneath all the tiles.

"Nothing," he hissed to her, jumping back down with his tail sticking up in the air. "It's not here, so he must..."

"He must have it with him, then." Mrs. Coulter understood how dangerous witches were and she couldn't even begin to guess what kind of powers they had, but Lord Asriel had a gun. Irrefutably powerful since its humble beginnings, a gun could only help Lord Asriel and Lyra, and Mrs. Coulter just prayed that Serafina wouldn't find it and ruin Lord Asriel's only chance at escape.

"What are we going to do now?" the golden monkey asked her, his eyes connecting with hers.

"What we were planning to do anyway," she answered, her mind flickering back to those letters she had written. "Go back to Trollesund and meet the Magisterium face-to-face."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I think we all need to calm down." That was Dr. Lanselius, for Serafina had brought Lord Asriel straight back to the witch's consulate at Trollesund. "I think, for now, we need to sit down and drink some tea."

"Tea?" said Lord Asriel, and he laughed – coldly. "As much as I would love to parlay with you over tea, my good doctor, my daughter and I have been kidnapped by your witch, and we need to discuss this."

"I know," Dr. Lanselius sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples. "I don't know why she would do that. It's very unlike her. I suppose I can talk to her, and –"

"Oh, you better damn well talk to her, but before you do, Lyra and I are leaving. Come now, Lyra." Lyra had been quiet the entire time, staring from Lord Asriel to Dr. Lanselius and back again. At her father's command, though, she stood up and prepared to follow him, but Dr. Lanselius stood as well.

"I really advise that you don't do that," he said quickly, his eyes flickering to the door.

"Why not? Are you going to stop me?" Dr. Lanselius was short, bald, and aging, and Lord Asriel laughed aloud at the thought of that man trying to stop him from going out that door. It wasn't possible, and as Stelmaria brushed against his legs, her fur bristled, he knew that he would be ready if the man tried anything.

The worst thing was about this entire ordeal was that Serafina had brought Lord Asriel to exactly where he needed to be. He had planned to return to Trollesund with Lyra all along, and he had planned to even further infiltrate the Magisterium and learn of their next moves. Marisa was undoubtedly going to be involved in their operations, and Lord Asriel had planned to use Lyra as motivation for Marisa to cooperate with him. Lyra wanted to fight the Magisterium, so together, she and Lord Asriel would have been able to convince Marisa.

But now he didn't have any of his supplies and now Marisa had no idea where they were, so the plan was foiled. How could he get inside the Magisterium without Marisa? How could he learn about where they're taking children, where they're sending them, and what they're doing to them? Security definitely would have been tightened since the entire fiasco at Bolvangar all that time ago, so Lord Asriel needed an in. It was supposed to be Marisa, but now he had to find another way.

"I advise you not to go," Dr. Lanselius continued, "because what lies for you outside that door –"

"Enough." In a flash, Lord Asriel pulled out the gun, the head trained directly on the doctor's head. "Lyra and I are leaving, and you will keep your witch in line or you both will regret it deeply."