(Y/N P.O.V)
With a hood over my hair and Aster hidden around my neck like a furry scarf, I walked carefully through the streets of Oxford, peering around for Lyra and (M/C). I did my best to keep a distance from any strange looking people like the policemen. I dreaded getting caught.
I want to scream out 'Lyra' but I knew that would get me caught. I decided to peer around the streets we walked through earlier but there was no sign of them. I thought I might look around the college we went to but I stopped myself when I saw security patrolling the place. I turned back, walking towards the Botanic Gardens. Lyra and (M/C) were nowhere in sight.
Just then, I saw the same man whose car I had sat in yesterday straight ahead.
"Turn back," Aster whispered in my hood.
I swerved around and tried to mimic the walk of a normal person.
Just then I heard, "Stop right there!" behind me.
My heart jumped. The blood drained from my face. It was the policeman ahead of me. "Turn around!"
I didn't turn.
"I said 'Turn around!" he shouted louder. My heartbeat accelerated when I heard him approaching me quickly.
"Run," Aster hissed.
Instantly I shot off.
"Hey! Stop right there!" he shouted.
I sprinted as fast as I could away from the parks into the crowded streets. Aster flew out of my hoodie, taking the form of a snowy owl. I followed him as we rushed through crowded straights but still, the man was hot on our tail.
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(M/C P.O.V)
I peered at the monster's house from across the road, behind a tree. For hours, I had searched every street until I found that car. Luckily I remembered the numbers on its plate by heart. I just had to wait for him to pull away in his car. Then I could find Lyra and get us home. It was my fault for getting her into this mess. I was not going to make the same mistake again. Just then, I saw the dark-skinned killer enter his car. Quickly I hid behind the tree. I heard the roaring of the car's engine and I watched it roll away into the streets. Now was my chance.
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(Lyra P.O.V)
"What are we going to do Lyra?" Pan asked.
"I don't know," I cursed. "Ugh. This is all my fault. We never should have come here,"
"I can't believe (M/C) abandoned us," he cursed.
Suddenly we heard (M/C)'s voice. "Lyra! Lyra where are you?!"
My muscles tightened hearing the voice of the boy who abandoned us just so he could get revenge.
"Lyra. Answer it," Pan implored. "He's here to save us,"
I looked down at my daemon and saw hope in his eyes. Against my better nature, I rushed to the locked door and banged on it. "I'm in here!"
"Hang on! I'll have you out of there," he answered back. I heard clicking. I stood back. The door opened. "There you are Lyra," he was relieved. I was the opposite. In a fume of range, I lashed out at him and I punched him in the face.
"How could you leave me like that?!" I exploded.
"Lyra please!" he begged.
"No! I'm not listening to you! Not after you left us behind!"
"I came here to save you,"
"How did you find me?"
"I recognised the man's car,"
"How could you leave us like that?"
"Look I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I just..."
"Allowed revenge to cloud your judgement? What were you thinking?"
He was at a loss for words. "Lyra...I am so, so sorry. That man killed the only friend I ever had. All I've been feeling is pain and rage. But I allowed it to consume me. But now I'm here to get you back to Citagatttze,"
"How did you sneak in?"
"I climb roofs remember. Now come on,"
"No! We have to find my Alethiometer. Boreal took it,"
"Who's Boreal?" He asked. "We don't have time to search. He'll back any minute now,"
"But without it, we'll never find Will's father or where you belong,"
"Lyra...he might have taken it with him,"
Suddenly we heard the roaring of a car engine.
"Oh no," Pan gulped.
Quickly we rushed out the door and to the open window which (M/C) must have climbed through. He quickly shut it. We peered through the glass, bending down a little. We looked down and saw Boreal's car pull into the driveway.
"Now we really have to go," (M/C) said. "Once he enters the house, we make a run for it,"
We watched through the glass as Boreal entered. Instantly, (M/C) opened the window and he swung his legs over the ledge. I watched him stand onto a rooftop section below. He turned to me.
"Come on," he said.
But I didn't move.
"Lyra please," he begged. "I promise you we will come back for the Alethiometer. But right now, we need to get out of here,"
Still, I refused to move. I refused to listen to him.
"Lyra please," Pan begged. "We have to trust him,"
I looked into (M/C)'s eyes and saw deep regret in them. I didn't see a distrustful vengeful boy anymore. I saw a determined selfless boy approaching manhood who was just trying to help me. I had to trust him. I nodded. I sat on the window ledge and swung my legs over and stood down next to him. He reached in to pull the window closed when suddenly Boreal from down the corridor appeared. He gasped. Instantly he sprinted towards us shouting, "Stop!"
"Time to go," (M/C) said. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me and we climbed gently down the tiles towards the drain pipe. "Just follow my lead,"
I watched him gracefully slid down the pipe to the floor below. "Come on,"
I was nervous. This was a little difficult compared to Oxford.
"Come on Lyra!" (M/C) shouted.
"Go on Lyra! Hurry!" Pan pushed me. He turned into an ermine and sat on my shoulder. "I'll help you balance!"
Swallowing my anxiety, I turned around and gently gripped the drainpipe whilst positioning my boots against the wall. I jumped and I slid down. "Ow!" I scrapped my knee against the wall. Pan cried out too.
(M/C) caught me at the bottom. "Your leg," he said.
I looked down and saw I got a straight cut against my leg.
Suddenly we heard the door opening.
Quickly (M/C) grabbed my hand and he pulled me towards the gates. They were closing. Just in time, we squeezed through. I looked back and saw Boreal losing a fit.
We sprinted and sprinted as fast as our legs could carry us. But we heard the car closing up behind us.
"He's after us!" Pan screamed.
I struggled to keep up with (M/C) as he pulled me. My leg was stinging from the sore wound.
"Pan! Fly up and scout!" I shouted.
"Kind of difficult to do that when you've got a cut!" he complained.
I began to panic. I saw the car catching up to us with Boreal inside. I couldn't let him catch us. I couldn't be taken back to my mother.
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(M/C P.O.V)
I looked ahead as we sprinted. Just then, I saw a nearby park with a closed gate. A car wouldn't fit through. "Quick over there!" I shouted. "We can lose him in there!"
I pulled Lyra towards the gate. I hated how I was dragging her behind me on a bleeding leg. I cursed myself for forcing her to run. We made it to the gate. I pushed it open and Lyra and I squeezed through. I shut it. I watched as the car was braking to a stop.
Quickly we ran along the paths, past colour trees and a long wiggling stream. I saw historic buildings towering over it. We had entered a social area. But we had no time to blend in.
"Come back here!" the man Lyra called Boreal shouted behind her.
Still, we wouldn't give up. Just as we turned a corner, out of his sight. I pushed Lyra towards a short hill where a grove of bushes dominated a seating area. We hid behind them. I gently shushed her. She stayed quiet. We crouched behind the leaves and pressed our hands to the grass, keeping incredibly silent. Looking to my side, I saw Pan hiding behind in Lyra's coat.
We heard footsteps. Looking through some gaps in the branches, I saw Boreal's feet. I pressed my hand over my mouth. Lyra did too. Boreal's feet stood still. I raised my head a little and I saw him staring around. He hadn't seen us. He walked forward.
I breathed in relief.
Suddenly I sneezed.
"(M/C)," Lyra hissed.
My heart jumped when I saw Boreal's feet appear again. He had heard me. He approached slowly.
"I know you're there Lyra. And I know you're there too (M/C). I thought you'd be dead. After that spectre started to devour you," he sounded admirable. Nevertheless, he was a monster. A murder. A maniac.
Lyra and I stood back a bit.
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(Lyra P.O.V)
My head was exploding with questions. What was Boreal talking about? How had a spectre attacked (M/C) when he was still a child? Was that wound he kept covered made by a spectre? I felt my heartbeat under my skin as we saw his feet approach us. I crouched back a bit.
Suddenly I felt myself falling backwards. I screamed. I heard (M/C) scream too. Next thing I knew we were splashing into a sea of salty water. I swam to the surface and gasped for breath.
"Pan!" I shouted.
I saw him swim up to the surface in the form of an otter.
"(M/C)!" I twisted my head around. "(M/C!)" I shouted. I didn't see him surface. Had he drowned?
(M/C) splashed out of the water in front of me, spitting out water. "Lyra!" he cried out. "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" I said. I coughed. I had never done this before. I had done a bit of swimming before but not in the ocean. I stared around. "Where are we?" I looked up a saw a line of light. "Did we just..."
"We fell through another window," (M/C) traded water. "Look there's land!" Tracing his line of vision, I saw a shoreline just ahead of us. "Swim!"
"Grab onto me!" Pan turned into a dolphin.
I grabbed onto his fin.
"Are you sure you can swim us there?"
"Just grab on," I said.
(M/C) grabbed on. With a flip of his tail, Pan swam us to shore. I turned my head back at the line of light shining vertically above the ocean. I wondered if Boreal would come through. "Doesn't look like he's coming," I said. "I can't believe we didn't see that door,"
"Good thing we came across it," (M/C) said.
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(Y/N P.O.V)
The sky had turned dark and I was still trying to ditch the policeman with no luck. I just turned a corner when I found myself at a dead end. I tried to turn back but the man was coming closer.
"There you are," he sneered. He walked closer to me. "Nowhere to go," Aster descended and turned into a snow leopard.
"Your daemon doesn't scare me," he insulted.
I stared at him. How does he know about daemons?
"You're going with me," he said. "Or you can just make it easier on yourself and tell me where Will Parry is,"
I glared. "Never," I declared.
"Very well," he had reached his limit. "You've given me no choice," He pulled out a baton. I gulped. Was it legal for a guy like him in this world to harm a child, even a criminal one?
Suddenly something round and hard bopped him in the back of the head. He fell flat on his face. Behind him was Will Parry with a long round stick.
"Will?" I breathed.
"Come on," he begged me to follow him.
Quickly Aster and I leapt over the knocked out police guy and we followed Will into the streets.
"Will. What are you doing here?"
"Saving you of course," he said. "This is why you shouldn't have come here,"
"What was I supposed to do? Just abandon Lyra and (M/C)?"
Before we could argue, we heard police sirens in the distance. Will and I stopped to take a breath but he clutched my shoulders. "(Y/N)! We need to go back now," he begged.
"No!" I refused. "I can't leave without Lyra!"
"Maybe she and (M/C) returned whilst we left," he suggested stubbornly.
Before we could argue again, we heard the screeching of tyres next to us. We turned to the side and saw the window sliding down. We saw the man named Charles who Lyra and I talked to, the man (M/C) wanted to kill.
"Hello Milly," he greeted. "Who is this friend of yours?" he asked.
"Mark," I answered quickly.
"Can I give you two a lift somewhere?" he offered.
"We're fine," Will refused. "We were just about to head home,"
"You know Lizzie is just waiting for you at my house. She and her friend (M/C) had a bit of injury today. I can take you to them if you'd like,"
Could I trust him? No. I couldn't. I wanted to refuse. I could feel Will's tight grip on my shoulders trying to force me to say no. I was about to say no when I heard police sirens ringing louder. They could be closing in on us.
"Yes please," I answered. "Let's go, Mark,"
Before Will could refuse, I pushed him into the car and we drove away.
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(Third Point of View)
Lee Scoresby sat in his cell. Though he remained awake, his eyes were closed as he dreamed of his beloved wife and their daughter. He remembered the day (Y/N) was born, the day he and Meera were beyond overjoyed. He prayed that both (Y/N) and Lyra were safe.
He was about to fall asleep when he was shaken by the door bursting open. He turned and saw Mrs Coulter holding the keys. Looking behind her, he saw the collapsed body of a soldier, her daemon wrangling his snake daemon. He looked up at the cruel woman who was setting him free.
"You stole them from the guard," was all she said. She tossed him the keys. "There is a prophecy about Lyra. Witches speak of it. It means that people will be looking for her and not all of them good. It also tells of three others. These four including her have a large destiny to play. I believe your daughter will be one of them. I will be searching for Lyra myself. But if you find her, keep her safe,"
She turned around.
"I'll let you go. For now," he spoke out slowly.
Mrs Coulter turned around to him.
"But...I'm warning you," Although bruised and blooded, Lee remained strong in spirit as before. "If you ever...go near my daughter again...if you ever harm her...or go near Lyra...I will kill you. Even if you find Lyra...what makes you think she'd want anything to do with you?"
His words didn't move Mrs Coulter though Lee could see a blink of her wicked eyes. All she simply did was turn around and leave through the open door.
Instantly Lee got to work at unlocking his chains.
"Can you walk?" Hester asked.
"Yes. We gotta find Iera, head up the river, find Grumman, then that object, then Lyra and (Y/N) before that woman does,"
"Do you think it is right to let her go?"
"I couldn't kill now even if I wanted to," Lee knew it would have been foolish. "Next time if she hurts (Y/N) or Lyra, she won't be so lucky,"
They snuck out and he grabbed his revolver, long coat, supplies and hat. They came to the side of the building.
"We can't take the balloon," Hester said. "They'll find us too easily,"
"I know. We'll just need to get a boat,"
"Lee, how are we going to get Iera into a boat?"
"We'll think of something," he said. Lee and Hester stayed in the shadows as they began to sneak their way out of town. Just then they heard the shouting of soldiers. Their escape had been discovered. They had to hurry.
Lee's heart jumped when he heard a soldier shouting behind them. "Freeze!"
Not wanting to kill again, Lee grabbed Hester into his arms and they sprinted through the town. Soldiers pursued them. But before they could make it to the outskirts, soldiers appeared with riffles. They were surrounded.
Suddenly, the soldiers at the front were attacked by the fury of Iera. She roared. Some soldiers shot at her but her armour deflected the bullets.
"Lee! Climb on my back!" she shouted.
Without hesitation, Lee mounted the giant polar bear and she charged out of the village.
"Into the forests Iera!" Lee begged.
"But what about your balloon?"
"We have to head up the Yenesei river without it. They'll spot us! Please trust me Iera!"
"I trust you on the oath I owe your daughter," Iera carried him and his daemon at a fast pace into the forests ahead of them. They lost the soldiers. Lee prayed his lead to Gruman would be their goal.
Another chapter is done. Sorry for taking long. I was just finishing off some chapters. But don't worry. I'm back on this. Thank you all so much for your support. I hope you all enjoyed this.