Chapter One
THE DECANTER OF TOKAY
Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one
side, out of sight of the kitchen. The three great tables that ran the length of
the hall were laid already, the silver and the glass catching what little light
there was, and the long benches were pulled out ready for the guests. Portraits
of former Masters hung high up in the gloom along the walls. Lyra reached the
dais and looked back at the open kitchen door, and, seeing no one, stepped up
beside the high table. The places here were laid with gold, not silver, and the
fourteen seats were not oak benches but mahogany chairs with velvet cushions.
Lyra stopped beside the Master's chair and flicked the biggest glass gently with
a fingernail. The sound rang clearly through the hall.
"You're not taking this seriously," whispered her daemon. "Behave
yoursel ...
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