**Kael's Point of View**
The air in the Sanctum, which had just moments before felt so safe and old, now felt thin and weak, like a soap bubble separating us from an endless, hungry dark. Lyra's words hung in the air, taking the warmth out of the stone around us.
*We rang the bell for dinner.
The metaphor was so perfect that it was scary. We hadn't just drawn in a predator; we had called for a feast. My mind, which is used to dealing with territorial disputes and pack politics, couldn't handle how big it was. This was not a war over land or power. This was a fight to stay alive.
Lyra was shaking because the huge and terrible things she had learned were about to overwhelm her. I hugged her tightly against my chest and pulled her close. She felt so small, but she had the weight of thousa
