Lyra's POV
We had less than two hours before Seraphine's deadline, the midnight clock ticking down somewhere in the back of my mind even though I could not summon the urgency it deserved, and I felt none of the panic that should have been driving me forward. Every step through the burning academy should have terrified me, instead I moved with a clarity that felt almost peaceful, and that peace scared everyone around me far more than any tears could have.
Kael ran beside me through the archive corridors, Riven and Soren close behind, Soren still pale and unsteady on his feet but refusing to stay behind despite the blood still dried along his jaw, leaning on Riven's shoulder more than once when his legs threatened to give out. I led the way with a calm that unsettled even me, my body movi
