Sleep never came, not really. Lyra lay on the narrow bed upstairs for an hour after the others had finally gone quiet, staring at the water stain spreading across the ceiling, until the restlessness became something she couldn't ignore any longer. She found Adrian on the back porch, sitting on the top step with his forearms braced against his knees, watching the fog finally burn off the water below.
"You should be resting," he said, without turning around.
"So should you." She sat down beside him, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched. "Everyone keeps telling everyone else to rest. Nobody's actually doing it."
"Rest requires trusting the world will still be standing when you wake up. I haven't had that luxury in a while."
Lyra studied his profile in the gray morning light, t
