The night felt endless, Elia entered her room, the gray light of the moon pouring through the window. In her palm lay the piece of gray lilac fabric the raven had delivered. She closed the door behind her softly, leaning against it for a moment as her heart thudded against her ribs.
“This is it,” she whispered under her breath, her voice barely audible in the stillness. “Lyra… please let this be good news.”
Her fingers curled tighter around the fabric as she crossed slowly to the bed. Sitting on the edge, she stared at the delicate scrap like it held the answer to everything.
“What if it means the escape will work?” she murmured, half to herself, half to the quiet air. “Or… what if it means all we’ve done…” she stopped, her throat tightening, “...was for nothing?”
The silence pressed c
