Lyra’s POV
"You didn't have to come find me," I said, though I was grateful he had, the palace walls quiet and cool beneath the evening sky, far removed from the whispers still trailing me through every hallway since Seraphine's outburst three days ago.
"I wanted to." Cassian fell into step beside me along the ramparts, close enough that our shoulders nearly brushed. "You've been quiet since the receiving hall. I wanted to make sure quiet meant thinking, not spiraling."
"Bit of both, honestly." I wrapped my arms around myself against the evening chill. "I keep turning her words over, trying to understand what she actually meant. Elowen won't confirm anything yet, not until Darius finishes whatever he's investigating. It's maddening, waiting for answers everyone else seems to already hav
