Lyra's POV
By the time we reached the other side of the river, the moon had shifted to its peak.
Orion dragged the boat onto the bank and helped me step out. The earth felt soft under my boots, damp with river mist.
We sat there, just breathing. The air here beside the river was thicker, quieter, more conspiratorial, as though it contained secrets.
"It's almost 11," Orion said, looking up at the sky as though he could read the time on his palm more accurately than a watch. "We camp here tonight. Leave early at dawn."
I furrowed my brow. "Camp where? We don't even have a tent to sleep. And don't you think it's not safe, especially after the no-element-agreement. I think we have to go a bit deeper into the forest, maybe we can see an abandoned building or motel somewhere. That would be
