She’d always been small—about five foot five. Dr. Eris once said her height was due to years locked away, deprived of sunlight and proper care. But now, illuminated by the golden light through the trees, she looked two or three inches taller. That alone made my breath catch.
I glanced at my warriors, expecting disbelief. But they all stood silent, staring at her too. We were frozen by the same question: Was this real? This radiant, transformed Lyra was unlike anything we’d seen. She was so different from yesterday that our minds could barely keep up. There was no logical explanation.
I moved toward her, mesmerized. As I stepped, a twig cracked beneath my boot. She twitched, then turned gracefully to face me. For a moment I stopped breathing. There she was. Lyra. But not the Lyra I’d know
