Rowan's POV
I left before dawn, mostly because I didn't trust myself to explain the trip to anyone who might ask, least of all Mira, whose restless, distracted expression at breakfast the past few mornings had told me clearly enough that she was carrying the same unease I was.
Lyra's cottage sat quiet in the early gray light, smoke already curling faintly from the chimney despite the hour, and she was waiting on the porch before I'd fully crossed the clearing, unsurprised in the particular way that made me suspect she'd anticipated this visit before I had.
"The dreams have started," I said, without preamble, mostly because I didn't have the patience this morning for the usual careful circling we normally did before arriving at anything genuinely important.
Lyra nodded slowly, no surpri
