Lyra’s POV
Freya had been taken out of the castle at the c***k of dawn. A certain sadness weighed heavily over me, and I couldn't understand it.
I had lay still in bed since, unable to close my eyes for fear of what might befall me.
Then came the knock at the door. I hesitated to respond, and then it slipped under the door.
“For Miss Lyra," a guard's voice called rather ceremoniously.
I peeled myself off my bed and went to pick the letter up.
It had the seal of the High Council pressed firm and dry like it had been waiting all night.
My heart pounded uneasily in my chest, causing me pain. My hands trembled as I tried to imagine the contents of the letter.
Why the council?
I washed my face. I braided my hair. I put on a clean garment, and waited till the guard returned for me. T
