LYRA
I couldn't stop crying. The tears wouldn't stop, not even when they practically shoved me out of the council hall. Not when the guards finally let me go. Not even when Zeviar, bless him, steered me into his office and shut the door. I was just… broken. Willow was gone. They'd taken her, and I was useless, frozen, unable to do a single thing to stop it.
"Lyra," Zeviar's voice was a gentle rumble. "Please, sit down.”
But I couldn't. My legs felt like lead, rooted to the spot. I just stood there, a shaking mess in his office, tears blurring everything. Then the door creaked open again. Orion. His face was all hard lines. He took one look at me, then at Zeviar.
"Is she–"
"She's in shock," Zeviar said quietly.
Orion walked over to me, careful with his movements. "Lyra. Hey, look at m
