LYRA
I couldn’t sleep.
How could I, after they dragged Willow away hours ago, leaving me clueless about where she was or what they were doing to her? I’d worn a path into the floor from pacing. I screamed at the guards outside the door until my voice was raw. I begged Sky to tell me if she could sense Ember, if Willow was okay, if she was even still alive. But the fact that she couldn’t feel her made everything feel even worse.
So I kept pacing, waiting, trying desperately not to imagine the worst. It was almost dawn when I finally heard footsteps in the hallway. I rushed to the door, pressing my ear against it. I caught snippets of voices–the guards talking to someone. Then the lock clicked. The door swung open, and Willow stumbled inside. I caught her just in time before she could fa
