LYRA
I woke to utter chaos. Not a quiet disturbance, but a loud, impossible-to-ignore pandemonium. Footsteps thundered through the halls, and voices shouted orders as if the world were ending. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. The ache in my chest was still there ever since Orion left yesterday. It felt like something was pulling at my ribs from the inside, reaching for him across the distance.
"He's fine," Sky said. "We'd know if he wasn't."
I didn't argue, unsure about how she could be so sure. I dressed quickly and opened my door to find the hallway crammed with people. Maids hurried past with armfuls of linens, guards were repositioning furniture, and someone was directing a group carrying boxes that looked like decorations. Everyone moved with a frantic urgency.
"Excuse me," I stopped a
