Lyra did not sleep that night.

She lay on her back staring at the ceiling, her body buzzing in a way that made rest impossible. It was not pain exactly. It was worse than pain because it had no clear shape. Heat rolled through her veins in slow waves, building and fading and then building again, like something breathing inside her. Every time she closed her eyes, her chest tightened, and she felt like she might suffocate if she stayed still for too long.

She shifted onto her side, then onto her ...