Lyra sat on the edge of her bed and tried to breathe normally, but her chest kept tightening in small bursts. Her hands were shaking so much she had to hold them together in front of her stomach. She kept rubbing the spot under her ribs because the small pressure helped her stay calm for a few seconds at a time.

She kept telling herself she did the right thing. She kept repeating it over and over in her head so she wouldn’t stand up and run downstairs to stop the guards before they reached ...