Dawn broke gently over the Isle of Echoes, revealing the day like a whispered secret. The sky slowly filled with soft blue and gold hues, spreading over the sea like a comforting blanket. Lyra stood outside her mother’s stone cottage, watching the endless horizon where the calm ocean met sky and clouded all lines between past and present.

She hadn’t slept at all.

The whispers she is hearing since last night won’t let her.

Every time she tried to close her eyes, she heard ...