Mira’s POV

I return to Lyra's quarters two hours later. I need to see her, to find words that matter. The guards by the door look uneasy. One shifts his weight. "Luna, she's not." My stomach drops. "Not what?"

"She's gone. Left through the window during shift change." He won't meet my eyes. "We just discovered it."

I'm running before I decide to. Kael's office. He looks up as I burst in, reading my face. "What happened?"

"Lyra's gone. Escaped. We need to find her." My hands are shaking. "Now, ...