**Lyra's point of view**

No sound.

This silence was different from before. Not the heavy silence that comes before a storm, but the empty, ringing silence that comes after a disaster. The lights were steady again, and the room was warm again, but the memory of the cold was still fresh in my mind. The smell of ozone and something strange still lingered in the back of my throat.

Kael's arms were wrapped around me so tightly that I could feel his heart racing against my back. His breath was hot ...