**Kael's Point of View**

The air in the Sanctum, which had just moments before felt so safe and old, now felt thin and weak, like a soap bubble separating us from an endless, hungry dark. Lyra's words hung in the air, taking the warmth out of the stone around us.

*We rang the bell for dinner.

The metaphor was so perfect that it was scary. We hadn't just drawn in a predator; we had called for a feast. My mind, which is used to dealing with territorial disputes and pack politics, couldn't ...