**Lyra's Point of View**

No sound.

It was the most powerful sound I had ever heard. It was the lack of fighting power, of curses that were all mixed up, and of my own heart screaming. The sound of the battle was heavy and thick over the ruins of the factory.

Kenny's cries had turned into tired, hitching whimpers, and his little body was a warm, shaking weight against my chest. I held him tighter, wrapping my arms around him as if I could physically fuse him back to my soul, undoing the harm ...