LYRA

The cold night eerily whispered in my ear, as if warning me that there was no escape from this dilemma—this problem that Blade and I were trapped in. Either way, one of us is going to be sacrificed, and I absolutely hate what that priest said. We had hoped for something good, a solution, and went to him. But what did we get? Disappointment. Even the night air felt like it had turned against us.

Blade had wrapped a fur shawl around my shoulders to protect me from the chilling cold, ...