LYRA

A scream shattered the moment.

We both froze for a second before training took over and we were running toward the sound, Kael's hand finding mine and pulling me along as we raced down garden paths toward where the scream had originated. Guards were coming from other directions, their torches bobbing in darkness like fireflies.

We found Ophelia Vorn collapsed on a path between two rose beds, her hands clutching her throat while gasping sounds escaped her lips. Her face was red and her ...