Lyra’s POV
I could still hear the distant screams of the giants and smell the thick smoke from the fires as we walked away with the Aetherion. I forced myself not to look back, but the sound of their agony clung to me like chains—fading little by little with every step until the forest swallowed it entirely.
I jolted awake drenched in cold sweat, my chest rising and falling in uneven bursts.
The camp was still and quiet. Malric and his soldiers were asleep in the clearing where we had settled for the night. I saw the first light of dawn cresting over the hills and stood up slowly, stretching stiff muscles before pacing the edges of the field.
“Another nightmare?” a voice murmured behind me.
I turned to see Maxwell still lying on the ground, his head propped on one arm, eyes fixed on m
