Lyra's POV
The commotion erupted like thunder breaking through silence. Voices crashed together in waves from the courtyard below, sharp and demanding attention. The kind of chaos that dragged people from their quiet moments and sent them rushing toward whatever storm was brewing.
Silas's head snapped up from his position by the window. Celeste cut herself off mid-sentence. We locked eyes, and I saw my own understanding reflected back at me.
Something big had just happened.
I bolted to the door and yanked it open. The corridor was already flooding with bodies moving toward the stairs like water flowing downhill. Servants flattened themselves against the walls as nobles pushed past. A guard sprinted by without so much as a glance in our direction. The noise swelled with each step I took down the staircase.
Silas and Celeste stayed close behind me as we descended.
