Bound by the Sage moon

ee

beneath his skin. His voice haunted her, low and commanding, echoing in the corners of her mind no matter how sh

clung to her memory, as if the very f

a

ngerous and forbid

use every dawn brought her back to this place - the small, crumbling house at the edge of

her fingers bled. Maybe if she worked hard enough, maybe if she was perfect,

had long sin

-

miliar sound that made her stomach twist in knots. The door banged

ck with drink. The sour stench of

e she stirred the thin broth, heart

ady there, loom

the hell have you been doin

s just

is hand, striking her cheek so hard she

but she didn't cry out. She wou

"Bringing shame on this house, same as she did. I sho

sides, nails biting into her

wasn'

e hard dirt floor. Pain blossomed across her face, sharp and sudden

better than me? Think you can look a

taste of blood filling her mouth. The world blurred; tears strea

e broke, barely audible

wned out everything else - his curses, the crackle of

ou think you're special? A freak like you?" His breath was hot and rancid a

other hand lifted - she braced for the next

m

pulse that started deep in her chest an

oo clear, too loud. She heard the frantic beating of his heart, the

up at him, his dru

, silver light that shi

thed, the color dra

think. She

rashed into the table, the wood splintering under the force, ale spilling across the

s, shaking, her breath

hat did

d backward, hands searching blindly until they closed around the handle of t

you as a babe like I was told! No niece of min

lun

her. Lyra cried out, stumbling back. The knife graze

ase! I don't know

eason, eyes wild wi

by sheer terror, L

-

r lungs like ice, but she didn't stop. She tore through the yard, into the w

he wind in the trees, louder tha

deep inside her. Run.

stle of unseen creatures watching from the dark. But Lyra saw none of it. She

ords echoed w

Vermin. A

t what

t beneath her. She collapsed by a narrow stream, hands scraping against the rocks

into herself

m, from the scrape on her cheek, ming

of it - the way her uncle had looked at her, as if s

t a

eavy in the cold ni