A whisper snaked through the air, clear this time. "Sorrowsteel." Both froze. Jude stepped in front of Nyra, his blade already half-drawn. "Show yourself." A figure emerged from the shadows near the far archway. She was tall, cloaked in something that shimmered between silk and smoke. Her eyes were the color of dawn, soft gold, but there was nothing gentle in them. "I did not think the blade would find another bearer," she said. Her voice was sharp, elegant, and it echoed with something not quite human. "Who are you?" Jude asked. "I am Keeper of the Hollow Gate," she said. "Once, I was called Lira of the Moon House. Now, I wait. And guard." "Guard what?" Nyra asked, stepping closer. "The Tear of Midnight," Lira replied. "And the path it opens."