The jar sloshed, its contents clear and sweet-smelling—a stark contrast to the river's rot.
"Drink," the child urged, grinning. "It'll fix her!"
Lyra wheezed. "Don't… trust…"
Kael hesitated. The girl's eyes were wide, unblinking. Too calm.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" She twirled, her tattered dress flaring. "You'll forget me anyway."
Lyra's head lolled. "Kael… please."
The child skipped closer. "One sip. That's all!"
Kael's shard hummed. Do it. Steal her time.
He grabbed the girl's wrist.
"Ow!" She yelped, the jar shattering. The "water" hissed, melting the moss into black sludge.
Lyra laughed bitterly. "Told you… a trick."
The child wrenched free, scrambling back. "You're mean!"
Kael drew his shard. "Who sent you?"
The girl's grin turned feral, teeth sharpening. "The man in the shadows."
A twig snapped upstream.
Lyra's breath hitched. "Run."
A hulking figure emerged from the trees—armored in black steel, a serrated blade glowing with stolen time. Gideon's hunter.
The child giggled. "Too late!"
Kael hauled Lyra over his shoulder. The hunter lunged, blade slicing air where Kael's head had been.
The river roared ahead, white rapids churning around a collapsed bridge. Rotting planks dangled over the gorge.
Lyra's whisper was faint. "Leave me…"
"Shut up." Kael leaped onto the bridge.
The hunter followed, his steps methodical. "Give. Me. The. Shard."
Kael's withered hand trembled. Steal time. From who?
Lyra's pulse fluttered against his neck.
The hunter raised his blade. "Last. Chance."