The Last Shadow Singer

The Forbidden Song The night Lyra's world ended began with a whisper.She crouched in the attic of her family's crumbling estate, her knees pressed against the rough wooden floorboards. Outside, the wind howled through the iron gates of the city, carrying the scent of damp stone and distant smoke. But here, in this hidden space between the rafters, there was only silence—and the shadows.Lyra hummed.It was a forbidden melody, one her mother had taught her in secret before the Wardens came for her. The notes slithered between her teeth like smoke, curling into the darkness. And then—they moved.The shadows peeled away from the walls, twisting into serpentine shapes that coiled around her wrists. They were cold and alive, humming back at her in a language only she understood.Again, they seemed to say.She shouldn't. The Iron Crown had outlawed shadow-singing after the rebellion. Those caught wielding it disappeared into the Citadel's black cells, just like her mother had.But the song was the only thing that made her feel real.