Meanwhile, Nolan was still taking a nap. Hours passed before he finally stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Wait… it's already late. Where's Lyra? I told her to come wake me up."
He stepped out of his room and went straight to hers. The door creaked open to reveal emptiness. The curtains moved gently with the wind. One window stood ajar.
"She must've gone through here…" Nolan whispered. Worry crept into his voice. "Lyra, where are you? I hope you're safe."
He checked the kitchen—nothing. He checked Linda's old room. Linda and Celia shook their heads; they'd been looking for Lyra too, but she'd vanished. "She didn't even wake me up…" Nolan sighed. "She's far. Beyond my range." His search skill could only cover three hundred kilometers. "Even if I tried, I wouldn't find her."
He straightened suddenly. His barrier—the invisible magical field wrapped around the entire mansion—had been breached. Seven presences now stood in his yard.
