Mira met them at a diner outside Seattle.
She looked different than the last time Lyra had seen her—less guarded. Her shaved head was covered by a knitted cap, and her tattoos were hidden beneath a heavy coat. She sat in a booth at the back, a cup of coffee growing cold in front of her.
Kael slid into the seat across from her. Lyra sat beside him.
"You look like hell," Mira said.
"Thanks."
She looked at Lyra. "You look the same. Which I guess is a vampire thing."
"Is that a problem?"
Mira shrugged. "Three months ago, I would have said yes. Now..." She looked back at Kael. "Your father told me about the sanctuary. About the prophecy."
"He wasn't supposed to tell anyone."
"He tells me everything. That's my job." She paused. "He also told me you're going north. Into the old territory."
Kael nodded. "The map showed a bond in the Coast Mountains. We need to find it."
Mira was quiet for a long moment. Then she reached into her coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Old. Yellowed.
"My grandmother was from the northern pack," she said. "Before they were absorbed into the Shadowbane territory. She used to tell stories about a place in the mountains. A cave where the old ones went to make peace with the vampires."
Kael unfolded the paper. It was a hand-drawn map, crude but detailed. A river. A peak shaped like a tooth. A cave marked with a symbol Lyra recognized—the same binding mark from the tunnel.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Kael asked.
"Because I didn't believe it. I thought they were just stories. Old legends to scare children." Mira met his eyes. "But after what happened in the tunnel—after what your father told me—I started looking. I found this in my grandmother's things."
Lyra studied the map. "This is exactly what we need."
"I know." Mira stood. "I'm coming with you."
Kael shook his head. "Mira—"
"Don't. I've spent my whole life serving the pack. Following orders. Pretending I didn't see things that didn't fit the official story. I'm done pretending." She looked at Lyra. "You're a vampire. Three months ago, I would have killed you without thinking. Now I'm offering to help you. That's how much has changed."
Kael looked at Lyra. She nodded.
"Okay," he said. "You're with us."