The silence that followed Lyra’s question was different from the silence that had come before. It was not a silence of denial, but a silence of contemplation. The elders looked at each other, and for the first time, they saw not fear in each other’s eyes, but a glimmer of hope. The Shard was still there, its dissonant hum still a part of their reality. But now, they were no longer afraid of it. They were ready to listen.