Dale squeezed Lyra's pastern tightly and sat as if he were carved out of stone, watching for a moment of anger in the Princess's eyes, hoping that if it was there, he'd see it before it was too late, and then the two came together with a cosmic inevitability. Kate hesitated but a moment before she moved in, the Princess bowed her head, and then Kate had wrapped her in a tight hug . . . and that was it.