Xavier stood up straight and brushed the dust off his coat.
"Where did the ship go?" he asked.
The boy pointed toward the eastern cliffside.
"They camped there… left a big metal thing on the ground."
Xavier turned toward the girls. His voice was quiet, but his tone had changed—harder now.
"They're trying to take the village."
Reva narrowed her eyes. "Spade Hounds?"
He nodded.
Lyra stepped closer. "What are you going to do?"
Xavier's eyes burned cold.
"I'm going to make sure no one ever dares touch this place again."
Xavier turned, ready to storm off toward the eastern cliffside.
But his father grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
Xavier paused. "Don't stop me."
"You just got here. You haven't even rested. You think I called you here to die fighting in the middle of the night?"
"I came here because you called me to fix the problem. That's what I'm going to do."
