The wind was cold and dry. Sand blew past the rocks where the three of them were sleeping, tucked between old dunes and rusted metal. The bots were in position, just like they had planned.
Xavier slowly opened his eyes.
He didn't move right away. Just turned his head a little, checking Reva and Lyra. Both were knocked out. Good.
Earlier, when they sat around and shared that bitter drink, he'd slipped in a bit of sleep-herb. Nothing strong. Just enough to knock someone out for a few hours. He drank it too, of course. But it didn't affect him like it used to. He had been drinking this stuff since he was a kid. Now, instead of knocking him out, it made his blood pump faster. It made him sharp.
He sat up and exhaled quietly.
He didn't want to bring them along. They didn't owe the village anything. If things went bad tonight, he wanted to be the one to take the hit—not them.
