Waiting

Harry sat on the sofa for a while. After finishing the last mouthful of soup in his bowl, he set the empty bowl back on the tray. Its bottom struck the edge of the wooden tray with a soft clink.

Cassandra's Silver Compass still lay on the coffee table, its needle steadily pointing due north.

She leaned against the back of the sofa with her eyes closed, breathing evenly, as though she had dozed off for a while.

Pabbie came out of the Kitchen carrying a fresh pot of tea. She placed it in the middle of the coffee table, then collected the empty bowl and tray.

Her movements were neither hurried nor slow, as though she deliberately meant to preserve a certain rhythm to the morning and keep it from being disrupted.

When Vivi came down the stairs, everyone in the Living Room was occupied with their own things. No one took the initiative to speak.

She sat on the sofa beside Harry and poured herself a cup of tea. It was warm, carrying faint scents of mint and honey. Pabbie had probably just brewed it, and it was a little stronger than the previous pot from that morning.

After sitting there for a while, she asked, "Did Kingsley's message say anything else?"

Pabbie poked her head out from the Kitchen doorway. "The message was very short. It only mentioned the Eye of the Sand organization and didn't include any further details. He said the Intelligence Group is still sorting through the information and will send another message if they find anything new."

Holding her teacup, Vivi lowered her gaze to the coffee table, as though slowly turning those words over in her mind.

After a pause, she asked Pabbie, "Did Kingsley say exactly which area between the Jordan