Silence fell in the room for several long seconds.
''Impossible?'' Theo asked, frowning.
The officer slowly nodded.
''There is no airport in this city because of the desert vultures,'' he said. ''And as you might have noticed… we've just endured a devastating beast tide.''
He paused for a moment before continuing.
''It left us with too few soldiers to escort anyone out of the city, especially with so many beasts that scattered from the tide still roaming the surrounding desert.''
''Fuck!'' Lyra cursed, shaking her head.
Iris gently touched Lyra's shoulder before the two of them stepped back toward Owen, leaving Theo and Jim to continue speaking with the officer.
After a moment, Jim glanced back at the officer.
''What kind of beasts are we talking about?'' he asked.
The officer folded his arms across his chest, glancing up slightly.
''Mostly E, D and a few small groups of C-ranks,'' he answered. ''Think of Sand Scorpions, large Jackal packs, Sand Foxes, Rock Lizards...''
