Aria pulled the covers over her, hugging them close. “Will you stay? I think I’d sleep better if you stayed here tonight. Then we could miss them together.”
His impulse was to agree. She was beautiful sitting against the headboard, her skin looking smoother, softer than the sheets pulled up around her. But Perry hesitated.
Sleeping was the most dangerous thing a Scire could do with another person. Tempers mixed in the harmony of sleep. They tangled up, forming their own bonds. Scires became rendered that way, as had happened with him and Talon.
He didn’t know why he thought of this only now, but he didn’t need to worry. Scires seldom rendered to anyone outside their Sense. And she was a Dweller. The furthest thing from being a Scire. Besides, he’d been sleeping within feet of her for more than a week. What difference would another day make?
Perry’s eyes flicked to the soft carpet, then back to Aria. “I’ll be right here.”
Chapter 26
ARIA
Marron had a running countdown to when they could safely power up her Smarteye. He showed it to Aria in the morning, when he took her down to the Navel.
Seven hours, forty-three minutes, and twelve seconds.
It was an estimate, but Aria knew enough about Marron to take the numbers for their worth. The room was spare and cold compared to the rest of Delphi. A collection of computer equipment. A desk and a couch. It had a sacred air. She had the impression no one came down there except Marron. Aria noticed a vase of roses sitting on a little coffee table.
“You liked the other one so,” Marron said, beaming, then he quietly set to work on her Smarteye at his desk.
Aria sat on the couch, her stomach rolling with nerves. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the numbers on the wallscreen. Was the recording of Ag 6 still in the Eye? Was the “Songbird” file? Would she be able to find Lumina and Talon? Only an hour had passed when Marron invited her on a walk outside. She agreed right away. Her feet were still sore, but she’d go crazy down here all alone. Time had never moved more slowly.
She searched for Perry as they moved through Delphi’s halls. She’d stayed awake listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing during the night. But when she’d woken that morning, he hadn’t been there.
Aria immediately noticed a change in the courtyard as she stepped outside with Marron. Only a few people were moving about, compared with the bustle she’d seen when she stormed in with Cinder.
“Where is everyone?” Aria glanced at the sky. She’d seen much worse than the veinlike flows above.
Marron’s expression sobered. He looped her arm through his as they continued on the cobblestone path. “We had a few arrows over the wall early this morning from the Croven. They were careless shots fired before daylight. Aimed to strike fear more than anything else. In that, they were successful. I was hoping they’d have relaxed by now, but it appears . . .”
Marron trailed off as he looked toward Delphi. Rose and Slate hurried toward them, Rose’s dark braid swinging behind her. She was talking before she’d even stopped.
“The boy, Cinder, is gone.”
“He left through the east gate,” Slate added quickly. He looked furious with himself. “He was already out when the tower spotted him.”
Marron’s arm tensed around hers. “This is intolerable under the circumstances. It cannot happen. Who was on that post?” He strode off with Slate, still ranting.
Aria couldn’t believe it. After everything, after carrying him there, Cinder had gone? “Does Perry know?” she asked Rose.
“No, I don’t think so.” Rose pursed her lips in disapproval. Then she rolled her eyes. “You should try the roof first. That’s where he usually is.”
“Thank you,” Aria said, and then dashed for Delphi.
Rose called out behind her, teasing. “Your feet look like they’re healing!”
Aria took the elevator to the top of Delphi and stepped onto the roof, a vast stretch of cement with only a wooden rail framing the perimeter. Perry sat against it, gazing up at the Aether, his wounded arm propped onto his knee. He smiled when he saw her and strode over.
When he reached her, his smile fell. “What happened?”
“Cinder’s gone. He left. I’m sorry, Perry.”
His face tightened, and then he looked away and shrugged. “It’s all right. I didn’t even know him.” He was quiet for a moment. “Are you sure he’s gone? They looked for him?”
“Yes. The guards saw him leave.”
They walked to the edge of the roof. Perry propped his arms on the rail, lost in thought as he stared across the trees. Aria took in the long sweep of the wall, curving wide around Delphi. She saw the gate she’d run through just yesterday, and the towers, evenly spaced around the perimeter. Some seventy feet below, animal pens and gardens made neat geometric patterns of the courtyard. She’d just been down there.
“Who told you I was up here?” Perry asked. The disappointment had faded from his face.
“Rose.” Aria smiled. “She told me lots of things.”
He cringed. “She did? What did she say? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“You really don’t.”
“Ahh . . . that’s cruel. Now you’re just kicking me while I’m down.”
She laughed and they fell quiet again. The silence between them felt good.
“Aria,” he said after a while. “I want to wait for the Smarteye with you but I can’t stay in the Navel. Not for long. Makes me skitty being that deep underground.”