He glanced at Ward, sending an obvious cue. The doctor spoke immediately, his voice carrying more passion than Hess.
“The Aether storms are striking with intensity not seen since the Unity. Bliss isn’t the only Pod that has fallen. If the storms continue, they will all fall. Reverie will fall, Aria. Our only hope of surviving is to escape the Aether.”
She almost laughed at him. “Then there is no hope. You can’t escape it. It’s everywhere.”
“Outsiders speak of a place that’s free of it.”
Aria tensed. Ward knew about the Still Blue? How could he know that? But of course he would. He studied Outsiders, like her mother did. Like her mother had.
“They’re only rumors,” Aria said. Even as she spoke the words, she knew they might be true. Hadn’t the rumor of Bliss proved to be?
Hess was watching her closely. “So you’ve heard of it.”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re already on your way.”
Aria’s stomach twisted as she realized what he wanted. “You want me to find it?” She shook her head. “I’m not doing anything for you.”
“Six thousand people died here,” Ward said urgently. “Six thousand. Your mother among them. You have to understand. It’s our only option.”
Grief moved through Aria, pressing down on her. She thought of the bodies on the black cart and the people on the cots in the triage room. Bane and Echo had died because of DLS. And Paisley. Would Caleb and the rest of her friends be next?
Her heart pounded as she considered returning to the outside. Was it the thought of seeing Perry that made her pulse hammer? Or maybe she felt she owed it to Lumina to carry on her quest. But she couldn’t just let the Pods crumble.
“You can’t return to Reverie,” Hess said. “You’ve seen too much.”
Aria glared at him. “So you’ll kill me if I don’t agree? You’ve already tried that. You’ll have to do better.”
Hess studied her for a moment. “I thought you might say that. I think I’ve found another way to persuade you.”
A blue square faded on the glass. An image of Perry appeared on a small screen, floating between them. He was in the room with the painted boats and hawks. The room where he’d seen Talon in the Realms.
“Aria . . . what’s happening?” he said frantically. “Aria, why doesn’t he know me?”
The image faded, changing to Perry as he hugged Talon. “I love you, Talon,” he said. “I love you.” And then the image froze.
For an instant, the echo of his voice hung in the tiny chamber. Then Aria flew toward the glass, slamming her hands against it. “Don’t you dare touch them!”
Hess stiffened, startled by her outburst. Then his lips turned up in a satisfied smile. “If you bring me the information on the Still Blue, I won’t have to.”
Aria put her hand on Perry’s image, aching for him. For the real him. Her gaze drifted to Talon. She’d never met him, but it didn’t matter. He was part of Perry. She’d do anything to protect him.
She looked at Hess. “I won’t give you anything if you hurt either of them.”
Hess smiled. “Good,” he said and stood. “I think we understand each other.” The door slid open and he left.
Ward followed but hesitated by the door. “Aria, your mother did leave us with an answer. She left us you.”
It was night as she stepped into the Dragonwing with six Guardians. Aria wore her clothes—the ones she’d retrieved from beneath the black cart—and she had a new Smarteye slipped into her satchel.
In the dim glow of the cabin, she buckled herself into the seat. The Guardians peered at her through their visors with a mixture of fear and repulsion.
Aria met their stares and then told them exactly where to drop her in the Death Shop.
Chapter 44
PEREGRINE
Braids’s name was Reef.
Perry sat with him and his men that night around a fire, a jug of water in his hand instead of Luster. He told them about what he’d done. How he’d gotten into the Dweller fortress. How Talon and Vale had been taken. He told them about Aria in brief words, the pain of losing her too fresh, and explained that he was going home to claim Blood Lord of the Tides.
He talked until he grew hoarse and then some as the questions came. It was nearly morning when the last man fell asleep. Perry lay back and crossed his arms behind his head.
He’d won them all, not just Reef. All six men in the small band. He had inhaled and known the scent of their loyalty. Maybe he’d earned a chance with his fists, but he’d won them with his words.
Perry watched the Aether sky, thinking of a girl who would have been proud of him.
The storms came in force over the coming days, slowing their progress toward the coast. Funnels wheeled above constantly. The glare of the sky brightened nights and stole the warmth from the light of day. Winter had begun.
They traveled when they could, veering around burning fields. At night they found shelter and gathered around a fire, the men telling the story of his fight with Reef over and over. They embellished it, playing out their parts. Embarrassing Perry by slurring the things he’d said. They howled every time the story came to Perry vomiting with his knife held at guard. Reef earned Perry’s respect again by accepting his defeat at the end of the story with good humor. He claimed he’d need his nose broken half a dozen more times before it looked like Perry’s.
Perry had only known Scires among his family. Liv. Vale. Talon. Reef changed what he knew about his Sense. They spoke little but understood each other perfectly. He tried not to think of what this sort of bond would feel like with a girl. Whenever his mind tended that way, it felt like a betrayal.