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Not now. She pushed him out of her mind. Concentrating on her hearing, she took her time as she wove through the lush woods, creeping back to Sable’s camp. The sound of voices drifted to her ears. She followed them, growing steadier and more focused with each step. She had to find Roar and Soren.
The voices led her to a wide clearing. Aria crouched, her heart pounding.
Dozens of people slept in blankets under the open sky.
The men she’d heard were guards, two of them, who spoke softly to each other. They had positioned themselves on a large overturned tree on the opposite side of the clearing, which gave them an elevated lookout over the camp.
She scanned the people nearby, unsure what to do next. There had to be nearly a hundred people in this group alone. Since they were under guard, she knew they had to be Dwellers or her friends from the Tides, but in the darkness, wrapped in blankets, every one of them looked the same.
How was she going to find Roar and Soren?
She pulled herself up and utilized all the power of her Sense to move with absolute silence as she rounded the clearing. Twenty yards of open land stretched between the sleeping people and the tree line where she hid, but near the guards that distance was much smaller. If she drew closer to them, she’d have a better chance of spotting the people she hoped to find.
As she crept toward the guards, her eyes went to one of the larger sleeping figures, drawn by the shine of blond hair. Hyde. But she didn’t see Hayden or Straggler. It was the first time she’d seen Hyde without one his brothers. Not far off, she also spotted Molly with Talon curled between her and Bear.
Should she try to free them all? Where would they go? Roar and Soren had a chance of disappearing. They could run into the woods and hide, but could Molly, whose joints bothered her doing the simplest things? And what about Talon? Sable had all the soldiers and weapons. He’d hunt them down and punish them for escaping.
She couldn’t help everyone, but only Roar and Soren were in imminent danger. Quietly, Aria stole closer to the guards. Soren and Roar had caused problems for the Horns already. Most likely they’d be directly under watch.
She drew nearer—as close as she could without risking exposure—but she still couldn’t distinguish between the sleeping lumps. Too many of the huddled forms were turned away, or had blankets pulled over their faces, or it was just too dark to make them out.
The guards’ conversation drew her attention.
“How much longer, do you think?” said one.
“Of this? Who knows. I don’t see how the Tides will ever come around. ”
“He’ll sway them. Sable always finds a way. ”
“Yeah . . . he does. ”
There it was again. The fear the Horns had of Sable, their own leader. Aria heard it in their voices.
Panic clawed at her stomach as she stared at the final stretch between her and the men. Half an hour had passed since she’d escaped from the Hover, she guessed. How much longer until Sable’s people started searching for her? Were they already?
An image of Liv lying on the balcony in Rim flashed before her eyes, pushing her into action. She hurried, almost to the guards when she stepped on a twig and heard it snap. The sole of her boot muffled the sound, but she froze, silently cursing herself. Haste had made her careless. There was little cover where she stood, and any Aud within fifty feet would’ve heard her—the guards were less than half that. She waited, adrenaline coursing through her, making her feel weightless.
The two men didn’t look her way. They didn’t even pause in their conversation. But amid the sleeping people in front them, a dark head lifted, turning slowly toward her before lying back down.
She couldn’t see Roar’s features in the darkness, but she knew it was him. She knew his shape and the way he moved.
Aria sank to the ground, setting the heavy piece of driftwood down. She picked up the twig under her foot. Her right hand was weak, but she could still do this.
Please work, she prayed. This was either a perfect test, or suicide.
She snapped the branch again.
Neither of the guards turned. Not Auds, then. Unlike Roar, who responded to the sound by raising both arms up high, his fingers interlaced like he was stretching.
She shook her head. A little obvious, but Roar did everything with a bit of flash.
Time to move. She was as sure as she could be. The guards weren’t Auds. Roar knew she was there. She picked up the driftwood and moved again, drawing as close as she dared. Then she stopped and firmed her grip on the driftwood, licking her lips.
“In five seconds, cough loudly,” she whispered, knowing Roar would hear her.
She counted off the seconds. When Roar coughed, she sprinted the last steps to the Horns.
The men looked at Roar, oblivious to her as she charged them from behind.
