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As far as appearances went, Brooke had the same advantage as Roar. Men nodded yes first and listened second when she spoke, and that might prove useful. She was as strong a Seer as the brothers, a better shot, and levelheaded in tough situations. A few weeks ago, when the Tide compound had been raided, she hadn’t made a single misstep. They’d been through some bumps, but Perry needed her.
“And Aria?” Marron asked, his voice rising at the end.
“Yes. ”
He didn’t miss the stunned looks traded across the flames. Everyone knew she was injured. Everyone knew they’d fought. Or argued. Or whatever that had been. The Battle Room had lived up to its name today.
“I’m taking Soren, too,” he said, forging ahead. “He’s the only one who can fly the Hover. He’s the only one who can get us there quickly. You said we might only have days, Marron. I can’t waste time traveling to the Komodo on foot or horseback. ”
Perry saw no way around it. He needed speed. He needed the Hover. As much as he wished otherwise, that meant he needed Soren.
“Just so I don’t mistake you,” said Reef, “these are the people you’re taking with you? You believe these five will come together as a team?”
“That’s right,” Perry said.
“You’re betting our lives on that?” Reef pressed.
Perry nodded. “Sable and Hess have all the brute power. Force won’t work against them. We need to be small and sharp. We’ll have to pierce like a needle to have any chance. ”
Quiet settled over the group again, a few anxious glances turning south. Perry listened to the surf as their tempers drifted toward him, carrying disbelief and anxiousness and outrage.
The silent roar of the Tides.
When Perry stepped into his tent, he found Talon still awake.
“What are you doing up, Squeak?” he asked, setting his bow and quiver against the trunks. It had to be well past midnight.
Talon sat up and rubbed his eyes. “I had a nightmare. ”
“Hate those. ” Perry unbuckled his belt and dropped it aside. “What are you waiting for?” he said, climbing into bed. “Get on over here. ”
Talon scrambled to his side. He thrashed around, his knobby knees banging into Perry’s ribs for a few minutes before he finally settled down.
“I miss our house,” he said. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” Perry said, staring up at the canvas above him. More than anything, he missed the gap in the loft’s timbers. For years he’d been too tall to stretch out fully in that loft, but he hadn’t cared. He’d loved falling asleep with his eyes on a little piece of the sky.
He bumped Talon’s arm playfully. “This isn’t so bad though, is it? You and Willow don’t seem to mind it. ”
Talon shrugged. “Yeah. It’s not bad. Willow said that Molly said that you’re leaving tomorrow to get Cinder. Why do you have to go, Uncle Perry?”
There it was. The real reason Talon couldn’t sleep.
“Because Cinder needs me, just like you did when you were in Reverie. And I need a few things from the Dwellers that’ll help us get to the Still Blue. ”
“If you don’t come back, I’ll be alone. ”
“I’m coming back, Talon. ”
“My dad’s gone. My mom and Aunt Liv—”
“Hey. ” Perry propped himself on an elbow so he could look at his nephew’s face. He searched for a little of himself or Liv, but all he saw—from Talon’s serious green eyes to his dark curls—was Vale. He couldn’t fault Talon for being afraid. But there was no way he’d fail his nephew. “I’m coming back. All right?”
Talon nodded, the gesture a little dismissive.
“Do you know what happened between me and your father?” The words came out before Perry could stop them. They hadn’t spoken about Vale yet. About how Vale had sold Talon, his own son, to the Dwellers for food. Brooke’s sister, Clara, too. Unforgivable. But then Perry had killed Vale—also unforgivable. He knew that act would haunt him forever.
Talon lifted his small shoulders. “I was sick. He sent me to the Dwellers to get better. When I was, you came to get me back. ”
