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Perry sat at the edge of the wooden platform at the center of the main cavern. He’d changed into his own clothes soon after arriving. Then he’d spent a little time with Talon, catching up on the past couple of days. Now Perry was surrounded by his people, who gathered along the platform with him and pressed together at nearby tables.
He felt crowded and mildly panicked, as he always did inside the cave, but like he was exactly where he should be: immersed in the Tides.
Marron was there. Old Will. Molly and Bear, and the Six. Wherever he looked, he saw smiles. Their happiness flooded his nose with bright scents, their tempers bringing him the spring the Aether had taken.
Perry hadn’t realized how scared they’d been until then. The relief he scented was potent; he wondered how many in the tribe had believed he’d never come back from the Komodo.
Nearby, Talon, Willow, and Brooke’s sister, Clara, played a game to see who could jump furthest from the platform. Cinder acted as judge, Flea sitting beside him. Everyone else—everyone over thirteen—waited to hear what happened in the Komodo.
Perry looked at Roar, who was the storyteller between the two of them, but Roar smiled and shook his head.
“This one’s yours, Per,” he said. He tipped back a bottle of Luster, taking a healthy drink, his temper the mellowest Perry had scented since Liv’s death.
Perry started with their breach of the Komodo, and then told the tribe about their imprisonment and escape, leaving out only what Sable had done to him. When he skipped that part, Reef pinned a searing gaze on him. Perry expected questions from him later.
As he talked, bowls of fish soup were passed around, along with huge loaves of bread and thick slices of cheese. A luxury, Perry knew, and he said as much.
“Oh, enjoy it!” Marron offered in a rare show of abandon. “You’re home, Peregrine. You’ve made it back safely, all of you, and we’re so happy. ”
He sat next to Roar, who’d insisted that Marron share his bottle of Luster. Marron’s cheeks were flushed, his blue eyes carefree. Seeing him that way made Perry smile.
Reef crossed his arms. “Hess and Sable turned on each other. ”
Perry nodded, taking a huge bite of bread. His appetite for real food—not the Dwellers’ plastic-tasting meals—was enormous. The only thing he wanted more at the moment was a bed.
A bed with Aria in it, he amended.
“We should learn from that,” Reef continued. “We should take that as warning. We’re at risk of the very same thing happening here. ”
Perry swallowed. “What are you saying?”
“The Dwellers,” Molly explained. “They’re keeping their distance. They’re scared of us, Perry. That’s all. ”
Reef crossed his arms. “Fear is dangerous. It sparks violence much faster than anger. Doesn’t it, Peregrine?”
“It can, yes. ”
From the corner of his eye, Perry caught the small shake of Roar’s head. It felt so right, Reef’s lectures and Roar’s annoyance at Reef’s lectures. The moment strengthened him more than a bellyful of food.
“The Dwellers are harmless,” Molly said. “They’ll will mix with us now that Aria is back. I’m more concerned about other things. Perry, you said we needed Hovers to reach the Still Blue. . . . We only have two. ”
Perry acknowledged the problem and stated his position on the matter. Two Hovers wasn’t enough, but the Tides— and the Dwellers in the back—would stand together. He and Aria had agreed; they wouldn’t make a selection of people to go.
“I support that stance,” said Marron. “I’m behind you. ”
“I’m behind you,” said Reef, “but I don’t support that stance. Why should we all perish?”
“Hold on,” Twig said. “Isn’t there another option besides perishing?”
“We could try to locate more Hovers,” said Marron, slurring a little.
“From another Pod?” Reef shook his head. “We don’t have time for that. We don’t know if other Pods even exist anymore. ”
They wanted to take action, which Perry understood. It was always his impulse too. But this time, their best course was simply to wait.
Sable needed Cinder. He would come to them—soon. Perry had no doubt in his mind. But that knowledge would only put the tribe in a panic, so he held his tongue. The Tides would know soon enough.
As the debate continued, Perry’s gaze drifted to the children again. They took turns running up and smacking Straggler on the head, trying to get him to chase them. Cinder had moved off. He sat with Bear, looking especially small and frail next to the huge farmer whose life he’d saved.
