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Roar wheeled and faced him directly. “You blame me! I was there and I couldn’t protect her—”
“No. ”
“I told you I’d bring her home and I didn’t. I lost her. I—”
“No, Roar,” he said again. “No one on this earth would have fought harder for her than you—and that includes me. You think I haven’t thought about what I could’ve done to get her back? To have stopped it from happening?”
Roar’s eyes blazed with intensity, but he said nothing.
“I don’t blame you,” Perry said. “Stop acting like I do, because I don’t. ”
“When I showed up at the cave, you couldn’t even stand to look at me. ”
“That’s in your head. ”
“It’s not. You’re hardly subtle. ” Roar waved a hand. “About anything. ”
“You vain bastard. I wasn’t avoiding you. You just sulk whenever you’re not the center of attention. ”
Roar lifted his shoulders. “Maybe that’s true, but you were acting like Liv never existed. I was on my own. ”
“Which was a disaster. You’re miserable on your own. And stupid. Turning back in the Komodo was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Without question. ”
Roar smiled. “You’re making this so easy, Perry. ” A laugh burbled out of him, but it didn’t taper off. What started as a chuckle gained momentum, growing in volume.
Roar’s laugh was wicked and high-pitched, resembling the cackle of a wild turkey. It was one of the funniest sounds Perry had ever heard; he was powerless against it. Soon they were both howling, standing in the middle of a place that was, and wasn’t, home.
By the time they settled down and took the trail back to the cave, Perry’s ribs ached.
“Why were we laughing?”
Roar gestured to the south, where Aether funnels scored down to the earth. “Because of that. Because the world is ending. ”
“That shouldn’t be funny. ”
Apparently it was, because it got them started again.
Perry had no idea if he’d expressed half of what he’d intended. He knew he’d been selfish, leaving Roar to deal with Liv’s death alone. He hadn’t let himself accept that she was gone, so he’d failed his friend, and himself, but he meant to change that. He was terrible at falling—Roar was right about that—but nothing ever kept him down.
As they walked back to the cave, a piece of him that had been broken felt whole again. Nothing looked the same or smelled the same, and maybe the world was ending, but he and Roar would walk to that end side by side.
When they arrived, they found the main cavern empty, everyone already gone to sleep. Perry left Roar and headed for his tent, half-asleep himself.
Reef and Marron intercepted him on the way.
“A few words?” Reef said.
“Sure,” Perry said. “A few. ” He was so tired; every time he blinked he felt like he dreamed.
“Did you and Roar talk?” Marron asked.
Perry nodded. “Just did. ”
Marron smiled. “Good. ”
“He’s selfish and arrogant,” said Reef.
“But he’s good for Perry, Reef,” Marron said.
