Page 8 (1/2)

Talon had stirred his food for a while,lumpy mounds with his spoon Now he looked everywhere but at his bowl It pained Perry to see his nephew looking so drawn

"We’re hunting, right?" Perry asked Hunting would give hiet Talon away froive hiht a few in secret just for Talon when traders brought the "But the Aether"

"I’ll keep us clear of it Coo for a bit"

Talon scrunched his nose, leaned forward, and whispered, "I can’t leave the compound anymore My father said"

Perry frowned "When did he say that?"

"Ummthe day after you left?"

Perry pushed down a flare of anger, wanting to keep his nephew fro? Talon loved it "We could be back before he knew"

"Uncle Perry"

Perry glanced over his shoulder, following Talon’s line of vision to the table in the back "What, you think the Ears heard h he knew they had Perry whispered a few suggestions to the Auds Ideas for what they could go do to themselves, rather than listen to other people’s conversations His suggestions brought several hard stares

"Look at that, Talon You’re right They can hear me Should’ve known I can s frorinned He’d lost a few milk teeth His s frohed

"Shut up, Peregrine," Wylan called out "You heard him He’s not supposed to leave You want Vale to knohat you’re doing?"

"Your choice, Wylan Tell Vale or not You want to deal with him or me?"

Perry knew the answer Vale’s form of punishht watch in the winter Miserable, all, but to a vain critter like Wylan, better than the beating Perry could give hied hi up He put himself in the alley between the tables, Talon well behind him

Wylan, at the lead, stopped a few paces away "Peregrine, you streaky idiot So on outside"

It took Perry aoutside and were si out He stepped aside as the Auds poured past hi after

Perry went back to Talon His nephew’s bowl had spilled Gruel dripped through a knot in the table "I thought" He glared at the worn planks "You knohat I thought"

Talon knew better than anyone how Perry’s blood was pri worse Lately, if there was a scuffle to be had, Perry found a way to rowing stronger every year with the storms He felt like his body had a will of its own Always looking Preparing for the only fight that would satisfy hie for Blood Lord, the loser died or was forced to disperse Perry couldn’t i Talon fatherless And he couldn’t force his brother and his sick nephew out in the open There were no laws in the borderlands beyond tribe territories, only survival

That left one choice He needed to leave Dispersing was the best thing he could do for Talon It meant that Talon could stay and live out the rest of his days in the safety of the compound It also meant he’d never help the Tides like he knew he could

Outside, people crowded around the clearing The afternoon air thickened with excited tempers Brisk scents But no traces of fear Dozens of voices chattered, muddled to his ears, but the Auds had surely overheard soht of Bear creating a wake as he h the crowd Wylan and a few others followed him out beyond the compound

"Perry! Up here!"

Brooke stood on the tile roof of the cookhouse, waving him up Perry wasn’t surprised to see her already there He cli crates stacked to the side of the structure, pulling Talon up with hiood view of the hills that formed the Tides’ eastern border Farreens, woven through by a line of trees that followed the underground river Perry could also see the stretches of Aether-blackened earth where the funnels had struck early in the spring

"There," Brooke said

He searched where she pointed He was a Seer like Brooke, saw better thanin the dark He knew of no other Seer like him and tried not to call attention to his vision