Page 12 (1/2)

The Dweller with the black gloves kept co Perry had no weapon and Talon’s tee He backed away, retreating into the sea The Dweller followed hi unsteadily in the bulky suit as the surf crashed into his knees A wave rolled past, spraying his helmet Moles wouldn’t knoater, Perry realized He was ready when the next wave caether Saltwater surged into his nose, bringing him a shot of clarity Back to himself

He pried the clear sword out of the man’s hand as they tumbled into the shallows The wave slid back to the ocean, leaving the in a foot of water The Dweller reached up to shove hiht his head down and sank his teeth into the loved hand His canines punctured the ive offurther

The Dweller’s screah his heled himself out of the water and curled around his hand Perry slam out a burst of air that Perry recognized, noxious and thin One ainst the wet sand

Perry wrenched the eyepiece out of the pocket in the Dweller’s suit Then he lu up his bow and quiver

"Talon!"

He didn’t see his nephehere, only the Hover floating in place The hatch sealed shut With a blast of sand, it shot into the distance

He ran ho pain in his side He stopped at the top of a ridge From this far, the compound looked like a circle of stones in the valley below A sky teeht of the late afternoon Perry tilted his head, searching for scents on the storm winds No trace of Dwellers that he could tell

He sed up, a hand pressed to the knot the Dwellers had given him at his hairline Wylan had vo to hiht now," Wylan said He had a dark, feral look in his eyes "I heard those Moles They ca to tear you in half"

"He’ll need et Talon back," Perry said

Wylan leaned over and spat Then he laughed "Peregrine, you’re the last person Vale needs"

Perry found everyone in the clearing, speaking in cheerful tones that mixed with festive low to the gathering, setting it apart fro the coh the crowd, hiding behind woe scene, as if they didn’t see the Aether roiling above theht rain fire at any moment

Vale sat on one of the crates by the cookhouse, talking to Bear at his side He held a bottle in his hand and looked relaxed Content to watch the celebration

"Perry!" Brooke called, then she grabbed the arh the rest of the crowd, bringing the htened brays and bleats of the stabled ani off his face He hopped off the crate and ca the crowd behind Perry "Where’s Talon? Where’s Talon, Perry?"

Perry swayed He could see the bronze flecks in Vale’s green eyes "The Dwellers took him I couldn’t stop the away "What are you talking about, Peregrine?"

"The Dwellers took Talon" He couldn’t believe he’d spoken the words That they were true That he was there, telling Vale his son was gone

Vale’s dark eyebrows drew together "That can’t be We’ve done nothing to them"

Perry took in the stunned faces around the of disbelief wore off, the neould destroy him But Vale, as Blood Lord, as Talon’s father, shouldn’t have to endure it in front of the tribe

"Let’s go home," Perry said

Vale hesitated He looked as though he was going to follow Perry until Wylan spoke up "Tell him here Everyone should hear this"

Vale stepped closer "Start talking, Peregrine"

Perry sed hard "Ibroke into the Dweller fortress" It sounded ridiculous to hio," he added "After I left"

Vale would knoithout Perry saying it, that he’d gone after their fight That he’d acted like a frustrated child and done so rash, as he always did In the silence that followed, Perry’s breath came fast, like he’d just sprinted He scented dozens of tehts and colors and temperatures so potent that he felt sick

Vale’s face tightened with confusion "They came for my boy because of what you did?"

Perry shook his head "They came for me Talon was just there"

He couldn’t look at his brother any longer He stared at the juround In the next instant, his head rocked to the side and then his shoulder slaainst the earth He looked up at Vale, a shot of heat flooding his veins He was at his brother’s feet He should stay there He deserved this But he couldn’t