Page 16 (1/2)

She kept the fruit but handed the roots back Perry returned to the fire, too stunned to be offended No one handed food back

"The fire won’t burn into these trees," he said when she didn’t join hi each piece of fruit before she ate it "It won’t burn like that night"

"I just don’t like it," she said

"You’ll change your mind when the cold sets in"

Perry ate his own er dinner He wished he’d taken time to hunt Probably wouldn’t have worked even if he had Her constant blather had scared off game Nearly scared him off too He’d need to find food toht from the cave

"The boy as taken," she said "Is he your son?"

"How old do you think I am, Dweller?"

"I’m a little shaky on the fossil record, but I’d say fifty to sixty thousand years"

"Eighteen And no He’s not my son"

"I’hteen," she said after a few ured she aiting for hi fine, by the way I have a headache that won’t go away and my feet hurt like mad But I think I’ll live to see another day I can’t be sure, though The stories say diseases can creep up quietly"

Perry bit down into his teeth, thinking of Talon and Mila Was he supposed to feel sorry for her because she ine a life without disease or illness He took the two blankets fro hi Marron

"Why do you avoid looking at ly to Outsiders?"

"Which question do you want me to answer first?"

"It doesn’t matter You won’t answer anyway You don’t answer questions"

"You don’t stop asking the and you avoid looking You’re an avoider"

Perry flung the blanket at her She hadn’t been ready It hit her on the face "You’re not"

She snatched it away, shooting hih she sat beyond the circle of firelight

In the cover of darkness, he let the corner of his mouth lift

Hours later he woke to the sound of singing Quiet words, sung in a language he didn’t know, but that seemed familiar He’d never heard a voice like that So clear and rich He thought he irl She’d s as she rocked back and forth He caught the salty tang of tears in the air, and a cold slash of fear

"Aria," Perry said He surprised hi her name He decided it suited her There was a curious sound about it Like her very name was a question "What is it?"

"I saw Soren The one froht"

Perry ju He’d never liked fog It robbed hiest He breathed in deeply, careful to keep his movements subtle Her fear ith the woodsmoke, but there were no other Dweller scents

"You dreamed it There’s no one here except us"

"We don’t dream," she said

Perry frowned but decided not to eness of that now "There’s no trace of him here"

"I saw hi with him in a Realet away froain"

Now he didn’t knohat to do If she were his sister or Brooke, he would have held her He thought about telling her he’d keep her safe, but that wouldn’t be entirely true He would protect her But only as long as it took to get Talon back

"Could it have been a h your eyepiece?" he asked

"No," she said fir is, I sahat I recorded that night I recorded Soren when he wasattacking me" She cleared her throat "And that’s what I saw It’s likeback on its own"

That was called a dreaue over it "Is that why the Dwellers want it back? Because of the recording?"

She hesitated and then nodded "Yes It could ruin both Soren and his father"

He ran a hand over his hair Now he understood why the Dwellers wanted the eyepiece Had they taken Talon as barter? "So we have leverage?"

"If we can fix the Se of hope He’d been prepared to surrender hie for Talon Maybe he wouldn’t have to If the Dwellers wanted that eyepiece badly enough, it irl’s te to ease He threw on a fresh piece of wood and sat on the far side of the fire He couldn’t avoid looking at the eyepiece on her face now "Why do you wear that thing if it’s broken?" he asked