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PEREGRINE

The Croven were chanting when Perry strode out to the roof He braced the rail with his good hand and looked out across the pine forest, listening to the distant ringing of their bells His legs twitched with the need to run To escape Even noith nothing between him and the sky, he felt trapped

It couldn’t be true He had bla He’d taken the Smarteye, and the Dwellers had come after him Noondered--was it possible the Dwellers had Talon for an experi at the hands of Aria’s mother? A woman who stole innocent children?

He yanked an arrow fro that he was too far That he couldn’t even see the theainst the elevator box, cradling his throbbing hand

He spent the rest of the night staring at the Aether, thinking of Talon and Cinder and Roar and Liv How everything was about searching and ether the way it should By daith daylight creeping to meet the Aether, all he could think about was Aria’s face as her world had shifted around her It had torn her open to learn she was like him He’d scented it Her te into his nose Straight to his gut

He couldn’t have slept more than an hour when Roar came up to the roof He perched on the rail with the cat’s balance of an Aud, no trace of fear at the huge drop behind hie in his eyes

"She didn’t know about the work her mother does, Perry You saw her She was just as stunned as you"

Perry sat up and rubbed his tired eyes Hison cement "What do you want, Roar?" he asked

"I’e Aria said to come down if you want to see Talon"

Aria and Marron were in the coot there

She rose from the couch when she saw him Purple shadows darkened the skin beneath her eyes Perry couldn’t help but breathe in deeply, searching the room for her teer and shae, like hi out her Set into the Realnature didn’t work They’ve blocked me"

Perry’s knees almost buckled That was it He’d lost his chance to find Talon Then why had they brought hihting a sht be able to, Perry"

"Me?"

"Yes They’ve only blocked ht be able to"

Marron nodded "The device reads a signature in tays DNA and brain pattern recognition Aria’s signature was denied right away But with you, I can try to create some static, some noise in the authentication process We ran soht I think we could steal some time before you’re identified as an unauthorized user It could work"

It made no sense to him All he heard was the last bit It could work

"My mother’s file had the security codes to her research," Aria said "If Talon’s there, we ht be able to find him"

Perry sed hard "I can find Talon?"

"We can try"

"When?"

Marron raised his eyebrows "Now"

Perry headed to the elevator, suddenly weightless on his legs, until Marron held his hand up "Wait, Peregrine It’s better if we do this up here"

Perry froze He’d forgotten about what he did downstairs Shaaze "I can’t fix it But I’ll find a way to pay you back"

Marron didn’t answer for a long rine One day I think I’ll be glad you owe reement, and strode to one of the display cases on the rear wall He pretended to observe a painting of a lone boat ray beach as he tried to collect himself He’d et Aria ho a tribe of cannibals to Marron’s door and then break a valuable piece of equipment? How could Marron have faith in him?

Behind hi hi he wasn’t even sure he understood Perry had begun to sweat It rolled down his spine, along his ribs

"You all right, Perry?" Roar said

"Hand hurts," he said, lifting his arm It wasn’t entirely a lie They all looked at hiotten about it Perry couldn’t blaotten about it too

Within a fewwith her quietly Rose handed Aria a metal case and left

Aria sat next to Perry on one of the couches He watched her cut through the cast on his left hand, her fingers trehtly He drew in her temper She was just as scared as he was about what they’d find in the Real Not the truth about herself, or about her mother’s work

Perry remembered what she’d said in her rooether

She’d been right It had been easier with her Perry placed his right hand on hers

"Are you all right?" he whispered It wasn’t what he wanted to know Of course she wasn’t all right What he wanted to knoas if the together part still h he was confused and sorry and angry, it still mattered to hireed Whatever else caether

His hand looked one down The blisters had flattened The patches that looked wrinkled and dark worried hiers and that was all he’d hoped for He sneezed at the caustic scent of the gel Aria spread over the charred skin, and then he sweat even more at the cool burn that seeped deep into his knuckles It was a strange thing, sitting on a silk couch and sweating in place Not so he liked

Marron cae He moved to put the Smarteye on him and then handed it to Aria "Perhaps you can do it"