Page 36 (1/2)

Roar didn’t blink as he watched her When she finished, Roar shook his head "Ariathat wasI can’t evenPerry, you have no idea"

Perry forced hiood," he said, but he wondered how her voice would sound to Roar, who heard infinitely more tones

When they stepped into the close space of the elevator, Aria’s scents flooded into his nose, a combination of violets and sweat and pride and power He felt it all like a surge of strength inside hiround Perry couldn’t stop hi his hand on the small of her back Told himself he’d do this just once Then he’d stay away

She looked up at hi to her sweated neck Roar ith the, too He’d never been as tempted by her, by the warm muscle he felt beneath the palm of his hand

"You did well today"

She smiled, fire in her eyes "I know I did," she said "And thanks"

Chapter 32

ARIA

Aria spent two days training with Roar as they waited Knots of Aether threatened in the distance, but the flows above Delphi held in steady streaht It never did what you wanted

With every passing hour, her hope of finding Luo She couldn’t let herself believe she was alone She would never stop hoping, and that , either The only way out of the agony was to go to Bliss and find out the truth Learning the knife beca across the cement with Roar, there was no room for worry or hurt or questions So she practiced with hi Aria knew the Croven were still out there, but at least no one heard the ringing of their bells at dusk anymore

They heard opera

On the third , she stepped out of the elevator to a new sky, shot through with swirls of blue light The eddies ran calhter and faster on the horizon It was Van Gogh’s Starry Night, right before her eyes

She had a feeling this was the day they’d leave

She picked up the wooden knife Yesterday she’d struck Roar twice It wasn’t much, especially compared with the hundreds of tiood hit was all it took Roar had taught her that

She had no illusions of becohter This wasn’t the Realht delivered a result But she also knew she’d given herself a better chance And in life, at least in her new life, chances were the best she could hope for They were like her rocks I run than certainties Chances, she thought, were life

On the horizon, the nized as funnels Aria watched,and heating through her lith as fierce as the never sky

She decided to go through some maneuvers on her own since she’d arrived early Gusts whipped up over the roof, the sound lulling her, as she lost herself inthere when she finally saw hiainst the wooden rail, his arms crossed as he stared across the treetops She was surprised to see hi sessions with Roar, but he’d kept a distance And she’d hardly seen hied hisher to Bliss

"Is it time?" she asked

"No" He tipped his chin "But that looks proht, I’d say" He picked up the other practice knife "Roar’s still asleep, but I’ll train with you until he gets here"

"Oh," she said, because it was better than blurting You? Like she’d alht" Aria drew a slow breath, her sto with nerves

As soon as they squared up, she knew this wouldn’t be the same at all Perry was much taller and broader than Roar Fearless and direct Nothing like Roar’s light-footed grace And it was Perry

"Is that the hand you usually fight with?" she asked He had the knife in his good hand, the bandaged one held out for balance

He grinned "Yeah, but I e ht on fire She couldn’t look at hiht on your feet Watch for the signs Roar’s lessons flew froht as she stared into his eyes was how green they were How strong his shoulders looked How, really, he was grand Finally she couldn’t stand her own giddy thoughts anyht side, his ht than Roar

Perry sain

"What?" she asked

"I don’t know" He wiped his sleeve over his forehead

"Are you laughing?"

"I was, yeah Your fault, but I apologize anyway"

"It’s ?" Did he think she was that easy an opponent? Shethe wooden blade in a low arc Perry leaped to the side, but Aria grazed him on the ar

Aria swiped her sweaty hand on her pants Perry got back into his stance, but only for a htened and tossed his blade aside