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They were so different, inside and out, but they stood exactly the same way Arms crossed Ankles crossed Their posture somehow both relaxed and alert It was as close as they’d come to each other since Roar’s return
"Like how they used to be," Brooke amended
"Has this ever happened before?"
"Never And I hate it"
Incredible They actually agreed on soainst the wall and closed her eyes The Hover hu, and the journey had turned smooth, but she kneouldn’t last
A team, Reef had called them earlier But they weren’t Not even close
They were six people with at least a dozen different agendas between them
It didn’t matter It couldn’t matter
They needed to rescue Cinder They needed a heading, and they needed Hovers to reach the Still Blue
Her eyes fluttered open, finding Roar
They needed revenge
8
PEREGRINE
Soren set the Belswan down in a clearing with a distance of about thirty miles between thee point and observe from a safe distance
Perry asked Roar to watch over the Belswan Souard it, and Perry needed Brooke for her eyes
Roar agreed with a shrug, and Jupiter offered to stay as well Perry waited outside, hoping Soren would stay too, but he e down the ramp behind Aria and Brooke
Soren still wore his pale gray Dweller clothes, which would make him stand out like a whale in the woods, and he had a forty-pound pack taken fro over his back
Perry shook his head "We’ll be back by tonight You know that, right?"
Soren shot hi look and marched on
They clis at the top of a hill The spot would give them plenty of cover Most importantly, it offered a clear view of the valley The Komodo itself lay hidden behind a small slope in the distance Hess and Sable would surely have sentinels posted along that ridge, and possibly also a patrol
Perry sat beside Aria on the sa in to watch They planned to assess their options fro closer
They’d left the Aether storm behind at the coast, and the Aether flowedin eddies He didn’t see the red sparks, but he had a feeling he would soon Thick clouds drifted across the sky, casting wide shadowed patches across the plateau, and he s
"What was it your father used to say about patience?" Aria said after a little while
Perry smiled "It’s a hunter’s best weapon," he said, happy she reo Her tehthearted coht?" he asked
She hesitated, the shadowed look in her eyes reuhtly She tipped her head "But Soren hed Soren had gutted his bag, e all its contents Supplies spilled everywhere around hi the distance
"Perry, due east," Brooke called from behind them
He searched the low hills there A Hover like the one that had taken Talon skimmed over the plateau
Soren shot to his feet in excite Fastest Hover in existence"
"It’s circling," Brooke said "It’s following a specific route around the Koreed
They kept up their surveillance into the afternoon asthe sky The patrol followed the same route every two hours Arathered in the cargo hold to discuss their options
"We can’t outrun a Dragonwing," Soren said He rapped his knuckles twice on the "
At the center of their circle was a light stick from the Belswan’s supplies Perry turned the dial down to liht had given hi is built to do two things," Soren continued "One, catch anything it wants, and two, destroy it If they’re running patrols, then they’re ready for us At the very least it otten we’re out here There’s no e can get close without drawing theht If that happens, we’re done for We’d be annihilated Wouldn’t we, Jup?"
Jupiter startled, surprised to hear his name Then he nodded "Definitely Very annihilated"
"Twig and I got close," Roar said He stood away froroup, alone by the open bay door, his dark clothes blending into the darkness "It’s not hard to do on foot"
A gust of cool air blew into the Hover It so on foot?" Soren said "All right, we could try that We could run up and throw spears at the Kouys have any of those catapult things? Those are chaed--he couldn’t care less about Soren’s com si coo, though it’d only been half a year
"What do you recohtly He had far less tolerance for Soren than Aria did
"I reco into the Ko heap But I hate to break the news to all of you: there’s no e’re getting one"
"There are a bunch of Dragonwings outside the Komodo, aren’t there?" Brooke said "We could divide up Soive the rest of you a chance to get close to the fleet on foot"
Soren snorted "You can’t just walk up and take a Hovercraft And a distraction would never work Any disturbance on a routine patrol would get reported back to the command leader at the Ko everyone on high alert"