Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3)(41)

“Thanks, man,” Soren said, his tone earnest. “If I see her again, I’m going to do that.”

If.

It seemed like that if was always there. The tick after the passing of every second.

If they got out of the Komodo—

If they reached the Still Blue—

If she saw Perry again—

She wanted the conversation to turn back to lighter things, to Roar’s stories and Soren’s sarcasm, but the moment had passed.

Aria wiped her cheeks, as though it would erase a few hours of crying from her face. She sat up, moving to the edge of her bed.

Soren sat on the lower bunk opposite her, his boxy frame propped over his knees. He was kneading his hands. Roar leaned against the bed frame, his crossed feet wiggling anxiously. Seeing her, they both froze.

She knew she must look like a mess. She felt like she had a sticky, salty film over her skin. Her eyes were almost swollen shut, she’d given herself a crying headache, and her wounded arm, her vestigial appendage, was curled tightly at her side.

It was a stupid time for vanity, considering everything that was happening, but she couldn’t remember ever feeling so pathetic.

Roar climbed up and sat beside her. He brushed her damp hair off her forehead and stared down at her with so much concern in his brown eyes that she had to fight back a fresh wave of tears.

“I hope you’re still angry with me,” he said. “I deserve it.”

She smiled. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Damn,” he said.

Aria looked at Soren, eager to focus on getting out of there again. “Did you talk to your father when they took you earlier?”

He nodded. “I did. He said his hands are tied. He didn’t actually use those words, but it was all this ‘Sable and I have a contract’ and ‘Sable is not one to underestimate others’ type of thing.”

She locked eyes with Roar and knew they were thinking the same thing: Hess was afraid of Sable. It didn’t surprise her. Was there anyone who didn’t fear Sable?

“My father said he would take me and you back,” Soren said to her. “He’ll bring us to the Still Blue. But no one else. The Hovers outside are all they have, and they’re expecting the crossing to be pure Aethery hell. He said he can’t take anyone who’d make it more difficult.”

His gaze flicked to Roar, but it wasn’t hostile. If anything, it was apologetic.

“You should go with him, Soren,” Aria said. “You did everything you could. You should save yourself.”

He shook his head. “I finish what I start.” He ran a hand over his hair and lifted his shoulders. “And anyway, I’m not going to just leave you two here.”

You two.

It was a subtle nod to Roar, who went still at her side, absorbing it. Then he tipped his head at Soren, like they’d come to a silent understanding.

Progress, she thought, feeling a small surge of optimism.

At least here, between these two, walls were coming down.

[page]*

A short while later, the door slid open.

Loran stood at the threshold, his intense gaze settling on her. “Come with me. Quickly.”

Aria didn’t hesitate; she slipped off the bunk and followed him into the corridor.

He was alone, she noticed. Earlier he had brought two other men to escort her to the meeting, but she’d been with Roar then.

Next she noticed the quiet emptiness of the halls. She tuned her ears, unnerved. The sounds drifting through the corridors were odd: the soft groan of metal, a faint screeching sound that raised the hair along the back of her neck. She knew that sound.

“There’s a storm outside,” Loran said quietly. He walked behind her, where he could anticipate any move she made. She knew without looking that his hand rested on the gun at his belt. “The Aether’s close. Only a mile or so away. The fleet of Hovers needed to be moved to safety, so we’re at half capacity.”

He was an Aud, she realized. He had noticed her focused hearing. Recognized it.

“What about the Komodo?” she asked. “Are we moving?”

“The Komodo isn’t fast enough to outrun the storm. Hess says we’re better off staying put.”

She slowed, coming even with him, surprised he was telling her so much. Loran scowled, but she remembered his good-natured smile when he’d sparred with Liv.

“I saw you in Rim,” she said. “Liv liked you.”

His eyes softened. “I was lucky to have known her.”

The comment was earnest and almost tender. She studied him, her curiosity increasing. His hair was black and long enough to skim the collar of his uniform. A long, pointed nose and high eyebrows gave him a natural air of superiority. He looked older than Sable by a decade.

He pressed his lips into a grim line when he caught her staring. “You’re going to run into a wall that way. Turn right up ahead.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere. Hopefully in this lifetime, but at the pace you’re setting, that’s uncertain.”

They came to a door flanked by Horn soldiers.

“Ten minutes,” Loran told them. “No one comes in that room.”

One of the men by the door nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Loran’s gaze flicked to Aria, his eyebrows knitting together. She saw dread and anticipation in his expression, and horrible thoughts crashed into her mind.