Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3)(52)

“You think I don’t know that? That is precisely why I need to know how deep he has already struck before we proceed. A coup won’t work unless I can trust those who enact it. In eight hours, when everything is in place, we’ll leave the Komodo behind and take the Hovers.”

“Give me a knife,” Roar said. “I’ll end this in ten minutes.”

“Do you think I haven’t considered that?” Hess said. “What do you think the Horns would do if Sable were slain? Lay down their weapons and surrender?”

Perry knew they wouldn’t. With their survival at stake, they would stand and fight with or without Sable. In order for the Tides to be in, the Horns needed to be out—all of them. “Two hours, Hess.”

“Impossible. I need time to coordinate the effort, or he’ll know. He watches everything. He is shrewd, manipulative, and organized. He is a nightmare. A demon that wears a smile as he sinks his fangs into you.”

“He’s human,” Perry said. “I’ll prove it to you when I cut out his heart.”

The comment seemed to get through to Hess. His brow furrowed in concentration; his small eyes honed in on Perry. “Four hours. Not a minute less.”

Perry nodded, accepting the compromise. He glanced at Roar and Aria, wanting to get them out of there now, but Sable couldn’t suspect anything. That meant they needed to stay put.

“What about this meeting?” Aria asked. “What if he finds out about us?”

“Right now,” Hess said, “we are experiencing an unfortunate mechanical malfunction caused by an Aether storm. Coincidentally, that has happened while Sable and most of his men happen to be in other units of the Komodo. The few Horns who are in this one are in areas suffering from complete power outages. They’re being watched by my men with night-vision eyewear as they fumble about in the dark.”

“You staged this entire thing?” Aria asked.

“Sable is deep on the inside. It was the only way.” Hess turned the flashlight on Perry. “The only thing I didn’t account for was natural night vision among my captives. You could have ruined everything if I hadn’t intercepted you.”

Perry said nothing. Planning the Komodo’s breakdown so they could meet in secret was a smart move. He only hoped Hess could continue to outmaneuver Sable. “You have to stay away from him. Sable will know if you plan to betray him, just as I’d know.”

Hess waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t understand. He will scent your distrust. Your intention to betray him.”

“I said I will take care of it,” Hess repeated. “Four hours. No one even thinks about leaving until then. And I need an assurance from you, Peregrine. If I do this, you promise me you’ll get Cinder to break through that wall. You make sure he does it, or we have no deal.”

Perry felt sick, but he held Hess’s gaze. “You have my word.”

The tension eased from Hess’s face. “Good.”

Aria inched closer. Perry felt her arm rest against his, but he couldn’t look at her. He didn’t want to see her disappointment—or her approval. Barely a second had passed and he already wanted to unmake his own promise.

“Is that all?” Hess said.

“No,” Perry said. “I’m going to need some clothes.” He wanted his own clothes. The reassuring weight and toughness of leather and wool. But he’d settle for anything that would keep the bruises Sable had given him out of sight.

Hess nodded. “Of course.”

Emergency lights flickered on, a deep crimson color washing over the small room.

“Hurry!” Hess said. “We’re out of time. Back to your chamber!”

Perry pulled Aria to his chest, wrapping his aching arms around her. He caught Roar’s eye. “Keep her safe.”

Roar nodded. “Of course. With my life.”

Perry pressed a kiss to the top of Aria’s head; then he plunged back through the corridors until he was imprisoned again.





[page]UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

..................................................................





29


ARIA


How much time is left, Soren?” Roar asked.

“When you asked me that five minutes ago, I guessed three hours.”

“What’s your guess now, Soren?”

“Two hours and fifty-five minutes, Roar.”

Roar dropped his head, peering at Aria through a fringe of brown hair. “I knew he was going to say that.”

She forced a smile, feeling restless too. Three more hours until she was free of this room and back with Perry.

The Komodo was moving again, but at a slower pace. She imagined what the caravan would look like from outside: uncoiled, stretched out like a centipede under a sky full of Aether funnels. Every few minutes, the room shifted without warning and she braced, expecting it to stop, but the Komodo kept grinding along.

“You know what I want to know?” Soren said from the other bunk. “Why neither one of you is talking about Perry. Is torture normal out here? Is it like, ‘Yeah, I was brutalized today. Kind of boring. What about you—what did you do?’”