When he was finished, Soren stood and nodded. “Got it,” he said, jogging off.
Then Roar hopped to his feet. “Shoot straight, Per.”
As he turned to leave, Perry caught him by the arm. “Roar—” He didn’t know what else to say. He had so little left, and if this plan didn’t work—
“It’s going to work, Perry.” Roar tipped his chin toward the clearing. “Let’s finish the bastard.” He jogged off, steps silent as he worked his way to the opposite side of the clearing.
As he watched Roar stalk through the trees, Perry had never been more grateful for his sharp eyes. His heart pounded as Roar drew closer to his target, settling into position.
Hidden in the woods behind Kirra.
Perry needed to use her, just as she’d used him.
The music stopped abruptly—that meant Soren had done his part. He’d made his way to the musicians, found Jupiter, and told him to stop playing.
Roar came next. Across the clearing, he raised his hand, signaling. He was ready.
Perry’s focus turned to the Horn soldier nearest to him. He pulled himself to his feet, legs coiled as he counted down
Three.
Two.
One.
He sprang from his hiding place, knowing Roar was doing the same across the clearing. His legs churned over the soft earth as he ran to the Horn soldier.
“Sable!”
Roar’s shout broke the silence like a thunderclap. Hundreds of heads turned toward his voice—away from Perry as he grabbed the soldier by the neck, laying a forearm over the man’s mouth to stifle his protests. Perry hauled him into the darkness, back behind the cover of the shrub. Then he took the man’s pistol, lifted the weapon, and delivered a quick strike to the temple. The soldier’s head snapped to the side and he dropped, unconscious. Perry jumped up and sprinted the short distance to the clearing.
Everywhere, people rose to their feet, craning to see Roar, who held Kirra by the throat, using her body as a shield.
Perry dove into the crowd, sinking into his legs to minimize his height. Twig saw him and gasped, opening his mouth to say something. Perry shook his head, holding his finger to his lips.
Twig nodded.
A few more eyes darted Perry’s way. Old Will. Brooke and Clara. A murmur rose up around him but it faded quickly. The message passed through the crowd like a silent ripple: he was there—but he was to be concealed. The Tides understood. They gave no outward sign that he was among them. They kept the surprise from their faces, but he scented their tempers. He knew exactly how overcome they were to see him alive. The force of their emotion added to his resolve.
As he wove past Straggler and Old Will toward the high table at the center, Roar’s voice was the only sound he heard.
“Call them off, Sable! Tell your men to stand down, or I’ll kill her!”
Perry reached the edge of the crowd. The wooden dais stretched before him, Sable only a dozen paces away.
And Aria.
“Call your men off and I’ll let her go!” Roar yelled. “This is between us! It’s about Liv.”
Sable took a pistol from Aria’s father and stood. “I can’t say I’m surprised to see you.”
Gasps erupted from across the clearing as the crowd surged back, clearing the field between them.
“You have a debt to pay.” Roar’s voice sounded rough, hoarse with anger. His diversion was working; all eyes remained fixed on him.
Perry lifted the gun and aimed at Sable, searching for a clear shot. He found it. A kill shot, right to the back of his head. Steadying his breath, he exerted steady pressure on the trigger.
Aria shifted, suddenly in the way.
Perry let up, his heart climbing to his throat, but he wasted no time. He crept around the dais in search of another angle, knowing he had only seconds before the Horns spotted him.
“Sable, do something!” Kirra pleaded, struggling against Roar.
“No one else has to get hurt,” Roar yelled. “Only you. You need to pay for what you did!”
Sable raised the pistol in a quick, precise motion. “I disagree,” he said.
Then he fired.
51
ARIA
The gunshot shook the air. An instant later, Roar and Kirra collapsed to the earth.
Aria reacted without thinking, throwing herself into Sable. She rammed into his shoulder and they crashed to the platform. The hard edge of a plank bit into her back, Sable’s weight smashing her down. They rolled off together, onto the grass.
She twisted as they fell, grabbing the pistol in his hand. Her fingers found the trigger and squeezed. She heard the weapon fire just as Sable’s fist struck her across the temple.
Pain burst deep in her skull, a blaze that shot all the way down her spine, and everything went dark. The only thing she knew was that she still gripped the gun.
But then it tore from her fingers as unseen hands closed on her arms and wrenched her upright. They pulled with such force that her neck snapped forward, her chin hitting her breastbone.
Aria lifted her head. She couldn’t see—not the earth beneath her feet or the people around her. She blinked hard, trying to recover her vision. Trying to stay on her feet.
When her eyes cleared, she thought she’d died. That she’d shot herself while trying to kill Sable. It was the only explanation for why Perry stood only ten paces away, on the platform, pointing a gun at Sable.
Perry stepped down to the ground. Shouts exploded around the clearing. A dozen of Sable’s guards aimed their weapons at Perry.