“What tribe’s he from?” Perry asked.
Roar took another drink before he answered. “I don’t know. He has the look of a northerner.” He glanced her way. Did she look like she was from the north? “But I couldn’t get it out of him. Wherever he’s from, believe me, I’d love to send him back. He’ll show up. He always does when his hunger gets the better of him. But don’t expect much from his company.”
Roar handed her the black bottle. “It’s called Luster. You’ll like it, trust me,” he said with a wink.
“You don’t look very trustworthy.”
“Looks can be misleading. I’m reliable to the core.”
Perry grinned. “I’ve known him his whole life. He’s full of something else to the core.”
Aria froze. She’d seen a glimpse of Perry’s smile earlier when he’d heard Roar, but now she saw it in full, directed completely at her. It was lopsided and punctuated by canines that couldn’t be ignored, but it was this fierce quality that made it so disarming. Like seeing a lion smile.
She suddenly felt like she was staring at him. She took a hasty drink from the bottle. Aria sputtered into her sleeve as the Luster rolled down her throat like lava, spreading heat across her chest. It tasted like spiced honey, thick and sweet and pungent.
“What do you think?” Roar asked.
“It’s like drinking a campfire, but it’s good.” She couldn’t look at Perry. She took another drink, hoping this one would go down without all the hacking. Another wave of fire seeped through her, heating her cheeks and settling warm in her stomach.
“You going to keep it all to yourself?” Perry asked.
“Oh. Sorry.” She handed it to him, her face growing hotter.
“How’s Talon?” Roar asked. “And Mila? She and Vale have any luck making Talon a brother?” His voice held a hint of wariness beneath the lighthearted words.
Perry sighed and set the bottle down. He ran a hand over his hair. “Mila got worse after you left. She died a few weeks ago.” He looked at Aria. “Mila is . . . was my brother Vale’s wife. Their son is named Talon. He’s seven.”
Blood rushed in Aria’s ears as she put the information together. This was the boy taken by her people. Perry was trying to rescue his nephew.
“I didn’t know,” Roar said. “Vale and Talon must be in hell.”
“Vale is.” Perry cleared his throat. “Talon’s gone. I lost him, Roar.” He brought his knees up and bowed his head, lacing his fingers behind his neck.
Even by the soft candlelight, Aria saw the color drain from Roar’s face. “What happened?” he asked quietly.
Perry’s wide shoulders drew together like he was containing something vast, keeping it trapped inside him. When he looked up, his eyes were glazed and red. In a hoarse voice, he told them a story Aria had been part of but had never heard. Of how he’d come into her world for medicines, to help a sick boy. A boy who’d been kidnapped by her people. He told Roar about their deal. Once Marron fixed her Smarteye, she’d reach her mother. He’d get Talon back and Lumina would bring Aria into Bliss.
They sat in silence after he’d finished. Aria heard only the stir of leaves when a breeze swept past. Then Roar spoke.
“I’m in. We’ll find them, Perry. Both Talon and Liv.”
Aria turned her face toward the shadows. She wished Paisley was there. She missed having her friend at her side.
Roar muttered a soft curse. “Prepare yourselves. Cinder’s back.”
A few moments later, the screen of leaves rustled then parted. A boy stood in the gap, his eyes dark and feral. He was shockingly thin. No more than a skeleton in filthy baggy clothes. He had fair skin. Nearly as fair as hers, Aria realized.
Cinder dropped beside her with a thump and leered at her through matted strands of dirty blond hair. His shirt hung so loose that Aria could see the way his collarbones stuck out like sticks.
Cinder’s gaze roamed over her face. His eyes were half-lidded with fatigue. “What are you doing out here, Dweller?” he asked suspiciously.
He sat too close. Aria scooted back. “I’m on my way home. To my mother.”
“Where’s she?”
“In Bliss. It’s one of our Pods.”
“Why did you leave?”
“I didn’t leave. I was thrown out.”
“You were thrown out but you want to go back? That’s barmy, Dweller.”
She guessed by Cinder’s expression that barmy meant something close to crazy. “I guess, when you put it like that.”
Roar tossed a piece of bread onto the ground. “Take it and be gone, Cinder.”
“It’s all right,” Aria said. Cinder might lack manners, but it was a cold night and where would he go? Out there by himself? “He can stay. It’s fine with me.”
Cinder picked up the bread and bit off a piece. “She wants me to stay, Roar.”
Aria could see his jawbone moving up and down as he chewed. “My name is Aria.”
“She even told me her name,” Cinder said. “She likes me.”
“Not for long,” Roar muttered.
Cinder looked at her, gnashing at the bread with his mouth open. Aria looked away. He was being crude on purpose.
“You’re right,” he said. “I think she already changed her mind.”
“Shut your mouth, Cinder.”
“How am I supposed to eat?”
Roar sat up. “That’s enough.”