“Forty?” She couldn’t believe it. Forty cannibals were after him? For days, she’d imagined reaching her mother in Bliss. She imagined Lumina sending a Hover for her. With the footage of Soren, she’d clear her name of any wrongdoing and start over in Bliss. But what about Perry? Would he ever be able to leave Marron’s? If he did, would he always have to run from the Croven?
Marron shook his head at his wine. “In these harsh times, the Croven fare well. ”
Roar nodded. “They destroyed the Blackfins a few months ago. They’re a tribe west of here. They’d suffered a few lean years, like most. Then the Aether storms came and hit their compound directly. ”
“We were there,” Perry said, glancing at her. “It was the place with the broken roof. ”
Aria swallowed through a thick throat, imagining the power of the storm that had leveled that place. Perry had found her boots and coat there. She’d worn the Blackfins clothes for days.
“They took a cruel hit,” Perry said.
“They did,” Roar agreed. “They lost half of their number to the storms in one day. Lodan, their Blood Lord, sent word to Vale, offering to pledge what was left of his tribe to the Tides. This is the highest form of shame to a Blood Lord, Aria. ” He paused, his dark eyes darting to Perry. “Vale refused the offer. He claimed he couldn’t take on any more hungry mouths. ”
Perry looked stung. “Vale didn’t tell me. ”
“Of course not, Perry. Would you have supported his decision?”
“No. ”
“As I heard it,” Roar continued, “Lodan was heading toward the Horns. ”
“To Sable?” Marron asked.
Roar nodded. “There’s a place people speak of,” he told Aria. “A place free of the Aether. They call it the Still Blue. Some say it’s not real. Just a dream of a clear sky. But from time to time, people get to whispering about it. ”
Roar looked back at Perry. “There’s more noise than I’ve ever heard out there. People are saying Sable’s discovered it. Lodan was convinced. ”
Perry sat forward. He looked ready to spring from his chair. “We need to find out if it’s true. ”
Roar’s hand settled on his knife. “If I go to Sable, it won’t be to ask questions about the Still Blue. ”
“If you go to Sable, it will be to deliver my sister as you should have. ” Perry’s tone had grown cold. Aria’s eyes darted from Roar to Perry.
“What happened to the Fins?” Marron asked. He calmly cut his meat into a perfect square, like he had no idea of the sudden tension in the room.
Roar took a long drink before he spoke. “The Fins were already weakened when illness hit them in the open. Then the Croven came and took the strongest children into their fold. To the rest . . . well, they did what the Croven do. ”
Aria looked down. The sauce on her plate had begun to look too red.
“Terrible,” Marron said, nudging his plate away. “The stuff of nightmares. ” He smiled at her. “You’ll soon leave this all behind, my dear. Perry told me your mother is a scientist. What sort of research does she do?”
“Genetics. I don’t know much beyond that. She works for the committee that oversees all the Pods and the Realms. The Central Governing Board. It’s high-level research. She’s not allowed to talk about it. ”
Aria was embarrassed at how it sounded. Like her own mother couldn’t trust her with information. “She’s very dedicated. She left to work in another Pod a few months ago,” she added, feeling the need to say something more.
“Your mother is not in Reverie?” Marron asked.
“No. She had to go to Bliss to do some research. ”
Marron set his wine down so fast it spilled over the edges of the crystal, soaking into the cream table linen.
“What is it?” Aria asked.
Marron’s rings winked red and blue as he gripped the arms of his chair. “There’s a rumor from the traders who came around last week. It’s only a rumor, Aria. You heard what Roar said about the Still Blue. People talk. ”
The room turned around her. “What’s the rumor?”
“I’m so sorry to tell you. Bliss was struck by an Aether storm. They said it was destroyed. ”