Reef stoppered the cork on his water skin with a firm thump. Perry let out a slow breath, his hope of spending a night alone with Aria vanishing. Without his guard, his life would be at risk. Here in the borderlands, survival was the only rule. They’d been protecting him since he left his territory. Twig and Gren were out there, listening and watching for danger. He took a water skin from his leather satchel, his movements casual and slow though he was still out of breath. I’ve been out here a hundred times on my own. Sunup, Perry? You think the Tides want to lose another Blood Lord? He picked up his things, shouldering them with an impatient tug. He knew exactly what Perry felt right now, moments away from seeing Aria. Perry couldn’t read his own tempers, but he could imagine the scents Reef had taken in. But that’s not why we’ve come after her, he said. He didn’t downplay his Sense like Perry did. He tipped his head and inhaled, the gesture bold and animal. Reef strode up, coming to within a foot of Perry, and narrowed his eyes. You said she could help us find the Still Blue. Usually he kept up without any effort, but two days at a driving pace had brought out the decade between them. Reef drew a sleeve across his face, pushing his braids away and wiping off sweat.
Perry climbed down, landing with a soggy crunch on a patch of melting snow. Now Reef was the head of his guard, seldom leaving his side. Just a few months ago they’d been strangers. Sweat glistened on his deep brown skin, running along the scar that reached from the base of his nose to above his ear, dividing his cheek, and he was breathing heavily. He inhaled and caught the smoky scent on a cool gust. Perry tensed as he spotted the tail of a campfire in the distance. Much of his territory, two days to the west, looked the same. Scorched, silver in color, it was a scar left by the winter’s storms. He scanned the rolling hills, his gaze stopping at a barren stretch of land. The sky was coated with a thick layer of clouds that glowed softly with Aether light. Then he jumped up, leaping from rock to rock until he stood at the top. He reached a rise of boulders and dropped his bow, quiver, and satchel. Roar had told him she was back on the outside, had even delivered a violet with a message as proof, but Perry wouldn’t believe it until he saw her. He kept his stride even as he scanned the darkened woods, though his heart hammered in his chest. Perry followed her scent, moving swiftly through the night.