“You had him kidnapped,” Perry said. “You set me up. . . . Why?” Then he remembered the Dweller dome with all the rotting food. So much. Enough to waste. “Was it for food, Vale? Did you get that desperate?”

Bear stepped forward. “Our stores are full, Peregrine. Sable’s second shipment came last week.”

“No,” Perry said. “Liv ran. Sable couldn’t have sent the food. Liv never went to the Horns.”

For a moment no one moved. Then Bear shifted, his thick eyebrows knotting in suspicion. “How do you know that?”

“I saw Roar. He’s looking for her. He’s coming here in the spring. He might have Liv with him by then.”

Vale’s face tightened with rage, the last of his guard vanishing. He was caught. “Talon’s better off in there!” he growled. “If you saw him, you’d know he is!”

Shouts of surprise erupted around them.

Perry shook his head in disbelief. “You sold him to the Dwellers?” He didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it earlier. Vale had done the same thing to Liv. Sold her for food. Only it was justified by custom. Archaic, Aria had called it. Perry saw that now.

How many times had Vale lied to him? About how many things?

He caught sight of Brooke in the crowd. “Clara . . . ,” he said, remembering Brooke’s sister. “Brooke, he did it to Clara, too. He sold her to the Dwellers.”

Brooke turned to Vale and screamed. She lunged forward, arms swinging as Wylan stepped in and held her back.

“Vale, is this true?” Bear’s voice boomed.

Vale flung a hand at the sky. “You don’t know what it’s like getting food out of this!” Then he scanned the crowd, stunned, like he realized he’d lost the Tides. He turned back to Perry and drove his knife into the dirt at his feet.

Perry let his own knife fall. They were brothers. This wouldn’t happen with something as cold as a blade.

Vale didn’t wait. He charged low, slamming into Perry’s waist, the power driving through him explosive. In the moment they collided, Perry knew Vale was the toughest opponent he would ever fight. Perry surged backward, his teeth slamming together, but his feet weren’t quick enough.

They fell together, Vale’s shoulder thrusting the air from Perry’s lungs. The instant after Perry hit the ground, he took a blow across the jaw that stunned him. He blinked hard, unable to see, bringing his arms up to cover his face as punches hailed down on him. Perry couldn’t gather his bearings. For the first time it occurred to him that fighting might come as easily to Vale as it did to him.