Roar’s gaze moved to the edge of the field. “Look, here comes cheerfulness himself.”

Perry spotted Reef and smiled. Only Roar could entertain him at a time like this.

Reef gave him a report of the rest of the damage. They’d lost forestland to the south, adjacent to areas leveled by fires they’d had over the winter. “It just looks like a bigger stretch of ashes now,” Reef said. Every last one of the Tides’ beehives had been destroyed, and the water from both of the wells at the compound had been tainted and now tasted like ash.

With Reef’s report finished, Perry couldn’t avoid what had happened at the jetty any longer. Roar was spinning his knife in his hand, a trick he did when he grew bored. Perry knew he could say anything in front of him, but he still had to force his next words out.

“You saved my life, Reef. I owe you—”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Reef interrupted. “An oath is an oath. Something you could stand to learn.”

Roar slid the knife back into the sheath at his belt. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Reef ignored him. “You swore to protect the Tides.”

Perry shook his head. Wasn’t Old Will part of the tribe? “That’s what I did.”

“No. What you did is almost got yourself killed.”

“Should I have let him drown?”

“Yes,” Reef said sharply. “Or let me go in after him.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Because it was suicidal! Try and understand something, Peregrine. Your life is worth more than an old man’s. More than mine, too. You can’t just go diving in like you did.”

Roar laughed. “You don’t know him at all, do you?”

Reef spun, pointing a finger at him. “You should be trying to talk some sense into him.”

“I’m waiting to see if you’ll ever shut up,” Roar said.

Perry shot between them, pushing Reef back. “Go.” The fury in Reef’s temper shimmered red at the edge of his vision. “Take a walk. Cool off.”

Perry watched him stride away. Beside him, Roar cursed under his breath.

If this was happening between the two people most loyal to him, what was going on with the rest of the Tides?

On the way back, Perry spotted Cinder at the edge of the woods. He was waiting by the trail, fidgeting with his cap.

Roar rolled his eyes as soon he saw him. “See you later, Per. I’ve had enough,” he said, jogging off.

Cinder was toeing the grass as Perry walked up.

“I’m glad you came back,” Perry said.

“Are you?” Cinder said bitterly, without looking up.

Perry didn’t bother replying. He crossed his arms, noticing that his shoulder felt better than it had that morning. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It won’t happen again.”