They fell into silence. Perry knew Marron was thinking about the home and the people he’d lost. Months ago, Perry had watched Roar and Aria train with knives on the rooftop at Delphi. He’d kissed her for the first time there.

Perry cleared his throat. His thoughts were slipping to a place he didn’t want to go. “I want to bring the tribe here before we’re forced out. We should leave the compound on our terms.”

“Oh, yes,” Marron agreed. “We’ll need to start preparing right away. We’ll need freshwater, light, and ventilation. Heat and storage for food. The access is poor, but we can improve it. I could design a pulley to lower heavier supplies.”

His list continued. Perry listened, finally recognizing the man he knew: gentle, meticulous, brilliant. He wondered how Marron could ever have thought himself a burden.

When he returned to the compound, Perry called a meeting in the cookhouse to tell the tribe about his plan to move them to the cave. As he’d expected, they reeled under the news.

“I don’t see how we can survive there for any length of time,” Bear said. His face was red, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He was angrier than Perry had ever seen him. “We’ve managed the Aether during the winters,” he continued. “It’s like you’re expecting the worst. Like you’ve given up.”

“I’m not expecting the worst,” Perry said. “The worst is happening. If you want proof, go outside and take a look at the sky, or at the acres that have burned over the past month. And this isn’t like winter. We won’t be able to ride this out. Sooner or later we’ll face another tribe, or another storm, that will level us. We have to make the first move—before that happens. We need to act now, while we still can.”

“You said you were going to take us to the Still Blue,” said Rowan.

“When I know where it is, I will,” Perry said.

Rowan shook his head in frustration. “What if we’re forced out of the cave?”

“Then I’ll figure something else out.”

After an hour of hearing the same complaints, Perry cut off the meeting. He ordered part of Bear’s workforce to help Marron with the cave. Then he watched Bear storm out and the rest of the cookhouse empty. In a daze, Perry crossed the clearing to his home, needing a moment alone to think about his decision.