29

PEREGRINE

I hate this,” Kirra said.

Perry watched Kirra brush sand off her hands as he took a drink from his water skin. “You hate sand? I’ve never heard anyone say that.”

“You think it’s ridiculous.”

He shook his head. “No. More like impossible … like hating trees.”

Kirra smiled. “I’m indifferent toward trees.”

Along the dunes, their horses tugged at the sea grass.

They’d spent most of the day with Marron, assigning Kirra’s people to different tasks. Then Perry had shown Kirra his northern borders—he could use her people’s help on watch as well. Now they’d stopped for a quick rest along the coast before returning to the compound.

They needed to get back soon—a storm was building from the north—but he wanted just a few more minutes of not being Blood Lord.

Kirra had been easier to be around that morning. And with plenty of work to be done, she had a point about them getting along. He’d decided to give her a chance.

She leaned back on her elbows. “Where I come from, we have lakes. They’re quieter. Cleaner. And it’s easier to scent without all the salt in the air.”

It was the opposite for him. He preferred the way scents carried on moist ocean air. But then, that was what he’d always known. “Why did you leave?”

“We were forced out by another tribe when I was young. I grew up in the borderlands until we were brought in by the Horns. Sable’s been good to me. I’m his favorite for missions like this. I don’t complain. I’d rather be on the move than stuck in Rim.” She smiled. “Enough about me.” Her gaze fell to his hand. “I’ve been wondering how you got those scars.”

Perry flexed his fingers. “Burned it last year.”

“Looks like it was bad.”

“It was.” He didn’t want to talk about his hand. Cinder had torched it. Aria had bandaged it. Neither were things he wanted to share with Kirra. Quiet stretched out between them. Perry looked across the ocean, to where the Aether flashed deep on the horizon. Storms were constant now, out at sea.

“I didn’t know about the girl—the Dweller—when I first got here,” Kirra said after a while.

He resisted the urge to change the subject again. “So there’s something you hadn’t heard about me.”

She tipped her head to the side, mirroring him. “It sounds like I just missed her,” she said. “What if we’re the same person? Maybe I’m her in disguise.”

That surprised him. He laughed. “You’re not.”

“No? I bet I know you better than she did.”

“I don’t think so, Kirra.”