Marron waited for quiet to return before he spoke again. “He did indeed reach an agreement with Sable. There is passage to the Still Blue for anyone who desires it. Certainly, though, none of you are forced to come. Let there be no mistake: the journey there will be far from safe, and the destination itself is something of a question. What we know is this: Here, your life is certain to be over shortly. Our food stores are down to days. We have no wood to warm this cave beyond the end of the week. . . . We have exhausted everything. Whether you decide to take a chance on something else, be it better or worse than this, is up to you.”

A murmur moved through the crowd. Jokes about who was mad enough to stay. Aria heard them through a haze.

Marron continued to speak. He gave instructions on the preparations that were needed. Aria watched Bear and Molly and the Six leave to coordinate the groups. The logistics of their exodus.

Exodus.

The word fixed in her mind, grave-sounding. Unbelievable, despite how many months she’d anticipated this moment.

They were leaving.

The crowd thinned once again as people rushed off to gather their belongings.

Aria didn’t move. Roar and Soren had stayed behind with her. They were both watching her like they expected her to say something, so she did.

“Why is he still in there, Roar?”

“Because he knows what this means, and he doesn’t want to do it.”

“Which he?” she asked. “Cinder or Perry?”

“My guess?” Roar said. “Both.”

Within minutes, the cave bustled with activity as the Tides began packing and organizing their supplies for the journey. Food and blankets. Medicines and weapons. Everything was culled down to the most essential items and loaded in storage crates.

Sable sent two dozen of his own soldiers to assist them. Unsurprisingly, they were led by her father.

Loran barely glanced at Aria as he entered the cave. She, on the other hand, couldn’t stop watching him.

She was relieved to see him. Thrilled and terrified. For nineteen years they hadn’t seen each other, but now fate had brought them together several times.

Right away he and the Horns set a tone of dominance. Their assistance took the shape of tersely issued commands and berating comments. The Tides quickly grew tight-lipped and anxious. Only a few pushed back, refusing to be ordered. Reef and the Six held their ground, as did Bear and Molly. When Twig got into a shoving match with one of the Horns that nearly turned bloody, Aria had seen enough.

She pulled Loran aside. Her heart was racing. “Your men are too harsh. You don’t have to treat them this way.”

Loran crossed his arms, covering the horn emblem on his chest. He was shorter than Perry, narrower in the shoulders. Fit for a man his age.