Under the Never Sky

A third Croven drops from a nearby tree and runs for the horn, which he plans to use to signal the others. Aria manages to kill him before reuniting with Perry. They go in search of Roar, who’s managed to kill five Croven with a group of Marron’s men; Roar is the only survivor, sustaining a major leg wound. Roar refuses to let Perry carry him because he can hear the Croven swiftly approaching, but Perry does so anyway. They nestle in a rocky outcropping, from which Perry fires arrow after arrow at the 50 Croven closing in, but he eventually runs out.

The Croven surround Perry, Aria, and Roar. Just before they attack, Cinder appears, scorching every Croven with his power over the Aether. The trio brings Cinder in to Marron; Cinder and Roar agree to meet Perry at Tide come spring. Satisfied by their promises, Perry and Aria depart for Bliss.

Perry and Aria outrun the worst of the storm and travel into the night. They are chased by a pack of seven wolves and take cover in a small shack nestled up in the trees. Aria manages to perfectly replicate their howls, effectively prompting the wolves to abandon their chase. Perry is astounded by her ability.

While they settle in for dinner, Aria asks Perry if he has a girl back at his tribe. Perry explains that Scires are rare and more powerful than the other Senses; because of this, they are expected to keep their bloodlines pure by breeding with other Scires. The Marked believe that “crossing Senses brings a curse […] [and] misfortune” (320). He ends the conversation and instead pulls her closer, and they make love.

Perry and Aria continue on their journey the following morning, estimating six days until they reach Bliss. The next night, she asks Perry about his family and when his Senses first emerged. Perry reveals things he’s never spoken about—his abusive father, who hated Perry because his mother died in childbirth. Perry blames himself for his mother’s death and Talon’s capture. He also believes his mother’s death was due to the curse of breeding two Senses in him, and Mila’s death was due to the curse of her union with Vale. Aria assuages him of his guilt and assures Perry that he is good and that the death and misfortunes of his family are not his or a curse’s fault.

Perry and Aria hunt a badger for dinner, and she displays the heightened Senses of an Aud. Perry has suspected this since the night with the wolves, but her ability to track the badger underground confirms his theory. Aria jokes about being with Roar because their Senses suit each other better, stirring jealously in Perry. As they get closer to Bliss, Perry becomes more anxious about their eventual split.

When they reach Bliss, Perry uses his Sight to take in the scene from afar. He sees a rescue evacuation in progress, with 30 Hovers, a bigger craft, and over 50 people outside the Pod in sterile suits. Perry and Aria craft a plan for her to sneak into Bliss undetected.

Perry watches from a distance as Aria sneaks into the black truck being loaded with Bliss’s dead. Lumina is not among the dead in its bed. Aria dresses in a bulky sterile suit identical to the others and gives Perry the signal. Perry readies his arrow and shoots it at the spotlight illuminating the rescue center’s entrance.

Inside the rescue center, Aria discovers rooms of bunk beds piled with dead bodies. She’s caught by Dr. Ward, who is shocked to see Aria but reveals Lumina is dead. He allows Aria to say goodbye to her body. Devastated, she sings their aria but is interrupted by guards who come to take both her and Lumina away.

Perry waits, wondering if Aria has found Lumina safely. When she never reemerges, he runs off feeling miserable. He finds a group of Outsiders huddled around a fire with music and alcohol called Luster. Perry trades away Talon’s knife, “wanting to be rid of it and all its memories” (351), and follows in his father’s footsteps by getting drunk and picking a fight with the group’s leader, whom he nicknames Braids. Despite being intoxicated, Perry manages to defeat Braids, but instead of giving him the choice to swear fealty or die, he drops his blade and walks further into the forest. He wakes hungover and with a new bandage around his burned arm. Braids and his men are present, with a newfound respect for Perry, and return Talon’s blade.

Aria wakes to Dr. Ward and Consul Hess. They plan to use her part Outsider nature and supposed immunity to DLS for their gain. If they hope for the Pods, specifically the inhabitants of Reverie, to survive, they must find the rumored Still Blue. They show Aria a recording of Perry’s Realm visit to Talon and threaten the lives of Perry’s family if she doesn’t gather information on the Still Blue for them. She’s forced to comply to keep Perry’s family safe, and they drop her off in the Death Shop once again.

Braids introduces himself as Reef, and Perry reveals everything to his men about Talon, Vale, and Aria, and his plan of returning home to claim Blood Lord of the Tides. His tales earn him the loyalty of all six men. As they travel back to Tide together, they vow to find the Still Blue.

When they reach Tide, Perry is shocked to find Vale still in charge. Perry discovers that he was framed by Vale all along; Vale sold Talon to the Dwellers for extra food to last the Tides through the winter and blamed Talon’s kidnapping on Perry as a way to remove his greatest threat as Blood Lord. Perry also realizes Vale did the same to Brooke’s sister, Clara, a year ago. With all of Vale’s betrayal out in the open, no one steps in when they begin to fight for the title of Blood Lord. Vale reveals that he arranged for Perry to be killed during Talon’s capture as well.

Perry pins Vale and gives him a choice to serve or die. Vale pledges to serve Perry as Blood Lord, knowing that because they’re family, Perry can’t Sense strong enough to scent the lie in his words. Reef, who is also a Scire, steps in for Perry and reveals that Vale lies and will never follow Perry. Perry is forced to kill Vale for Blood Lord.

Aria has spent the winter months with Roar and Cinder at Delphi. As Roar and Cinder prepare to join Perry in Tide for the spring, Aria warns them not to tell Perry anything about Lumina’s death or Aria’s return. She hasn’t told Roar about her mission from Consul Hess and plans to keep it secret as her burden to bear. Just as Roar is leaving, she changes her mind and gives him a violet to give to Perry—who always says Aria smells like the flower.

Two weeks later, Aria has left Marron’s. As she cooks a rabbit over a fire, she hears Perry’s footsteps in the distance. She drops everything and runs for him.