Under the Never Sky

As Aria comes closer to Tide, she crosses paths with Perry, and the two are caught in an oncoming Aether storm. Perry helps her survive, bringing her to a nearby cave.

The cave is well stocked by traders “who used the cave as shelter when they came through the valley” (104). Aria spends two days in a fever-induced sleep; Perry is sickened by her Dweller scent, which reeks of decay. When she wakes, the two blame each other for their situations. Perry believes saving Aria’s life is what allowed Talon to be captured by the Dwellers; Aria’s exile is because the Pod believes she conspired to let Perry inside.

Aria is horrified to learn that Perry’s touched her to tend to her wounded feet. She’s also unnerved by his appearance—blond dreadlocks, slightly too-canine teeth, reflective green eyes “like the eerie gaze of a nocturnal animal” (109). Perry admits he plans to break into Reverie to save Talon and offers Aria’s Smarteye in exchange for her aid. When Aria attempts to use the Smarteye to contact her mother, they realize the Smarteye is broken. Perry knows of an Outsider who can help repair it. Rather than be stuck in the cave for two weeks while he makes the journey, Aria demands to go with him. They decide to depart the next morning.

Perry makes shoe soles out of book covers for Aria’s injured feet. Aria introduces herself by name, which Perry ignores. They walk in the direction of Mount Arrow, where Perry’s friend, Marron, will be; Marron will help fix the Smarteye. Meanwhile, Aria annoys Perry with endless questions about the world, from the feel of snow to the smell of roses. When they stop to camp for the night, Aria avoids the fire. Perry is shocked when she’s picky with the food, returning thistle roots to him in favor of dried fruit.

Perry wakes to Aria singing in the middle of the night; she’s had a nightmare about Soren. She’s wearing the Smarteye “because [she’s] not [her]self without it” (132). Aria explains the Smarteye and its Realms to Perry, who doesn’t understand the appeal of a fake place. Conversely, Aria doesn’t see the appeal of the real world. Perry confiscates the Smarteye despite Aria’s objections; wearing it in the territories they’ll be traveling to will provoke enemies.

During the second day of travel, Aria’s feet become worse. She notices her nails are growing longer—something that doesn’t happen in the Pods because it’s deemed pointless—and misses her mother and Paisley. On day three, Perry describes more about Outsider territories and the Blood Lords who command the tribes. As they enter the mountains, they come across a strange humanoid creature with no lips and brown teeth. When Perry leads them to the safety of a cave, Aria asks what the being is. Perry hints that it might be what becomes of the dispersed—people who leave or are exiled from their tribes. When he leaves to hunt, Aria doesn’t stay put as he asks her to, instead going out to hunt for berries. On her return, she’s approached by three men who seem harmless, but Perry arrives and kills all three after recognizing them as Croven—cannibals.

Aria believes Perry to be a monster for murdering three men, starting a fight that provokes Perry to abandon her in the woods. He leaves a trail for her to follow, however, and they spend the night at a house in an abandoned town at the base of Mount Arrow. The next morning, Aria believes she’s dying because she’s started bleeding. Perry recognizes the scent and tells her she’s received her first blood.

While first blood is a cause for celebration for Outsiders, Aria is horrified because Dwellers don’t menstruate. When she has a nightmare during the night—another thing Dwellers don’t have—“both her body and mind felt foreign” (158). Perry scavenges for items in the town, bringing back a thick coat, knit hat, belt, and boots for Aria. He also introduces himself by name, relating it to the falcon tattooed on his back.

Perry is startled to catch himself admiring Aria’s appearance. He attempts to avoid his confusing feelings as he teaches her how to differentiate between safe and dangerous plant life.

Perry believes the Croven are regrouping and hunting their scents to take revenge for the men Perry murdered. Perry and Aria are still a three days’ journey away from Marron’s when they cross paths with Perry’s friend, Roar. Roar is an Aud who was sent to deliver Perry’s sister, Liv, to the Horns tribe, where her future husband awaits. Before they arrived, she ran away, and he’s spent the past week attempting to track her down. Along the way, a small boy named Cinder began trailing Roar and eating his leftover food.

Roar asks about Perry’s family and Perry reveals what’s happened to Talon. Roar agrees to help Perry and Aria on their missions. Cinder discovers Perry is a Scire and is fearful, forcing Perry and Roar to explain the Senses to Aria, who’s been unaware of Outsider abilities. She becomes distrustful of Perry after learning he can scent her emotions. In a private moment with Roar, he warns Aria not to ask about Perry’s parents.

Aria avoids Perry after learning of his Senses, which bothers him more than he’d expected it to. Perry senses something off with Cinder’s temper; it’s charged—similar to how the Aether feels to Perry. While hunting a boar for food, Roar hears a large group of Croven several miles away and rapidly approaching. While delivering food to Cinder, Perry warns him of the oncoming Croven and advises him to depart so he doesn’t face the consequences of Perry’s actions. Cinder refuses, claiming, “They can’t hurt me. No one can” (193). Perry becomes unsettled when he can’t scent the lie in Cinder’s words.

Later in the night, Perry uses more force to convince Cinder to abandon them for his own safety but only succeeds in prompting Cinder to lash out, burning Perry’s dominant arm with the Aether. Cinder is devastated and scared by his loss of control; Perry and the others are bewildered by Cinder’s abilities. Cinder is physically drained by his outburst and must be carried the rest of the way.