Alara was baffled to realize it was night when they left the hut. The city was now lit by torches lining the walkways, the moon still frail and dark above them in the sky. Despite the darkness, there seemed to be even more people wandering around, though the children now padded along behind their parents, instead of bounding around unsupervised.

Most of the bruyas headed in the same direction, toward a bright glow between the trunks.

“It’s the communal supper,” Khuno said, answering Alara’s unasked question. “Lili can cook some food back at the house, so you don’t have to worry about going there tonight.”

Alara nodded, still unable to form words, and turned back to follow behind Khuno, whose fingers intertwined with Quenti’s.

Alara lost count of the bridges and stairs and turns as they trekked through the trees, but after several long minutes, they finally arrived at their destination. Lili’s house wrapped around the trunk of a particularly wide and flat tree, a bridge leading across to a small porch and bright yellow curtain covering the open doorway. The windows glowed from inside, and before they even crossed the bridge, a young woman darted out the door.

“Hello! Hi! Come in!” Her voice was clear and smooth and her eyes bright. They weren’t quite brown—almost a mossy green—and her face was sprinkled with freckles, her skin still tanned beneath them. Perhaps the most noteworthy part of her appearance were the thick green vines that twisted around her arm, up her neck, and into her hairline. As they walked into the brightly lit house, Alara saw the vines were made of dark ink drawn directly onto the woman’s skin. A tattoo. Something Alara had heard of, but never seen. They were considered taboo under Council rule.

“Sol, you both look exhausted. Come sit and get some food in you!” Alara let herself be led to a table against the wall and fell into the wooden chair pulled out for her. A steaming mug of coca tea was set in front of her, along with a plate of potatoes, corn, and some unknown meat. Lili continued to fuss around them and Khuno stood awkwardly by the doorway, watching them.

Alara ate instinctively without tasting the food, looking around as she did. The quaint home was split into a few rooms, with half of the circular building being taken up by the space they sat in. A tree trunk acted as one wall, its bark painted with vines and flowers.

Despite its small size, the room somehow wasn’t cluttered with furniture. There was the table Quenti and Alara sat at. Nearby was a small cooking area set up, along with a small hearth, where a fire danced merrily under a pot of water. Across the room was a rug and a scattering of cushions, and beside that, a mess of small bowls and brushes Alara realized were painting supplies.

In the other chair, Quenti let out a sigh of contentment. “This is delicious. Thank you!”

“It’s my pleasure! I actually love cooking, but don’t often have anyone to cook for. It’s a pleasant change of pace.”

“You can always cook for me, Lili.” Khuno said, smirking.

She only rolled her eyes at this. “Hold your hands out.”

It took a beat for Alara to realize Lili was looking at her as she spoke. Her heart skipped a beat, and she wondered if they planned to tie her up again. But as she laid her hands on the table, Lili gently placed a warm, wet leaf on both of Alara’s red and raw wrists.

Her skin gave a twinge, but as Lili laid her hands over the leaves, the burning sensation disappeared.

“You’re an earth mage…bruya.”

“Hmm, we’re called tierren here.” Lili placed two fingers on Alara’s temple and in an instant, the deep ache in her bones seemed to drain away.

“Oh.” Alara’s eyes went wide at this. That was not normal for an earth mage.

Lili laughed and gave Alara a wink. “Handy, huh? I have just enough mind-walking ability to do that. Always helps with healing.”

Lili took the leaves off her wrists and went back to making tea. Alara looked at her now unmarked wrists.

The room was warm and smelled of wood. Everything felt completely unfamiliar to Alara, and her thoughts were clouded with exhaustion and a steady fear of the unknown. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know what was going to happen tomorrow. She didn’t know much of anything.

Yet something else beyond fear pulled at Alara. After so many days in the forest, she wanted to give in and sink into the comfort of being warm and dry. But as Lili chattered away, smiling and plying Quenti with more food, Alara had to reminder herself that Lili was just another bruya among the thousands that she was now surrounded by. The enemy.

“Khuno, go on with you. You can come back tomorrow morning to see Quenti, but both of these ladies need to get some sleep,” Lili said, gently directing Khuno out the door.

For her part, Quenti slumped in her chair, eyelids drooping. Alara doubted she looked much better, stomach full for the first time in days.

A few minutes later, Lili shuffled the pair into the other room. Alara let herself be wrapped in a blanket and led to a mat on the floor. The last thought she had was how strange it felt, sleeping on something soft again.

That night, Alara dreamed of her mother and father and their screams as they died. And in the dream, she saw Runeo standing over their bodies, spear at his side. She then felt the spear in her own hand, tip bloody.

Alara woke sweating in the dark. Dawn hadn’t come yet, and the room was black and warm, but Alara didn’t fall back asleep. She stared at the dark ceiling and wondered how far down the ground was and if a single person could operate the lift.

***

The next morning, Lili had made breakfast—a collection of fruits and bread that made Alara’s stomach growl and mouth water. A small sigh of contentment broke between her lips as she swallowed a piece of the freshly baked loaf. She again had to remind herself where she was. Good food and soft bed aside, these people were still not friends, and she wasn’t safe.

Quenti sat across from her and Lili leaned against the wall with a mug of dark cafi in her hands. The pungent smell of the bitter drink drifted through the room.

“You both look like starved animals still.”

Quenti smiled at Lili’s comment. “You can only survive so long on fish and berries.” She then grimaced. “I can’t even think about fish anymore.”

As the two of them continued to chat, Alara sat silently, mind elsewhere. She thought about Emaru and Ardo, wondering if they were looking for her. Where were they searching? They could be below them now and never know it. She didn’t quite expect the tightness in her throat that came with the very notion.

“I’m sorry, Alara.” Quenti’s voice invaded her thoughts. “This isn’t what I wanted when you ran into me. I told you to leave me alone.”

Alara tightened her lips into a thin grimace. “I thought you were in danger.”

Perhaps I still do.

“You are both quite safe here.” Lili said, responding to Alara’s unspoken comment. Her voice held a warmth that made Alara almost want to believe her.

“I’m a prisoner. Let’s call it how it is.”

“We don’t want this any more than you do,” a voice broke in from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Khuno leaning against the frame. “This is the only way to keep our people safe. Safe from the prying eyes of the Council.”

“What are you afraid of?” Alara said, biting back a bitter laugh. “If you stopped raiding villages and came to the Haven, all of this would stop. The Council just wants to keep the peace. They want everyone to know how to control their abilities.”

“Control that will be used for the Council’s gain.” Khuno shook her head. “We are perfectly content without their interference.” She walked over to where they sat and picked a piece of red fruit off of Quenti’s plate. “And control doesn’t have to mean fear.” She waved her hands and a small gray cloud swirled and formed in the air, letting off a sprinkle of rain that danced before falling to the ground.

“Can you not get it wet in here, please?” Lili said, smacking Khuno’s shoulder.

Alara stood up now, facing Khuno straight on. “Control doesn’t mean fear. Control means people not using their magia to gain power. The last time there was none, the bruyas waged war against the blameless and nearly eradicated them.”

“So you really are one of them.” Khuno said, with a hint of disappointment. “Come on Quenti, let me show you around.”

Quenti gave them a small wave before she and Khuno went through the curtained doorway. Alara slumped back into her chair.

Lili sat where Quenti had just been and patted Alara’s hand where it lay on the table. “You’ll have to excuse us. We’re all a little serious up here. Generations ago—before we moved into the trees—we used to be more trusting, more open to runaways and outcasts. We would take in anyone needing a place, including magites who failed out of the Haven or mages that got sick of the Council.” Lili paused, staring into the dredges of her empty mug, her lips pressed into a thin frown. “Then someone betrayed our people. We don’t even know who it was, but the councilguards found and surrounded us in the night. It was a slaughter.”

With a thud, Lili placed her mug back onto the table and stood up, shaking the sadness from her shoulders like a coat. “Anyway, pretty much everyone has a great-grandparent or great-relative who died in the massacre, so it’s not something anyone forgets. That was when we built this place.”

She was cleaning away breakfast now, her smile wide and bright again. “My grandmother actually helped build some of the expanded parts of the city. She was a tierren, too. Much more powerful than I am, mind you.”

“Is that what the tattoos signify? Being a tierren?”

Lili paused from her cleaning and leaned against the small counter. She looked down at her arm with the green ink that crawled up it. “In part, yes.”

“Do all tierren in Arbol have them?”

Lili laughed this time. “Oh, Sol, no. My grandmother wasn’t happy about it.”

Alara was silent as she waited for Lili to continue.

“I got the tattoos after my mother passed,” the woman said, turning back to clean the counter. “Each leaf represents a year she was with me. I wanted something to remember her by.”

As Lili spoke, Alara’s hand grazed the burned skin of her cheek without thinking. Lili had turned to other girl, eyes bright as she watched the movement.

“We don’t always get to choose our scars. I at least wanted to choose this one,” Lili said with a soft smile. “And I’m a bit of an artist, so I might as well use my skin as a canvas.”

Before she could stop herself, Alara’s lips parted into a smile as her eyes flicked back to the mural, which swirled with bright colors. It answered her question as to who had painted the wall.

Suddenly, Lili’s bright hazel eyes were wide in front of her face. “You look positively pale. I know you’ve had a long journey, but maybe we should go for a walk. I can show you around a little. Give you the tour.”

“I—I don’t know if I’m allowed outside.”

“Oh, Sol. Runeo and those other grumps will get over it. Come on! You can borrow some clothes and a pair of sandals. Those won’t be warm enough up here anyway,” she said, motioning at Alara’s tunic and pants.

Before she could answer, Lili swept her into the back room and starting pulling out skirts.

***

An hour later, Alara and Lili were making their way through Arbol. It had taken some convincing on Lili’s part to leave the guard behind that had been stationed at her door. Alara had no way of running. What was it they thought she was going to do? She couldn’t even see the ground beneath them and hadn’t quite learned how to fly.

Her palms sweat as she tried not to lose her balance on the thin bridge that stretched between two platforms. The soft leather sandals she had borrowed from Lili were a bit too big, but the soles were flexible, making it easy to grip the flooring with her toes. She wore a skirt and tunic of Lili’s as well, the former of which was a frenzy of colors—yellows, pinks, teals, and purples—woven into flowers and intricate designs. The tunic was a simple green, but the collar was embroidered with a delicate pattern that matched the lower half of the ensemble. Alara was a little baffled at the skirt, but Lili showed her how to wrap it so the slit sat in the front. The materials were thicker than what Alara was used to, but they were soft and easy to move in.

As she followed Lili around town, she was glad for the thickness of the wool. An icy breeze occasionally broke through the branches and danced across the exposed skin of her neck, sending shivers up her back. She felt less exposed now as she walked with Lili, her own outfit blending in with the rest of the villagers. Bruyas wandered back and forth, their brightly woven fabrics dancing among the green and brown background of the forest. The men’s outfits looked much the same as the women’s, save for the wide cut pants they wore under their tunics, instead of the skirts. Alara quickly realized the subdued green and brown outfits the bruya guards had been wearing yesterday were not their usual garb.

As they walked, they pressed through throngs of people. Alara was amazed how many were living in Arbol. It sent a spike of fear through her, wondering just how many others there were hiding in the outlands. She had always imagined that small, fragmented groups scattered around Sombria were all that remained, but Arbol alone made it clear that thriving civilizations could go unnoticed within their borders. What would happen if they grew sick of their small raids and rebellions and attacked the Haven?

She tried to focus, counting bruyas as they walked, hoping she could return to Emaru with something that could help the Council. But it all felt pointless. Unless she escaped, there would be no way for her to return with any memories. Once the mind-walker did her work, all this would be a distant flicker in the back of her head.

As Alara snapped back to reality, realizing they were walking through what had to be a marketplace. A wide platform of branches and wood stretched out between the large trees and small tables and stands were set up along the edges of the walkways. Some stands had piles of colorful woven clothes stacked around them and others roasted sweet-smelling meats. Her stomach growled, despite the breakfast she had eaten earlier, and she turned to ask Lili if she could stop for some meat.

With a small lurch, she realized the bruya was no longer beside her. She stopped in the flow of the crowd and turned, trying to look over the sea of heads. Even here, her stature seemed shorter than most, and she struggled to see more than shoulders and dark hair around her.

“Lili!” Alara called out, still struggling to stand still as the crowd pressed in around her. She could feel the buzz of magia in the back of her brain as bruyas circled around her, their presence assaulting her awareness. She saw their eyes narrowing as they passed by her, face pale and eyes wide. One bruya shoved their elbow hard into her side as they passed by her.

Frustrated, she felt a wave of heat rising in her, and her magia reached for Lili without conscious control. Her awareness spread and hit the wall of bruyas that circled her. Alara tried to take a deep breath, but her chest was tight, heat building from within. She was panicking. The realization only sent another wave of hot fear through her.

Without thinking, she pushed her way through the horde of bruyas, no longer looking where she was going, but simply trying to get out. And then there was a hand on her shoulder and she felt a wave of relief. Lili.

But when she whipped around, eyes wild, it was Runeo whose large hand was pressing down on her shoulder. His eyes narrowed—dark—and he sneered down at her. “Where do you think you’re going, magite? Why are you out here alone?” He practically growled at her, his hand pressing ever harder on her shoulder.

“I…” Alara tried to answer, but the heat of her magia was still building and she could feel sweat beading on her forehead, her skin damp and hot. She tried to step away, eyes still flickering around for an exit.

“Don’t you dare.” Runeo saw Alara was about to dart and grabbed her arm. She knew he could feel the heat, too, rising beneath her skin. His eyes went wide, and he looked down at where his hand touched her skin. “You going to burn me, then?”

“I don’t want to. Just let me go.”

“So you can run back to the Council? I don’t think so.”

“I’m not going to run.” She spoke the words, though they rang false in her head. She knew she couldn’t promise that.

“Trust me. I’m going to make sure you don’t go anywhere.” His voice was low, and for a second, Alara almost didn’t want to fight the spark of fire flickered just under the surface of her skin. Perhaps it would serve him right. Her mind buzzed with static, the anger taking over, and she felt herself reaching toward her center, to the flame that was dancing there.

“Alara, thank Sol!” Lili's voice broke through the buzzing in Alara’s head and she looked to see Lili pushing through the crowds. “Let off, Runeo. She’s with me.”

The bruya dropped Alara’s arms, and she felt a wave of cool pressing through her.

“Come on, we should get back.” Lili looked between the two of them, clearly understanding something had happened.

As they turned to go, Runeo grabbed at Alara, once again, fingers hard on her wrist. “Quil'la may not see you as a prisoner, but know that we’re watching you. I won’t let the likes of you hurt us again.”

Alara tried to lift her chin, meeting his eyes. “I don’t plan on hurting anyone, I can promise you that. Now let me go.”

Her heart thumped hard in her chest as he loosened his grip. She scurried back over to Lili, feeling like a lost child scrambling for her mother. As she made her way over to the bruya, her body cooled and she shivered at the loss of heat.

And silently, she wondered if she had just made a promise she couldn’t keep.