To sit across the table from an A’li-uud was still a surreal experience, even after having lived on Albaterra for several months. To sit across the table from an A’li-uud Elder, however, was more terrifying than surreal.

Sevani in and of himself was not terrifying. He was strikingly tall with a fiercely-featured face just like the rest of the Pentabans, but there was sage wisdom behind his white irises that engendered a sense of peace. His preferred wardrobe of long, billowing robes were much less intimidating than the usual garb of Khrel and others, which consisted of shirtless and veiny-muscled chests and bunchy fabric trousers ideal for wading through the many swamps and boots heavy enough to act as sledgehammers in a pinch. His draping of silver hair was tied into a meticulous tail at the nape of his neck, and his long, teal fingers were often hidden by his bell sleeves as he calmly folded his hands before him. Frankly, he reminded me of a blue-green version of Merlin, though perhaps with more beef to him beneath the robes. I trusted him just by looking at him.

Being in the presence of an Elder, though, was frightening for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the omnipotence with which Elders were regaled across Albaterra. Even Khrel, who I’d been carefully studying over the past couple of days, appeared to slip from his alpha demeanor into an allegiant servant in Sevani’s company. I couldn’t help feeling like a tiny insect as the sharp-eyed alien cast his gaze down upon me from his seat on the other side of Khrel’s dining table.

“Please tell me what you remember about the night you were attacked,” he intoned. He spoke English to me, but his English was strange just like all A’li-uud, clipped and staccato. I had to listen closely to ensure I understood him properly.

“Well…” I began uncertainly. I glanced at Khrel, almost as if silently asking him to corroborate what I was about to say, but he was studiously avoiding looking at me. I swallowed and turned my attention back to Sevani, who had not stopped staring at me since we’d sat down. “I was out running. When I got tired, I stopped and sat down, and my friend Isabelle happened to be nearby. We were talking, and then we heard some violent noises. I knew it was the Novai, but I’d never heard them like that before, so it scared us a little. Plus, that night was the first time the Novai were quiet for an extended period of time, and that was weird too. Isabelle and I started to run back to the colony, but she was going the wrong way, toward the sounds. I tried to tell her to stop and turn around, but, the next thing I know, a Novai jumped out of nowhere and tackled me.”

“You did not see from where he came?” Sevani questioned.

“No,” I replied with a shake of my head. “He just…appeared. He was on top of me, and Isabelle kicked him. I was able to get up, and then Khrel came. I thought it was over then because Khrel had control of the situation, and he offered to take us back to our shanty after returning the Novai to camp, but the Novai attacked me again. Khrel had to shoot him to stop him. He protected me.”

Sevani nodded slowly. I could tell what I told him was processing because his milky eyes were unmoving but a muscle in his jaw repeatedly twitched. I flicked my gaze over to Khrel again. This time, he was not avoiding me. He was staring at me so hard I could feel him in my mind. His face was as fierce and angular as ever, but his features were strangely marred with some kind of riveting emotion I had never seen on him and, therefore, could not place. His eyes were hard around the edges but soft in the irises; his thin lips were parted very slightly, and the corners were turned down almost imperceptibly; the rigid line of his jaw had slackened just enough to change his facial profile from oblong and sharply-cornered to a sleek arc. Even his skin, every bit as teal as Sevani’s, was somehow flushed and richer in the cheeks. I was desperate to understand this sudden change, but it was not the time to ask, so I bit my tongue.

“Tell me about yourself,” Sevani said unexpectedly, wrenching my focus from Khrel back to him. I stared, uncertain what he meant. “What is your role within the colony?”

“I am a life coach,” I answered. I wasn’t sure it was the kind of answer he was looking for, but it was the only way I understood the question.

“What is a life coach?”

I pursed my lips a little. That was a question I was very familiar with, and one that humans had often asked me back on Earth. “It’s my job to meet with people and determine their goals, their desires for their life’s path, and help them achieve those goals. Many of my clients are people who are struggling financially or educationally or even romantically. I have to analyze what they tell me, as well as what they don’t, and determine the best course of action for them to get where they want to be with themselves, their careers, and so on.” It was the best way I could think of explaining it to an alien.

If the A’li-uud blinked more, I would have expected him to blink at me blankly because he seemed utterly confused by what I was saying. I didn’t know how else to make him understand, though, so I didn’t continue. Finally, he asked, “Is this a service humans find necessary?”

For a second, I was offended. He was basically asking if my job was useless. But I remembered that A’li-uud live very differently than people do, with a completely unique sense of ethics and morals, and I replied calmly, “Some. Many don’t visit life coaches when they should. Others rely on life coaches too much. My only concern is helping the people that see me.”

Sevani nodded again, but this time it was much more enthusiastically. “That is respectable,” he told me approvingly. Before I could awkwardly thank him, however, he pressed on. “Why did you come to Albaterra?”

It was not a question I’d been expecting, and, frankly, it was a question I wasn’t sure I was comfortable answering. “I-I don’t know,” I faltered. He didn’t flinch, didn’t nod, didn’t acknowledge my uncertainty in any way, and I could tell he wasn’t going to let the question go until I gave him a proper explanation. I sucked in a breath and felt shame wash over me as I softly murmured the truth. “I lost myself.”

Khrel was still looking at me with that strange expression, but he glanced at Sevani when the Elder twisted toward him to exchange gazes. “I am afraid I do not understand,” Sevani said to me.

“My job is to provide purpose to people’s lives,” I explained quietly. My cheeks were reddening with embarrassment, though it was embarrassment all my own as the A’li-uud in the room clearly didn’t comprehend why it would be a shameful topic for me to discuss. “Yet, I had no purpose. No, I have no purpose. I was telling people what direction they should take in their lives without knowing which direction I wanted to take myself. I guess I came to Albaterra hoping to find that purpose I’d lost.”

Sevani was watching me with less fervor and more wisdom now. I could feel the sage peace rolling from him toward me, almost like a friendly grandfather who was listening to me unload my baggage. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, needing some answers of my own now.

“Why do you want to know all this?” I asked. “About me?”

Khrel shifted his weight to his other foot, and I could see displeasure on his face in my peripheral vision. I wasn’t surprised. He probably considered my questioning Sevani to be some kind of insubordination or something, as loyal as he was to his Elder.

“It is important we prove your trustworthiness and strength of character to the Council when delivering your statement,” Sevani explained. He didn’t seem perturbed by my interjection; on the contrary, he appeared rather impressed.

“When am I going to deliver my statement? Or is that what I just did?”

“No, your statement must be given before the Council. I am merely getting your account to bring to Forum shortly as a preliminary testimony.” He tapped his index finger on the tabletop. “The Council is not yet prepared to hear from you, so you will be required to remain here with Khrel in the meantime.”

“What about Isabelle?” I demanded.

He crooked a silvery brow. “What about her?”

“Well, you have me staying here for protection. Is she protected? And can I see her?”

Sevani’s mouth narrowed, and he shook his head, sending metallic tresses across his shoulders in shudders. “I feel Isabelle is safe and needs no guard, though one of my warriors looks in on her each evening. I also feel it best you remain here with Khrel; you will see your friend soon enough.”

“But—”

Suddenly, I understood why Khrel practically shrank in Sevani’s presence. The Elder swelled in the chest, his chin sharpened, and, though his eyes were stark white, they flashed with commanding darkness. “You are to stay here,” he reiterated, his voice startlingly low. “I will have no further discussion on this matter.”

I nodded, and my initial shock at Sevani’s change in demeanor made my agreement genuine for a split second. As he rose from his seat and turned to Khrel to speak something in A’li-uud, however, heat flared in my chest. I pictured Isabelle, unguarded and vulnerable to attack in our shanty alone, and defiance rose over me like a tidal wave. When Sevani looked back to me to wish me a good day, I smiled brightly and returned the sentiment, determined to appear as if all was well. But, underneath, a plan was beginning to stir.

I was going to go to Isabelle.