It had been ten days since Vi’den had come and told us about Venan’s trial. Something in Zuran had changed. It was like he had found out something that he wasn’t telling me, but, as far as I knew, no other Elders had stopped by, so I didn’t understand why he was suddenly quiet, brooding, and constantly in a bad mood. Of course, I imagined it was because of Venan’s situation, but it was as if the last few days had been the hardest on him.

I spent as much free time as I could with him when I wasn’t tending to the Novai in the hopes I’d be able to cheer him up or at least get his mind off of things. However, the only thing he wanted to do when we did spend time together was talk about Venan, the trial, and our testimonies. He kept saying, “We need to make certain our stories match.”

“Zuran,” I told him. “Our stories will match because we were actually there. We saw what happened. We don’t have to make anything up.”

“You do not understand,” he would come back. “The Elders already believe Venan is guilty because of what he did without even considering the reason. We need to give them a reason to consider why he did what he did and why it was necessary.”

I understood that, but I also understood trying to match our stories too much would make us seem like we were lying. And, since we weren’t lying, that was the last thing I wanted. I wouldn’t go in front of the Elders and lie, anyway, but I didn’t even want it to cross their minds that I might not be telling them the truth. I was horribly nervous. With each passing day, I was regretting my decision to testify for Venan with Zuran. I did want to help Zuran, and helping him meant helping his brother, but I didn’t want to put myself in the limelight.

It was night, and Zuran and I had ventured outside to sit in the sand while he continued one of his many rants about the Council and how they were wronging his brother. I was leaning back on my hands with my knees propped up, staring at the sky. No matter the circumstances, one thing I had always been able to do since arriving in Albaterra was to appreciate the beauty around me. Albaterra was infinitely more beautiful than Earth, and that was saying something because Earth had some truly exquisite sights, but Albaterra was like Earth on steroids. The colors were more vivid, the landscapes were more intriguing. Even the smells in the air were more vibrant and intoxicating. There was nothing about Albaterra, as far as nature that I disliked. In fact, there wasn’t much about Albaterra at all that I disliked, and I was constantly glad I’d made the decision to leave Earth and come here. That gladness was only heightened by my relationship with Zuran. Of course, that was discounting how hyper-focused he had been lately on something that, every time I thought about it, made my stomach curl up into a ball like a hedgehog.

There was a thump. I turned around in surprise, nearly falling down onto my elbow with the speed of my reaction. Zuran was faster than I was. He had been sitting similarly to me, though his legs were stretched out in front of him, and he whipped around onto his knees to see what had made the sound. It was Vi’den. He was back.

“It is time,” he said.

I looked at him, waiting for further explanation, but his expression said that I should’ve known what he was talking about, to begin with. It seemed Zuran did. He got to his feet at once, dusting off his pants and brushing his palms against each other. Then, he reached down, offered me a hand, and pulled me to my feet as well.

“What is it time for?” I whispered to him.

“The trial, I presume,” he said loudly enough for Vi’den to hear.

Vi’den nodded. “Indeed. If you do not mind, I would like to take you each to P’otes-tat Ulti via wind travel, but I am only able to take one at a time.”

I shivered. The desert night was cool, but it wasn’t cool enough to elicit the shiver. I shivered because I’d traveled by wind once before, and that was when I’d been taken to the hospital without any reason given to me. I’d been in such a state of panic that I hadn’t known what to expect and I hadn’t been able to keep a level head as I was flying through the air. I wasn’t looking forward to that experience again. I looked at Vi’den nervously. “Do we have to travel that way?” I asked.

He smiled gently. He was a kind A’li-uud, that was for sure, but he also had an aura of authority about him that commanded respect, and I felt like I needed to avert my eyes instead of staring at him.

“I wish we could go to P’otes-tat Ulti in a way more comfortable to you,” he said, and it sounded like he genuinely meant it. “Unfortunately, the trial is due to start shortly, and we must be punctual. Wind travel is the only way to do so.”

I sighed. Zuran squeezed my hand. I could feel the tension in his grip, and I knew he was probably nervous too, though likely for a different reason. This was the moment he’d been waiting for, the moment he’d be able to exonerate his brother and get Venan out of prison.

My stomach flipped in gymnastic somersaults as I walked toward Vi’den. He held out a hand politely to me, his palm facing the sky, and said soothingly, “It will be quick. I am well-practiced.”

I nodded, but his words did little to comfort me. I took his hand, and he held my fingers so tightly they ached, but I knew it was only to ensure I was safe during the ride.

“Do not let go,” he warned.

“I won’t,” I responded. I had never meant anything more in my entire life.

He jumped into the air, and I felt myself yanked upward with him. Instantly, the wind was roaring in my ears, and every sense I had felt like it was turned inside out. I could hear my heart beating, my stomach churning, even my lungs expanding and contracting, but I couldn’t hear anything outside of myself except for the rush. Nothing was visible at this speed. Everything was just a blur. I was able to look down and see my own body flying like I was Superman, but anything beyond that may as well have been shrouded in fog. There weren’t smells at this speed or height, either, and the air tasted like nothing. It was like I’d just become a part of the environment as Vi’den whisked me to our destination.

When we landed, I realized immediately I was once again inside of walls. I’d grown used to that in the colony, but these walls were different. They were extravagant, beautifully crafted, and not made of clay. They towered even higher than the walls of Ka-lik’et, so high in fact that I wondered if it was even possible for someone to climb over them. I was sure Zuran’s rope ladder grid would have never made it.

I turned around to face a building that reminded me of an ancient Romanian castle, or perhaps somewhere Dracula would live. Its towers were even taller than the walls and ended in sharp, jagged points at their tops. It was dark, so it was difficult to see what the castle was made of, but I could see the shadows of geometric lines enough to know it was either very large bricks or very small stones. It appeared we were on the side of the building because I didn’t see any grand entrance that would be expected of a building like this, and it turned out I was right. Vi’den made a whistling sound, and an A’li-uud only about as tall as me came rushing out of the darkness. He looked very young. His cheeks had not yet sunk in slightly to give him the fierce appearance of adult A’li-uud, and his eyes weren’t quite as slanted as I was used to seeing either.

Vi’den said something to the young alien in his native tongue, and the boy nodded and made a motion to me with his arm to follow. I did as he bid with a glance at Vi’den, who nodded encouragingly.

He led me into a room that was just as circular as my hut. There were torches on the walls that lit the bricks or stones, and I realized with surprise that the ceiling was actually really low. Bookshelves curved to the walls’ shape and surrounded me on all sides, and not a single shelf was lacking in thick tomes. It was sparsely furnished, aside from the bookshelves, offering only several chairs and a coffee table. If this was where witnesses were to wait before a trial, though, it didn’t need much furnishing.

I sat in one of the chairs and waited. Less than ten minutes later, Zuran entered the room as well. The boy closed the door behind him, and it was just the two of us. While I’d had time alone, I’d started to panic a little.

“What if we’re not here for the trial?” I asked him. “What if we’re here because they want to punish us for sneaking out of the hospital?”

Zuran shook his head. “They would not do that,” he said. “The Council does not lie.”

I was surprised to hear him say anything good about the Council, considering how much he’d been raving about them for the past few days, but it also reassured me. If anyone were going to tell me my unfounded fear was actually rational, it would’ve been Zuran.

Then, a door on the opposite wall from whence we came in opened.