"Hey!" Aley gasped. "I'm... I'm doing it." She tilted her head up, wondering how high she could go. Let's find out. She pushed her wings harder against the air, shooting up into the sky. When she looked down again, the ocean was far beneath her and Xinn was the size of a doll. "Wow..." she breathed, soaking it in. She spun around, now able to see the mountains over the treetops. Somewhere over there, Rocki was being held captive. The mountains didn't seem quite so far from this height... maybe she could...

Aley glanced down at Xinn. He was shading his eyes, staring up at her. He would come after her if she left. And if he got too close to the valicara...

She gave the mountain one last, forlorn look, before diving back down to the beach, relishing the feeling of freedom and strength under her wings. Her landing was clumsy, at best. She ended up coming in too fast and had to run, almost tripping over her own feet, before she could slow the momentum.

"Thought you were going to leave me behind for a moment," he said with a smile that said he was trying to joke but was serious.

She looked away guiltily, looking over the ocean. "Thought about it. Not much I would be able to do though besides get captured too."

"I'm sorry," he said.

With a sigh, she turned back to him. "Thanks. Well, now I guess we know that being thrown—hey, you threw me!" She slapped his shoulder.

He laughed. "It worked though, didn't it?"

She bobbed her head back and forth. "Well... I guess it did. But you had better not do that again!" She pointed a finger at him.

He looked amused. His hand reached out to give the loose hair on her shoulder a tug. "Or what?"

"Or I'll throw you in the ocean!" She shoved him, although it did nothing.

He laughed again. "I would like to see you try. Now, are you going to attempt to fly on your own or do I have to toss you again?"

She jumped back. "I'll do it on my own, thanks." She turned, eyed a specific stretch of the beach, then took off running. It took a few tries, but eventually she found the right combination of running, flapping, and jumping that allowed her to be airborne.

After she mastered taking off, she spent a long time just flying around, circling the ocean or rising over the treetops. It was a wonderful feeling to be a part of the sky.

Eventually, Xinn waved her down to proclaim it lunchtime and they started back to the village. As they approached, a sariun leaning against a tree took notice of them and straightened.

"General," he said spitefully. "What is this thing?" He flicked a finger at Aley. The way he eyed her with disdain made her wings fold in tight.

Xinn shifted so he was slightly in front of her, shoulders tensing. "TarqPhyeVare," he said in greeting. "This is Aleyis Gentil. She is under the protection of myself and the council." He added a note of warning to his voice.

Aley did her best to smile at the hostile sariun, but it came out thin. "Hi." She didn't know why Xinn hadn't just introduced her as the savioress, but she wasn't about too if he didn't.

"I heard there was a mixed blood among us, but I didn't want to believe it," Vare said, locking eyes with Xinn. "What are you doing bringing such filth into our city? She's likely a spy for those disgusting valicara." He seemed older than Xinn, more middle-aged. His gray skin was dull, and she couldn't tell whether he was bald, or if he shaved his hair short.

Aley pushed her shoulders back indignantly. "I'm not a spy!"

He sneered at her but spoke to Xinn. "Mixed blood is an atrocity against our species. And the fact that she is part valicara gives us all the evidence we need to kill her. So why is the council letting her wander about as if she were a helpless child and not an offspring of a profane match?"

Xinn's fists clenched at his sides. "That is the council's business. You need to know nothing but that they have granted her safety, and you must respect that."

"I see no reason to respect the fact that they allow a mixed blood to be among us. Where did it even come from? Who are its parents? The sariun counterpart should be put to death for treason and the valicara for even daring to approach."

"Excuse me?" Aley stepped around Xinn. "What are you talking about? I haven't done anything wrong. Even if I have sariun and valicara blood, why do you care? Doesn't that prove that there can be peace between the two of you? I'm no more an atrocity than you are with your bad manners and hostility. Do you even know who you're talking to? I'm—"

"Leaving," Xinn cut in, grabbing her arm. "TarqPhyeVare, you will not question me or the council. Now, Aley is staying in the visiting representative hut, which is still a bit of a walk, and she is quite hungry, so we will be leaving. Goodbye." He dragged Aley away from the creepy sariun, but she could still feel his eyes on her back.

"I didn't know people hated me so much," she said as soon as they were a distance away. "Why didn't you tell him I was a savioress?"

Xinn didn't look at her. "I have my reasons."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't go back to being an unfriendly general who likes to lock me up to spite me. I thought we were friends."

His gaze slid over to her, keeping up his marching pace. "We are. I'll tell you about it another time."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

She smiled. "Good. I'll hold you to that. I assume that also means that you won't tell me why you lied and said the cottage was far and I was hungry until later either?"

"You are correct."

"Fine, I can wait. I'm patient."

Xinn snorted.

"I am! When I want to be..." She itched her nose with her upper knuckles.

"I imagine you don't want to be very often, given past experiences."

She tossed her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed and she smiled at him. They chatted amiably the rest of the way to the hut, shoulders and hands occasionally brushing as they walked beside each other.

There wasn't much to do after lunch, Xinn had a few things to check up on, so he left her in the care of Kers, who stood guard outside while Aley tried to occupy herself indoors. She tasted most of the foods in the kitchen and dug through all the clothes in her room before sitting in the living room and singing to herself as well as acting the songs out before taking a nap.

Eventually, Xinn returned, informing her that there wasn't any change in the council's decision to wait on rescuing Rocki before quickly changing the subject to a story about how the daekee riders they had seen earlier found an animal skeleton on their ride—obviously trying to keep her from having another fit.

Aley finally stretched and glanced out the dark window. "So, who's going to be guarding me tonight? Which one of your men dares brave a boring and lonely night?" She flashed him a grin.

He tilted an eyebrow up with a returning smirk. "Me."

She blinked in surprise but kept her tone teasing. "You? Really? The general deigns to guard a lowly hut?"

"Maybe I just wanted to be close to you," he said smoothly.

Aley tilted her head up slightly. "In that case, maybe you should stay inside, and we can chat for a while longer. Wouldn't want to send the general into the cold night without a warm drink first."

"I think I'll accept that offer," he said, standing.

She made a beeline for the kitchen, then stopped. "Um... just now realizing that I don't know what kind of teas you guys have or how to make them."

Xinn chuckled. "Allow me." He started a small fire in the hearth, then gathered a few things from around the kitchen. She watched, occasionally making not-so-helpful, snarky comments, as he concocted two drinks, then handed one to her and suggested they sit in the main space.

She settled herself comfortably on the chair before taking a sip of the drink. It was delicious, sweet, warm, and slightly watery to keep the taste from becoming overwhelming. "This is really good, thank you."

"It is my pleasure."

They sat in silence for a moment, appreciating the drinks and light from the fire.

"Xinn..." Aley said, then stopped, trying to collect her thoughts. "What do you know about my parents?"

He leaned back into his chair, staring at the wall. "Nothing really. My father mentioned once that there was a sariun put to death for associating with a valicara, and maybe that was them. But they didn't have children as far as we know. They could be one of those 'peaceful' couples living on Bey-Ark—a planet where some have retreated to avoid the war. Or maybe they're just another sariun/valicara couple who haven't been discovered yet."

"Hm." She sipped her tea. "I guess... I was hoping... when you told me that my parents were aliens and not humans, I had hoped that I could find them. I tried when I was on Earth, but I was looking for humans of course. It would... be nice to know them. I've always wondered what they were like."

Xinn smiled sympathetically. "I understand. I'm sorry that I don't have the answers."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I mean, I love my adoptive parents, so it's not like I grew up without any sort of love." She glanced down at her nails. The dark blue polish on them was chipped and scraped, much like her actual nails. She really needed a manicure. Do sariun do manicures? "Can you tell me about your family?"

"Not much to tell. My father is a warrior and my mother is a healer, they live on an outpost with two of my siblings. One of my brothers is a healer that lives with them, the other two are warriors. My sister is a mechanic and the youngest is still a teenager living at home."

"You said..." She hesitated. "The other night you said you lost a few from the war?"

He nodded slowly. "An older sister and brother and a younger brother."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He shrugged. "The cost of war."

She took a sip of tea. "What is the age order?"

Xinn held a hand up, bringing it down by small levels as he ticked off each sibling. "My sister Rezu, who died, my brother Hael, who died, me, my brother Mree, the healer, my brother Soir, the warrior, my sister Kfla, the mechanic, my brother Cazl, who died, my brother Leph, another warrior, and my sister Evyn."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's a lot of siblings."

"Is Rocki your only sibling? Did your adoptive parents not have other children?"

"No, it was always just the four of us." Her shoulders dropped. "They're probably worried sick about me."

Xinn was quiet for a long moment. "I... I'm not sorry for what I did to get you here, because it needed to be done, but I am truly sorry that I had to do it." His strange eyes met hers. "I'm sure your parents miss you very much."

A sad smile barely reached her face. "I miss them too." She missed her dad's random calls to check in on her and her mom's cheerful texts. If they had been brought with her, they would have known what to do. They always seemed to.

Xinn tilted his head back, swallowing down the rest of his tea. "I should let you get some sleep. Sleep well, Aley."

"Goodnight," she said, watching him put his cup down in the kitchen and then step outside. She stayed in her chair for a while longer slowly finishing off her tea. She let her mind wander over all the events of the past four days until she was tired of running the same tracks repeatedly and went to bed.

Sleep wasn't coming easy though, probably because of the nap she took earlier. She tossed and turned until she was frustrated and stood up to pace around the room. The night wasn't as dark as she thought one in the forest would be, but she still made sure to tread carefully as she walked in circles, pushing her hands through her hair and gently scratching her scalp.

What's wrong with me? I feel so restless but I'm so tired. If I had my phone at least I could scroll through social media or something and hopefully fall asleep. All this pacing is waking me up more. She stopped for a second, tipping her head back and pulling on her hair with a long sigh. Her wings stretched out as wide as they could in the small room, then retracted and settled against her back.

Something shifted outside.

She completely froze, listening hard. It's probably nothing. It's a forest, there's a lot of animals out here. Wait, no, that's definitely footsteps. Maybe Xinn walking the perimeter? She was tempted to stick her head out the open window and snap at him for scaring her, hopefully startling him in the process. Probably shouldn't do that to a guy who can take my head off though. The footsteps stopped, a presence lurking somewhere outside her window. Did he see something? Is he trying to check in on me? He's probably trying to close the window, safety measures and all that. But seriously, who is going to come in through my window?

A large form charged through the open space, leaping onto the bed. Aley screamed, throwing herself back against the wall, wings spread wide. Metal glinted against the pillow as the figure slashed across like it was a neck. He turned to her, it was a sariun with a blade in his hand and murder in his eyes.

Aley shrieked. "Xinn!"