Far away from the permitted and well-traveled paths of the forest, hidden in a grove of dark orange fan trees, Luca stood on a branch that was more familiar to her than any friend. The bark was smooth and worn down from all the times she sat there. She snuck back there often, when she could, to remind herself that her last encounter with Alethi wasn’t a dream. The forest floor cracked beneath her feet and the branches pulled apart in front of her to reveal a freechi.