Aalyan
In the following days Milthu refused to leave his side. Not that Aalyan minded his small body close in the comfortable wide branch he’d been given to sleep in—no one had clarified if it was by virtue of his new foreign status or his pregnancy, for which he was grateful. Since Milthu didn’t seem to care about his belly—in fact, he seemed intent on pretending it wasn’t there—it wasn’t hard for Aalyan to have it touched.
As if to satisfy Aalyan’s own curiosity, Milthu asked about the crystal not long after they were taken to their sleeping area the first night. “What’s that?”
“This?” Aalyan asked, and lifted it slightly.
Its glow increased accordingly, and his brother gasped. “Wow! It’s magic! Can I try?”
His hand was already half extended between them and his eyes, wide and excit
