As the pinky purple of twilight colored the sky, and the quiet chirp of nixles filled the air, Violet Larkenwood climbed the steps carved into the side of the tree that held her home in its giant branches. She kept going, past the other small houses nestled among the upper branches, until she’d climbed as high as she could go. There, sitting on a smooth, curved section of a wide branch with a view over most of the oasis, was Ryn.
He looked up and smiled at her. “Hey. Did you see the letter? I left it out for you on the kitchen table.”
“The one from the new Head Councilor?” Vi asked as she settled beside him.
“Are there any other potentially life-changing letters addressed to both of us that I should know about?”
She laughed and gave his arm a small shove. “Filigree was sleeping on it—s
