Bryant Conal picked a mushroom that looked like a brain coral from the distant ocean, and placed it in his bag on top of the blackberries that already filled the bottom. The mushroom grew at the base of a tree and was the size of a large melon. This far from his village the mushrooms had been growing for moons without the greedy hands of his people to stunt their growth. They were tastier when they were younger, but the size more than made up for the flavor.

At a noise to the north, he froze and put his hand out to signal to his gathering partner to stop as well. They crept forward through the damp forest, hopping along like deer, their feet barely touching the ground. They were Faye, and they relied on their wings to help them navigate the mountain’s slippery slope.

“Celeste, look,” he whispered and pointed to the figure in the distance.

Celeste stopped with her hand against a tree to keep her balance and looked in the direction he was pointing. In the distance was a young woman, about their age, covered in mud and trying to maneuver the wet ground without falling. A distant yelp of surprise followed her disappearance, and she re-emerged a short way down the mountainside, moving slow as she picked more carefully for her footing.

“Who is she?” Bryant asked.

Celeste shrugged. “Not Faye, but I cannot imagine any of the Sea People venturing this far inland.” She watched until the girl moved out of sight. “She does not appear hurt. She is no concern of ours.”

“What if she is the Aledan priestess?”

A good-natured laugh escaped Celeste as she smiled at him. “If that is the young priestess, she has a lot to learn about being Faye. I doubt it is, but we shall tell the Lady what we saw.”

Bryant watched where the girl had disappeared into the mist. If she was the winged priestess from Fie Eoin, then she was heading straight into the dangerous territory of the Sea People.