The effect of the bonfire on the gray huts was mesmerizing—they crawled with light and shadow as if they were alive. Kaye wanted to offer the doorways her food to appease the spirits of the clan animals that kept guard over them.

Aside from Timin and his father, Kaye was the only one with light colored hair, although a few of the younger women had brown eyes instead of blue. As Kaye joined the festivities, she could sense the energy of many conversations turning in her direction, and the Gaerloms began trickling over for introductions. She told them only as much as she thought safe—the Obsidians wanted her because she was a priestess and a daughter of the most powerful family of her tribe. She was bombarded with names and clans. Only Gabe had a surname—everyone else was called by their clan animal. Like Misha of the Sea Star Clan, who had dark brown eyes like the silkies and was betrothed to Timin, despite the energy between them fluctuating between affection and distance.

The introductions slowed as the feasting began, and the beach smelled of roasted fish and salty greens Kaye couldn't identify. The feast came from the ocean, and she took small bites of everything she was offered while she tried not to breathe through her nose. To her surprise, the fresh fish was very good, with no trace of the foul water it came from. And despite the strange look of many of the creatures, she could honestly say she enjoyed most of it.

Sitting back, stomach placated by the food, she let her eyes half-close and stared at the fire. Thoughts of her sister, back ripped and kneeling, came to her as she remembered the Warrior's Ceremony. She was worried about Kindra. When their father died, she mourned all autumn and into a good part of the winter. Kaye could see her, twelve summers old, hair growing long again as she stared forlornly into the river as if she could see him in the water. The only thing that could bring Kindra away from the mourning rock then was Kaye. Now Kindra would know Kaye was hurt and scared, and would go to Fie Obsid looking for her. Kaye was waiting to feel the pain as they killed Kindra in her place.

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"Kaye?" Timin waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello, Kaye?"

It took her a moment to come back to the present and she looked around the unfamiliar huts before remembering where she was.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Fie Eoin, I guess." She looked down at her plate, which was gone, and then back to the fire. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing yet." Timin smiled. "I thought I should wake you before the storyteller. He's going to tell the Legend of the Faye and the little kids will probably scream."

The air around them cooled and Kaye wrapped the cloak tighter around her shoulders. "Why would they scream?"

Timin's smile was playful and easy, and she had the impression that he used to smile quite a lot. "They tell it to keep the kids in line. ‘Be good or your parents will feed you to the Faye'. That sort of thing."

Kaye looked at Abigail, who was deep in conversation with her husband and not paying attention. "Faye don't eat people."

"Of course they don't," Timin said with a charming smile. "They don't exist. We talk about them as if they do, and there are evil mountain spirits in the forest, but no one’s ever seen a Faye."